Troubleshooting and Repair of Consumer Electronic Equipment PDF

1/2/2015
TroubleshootingandRepairofConsumerElectronicEquipment
TroubleshootingandRepairof
ConsumerElectronicEquipment
Including:
TestEquipment,Supplies,Parts,IncrediblyHandyWidgets(tm),
SourcesofInformation,andWheretoFindBrokenStuff
Version2.47b(28Nov14)
Copyright19942014
SamuelM.Goldwasser
AllRightsReserved
Forcontactinfo,pleaseseetheSci.Electronics.RepairFAQEmailLinksPage.
Reproductionofthisdocumentinwholeorinpartispermittedifbothofthefollowingconditionsaresatisfied:
1. Thisnoticeisincludedinitsentiretyatthebeginning.
2. Thereisnochargeexcepttocoverthecostsofcopying.
TableofContents
Preface
AuthorandCopyright
DISCLAIMER
Introduction
GettingIntoTroubleshooting
CommentsonHowtoLearnRepair
THEQuestion:ToRepairorNottoRepair
IfYouDecideThatYouDon'tWanttoBotherRepairingSomething
SmokingAroundElectronicEquipment
GeneralSafetyConsiderations
BasicTroubleshooting
SomeofMyRulesofTroubleshooting
http://www.repairfaq.org/sam/tshoot.htm#tshmccb
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SomeQuickTipsorRulesofThumb
OnLineTechTipsDatabases
GettingInsideConsumerElectronicEquipment
HowtoBuildObsolescenceInBeforetheNameGoesOn
Tools,TestEquipment,andOtherStuff
HandTools
EmergencyScrewRemoval
PlasticScrewThreadRepair
AboutThoseOtherFunnyHeadedScrews
WorkbenchandACPower
BasicTestEquipment
Jerry'sCommentsonUsedScopesandtheTek465
RepairingTectronix400SeriesScopes
SoYouCan'tAfforda$20,000TransientEventRecorder
TransformersIsolationandVariable
IsolationTransformers
TypicalHomemadeIsolationTransformer
IsolationTransformersfromDeadMicrowaveOvens
HowSafeisaHomemadeIsolationTransformer?
VariableAutotransformers
VariableIsolationTransformers
Variac/IsolationTransformerwithCurrentLimiting
ConstantVoltageFerroresonantTransformer
TheSeriesLightBulbTrick
CombinationVariableIsolationTransformerandSeriesLightBulbUnit
UsingaLightDimmerorSimilarDeviceasaVariac?
WhatAbouttheScopeGround?
BasicAncillaryEquipment
IncrediblyHandyWidgets(tm)
CheaterCords
MonitoringCurrentConsumptionfromBatteries
Miscellaneous
MakingaBenchPowerSupplyfromaPCPowerSupply
SolderingandDesolderingEquipmentandTechniques
SolderisNotGlue
SolderingEquipment
SolderingTechniques
DesolderingTechniques
Nick'sCommentsonSuccessfulDesolderingTechniques
SolderingPinsinPlasticConnectors
CommentsonRepairingDamagetoPrintedCircuitBoards
SuppliesandParts
Lubricants,CleaningAgents,andOtherLiquidyorSlimyStuff
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Adhesives
ElectronicSealersandPottingCompounds
ElectronicParts
MechanicalParts
PlasticPartsRepair
SourcesofInformationandGeneralComments
References
Manufacturer'sServiceLiterature
IdentifyingOEMManufacturerFCCNumbers
Sams'Photofacts
InsideCoveroftheEquipment
AdditionalSourcesforServiceInformationandManuals
CanadianSchematicsSource
ReverseEngineeredSchematics
ReverseEngineeringYourOwnSchematics
Mark'sApproachtoFindingInformation
PartsInformationandCrossReferences
TransistorDesignations
MoreonTransistorDesignations
SurfaceMountParts
HouseNumbers
GenericParts(MostlySemiconductors)
HPtoIndustryStandardSemiconductor
InternetSourcesofInformation
AreThereSchematicsofConsumerElectronicEquipmentontheWeb?
