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Post subject: on Board DI (XLR output) fix for a Heartfield DR-5
Posted: Wed Feb 27, 2013 5:30 pm
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Joined: Wed Feb 27, 2013 5:23 pm
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Hello all,

Noob on this site not a noob to the music scene.

I have had this Fender Heartfield DR-5 that I have had for many years and love the thing to death. However the XLR output (internal low voltage DI?) developed a Very bad static(y) problem about 4 years ago and I've been trying to figure out how to fix it ever since.

A guitar center tech showed me that the on board electronics are handled by an actual computer card, and therefore he couldn't fix the problem with it, and I'm at a loss of where to go from here cause every full on electronic instrument repair guy wants at minimum 100 bucks just to test the thing out let alone fix the problem.

I love that old thing but I'm close to hawking it cause I can't get the most important and favorate part of thing to get fixed.

Any ideas? any one interested in trading or buying the thing so I can maybe by a soundgear or someother 5 string replacement with AC?

thanks in advance.
- aural


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Post subject: Re: on Board DI (XLR output) fix for a Heartfield DR-5
Posted: Thu Feb 28, 2013 8:21 am
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Joined: Thu Aug 07, 2008 3:12 pm
Posts: 6355
Location: Albemarle, NC
Welcome to the Fender Bass Forum.

Here is a link to the service diagram for the Heartfield DR-5 which might come in handy:
http://www.heartfield-central.com/data/085.pdf

Firstly, from your post it sounds as if only the XLR output has this issue. If the noise is not present on the 1/4 inch jack then I'd suspect an XLR section contact first, the transformer or other low impedance section component second and the XLR jack itself third. But it is most likely to be just one of the contact connections in the low imp section on the PCB. XLR jacks are notoriously reliable but the wiring itself is more suspect.

If the 1/4 inch jack sounds clean and only the XLR is impacted then it isn't in the preamp section of the PCB but is something between the preamp section and the XLR jack.

This means we look at the low impedance conversion section of the PCB, the wires to the jack or the XLR jack itself. The PCB solder points between the preamp section and the low impedance output points should be checked and any suspicious ones carefully touched up with a tad of fresh solder. If the quarter inch jack sounds fine then I really think it is most likely a connection issue, or while less likely it could also be a bad component in the low impedance conversion section of the PCB. If all the connections are checked, suspect ones touched up and it still makes racket then a bad PCB component in the Low Impedance conversion section becomes more of a certainty. You then have to check each component back to the preamp section. This requires specialized test gear and the knowledge to use it. Once the bad component is identified it can be replaced if a compatible component is still available. Remember we are dealing with technology that is over 25 years old, yet most of the components on these boards or acceptable substitutes are still available.

So you can get it fixed. Sorry that you don't want to spend any money on it, but maintenance is to be expected on an active bass pushing 25 years old and it is naive to expect any preamp to last much longer without some work. The PCB preamp in these is unique because of the dual impedance output, but they are not all that different in principle from other PCB's of the day and most real electronic techs can fix them with the correct replacement components.

If you really love it as you say, then $100 labor is nothing. Replace it with a Soundgear? I blew coffee out my nose on that one. The quality of the DR-4 and DR-5 instruments and how advanced they are still impresses me even today and as far as I know there is no Soundgear model that is in the same league with a DR-5 and few of anything else for that matter.

If the PCB needs replacing you'll probably have a great deal of difficulty finding a new Hearfield part 212100 which is the control PCB and I wouldn't trust a used one and not sure I'd even trust a new one that had been shelved for 25 years. I'd expect I would wind up with an aftermarket preamp but then again finding one with both a high and low impedance output is restrictive. I might go with a quarter inch high impedance jack setup and just use a direct box for an XLR feed when needed. Additionally most aftermarket preamps do not include pots, so you'll need to add pots as the stock DR-5 pots are integral to the PCB. One exception is the Audere 3ZB preamps which come with everything pre-wired except the pickup leads and bridge ground. A new preamp is a better alternative in my view than a custom built bass by AC or anyone else unless you just want a new bass.


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Post subject: Re: on Board DI (XLR output) fix for a Heartfield DR-5
Posted: Fri Mar 01, 2013 8:23 am
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Joined: Thu Nov 01, 2012 1:58 pm
Posts: 1051
Location: SW Florida
Now I have to deal with visions of Brother Dave blowing coffee out his nose...but I would have also. I recently acquired a DR4 and I am really impressed with it. I would go with the repair if possible.

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Collector of vintage Fender 4 string basses.


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