The 10 most common problems with a NuTone IM / IMA4406 Music Intercom System

NuTone introduced the IM4406 in 1996 and it replaced the very popular IMA4006. By 1996 everyone was ready for a new top-of-the-line model and NuTone hit a home run with the IM4406.

The IM4406 included a powerful 20 watt amplifier along with AM & FM radio, and for the first time, a single disc CD player was built into the master station. The IM4406 featured “hands-free-reply” intercom operation and remote music control from every station. Probably the only complaint I heard about the IM4406 was the additional cost over the IMA4006.

One concern was the size of the IM4406 because it was 1-1/2” taller than the IMA4006. NuTone learned back in the 1970's that homeowners don't like large master stations, but the additional size was necessary to accommodate the CD player.

There are 3 different variations of the 4406, however the models are labeled as if there were only 2 variations. The original IM4406 was produced from 1996 through about 2002, then the IMA4406 was put into production.

There are actually 2 variations of the IMA4406 and it seems that sometime around 2005 the electronics were updated without the benefit of model number change. This “3rd” model may have corresponded with the change of which factory manufactured the masters.

First I will focus on the original IM4406:

The IM4406 was and has been, a fairly trouble-free model since its introduction. There were the typical new model issues which were mainly CD related problems. Many of these “problems” were associated with the CD player getting contaminated with dirt and sheet rock dust during the construction of a new home. There was also some confusion with the types of CD's that the IM4406 could play.

The IM4406 could play all commercially purchased CD's without any problems, but if you remember back in those days people were just starting to “burn” CD's on their computers and the IM4406 had problems reading these homemade CD's. There was also a rumor that the IM4406 could play MP3 files that were burned on homemade CD's, which was not true.

Unfortunately, the CD player assembly for the original IM4406 is no longer available and there doesn't seem to be any reasonable repair option for the original player. The original CD player assembly was manufactured for NuTone by a vendor which made CD player assemblies for many different companies. As with all modern manufacturing, once the demand for the assemblies is gone, the vendor stops production of the units.

There are basically 2 problems that occur with the CD player:

1. The motor that moves the lens (which reads the CD) will fail and the lens just stays in one spot. While this is a small part, it is not possible to purchase replacements from the original vendor.

2. All CD players will eventually develop a problem with the laser that reads the information off the CD. The laser beam will become weaker and weaker over time and finally it will become so weak that the reflection off the CD is not strong enough to be read. Again, without an exact replacement from the original vendor, repairing this problem is not possible.

(The original IM4406 CD Player Assembly)

Since the use of CD's has diminished a lot since 1996, the best and most popular solution with our customers is to abandon the CD all together and add a miniature input jack to the side or bottom of the IM4406. This jack can be used for any MP3 player (iPod or iPad) or an external CD player. This jack can also be used to connect a satellite radio receiver (XM or Sirius).

Power Supply Failures: 

A new problem that seems to be developing with the original IM4406 is the failure of the power supply circuit on the Power / Amplifier circuit board. This should not be confused with the 2 low-voltage transformers (model 801T's) that are mounted in the IR105 Wall Housing. (Caution: The 801T transformers have built-in internal fuses, if the output of the transformers is shorted, it will blow the fuse and the transformer will go dead. The fuse is not replaceable and a new transformer will need to be purchased!!!)

The first sign of trouble with a failing power supply on most NuTone Intercom Systems is an increase in the background noise of the system. All NuTone Intercom systems had a certain amount of background noise which could be heard if you listened very carefully with your ear up against the speaker. This light “hissing” sound is called “white noise” and it's the sound an amplifier makes when it's turned on.

This background noise was eliminated with the introduction of a new intercom platform in 1994. All of the NuTone models produced from 1994 through 2008 were designed with a “stand-by” mode. When the intercom system was not in use (not listening to music or using the intercom) the amplifier will switch off and the system became silent, no more background noise.

Since the IM4406 has a “stand-by” mode, when the power supply begins to fail, a homeowner will not hear the increase of the background noise of the system. It's not that the increase isn't there, it's just that since the system is in “stand-by” you can't hear it.

The first symptom a homeowner may notice is a random “static” or “crackling” noise from the speakers even when the system is in stand-by. There may also be a loss of volume with the music and door chime. Most of the calls we receive are when the IM4406 is at the point of failure and nothing is really working except the clock.

 (Pink arrows point to voltage regulators)

The power supply in the IM4406 is a modern design and it uses components to create many different electrical voltages, which are used to power different parts of the IM4406 master station.

