Newbie w/blown rb980bx

[jtcalho]

AS i stated in the title my 980bx is out of commision. I blame my wife, because she didn't mention anything until i confronted her. ANY way, what i thought was going to be a simple fuse replacement in order to get my amp back up and running, it was not. After purchasing another fuse and installing, plugged her up, powered it on, and "CLICK", blown fuse again, within seconds of powering it up.
What advice can any other rotel amp owners give me on this? Such as, is it repairable at a reasonable price? Could about any electronic repair store handle it, or should i look for rotel repair service only? (didn't have any luck on the net with that earlier, hence that's why i'm here now).
I realize that based on my info, it's impossible to SAY what happened to my amp, I just want to know what are my odds are of having repaired with in reason.
I can't remember how long i've had it exactly, but would guess about 4-5yrs.
It stayed on most of it's life,(i didn't like turning if off and on a lot) unless i was gone for extended periods of time. It was also in addition to my other two rotel amps that i use for my center and surround, which they are fine.

Any one out there with some help for this elecronically challenged new memeber, would be greatly appreciated.

j.t.

[Jeff]

jtcalho, to start eliminating possibilities, I would purchase a "slow blow" fuse
insted of a conventional type. Make sure there is nothing pluged into your amp, then power it up. If the fuse blows, DON"T try it again! There's a problem. You might cause additional problems by repeating this test.When you power it up, do it with the top off and keep your eyes peeled, things could start poppin before the fuse blows. You would want to power down immediately. That's a worst case scenario. Unless you know someone in the electonics field who works cheap and you trust, don't do it. Go to an authorized Rotel Dealer and get it fixed. IMO the cost will likely be similar.

Jeff

[soundhound]

I would NOT recomend a slo-blo fuse. They have a different trip curve that will allow current to flow for an extended period of time, and if besides what is allready shorted, this may allow other components to do a slow burn as well. Had Rotel wanted surge protection for that circuit they would have designed it with a slo-blo.

[jtcalho]

THanks so much guys.

I failed to mention that, the fuse i bought to replace the original was of a lessa amp rating by 1 amp. the org. was 8 and the new one was 7. My thought was it was better to have a lower amp fuse vs higher in order to get my amp back up and running.However, it blew the new one as you already know.

Is the "exact fuse" that critical? (not looking for the slow blow for replacement). But that original type fuse is hard find.

thanks for the tips,
jt

[soundhound]

Off the cuff, yes, less is better. But, ideally you will want to find the correct one and replace it.

[GosonFletchy]

You will want to use an 8 amp slow blow fuse to replace it. I am willing to bet that the original fuse was a slow blow since Rotel seems to use these in most of their amps.

G.

:grab:

[Jeff]

SoundHound,

A past thred comment by Aussie Geoff indicated that "time release fuses" were now being used in rotel amps. This was in a response to the RB-1080 blowing it's fuses. With jtcalho's amp being older than the 1080 IMO it would not have come equiped with the slow blow class of fuses. The thred date is 10-22 ( New RB-1080 & no left channel). This is the only reason I would consider a fuse of that type.

[soundhound]

Jeff, I didn't mean to sound abrasive, my only concern was to not see someone over rate a fuse and do more damage than sounds like is allready done. That fuse may actually be a slo-blow, I do not know. I have read a few postings on the fix for the RB-1080 where they are replacing those with slo-blows.

[Jeff]

Soundhound, no problemo! :W I would have to agree, there is likely already a problem. I would at least try to fire it up with nothing connected. That way you know it's nothing outside the amp. Whoever you have repair the item will likely try it at least once just to cover that base. Ultimately, you may have to take a trip to your dealer.