Help Plz. FM9 Not Booting Up (Solved)

bleujazz3

bleujazz3

Fractal Fanatic
Need some help. Currently have my FM9 v. 4.01 set up on my Duo 24 board, and am trying to boot up the FM9. All I get is a white main screen, no startup FM9 or scroll bar indicating the FM9 is booting up.

Have tried the emergency boot utility on pg 105 of the manual. Nothing's happening, except the white screen. No other lights, scribble scripts, etc. Checked connections, only the white main screen is displayed. Help, please.

EDIT: Recently performed a Temple Audio Rebuild Project that included rewiring / relocating cables within the board. The FM9 has sat for several weeks now without being booted; this is the 1st time since the rebuild the FM9's been switched on. The board itself has been inverted and upended several times during the course of the rebuild.

Thinking something's been dislodged within the unit itself. FAS Customer Service has received my service request. Am still under FAS 3-yr. warranty, thankfully.
 
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stm113 said:
Is it still under warranty?
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Yup. Copped the 3-year a while back. Shipping to FAS is my responsibility, but repair and return fees are free while under warranty.

FAS has replied; will require sending the unit back in for repair. No word regards repair/return window yet.
 
Not as efficient as I'd like, but will make do. Packaged and addressed the FM9, to be sent out via USPS Priority Wednesday. Am looking at a Friday arrival time in NH. Expecting a slight backlog of repair work, but have not been informed of any yet. Have not tried to find alternate solutions myself. Will let FAS do the work and report what they've found out.
 
This might be a stupid question but have you tried plugging it in to another AC outlet? Improperly grounded outlets or voltage sags can cause numerous issues.
 
Infuseguitar said:
This might be a stupid question but have you tried plugging it in to another AC outlet? Improperly grounded outlets or voltage sags can cause numerous issues.
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No, it's not a stupid question. I did consider this, but ruled it out quickly.

The FM9 main screen lights up white, but nothing happens after that. The FM9 operates off of a Furman AC215A power conditioner/surge protector, so I sincerely doubt any external voltage issue is the culprit. The reason I say this is that the lights that sit atop my computer monitors work fine, and they are plugged into the same AC outlet that the AC215A is plugged into (separate from the AC215A).

When I was rebuilding my Temple Audio board, the FM9 was upended and inverted numerous times while I was threading cable and attaching modules and zip ties on my Duo 24 board. It's likely during that time a ribbon cable inside the FM9 loosened up. The FM9 is probably stuck in pre-boot mode because of the loose ribbon cable.

The loose ribbon issue is a common one for many of us who transport their FM9s and don't pay heed to how roughly we treat the gigbag in transit. That wasn't the problem in my case, it was the fact that the FM9 attached to the Duo 24 rebuild was tipped on its side, on its back, on its edge numerous times.

Apparently, being a bit cavalier with computer equipment does cause problems, especially when one forgets that some internal components aren't tightly secured inside (that is, the ribbon cable).

I'm just hoping that FAS doesn't chalk this up to "misuse or abuse," which would void the warranty. I just need to be truthful and tell them how I think the need for repair occurred.
 
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bleujazz3 said:
No, it's not a stupid question. I did consider this, but ruled it out quickly.

The FM9 main screen lights up white, but nothing happens after that. The FM9 operates off of a Furman AC215A power conditioner/surge protector, so I sincerely doubt any external voltage issue is the culprit. The reason I say this is that the lights that sit atop my computer monitors work fine, and they are plugged into the same AC outlet that the AC215A is plugged into (separate from the AC215A).

When I was rebuilding my Temple Audio board, the FM9 was upended and inverted numerous times while I was threading cable and attaching modules and zip ties on my Duo 24 board. It's likely during that time a ribbon cable inside the FM9 loosened up. The FM9 is probably stuck in pre-boot mode because of the loose ribbon cable.
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Hopefully and most likely it’s just the ribbon cable. Best of luck! I hope it gets sorted out quickly for you.
 
Infuseguitar said:
Hopefully and most likely it’s just the ribbon cable. Best of luck! I hope it gets sorted out quickly for you.
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Same here. I'd hazard to say that repositioning the Duo 24 board wasn't the best series of decisions I could have made, but in reality, it'll take a week or so to get this straightened out. Am just happy it's only a piece of gear, not something more valuable I couldn't do without...like my sight or hearing...
 
Fractal received my FM9 earlier today (Friday). They state that they've repaired my FM9 and are shipping it back to me. Am corresponding with FAS to determine what the problem with my FM9 was, so I can avoid making the same mistake that caused the problem. Will report findings once I hear back from FAS.
 
bleujazz3 said:
it was the fact that the FM9 attached to the Duo 24 rebuild was tipped on its side, on its back, on its edge numerous times.
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I do that all the time when working on the Duo 24+FM9 board. I’m careful how I set it down as I work because physical shock is what causes components to move or ribbons to disconnect.

I’m also careful when traveling with it to make sure the board is laying flat in its normal position before I start driving rather than allowing it to go wherever momentum dictates, like it would if it was on its side or end.

Carrying it in its bag or case doesn’t necessarily mean it’s protected either, because a poorly designed bag or case can transfer shock to the unit if the shock overcomes the damping ability of the padding because the wrong material, or not enough of it, is used. It’s all a balancing act based on how we intend to carry and transport and use the gear.