TakingtheUnittoaRepairShop
SearchingforInformationfromUSENETNewsgroups
PostingtotheSci.Electronics.RepairNewsgroup
PrivateDiscussionGroupsandEmailListservers
DealingwithaRepairShopinanEfficientandProfessionalmanner
PartsSources
WheretoGoforParts
WebPartsInformationandOrdering
MailOrderPartsSources
And,Don'tForgetRadioShack
TroubleshootingofIntermittentProblems
TVandMonitorManufacturingQualityandColdSolderJoints
WhyCan'tTVManufacturersLearntoSolderProperly?
Attackingintermittents
InspectionandPowerOffTestsforIntermittents
PowerOnTestsforIntermittents
RCA/GE/ProscanandSonyTVs
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PerfectingYourSkills
WheretoFindEquipmentinNeedofRepairorAbuse?
Paul'sCommentsonthe'WellEquippedGarageorFleaMarketSaleer'
And,HowPaulEquippedHisHomeLab
TooBadAbouttheGoodOldDays
Harrie'sNotesonRepair
Roger'sCommentsonTroubleshooting
BacktoTroubleshootingTableofContents.
Preface
AuthorandCopyright
Author:SamuelM.Goldwasser
Forcontactinfo,pleaseseetheSci.Electronics.RepairFAQEmailLinksPage.
Copyright19942014
AllRightsReserved
Reproductionofthisdocumentinwholeorinpartispermittedifbothofthefollowingconditionsaresatisfied:
1.Thisnoticeisincludedinitsentiretyatthebeginning.
2.Thereisnochargeexcepttocoverthecostsofcopying.
DISCLAIMER
Wewillnotberesponsiblefordamagetoequipment,yourego,blownparts,countywidepoweroutages,
spontaneouslygeneratedmini(orlarger)blackholes,planetarydisruptions,orpersonalinjurythatmayresult
fromtheuseofthismaterial.
BacktoSam'sGadgetFAQTableofContents.
Introduction
GettingIntoTroubleshooting
Thisdocumentattemptstoprovideanentrytotheworldofconsumerelectronicstroubleshootingandrepair.It
alsocoverstestequipmentselection,toolsandsupplies,parts,homemadetroubleshootingaideIncredibly
HandyWidgets(tm)andsafety.
Mostly,youwilllearnbydoing.However,youdoneedtoprepare.
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Therearemanyschoolsdedicatedtoelectronicsrepair.Someofthesearequitegood.Manyarenot.This
document,however,iswrittenfromtheperspectiveofthemotivateddoityourselfer,hobbiest,andtinkerer.
TheRepairFAQsusuallylistsuggestedreferencesforeacharea.Yourlocalpublicoruniversitylibrarywill
probablyhavesomeoftheseorotherrepairorientedelectronicsbooks.
Aboveallreadandunderstandthedocument:SafetyGuidelinesforHighVoltageand/orLinePowered
Equipment.Yourlifemaydependonit.Thatfabulouslargescreenwon'tbeofmuchusetoyouifyouaredead.
Collectbrokenelectronicsandappliancesfromyourfriends,relatives,thedump,garagesalesandfleamarkets,
etc.Startonthosethathavebeenwrittenoffyouwillscrewupatfirst.Wealldid.Astimespasses,your
battingaveragewillimprove.Itmaynothappenovernightbutitwillhappenifyouapplyyourself.Therewillbe
manyrelativelyeasysuccessesbutthe'toughdogs'maymakeupforthesetriumphs.Don'tletthemgettoyou
noteverythingcanberepaired.Sometimes,thebasicdesignisflawedorsomeonebeforeyoumesseduproyally.
Troubleshootingislikebeingadetectivebutatleastthedeviceisgenerallynotouttodeceiveyou.
Experiencewillbeyourmostusefulcompanion.
Ifyougointotheprofession,youwillobtainorhaveaccesstoavarietyoftechtipsdatabases.Thesearean
excellentinvestmentwherethesaying:'timeismoney'rules.However,tolearn,youneedtodevelopageneral
troubleshootingapproachalogical,methodical,methodofnarrowingdowntheproblem.Atechtipdatabase
mightsuggest:'ReplaceC536'foraparticularsymptom.Thisisgoodadviceforaspecificproblemonone
model.However,whatyoureallywanttounderstandiswhyC536wasthecauseandhowtopinpointtheculprit
ingeneralevenifyoudon'thaveaservicemanualorschematicandyourtechtipdatabasedoesn'thaveanentry
foryoursickTVorVCR.
