Fuse burned out in shipping? ?

Finally, I think what bothers me the most is that the channel never made a peep. It wasn't like there was this very brief sounds and the fuse blew cutting the sound out, I mean it was like my speaker was hooked up to nothing.

It appears you hooked up the left speaker first. Just guessing when you powered up the amp the right channel fuse blew.

I happened to have one speaker readily on hand that wasn't already hooked up, so I hooked it up to the left channel. Sounded peachy.
08-30-12: Aewhistory

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

Still, the fuses aren't blowing when I turn the amp on or anything, there is just no sound. I know this amp is old, but I don't see any VISUAL evidence of a problem.
08-30-12: Aewhistory

I went and put the left channel fuse in the right holder and tried turning the amp on again. Still no sound. I went and put the fuse back in the left channel and moved speaker wire back to left to make sure that the fuse was still good. Left channel sounded just fine... Again. So this time I left the left channel fuse and put in my own fuse with same ratings. Nothing. Tried raising volume. Nothing.
08-30-12: Aewhistory

Sometimes a shorted component will clear itself under power and become an open, causing a circuit to be open..... Just guessing that is what happened.

Oh, he told me I should file the insurance claim.... AFAIK, doesn't the sender have to file this?
08-30-12: Aewhistory

I believe so..... The seller did insure the amp, right?

Packaging: the amp was wrapped in one very thin layer of bubble wrap and then put in a box stuffed with shredded paper. Since the box was only a bit larger than the amp itself--about 1" extra on most sides--there wasn't much room for packing material to begin with. Sadly, the shipper didn't even really stuff the box with shredded paper, so the amp could easily moved inside. So it is entirely possible this amp was damaged in shipping.

The box looked like a big ball of tape. I'm not kidding. Every inch was taped, sometimes three, four, five times over. The top of the box had caved in some during shipping, but the massive amount of tape kept it all together, so to speak. I'll take another, closer look later tonite.

As for the amp, I haven't noticed anything that I would call shipping damage. There are plenty of signs of aging, but no bent fins, dented structure, visibly broken internal parts, etc. What I DID find, though, was that is was readily apparent that this amp has had many hands inside it before. It is missing some of the screws for the top case and those that are there are different (and visibly different ages as well).
08-30-12: Aewhistory

No outside physical damage on the amp? I bet the the shipper will look for outside physical damage.....

If I could ask, how much money are you into this amp?

[url]http://www.hafler.com/techsupport/pdf/DH-220_amp_man.pdf[/url]
.

Hey guys, thanks again for the replies. To be frank, I'm not into the amp for much money. I think it is $120 or so. Even damaged the DH220 has some value, so absolutely worst case scenario is that I overpaid for a fixer upper amp. If that was what I was buying I'd be fine, but I asked about the working status of the amp and was told it was in perfect working order.

For me these things are a matter of principle: the amp was a good deal, in theory, so if he is honest and telling the truth then I don't want to be a d$ck. Otoh, if he is trying to swindle me, even if for a few bucks, then I take a completely different attitude. As you've all noted, it won't take any
effort to file a Paypal claim and I will be doing so later tonight or tomorrow seeing as he has stopped communicating with me now. Moreover, if I don't say anything then he is all the more likely to try this on other people. I don't pretend to be some world policeman, I just don't like this crap.

Anyway, I took another look at the amp and there is really nothing to call outside physical damage. There are scratches and whatnot, but frankly the casing of this amp is in decent shape. I've seen some Hafler that look like Rocky in round 15.

I also took another look around inside and I'll be damned if I could find anything in there that looked out of the ordinary. The ONLY thing that caught my attention was the state of the the 5th internal fuse or 7th overall fuse. The DH220 has a total of 7 fuses, 3 per channel: 1 external fuse and 2 internal fuses protecting each channel for a total of six and a seventh fuse that seems linked to the power button in some way. This fuse has staining inside. I've always associated this staining with a fuse that has repeatedly come VERY close to burning but didn't quite blow. This is a weird fuse tho. It doesnt have one Just one thin filament; it also has a filament that sort of spirals around the glass. I've never seen anything like this before, so I don't know if my description does this justice.

Jea, yes, I did power the left speaker first, so it is possible that the right channel fuse burnt while I was listening to the left channel. That would explain a few things. I'm a little puzzled by your description of a shorted component and clearing itself. It isn't that I disagree or anything, I merely don't think I understand. Would you mind elaborating?

Would this explain why the right channel might burn a fuse and then the
subsequent fuses would be okay? I guess this is where I am stuck. With some kbservable damage I am having a difficult time buying shipping damage. However, it is a 30 year old (plus) amp that was poorly packed in glorified confetti, so I can imagine a relatively modest event damaging something. But if I understand what you're saying--that a temporary short killed the fuse but then resolved itself--why does the channel not function? What I mean is, if the short is the problem, and it resolves, then it should play, right? Am I being WAY too simplistic here?

Anyway, I appreciate everyone's feedback. This has been informative above and beyond just resolving this minor little shipping issue.

All the best, Aaron

The fuse you describe is a slo-blo fuse. These are usually inline with the power switch/supply. They do indeed get an inrush of current, thus the discoloration of the fuse.

Did you check to make sure the right channel RCA input jack is wired and also the right channel binding post wiring. Also on the RCA jack, make sure the center pin is touching the contact. If this amp has had a bunch of different interconnects in and out of it, it might not be making a good contact. You can see from the inside of the amp, if the center pin is touching the contact. Sometimes those wires can come loose. I was a Hafler dealer, back in the day, and built many of these amps.

One of the posts above has a link to the owner's manual which also has the build out instructions with pictures, (these amps were available as a kit or factory built). Maybe follow through the diagram to make sure all the wires are hooked up. It's a pretty simple design.

I'm a little puzzled by your description of a shorted component and clearing itself. It isn't that I disagree or anything, I merely don't think I understand. Would you mind elaborating?
08-30-12: Aewhistory

Aewhistory,

By clearing itself I mean the shorted component burned itself free, open. The component is shot. Or a shorted item may have caused a resistor to blow. Again causing an open circuit to exist.

You say you got around $120 in the amp. Does that include shipping?
The way PayPal works if you win a dispute resolution you eat shipping both ways.....

You say the seller has stopped communicating with you. That is a shame.

I was going suggest you take the amp to a repair shop and get an estimate on the damage.
Most sellers will work with the buyer in paying for a repair. It could be something simple you know....

Didn't you say you build/ repair computers?

I assume you have a multimeter. I posted a Link in my last post of the amp. Lots of info there....
.

Paypal saves the day. As mentioned, enter a dispute at once. If as Elizabeth mentioned a new fuse doesn't cure the problem, ship it right back, and do it quickly. You will be out the return shipping but that will end the problem. As the seller to pay you the return shipping directly, if not agreeable, leave negative feed back.