Amplifi 150 (Dim Lights + Factory Reset Not Working)

[cbrillow]

Thank you, Juan, for your comments. It's not entirely clear whether your solution is a good thing to try, but I'm happy that it seems to work for you. 

 

Good luck!

[Samboway]

I had the same problem as people are recently posting on here and the problem was down to faulty hardware. I sent it back to Yamaha via guitarguitar who I purchased it from shortly after they were first released. Since then it’s been absolutely rock solid.

I’m of the belief that a batch were made with faulty motherboards and these all need replacing as mine was.

[cbrillow]

I had the same problem as people are recently posting on here and the problem was down to faulty hardware. I sent it back to Yamaha via guitarguitar who I purchased it from shortly after they were first released. Since then it’s been absolutely rock solid.

I’m of the belief that a batch were made with faulty motherboards and these all need replacing as mine was.

 

If I might ask, did they actually inform you that they had replaced the motherboard? I suffered this same failure, sent it to Line 6 for repair, and it was returned in working order without any indication as to the problem or solution.

 

Happy with the repair, but I appreciate being better-informed on what steps were taken to accomplish it...

[Samboway]

Hi there.

Yes they informed me it was a physical issue with the motherboard and had replaced it and since then I’ve had no problems. Hope that helps.

[cbrillow]

Thank you for your clarification! May the rest of your experience with the 150 be trouble free!

[JuanSalmeron]

Yes please..!!! I need more information about it, in my case I have changed the plate for a new one, and still give me the same error, it is possible that it remains of that "game" of defective plates .. ????

 

Si por favor..!!! Necesito mas informacion al respecto, en mi caso me han cambiado la placa por una nueva, y sigue siendo el mismo error, es posible que siga siendo esa "partida" de placas defectuosas ... ????

 

Saludos desde el Sur de España..!!!!

[RileyVallance19]

My Amplifi 150 device is not working.  Symptom = powers up and does nothing except showing 4 tone lights + dim representation of the bluetooth light.  Volume knob renders nothing (no red indicator level lights).  I have tried unsuccessfully doing a Factory Reset procedure (powering up while holding down volume knob and tone button) multiple times - with no luck.  The amplifier just went out of warranty in December, so I can't take it in for repair without investing further in what has so far been a disappointing purchase.   I tried opening a support ticket, but the Line6 system throws me into an endless loop (register profile + register product - both of which are done, but evidently not recognized for some reason by the support ticket workflow process).  

 

Most other posts on the forums indicate success at least with the Factory Reset, so I'm essentially stuck.  

 

Any ideas?

 

PS - I'd be happy to work on a software/firmware update via direct connection, but my only available home devices are Mac OS or iOS platform.

 

Mine too. Sometimes I'll be half way through a song and it'll cut out and display the tone and Bluetooth lights dimly, the only way to fix it is to reboot it. I've had it sent away to be fixed twice, first time the problem was diagnosed as a power supply failure (New power supply installed, problem not solved), second time the yamaha servicing centre owner played it every day for 4 weeks and couldn't get it to play up. I have been trying to film it happen, but it seems that every time I have the camera rolling it doesn't play up.

 

I'm very disappointed, as this issue has been occurring for 10 of the 12 months I have owned the amp. My warranty is going to run out soon, but I can't get the problem fixed if there "isn't a problem."

 

Please help...

[juanitoelcamina]

De nuevo mi AMPLIFI ha muerto, el mismo problema y los mismos síntomas,  me, tiene aburrido esta situación, no entiendo como de tantos usuarios que estamos la empresa LINE 6 prefiere mirar para otro lado y no resolverlo, si hay una partida de placas defectuosas que las cambien...!!!!

 

Esto es una mala reputación para la marca y para los amplificadores, pues llevo siendo fiel a Line 6 desde que adquirí mi primer 212 AX combo...

 

QUE DECEPCIÓN...!!!!

[apkozzy]

Yeah,same thing with my 75.

Product is junk! My little fender 15G has been going for years. 

This expensive piece of **** didn't even last a year!

