12V Trigger Disabling Amplifier (1 Viewer)

[John Dirk]

I just returned from a trip and noticed some strange behavior with my Outlaw 7140 Amplifier. The amp is connected to my Marantz AV7702 MKII Pre/Pro and uses a 12V trigger for power on. This setup has worked flawlessly for years. Yesterday evening when I powered on the Marantz, the Outlaw did not power on automatically as it should have. As a troubleshooting step I disconnected the 12V trigger cable from the amp and it magically powered on. Reconnecting the cable caused it to immediately power off again. I've already tried swapping in a new cable but the behavior is identical. It does not appear to be the trigger circuit on the Marantz as I swapped it with another trigger that controls my D-Sonic amp and the behavior remained unchanged. I'm thinking the issue must somehow be with the 7140 but thought I'd ask around first. Has anyone experienced this sort of thing?

Thanks!

 

[JohnRice]

I guess one more bit of troubleshooting you can do is to connect something else, like the D-Sonic, the exact same way the Outlaw is connected and see if that combination functions properly. If it works properly, that seems to narrow it down to the Outlaw. Unfortunate. That amp has become a nuisance.

 

[JohnRice]

...and, have you tried just disconnecting the Outlaw from the power line for a few minutes?

 

[John Dirk]

I guess one more bit of troubleshooting you can do is to connect something else, like the D-Sonic, the exact same way the Outlaw is connected and see if that combination functions properly. If it works properly, that seems to narrow it down to the Outlaw. Unfortunate. That amp has become a nuisance.

I swapped them and the D-Sonic functioned perfectly fine on the suspect trigger circuit. I was trying not to go there but yes it has.

...and, have you tried just disconnecting the Outlaw from the power line for a few minutes?

Good idea. I'll try that tomorrow.

 

[JohnRice]

I was trying not to go there but yes it has.

As always, glad to be of service.

I'll be here all week.

 

[John Dirk]

I may have spoken too soon. Now the D-Sonic also fails on the suspect circuit. Anyone know of a way to take a voltage measurement on a 12V trigger circuit without disassembling the piece of equipment?

 

[JohnRice]

I would think just a multimeter connected to the two contacts on the amp end of the cable.

 

[xx Brian xx]

You have two triggers on that receiver. I would switch to trigger 2 and then go in to Settings -> General -> Trigger 2 and select when the trigger turns on. I would also go to Trigger 1 to check if maybe the "on" trigger changed for some reason.

 

[John Dirk]

You have two triggers on that receiver. I would switch to trigger 2 and then go in to Settings -> General -> Trigger 2 and select when the trigger turns on. I would also go to Trigger 1 to check if maybe the "on" trigger changed for some reason.

Right. One is being used for another amp and works fine. When I switch the cable from the working amp to the non-working one, the failure also transfers. I checked settings and both were configured identically. For good measure I enabled the triggers for all sources but, as expected, this made no difference. I think my next step may be a factory reset of the Marantz, which I was hoping to avoid. If I could verify the output voltage, that would help. Going to try John's suggestion tomorrow.

 

[John Dirk]

Update:

It turns out the problem is with the Marantz, not the Outlaw as I had previously feared. All of a sudden neither of it's 12V triggers are working. It just took one a little longer to fail.

I checked the voltage on each of the cables as follows.

• Powered off = 0 Volts
• Initial power on = 11.87 Volts
• Approximately 2 seconds later = 2.03 Volts

Settings are correct as far as I can tell but switching every input source to "on" makes no difference either.

 

[John Dirk]

Calling on other Denon/Marantz owners who use 12V triggers. @DaveF , I think you actually own the same AV7702MKii as me if memory serves.

1. Any issues with trigger functionality?
2. What do your settings look like compared to what I've posted above?

Thanks!

 

[JohnRice]

I have the AV7703. No problems.

 

[DaveF]

My Marantz amps are triggered by the 7702mkII pre-amp, no problem six years on.

I’ll have to dig into the settings next time I’m in the theater (without my wife ).

 

[xx Brian xx]

Marantz SR8015
The only setting I have on is "HDMI Monitor 2" to trigger a screen.
Trigger voltage goes from 0 to 12.05 and holds there when Monitor 2 is on.

 

[John Dirk]

Thanks guys. This is perhaps the strangest failure I've seen in awhile but a little research confirmed it's not at all unique. Others have reported the triggers functioning in reverse [supplying the 12V only to inputs not marked "ON"] and even failing to function if Zones 2 or 3 were inadvertently powered on. I haven't yet found a case where the owners weren't eventually able to get them working again but I've tried everything I know and nothing helps.

I may just accept it and order one of these. I can use a smart outlet to supply power on a schedule which will in turn control my amps.

ET-3 Trigger Expansion Module

The ET-3 is a handy little device that improves the flexibility of the basic trigger functionality on your preamp or processor. Shop preamp accessories today!

emotiva.com

 

[JohnRice]

I was going to suggest trying one of those. Maybe it'll even work on a low voltage input signal, then produce a good 12v output.

 

[xx Brian xx]

I only use trigger 1, trigger 2 has everything off.
If I set output to Monitor 1 or Auto, voltage is 0. It's only when I change output to Monitor 2 that the voltage goes to 12.

 

[xx Brian xx]

Do you have a smart remote in the theater room? You could program a Wattbox or something similar with the remote to come on when you turn on the room and trigger the ET3 on.

 

[John Dirk]

Do you have a smart remote in the theater room? You could program a Wattbox or something similar with the remote to come on when you turn on the room and trigger the ET3 on.

No but my HT time is pretty consistent so I could just add another smart plug to my home automation system and schedule them on and off.

 

[JohnRice]

This is when you wish equipment still had a switched outlet. You could simply plug the power supply for the Emotiva ET-3 into it and be done. I have seen "sensing" power strips which can add that, but I don't recall where. You would plug the preamp into the sensing outlet, then it has a switched one to plug the power supply into.

My hope is the ET-3 will work with a low voltage input to generate a solid 12v trigger output.