Broken Mcintosh Meters

Yup. Meters have mostly visual entertainment value. The novelty wears off after a while.

For me it wouldn't be the factor of dumping amp that I like. There are amps without VU meters at all outthere.

I used to own a MC2125 30 yrs ago, and the one thing that used to drive me nuts was the meters constantly dropping off sporadically. My dealer gave me a tip, but it didn't solve the problem permanently. If you take off the top, you'll notice there are vertical circuit boards right behind each meter. These boards are a plug-in type, and if you pull them out and re-insert them, this would cure the problem. I even tried a contact spray on the gold terminals, but occasionally the problem would occur. It seemed it was always the left channel, even tho the sound still worked on the left side. I finally sold the amp just because it frustrated me. And yes, I did make the new owner aware of the problem. You might give it a try. Or call, or email McIntosh and ask their opinion. And good luck!

hmmm... are these dead and not movable at all or trying to
move but getting stuck?
Tracing and testing continuity is OK, but connecting analogue
voltmeter (if still available) to the terminals and turn the
amp on and off under load and see if the voltmeter arrow
responds to transients. DMM with autorange will always
fluctuate for reason or no reason so using analogue voltmeter
is mandatory. You can find them in the salvation army stores
for single-digit dollars. If it does, than you simply need to
replace your VU meters.

Thanks guys for the feedback. I actually have the service manual, and am comfortable at all levels when it comes to electronics. Will I be able to just check each of those circuits along the way for continuity? Or is there some other equipment I would need to test their functionality?

Thanks again!

they prone to get stuck within the time

Hockey4496, I have the service manual for the MC2125. Send me a PM at sae_2300@optimum.net and I will reply with a copy of the SM. There are several stages (fullwave rectifier/over scale limiter/sample & hold/meter driver/between the output and meter, so a problem in any one of them could cause the meters to stop working.

Glen

You'll need to determine if the meter itself is physically bad or the circuit driving it.

If you've got any sense of adventure, the first step would be to remove the cover and make sure a connection hasn't come loose.

Beyond that, you'll need test equipment, experience with electronics and probably a service manual.

If you're not capable, don't know anyone who is and don't have the funds for a service visit, you're probably stuck. At that point just be happy the unit plays and it's just a visual effect that's broken.