(Aluminum Heat Sink for the Power Module)

 

Most of these power regulators are mounted to the massive aluminum heat sink on the back of the power module. However there is one regulator that is not mounted this way; it is just mounted flat against the circuit board.

(voltage regulator removed, dark area on circuit board caused by excessive heat) 

Over time, and while the values of other supporting components drift, this regulator will start to run hot. Over time it will continue to get hotter and hotter, and since the regulator is not mounted on the heat sink, the excessive heat it generates has no place to go and the regulator fails.

I have seen units where the regulator could be pulled off the circuit board with your fingers because the solder connections had failed due to the long term exposure of the heat. When this regulator fails, the IM4406 stops working.

Luckily, repairing this problem is very straight forward, but for a long lasting repair more than just a new regulator will be needed. All of the supporting components in the power supply circuit should be changed and the primary capacitors should be checked and replaced as needed.

There is also a modification that should be done to improve how the regulator is mounted in the power module. This modification is based on a change that was made in the final version of the IMA4406.

 

An aluminum bracket needs to be fabricated and the regulator needs to be mounted to one end of the bracket. The other end of the bracket is fastened to the metal covering of the large aluminum heat sink. This gives the heat that the regulator generates a path to the large heat sink. This modification keeps the regulator operating temperature well within the normal range for this component.

 

These types of voltage regulators are available with different power output ratings, for different applications. We use a replacement regulator which has a higher rating than the original component and it also has a different case style, which works better to transfer the heat away from the component.

The original regulator has an all plastic case and the replacement has a case with a metal backing plate to aid in the transfer of the heat. Since the metal backing plate is conductive, it is necessary to use a insulating transistor mounting kit when attaching the regulator to the bracket. Without this kit the regulator will fail quickly.

Along with the regulator replacement and bracket modification, there are 6 capacitors and 4 diodes that will also need to be replaced.

 

The power supply circuit for the IM4406 includes 7 larger capacitors. These have not been a big problem on too many IM4406 Master Stations, however there have been a few units in which these capacitors have failed. It's a good idea to check these capacitors with an ESR meter and evaluate their condition. If they show any signs of increased resistance, they should be replaced.

 

When the repair of the IM4406 is completed, the power supply circuit should last longer than the original design. The IM4406 may be the high point of NuTone Music Intercom System design and it certainly is worth keeping it in good working condition.

See all of the IM4406 pictures here.

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Update on Wednesday, March 13, 2013 at 2:49PM by Cindy & Christopher

A Toasty IMA4406 was delivered to the shop today!

I know that I've already done an IMA4406 power supply rebuild article but I really think this IMA4406 will be an interesting repair.

This IMA4406 came from a customer in New York with the following description of the problem:

"This IMA4406 is 7-8 years old and within the last 2-3 months it has begun to work erratically and now it continually show "IU" on the display."

I was very surprised when I opened the box and found the plastic heat sink cover to be so discolored.  I have repaired lots of IMA4406's and I have never seen anything like this.

You can easily see how discolored the plastic is compared to a normal looking IMA4406.  I don't think the discoloration is from where the master is installed because the plastic cover over the CD player is still clear.  It seems to me that this unit must have been very hot for a very long time to end up like this.

The area around the voltage regulator is discolored and the regulator is somewhat loose on the board.

Tomorrow this unit will be on the repair bench, I can't wait to see what it's really like when its powered up.

More to come. . .

Thursday, March 14th

I put this toasty IMA4406 on the bench today and nothing looks good at this point.  The power supply / amplifier module is toasted and the master is cycling on/off, on/off,  on/off while the display just shows "IU"

I temporarily replaced the power supply module with a known good module and I swapped out the main control board with another good board and the constant "IU" problem on the display and the cycling went away, but there is no radio from the speaker in the master and the Intercom operations are all wrong.

I also noticed that the LCD display was lit unevenly, with some segments dark and other segments look much lighter and the seem to flicker.  As I stripped the IMA4406 down, removing each board and inspecting them, I found one set of resistors in the display circuit are discolored from heat.

I got the go ahead from the customer to do more diagnostic work on this master.

More Tomorrow. . .  

Wednesday April 17th

This IMA4406 is finally complete.  It had so many problems that it was necessary to install substitute circuit boards to help narrow down the problems board by board.

The Power Supply Module was the simplest part of the repair and I actually rebuilt it last, after making sure that all of the other problems could be solved.  A new voltage regulator mounted to a new heat sink bracket and some new capacitors and diodes put the power supply back into good working order.

