The 10 most common problems with a NuTone IM /IMA3003 Music Intercom System
Thursday, September 13, 2012 at 9:21AM The IM/IMA3003 Music Intercom System was in production from 1984 through 1994. During this time there were many electronic updates to the fundamental design of the 3003.
The 3003 is a 3-wire, home-run wired system which has room-to-room intercom functions, entry door communication, built-in AM/FM radio and a digital clock.
The models manufactured in 1984-1985 use different amplifier/control and selector control boards than the later versions. With the increased popularity of built-in Chime Modules, a change was made to allow the homeowner to take better advantage of this new option.
To be able to hear the Chime Module throughout an early 3003, it was necessary to leave the power switch in the ON position. If if the power switch was in the OFF position you would not hear the chime tones. A change was made in 1986 which allowed the chime to be heard regardless of the power switch position. There was a Factory Modification to convert early models if needed.
The 3003 does have a true digital clock, however it has an analog (mechanical) tuner. The tuner is connected to the digital display for convenience, but it is not a digital tuner.
There are Room Control Switches behind the door which surround the clock. Behind this door are the Intercom Volume and Tone Controls along with buttons to set the clock.
The 3003 uses 25 ohm speakers throughout the system.
Inside remote speakers are Models:
IS/ISA305: Small inside stations with 5" speaker cones, Ivory, White, Faux Wood Grain
IS/ISA308: Large inside stations with 8" speaker cones, Ivory, White, Faux Wood Grain
Inside wall mounted Remote-Controls:
IC/ICA301: A small wall station with volume and intercom control, no built-in speaker
Inside Remotely mounted Ceiling Speakers:
IS76: A round Ceiling Speaker with a 8" speaker cone, used with IC/ICA301 remote control
IS75: A round ceiling speaker designed to look like a recessed light fixture with a 5" speaker cone.
Inside Volume Controls:
IC901: A wall mounted Volume Control used when creating a Music-Only location.
Cindy & Christopher
POWER SUPPLY PROBLEMS:
The #1 problem with 3003 systems has to do with failed power supply components on the Power Supply/Amplifier/Intercom Control circuit board.
When the 3003 was new, if you listened carefully to any speaker, you would hear a light background hiss. This is white noise. White noise is the background noise an amplifier makes when it is turned on.
As the 3003 ages, the hiss becomes a hum, and as time passes the hum becomes louder and then turns into a buzz. These changes in the sound are due to the gradual failure of the components in the Power Supply.
As the 3003 reaches the complete failure state, you will notice that the radio, door chime and intercom functions will not work, although the clock will still show the time. If you turn the radio power on and switch the input selector to FM, you will notice that the numbers on the display will continuously change, as if the display were counting.
If left in this condition, the 3003 can have a dramatic failure which will cause greater damage to the amplifier.
THE SOLUTION:
Rebuilding the Power Supply in a 3003 is a fairly simple task for a NuTone Service Center. It consists of replacing 10 capacitors and 4 diodes.
More repair will be required for sets that have been left powered up after they have failed.
THE OUTCOME:
After rebuilding the power supply, the 3003 will be restored to its original condition, with only a slight hiss of white noise at each station. This type of repair will extend the life of the of the 3003 for another 10-15 years.
Inside the red box are the power supply capacitors. All of the blue arrows point to the newly installed parts. There are 3 additional capacitors located on the other side of the heat sink.
Here are all of the old capacitors.
Cindy & Christopher
CHIME MODULE PROBLEMS:
The 2nd most common problem with a 3003 has to do with installations that include a chime module.
Chime modules are Models are:
IA28 which is a 1-2-8 note chime module.
IA29 which is a musical chime module.
When a chime module is installed in a 3003, the interconnect cable is plugged into the Switch Control Board. This 4-pin connector supplies power to the chime module and makes the audio output connection from the chime module to the 3003.
Chime modules have a high gain output (high signal level) and that signal is fed into the switch board through a pair of transistors. Some times when a chime module fails, it will feed DC voltage into the switch board input and cause the transistors to fail.
Chime module failures are not uncommon field service requests. Even thought the chime module has failed the service person will find that a new module will not solve the problem. The switch board failure must also be corrected.
