Saffire pro 40 repair

bennie08

Member
My interface decided to stop connecting to firewire yesterday. It's not a problem with my mac or pc it's the unit itself. It powers up just won't connect, I was wondering if anyone would know what component failure would cause this? I bought it used so no warranties and I really don't want to pay what they charge to repair it. Looking if there is a DIY way. I know it's a long shot but if anyone has any knowledge about this I'd be very grateful. Thanks
 
Hmm, this kind of thing is usually factory repair for big $$ or bin.
If the firewire chip blows you're in trouble but usually, (always?), it's a multipin chip on the main board. Think of 64 pins on something the size of a postage stamp.
No one's removing or replacing that with an iron.
If I recall correctly, it's reasonably common because it's possible to force a firewire 400 (6pin) connector in the wrong way round.

If the socket is physically broken that may be a different story. Is that the case?

If you're competent it's always worth opening it for visual inspection but I'm not sure I'd get my hopes up.
 
Wow thanks for the information, that's what I was afraid of. I did open it up and visually it looks fine. I would use 800 to 800 fw cable for my pc and my mac was 800 to 400 fw cable. It's probably not worth sending off for repair then as it will cost more than o so t to throw in. What should I do with it?
 
Hey no probs.
Heh, didn't mean to sound so defeatist. I mean, contact focusrite to enquire.
I know tascam wanted silly money for a similar repair (usb as it happens) but maybe focusrite are more reasonable?

If the FW chip is on a separate board it may be cheaper. Unlikely but don't let me stop you. ;)

Having said that, I quick google suggests focusrite have themselves well covered.
"FireWire chip failures can happen for a number of reasons. All of Focusrite’s FireWire units adhere to the IEEE 1394 standard however it may be the case that the FireWire port on your computer motherboard or FireWire card does not. This can lead to damage from hot-plugging.

Other FireWire chip failure causes include putting the connector in the wrong way round, putting it in at an angle or using a low quality or damaged FireWire cable. These can all apply even if your FireWire adapter and device adhere to the IEEE 1394 standard."


If you've ruled out all the simple things (drivers, power supplies, firewire cables etc) and are certain that it's hardware failure, I'd put it in the bin or on eBay for spares/repairs clearly stating the fault.
At least that way you might get some money from someone who wants other parts.
 
Lol I didn't take it that way at all. I felt defeated yesterday when I just knew it was toast. I talked to support yesterday and he gave me a few numbers. Now that I have it narrowed down to what the problem most likely is I can get a better idea of overall cost. Again I thank you kindly and I hope you have a good day!
 
Hello bennie08, I'd be grateful to know if it was possible to repair the Saffire Pro 40, and if yes, how much did it cost approximately? I think I have a similar problem with my unit. I connected the firewire cable upside down and it was bye bye then, sigh...
 
I have a digidesign 003 with a Black Lion Audio Signature Series mod and it stopped working due to firewire chip blowing on me, which also messed up the master clock in it...the repair through Black Lion cost me $275 total....the firewire was $165....
 
If a repair is uneconomic and twere mine I would mod it and use the preamps. Should be relatively easy to route them out to those rear jacks?

Fit chip as a mixer and then you have a mic/line rack mixer with high Z inputs (DI box). Handy if you have a load of gear you want to leave plugged up.

Of course I don't know how much of the analogue electronics is under digital control but these things can usually be kludged!

Dave.
 
Thanks RD423 and ecc83. This gives me an idea how much the costs would be. I brought the unit to a repair shop here in Helsinki. Let's see what their judgement will be... If replacing the firewire chip turns out to be too expensive, i'll think about modding it for using the preamps, or selling with a low price to someone who knows better.
 
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