Digi 002/002r Power Harness Defect

[remixer101]

There is a widespread problem of a defect with the digi 002/002r that results in the units no longer powering on or losing power in the middle of a session and not being able to power back on. Users have to open up their units and reseat the wires from the power harness to the connectors and sometimes this fixes the problem of suddenly losing power; the problem has run rampant though and repeats even after reseating the connectors to the pins.

Digidesign states that it is a power harness issue and sends out a replacement part that the user has to install to avoid any downtime by sending the unit to be repaired by digidesign. The policy is that if you do the repair yourself you must sign a faxed/emailed disclosure that clears digidesign of any liability by you opening the unit up to install the replacement part they send you. The new replacement power harness is called MOLEX.
In some cases users have had three and four replacement power harnesses sent to them (molex brand) and the issue remains unresolved. Digidesign has gone on record by saying that all units with the serial number ending in G have the new molex connector and havent had any reported problems since installing the molex connector power harness; but this has not fixed the growing problem that concerns many digi 002 and 002r owners because the Molex power harness has not fixed their issue and digidesign has gone on record by saying that there is another problem that mimics this issue that relates to the power harness. So now there are two known defects, the other hasn't gone on record.
If you bring this subject up in the digidesign users forum they will edit the posts/delete and/or ban you from the forum if you are not ok with their proposed solution.
If there is anything that I have learned in the industry is that Sweetwater is very knowledgable and provides incredible customer support and perhaps you can help shed some light on this issue as well as a proper fix where the end user isn't faced with the decisionof having to do the repair themself.

One user diagnosed this problem and stated that "The actual problem with the digi 002/002r is that this sort of defect is normally caused by using dis-similar metals (gold plated connectors on Tin Lead connectors in this case) on connectors in power circuits. From my limited observations I see that the power supply harness cable has gold-plated female connectors and the circuit boards have Tin-lead connector pins. I have seen this particular configuration cause this exact problem in several electronic designs in the past. The only solution is to change the connector metals so that thaey are not dis-similar. Using Gold-Plated on both sides of the connection would do it. Or many other combos of compatible metals are OK. But not Tin-Lead with Gold Palted in a power circuit. That is just plain asking for trouble from my experience. You can look up dis-similar metals in electronic connections on the internet for more info on this and how it causes corrossion. It is also an issue in welding metals together in the metal fabrication industry.

The end user has a right to purchase products free and clear of defects; especially if this is a widespread problem that gave them enough time to fix this with newly manufactured units.
Those that purchased the defective digi 002/002r should be sent new replacement units or be able to arrange for loaner units while they send it out for repair by a digi technichian or someone authorized to do such repairs. Anything dealing with electronics or electronic components pose some danger with safety and risk of voiding warranty.

[DAS]

Digi never used dissimilar metals in any of the connectors. They originally used a very common connector, but for whatever reason they failed at a higher than normal rate (although the vast majority of units have never had a problem, it was a higher rate of failure than it should have been). They switched it out to another type that worked better, but had other problems that could cause the same symptoms, and finally they switched to the current Molex type, which, according to our service department hasn't been failing at all. We simply aren't seeing this power supply issue with the latest versions, which have been out over a year now.

As far as I know Digi has been pretty accommodating with these (at least for our customers). They are replacing the wiring harness on any unit with that failure, regardless of whether or not it is still under warranty. And we have certainly tried to accommodate our customers who've been in a bind.

[Danno]

Thanks DAS, for chiming in here. One of the things I appreciate about Sweetwater is its willingness to address topics most other retailers would either ignore or delete from their sites entirely. You have great customer service.

[LocationLive]

I had this problem.My 002 rack started loosing conection >sample rate light/44.1/blinking on and off<.I contacted digi and they were very easy to work with on this issue.The "consumer fix kit" is sent to people who want to tackle this prob without loosing the box for who knows how long.I mean,if your like me,I couldn't be without my digi for more than a day or two at the most so I ordered the fix kit.I got to my in less than two days without paying a dime.After taking the digi cover off and looking at the new harness,to my suprise it was very easy to fix.It also included conector cleaner.Oh, the void waranty problem is only if you have this problem during the warranty period.I think one year.So I was only out of service for two days instead of 2-3+ weeks.