The Main Control Board had the most problems.  While the customer did not report any power surge or lightening issue at his home, I suspect that one of those situation caused some of the damage I found.

There were logic problems with the intercom control circuits; there were two failed voltage regulators on the board, the op-amps for the chime inputs produced a distorted sound and the AM/FM tuner and some of the supporting integrated circuits had failed.

This is a lot of damage to have on just one board.  A symptom of these problems was the massive overheating of the power supply module.  I used a temporary power supply module while I was working on the control board.  The power supply would heat up very quickly, so hot that the components could not be touched.  This was caused by the failed circuits on the main board drawing to much current and over taxing the power supply.

Once the main board was repaired, the overheating power supply problem went away.

The Processor Board had just a few problems, there were some over stressed resistors for the LCD display and a few logic IC's that needed to be replaced.

The CD player did not function after the rest of the IMA4406 was repaired.  This may not be related to all of the other problems.  The CD players in IMA4406's have always be a troublesome and it is likely that it failed at an earlier date.

The last issue was with the plastic faceplate itself.  After being exposed to a great deal of heat for a long period of time, the plastic has become very brittle.  There are many small screws that attach the circuit boards to the back of the faceplate and these screws thread into standoffs on the faceplate.

These standoffs are now so brittle that the screws just shatter the plastic when they are installed.  I used some hot glue inside the screw holes and around some of the boards to help reinforce everything and hold it together.

In the end, this was a successful repair, oddly enough about a week after this was delivered to us I had another IMA4406 show up in almost exactly the same condition.  It leads me to believe that if a failed IMA4406 is left unrepaired for a long period of time (or a short time with a dramatic failure) it will be more severely damaged than average.

Update on Tuesday, January 7, 2014 at 7:25AM by Cindy & Christopher

Here are just a few pictures of an IM4406 with a more extensive power supply failure.

You can clearly see the crack in the voltage regulator.  This was likely caused by either the regulator being severally overheated or perhaps that this IM4406 had all of the signs of a failed repair attempt.  One giveaway is all of the Thermal Compound (the white stuff) under the power supply components.  There is easily 10 times the amount of Thermal Compound that is needed.  I also found that the Power Supply Module had been disassembled prior to the Master Station being shipped to us.

Since there were so many unknowns about this IM4406, I decided that a complete Power Supply rebuild was in order.  

The board was depopulated and all of the components were replaced.

What does it mean when the display on a IM / IMA4406 shows IU ?

The IM4406 and the IMA4406 both have the feature that NuTone called "Remote Music Control"  This feature is built-in to the Master Stations and is accessed through the remote stations "End Call" button.

In a properly working system, when the End Call Button is pushed down and held for 4 seconds the radio on the Master Station will turn on and tune to the last radio station that was played.  

Each time the End Call Button is pushed once quickly, the radio will advance to the next preset radio station that was programmed into the memory of the tuner.  If no radio presets have been programmed, the remote advance feature will not work.

If the End Call Button is pushed down and held for 8 seconds, the CD player will be activated (there will be a beep heard on the speakers) and the CD will begin to play the beginning of the CD.

The track on the CD can be advanced by quickly pushing the End Call Button.  If the CD player is in Random Play Mode, the tracks will change in a random order.

Finally, when you are done with either the radio or the CD player, push and hold the End Call Button until the radio or CD turns off.

Each time someone pushes and holds the End Call Button, the display on the Master Station will show "IU".  "IU" stands for "In Use" and this allows everyone to know that the system us being activated by someone in the home.

Beyond the normal and proper operation of the Remote Music Control feature, there are reasons and problems that will make the display will show "IU".

There are 3 fairly common problems that can cause random and repeated "IU" displaying.

1.  If you have a shorted cable or wire between the Master Station and a remote station, the system can act as if someone is pushing the End Call button.  It is also possible that a remote station that has become damaged by water (Patio Station) can have the same effect as a short wire. Entry Door stations cannot cause a "IU" problem.

If a shorted cable or wire or a damaged speaker is suspected, it will be necessary to disconnect each cable from the Terminal Board (behind the Master Station) until the problem is cleared.  A quick method of determining if it is a wiring or remote station problem is to "unplug" the 5 cables that connect the IM4406 or IMA4406 to the terminal board.

2.  Both the IM4406 and IMA4406 have microprocessors that control the functions of the master station, including the Remote Music feature.  The microprocessor uses Logic IC's to carry out its instructions.  Sometimes the Logic IC's will fail and cause the the following variation of the "IU" problem:

The IM4406 or IMA4406 will endlessly cycle "ON - AM Radio - OFF"  This will happen over and over.

