A fix for the audio issue on Sam460ex and AmigaOne 500 - Hardware News - News

Hardware News : A fix for the audio issue on Sam460ex and AmigaOne 500

Posted by m3x on 2013/2/27 10:47:27 (2154 reads) News by the same author

The problem with the crackling audio on some Sam460ex boards/AmigaOne 500 systems has been identified.

For some reasons, still under investigation, a few boards miss a resistor (R267)
This 0 ohm resistor is responsible for the clock source selection of the AC97 codec, without it the codec runs at a wrong frequency which causes the crackling audio.

If you have a sound quality problem with your Sam460ex board/AmigaOne system, please check if the R267 resistor is in place or not. See this photo from the bottom of the board:

Resized Image

Alternatively the problem may be mitigated with a special sm502.audio driver which minimizes (but not completely removes) the noise. Download and try this alternate driver

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Author	Thread
ChrisH	Published: 2013/2/27 15:29 Updated: 2013/2/27 15:29
Home away from home Joined: 05/19/2007 From: England Comments: 3582	Re: A fix for the audio issue on Sam460ex and AmigaOne 500 Good that the cause of the problem has finally been identified. But I wonder how many Sam460 boards it affects, and how they are going to get fixed...

Hans	Published: 2013/2/28 4:53 Updated: 2013/2/28 4:53
Home away from home Joined: 01/26/2007 From: New Zealand Comments: 2845	Re: A fix for the audio issue on Sam460ex and AmigaOne 500 @ChrisH ACube's own press release suggests that people contact the reseller that sold them the board. Alternatively, you could find an electronics repair shop. Or, if you're good with a soldering iron, then this would be pretty easy to do yourself. I did a similar fix to my A1200 years ago. Hans

Jurassicc	Published: 2013/2/28 19:23 Updated: 2013/2/28 19:25
Not too shy to talk Joined: 11/27/2006 From: Somerset, UK Comments: 358	Re: A fix for the audio issue on Sam460ex and AmigaOne 500 I'm sure FOL @ amigakit or any of the soldering wizards over on amibay would be able to sort people out for those not fealing upto the job.

ddni	Published: 2013/3/1 9:11 Updated: 2013/3/1 9:11
Just can't stay away Joined: 04/10/2008 From: Northern Ireland Comments: 1163	Re: A fix for the audio issue on Sam460ex and AmigaOne 500 This is manufacturer identified fault. Why on earth would anyone risk soldering their own board and potentially damaging it? Is the warranty valid in such situations? I would be requesting a repair or replacement service from acube or my reseller.

Elwood	Published: 2013/3/1 11:10 Updated: 2013/3/1 11:10
Just can't stay away Joined: 12/09/2006 From: Lyon, France Comments: 1375	Re: A fix for the audio issue on Sam460ex and AmigaOne 500 Why? Because: - ACube doesn't have the same budget as HP/Sony... - it's faster if you do the fix yourself (if you have the skills) - depending on where you are on Earth, it will cost a lot less doing the fix where you are instead of sending a board back and forth. And faster too! I know Sam boards have been sold in Japan, Australia...etc. One way ticket for such expensive board is something like 100 euros!!!

ddni	Published: 2013/3/1 11:59 Updated: 2013/3/1 11:59
Just can't stay away Joined: 04/10/2008 From: Northern Ireland Comments: 1163	Re: A fix for the audio issue on Sam460ex and AmigaOne 500 Good point on the postage. What impact will this diy repair have on warranties?

ssolie	Published: 2013/3/1 17:35 Updated: 2013/3/1 17:35
Amigans Defender Joined: 11/26/2006 From: Canada Comments: 986	Re: A fix for the audio issue on Sam460ex and AmigaOne 500 @ddni Quote: What impact will this diy repair have on warranties? You should do as ACube requested and contact your reseller and figure out what works best for you. That would also mean figuring out how/if any modifications would affect your warranty. Simple as that.

Hans	Published: 2013/3/1 21:25 Updated: 2013/3/1 21:26
Home away from home Joined: 01/26/2007 From: New Zealand Comments: 2845	Re: A fix for the audio issue on Sam460ex and AmigaOne 500 @ddni Quote: This is manufacturer identified fault. Why on earth would anyone risk soldering their own board and potentially damaging it? Is the warranty valid in such situations? I would be requesting a repair or replacement service from acube or my reseller. For people like me who live on the other side of the world, sending it all the way back to either ACube or the reseller would be pretty expensive. It would be cheaper for everybody if someone locally did the fix. I would personally have no issue doing the fix myself because I know how to use a soldering iron. I'm less likely to damage the board than a courier would if it were shipped all the way to Europe and back. Besides, the manufacturer's warranty has already expired for my board. Of course, someone who isn't confident in their soldering skills shouldn't attempt this. In my case, the audio already works properly, so I don't have to do anything. Hans

graffias79	Published: 2013/3/2 19:27 Updated: 2013/3/2 19:27
Just popping in Joined: 11/25/2009 From: Comments: 58	Re: A fix for the audio issue on Sam460ex and AmigaOne 500 Quick & dirty fix: Use a pencil to rub graphite on and between the pads. It works, no soldering required. Just be careful not to touch the other resistors with the "artwork".

COBRA	Published: 2013/3/12 3:47 Updated: 2013/3/12 3:47
Not too shy to talk Joined: 11/24/2006 From: Comments: 370	Re: A fix for the audio issue on Sam460ex and AmigaOne 500 I can also do this fix for people locally (in Auckland) so I think we have it pretty well covered in New Zealand... ;)