Reader Comments (113)
Hi Mario,
It's difficult to say, it could be a loose wire or connection or possible a bad solder joint and by moving the Master Station around the connection works for a while.
Are there any other problems with either the Radio or Intercom? Does the system have any amount of hum when the volume controls are turned up to full?
Please let me know
Thanks
Chris
Hi , i have a Nutone 3003 in my new 1990 house. The intercome work fine in all room and outside. But when i want to listen radio in the other room i must press the '' END CALL BUTTON'' to heard it. When i release the button the music stop. All of my switch set to '' RADIO INTERCOM''.
Thank you
Andy
Hi Andy,
Based on your description, you have a failure in the IM3003 Master Station that is preventing the Radio from player throughout the System. There could be many causes for this, the unusual part of your description is that the Intercom Communication works correctly.
Please fill out an "Intercom Repair Request Form" (find the link in the right-hand column - under Intercom Repair Request Form) and once I receive it, I'll contact you about the problem and the repair of your IM3003
Thanks
Chris
My volume is very low. You have to listen very closely to hear. Replaced 10 capacitors but with no help. What would be next to solve the problem? Thanks
Hi Wayne,
The next step is to fill out an "Intercom Repair Request Form". Unless you have experience troubleshooting electronics, nothing I could suggest would be of any help to you.
I don't believe in "shotgunning" parts in the hope you will hit upon the problem, and poking around can cause additional problems.
The link to the Repair Request Form is in the Index Column on the left side of every page
Once I receive the Repair Form, I'll contact you by phone to discuss the problems and repair
Thanks
Chris
I have a 3003 música intercom and i want to buy a New one. Wich can i put instead. I want a other nutone because i think they Will fit where i have the intercom. Thank you Please answer
Hi Eva,
There isn't any new model that will simply install into the existing wall housing and connect up to your original remote speakers.
If you were to update to the new NM100 (correct replacement model for your IM3003) you will have to replace the master station wall housing, all of the remote stations, you will need
update adapter frames due to the size difference between your original system and the new system. You may also need to hire someone to do the installation, if your not able to do the work yourself.
Basically, the only part of your original IM3003 system that you get to reuse is the wiring that run throughout your home.
So, the questions I'll ask is. What is wrong with your IM3003 and if it were repairable (which it is) would you be considering replacing it?
Please let me know
Thanks
Chris
925-743-8236
My IM 3003 rings the door Chime continuously. I have shut the volume to manage for now.
This may have happened during a rain storm. Perhaps lightning, but did not see any.
My gate, 500 feet from the house, has a door chime button and an intercome voice. I have disconnected that unit at the gate, but problem persists.
Your site mentions a "power" button which I cannot find.
The door chime is listed as an accessory, so should be dis-connectable, but cannot find how to do.
The service manual for the IM 3003 on your site is not accessible, but other IM 3003 material is. ???
For now, I would like to disconnect the chime (and stop the "clicl" preceeding the chime).. Hopefully the intercome would remain usable (works now with chime chiming in.)
Also my radio has stopped working.
Any thoughts???
Dan
Hi Dan,
Your chime module may have failed due to the storm.
It is very important for you to either disconnect the chime module from the IM3003 or power down the entire system. Having the Chime Module ring over and over endlessly will damage the amplifier in the IM300
I am send you a direct email with the necessary information
Thanks
Chris
I need to replace the door chime speaker unit. Where are they available?
Hi Gene,
We have replacement Entry Door Stations
You can call our office to order one
Thanks
Chris
925-743-8236
Hi, I'm thinking of re-purposing the wiring to the front door speaker for supplying 16V AC power to a Skybell unit that uses about 3 Watts. Is the typical wiring used for Speakers good enough to carry the 16V AC (I'm thinking of just using the output from the existing transformer in my 3003)? Thanks.
Hi Rak,
Typically door speaker wiring is between 18 - 22 gauge wiring, which is heavy enough to handle 16 volts @ 3 watts. I'm guessing that you are planning on using the wiring that runs form the Chime Module to the push button on the Door Speaker.
If you decide to make this type of modification, having AC power run parallel to and along with the Door Speaker wiring will likely cause there to be AC hum over the Intercom when when you communicate with the NuTone Door Station.