Wouldn't buy anything from line 6 from now on. What a joke. 

[phil_m]

8 hours ago, apkozzy said:

Yeah,same thing with my 75.

Product is junk! My little fender 15G has been going for years. 

This expensive piece of **** didn't even last a year!

Wouldn't buy anything from line 6 from now on. What a joke. 

 

 If it’s under a year old, it will still be covered by warranty, whatever the issue is. Open a ticket, and they’ll take care of it.

[RileyVallance19]

Hey, I have good news! I found out how to fix it! So, My AMPLIFi 150 went out of warranty so I decided to open up the back and have a look. According to some of the stuff I read, the SD card with the firmware on it is the culprit for the problems, so I removed the retaining glue dob and then the card, booted the amp without the SD (It gets stuck in the process), Shut it down, then replaced the SD and booted it again. I haven't had any trouble for well over a year now. I love my Amplifi now and I use it all the time, I even perform with it now because I trust it.

 

If your Amplifi is playing up and is out of warranty, open it up. Nothing to lose, right? 

 

There are 6 main screws on the back plate and I can't remember what's on the inside. I do remember that there is a white paint-like substance on the back of the back plate that sticks to everything, so wear gloves or be careful not to lean against it. The SD slot is in the centre of the mother board if I remember correctly and has a little bit of glue to hold the card in.

 

Good luck!

 

Riley.

[cbrillow]

Interesting information. Just to confirm: you removed the SD card, attempted to start the amp. shut it back down and then re-inserted the same SD card? In other words, you did not put in a replacement SD, correct?

 

The white substance you mentioned sounds like a thermal compound, which is often used to transfer heat away devices that run hot. Could be they're sinking the heat produced by the Amplifi's output module and a heat sink.

[panangel7]

To everyone,

 

I had the same issue as everyone else. A friend of mine who is an electronic technician checked my amp and found that a chip transistor in the connection of the motherboard to the power supply was responsible for the failure. He changed the chip which costed 3.80 € (when the official retailer in Greece asked me for 250 € to change the entire motherboard) and the problem was resolved. My amp works perfectly.

If you know any good technician that you can trust let him check your amp it may be fixed. All the other solutions will only help if you have a software problem.

I hope that this might be helpful.

[RileyVallance19]

11 hours ago, cbrillow said:

Interesting information. Just to confirm: you removed the SD card, attempted to start the amp. shut it back down and then re-inserted the same SD card? In other words, you did not put in a replacement SD, correct?

 

The white substance you mentioned sounds like a thermal compound, which is often used to transfer heat away devices that run hot. Could be they're sinking the heat produced by the Amplifi's output module and a heat sink.

Yes, that is correct. I reloaded the same SD after I did a boot cycle without the SD loaded. Also, I think you're right about the white stuff. It was right against the heat sync if I remember correctly.

[shedhand]

I've read every post in this thread on this issue.

I have exactly the same problem with my Amplifi 150.

I bought it from an Authorised Retailer here in Australia 5 years ago and only ever used it at home to jam with my music collection.

I returned the Warranty Card and registered online with Line6 USA.

A brilliant amp for my purposes and its never had problems updating or connecting to my PC.

Originally, I connected to it via the Line6 Amplifi App on an iPad but it died after about 3 years (the POS iPad that is).

I downloaded the Android version of the App to my Samsung Galaxy S5 smartphone and it all connected seamlessly with no issues.

Same for the Windows connection via Bluetooth.

I jammed regularly with the Amp over the 5 years I've had it.

About 3 weeks ago I jammed for about the usual 2 hrs on a Friday night then switched it off.

The following day I turned it on to jam some more and nothing.

Just the 4 tone lights (not flashing) BT and Tap, lit but faint and no LED around the Volume/Blend knob.

I consulted the Manual and tried the factory reset method (rebooting while holding down the Tap and Tone buttons). Nada. Tried it holding down the Tone and Volume Knob. Nada. Connected the Amp to my PC via the USB cable and rebooted after downloading and installing the Line6 Updater. Nada.

