£600 BOSE WAVE SoundTouch 4 - NO SOUND FAULT - Can I FIX it?

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Hi, in this video I attempt to fix an expensive BOSE Sound System (Wave SoundTouch IV). It has no sound at all. Can it be fixed, let's find out.
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Remember that this is just for entertainment and I am not an expert in these repairs. The processes in the video may not be the best way, the correct way or the safest way to fix these things. I do love fault finding and trying to fix broken things, so I hope that comes across in this 'Trying to FIX' series. Many thanks, Vince.

[@Mymatevince]

Spoiler Saver I know these spoiler savers rarely work, but here it is anyway. I hope you enjoyed this one 👍

[@GadgetUK164]

My bad - will remind myself to not post until it has gone live lol! I just can't help it!!!

[@DjMjk]

I like your rad Matt

[@xxdeadxangelx6150]

can you show us how to replace a screen on a game gear?

[@manolisgledsodakis873]

I thought "headphone socket" the instant you switched the unit on. But corrosion hidden by the socket isn't something that I'd have thought about immediately, so you are forgiven. I'd add that in my experience of repairing similar equipment, the audio chip usually fails catastrophically with a burn mark or visible hole.

[@KlodFather]

You need a signal tracer. That would have sorted this out quick. Power it up open and trace the audio path till it turns up dead. I FIND YOU! Rotten little gremlin. And gitter fixed. No more KNACKERS. Also Pro Tip, use lead solder... Its good for your brain and the environment and no TIN WHISKERS. Also you don't need to clean up the flux so completely. Just wipe it with an alcohol wipe if there is excess. Lots of boards out there with tons of flux on them. All works good. Save your time. You are not someone elses maid.

[@andymcnab2.0]

Everybody needs a mate like Vince.

[@BigEightiesNewWave]

Or Northridge fix

[@danielwe2]

A tip: the Amp chip got power and audio in but no audio out. That could either mean it is broken (as you thought) or that it was told to not output the audio. With the data sheet you would have been able to test it. The chip is quite simple. There is the mute and the standby input. Either of those will be enabled from the board or another chip when you plug the headphone in. So you could have measured that on those pins before you replaced the chip. So what I am saying is take one more look at the data sheet. That being said: great fix and it is totaly understandable that you thought it was the audio chip. Thought so too until I saw the remaining time.

[@Mymatevince]

Thanks Daniel, maybe this is where a scope could have been used on those pins to see if I could see the signal switch high or low when the headphones were plugged in 👍👍👍

[@paulstaf]

@@Mymatevince The signals would probably not have changed because the device thought the headphones were always connected due to the corrosion.

[@imarcus1973]

Ok no point watching the video now😢

[@andrewmcewan9145]

​​​@@Mymatevinceyou kept mentioning mute but never checked the mute pin i really thought you where going to have it. I only had some prcognition to the issue because I have used tpa chips before, you don't need a scope the mute/standby pins are high low signaling so a test with the dmm would work. (Pin high or low and refrence the data sheet to see what high and low is.) I probably would has assumed a fault in the mute circuit and just removed it or installed a manual mute. Also my fault finding skills aren't up to your level, Although a mute circuit is needed for anti pop on startup. P.s. in some places when you just need to check if there is an analog signal and not know the what the siginal is you can just mesure the ac voltage. Line level audio is ~2v headphones are anywhere from 0-2v on most devices.

[@Leonvolt28]

​@@imarcus1973why are you reading the comments before watching the video🤦‍♂️

[@thesummerthatwas76]

My friend. I have been an audiophile for forty years and I watched your video with great interest and zero understanding whatsoever. Your fluency in electronic engineering is masterfull. I heard every word you spoke but the meaning utterly escaped me. I feel such a dunce. Huge respect to you, however, because i watched your video all the way through just so that it sank in just how stupid I really am.

[@Blagger3000]

Anyone fixing electronics for more use and extended life is a hero!

[@beansbeans1000]

I was literally screaming at the screen as soon as you dismissed the jack at the beginning. I didn't feel that you had tested that properly in the first place. The identical jack beside it was the perfect reference to thorough testing.

[@joetorres5717]

I have the same problem, and I'm so glad that you took the first step on the moon for me and I can't wait to stop watching this video so I can go run and fix mine. Man I love you lol thank thank you for showing this video. Great job 👏 👍 👌

[@GadgetUK164]

Love the "YEEEEEEES" lol! A fun watch, it's frustrating when you miss the obvious - we've all done it!!!! You've covered two repairs in one really, because there will be units of that out there where there's no sound at all, and it will be that amp IC probably!

