Well, my BF 210 has a big problem and I purchased it new in July 2021. Here is what it is doing.

MartinLogan Audio Owners Forum

Help Support MartinLogan Audio Owners Forum:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.
Later today I can try that. The only problem I think is that both the control and amp board pretty much are sealed up, so you can't see what's inside the box. A bit like how they make under the hood of a car now. I'll take a look. I've got the replacement control panel sitting out free that I can view.
You mean like Alexander Dumble used to do to his proprietary circuits? He would use black a epoxy-like substance to encase all the parts on a circuit so nobody could see how he created the magic.
 
You mean like Alexander Dumble used to do to his proprietary circuits? He would use black a epoxy-like substance to encase all the parts on a circuit so nobody could see how he created the magic.
Here is the front and back of the control panel.
20230311_152105.jpg
20230311_152059.jpg
 
At the top of the back you can see the pins for the connection to the amp board. One of those ribbon cables runs between the two.

Guess I could take those screws out, but I don't want to open up another can of worms. This is the new one. The old one is still in the sub.
 
At the top of the back you can see the pins for the connection to the amp board. One of those ribbon cables runs between the two.

Guess I could take those screws out, but I don't want to open up another can of worms. This is the new one. The old one is still in the sub.
No, I don't think you should remove the board from the faceplate. I doubt there are any extra parts on that except for the controls.

Have you used every control on the control board? Even just switching the power switch from On to Trigger or Off? The switch being able to turn off the power would show that the switch works.

I'm now wondering if the control board has a fault somehow. Maybe a control is "stuck" in a odd way?

I would turn down the gain and simply use every control and press the switches lots of times, anything to shake something loose.

Could it be that the thumping is the power turning on, the circuitry is sensing something wrong, turning off, then immediately turning back on? This again would point to the controls since the plate amp is new.

Another thing would be to disconnect both woofers, see if the blue logo stays lit or pulsates. If it stays lit, then connect one woofer at a time.

I'm grasping at straws here and tossing out ideas.
 
No, I don't think you should remove the board from the faceplate. I doubt there are any extra parts on that except for the controls.

Have you used every control on the control board? Even just switching the power switch from On to Trigger or Off? The switch being able to turn off the power would show that the switch works.

I'm now wondering if the control board has a fault somehow. Maybe a control is "stuck" in a odd way?

I would turn down the gain and simply use every control and press the switches lots of times, anything to shake something loose.

Could it be that the thumping is the power turning on, the circuitry is sensing something wrong, turning off, then immediately turning back on? This again would point to the controls since the plate amp is new.

Another thing would be to disconnect both woofers, see if the blue logo stays lit or pulsates. If it stays lit, then connect one woofer at a time.

I'm grasping at straws here and tossing out ideas.
I too was wondering about it turning itself on and off, but the whole time the beating sound is going on, the sound track or music is playing just fine over top of that. It's like the thumping is in the background of the usual bass.
It's much harder to hear the thumping when listening to music, but it's there at its regular caidenace.

I did try adjusting every knob and nothing really happens. The power switch seems to work perfect.
 
I've got a brand new board, so may end up trying that. Its just so hard now for me work on stuff because of my chest. I'm trying to avoid doing something that's not going to work. I'm waiting to see what Ron says. I've got a natural curiosity about these things too, so that's another reason I started this thread. I used to teach high school chemistry and biology, so it's the teacher in me wanting to learn.
 
Yes, sooner or later you'll get to the bottom of it and sort it out. Especially at this level, I wouldn't tolerate any unwanted noise... no thanks.
If it was some entry level gear and heavily used then I'd expect certain issues down the line... but in that case I wouldn't even go for such items to begin with.

This is your hard earned money and your system deserves the best, after all we're talking about Martin Logan gear here, not something you picked up from the flea market.

I'm sure ML will sort it out for you, it's just a matter of time in finding the culprit that's causing the problem. Once you've figured it out and all fixed, please do keep us posted. Such things are always learning curves.

Best, RJ
 
I'm in the ER now, just got a CAT scan. My incision area is all swollen up. I think I have a minor bleed in there. I will find out test results soon. So for now this is taking my mind off the subwoofer, lol. I hope I don't have to be admitted again. I hate being here at the hospital.
 
Oh damn, that's too bad. At least they're getting those scans done, otherwise you wouldn't know what's going on in there. Much better to be safe than sorry.
Yes, health is far more important than subs or any audio gear for that matter. However, at the same time, it's our precious audio gear that keeps us in check, and our sanity in line. It's like a form of therapy and music heals the soul, that's a definite!

Hang in there somehow, hospitals are always depressing, there's no denying that. You're in there for a reason, so might as well get things checked out for the better.
Hope all goes well, and keep the faith. 🙏
RJ
 
Blood tests all normal, so no infection. The CAT scan showed that it could be some blood and or serous fluid accumulated, but nothing to worry about. So I'm getting the heck outta here. Seems I'm ok and the fluid should absorb. This is the 4th time I've had ICD/pacemaker surgery, and the first time it's swollen up like this. Guess I was just lucky before. This is my 3rd device. Had my 1st installed after a heart attack in 2008. I've got heart failure after that heart attack, it was bad.
Music and movies are chicken soup for the soul! I plan on listening and watching both.
 
Is the power supply part of the amp board? My money was on the power supply, but if it's in fact part of the amp you swapped out, maybe not.

A switching power supply typically has "housekeeping" circuitry that runs off a winding of the main power transformer. But the supply has to be running for that to happen. There is usually no inefficient 60hz mains transformer, that would defeat the purpose. So in order to get the oscillator of the switch mode power supply (SMPS) started, there is a large value resistor that indeed charges a capacitor, often through a simple half wave diode circuit, to "bootstrap" the SMPS, that is fed directly from the mains. It usually holds enough charge to get the circuit started. But if it fails to start, it will just keep cycling, exactly as described. I've seen this behavior in many things powered by switching power supplies.

I'm really glad to hear you have help working on the sub, to avoid hurting yourself. Hopefully they are taking good care of you.
 
Is the power supply part of the amp board? My money was on the power supply, but if it's in fact part of the amp you swapped out, maybe not.

A switching power supply typically has "housekeeping" circuitry that runs off a winding of the main power transformer. But the supply has to be running for that to happen. There is usually no inefficient 60hz mains transformer, that would defeat the purpose. So in order to get the oscillator of the switch mode power supply (SMPS) started, there is a large value resistor that indeed charges a capacitor, often through a simple half wave diode circuit, to "bootstrap" the SMPS, that is fed directly from the mains. It usually holds enough charge to get the circuit started. But if it fails to start, it will just keep cycling, exactly as described. I've seen this behavior in many things powered by switching power supplies.

I'm really glad to hear you have help working on the sub, to avoid hurting yourself. Hopefully they are taking good care of you.
Im almost certain that the power supply is built into the amp board. Just about everything is in there really. I replaced that and the problem still occured.
 
It may have been in the control board, the board on top of the speaker. I talked with Ron today, and after i tried to replace the control board and ran into some trouble, he was great about things and said they are just going to send me a new unit. So that goes out tomorrow. After I get that and verify that its working correctly, they will have a shipping company come and pick up the old one at my home.

Martin Logan was very good about the whole thing. Shawn at Da Vinci Media has been there helping me out too. Hopefully this new subwoofer is problem free for a long time.
:)
 
Shame you bought a second sub that wasnt ML. With respect, poor choice in my opinion. You cant beat ML for service or sound
 

Latest posts

Back
Top