By Jon Bare 4 1 [Editor’s Note: We want to echo Jon’s warning that appears in this article—working inside electronic equipment can be dangerous, especially when it’s plugged in for diagnostic purposes. You can ruin your gear or injure or even kill yourself. If you are unsure what you’re doing, it’s okay to ask for help from someone with more experience than you. This magazine cannot be held responsible for equipment damage or injury resulting from this type of work. Please use good sense!—MM] 5 Nothing disappoints me more in the studio than a piece of gear that craps out when I’m all set to record. It worked fine yesterday, so...? Now I have to switch gears in my brain. Grrr. 2 3 60 RECORDING August 2013 The problem at hand I have an old E-MU SP1200 drum machine (Photo 1), a classic beat box beloved of artists and producers in many urban genres that has served me well for many years. Last month I turned it on and it played for 11 minutes and then it just stopped. Strange characters were displayed in the LCD window. It didn’t respond to any buttons so I turned it off. I waited a minute, held my breath and turned it on. Whew, it worked! But only for four minutes. I’ve fixed a lot of gear in my time, and I have learned three things: 1. Everything is caused by something. 2. If you can see the problem, you can fix the problem. 3. If you can’t see the problem, you’re screwed. I figured the problem had to be thermal (heat-related)—so what could I see? Clearly written on the back panel are the words “CAUTION: This Area Gets Hot.” (Photo 2) Hmmm. I took a small fan and mounted it on a mic stand and aimed it at the hot spot and at the slots on the back panel designed for cooling.