[@Mymatevince]

Thanks Chris, it has been a while since a YEEEEESSSS has been unleashed. Very happy with this one 👍

[@kevinh96]

One thing you should consider buying is an oscilloscope, you can then use to confirm audio signals from the output of the amplifier chip, follow the traces round and see where the audio signals are lost. You can also use it to check the audio signal waves are correct using the diagrams often found in service manuals, as well as using for things like tape deck calibration, head alignment and all sort so of other checks very useful for electronics repair.

[@rogerphelps9939]

Absolutely. USB powered oscilloscope front ends that use a PC display to show the waveforms are pretty cheap nowadays.

[@richarda3659]

@@rogerphelps9939You can even get an inexpensive one that plugs into the USB or lightning port on a smartphone or tablet, and uses that device's display and touch screen to control the 'scope.

[@KlodFather]

@@rogerphelps9939 - I used to fix a lot of radios and he should have a signal tracer. Better than a scope because it can indicate data or actual audio or some other signal. And invaluable tool

[@gimble447]

I must admit i was shouting at the screen at the very start " get a jack in the socket and give it a wiggle" you wouldn't believe how common it is lol, you got there in the end but always the first thing i do with " no sound" faults 😊

[@hamishspencer]

I could watch Vince do honest repairs like this all day. Great stuff.

[@marcellipovsky8222]

Hi Vince, it is so so nice to see your genuine joy from being able to fix something. It made me smile. That joyfulness is infectious, in a good way! Thank you!

[@Mymatevince]

Thanks Marcel👍👍👍

[@TerryLawrence001]

The signal from the jack goes to the Mute pin on the chip to mute the speaker out and play only out the phones.This is not the same as what the mute button does on the remote. I was yelling at the screen the whole time :-)))) Love your enthusiasm, it is contagious!

[@mikehensley78]

last week i saw what i thought was a Bose Wave radio sitting beside a dumpster. i yelled STOP! at my brother and jumped out of the car on the side of the road and ran back to get it.... it was an under cabinet radio/CD player from someones kitchen. Not Bose... it was GE(general electric) brand. It's now an under-the-toolbench garage radio. :)

[@johnmarchington3146]

Water damage to circuit boards can be a real curse, so well done for locating it and rectifying it.

[@MarkPentler]

This might be one of the most satisfying fixes you've ever done. Never seen you so happy.

[@tgheretford]

Great job on the repair. You've given me the incentive to repair the home cinema remote control that had a battery that decided to leak and stop it working. Replacements are only available in the USA or China for £30 for my specific make. It is back up and running after white vinegar and IPA. I did desolder and resolder the components around the problem to ensure a deep clean of everything - yes, the desoldering gun (that I got after winning some money) is a game changer.

[@mixerman1078]

I was "I hate to say I told you so, but I told you so...". Immediately suspected the switching function on the jack, instead of the amp IC. Usually mechanical components fail before electronics... Glad you fixed it in the end and it wasn't a 100 € part. At least you've got a spare now ;-)

[@bobapthorpe]

False starts are always a good learning experience, frustrating at the time but always a memorable lesson. The most valuable experience I got out of my uni electronics laboratory class was that connectors and cables are your enemy - nothing like spending 90 minutes tearing apart a circuit, swapping out instruments, etc. only to find that the actual fault was a worn cheap cable between the oscilloscope and the circuit. Videos like yours show how much abuse cables and connectors take and how vulnerable they are to mechanical and chemical (corrosion) damage. Add in the failure rates of MOSFETs and ceramic SMD capacitors and it's amazing how much dead gear is easily recoverable.

[@terrygee210]

Well done! You are understandably wary of high voltages around mains inputs. Don't forget that you can power a unit like this using your bench power supply instead while testing.

[@stevejones4061]

If there are cooling vents on the top check for corrosion, that's where the water, gin & tonic, beer, coffee and tea tends to go. A lot of these Bose units were used as bedside radios and a simple spill with a bedtime drink in the middle of the night will be forgotten about over the years - especially when handed down the generations.