Whileschematicsarenice,youwon'talwayshavethemorbeabletojustifythepurchaseforaoneofrepair.
Therefore,inmanycases,somereverseengineeringwillbenecessary.Thetimewillbewellspentsinceevenif
youdon'tseeanotherinstanceofthesamemodelinyourentirelifetime,youwillhavelearnedsomethinginthe
processthatcanbeappliedtootherequipmentproblems.
Asalways,whenyougetstuck,thesci.electronics.repairnewsgroupwillstillexist!
Happyrepairing!
CommentsonHowtoLearnRepair
(From:NicholasBodley(nbodley@tiac.net).)
Here'showIseeit:
Byallmeans,dowhatyoucantounderstandbasicprinciplesfirst.Yoursuccesswillbemuchmorelikelywhen
youunderstandhowadeviceworks.Ifyoucan,readElectronicsNowandPopularElectronics,aswellasNuts
andVolts(http://www.nutsvolts.com/).AlsohavealookattheRadioAmateur'sHandbook.
Theseperiodicalsarenotcarefullyedited,unfortunately,andnowandthenthingsgetintoprintthataresimply
wrongormisleading,buttheyarestillusefulIlearnedquiteabitfromtheirpredecessors(RadioCraftandRadio
News!).
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Ican'tspeakfirsthand,butitmightbeaverygoodideatobecome(eventually)aCertifiedElectronicTechnician.
LookuptheI.S.C.E.T.
Hearsayandfolkloresometimesindicatethatyoushouldreplaceagivenpartwhencertainsymptomsoccur,and
inthecaseoffrequentfailuresofsuchparts,thisinformationmightevenbetrue.Butthat'snowaytobecomea
competenttechnician.
Mypersonaltakeisthatyouhavetoknowwhento'letgo'ofanhypothesisaboutwhatthecauseofthetrouble
is.Atech.whopersistsbeyondacertainpointinhisbeliefthatsuchandsuchiscausingtheproblemisstuck
andspinninghiswheels.(I'msexistIthinkwomenarefarlesslikelytogetstuckthisway!Ithinkit'samaletrait.
:)
Troubleshootingisaspecialfieldofknowledgeandhasitsownspecialoutlookonthings.Thedevicedidwork,
afterall.
Productiontestingandtroubleshootingisdifferentyouarelikelytobethefirstpersontoapplypowertoa
device,andthedevicehasneverworkedbefore.Iftheassemblersaren'tgivingyouexcellentquality,youcan
havesomeremarkablybizarresymptomswithapoorlylaidoutboardfromsoldershorts,forinstance.
Avariabletoroidalautotransformer(universallyknownbywhatusedtobeaGeneralRadiotradename,Variac)
ispricelessfortroubleshootingcircuitsthathandleanyamountofpowerandwhicharepoweredbytheACline.
(Notalldevicesfunctionatallat,say,halfofratedACinputIworkonapoorlydesignedamplifierthatdraws
manyampsatsomethinglike70voltswithnosignalandnoload.Unfortunately,Variacsandtheirequivalentsare
horriblyexpensive,atleastfromsomesources!Ifyougetausedone,seethatthecontactareaofthewindingis
undamagedyoumightneedtoremoveaknobandsomecoverstoseeit.Iftheknobisstiff,trysome
contact/controlcleaner/lubeitdidwondersformine!
Learnhowtooperatea'scope,andlearnwhyyouseewhatyoudo.Isuspectthatsometechsarenottoowell
informedaboutwhatgoesoninsidea'scopelearnfromreliablesources!
Learntouseadigitalmultimeter,andananalogoneaswellthelatteriseasilydamagedifyoudon'tknowwhat
you'redoing,butit'sagreattrendindicator.
Learntouseafunctiongenerator,andusethetriangleoutputaswell!Nothinglikeatriangletoshowaweebitof
clippingorlimitinginanamplifier...
Learnhowtosolder!Solderisnotanadhesiveit'sametallurgicalbond,accordingtosomesourcesItrust.It
justabouthastobewithgold,atleast!Ifyou*really*wanttolearnsoldering,NASAhasdevelopedtraining
coursesthatwillmakeyouadisgustinglygoodsolderer.
(From:PhillipR.Cline(pcline@iquest.net).)