These logic IC's are available and are somewhat easy to replace once the problem is identified correctly.

3.  The third cause for the "IU" problem is obscure and difficult to diagnose.  The display will show "IU" constantly and no sound will be heard from the Master Station or the Remote Stations.  The radio tuner can be turned on and off and in some cases the tuner will scan for radio stations, but it will never stop at any stations.

Sometimes the tuner will scan and stop but no radio station will be heard.  Sometime while the tuner is scanning, there will be a loud static sound from the speakers.

If this all seems very random, it is because it is.

This variation of the "IU" problem is actually caused by an IC in the Tuner Control Circuit.  There is a single IC that controls the tuner's scanning and memory functions.  If this IC fails it can cause the "IU" problem along with other erratic problems.

I have also seen Master Stations where this IC has failed and it causes the primary voltage regulator to become burning hot.

This is the original IC used in the IM4406 and possibly some of the early IMA4406 Master Stations

This is the revised IC used in the IMA4406 Master Stations.  This is a very small surface mounted component that has been soldered to a "daughter" board that is designed to fit onto the circuit board where the original IC was mounted.

There are 2 different versions of the IC used in the Tuner Control Circuit and they are not interchangeable.  The later versions seems to be more problematic than the original version.  

If your IM4406 or IMA4406 has an "IU" problem, contact us for help with the problem.

Use this link to contact us about Repairing your NuTone IM4406 or IMA4406 Master Station

Update on Tuesday, November 25, 2014 at 2:23PM by Cindy & Christopher

The Fourth Source of an "IU" Failure in Models IM4406 and IMA4406

The source of the 4th most common failure of a "IU" Problem with NuTone Models IM4406 and IMA4406 is the very common Power Supply Failure, if this failure is left unrepaired for a long period of time (1 year or longer).

Here is a short Video showing how a IMA4406 acts when it has reached this level of failure, and how well it works after the Master Station has been repaired.

As with all models of NuTone Intercoms, the IM4406 and IMA4406 continue to age and the list of "common problems" changes and grows.

As you can see in the picture above, there are a few more components that need replacing to insure proper operation in the long term.  The new additions are not only the intercom relays but the transistors that drive the relays.  

I think that relay failures are mainly caused by systems that are grossly out of adjustment for long periods of time.  This causes excessive wear to the contact points in the relays, which cause them to make intermittent contact when they operate.

Use this link to contact us about the problems with your IM / IMA4406

Use this link to our Intercom Repair Request Form

More Power Supply Problems with the IMA4406

I think that Power Supply problems with the IMA4406 are going to make it on the 10 Most Common List.

This IMA4406 was delivered to us in a completely failed state.  While looking over the unit, I noticed that all of the main Power Supply capacitors had tented their tops.

This means that it's likely that all of them have failed.  This is somewhat unusual, though I have seen more and more units like this.

After the capacitors where removed I checked them with an ESR Meter and I found that all of them were internally bad.

Erratic Operations caused by Failed Relays

I had an IMA4406 delivered to the shop last week with a list of odd operational problems.  The list included:

1.  The radio and CD played correctly at the Master Station, but could not be heard from any of the remote stations.

2.  The door chime (IA28) could be heard at the Master Station, but nowhere else.

3.  The voice intercom could transmit to the door speaker from the Master Station, but the reply could not be heard.

4.  The intercom functions could be activated from the remote stations, but no voice transmission or reply could be heard .

5.  The remote Radio/CD control feature worked from the remote stations even though no music audio could be heard from the remote stations.

I verified the list of problems and started looking for the source of the problems.  All of the problems pointed to a single type of problem, a lack of audio throughout the remote sections of the system.

The IMA4406 does have a fuse on the audio output, incase one of the pairs of audio output wires becomes shorted.  This was not the problem.

After checking voltages on the amplifier board which all seemed correct, I started looking for a bad solder joint (I recently had an IM4406 in with about 1000 bad solder joints).  

After resoldering many joints I reassembled the IMA4406 to see if I had made any progress; I hadn't.

One technique when looking for cold or cracked solder joints is to flex (carefully) the circuit board in the attempt to make a change (for good or bad) in the operation of the unit.  This is done with the unit powered up (so care must be taken).

I noticed that when I pushed down on the board the radio began to play through the remote station on the work bench.  Removing the pressure cause the radio sound to disappear.  More resoldering was done in the area of the board that corresponded to the pressure technique.  This did not solve the problem.