[@kon4m]

Thank you for doing this video. I actually work for Bose tech support and deal with these all the time. It's nice to have an actual look inside and get an understanding of what goes on in the repair centre 👍 I'm also right at the start of my electronics learning curve, so watching these vids really helps get to grips with what everything does. I've learnt a lot from vids like this ❤

[@simonmpoulton]

Having fixed many of these style Bose Radio CD's in the past the most common failure is those silver SMD electrolytic caps. They leak and cause various issues including No Sound, CD Not Reading, CD Not ejecting/loading, burned amp chip and i'm sure other strange issues which I have yet to come across. If you truly want this to be reliable a replacement of these caps is a must!

[@GraemeSPa]

I like fault finding - it is the highest form of puzzle solving - true detective work. Well done, Vince.

[@allen5976]

Great result, I've overlooked the simple fault and have pulled things completely apart many times, I feel such a twat spending hours only to find it should have been a 10 minute repair

[@Marcel1984nl]

Hi Vince, Great work you've done. That something so simple can (eventually) lead you so far away from the real problem. You handled it well by not first measuring the entire device, which would take hours. Looking forward to your next video! Greetings Marcel

[@martinda7446]

That was beautifully done. That one could have quite easily fooled a professional... (like me).. Thank you Vince for teaching an old hand to persevere! Even though that was the very first thing I would have checked... I may have had trouble.

[@DGDan316]

Well done Vince for another great fix, love this video!😊

[@nathanhart14]

Brilliant as always. You have inspired me to try and fix my own things.

[@robm5399]

Excellent job on diagnostic and repair always appreciate the videos thanks for sharing.

[@thomasw6169]

Nice find. Excellent repair. Not easy to measure at all.

[@pamoffa]

You put us through a rollar coaster but I love a success story, great video and will subscribe. So great how you ventured on.

[@jimmy_jamesjams_a_lot4171]

At least you’re finding plenty of uses for your expensive Kapton polyimide tape! Good stuff! Many other channels leave out the prodding about with the probes but that leaves out the beginner / intermediate level knowledge that surely everyone needs to attain sometime. So you’ve made this one a very comprehensive job! Accolades, friend! Haters will always hate, but you’ve made this so valuable to those of us who need to learn from it!! …and you’ve captured the very moment when you realized your accomplishment! That excitement is the stuff of a good life of value with achievements!

[@frankurmom8741]

Vince! Perfect timing. I got one of these on my bench right now. Super bad corrosion on mine. But it's in the same area you're working on. So I'm learning today.

[@michaelmcdonald2348]

I've had exactly the same. I thought it was leaky SMD electrolytic capacitors but I'm wondering if the location is such that an accidentally spilled drink could concentrate around that area. I remember when I replaced the capacitors I didn't get the usual cats pee smell you get when desoldering.

[@smbanandanand4566]

Great job on the repair

[@Tokaisho1]

Great job Vince, love audio equipment fixes

[@CannibalShadow]

Well done on this repair Vince 👏🏾👍🏽

[@TechGorilla1987]

I stopped watching the new version of Kitchen Nightmares for this. I made a wise choice.

[@BoiledOctopus]

A perfect watch on a Friday afternoon. Cheers Vince!!

[@timdene]

I cheered along when I heard the sound coming from the speaker! Great video and love your style.

[@Mr-Mag00]

Great job My Mate VINCE! I do like the red mat I grew up on Weller that is what my father had. I keep my 90% in a small 2oz spray bottle good for projects great for old guys like me with wobbly hands 🙂, have a nice day!

[@jakalaraa]

Great fix sir. Well worth remembering your approach and the added advice in comments.

[@hadibq]

Great fix and experience. I really thought at the beginning you would remove the earphones jack, then we wouldn't enjoy all the tests and findings 😊 awesome video as always MMV!

[@omegamark4155]

I remember first models of these Bose radios came out in the mid 1990s. These are not just the 2 speakers, but there are specially designed sound chambers behind these speakers that make the sound sound "bigger and spacier." I remember my engineering teacher had a diagram of these chambers on his door to his office :). It was supposed to be new tech in audio technology.

[@rogerphelps9939]

Not really. Just some mumbo jumbo to con punters into parting with their cash for something that isn't all that it is cracked up to be.

[@Gary-Seven-and-Isis-in-1968]

Emperor's new clothes. Just like quadrophonic Hi Fi was for people with 4 ears. It is BS I'm afraid. Big names like Bose and B&O made their fortune by feeding the Hi Fi snobs with basic stuff wrapped up in weird cabinets.

