# [SOLVED] Creative Inspire 6600 Volume problems



## Krak

i have an audigy 2, on xp pro but i am pretty sure this is not software problem. with the creative inspire 6600 (6.1).

the speakers have a volume/bass wired remote. my problem is the damned volume never stays. say i turn it up to 4, the volume wil stay for a few seconds, then i fades away. sometimes it will fade till i cant hear anything at all. sometimes it fades out, then back it...sometimes it works ok.

when it does fade out, if i tap the remote it comes back.

any ideas?


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## bossnass15

I'm having the same problem too matey..
Do update this thread if you've found the solution..
Thanks alot..


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## bossnass15

The solution is cleaning ur volume knob with alcohol.


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## rijmsdreams

*Similar issue*

I have something similar. Volum in and out, sometimes a hear high pitch tone, or no sound at all. It helps when I kick and shake the sub. Never tried the remote cord, but the sub. Is there anything u know? 

Power is supplied, cable ar correct. Cracking noises in sub also there.

Help


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## Krak

haha, i read your post, and cleaned it with alcohol. i feel stupid, that i did not try this before, always the simplest of things.  

ive even emailed creative on this numerous times, they told me to replace the remote, then when i asked for a replacement they gave me some other bs.

well its cleaned, and so far, working beautifully.
thanks bossnoss, with reading your post cleaning with alcohol probably would have never dawned on me.

rijmsdreams: try cleaning the remote volume, take it apart, take the colume knob off and take the little plastic white thing off, clean it good. if kicking, lol, or shaking the sub makes it work better you might have a short in a wire. that might also explain the crackling noise.

or maybe you blew your sub.  

as well as the volume problem, i also had another. my front right speaker is very quite, or dead. which creative kept trying to tell me was my sound card, hahaha....

which is an audigy 2, lol.

but i have sorted this one out and found there IS a short in the rca plug that goes to the back of the sub. $1.50 at radioshack will solve this problem.

thanks again boss.

gl rijmsdreams, and uh, dont even bother with getting a hold of creative...they are helpless.


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## rijmsdreams

*Creative? ;(*

"Try replacing the fuse at the back of the subwoofer. If this fails it 
could be that the speakers need to be sent in here for testing, repair 
or replacement..."

That's what creative tech support says. Those worthless idiots, no clue. First of all, is there a fuse on the back of the sub? If so, how would that improve my problem. I said that I always have juice supplied. If fuse would be faulty, then the power would be out, the green light on romote. But I so have juice when the speker silence. 

And when I tell them that kicking the sub works, then why would I have to send in the speakers? So immediatly after that they said I should send in the system and a month later they could tell me what might be wrong and how much it would cost me. Those jerks. :4-guns: 

I did replace the remote, as I wanted to exchange the system overall, till I realized that the other system was a 5.1 one. So I exchenged the romte, but the problem is still there. 

I will have to try your lose wire problem solving there. As far as Compusa told me, the product is discontinued. So I hope I can resolve the issue. But the wire thing sounds as if it could be the mistake. Thanks for advice. 


Will post results. 

RD


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## rancid

i have the same problem...can you answer me again.....but in spanish.......im sorry i cant speak alot of english...:sayno: 

what you do? open the remote control..and clean it with alcohol???? 







thanks for your answers:grin:


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## bluebullet528

*Re: Creative Inspire 6600 Volume problems*

ok, ive got one for you guys. ive had the same problem ever since i got these dam things but it didnt happen all the time. as time went on like maybe about 3 months ago my speakers started poping and making hissing noices but i would mess with the remote and it would go away for about a min or so then return. Just yesterday the LED on the volume control remote went out and the speakers dont work. The remote they used for this amazing system is a POS. is there anyone that might know what it could be that i could fix, or direct me in the direction on buying a new remote. thanks dan


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## mus352

*Re: Creative Inspire 6600 Volume problems*

BlueBullet,
I have the same problem with my remote on a 6600 - no LED and speakers don't work. I cleaned it out with alcohol as described in other posts to no avail. Did you ever get yours working again? If so, how?


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## bluebullet528

*Re: Creative Inspire 6600 Volume problems*

nope, pretty much need to get a new amp for it, which they dont sell anymore so replacing the subwoofer with another used one is the only hope. i tryed bypassing the fuse and they worked for like a second then died, so i though it was the fuse, so i replaced the fuse and still didnt work so i dont know.


