No way to purchase parts for repair, or have my unit repaired???

maninblack_30,

The number of users equipped to deal with surface mount component repair is relatively small. From a business plan viewpoint, it is difficult to justify developing and maintaining staff and inventory to support this small number of customers. If this function truly supports itself, the cost of replacement parts must be jacked up to the point where this generates complaints and ill will. That $0.02 LED suddenly becomes very expensive if a staff person must spend an hour or two holding someone's hand. And the shipping and handling will dwarf the manufacturing costs.

I've had conversations with consumer electronics factory service personnel and there were amusing anecdotes about units that came in for service. In some cases the unit had been modified by know-it-all types who felt that they had better qualifications than the design engineer. It is not practical to repair such a unit because one must pick through it piece by piece and trace by trace in order to remove the modifications. Plus, one must then worry that a component that appears to be correct, but has been damaged internally by a series of trials by the consumer. Depending on the complexity of the unit, this picking through process can eat days of time. Unless the unit has some high nostalgic value, no one can justify spending the effort to deal with this type of unit.

As a hobby, the consumer might not mind spending a few hours, days, or weeks with a unit, but it is not likely that the consumer would be willing to pay a professional a fair wage to spend that time. I think that manufacturers are justified in turning away units that might have been the victim of unauthorized service.

Buzz,
Thanks for your comments.
I agree completely with everything you say.

My disappointment is based on the fact that because a previous owner opened an out of warrantee device, the current owner (me) cannot get a known fault repaired.

Sonos won't provide a solution at any cost

My unit is not modified in any way, is functioning perfectly except for the status LED.
The LED is part of a small printed circuit board that would take me 7 mins to replace, and I don't expect Sonos to be responsible if replacing the board is unsuccessful.

I'm wondering if maybe the "known Fault" is on the mainboard of the unit, and replacing the small sub-board would only be a temporary fix.

Fraser

maninblack_30,

I have a couple of "dim" ZP100's. I think that the issue was a combination of poorly a spec'd LED and a run of bad LED's. I haven't disassembled a ZP100 to examine the LED detail, but I agree that the current limiting resistor is likely on the main board. (It's possible that this LED is not surface mounted) But, this is a minor detail because you could add a new resistor if required.

maninblack_30,

I have a couple of "dim" ZP100's. I think that the issue was a combination of poorly a spec'd LED and a run of bad LED's. I haven't disassembled a ZP100 to examine the LED detail, but I agree that the current limiting resistor is likely on the main board. (It's possible that this LED is not surface mounted) But, this is a minor detail because you could add a new resistor if required.

Buzz, the LED's are surface mount, and I'm pretty sure the resistors are on the mainboard.
I only had a cursory look.
I guess eventually I'll just meter the voltage across it and get a replacement LED and suitable resistor and "have a crack at it"

I was hoping for a quicker, simpler result (that Sonos would come to the party)
I've never experienced a situation where if you voided your warrantee after it expired, you had no repair options!


Fraser

maninblack_30,

SONOS is firm and out front with their policy, others will quietly do the same by first inspecting the unit and, after discovering the layman attempt at repair, quietly give an estimate high enough to (hopefully) discourage the repair option. In this context "layman" means anyone not inside the manufacturer's own design/repair team -- it's not a comment about the technical prowess of the outside of the factory loop person.

After you deal with the dim LED issue, please post back and give the details of your resolution. This will save others some time.

Note to everyone as you work on these units, be aware of the antennas in the feet and the use of heatsink compound. Also, don't connect a common ground to the black speaker terminals. These units were not designed to be disassembled by individuals outside of the factory loop, but if you dig around a bit, you can discover pictures and discussions.