IusedtorepairconsumerelectronicsfromVERYhighendstereosdowntolowlyboomboxes.Whenrepairing
stereosthereisnosubstituteforgoodtroubleshootingtechniqueswhichcomefromempiricalmeans.Good
knowledgeofcircuitfunctionshelpsagreatdeal.VCRsarealmostalwaysamechanicalproblem(70%ormore
inmyexperience).Audiostuffcanbedestroyedbytheuserandoftentimesthedesignisjustplaincrap.Alllow
andmidfiJapanesestuffmadewithinthelasttenyearsisn'tworthacrapfromadesignstandpoint.Evenalotof
thehighendstuffisjunk.Theyhave71voltratedcapsrunningat69voltsetc....USandmostEuropeanstuffis
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waybetterdesigned!Thereareexceptions.IoncesawaPhilipsampthathadatransformerforthepoweramp
supplythatwasn'tcentertappedyetthesupplywasbipolar.TheyjustrectifiedandfilteredtheACwithseries
capsandthecommonwasthepointtheywereconnectedtoeachother.Thisisfineifyouratethecapsatmore
voltagethanthepowersupplycandeliverbutthesewereratedatjustoverhalfthetotalvoltageofthesupply
fromrailtorail.Onecapshortedandtheotheroneexplodedandlaunchedthecansidewaysacrossthe
componentsideoftheampPCboard.Thisbasicallydidanicejobofdepopulatingtheboardalongtheballistic
pathofthecap'scan.Ilaughedforagoodwhileafterseeingthis.
Igaveuprepairingstuffwhenthecustomersasked,andrightlyso,whyitcosts$80tofixsomethingthatcosts
$100new.TheOEMpartscostonsomestuffwasintendedtomakethecustomergobuyanewunitinsteadof
repairingtheoldone.Thisbasicallymademostofthestuffdisposable.
Mybackgroundwasandstillisasanelectronichobbiestsothetheoryofoperationwasnotabigdealandcircuit
functionwasn'teither.IhaveabrotherthatwasthepersonfromwhomIlearnedagreatdealofwhatIknow
nowaboutelectronics.
SolderingabilitycannotbeoverstressedinimportanceespeciallywithSMTbeingverycommonnowadays.As
fortheguysthatseemtoberippingyouoffintheirpricing,theycouldbegougingyoubutmostoftenthe
overheadintheshopandtheircostonpartsisthemostlikelycauseofhighpricing.Whilelabormightseemhigh
agreatdealofrepaircanbeaccomplishedinanhourbyacompetenttechnicianandsomeshopshaveaflatrate
foragivenrepair.Thiscanworktothebenefitoftheshopsometimesandtothecustomersometimes.Ourshop
wasthisway.Wehadthelowestpricingintown(Indianapolis)andthecustomersstillbitched.Sometimesthey
wouldtaketheirunitsafterwegavethemthepriceforlaborandaestimateofpartscost.Wedidn'tchargefor
estimates.Theywouldstormoutonlytocomebackwiththeirtailbetweentheirlegsinafewdaysafterchecking
aroundforlaborchargeselsewhere.Dependingontheirattitudewemightgoaheadwiththerepair.Oftentimes
wewoulddeclinebytellingthecustomerthattheothershopsmayhavedonesomethingwhilecheckingtheunit
out.(Thisdependedontheshopthatthecustomertooktheunitto.)Someoftheseplaceshadsomerealwinners
fortechs!!Wereallydidn'tfeellikeundoingsomeyoyo'shandiworkjusttogettheunitbacktoit'soriginal
nonworkingstate!
AnEEinelectronicsisuselessbyitselfandwillcausealotofunduetroubleshootingtothebeginningtech.They
willoverlooktheobviouseasystuffforsomepossiblebutunlikelyfault.Afewyearsofrepairsundertheirbelt
thoughandtheycanfindthemostdifficultelectronicproblemswithrelativeease.
Thebestwaytobecomeproficientiswithhandsontrainingunderanexperiencedtech.Agoodoverall
backgroundinelectronicsdoesn'thurteither.
(From:MichaelBlack(blackm00@CAM.ORG).)