[@christopherleubner6633]

Yup is a resonant acoustic waveguide

[@PAC-fp9hy]

The B&W sounds better because there is more volume inside. More space to tune the driver to a lower frequency.

[@joeswheat]

@@rogerphelps9939move on, putz

[@PainedPete]

Learnt a lot from you Vince Thank you buddy and well done on this project

[@staciesims9339]

Vince your fault finding skills are absolutely incredible. Im sure philips use that chip in there car stereo i may be wrong tho but i have i have definitely come across and replaced that chip a few times over the years but it was a long time ago i cant quite remember....i was convinced it was the ic as well

[@Mymatevince]

You are too kind Stacie! I think a pro would have measured the chip with a scope and noticed no difference was made when the headphones were plugged in, and worked out what was what pretty quickly. I scratched my head on this for hours upon hours 😂 Still perseverance got there in the end.

[@fred-youtube]

It was even advertised as a car stereo chip.

[@ChrisMelville]

Great repair, Vince. I’m loving your new red mat, by the way!

[@Mymatevince]

Thanks Chris👍👍

[@martinf9626]

Good job sir and yes it is very satisfying when you find the problem

[@Nabraska49]

I’ve got an older model one of these that I found at the ewaste pile at the dump .. I love it . Sounds amazing.

[@hervegabet]

Realy nice fix , Very instructive

[@pauldixon2100]

Great fix Vince, but more importantly loving the red mat!! :)

[@cfq.tufanuf7601]

Great fix Vince!!!!

[@dazzypops]

Absolutely love the reaction, haha! Brilliant result!

[@marcobruno7030]

You are the best and we all are learning from you.

[@radio-ged4626]

I'm 22 mins into the video. You're about to check for output from the TDA chip. I'm guessing there is none. It might be worth checking the logic level into the mute pin and also going back to the audio out jack and checking where it's sound comes from, as you know the earphones work. My guess is it's either a mute fault or a problem with the audio out socket not making contact when there are no earphones plugged into it. Right now I'm going back to the video to see if I'm right... Reached the end - well I was nearly right. The earphone socket works by resistance and mutes the main output from the sound chip. In many older items a faulty earphone socket causing no speaker sound ( the socket being open circuit when nothing is plugged in it) is a common fault. Great video. It made me laugh to see your absolute joy at fixing it. 😃

[@kjellnilsson1615]

Greath work ! Jo are being better and better to do fault findings 😀👍👍👍👍

[@andrewstones2921]

I’m a huge fan of your videos. You followed a logical fault finding path, but as soon as I saw it work on headphones I expected the headphone jack based on experience. Congrats on getting it working and I’m sure that TDA chip will be useful another day, it’s a small price to play.. we all know the feeling of changing a suspect component only to find it makes no difference.

[@akhurash]

Great video. I had a hunch that it might be the audio jack since the chip was getting power and didn’t seem to get hot (based on no voltage drop at the input). Enjoyed this video (and your other repair videos)!

[@Landrew0]

I was nearly certain that the problem was in the headphone jack. I was so flustered when you eliminated it, I skipped to the end. Relieved that you found the real problem.

[@DarkennSlots]

addicted to this youtube channel

[@supergeekjay]

The pressure of you plugging it in and out was causing the ingress to shift, that's why it worked briefly when unplugging the headphones! Liquid ingress is a tricky beast! Just like bad grounds! Great job!

[@nixxonnor]

I feel your joy :) Awesome troubleshooting. And a lesson learned about buzzing "shorts" or ohming out the real way

[@waynewaite2374]

What fantastic fault finding great video

[@temporaryscars]

Feels good to know I'm not the only one who manages to knock over the little caps of ipa no matter where I put them.

[@BuyitFixit]

Good Job Vince 👍 I had been thinking something to do with the headphone jack. The TDA chips usually fail short and get hot or blow a fuse or such. I thought the socket might be faulty, but didn't expect corrosion underneath it. Well spotted. Seems we have both did a video on Audio Equipment, and in both repairs the root the cause was corrosion! Keep up the great work. Best wishes Mick.

[@Mymatevince]

Thank you Mick 👍

[@BuyitFixit]

@@Mymatevince Pleasure sir 🙂👍

[@tonygray3135]

great Vince i thought for a moment you had failed, but you are a great fault finder

[@rosshannemann7772]

Nice job Vince well done

[@laidman2007]

Well done, sir!