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## who?

*Re: Creative Inspire 6600 Volume problems*

hey, i have the t7700 7.1 suround speakers and had a similar problem. if you take apart the volume remote there is a small switch mechanism on the back of the volume button, i cleaned up the switch so it made good contact and it worked fine since. hopfully this helps.


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## Benny Krupp

*Re: Creative Inspire 6600 Volume problems*

I know this is an old thread, but it comes up near the top in a Google search for Creative Inspire 6600 volume problems, so here's some useful information for future searchers with the same issue.

If cleaning the remote doesn't help (and it likely won't if tapping & knob-jiggling doesn't bring back the volume at least temporarily), you probably have a failing power supply in the amp (in the subwoofer cabinet). The most likely culprit is a 6800 microfarad (uf) 25v electrolytic capacitor (the biggest can-like component on the board, locate in the corner). Its function is to maintain the voltage out of the power supply circuit and it can't hold a charge, which is why things are OK for the first few seconds, but not after the amplifier begins to "drain" electricity from it (along with its internal "leaks") faster than it can "fill up" fom the power supply.

Replace it with the same or bigger size (i.e. at least 6800 AND at least 25v) and you'll be good. Make sure you put the new one in with the stripe on the same side as the old one (you'll see a filled-in half-circle on the circuit board underneath it on that side). Get the cap online or an electronics component store (brick and mortars are hard to find - ask a hardware techie if you know one; PS: Radio Shack won't have it) - it should be $5-6 tops before shipping). If you don't solder. find someone who does - it's a five-minute job if you've already taken enough stuff apart to let them get to the bottom of the circuit board underneath the cap. Wouldn't hurt to replace the hot glue around the bottom of the cap either (silicone glue will work also) to keep it from vibrating.


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## Benny Krupp

*Re: Creative Inspire 6600 Volume problems*

Well, I was wrong fixing my own amp by replacing that cap (although it's still the first thing you should try). The problem came back! So here's what I did to find the real cause. I suspected a component failing with heat, so took a can of compressed air, turned it upside down (so it sprays the coolant, freezing whatever it hits) and "hit" one black IC after another with a short spritz. Lo and behold, a transistor (Q5) was the problem - sound came on as soon as it "iced up" and faded as soon as it warmed.


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## saaj

hi benny.
did ur system started working?

well, my problem I believe is with the controller.. I did loads of things with it, so it started working, but volume at full is half of my earphones. I have cleaned it up 100 times but no use. it does work for few seconds fine, n then this happens... did urs work fine nw?
is there a way I can buy a new controller? I tried ebay, amazon and have dropped email to creative as well.
cheers.


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## eeisnp

Hello to everyone!

It seems like not many people got much 'inspiration" from these speakers 

Anyhow, I've owned the 6600 system pretty much since they came out.

The first problem I encountered with this system is the problem with the volume control on the wired remote. Had to replace the volume pot. For those who are not tech savvy - the volume thumbwheel turns (adjusts) the potentiometer or variable resistor that adjusts the volume as its resistance being adjusted. It also has a second function built in - a switch - that turns the power ON to the speaker system.

Second problem was a complete dead system! This time it was a fried Q5 transistor (part number is H945) on the main board inside the subwoofer. It was easy to spot - firstable the printed circuit board around it was obviously darkened by heat and the transistor itself was brown while all the normal ones are black. Q5 is just a NPN transistor with E=1, C=2, B=3 pinout. Google H945 for detailed specs. You can replace it with any compatible NPN transistor. Replacing it fixed the problem, but I didn't have time yet to figure out why in the first place it fried. Either there is something else on the board that caused it to burn or Creative just underestimated the current draw and put in an underrated transistor. By the way this transistor is part of a "zener controlled transistor voltage regulator". I'm assuming the zener diode is rated at 10.6Volts. 0.6vols is dropped over the transistor resulting with the output of 10V which is the supply voltage for most if not all chips on the board.


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## Benny Krupp

I agree with the last poster - replacing Q5 solved my problem as well (but years ago it was a volume-knob issue). For anyone "shotgunning" the problem (i.e. just replacing parts to see what happens), the most likely culprits are:


The volume/switch knob in the controller. remove the screw, knob, circular plastic thingie and clean (gently) with alcohol/electronics cleaner. This is likely your problem if wiggling that knob made your sound come on/off.
The Q5 transistor
The large 6800 uf capacitor.


