Turner Super Sidekick issue

[Greg T]

Good deal, I suspect that 1/4 watt audio amp IC is faulty and generating noise, but that goofy looking bugger might be hard to find. I bet that transistor is there to impedance match the element to the amplifier IC, it could generate noise and would be easier to find a sub so I would start there.

Edited to add, a quick giggle search turned up an eBay listing for a lot of 4, kinda pricey.

https://ebay.io/m/t1qSrs

Mouser and digi have the transistor...

I just noticed that my plus threes are doing the same thing but extremely quietly. I get up with extreme feedback long before it makes a difference, and no one can hear it over the air. But those bikes have awesome gain, and this super sidekick doesn't get enough gain to overcome that little hiss. I got a feeling that if I can get the proper output gain out of that sidekick, I won't have to turn it up as far so the noise won't be Audible. So, I'm going to try to find that chip and the transistor. As long as I have to pull the board out, I may as well replace both of them. Thanks!

 

[Cable Guy]

I just noticed that my plus threes are doing the same thing but extremely quietly. I get up with extreme feedback long before it makes a difference, and no one can hear it over the air. But those bikes have awesome gain, and this super sidekick doesn't get enough gain to overcome that little hiss. I got a feeling that if I can get the proper output gain out of that sidekick, I won't have to turn it up as far so the noise won't be Audible. So, I'm going to try to find that chip and the transistor. As long as I have to pull the board out, I may as well replace both of them. Thanks!

Great idea, and also consider ambient noise and emf in the room. I have a friend who loves his d104, and insists on keying it up at arms length and talk at it. In order to get the gain he needs, he has to turn up the d104, but at that point he's now picking up the air conditioner a room away, the tv next door, the street traffic, Cinemax, and the ISS floating above. Just an idea to consider.

 

[Greg T]

Great idea, and also consider ambient noise and emf in the room. I have a friend who loves his d104, and insists on keying it up at arms length and talk at it. In order to get the gain he needs, he has to turn up the d104, but at that point he's now picking up the air conditioner a room away, the tv next door, the street traffic, Cinemax, and the ISS floating above. Just an idea to consider.

Just for the hell of it I ran all the info into AI. Everything I've experienced and done so far. It asked for pics of both sides of the board so I uploaded them. AI says not to replace the audio chip because according to me test procedures it should be okay. The reason is that if I increase the gain control, the noise gets louder which means it's amplifying it;s own noise. That's good. AI is telling me that the most likely problem is a weak element, forcing me to turn up the gain which is increasing the noise. So, I plugged up a plus three and made a quick test. Sure enough, the4 noise gets loud out of the plus three if I disconnect the element and turn up the gain. Apparently, all the turners are noisy, but you can't hear them because they overpower the noise. Also, AI told me there are replacement chips out there that are also obsolete, but there is a way to convert to an 8 pin chip that is much lower in noise and has more freq response. When AI told me I'd have to rewire a couple of things or make a addon board, I told it it was mistaking me for a technician. AI laughed at me and apologized. Anyhow, seems kinda like it makes sense with it being a weak element. After checking, I see it's already been replaced.

 

[Cable Guy]

Just for the hell of it I ran all the info into AI. Everything I've experienced and done so far. It asked for pics of both sides of the board so I uploaded them. AI says not to replace the audio chip because according to me test procedures it should be okay. The reason is that if I increase the gain control, the noise gets louder which means it's amplifying it;s own noise. That's good. AI is telling me that the most likely problem is a weak element, forcing me to turn up the gain which is increasing the noise. So, I plugged up a plus three and made a quick test. Sure enough, the4 noise gets loud out of the plus three if I disconnect the element and turn up the gain. Apparently, all the turners are noisy, but you can't hear them because they overpower the noise. Also, AI told me there are replacement chips out there that are also obsolete, but there is a way to convert to an 8 pin chip that is much lower in noise and has more freq response. When AI told me I'd have to rewire a couple of things or make a addon board, I told it it was mistaking me for a technician. AI laughed at me and apologized. Anyhow, seems kinda like it makes sense with it being a weak element. After checking, I see it's already been replaced.

I'm always leary of ai expertise, ask my wife about ai incorrectly identifying venomous snakes as harmless, and a swooshing noise doesn't click in my mind as being an element issue. Increased gain will increase noise, but I have never seen a weak element create a swooshing kind of noise, mostly continuous hum and static. I'm afraid changing the amp circuit will also change the sound, and being the collector you are, you would want it stock as it came from the factory. If you do try another element, let us know how it goes.

 

[Cable Guy]

I'm always leary of ai expertise, ask my wife about ai incorrectly identifying venomous snakes as harmless, and a swooshing noise doesn't click in my mind as being an element issue. Increased gain will increase noise, but I have never seen a weak element create a swooshing kind of noise, mostly continuous hum and static. I'm afraid changing the amp circuit will also change the sound, and being the collector you are, you would want it stock as it came from the factory. If you do try another element, let us know how it goes.

I went back to the op and listened to your video with volume max, it sounds like static for a second, not a swoosh but static that fades out some. It may be too much gain, without passing some tones through it and measuring the output, I can only speculate. What level is the mic turned up to in that video?