Loud vibrating/buzzing coming from the PS-100 chassis

Hello, I just received the power station PS-100 from reverb that was bought new by seller two years ago. When set on the warm or deep setting the unit makes a loud buzzing/vibrating noise coming straight from the unit itself (not the speakers) even when the power station’s volume is at zero. On the flat setting, its fine. I have 16ohm out of guitar head into 16ohm setting AMP IN on PS-100. SPKR OUT set to 16ohm to a 16ohm speaker cabinet. I opened the chassis to see if the tubes were seated properly (they were) and I found the culprit… the smaller of the three transformers was vibrating like crazy. I checked that the nuts were tight on the transformer, but it is still buzzing/vibrating. I believe the seller when he says it didn’t do this prior to me receiving it (maybe from shipping?) I really like the unit and would rather keep it than send it back. What can I do at this point? Is it still under warranty? Can I get a new transformer and install it myself? Solution/suggestions? I can send a video if you need one.
Thanks,
Charles

Charles,

If the nuts are tight but the mounting tabs are bent, it could vibrate against the chassis. If the unit got dropped on its top, that might have been enough to pull the part away from the chassis enough to make it vibrate.

I would remove the nuts and make sure the mounting tabs are straight. If not, you can straighten them with pliers. The nuts are metric, just so you are aware of that. When you have it out, you can check to see if the coil assembly is loose on the frame. We’ve never seen that happen, but it would be good to make sure.

When reinstalling it, put a thin layer of foam tape under the part before reinstalling it. We can send a replacement if that one can’t be stabilized.

Dave

Hi David,
Thanks for the quick response.
I did what you recommended, except I didn’t have any foam tape laying around unfortunately. What I found was the tabs were a tiny bit bent. I straightened them out and tried to tighten the entire transformer case by pinching down all the metal tabs on it. At closer inspection I noticed a couple things… the top part of the transformer had a little wiggle to it when I screwed it back down to the chassis, as if the body was a little loose from the feet. Also, I noticed that the yellow coating around the winding was snug on one side, but separated and wonky looking on the other. Not sure if that would affect anything, but it looks a little suspect.
Thanks,
Charles

How is the noise now?

Dave

The noise is the same as before. Sorry I didn’t clarify that in the previous email.
-Charles

Please send your full name, email address and phone number to support@fryette.com.

We’ll send you a replacement. It’s just two leads to solder and two mounting screws. Is that OK for you?

Thanks,

Dave

That works for me👍🏽 Thanks!
I left all my info in the initial email… should I send it again?
-Charles

No, I found it. Thanks.

We’ll get the part out by Monday.

Dave

Awesome! Thank you!
-Charles

I installed the new transformer and that did the trick! Thanks again for the help and excellent customer service!
-Charles

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Great. Thanks for the heads up!

Dave