Emu ESI 4000 won't boot up after being in storage

[JasonSoditch]

I recently took my pristine Emu ESI 4000 sampler out of storage. It was stored for at least ten years in a box and was never moved. After turning it on, most of the red lights on the left side are lit, the display shows only two rows of block shapes, and the device is unresponsive. After turning it off and back on, a red light may have turned off but another random one will have turned on. Any ideas regarding what might be going on with this thing, if it's fixable or even worth fixing? FYI I don't know anything about circuitry, power supplies, etc. Any help is greatly appreciated!

[madtheory]

FYI I don't know anything about circuitry, power supplies, etc. Any help is greatly appreciated!

In that case, take it to a technician. It boots from ROM so there's definitely an internal hardware issue.

[ninja6485]

Make sure you get an estimate first: the repairs might end up costing more, and taking longer than just getting a new one. Also check ebay's completed listings to get a good idea of the estimated value at the moment so you can weigh the cost of repair against what they typically go for. Ebay can sometimes be on the expensive side too.

[JasonSoditch]

Thanks for the helpful advice!

[madtheory]

Hmm, good point ninja6485. I guess it depends on how much it's worth to you Jason. Maybe you have some great sounds on floppy that you need to retrieve? Who knows. Nice filters on the ESI.

First thing the tech will do is to test the PSU. Could have some leaky caps. The problem you describe is symptomatic of PSU fault. Clean and reseat ROMs, RAM and and Turbo board if it's there. That work is definitely the same cost as a fully upgraded replacement from eBay including a bunch of discs and scsi storage.

[ninja6485]

It's weird hearing you pronounce my whole name! I usually only get the full Ninja6485 from momma 6485 when I'm in trouble!

[madtheory]

Lolololololol!