In desperation, I contacted the Line6 tech via email which they responded to within 48 hrs.

They guided me through the processes I'd already tried.

However, they kept telling me to update the drivers.

I kept telling them I couldn't do that because the Amp was unresponsive and the PC (via cable or BT) couldn't discover the AMP.

They kept telling me the same thing.

In the end, I stated that I thought they didn't understand my problem.

Line6 responded with a recommendation to send it my local service agent, YAMAHA MUSIC Australia for which I would have to pay.

I'm loath to go down that path because from what I've read on this thread it seems to be a Line6 manufacturing fault - ie; faulty hardware - which seems to hit the Amp owners at any time from the purchase date to any indeterminate time in the future.

It's evident that Line6 should be held to account for what seems to be a globally common problem and that they should issue a recall for all affected Amps and fix the issue free of charge.

I own other Line6 products which have never let me down.

The company's responses to date leave plenty to be concerned and angry about.

In the meantime, back to my lovely British Made, Laney 30W valve amp.

Mike

Edited October 12, 2019 by shedhand
Removed reference to Legal action. Issue resolved.

[cbrillow]

@shedhand
 

First of all, this is a very well-written post, documenting your problem, the steps you’ve take to try to resolve it, and your expectations. Well done! 
 

It sounds like you’ve had pretty good luck and a satisfying experience with your amp to this point, which is more than most of the contributors to this thread can say. But there’s no denying it, it sucks when this happens, no matter when it occurs.

 

My gut reaction is that the failure you’ve suffered, while certainly not unique, is one that happens less frequently than the one that seems to hit most of us: the inability to update firmware, resulting in a bricked device that does nothing. To my mind, it sounds like yours has a actual hardware issue that will require repair.

 

Many of us other users have found ourselves in a different situation, where there’s nothing wrong with the hardware, yet it will not allow a factory reset or reloading of the firmware, despite satisfying all the requirements and correctly performing the steps to accomplish this. Hardware failure is inevitable, and many types of products exhibit similar failures to the extent that they appear to have design flaws, but these rarely reach the class action lawsuit arena. 
 

I had to send mine across the country at my expense to have them reload the firmware, which I had tried unsuccessfully to do, even with a Line 6 tech monitoring my actions via telephone as I did it. I’m very tech-savvy and tried it with several different machines, all of them up-to-date with OS, drivers and security patches. It’s ridiculous that a device that’s intended to be updatable by an end user can be so finicky that it has to be returned to the factory for a simple firmware update. Supposedly, mine didn’t suffer a hardware failure. Those, I can understand...

 

Good luck to you in obtaining a resolution you can live with.

[shedhand]

Further to my post of Thursday, 10 OCT - Reporting progress.

Although the clue to my problem was in one of the older posts in this thread, I missed it.

When the Line6 Techie was giving his advice about updating the driver I misunderstood (or he wasn't really clear) and thought he was referring to onboard drivers.

What I didn't realise was that he was referring the drivers on my PC.

I went back through the posts and found what I needed.

Here it is. But what it doesn't say is BE PATIENT. During the driver update, do NOT have the Amp on or connected in any way to your PC.

AFTER the driver has updated THEN follow the procedure for updating the firmware. I very carefully followed the instructions and VOILA, my AmpliFi is back to its best.

Don't panic when all the LEDs turn off this is just the updater doing its thing and it takes a minute or two. when the update is completed flashing LEDs will re-appear and the Amp is ready to go again.

SOURCE:  Line6Tony With many thanks.

I'll leave my original post but will edit out the legal mumbo jumbo so people can decide if my resolution fits their needs.

Good luck

Here are the steps needed to update an AMPLIFi with Windows or OSX. The whole process should only take about 5 minutes. Click on each image to expand it.

