Moon_Raven Posted May 5 Share Posted May 5 I use an 8-year-old Line6 Helix unit almost 24/7, since it also doubles as a sound card for my computer. Today I found it overheating, smelling like burned PCB/electronics and with the LCD rapidly blinking/glitching. What should I do? Is it safe to turn it on again? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rd2rk Posted May 5 Share Posted May 5 If it's fried it's fried. No way to tell unless you turn it on again. Mine is almost always on unless I know that I'll be gone for days, 9yo and still rock'n'roll. Out of curiosity - is it on a hard surface or a carpet? If it's on a carpet, DON'T DO THAT! The vents are on the bottom. I keep mine on a shelf from Home Depot. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moon_Raven Posted May 5 Author Share Posted May 5 It is always on a hard floor, and not in direct sunlight. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rd2rk Posted May 5 Share Posted May 5 Did you switch it back on? Is it working? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SaschaFranck Posted May 6 Share Posted May 6 In case there's smell, it's time to take it to a tech and have it inspected (unless you can do it on your own). You risk frying it completely otherwise. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moon_Raven Posted May 6 Author Share Posted May 6 On 5/6/2025 at 12:49 AM, rd2rk said: Did you switch it back on? Is it working? No, I'm scared Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moon_Raven Posted May 6 Author Share Posted May 6 On 5/6/2025 at 12:01 PM, SaschaFranck said: In case there's smell, it's time to take it to a tech and have it inspected (unless you can do it on your own). You risk frying it completely otherwise. What should I check? Is a visual inspection of the PCB for visible signs of damage sufficient? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SaschaFranck Posted May 6 Share Posted May 6 On 5/6/2025 at 12:48 PM, Moon_Raven said: What should I check? Is a visual inspection of the PCB for visible signs of damage sufficient? Maybe, maybe not. There might be obvious hints. But as said, I'd rather take it to someone qualified. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
codamedia Posted May 6 Share Posted May 6 On 5/6/2025 at 5:48 AM, Moon_Raven said: What should I check? Is a visual inspection of the PCB for visible signs of damage sufficient? If you are not comfortable, take it to an electronics tech. If you have a Line 6 service tech in the area that is best... if not, any electronics tech can take a look. I'd be starting at the power supply area... it would be separate from the main board(s). The visual of the entire machine never hurts. If you smell something... then something is likely burnt so you should be able to find it. If it's in the power supply it's usually a fairly easy fix.... if it's on one of the boards, not so much. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moon_Raven Posted May 6 Author Share Posted May 6 I opened the panel underneath the unit. I see no obvious signs of damage, although it has a "burned PCB" smell. The power supply module was pretty dirty (see photos). I tried turning the unit on, and the display did not glitch. However, the power supply module got pretty hot quickly, so I turned it off without conducting further tests. I think I will take it to an electronics tech this week for inspection (there is no Line6 official service nearby). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rd2rk Posted May 6 Share Posted May 6 That looks like hair. Do you have hairy pets? Could it be burnt hair smell? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SaschaFranck Posted May 7 Share Posted May 7 Defenitely looking like pet hair - but that'd possibly only explain some smell, not the power supply heating up so quickly (IMO it'd take much more hair to cause that), let alone some serious glitchy malfunction. I say taking it to a decent tech is the best bet here. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moon_Raven Posted May 7 Author Share Posted May 7 I have a pet cat. I will definitely take the unit to an electronics tech for inspection tomorrow. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moon_Raven Posted May 12 Author Share Posted May 12 The tech guys fixed it. The issue was caused by a capacitor failure on the power module. Seems to be working fine for now, with no overheating. Thanks for your suggestions and support! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SaschaFranck Posted May 12 Share Posted May 12 Ah, good to hear/read! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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