Hello, I recently purchased an Alesis AirFX. It’s in great condition but it didn’t come with its original power adapter. So, I purchased one [input: 120VAC 60Hz output: 9VAC 1300mA]. My AirFX works and it’s a lot of fun but after a while I noticed that the top left corner of the unit gets warm [near the power input but above]. This being my first AirFX, I don’t know if this is normal or not. I also noticed that this brand new power adapter that I bought, was actually outputting 11 VAC instead of the rated 9VAC - could 2volts of difference be the issue? Or is there something wrong with my AirFX? Please let me know. Thank you
Welcome to the forum,
If the unit is just getting a bit warm you probably don’t have much to worry about. The power regulators should be able to handle the extra 2 VAC just fine. As electrolytic capacitors age they tend give off more waste heat as their ESR increases which could be the source of the heat (assuming these units didn’t run warm out of the factory when they came out). Eventually it will be worth it to replace them, electrolytic capacitors are rated to only last a decade or two. But if the device is functioning fine I wouldn’t worry about it yet.
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Thank you Travis, I truly appreciate your help. See, that’s just the thing, because I never had one before or knew anybody who had one, I didn’t know if it was normal for the Air FX to get warm. In every other respect, the unit seems fine. So, I figured the two extra volts are probably pushing the voltage regulator [I can only imagine this part, as I couldn’t find a schematic on the web, or any video showing the inside of this thing] too hard. Additionally, I remembered hearing that most consumer electronics can handle +/- 10% more voltage, and with my power adapter supplying 22% more, you can see why I was concerned. Thanks again, mate and happy holidays!