 

Windows users: IMPORTANT First thing that needs to be done is to download the Amplifi driver from www.Line6.com/software if you haven't already. Here's the link:

 

http://line6.com/software/readeula.html?rid=6668

 

Step 1:
Download and install Line 6 Updater from www.Line6.com/software, using the links below:

 

Win 7, 8, and 10
http://line6.com/software/readeula.html?rid=7338

OR

OSX 10.8-10.11
http://line6.com/software/readeula.html?rid=7337

 

Step 2:
Connect the Amplifi gear to your computer with a standard USB A/USB B cable, and then run Line 6 Updater program.

 

Step 3:
With your Line 6 user name and password, log into the program.

 

 

Step 4:
Click on the connected Amplifi. Here, we're updating the TT.

 

 

Step 5:
Click on the latest version of firmware from the top of the list. You do not have to install each previous version, just the latest.

 

 

Step 6:
This page shows you what you'll need to do if the update fails (we'll go over this at the end in detail). In the meantime, hit Next.

 

 

Step 7:
Here's the program doing its thing.

 

 

Step 8:
Once done, power cycle the unit.

 

 

Step 9:
Forget or unpair the Amplifi unit from your mobile device's Bluetooth menu. Press and briefly hold the Bluetooth button on the Amplifi until it flashes quickly. On your mobile device, go to your Bluetooth settings and select the device, as it's trying to connect. Once reconnected, launch the Amplifi Remote app.

 

In the event that the update fails, or the gear isn't rebooting properly after the update, you'll need to enter update mode by holding down "Tone" and "Tap" while booting up. If using the FX100, hold down footswiches A and C.

 

Note: If an update continues to fail, please try another computer's USB ports. USB port stability can vary between computers.

 

 

NOTE TO FX100 OWNERS: After performing the steps below, you must perform a reset and a pedal calibration. Here are the instructions for that: http://line6.com/support/page/kb/_/effects-controllers/fx100/post-flash-update-instructions-for-fx100-r645

 

• Report Article

 

[shedhand]

On 10/10/2019 at 1:41 AM, cbrillow said:

First of all, this is a very well-written post, documenting your problem, the steps you’ve take to try to resolve it, and your expectations. Well done! 
 

@cbrillowThanks. 30 years researching and speech writing for politicians helps a bit.  ;)

Edited October 12, 2019 by shedhand
named recipient

[Jarry03]

Do we have to download all the drivers or just the last one ?

[steakt13]

On 7/31/2019 at 6:50 AM, RileyVallance19 said:

Hey, I have good news! I found out how to fix it! So, My AMPLIFi 150 went out of warranty so I decided to open up the back and have a look. According to some of the stuff I read, the SD card with the firmware on it is the culprit for the problems, so I removed the retaining glue dob and then the card, booted the amp without the SD (It gets stuck in the process), Shut it down, then replaced the SD and booted it again. I haven't had any trouble for well over a year now. I love my Amplifi now and I use it all the time, I even perform with it now because I trust it.

 

If your Amplifi is playing up and is out of warranty, open it up. Nothing to lose, right? 

 

There are 6 main screws on the back plate and I can't remember what's on the inside. I do remember that there is a white paint-like substance on the back of the back plate that sticks to everything, so wear gloves or be careful not to lean against it. The SD slot is in the centre of the mother board if I remember correctly and has a little bit of glue to hold the card in.

 

Good luck!

 

Riley.

Hey - thanks Riley.  This also worked for me and is well worth the try to anyone having this issue.  Bump-up for anyone looking for a solution to what seems to be an obvious (minor) problem with the S/W load!!

 

Good luck everyone.

[DannyJones]

Had the AMPLIFI 75 for around a day, my christmas present, worked fine without phone then moved up stairs connected with phone and tried to update cus it told me to, the update was interrupted by bluetooth being disconnected this then cause 4 white lights to consistently flash, i then tried a factory reset like everyone is saying to do (doesn't work) I have only a ios and a laptop (windows 10) i do not have the cable which is not provided and can't get one cus all shops are closed on Christmas day and some boxing day, i really wanted this amp to work but had disappointment when i had to spend my entire christmas watching youtube vids and being bored, i have tried multiple methods the fix all this including retrying different updates, deleting and reinstalling the app, trying factory reset yet no lights on the master volume knob and when trying new updates the bar is stuck at the start, left for 1 hour and doesn’t change positions.