I used to package military and aerospace equipment in all shapes and sizes, from tiny items carried by hand, to refrigerator-sized on multiple pallets, to units that took me 15 minutes to load into a semi-trailer with a big forklift. It was fascinating learning it because it’s all about physics, and a lot of it was tied to how the item was oriented while being transported. I cringe when I see how some people cobble together a “road case” that they squeezed their modeler into, with not nearly enough padding to protect it.
 
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Greg Ferguson said:
I do that all the time when working on the Duo 24+FM9 board. I’m careful how I set it down as I work because physical shock is what causes components to move or ribbons to disconnect.

I’m also careful when traveling with it to make sure the board is laying flat in its normal position before I start driving rather than allowing it to go wherever momentum dictates, like it would if it was on its side or end.

Carrying it in its bag or case doesn’t necessarily mean it’s protected either, because a poorly designed bag or case can transfer shock to the unit if the shock overcomes the damping ability of the padding because the wrong material, or not enough of it, is used. It’s all a balancing act based on how we intend to carry and transport and use the gear.

I used to package military and aerospace equipment in all shapes and sizes, from tiny items carried by hand, to refrigerator-sized on multiple pallets, to units that took me 15 minutes to load into a semi-trailer with a big forklift. It was fascinating learning it because it’s all about physics, and a lot of it was tied to how the item was oriented while being transported. I cringe when I see how some people cobble together a “road case” that they squeezed their modeler into, with not nearly enough padding to protect it.
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You should write a book about this. Or at least a pamphlet. Or maybe a wiki page. The protection of gear during
transportation and handling is something that most people don’t have a handle on (pun intended). They think that the amount of protection is determined by how “thick” the padding is. There’s so much more to it than that.

Example: EPS foam (what most people call “styrofoam,” but it’s really not) provides wonderful impact protection, but only once. It protects by sacrificing itself — by breaking. Bicycle helmets and many guitar/gear cases are made of EPS. But after it’s done its job once, it provides very little protection afterward, because it’s broken.

Then there’s the low-density open-cell foam that’s used in some gig bags. Even a full “thick” inch of that stuff will provide very little protection.

/rant
 
Greg Ferguson said:
I do that all the time when working on the Duo 24+FM9 board. I’m careful how I set it down as I work because physical shock is what causes components to move or ribbons to disconnect.

I’m also careful when traveling with it to make sure the board is laying flat in its normal position before I start driving rather than allowing it to go wherever momentum dictates, like it would if it was on its side or end.

Carrying it in its bag or case doesn’t necessarily mean it’s protected either, because a poorly designed bag or case can transfer shock to the unit if the shock overcomes the damping ability of the padding because the wrong material, or not enough of it, is used. It’s all a balancing act based on how we intend to carry and transport and use the gear.

I used to package military and aerospace equipment in all shapes and sizes, from tiny items carried by hand, to refrigerator-sized on multiple pallets, to units that took me 15 minutes to load into a semi-trailer with a big forklift. It was fascinating learning it because it’s all about physics, and a lot of it was tied to how the item was oriented while being transported. I cringe when I see how some people cobble together a “road case” that they squeezed their modeler into, with not nearly enough padding to protect it.
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Well, FAS reports that the issue was not the ribbon cable, but the DSP, which they replaced. Am still corresponding with customer service to determine what might prevent future issues similar to this one.

UPS has indicated that my FM9 will deliver tomorrow (1 day turnaround time!).

I've got one of the Temple Audio Duo 24 gig bags, and will heed your advice about transporting the board, once it'll be finished early next week (StroboStomp Mini, included).

Question to you might be, how do you port the gig bag into your venue (over shoulder, on small handcart, etc)? I don't want my Rock 'n Roller cart to go to waste if turning the TA board on its back edge is possible.

Nice story about your packaging days. My GrandDad used to work for Royal typewriter as the shipping consultant/manager, and developed his own styrofoam/styrene cutting tool for packaging the company's product. It was a simple drill press table with a thin gauge wire running vertically between bit and table. He put an electric current through it that heated the uninsulated part of the wire so that it would melt the styrofoam/styrene without setting it on fire. The drill table was protected against electric shock because both ends of the wire were insulated. By turning and adjusting his cut angle, GrandDad could fashion just about any required packing material for his job.
 
FAS has not contacted me regards what might need occur now that they're replaced the DSP. Am estimating that a reinstall of v. 4.01, plus layouts, plus user presets is in order, in that order. Does this sound practical to you guys?

They also suggested observing and trying to avoid any electrical transients, humidity, and heat.
 
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bleujazz3 said:
FAS has not contacted me regards what might need occur now that they're replaced the DSP. Am estimating that a reinstall of v. 4.01, plus layouts, plus user presets is in order, in that order. Does this sound practical to you guys?

They also suggested observing and trying to avoid any electrical transients, humidity, and heat.
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If all they did was replace the DSP then I would be surprised if you have to do anything more than plug it in and boot it up.

Also, unless the DSP was somehow jiggled loose in its socket, it sounds like all the concern about rough handling does not even apply. It sounds like it was just a faulty component. Hey, chips fail!

Just speculation on my part however.

Great turn around and service from Fractal as usual.
 
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