I then noticed that pushing down on one of the 4 relays on the board would cause the music to return, hmmm.

I recalled that back in 1994 and 1995 there were some IM3303's that had problems with similar relays.  I have not seen this problems spill over to the IMA4406, but it was worth a try.

I replaced the 4 relays on the board, reassembled the unit and it worked. Problem solved!

The IMA4406 has a micro-controller and logic IC's to manage it's operations but the relays do the heavy lifting when it comes to directing the audio in and out and through the system.

It will be interesting to see if these relays make it onto the 10 Most Common List in the future. 

Update on Saturday, June 8, 2013 at 3:30PM by Cindy & Christopher

This past week I have another IM4406 in the shop with an odd problem that was sort of the opposite of the IMA4406 I wrote about with the bad relays.

When the IM4406 arrived, I noticed that someone else had tried to repair the failed power supply, and this attempted repair was not completely successful.  Before I started on the power supply, I swapped in my shop power supply/amplifier module.  This is a good and quick way to determine if there are any additional problems.

What I found was that the Master Station was silent: no radio, CD, or chime.  The tuner appeared to be working correctly so I connected it up to a terminal board with two remote speakers.

I was surprised to find that the radio would play through the remote speakers as did the chime.  The intercom functioned correctly between the remote speakers, but not to the Master Station.  While checking all of the operations I noticed that the clicking of the relays in the Master didn't sound quite right. 

The clicking of the relays was rough sounding, not the normal click and release sound that I'm used to hearing.

I replaced the 4 relays in the Master Station and then everything work correctly.  I guess bad relays may become a more common problem in the future.

Update on Tuesday, November 11, 2014 at 3:12PM by Cindy & Christopher

Relays in all NuTone IM4406 and IMA4406 have been added to the 10 Most Common Problems List for this Model.

My first post about problems with the relays in the NuTone IM4406 and IMA4406 was back in June 2013.

Since that time I have had many IM4406 and IMA4406 Master Stations in the shop for repair and I've noticed a pattern with the relays. . . they all have a tendency to become unreliable over time.  They haven't truly failed, but they do not operate correctly 100% of the time.

I outlined some typical symptoms in the 2 earlier articles, so I won't repeat those issues.  What I'm seeing is Master Stations with relays that work intermittently and when they operate, they sound wrong.

So, how do you know what a good relay should sound like?  Well, it should make a solid "click" sound when it is activated (I've heard thousands of relays, I know what a good one sounds like).  So, what does a bad relay sound like?  The best description is that it sounds "crunchy" with sort of a "ratchety" noise (you know it's wrong when you hear it).

It's also not just the relay that typically needs to be replaced, but the transistor that drives it.  I've had several Masters that even with new relays didn't operate correctly 100% of the time, until the transistors were replaced.

Replacing relays and the transistors that drive them will be a normal part of repair all IM / IMA4406's 

Is the Display on my IMA4406 Damaged or not?

Recently I had a IMA4406 Master Station delivered to the shop for a repair and on the list of problems that the owner included was noted "Display Panel Defective. . . Please Replace".

I could see right away what they were describing, there was a discoloration "blob" in the middle of the display.

The blob wasn't within the LCD Panel assembly, it was actually behind the glass panel. (the blue arrow points to an actual defect in the LCD panel)

The display on a IMA4406 is a LCD (liquid crystal display) which is made up of 2 panels of glass with with the liquid crystals sandwiched between the panels.  The information readout on the display is predetermined when it's manufactured, and it can only display the information in the readout mask (ie: AM  FM,  Clock Numbers, Disc-in symbol  etc.)  In the case of the IMA4406, the display cannot show random information that wasn't preset into it when it was made (it's not a "smart" panel).

The LCD panel is mounted on a plastic holder, which is mounted over 5 LED lamps , which are the back-light for the display.  In-between the LED's and the LCD there is a plastic diffuser which evens out the light form the LED's, so there won't be any "hot-spots".

In the case of this IMA4406, some liquid got between the diffuser and the glass of the LCD panel and it looked like a blob.

To correct this, the entire IMA4406 was disassembled, the LCD panel was removed form the circuit board, the liquid was cleaned off all the surfaces and everything was reassembled.  This took about 1/2 hour all together.

Something that will be a surprise to most people is that the LCD Display Panel is actually made of up clear (or slightly tinted) glass panels.  When it's "turned off" you can see right through it.  If you look carefully at the picture, you can see that I'm holding the panel in front of my bench meter and you can see right through it. . . cool.

See All of the IMA4406 Pictures Here