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I have a Creative Inspire 2.1 speaker system. The problem is that the right side speaker does not produce proper sound unless I try and turn the wheel to a particular position. I have unscrewed the controller and it looks like this:

Front side of PCB

Back side of PCB

What should I do?

JYelton
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techno
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1 Answers1

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Beneath that big black control knob is a potentiometer. Over time, the contact surface of that potentiometer has deteriorated, to the point where the potentiometer's slider no longer makes consistent contact with the surface all the way around.

You need to remove the knob, de-solder the potentiometer, and replace it with one of the same resistance range, same "law", and same dimensions.

Anindo Ghosh
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  • Thanks for the answer.I'am computer guy,i have very limited experience when it comes to electronics.How am i supposed to pull out the wheel,just pull it? – techno Sep 20 '13 at 04:55
  • @techno Yes, carefully and gently. :-) ... You could also try drilling out the brass rivet type thing holding the knob in place. – Anindo Ghosh Sep 20 '13 at 05:16
  • What do you think about replacing the 5 pin resistor itself?What will be the spec for that do you know – techno Sep 20 '13 at 06:03
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    What 5-pin resistor? The potentiometer referred to above is a variable resistor. Its specifications can be determined only after removing the knob. If I were to guess, I would say it is a "dual-gang potentiometer" with "audio taper". However, that is wild speculation, no way to validate it until you have the part de-soldered. – Anindo Ghosh Sep 20 '13 at 08:34
  • A less daunting solution may be to douse it in contact cleaner. It's less likely to permanently fix the problem but if you're new to soldering etc. it's less likely to be damaging. – John U Sep 20 '13 at 11:06
  • @AnindoGhosh Yeah im talking about the variable resistor only – techno Sep 20 '13 at 11:46
  • @Anindo By "law" do you mean taper? – JYelton Sep 20 '13 at 16:23
  • @JYelton Yup. . – Anindo Ghosh Sep 20 '13 at 16:42
  • If one is comfortable with the desoldering, replacing the resistor is not unreasonable. One probably can determine the value without removing it, for example by measuring across the fixed terminals - the connected circuit can alter the reading, but it's usually still possible to figure it out. And there aren't that many values commonly used; 100K audio taper isn't a bad guess. – Chris Stratton Sep 20 '13 at 17:13