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If you’re anything like me, you love to take things a part or fix things on your own. If you’re in need of a Minirig 3 repair and don’t want to send it in to Minirigs themselves, check out this repair guide first – we may be able to solve it or not. Likely not, and you’ll see why!
Here’s the Minirig 3 Amazon link if you’re curious on a new unit.
Table of Contents
First, before you disassemble your Minirig…
Do a factory reset! I’ve had weird driver issues, connection-drop off, and charging problems all resolve using the factory reset. Detailed steps to do a factory reset on the Minirig can be found on the Minirig 3 user manual or by following the steps below:
- Turn off Minirig 3
- Hold down power button for ~15 seconds, or until orange/yellow light comes on and is solid
- Press power button again when this solid orangish light comes on.
- It should beep with a deep tone. You’ll have to reconfigure the app settings here.
If this hasn’t fixed the issue, then honestly you might want to send in the Minirig for repair as it’s likely a circuit board issue. The circuit board is not possible to remove, though you may remove the battery pack.
Also, if you’re having charging or cable problems, it could be the cables themselves! They’re pretty meh in my opinion and could be the culprit as I’ve experienced.
Minirig 3 disassembly
These things are built extraordinarily well and I tilt my imaginary hat to Minirigs!
Regardless, disassembly is fairly simple, here’s a step by step guide on how to take a part your Minirig 3 speaker:
- Turn off speaker entirely
- Insert Allen key (hex key) into any of the hex screws.
- Turn counter-clockwise. If you look at the bottom of the device, you’ll see the rubber gasket starting to separate from the body
- Once you can, remove said gasket from the body.
- Now see the 4 hex screws on the bottom of the unit. You can now take those all out
Now it gets tricky – either you can simply pry off the bottom if you’re lucky, or you’ll have to really work it off. Some of the Minirig 3s I took a part were a piece of cake while others were nigh impossible to get off. Be careful!
- Move bottom plate gently. The battery pack is affixed to this bottom plate.
- Disconnect battery pack from circuit board using a small pick or gentle fingers
- Remove stuffing/filling from the speaker
- Disconnect driver from circuit board
- Voila – you have now disassembled your Minirig!
To put the Minirig back together, simply follow these steps in reverse order. Oh yeah and that MicroUSB port on the back of the bottom of the Minirig behind the gasket is also a charging port – good to know in case of emergency!
Other Minirig 3 teardown notes
Honestly, there’s not much to repair on the Minirig 3 except for the battery pack. The driver is special and I don’t think you’d ever want to replace this. The circuit board is not possible to take out and is the brains of the unit.
That stuffing inside is really important! It simulates a larger enclosure space and is big part as to why the Minirig speakers are so awesome!
Re-assembling the Minirig 3 is a bit of a hassle due to the alignment you need to achieve with the hex key slots inserts and the back plate. Took me 10 frustrating minutes to get it together perfectly. A little air leakage will make a huge impact on the sound quality from your Minirig 3.
Disassembling the Minirig Subwoofer for repair
I couldn’t fully crack this code. I unscrewed all the hex keys which loosens up the ported rear end. You can twist and move this out of place, however I wasn’t able to remove this fully after a half hour of fiddling. I reckon however trying to repair your Minirig subwoofer won’t really possible anyways, just like the main speaker.
Conclusion
The Minirig speakers have phenomenal build quality and audio quality as outlined in my loving Minirig 3 review. The only thing you can repair on the Minirig 3 is the battery pack. It’s a set of 3 18650 batteries and while you could likely improve battery life marginally, I don’t think it’s worth the hassle.
If you want to fix your Minirig speakers, you’re better off just sending them into Minirigs for repair. Last I asked they wanted $40 to repair each unit. Understandable since it takes man hours and time to fix any speaker.
Anyways, hope this Minirig 3 disassembly guide helped you out. Though it might’ve just made you a bit sad that you can’t fix your Minirig 3 by yourself, at least you’ve found out that it’s not worth it to take a part! Peace 🙂
hi there!
my mr3 subwoofer stopped working suddenly. it is turning on, i can see the green light and it is getting charged too. idk what exactly the reason for this weird behavior
My MINIRIG has a howell 18650 3s1p t8 2600 mag 11.1V 28.86 wh
I found this battery has a replacement : https://www.amazon.nl/vhbw-Reservebatterij-Lansing-INR18650-3S-luidsprekers/dp/B092W4FK3K/ref=pd_aw_day0_m_sccl_3/261-0928107-3980407?pd_rd_w=mU0lz&content-id=amzn1.sym.6a4b62dc-693e-42ff-9fe1-1cb357e8a123&pf_rd_p=6a4b62dc-693e-42ff-9fe1-1cb357e8a123&pf_rd_r=MKG3T337PYQ0ATW571BE&pd_rd_wg=x9bc8&pd_rd_r=2b570a09-12af-493b-9ec1-159c82b25fe6&pd_rd_i=B092W4FK3K&psc=1
Hi can someone please help:
I was using my minirig 3 (while charging I THINK)
and there was suddenly a loud pop from the speaker and it just died and now will not turn on or charge.