PLS HELP anyone 

[barracliffe]

Same problem

[crif]

Hi, my Amplifi 150 (I also bought the FBV3) has all four (ABCD) lights on (not blinking) no Bluetooth. I just updated my G10 relay transmitter and receiver so I know my pc USB port is working, the PC's drivers are working. My amp is not working. The motherboard appears to be out of stock at Compass. The only post that seemed to correct this problem was the chip/transistor replacement by a technician. I have tried the SD card replacement. It worked for a few days and then the fault reappeared. I am going to try the SD card a second time and will post back.

[rnrhs]

Hi All,

 

My Amplifi 150 died yesterday...same symptoms as described above (powers on, all lights on but dim, etc.)

I followed the instructions to remove the SD card, restart, add the SD card back and restart....and it WORKED!

 

Thank you to all who contributed to this solution! 

Here is a forum thread with pics and instructions for the SD card:  

 

 

And condolences to those whom it did not work for. :.(

[cbrillow]

On 4/13/2020 at 7:33 PM, crif said:

Hi, my Amplifi 150 (I also bought the FBV3) has all four (ABCD) lights on (not blinking) no Bluetooth. I just updated my G10 relay transmitter and receiver... <snip>

 

 

Ouch. Bad enough to have trouble with the Amplifi 150. Were you also rewarded with reduced battery life for 'updating' your Relay G10? 

 

My sympathies...

[RileyVallance19]

19 hours ago, rnrhs said:

My Amplifi 150 died yesterday...same symptoms as described above (powers on, all lights on but dim, etc.)

I followed the instructions to remove the SD card, restart, add the SD card back and restart....and it WORKED!

 

Thank you to all who contributed to this solution! 

And condolences to those whom it did not work for. :.(

Great to hear that my random attempt at fixing it has worked for so many people!

 

Feel free to upvote the original solution to help more unfortunate people solve the problem without forking out fortunes. 

 

Happy playing!

 

Riley.

[joser3975]

 

On 7/31/2019 at 1:50 PM, RileyVallance19 said:

Hey, I have good news! I found out how to fix it! So, My AMPLIFi 150 went out of warranty so I decided to open up the back and have a look. According to some of the stuff I read, the SD card with the firmware on it is the culprit for the problems, so I removed the retaining glue dob and then the card, booted the amp without the SD (It gets stuck in the process), Shut it down, then replaced the SD and booted it again. I haven't had any trouble for well over a year now. I love my Amplifi now and I use it all the time, I even perform with it now because I trust it.

 

If your Amplifi is playing up and is out of warranty, open it up. Nothing to lose, right? 

 

There are 6 main screws on the back plate and I can't remember what's on the inside. I do remember that there is a white paint-like substance on the back of the back plate that sticks to everything, so wear gloves or be careful not to lean against it. The SD slot is in the centre of the mother board if I remember correctly and has a little bit of glue to hold the card in.

 

Good luck!

 

Riley.

Thank you Riley for the solution, my Amplifit is now working perfectly. 

 

[cbrillow]

5 hours ago, joser3975 said:

 

Thank you Riley for the solution, my Amplifit is now working perfectly. 

 

 

And thank you for reporting your success -- hope it helps someone else who runs into this problem!

[samgreco]

On 7/31/2019 at 6:50 AM, RileyVallance19 said:

Hey, I have good news! I found out how to fix it! So, My AMPLIFi 150 went out of warranty so I decided to open up the back and have a look. According to some of the stuff I read, the SD card with the firmware on it is the culprit for the problems, so I removed the retaining glue dob and then the card, booted the amp without the SD (It gets stuck in the process), Shut it down, then replaced the SD and booted it again......

 

Bought a 150 that wasn't working on a whim.  Figured I'd see if I can fix it.  Found your post and in less than 10 minutes had a working 150 for $100.  Not a bad days work.  And, this thing is a lot of fun :)  Thanks!

