My experience in repairing items for customers such as Lights, Smoke machines, Speakers and Amps etc.. has taught me one thing.
Just how much people could save by doing these repairs themselves.
Most mobile DJ equipment is solidly built and is designed to take a few knocks and scrapes on the road, but every now and again they just stop working altogether. This may seem like an expensive problem, but most of the time it could be something as simple as a blown fuse, or a wire has come loose. The fixes take seconds to do and can save you expensive repair bills.
One piece of advice I can give you is get to know the basic operation of your equipment. How does a smoke machine or speaker work? Take time out to know the basics and it will give you a far better understanding of what has gone wrong.
Below is a list of common faults that occur to Mobile Dj equipment that can be fixed at home (if you are confident enough) or even prevented altogether.
Speakers
Mobile DJ Speakers are tough objects to break with very few parts, there is very little to go wrong, but on occasion, they do break.
A common fault is a worn input socket, with constant plugging and unplugging the socket can wear over time, causing your speaker to cut out occasionally and sometimes not even work at all. These input sockets are VERY cheap to get, and usually only consist of Two wires which will need crimping or soldering on.
Another is a blown
driver, this occurs with incorrect matching of Speaker /
Amplifier or pushing the unit too hard for too long. This is usually followed by a burning smell as the coating on the copper wire that makes up the speaker coil has heated up too much and burned out. Getting replacement Drivers is easy providing you know the exact specifications of the speaker your using and replacing it is really easy, with just two wires to take off and put back on.
One more thing to Consider when a speaker is not working, is the
Crossover. This takes signals from the Amplifier and splits up the frequencies and send them to the correct part of your speaker (ie. the
tweeter or the driver). These can be a little more complex to repair sometimes and if you are not proficient with a soldering iron then I suggest you get it replaced professionally. Luckily the crossovers we stock have simple soldering points.
Hint: to tell if your speaker driver is working there is a simple test you can do. Take a 9v battery and touch both terminals onto the Speaker terminals, if it crackles and the driver moves forwards, its not blown. If there is no sound or movement, it is most likely dead.
Amplifiers
Amplifiers are complex pieces of
DJ equipment and there is a lot to go wrong, but a common fault is a blown Fuse. These are not the Fuse in the Plug, but whats called a “quick blow” fuse and are usually located in the rear of the Unit and you can remove them by twisting its holding casing and pulling it out. Simple, cheap and quick.
ALWAYS KEEP YOUR AMPLIFIER CLEAN. Getting an Amp in for repair to find the insides covered in dust is not nice and usually a waste of time. Amps rely on air flow through the insides to keep the components cool, when these components are covered in dust, they wont get cooled down, when dust is covering the fan blades, they don't move half as much air. So regular cleaning is ESSENTIAL. Take the lid off, and use your hoover with a small nozzle attachment and carefully hoover the insides. Taking care not to break any fragile components. Pay attention to the Fans and Transformers.
Smoke Machines
Smoke Machines should be cleaned once a month, by running some
cleaning fluid through it, this cleans out any dried smoke fluid from the internal pipes, clearing any blockages. When smoke fluid is sat in the pipes of a machine it turns into a thick jelly which will eventually block your smoke machine completely.
If the Pump has broken though then it may be cheaper to get a new machine than a replacement the pump and have it fitted.
Lights
All lights should be kept as clean as possible, they can run VERY hot so all vents should be clear of dust and other debris. A common fault is the
Bulbs going, and you should always take spare bulbs with you (not a problem with the new
LED lights). If you cant change a bulb in the lights your using, then you probably shouldn't be using them! This is the simplest maintenance you will come across and if you are not competent changing a bulb go for LED Lights instead. Also, be sure to take time to learn about the basics of
DMX, or more importantly the positioning of Dip Switches. Even if your lights are not connected with DMX, the wrong setting on the Dip Switches can render them useless by freezing on 1 colour/gobo/pan or tilt.
Remember, ALWAYS UNPLUG ANYTHING BEFORE WORKING ON IT, and leave it unplugged for at least 2 minutes before touching it as the capacitors can still hold charge.
And finally if unsure, leave it, and consult us or your local dj shop on getting it fixed. Sometimes with a little help we can even sometimes talk you through it over the phone.