So I have a few questions;
Is this a common fault?
Does anyone know what this fault is likely to be?
Shall I attempt to fix it myself ?
I just dont really want to send it back for repair as it will cost a a lot and may just be an easy fix as I feel something inside the unit may have disconnected.
FYI its over a year old so its past its warranty.
Any help or guidance is really appreciated as this looks like the perfect website that can help me.
Thankyou
Mmm it’s a pretty tough unit to troubleshoot yourself – sounds like a problem with circuity which would not be an easy fix. Definitely contact support on that one
This happens to mine all the time due to static, I just reset it by pressing and holding the power button for 10-15 seconds. Works every time.
Hello could any one please help. Do you know what type of ribbon cable is used in the mini rig 3 subwoofer any infor would be great
My minirig suddenly has the red light solid on and will not do anything. I paired it with my second minirig, which was just delivered, and was able to play in stereo but once I turned it off the red light is now stuck on on my existing older minirig, and I cannot get it to do anything. It will not pair or make any noise regardless of how long I hold the button down.
is the light stuck on or does it flash when you try hitting the power button? Could be a faulty battery/connection?
hi.
i have a minirg that was not working proprely. sound was a bit farty so i took of the bottom as you suggested but i seem to have a black wire which i can work out where i goes.
can you help pls
I’m curious of which DSP and amp chips they’ve used in the MR3.
I’m told there is a 1ms< latency for the EQ. I'd really like to find the chipsets specsheet to find out things like s/n ratio and thd/n while I wait for mine to arrive in the mail
Unfortunately I’ve never seen that information anywhere either
In theory on the mr3 you could remove the port board and install a micro usb to usb c short cable from that bottom port to the side charging port area. MR made it more difficult by soldering the ports directly to a board instead of wiring them to it
Hi
My MINIRIG refuses to turn on. I have 2 of them and the other one works perfectly. I have tried changing cables but with no success. I think i need to send it to you for repair. Please supply your address.
You’d definitely be better off sending it to them for repair! It doesnt charge or?
So finally, i took it appart, desoldered the lipo battery and bms. Resoldered the bms to 3 18650s in series.. it works and charges. Now to find some batteries that actually fit inside the enclosure.
Very promising! Nice 🙂
So i took it appart, desoldered the lipo battery and bms. Resoldered the bms to 3 18650s in series.. it works and charges. Now to find some batteries that actually fit inside the enclosure.
Ok, so now im looking at 14500 lithium rechargables. And im wondering if the 18650’s in your minirig 3 had a protection or balancing circuit in the pack or if its on the board. My lipo pouch batteries had a balance and protection circuit. I desoldered it and am wondering if i can just hook the 14500’s in the same configeration. 14500’s should fit, they are 14mm.. the 18650’s are 18mm – its in the name. I can also dremmel out a little of the back plate i guess
Yeah I have no idea about the battery pack honestly, I didn’t take it a part. I reckon it has a balancing circuit in the pack itself and protected cells, but it’s hard to say.
Hi there, anyone found a battery replacement option for the earlier pouch battery?
Google led me to this page and I thank you for your efforts. Posting for others in my situation.
My Minirig problem is straightforward. The original battery is swelling and on its way out; the rest of the unit is fine. The challenge here is that my Minirig is the original model, i.e., Version 1 I believe. So no USB charging port or battery pack comprised of three 18650 singles.
The Ver 1 battery pack is comprised of a lithium sandwich but it is rated at 11.1 V which equals the voltage rating of the V. 3 Minirig’s battery (3 x 3.7v). So it should be simple…but it rarely is. By my calipers an 18650 battery is 18mm in diameter while my V. 1 battery pack’s thickness ~13mm (pre-swollen). Just laying an 18650 battery atop the driver while the Minirig is upside down and trying to fit the back cover over it reveals the 18650 based pack would be about 4mm too thick. So intalling a Minirig V. 3 battery pack is no-go. Perhaps I can scrounge a third party replacement online.
