I remember back in the early 80s’ when the Rockman product line came out.  The X100 headphone amp had such a huge and lush tone when used as for DI or plugged into a mixing board with tone as wide as the Mississippi River.  The Rockmodule series soon followed and so did a whole slew of outstanding products.   The “Boston” tone and anything in between could now be easily replicated.  Back in those days, none of the equipment was cheap.  It carried a premium price and rightfully so.  It was beautifully designed professional equipment.

  Today you can acquire just about any item in the product line at a reasonable price.  Some still carry a hefty price tag due there vintage status, but there are deals to be had.

  Now, before you run out and buy one of these fine products, be advised that they are pretty old and need some serious help to get them back to their original standard.  This is where I come in with solutions to what generally plagues this equipment.

spent Capacitors

  First and foremost, the electrolytic capacitors in every product of the line need to be replaced.  Not probably or should be replaced - more like, must be replaced if you want to achieve the lush thick tone Rockman products are renowned for.  Over time, the dielectric chemical that separates the plates of the capacitor dries up and crystallizes or leaks out and renders the capacitor in a severe degraded state.  This will lead to poor power supply filtering and will seriously limit and degrade any signal being processed when the capacitor is utilized as a coupling capacitor. 

  There are two more scenarios that are even worse.  First, should the dielectric chemical leak out onto the PCB and components, the result can be catostrophic.  The chemical is more corrosive than the typical AA battery leak.  I have seen a few X100s and Rockmodules rendered useless after neglectful owners declined to have the plus 30 years old capacitors replaced.  Second, once the dielectric chemical leaks out or degrades, there is not much, if any, dielectric material to separate the plates.  Eventually, the plates will meet and cause a short.  This is really bad news if the capacitor happens to be a filter cap.  Want to eat your Sustainor or X100‘s power supply?  Negate this critical maintenance action and you just might.  The average life of an electrolytic is about 9 years and that’s really pushing it.  Since the product line ended in the early 90‘s.  No matter what product you might possess, these capacitors have long outstayed their welcome.  Whether it’s a headphone amp, Rockmodule, or a combo amp.  It’s time.  Really!

where there are batteries there is corrosion

  The headphone amps are really unique products packed with great features and awesome tone.  Often under utilized, these are not just another brick in the wall.  Recording is where these little bricks shine!

  Back in the their heyday, the headphone amps were primarily powered by batteries.   A simple cost effective solution at the time, but an expensive and caustic solution today with some unintended consequences.   Because of this, many of the headphone amps are riddled with battery corrosion and the corrosion has a nasty tendency to spread into the electronic components, PCB, and leach into wire further spreading it’s toxic disease leading to an untimely demise for the headphone amp.  Most of the headphone amps I have serviced have some amount of corrosion on the battery springs.  The corrosion will continue to spread if left unchallenged and will further damage the headphone amp.

 

 

  The obvious solution is to use an external power supply, but over the years most headphone amps have parted ways with their associated power supplies.  Trying to find a bi-polar power supply rated at + 6 and - 6 VDC is no easy task!  In fact, I would say - good luck!  So, I designed the B5 Amps Embedded Power Supply (EPS) that supplies the much needed + 6 and - 6 VDC.  The EPS removes the infected battery spring PCB and the requirement for any cumbersome “Rockadapter” that makes the headphone amp bulkier and awkward.  It does take away the capability to use batteries, but given the forgetful nature of the typical user to remove the batteries and some users desire to migrate away from batteries , the EPS is a ideal solution.  Just let the photos of the poor Soloist above serve as a reminder. 

  Simply plug in the AC adapter into the modified headphone amp and let the EPS do the work.  Say goodbye to the expensive eight AA caustic battery power option that leads to acute corrosion syndrome and to the awkward, degraded, expensive and difficult to find “Rockadapter.”  The LED status indicator onboard the EPS tells you the EPS is hard at work.  It really is a safer cost effective power solution for the headphone amps.

  Before we dive into Rockadaptor repair, the days of scouring the internet, eBay and Reverb for a old unreliable Rockadaptor or Regulated Power Supply are over.  I now offer external standalone power supplies.  The power supply is hand-built from the ground up and is 100% serviceable unlike the OEM power supplies and has some nice features such as a dedicated power switch, status LED indicator, right angle plug, and modular design.  So, if the AC adaptor buys the farm, simply disconnect and plug in a replacement adaptor.  Should the circuitry punch out, it can be easily repaired by B5 or anyone with good power supply fundamentals and repair techniques.  The power supply is built into a rugged die cast aluminum enclosure, the vary same one used for a lot stomp box effects.  Sure, it cost more, but a small price to pay for reliable power solution for your beloved headphone amp and 100% serviceable. Pictures forth coming.

 

Rockadaptor repair

  If you are hell bent on keeping your headphone stock, I do offer “Rockadaptor” repair.  There is really only one Rockadaptor, that is the cumbersome battery cavity insert I’m complaining about in the previous paragraph that is pictured below.  It really is a cumbersome beast and can only be as good as the battery springs it mates with.  It should not be confused with its portly cousin the “Regulated Power Supply” that is also pictured below.  Both of these Rockman power supply variants are very old and are plagued by AC ripple and bad output voltages.  AC ripple appears in the form of a lot of nasty hum that rides on your signal rendering it pretty much useless.  So BEWARE when tempted to purchase one on ebay, Reverb or the internet!  Most people don’t even know what AC ripple is and cannot tell you whether if it’s outputting the right voltages.  Ask before you buy!  The good news is... there is hope for repair for the Rockadaptor.  The bad news is... the future is not so bright for its fat cousin the Regulated Power Supply.  Unfortunately it’s a sealed unit, and like Humpty Dumpty, it really can’t be put back together again... safely and reliably I should say.

  So, if you have a bad Rockadaptor, it usually can be repaired.  If you have a bad Regulated Power Supply, then say your goodbyes and move on.  The B5 Embedded Power Supply or external power supply is the way to go for battery-less operation or with batteries if you opted for the external power supply for the next 30 years.

intermittent switches and sliders

  Most of the Rockman product line is densely populated with switches and potentiometers (Sliders) that allow the user to activate and adjust the many functions SR&D designed into their products.  These being mechanical devices, they are very susceptible to dust contamination and mechanical wear and tear.  Especially after over 30 years of service!  The contrast between a contaminated control and a clean control is stark.  The clean control will be easy to move and activate and easy to note physical switch positions.  A dirty or contaminated control will be stiff to activate and a mushy feel during the controls travel.  The result is noisy intermittent settings that leads to frustration to the user who furthers damages the control trying to coax the desired setting out of the unit.  Most switches and sliders just need to be properly cleaned, but there are some where the switch or the potentiometer will need to be repaired or replaced due to wear and tear and operator induced damage.  Rockmodules and headphone amps really suffer from these problems.