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I have an 828MKII with a Black Lion mod that I have been very happy with. For a while now it has been making those staticky, crackling noises, and although everyone will probably say 'get a new interface', I would like to at least give it a shot at repair before I give up altogether.

Te problem is that there is no serial number on the bottom! I got it at Guitar Center years ago (yes, I know it's old) and didn't register it with MOTU because I couldn't find a serial number on it. I got the Black Lion mod and love the way it sounds.

I am running it on a MBP 2.9 i7 8GB RAM.

I would be happy to pay full price to repair it. I'm not asking for warranty support - just straight-up repair work. Without a serial number, however, I cannot even talk to MOTU.

I have installed all the latest software updates, have attempted to reset the 828, flipped the power voltage switch back and forth. I don't want to give up on it without at least trying to get it repaired.

I live in LA and would love someplace local but would send it wherever necessary. Does anyone know of someplace to send it for repair - or have any other suggestions I could try? Thanks in advance.

I have no idea if they offer it, but BL ought to have the expertise to do the repair. Seems to me service on broken units would be a good selling point for their mods, especially if MOTU won't do them. And they wouldn't have to do it for free.

Thanks, Nick!

I thought about that a while back, but just didn't think they'd do it - I figured they are in the mod business, not the repair shop business.

But - I took your advice and gave them a shout, and they emailed me right back, saying that they would be happy to repair it for me - even if the issue is not the mod!

Sometimes you ask a stupid question and get a really smart answer. Thanks, dude!

Glad to hear that it worked out. But it makes sense. I don't think anyone is going to send BL a unit that's still under warranty-- I wouldn't. But if an expensive mod on an older unit only lasts a short time because something unrelated to the mod goes bad, the client isn't going to be a happy camper, no matter the cause. If I were BL, and had the staff and expertise to repair the unit, it just seems like a good business move to keep the customer happy, even if you only break even on the repair.

MOTU does not support the Black Lion modifications. Hopefully, BLA can repair your unit.

Neither does MOTU repair the 828 out of warranty. They do offer a rebuilt exchange service under $100 + shipping. You will not get back the one you send in. I don't know if this is available to you since yours is a BLA modded unit with no serial number but it is available to the rest of us.

There have been many complaints regarding the BLA version of the 828mkII. The normal one is that it makes nasty digital noises in the 44.1kHz position but works fine when the switch is in the 48kHz spot - this switch does not exist in an un-modded unit.

The 828mkII was introduced in 2004 discontinued in 2007. The earlier units are suffering from bad voltage converters and the refurb exchange program seems to work for those who have taken advantage of it. Oh, there are those whining that a 6 - 9 year old piece of hardware should still be under warranty but they aren't.

I bought mine on close-out in early 2008 so it is likely that I have one of the last new units - it is still working perfectly as are most all of the later batch to my knowledge. If/when mine hits the skids, I'll rethink my interface needs but would likely still get an exchange unit.

mikehalloran wrote:Neither does MOTU repair the 828 out of warranty. They do offer a rebuilt exchange service under $100 + shipping. You will not get back the one you send in. I don't know if this is available to you since yours is a BLA modded unit with no serial number but it is available to the rest of us.

I did this. I had a BLA modified 828mkII and it died awhile back. It was an early unit purchased from GuitarCenter and the serial number was missing (they need better glue for those stickers). MOTU still allowed me to exchange it for about $100 which, given the price of a new unit, was a no-brainer for me. I have not bothered to mod it but I'm quite happy with it as is.

Hi, i this still interested?
I offer Repair of all Motu Problems like Firewire Crackle or anything else on my Site AudioTechniker.de. Any other parts for RME, Tc Electronic are there. Parts and Repair.Sorry for my English. I´am from Germany.
Greetings Stefan