The 105T transformer used with your IM3003 will probably handle the Intercom and Skybell properly, you can always check the transformers voltage output with both products on and make sure the voltage doesn't drop to low
Chris
I have a NuTone IM3003 but the TALK feature doesn't work. I can listen to music, clock works fine, door chime, etc. but pressing PATIO/INSIDE TALK or DOOR TALK only makes a clicking noise and no other sound is audible. I've tried all stations with the same result, so I doubt it's dirty connectors. Since everything else seems to work fine, I also doubt it's the power supply. Any suggestions as to what the issue might be?
Hi Kape,
Without testing your IM3003 I won't be able to tel you exactly what the problem is. It is likely that your IM3003 has either a failure in the Intercom Controls Circuit, a failure in the part of the power supply that power this circuit or both.
If you live in an area that has lightening storms, it's possible that your IM3003 has lightening damage.
The good news is that regardless of what the exact problem is, with an IM3003, it will always be repairable
If you're interested in having your IM3003 repaired, please fill out an Intercom Repair Request Form (a link can be found in the index column on ever page) and once I recive the Repair Form, I'll contact you by phone to discuss the problems with your IM3003 and its repair
Thanks
Chris
925-743-8236
We have an old system Music Intercom 3003 NuTone system that is about 27 years old and we never use it but it has started buzzing and is driving us crazy - how can we
totally disconnect it from the power source? Thanks.
Hi Herman, You can open up the IM3003 Master Station and disconnect it from the transformer. If your systems has the built-in door chime, it will no longer ring once the power has been disconnected. You can also contact us about having your IM3003 repaired. It's not as expensive as replacing it and the repair process is fairly simple.
If you're interested in having it repaired, please fill out an Intercom Repair Request Form and once I receive it, i'll contact you about the problems with your IM3003 and its repair.
If you need help with opening up your IM3003 to disconnect it, you can watch our YouTube Video that show how to do this.
Chris
Thanks Cindy & Christopher for having this web site. I had the dreaded LOW VOLUME problem and replaced the 10 capacitors per your web site and now all is well. Also thanks for sending me the schematic
so I could verify the capacitor values.
Wayne
Hi -- So, we have the im-3003 unit. It is indeed 30 years old, but has seen very limited use the last 10 -15 years - mostly because of sound issues. We recently remodeled and decided to keep the intercom system, but moved the master station from one wall to another. We moved it, knowing that the raido wasn't working and we rarely bothered to turn it on as there are only two of us in the house anymore. But, after reading your articles about rebuilding the power supply to "Fix all problems" I decided to do so. The rebuild of the power supply went very smoothly, and now do indeed have verly loud volume on the room speakers and the door speaker, but the radio volume is basically non-existent. I'm syuck on what I should be looking for next. Can you give me some direction / guidance?
Many Thanks!
Jim
Hi Jim,
You should call me when you have a chance to discuss exactly what you did so far and what may need to be done next.
Thanks
Chris
925-743-8236
Hello. I'm performing my own capacitor service on the power supply section of the control and amplifier board. Unfortunately the repair manual indicates C121 is supposed to be a 10uf 10V capacitor. Upon removal of the old one it's a 47uf 16V. It appears to be original, so I'm not sure which would be correct. I am not the original owner of the house, but I presume it functioned normally over the years so I'm compelled to replace with like rather than follow the manual. Any guidance?
Hi Arin, You should replace the capacitor with the same value as the original component. There were many updates to the IM3003 that are not reflected in the original schematic that was published in 1984 - Chris
Thanks Chris. I've completed the repair and it's working like a champ. I appreciate your time in responding.
Hi chis,
I have a IM3003, and due to failure in the power supply, there is a hum throughout the speakers and the door chime intercom no longer works. The indoor intercoms still work,however. My main concern is that we have left this speaker running despite these gradual failures for many years. I was wondering who I could go to to tell if there is any hope for our intercom so that it will not continue to have gradual failure, and if there is anyone who could be contacted to fix the door speakers intercom
Hi Kate, Your IM3003 is certainly repairable, and that's the work we do everyday.
You should call me to discuss the problems with your IM3003 and its repair
Thanks
Chris
925-743-8236