For reference: LxWxH of Ver. 1 battery pack: 57x50x~13mm (height is estimated as my battery is swollen). Voltage: 11.1v; mAh: 1150.
Thanks so much for your contribution!
Also, maybe send a message to Minirigs? They’re been pretty nice to me whenever I had to ask support for some repairs and whatnot. If you’re in America it may be harder but it’s worth a shot
https://canadianomad.com/minirig-3-repair-disassembly/
Canadian here. My experience with customer support has been underwhelming: a few days ago I dispatched some electrons via Minirig’s online form and they’ve not elicited a response. Finished my correspondence with this simple question: is it possible to buy a battery for my unit directly from Minirig? Crickets.
According to Minirig’s FAQ a battery replacement service is offered for £40 ($70Cdn) plus shipping, which I’ll conservatively estimate at $50Cdn for a round trip across the Atlantic Ocean. $100+ to plug in a $15 battery isn’t worth it to me.
I’ll see what I can hunt down, if anything. For now, the battery’s removed, the Minirig’s been reassembled with some extra foam, and it’s functioning strictly as a home based plug in speaker.
For others with older Minirigs: if you notice the back plate bulging you may want to have a look inside.
https://imgur.com/gallery/w0pqNx7
Appreciate your infos here! Yeah definitely not worth the shipping cost to go all the way around. Surely there’s a Canadian battery retailer which has a match or similar cell available?
This to me is poor customer service. Its very easy for they to say look we really suggest you don’t do that but sure we can sell you a battery but if you screw it up your on your own. By refusing to sell you one all they are doing is pissing off a customer. i asked them something very simple and it took 4 emails to get a straight answer
Hi there. I have the battery swelling problem, lipo cells like the v1. Strangely I had them replace the Bluetooth module, so I have v2 Bluetooth with the usb. But it looks like they modified (with a dremmel) my case to fit it. I’m wondering if I need to make 4mm to fit 18650s perhaps a spacer might do it. Did anyone find the lipo cells for sale anywhere, I couldn’t find the size myself
Hey Nicholas. Here’s how I proceeded but it involved a solder gun, some patience and $20 Cdn for some AliExpress batteries.
1. I soldered three 3.7V Li-Ion wafer batteries in series to create a battery of the proper voltage (11.1V).
2. I snipped the connector wires from the old battery and soldered them to my homemade battery to plug into the Minirig’s circuitry.
3. Taped everything together and applied some double-sided tape to stick the new battery to the bottom plate. A couple packing peanuts were added to fill the internal voids. The new battery’s thickness is tight but it fits.
4. Reassembled and reset the Minirig and I’m back in action.
Links to AliExpress battery: The vendor claims 1500 mAh, so about 1/3 more juice than the old ones. We’ll see. Bought four and used three.
https://www.aliexpress.com/item/4001061714962.html?spm=a2g0s.9042311.0.0.78bf4c4dljwTgo
Pics of outcome:
https://imgur.com/gallery/8bMrncv
You may not be up for this and if you’re not know this: if you pop the bottom plate off your Minirig you void the warrant — that’s what Minirig told me after a delay in responding to my initial query.
Listening to the MR now. After all these years it still sounds great, what a great little beast. Too bad the company wants an arm and leg to plug in a battery.
Im confused. When i have seen pictures of the version 1 battery it is 3.7v 1700mah battery not 11.1v also for it to work while plugged in wouldnt it be at the lower voltage. i assume the new one using much bigger cells is again 3×3.7 run parrell not in series so same voltage bigger capicity and the amp handles the grunt to more power
Ok, Jason. I believe I erred in my Minirig’s version number. My model as per the ID on its base plate is ‘MRBT’. My Minirig was the first version with Bluetooth which, if I’m *now* correct, was actually Version 2 as the original Minirig, aka Version 1, didn’t have Bluetooth at all. Sheesh.
Be that as it may, all of my previously detailed battery specs apply as (per the linked photos) they’re stenciled on the original battery’s shrink wrap itself. Can’t comment on the very first Minirig (without Bluetooth) battery; I’ve never seen one.
P. S.
Roxy Music blasting on the resurrected MR as I type!
Luke, I have an original V1 minirig that I disassembled today due to a dead battery. It was identical to your old battery pack with the pouch cells. I assume you had a very early v2 and they were using up old parts stock.
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