Hi All,


This is first post.



Due to dust or so, the said Volume Control Wheel does not work properly. Sample pic:

I often clean controls with denatured alcohol and that usually works well. Much less expensive than contact cleaner.

Volume goes to one speaker, and other gets muted. Vice versa. When I carefully turn the wheel sometimes the Volume works properly or sometimes with noise or muted one side.


As I write this, I've cleaned it up with Petrol drops. PCB is drying. I chose Petrol because Contact Cleaner is expensive solution. Am I correct or any other method could be used?


UPDATE: I tried with Petrol but it doesn't work. Some search results said it worked for some but not in my case. Volume comes in the right speaker and Sub-woofer now. When I turn the wheel cracking sound still coming.


I shall try for the Contact Cleaner else I'll buy one. but it's expensive in my country (a good one for $30+). Do you have any idea whether I could get this spare in the market? Search results say Creative doesn't make them? Very strange

THINKING: Does dumping Volume control diminishes any Sound Output or Quality? I opened the VCU but I'm not comfortable how join those leads


Thank you.

 

Hi there.. I had the same problem and I bypassed it by trial and error method...

There is literally no decrease in volume or sound quality..

I hard wired it.. I attached a pic to help you..
I also have the same creative 2.1 speaker... So don't worry ...


Good luck mate

 

This is coming from the sub alone
I want to bypass the potentiometer can you please help brother ( I am using a creative sb500 5.1). Please help me

 

This is coming from the sub alone
I want to bypass the potentiometer can you please help brother ( I am using a creative sb500 5.1). Please help me

Yeah sure ..
Tag an image of your potentiometer box wiring here... I ll see what I can do

 

UPDATE: I did join those wires. Speakers are working flawlessly. Still, I'll try to hunt down this spare locally or get it from the US or UK. But I don't know if I could find one in those countries? Thanks for the support

I know this is a very old thread but I am having the same problem and was hoping to also bypass the volume control. I don't know if you have the same set as I do. Is it the inspire 2400? And you just took the black, white and red wires (both sets) off of the pcb of the volume control and wired them together? Please see the attached. I don't want to blow out the speakers.

Thanks!

 

That assembly should be very simple to examine and determine the circuit, and then find similar variable resistors to use as replacement volume controls. At that point it will be very useful to have the use of an ohm meter to know the resistance, and to determine wich wire, red or white, connects to the variable terminal. It may be that the final installation would need two knobs, one for the left channel and one for the right channel. But that should not be a large problem.

 

That assembly should be very simple to examine and determine the circuit, and then find similar variable resistors to use as replacement volume controls. At that point it will be very useful to have the use of an ohm meter to know the resistance, and to determine wich wire, red or white, connects to the variable terminal. It may be that the final installation would need two knobs, one for the left channel and one for the right channel. But that should not be a large problem.

In all honesty, I'm not even remotely experienced with electronics. I found this by googling my problem and it sounded like the OP had the same speaker system. I can solder and put shrink tubing on them if it was the same system. I just don't want to fry it. Nor put any money in a 20 year old speaker set. Lol.

Thank you so much for your reply tho! Any other thoughts?

Thanks!

 

Are you able to take photos of the back and front of that circuit board so that others can trace the circuits?That is an option that could work. We need a picture clear enough to know what the copper connects to. And then one of the component side so that we can see what the wires connect to.

 

Are you able to take photos of the back and front of that circuit board so that others can trace the circuits?That is an option that could work. We need a picture clear enough to know what the copper connects to. And then one of the component side so that we can see what the wires connect to.

Sure! It seems like a relatively simple circuit. Three wires in, three wires out, potentiometer in between. The outside casing is labeled as "From Source" and "To Sub", if that helps.

Thanks again!

 

This may be a better image...

Sure! It seems like a relatively simple circuit. Three wires in, three wires out, potentiometer in between. The outside casing is labeled as "From Source" and "To Sub", if that helps.

Thanks again!

 

And this may (remember, total noob here) be the wiring? Black, red and white wires. The disconnected red wire seems to be jumped on the other side.

 

OK, I see that the black wires are the common and are probably yje shield connections. What is not clear is which color, red or white, comes from the source, and which color is from the "sub". That is not revealed in the photos, but it is important to know.

 

OK, I see that the black wires are the common and are probably yje shield connections. What is not clear is which color, red or white, comes from the source, and which color is from the "sub". That is not revealed in the photos, but it is important to know.

The three wires closes to the control knob are labeled are "from source", the other three are "to sub".

Doesn't the pot just modulate the sound so can't we just hook the red, white and black to the other red, white and black directly and allow my pc to control the volume?

 

OK, I see that the black wires are the common and are probably yje shield connections. What is not clear is which color, red or white, comes from the source, and which color is from the "sub". That is not revealed in the photos, but it is important to know.

OK, I see that the black wires are the common and are probably yje shield connections. What is not clear is which color, red or white, comes from the source, and which color is from the "sub". That is not revealed in the photos, but it is important to know.

So how do I figure that out? Is the red for the right channel and white foe the left?

 

OK, I see that the black wires are the common and are probably yje shield connections. What is not clear is which color, red or white, comes from the source, and which color is from the "sub". That is not revealed in the photos, but it is important to know.

Oh, I think I understand what you're wondering. The sub and source both have the black, white and red each. So w, r and b in one cable and w, r and b in the other cable (to sub and from sub.)

Does that help?

 

OK, so now we know that the source has both red and white signal wires and a black common wire, and the "sub" has the same.
The one problem with having a computer as the only control is the default output level before the operator gets to make an adjustment. If it is possible to assure that the computer will always start with a minimum volume setting then it might work very well to have the computer control the volume.
But now, for wiring to two more common rotary control potentiometers, I am reluctant to suggest doing that.

 

Those pots go bad after a while and need to be replaced. OR you can build your own. But this original thread is many years old. If someone has a similar issue then perhaps they need to start their own thread on the subject; as the original poster has long since gotten their answer and has moved on.

 

Those pots go bad after a while and need to be replaced. OR you can build your own. But this original thread is many years old. If someone has a similar issue then perhaps they need to start their own thread on the subject; as the original poster has long since gotten their answer and has moved on.

I had the same feeling. So I created a new thread. I was hoping the OP was still available and he could answer more about it since his solution worked for him.

Thanks!

 

The thread that I recall had a photo of a circuit board with traces peeled off and the wires al disconnected and no possible way to repair it with out having a circuit drawing and the skill to use it. I am thinking that there are quite a few of these devices in some part of the world and that they are subject to failure quite often.