Harmon Kardon HK 385i Problems

bjohn

New Member
Hey all,
I am unsure if I have this in the right section but,
I have a Harmon Kardon HK 385i, and it was on during a power outage. Since then, the right side keeps cutting in and out. When you touch or move the receiver, the audio will start to come back on that side. I also just upgraded turntables, but I do not think it is the turntables fault, as I tried it again with my old turntable and the same issue is happening.
I think it could be something wrong with a wire but I am unsure.
Any help would be appreciated!
 
Unplug it, open it up and check is the Fuses.
That might be all it is. Was it on when the power came back?
 
Check the speaker wire connections. The speaker wires should be trimmed so only 1/2" of bare wire sticks out of the insulation, and the strands should be neatly twisted together (not frazzled) and neatly inserted into the connectors on the receiver and speakers. If this is ok on both ends, clean all the controls on the receiver. Buy some De-Oxit and inject it into any opening on each control, and work the control back and forth 30 times.
 
Check the speaker wire connections. The speaker wires should be trimmed so only 1/2" of bare wire sticks out of the insulation, and the strands should be neatly twisted together (not frazzled) and neatly inserted into the connectors on the receiver and speakers. If this is ok on both ends, clean all the controls on the receiver. Buy some De-Oxit and inject it into any opening on each control, and work the control back and forth 30 times.

I will try using De-oxit. I know it is not the speaker connections, as I turned off the speakers and plugged headphones into it and the cutting out still occurred.
 
bJohn, if you're asking are these a good learner unit, I would say yes. I don't have a 385i but do have 330i, 350i and 495i and they are all easy to work on. You might want to start a separate thread cause I'm sure there are others.
The 330i did have a similar problem when I got it. One of the fuses looked iffy and changing it and Deox got it sounding pretty good.
 
bJohn, if you're asking are these a good learner unit, I would say yes. I don't have a 385i but do have 330i, 350i and 495i and they are all easy to work on. You might want to start a separate thread cause I'm sure there are others.
The 330i did have a similar problem when I got it. One of the fuses looked iffy and changing it and Deox got it sounding pretty good.

I can only spot one fuse, and it looks fine. All of the caps are fine on it as well. Where should i deox?
 
It has a Protection Circuit. Unplugging it and plugging it back in reset the Circuit. If you still want to deox you need to remove the knobs and should take the faceplate off. You might want to register at http://www.hifiengine.com it's free and you can download the Service Manual which has disassembly instructions. The 5th Sticky in "General Audio Discussion" is the guide to Deoxing
 
It has a Protection Circuit. Unplugging it and plugging it back in reset the Circuit. If you still want to deox you need to remove the knobs and should take the faceplate off. You might want to register at http://www.hifiengine.com it's free and you can download the Service Manual which has disassembly instructions. The 5th Sticky in "General Audio Discussion" is the guide to Deoxing

I looked in the schematic and saw no protection circuit. There is no speaker relay. There might be something on the power supply, but I have never seen HK do that.
 
I am still a neophyte but I found the info in Post #17 of this thread when troubleshooting the 330i because there is no relay on these HK's http://www.audiokarma.org/forums/showthread.php?t=204210&page=2
It is mentioned on Page 2 on the Owners Manual but doesn't seem to be well documented. I ran into it on the 495i after accidentally trying to feed surround to the aux inputs and it cut all sound. Turning it off/on it would only play for 6 sec. and then cut out. I unplugged it and moved it to open it and check the Idle when it started working normally again. I accidentally tested it again (twice) and unplugging seemed to reset it, but I can't find that documented anywhere. I only know what I've learned from the generosity of AK, so I'm happy when what little knowledge I have, can be of use
 
The 330i does have a relay. It delays before putting sound to the speakers on mine. There is an audible click when the relay kicks in.
 
The 330i does have a relay. It delays before putting sound to the speakers on mine. There is an audible click when the relay kicks in.
OK, this is off-topic, but the HK330i schematic does not show a relay. If yours has one, somebody added it.hk330i.jpg
 
I've been having trouble getting sound out of both channels and was told to check the fuse. It looks fine but the entire unit is really dusty. Any suggestions on how to get rid of the dust?
 
Back
Top Bottom