[RileyVallance19]

On 10/7/2020 at 1:48 PM, samgreco said:

 

Bought a 150 that wasn't working on a whim.  Figured I'd see if I can fix it.  Found your post and in less than 10 minutes had a working 150 for $100.  Not a bad days work.  And, this thing is a lot of fun :)  Thanks!

 

Fantastic to hear! I'm glad you got it working without much trouble. What a steal for $100!

 

Feel free to upvote if you like, lots of people have this problem and this seems to be the only easy fix.

[drgracemd]

wow i wish i had gotten the behringer instead of the Line6. Theres no way im sending it in to get fixed cuz its not free. I am glad i have my peavey from 85. Sounds like Line6 is a lame bunch of people running their show. poor us

[phil_m]

50 minutes ago, drgracemd said:

wow i wish i had gotten the behringer instead of the Line6. Theres no way im sending it in to get fixed cuz its not free. I am glad i have my peavey from 85. Sounds like Line6 is a lame bunch of people running their show. poor us

 

Trust me... You would have absolutely no luck with Behringer...

 

Line 6 customer service is actually very good. But you have to reach out to them by way of a support ticket in order to get help.

[RileyVallance19]

On 1/14/2021 at 10:07 AM, drgracemd said:

wow i wish i had gotten the behringer instead of the Line6. Theres no way im sending it in to get fixed cuz its not free. I am glad i have my peavey from 85. Sounds like Line6 is a lame bunch of people running their show. poor us

Yes, Line 6 has a couple of issues, but all things considered, they are a great company creating great gear. I own an Amplifi 150, FBV Shortboard MkII, Pod HD500x and Relay G10 and Over the last 6 years on owning them I have had issues twice. (I blew up the power supply and mother board at a gig, I think it was a power surge, and I had this thread's issue which I fixed.) That is a hell of a lot better than Behringer's reputation.

 

If you have this problem, try my accidental fix and let us know how it goes:
 

On 7/31/2019 at 9:50 PM, RileyVallance19 said:

Hey, I have good news! I found out how to fix it! So, My AMPLIFi 150 went out of warranty so I decided to open up the back and have a look. According to some of the stuff I read, the SD card with the firmware on it is the culprit for the problems, so I removed the retaining glue dob and then the card, booted the amp without the SD (It gets stuck in the process), Shut it down, then replaced the SD and booted it again. I haven't had any trouble for well over a year now. I love my Amplifi now and I use it all the time, I even perform with it now because I trust it.

 

If your Amplifi is playing up and is out of warranty, open it up. Nothing to lose, right? 

 

There are 6 main screws on the back plate and I can't remember what's on the inside. I do remember that there is a white paint-like substance on the back of the back plate that sticks to everything, so wear gloves or be careful not to lean against it. The SD slot is in the centre of the mother board if I remember correctly and has a little bit of glue to hold the card in.

 

Good luck!

 

Riley.

 

Good luck with your amp!

[PFerradas]

I just had this issue happen to me. I plugged the AMP in to get the firmware update and nothing happened. Lights went solid dim, also the bluteooth light is dim and the amp doesn't do anything. I opened up the back and removes the SD card as per the previous post but it still doesn't boot up at all. Same issue. DEAD. This sucks! Anyone else have any other options?

[NrockK]

I had the same problem on my 150 and finally found the solution after some experimentation. I was using the amplifier after many months of inactivity, with the result that the current from the capacitors is empty and it is not ready to start its operation. Now I use the amplifier more often and the problem is gone.

Try to do the same if you have the problem and write your own comments below to help others.

 

Good luck with your amp!

[parabol_parabola]

On 11/3/2022 at 5:13 PM, NrockK said:

I had the same problem on my 150 and finally found the solution after some experimentation. I was using the amplifier after many months of inactivity, with the result that the current from the capacitors is empty and it is not ready to start its operation. Now I use the amplifier more often and the problem is gone.

Try to do the same if you have the problem and write your own comments below to help others.

 

Good luck with your amp!

hey man! is your amp still good? you still using it now?