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## eeddings

I'd like to give props to the smart guys who have posted here on this thread.

I thought my Creative Inspire 6600s from 2002 were dead. I had been using headphones (I unplugged the Creatives about two years ago thinking they were toast).

About two weeks ago I decided I wanted some speakers again. I plugged the Creatives up and to my surprise they worked! Then, I started getting the volume up and down automatically issue after about 15 minutes of use. I turned them off after about an hour of use, not too worried about the volume issue (I thought it was software-related after a few google searches). I was just ecstatic that they worked at all. The next day, the speakers were dead again. The light on the remote switch would not turn on. BAH!

I googled the problem and found this thread at the top. Cleaned the remote with alcohol, etc. They wouldn't turn on again.

I thought why not try to replace the Q5 transistor and the 6800 uf capacitor? If they're dead, it can't hurt. Having never done anything like this before, I had to buy a soldering kit (amazon). I bought the following items from mouser.com:

1x Aluminum Electrolytic Capacitors - Leaded 25V 6800uF 20% 18x35.5mm capacitor $1.94

1x 512-BC182L Fairchild Semiconductor Bipolar Small Signal NPN 50V 100mA HFE/5 transistor $0.11

$6 shipping (LOL).

I watched some youtube videos on how to remove solder and how to solder a capacitor. I didn't get a solder removal tool (clueless I guess). DRAT! Anyhow, I just finished soldering the items. A solder removal toll definitely would have been handy. Oh well, I'll get one next time.

Plugged the speakers back up. Viola! Like new! Awesome! $20 bucks total to fix them. It took loonger to get teh speaker apart than it did to remove the old parts and to solder the new parts.

Thanks again to those who posted here. I appreciate it!


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## letstalc

*Creative Inspire 6700 surround(satellite) problems*

I've read all the post pertaining to this speaker but nobody seems to have my problem. 

The surronds speakers are not comming except the woofer, i tried replacing the ic tda8511j but yet my problem was not solved.


Please i need help.


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## Roachburn

could anyone tell me what the specs are on the potentiometers used in the volume control? I want to see if i can hit up mouser for the parts and just make a new circuit board for the controller. Also, how important is the black wire that is sheathed around the others in the cord? can I make a new cord with regular wires or does the black have to be around the others? Also, thanks for the tips on the Npn and the cap. My transistor was definitely fried. Anyway, any advise on making the circuit or a schematic or finding/making a new cable would be cool.
Thanks for the help.


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## eeisnp

I don't remember what size they were (in ohms) but pretty sure these need to be non-linear (audio) pots with a switch. I should have a schematic somewhere - had to make one to figure out how that thing ticked. But it's been a while.... I'll check when I get a chance.


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## Roachburn

That would be awesome. I think I may have found some at mouser but I wish I knew what the ohms is on the original pots. Would this work PDA17-SS20-105BK Bourns Potentiometers


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## shodan1958

I had similar problems with my 6600 but mine was hardware related. I unpligged the wired remote and the plug came apart leaving the pins attached to the sub-woofer. Apparently this is common. Creative, however, says the system is EOL so where do I get a replacement control, or can someone post the pin config so I can attach a new plug. Creative wont provide one. I really liked these speakers when they worked.


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## Benny Krupp

*Creative Inspire 6600 Controller Pinouts*

Creative Inspire 6600 Speakers - Wired control unit connector.
A "Pseudo miniDIN-9b" per wikipedia

Position the plug so you are looking at the pins with the rectangular metal "key" (corresponds to the triangle symbol on the housing) at the bottom and the two locator keys at the 10 and 2 o'clock positions.. The pin numbering is done left to right, bottom row to top row. Pin 1 will be on the lower left, and the highest pin number will be on the upper right.

(see photo)

The pins below are from the white connector inside the wired remote (pin 1 is noted on the circuit board on the left). Wire colors also noted.

Pin
1 dark green ->din 4
2 light green -> din 1
3 black -> din 3
4 yellow -> din 5
5 white -> din 6
6 red _> din 7
7 thick black -> din 9
8 blue -> din 2


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