[@TheSkaldenmettrunk]

What a sneaky one! I really love how happy you are screaming yyyyyyyyyyeeesssssss!!!

[@martinda7446]

Ha, ha, I love the knocking over IPA thing. Respect.

[@billrisbridger9868]

I have no idea about electronics, but I found this strangely satisfying!! And I cheered when it worked!

[@marcyd2007]

Nice work chap, well done! 🙂

[@MikeyMack303]

Nice work, as always, Vince! TBH, I was trying to tell you to remove the headphone jack from the pcb at the beginning of the video!

[@sarahdavis2653]

The celebration at the end was brilliant. Well done for fixing it. Hope you made some ££

[@williamgregory5843]

Really appreciating the red mat

[@Rizko505]

Such a sneaky fault wow, the signs really threw me for a loop too. Fantastic fix Vince👍 And don't forget to do a visual inspection of the board and components always first. But maybe you do but cut it out of the video

[@Tim_3100]

Great video vince

[@telecomsuk]

Well done interesting video, I use a small pump bottle for my IPA ( it used to have glasses cleaner in it)

[@coolissimo69]

Great fix as always.

[@linuxares]

I hope your mate is happy!

[@simonlawson2236]

Great that you worked it out. It's always worth cheeking the mute on the audio ic. Looking at what you were doing it was clear that the headphone socket has some basic switch function that activates the mute function on the main audio amp ic. I think the headphones are feed from another ic. But nice another piece of equipment saved from landfill. 👍

[@lukedavis436]

Vince....he went from Mr Telephone to Mr Audio, that Bose should compliment the Zepplin and the QUAD perfectly!

[@Antonio-gc1cn]

Amazing fixing!!!🎉

[@simonwood1260]

The difference with the Bose, is that you will hear it almost the same everywhere in the room. I remember the first time I played the demo disc, I was wowed, but that novelty soon wore off. But I do remember thinking that it filled the room better than other equipment I had.. All Bose products are way too bassy and that is a massive minus for me. But great job with the first guess and being proved right. Love this channel

[@rogerphelps9939]

It being bassy was the reason that it sounded the same everywhere in the room.

[@thorstenbohmer9250]

i repaired a lot of these back in the days... I worked in a Hotel with 250 of these things in it. I love the sound and most of the time the guests ripped something out of em.

[@trader4239]

I'm new here, I really enjoyed this thank you I subscribed

[@rupey]

You get a thumbs up for an honest video

[@fosterb247]

Great fix Vince 🤓

[@SolderBrothers]

Great fix, cheers mate!

[@zincmann]

That Extended "Yes" with the fists towards the end earned you a Like LOL Great Job Vince as always!

[@duanek9892]

I like the red mat!

[@brettito]

I like the red mat it contrasts nicely with the electronics.

[@joekoonziii2840]

Fantastic🤩I love these- suspensful and exciting🤘😎

[@ballsrgrossnugly]

When you pick the problem in the first minute, then spend dollars on essentially a bunch of spares, then fix it when you realize it was the first thing you suspected.... lol A roller-coaster of a repair!

[@triplexdread]

Oooooh nice new Weller mat...Niiiice!

[@poweronat]

Great Channel! Vince, if you replace Parts mounted on Heatsink think about mounting them first before you solder them! That will reduce Stress on the Part and prevent from cracking solder Points. Also bend Legs if straighr mounted to give some Relief when getting warm/cold,.... Thank you for your great Videos!

[@michaelmcdonald2348]

I was actually waiting for the part where the screw wouldn't go in but I think he got lucky on this occasion. I've seen some real "engineer" bodges in the past where this happened and whoever did the job just left the screw out and the IC without any heatsink contact at all.

[@Earhairy]

I always love watching your videos, trying to learn something about fault finding. Anyway, what was the music towards the end? Was it Jane Wiedlin, formerly of the GoGo's?

[@muddy11111]

Another good video. For the Isopropyl try needle tip applicator bottles, knock them over and they don't spill.

[@mickyparker3949]

Vince what can I say, Ding Dong well done mate

[@ronsonwagner9401]

Great video, I guessed it would be an audio chip just based on the length of the video. But then it turns out it wasn't. BTW, checked out that song you were playing around 21:00 and it's honestly pretty great! Found some really great music from the channel that song is on.