Most of the common American DJ effects are pretty simple to fix.
(These tips do not apply to intelligent lighting or LED lights). They are
basically a box containing a motor, a circuit board and a brush and
ring assembly leading to a lamp. Once you determine which of the
components are bad it is just a matter of replacing the part. Motors
are not repairable but are economical to replace. The circuit boards
are usually cheap enough that it doesn't make sense to try to fix them.
You can buy parts from us or on-line from www.AmericanDJ.com.
Motor runs but light doesn't come on.
Assuming you have a good lamp, look next at the brush and ring. The
brushes should exert firm pressure on the ring. There should be no
obvious burns or melting on the wiring. If the ring is badly pitted it can
cause intermittent operation and shorten lamp life. Last, pull out the
lamp and inspect the contact posts. If the lamp comes out with little or
no effort or if the contact posts are burned or discolored, you need a
new socket.
Motor doesn't turn.
This applies to 2-wire motors only. If your motor has multiple wires it is
probably a stepper motor and cannot be tested in this manner. Most
of the 2-wire gear motors used in American DJ lights are 12VDC. You
can test them by unplugging the motor from the board and powering
the motor with a 9V battery. A quick trick here is to straighten out two
paper clips and push one into each side of the connector. Now, touch
the clips to the terminals of the battery. If the motor turns you
probably have a bad PC board. If the motor doesn't turn, you
probably have a bad motor. At this point, try to confirm that you
actually have a 12VDC motor by looking for specs printed on the
motor itself.
(These tips do not apply to intelligent lighting or LED lights). They are
basically a box containing a motor, a circuit board and a brush and
ring assembly leading to a lamp. Once you determine which of the
components are bad it is just a matter of replacing the part. Motors
are not repairable but are economical to replace. The circuit boards
are usually cheap enough that it doesn't make sense to try to fix them.
You can buy parts from us or on-line from www.AmericanDJ.com.
Motor runs but light doesn't come on.
Assuming you have a good lamp, look next at the brush and ring. The
brushes should exert firm pressure on the ring. There should be no
obvious burns or melting on the wiring. If the ring is badly pitted it can
cause intermittent operation and shorten lamp life. Last, pull out the
lamp and inspect the contact posts. If the lamp comes out with little or
no effort or if the contact posts are burned or discolored, you need a
new socket.
Motor doesn't turn.
This applies to 2-wire motors only. If your motor has multiple wires it is
probably a stepper motor and cannot be tested in this manner. Most
of the 2-wire gear motors used in American DJ lights are 12VDC. You
can test them by unplugging the motor from the board and powering
the motor with a 9V battery. A quick trick here is to straighten out two
paper clips and push one into each side of the connector. Now, touch
the clips to the terminals of the battery. If the motor turns you
probably have a bad PC board. If the motor doesn't turn, you
probably have a bad motor. At this point, try to confirm that you
actually have a 12VDC motor by looking for specs printed on the
motor itself.
| SAFETY * SAFETY * SAFETY Do not attempt repairs unless you have general repair experience and can use and have access to a DMM or VOM. Hazardous voltages are present in these devices and improper repairs could result in injury, death or the risk of fire. Always unplug defective fixture before attempting repair. |
| Specific Hints |
Multi Star & MultiStar II
Doesn't turn.
It is either a bad motor or a broken ring and shaft assembly. Most
of the broken ring and shaft assemblies that I have seen were on
the original MultiStar and were broken in shipping so if yours is
several years old it is probably a worn out motor. Read about
disassembly below.
Lights don't work.
The early version of the MultiStar used five, 24V FCS lamps wired
in a series resulting in a 120 volt load. If one burns out they all go
out. You can replace the 50 hour FCS with an FHY rated at 1000
hours or an FCS-EYE rated at 2000 hours. We stock both. An
even better idea is to rewire your fixture to use the 120V LL-200
lamp. You can get instructions for rewiring it here. The LL-200
lamp was used in later months of production on the MultiStar and
all Multi Star II.
Nothing works.
Don't disassemble the light. If the fuse is good, turn the light over,
remove the square base and look for burned wiring around the
fuse holder or circuit breaker. If your unit has a breaker instead of
a fuse replace it with a fuse holder. Your problem is probably in
this area. Use your meter to find the break in current flow.
Other issues we have seen with lights not working include burned
out sockets, bad brushes and worn out rings. Disassembly isn't
hard but takes a while. With the unit base down on your bench,
remove the top half of the center ball. Next remove the four screws
that hold on the bottom half and it's lamp holder. Move the lamp
holder aside. Remove the connectors from the wires by squeezing
with pliers to open. Remove the large nut below and loosen two
allen set screws. The four ball assembly should now lift off.
Remove the screws at the top of the base and the
motor/brush/shaft assembly will drop out the bottom. To remove
the shaft from the motor, turn the large nut on the shaft so it moves
closer to the motor. You will find a pin under the nut which holds
the main shaft to the motor shaft. Note: The only motor available
is for the MultiStar II. It will work on the MultiStar but requires a
special bracket. There is no charge for it but you must ask for it
when you order your motor.
Doesn't turn.
It is either a bad motor or a broken ring and shaft assembly. Most
of the broken ring and shaft assemblies that I have seen were on
the original MultiStar and were broken in shipping so if yours is
several years old it is probably a worn out motor. Read about
disassembly below.
Lights don't work.
The early version of the MultiStar used five, 24V FCS lamps wired
in a series resulting in a 120 volt load. If one burns out they all go
out. You can replace the 50 hour FCS with an FHY rated at 1000
hours or an FCS-EYE rated at 2000 hours. We stock both. An
even better idea is to rewire your fixture to use the 120V LL-200
lamp. You can get instructions for rewiring it here. The LL-200
lamp was used in later months of production on the MultiStar and
all Multi Star II.
Nothing works.
Don't disassemble the light. If the fuse is good, turn the light over,
remove the square base and look for burned wiring around the
fuse holder or circuit breaker. If your unit has a breaker instead of
a fuse replace it with a fuse holder. Your problem is probably in
this area. Use your meter to find the break in current flow.
Other issues we have seen with lights not working include burned
out sockets, bad brushes and worn out rings. Disassembly isn't
hard but takes a while. With the unit base down on your bench,
remove the top half of the center ball. Next remove the four screws
that hold on the bottom half and it's lamp holder. Move the lamp
holder aside. Remove the connectors from the wires by squeezing
with pliers to open. Remove the large nut below and loosen two
allen set screws. The four ball assembly should now lift off.
Remove the screws at the top of the base and the
motor/brush/shaft assembly will drop out the bottom. To remove
the shaft from the motor, turn the large nut on the shaft so it moves
closer to the motor. You will find a pin under the nut which holds
the main shaft to the motor shaft. Note: The only motor available
is for the MultiStar II. It will work on the MultiStar but requires a
special bracket. There is no charge for it but you must ask for it
when you order your motor.
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| Building Beautiful Rinks for 40 Years! |