Amen Dan, amen!

Capacitors generally last a long time, but they also fail in other electronic components apart from JL subs. It is the nature of the beast.
Whenever we run into an issue like this, let's consider our glasses half full and not half empty.
We love our music, so enjoy the ride. :music:

Good to know the amps can be removed and returned to JL Audio for repair.

I remember very well moving these beasts around! To much for this old guy's frame to handle again!

ejr1953.......Same here. It was all I could do to get the Fathom f113 upstairs and onto the Sound Anchor stand 9 years ago. I don't want to think about trying that again, which is why I sought an alternative. I can handle the 33 lb. amp when it's out of the subwoofer cabinet.

If you really want to sober up, try moving a Gotham or two. :eek:

Ivan.......Just reading your post made the lower lumbar region of my back begin to ache. :yes:

Dan... 458 lbs each... :yikes:

http://www3.pictures.zimbio.com/gi/Z...REEHZm4-6l.jpg

Thankfully my V1 is still chugging along, but this thread has my complete attention. Looking forward to your (successful) repairs. Seems like a small/cheap/easy fix that just about any reasonably handy person could accomplish.


Worse-to-worst, at least you've provided a good tutorial on removing the amp section for shipment back to JL - a huge spine-saver!!!!


I'm also not sweating trusting the overall quality of JL... They are beastly and have an overall solid track record (considering how many units are out there versus how many have died).

Success!


https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1788/...85781f75_o.jpg


My new capacitors and ESR meter arrived late today. UPS didn't show up until nearly 7:00 PM. I immediately got to the task and jumped right on the suspect 100uf/35volt cap in the Stand-by power supply section (red arrow). The ESR meter allows in-circuit testing so I measured the equivalent series resistance while the capacitor was still soldered on the circuit board. I was looking for a value of less than 0.5 ohms for the cap to be considered good. The capacitor read 14.23 ohms, this despite the fact there was no deformity in the top. I measured the new Panasonic capacitor before installing it and got an ESR of 0.288 ohms. Perfect. I removed the failed capacitor and soldered the new one in its place.


https://farm1.staticflickr.com/840/2...49690609_o.jpg


Next I checked the in-circuit ESR of the 33uf/400volt capacitor (yellow arrow). A good reading would be less than 1.2 ohms. The capacitor's equivalent series resistance read 0.564 ohm. Looking good, so I decided to leave this cap in place. I will save the new Nichicon 33uf/400volt capacitor in case I need it in the future. I certainly hope I don't.

I carried the JL Audio Fathom f113 amp back upstairs to the living room, remade all the plug and ground connections, and with the amplifier leaning out of the back of the sub I plugged in the left and right channel inputs and the power cord, then flipped the power switch on the front. Bingo. The Master light came on and the Calibration button illuminated. Next I played Fiona Joy - Signature Synchronicity, "Ceremony", the first track on the CD. It has some excellent synthesized deep bass. Hallelujah, my deep bass is back and the subwoofer is working perfectly. It took another five minutes to get the amp reinstalled in the Fathon's cabinet and screwed down snug. I am back in business. . :yahoo:

So there you have it.The JL Audio f113 Fathom is back in service. Tomorrow I will calibrate the subwoofer again for good measure. The great thing is I never had to move the subwoofer from the Sound Anchor stand, or pack it and ship it to Miramar, Florida. Even better, the entire repair cost less than $10.00 for the capacitors. Color me one happy subwoofer aficionado. . :chillin:

Congrats, Dan! I am envious of your skills. :)