I’ve just bought a Sound Devices 552 for quite a reasonable price, due to a fault where the power input’s shorted (it’s fully functional using AA batteries). I opened it up to see if it was something I’d be able to fix, but it looks like it’s something on the big surface mount board (possibly just a protection diode), so I won’t be touching that- it’ll be visiting Shure.
Anyway, I took some photos while it was open. Note the in-jokes on the PCBs, the sheer amount of electronics they’ve crammed in there and all those transformers:
Hi Richard.
Have you found what is wrong with the power input?
I have not open my 552´s but I am almost sure that close to the power input shocket is a diode to save the mixer for major damage if it get wrong polarity. Try to find this diode and replace it if is shorted in both direction.
This diode is probably black and rather big.
Thanks Magnus- that was what I thought too, however the socket goes straight to quite a big surface mount pcb. I don’t really have the tools or skills to work on that, so I’m going to send it back to get it repaired. It seems to run for most of a working day on 2400mAH rechargeables though.