Ithinkoneoftheproblemsofhomerepairisfear.Ifyou'rewillingtospendthemoneytohavesomething
repaired,thenyoumaythinkthatifyoufiddledwithityoumaymakeitworse.Ontheotherhand,ifyouare
abouttothrowsomethingoutbecauseitdoesn'twork,youhavenothingtolosebyplayingaroundwithitand
tryingtofixit.Orfindsomestuffotherpeoplehavethrownout,andstartwiththat.
Youmaynotfixit,butyourwillingnesstoopenthecoverallowsyouafamiliaritythatyouwon'tgetfromabook.
Youdemistifytheequipment,andbyactuallyadjustingthingsandseeingtheresults,youwilllearn.
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IpickedupaVCRforcheapatagaragesalethispastsummer.Iwasbuyingitasatunerforusewithamonitor.
Theguysaidit"mustbethepowersupplybecauseitkeepsturningoff".Actually,itkeptturningoffbecausethe
mechanicsweren'tworkingproperly.Bymovingthepartsbyhand,Isawhowtheyweresupposedtowork.
Withthefirsthandexperience,theS.E.RFAQmademoresensethanifI'djustreaditfirst,andsodidabook
onVCRrepairthatItookoutofthelibrary.IsawthatthebeltsneededreplacingbecauseI'dfiguredouthow
thingsweresupposedtowork,andsawthattheyweren'tworkingthatway.
(From:MalcolmMacArthur(malcolmm@rusticplace.demon.co.uk).)
Ihavetwoyears'ofanElectronicEngineeringdegreebehindme(Igaveuponthedegreeandbecamea
computerprogrammer.)Ithasbeenlittle,ifany,help.Whatyoureallyneedisexperience...whichyou'llonly
gainbyfiddlingwiththings.I'vebeendoingrepairssinceaboutage13.Aftertwelveyears,Inowhaveafair
successrate,butthosefirstfewyearswerenoteasy.Bestthingtodoisgetholdofoldequipmentandjusthave
agowithit(BewareofCRTs,though).Bewarned,youmaybreakquitealotofstuffinitially!Butastheothers
havesaid,mostoftheproblemsareduetomechanicalfailures(includingdrysolderjoints).
Tallrepairstoriestime:
TheIDEharddrive,givenfree,withtwobrokenpins.Fixedwithbitsofbentpaperclipsolderedinplace
oftheoriginalconnectors.
Therecordplayerwhichwouldn'tplayattherightspeed,andtherewasn'tenoughadjustmentinthepot.
Fix:coverbeltspindleinAraldite,leavetoharden,machinedownwithscalpel.
TheVCRwhichwouldn'tplay.Roughenedupdrivetirewithsandpaper,didsametospindles,workeda
treat.Stillworkingfineafter3years.:)
AnotherVCR,rejectedbyarepairshopasuneconomicaltorepair,andgivenbacktomyfriend'saunt.
Tookitapart.foundnothingwrong,cleanedit,reassembled.Stillworkingfine(Ihavenoideawhatthe
"fault"theshopfoundwas).
Acomputermonitorwithincorrectcolourbalance.FixedbyadjustingthegunsatthebackWITHOUTan
insulatedscrewdriver(Hairy!).Ididn'thaveone,sousedanormalscrewdrivertapedwithinsulatingtape
toa(dry)1ft.woodenspoon.Oh,becauseofpoordesign,theCRTkeptthreateningtoimpactwiththe
mainboardwhenIhadthebackoff,soIhadtoholditatthefrontwithmyotherhand.Visionsof25,000
Vgoingstraightthroughmychestmadeitallabitscary.:)
Firsteverrepair(thisistrue!):taughtmymotherhowtowireupahousehold(e.g.atpowermeter)fuse
becauseI'dwatchedmyDaddoit(he'sgoodatthissortofthingaswell.:)Age?Five.
ATVwithabrokentuner,hadbeentoarepairshoptwice,they'dgivenuponit.Receiveditforfree,
foundoutthecompositevideoinworkedfine,soran20ft.ofcabletoasparevideodownstairs(there
wasnoaerialinmyroom,see).Mustfixthattunersometime...
ACDROMdrivewhichcouldn'treadneartheedgeofsomediscs.Disassembledwholeunit,(eventually)
reassembledit,foundoutthatIwasthespringwhichholdstheCDdown.Fixedbyplugginginto
computer,runningacdromandwigglingthespringwithmyfingeruntilIfelttheleastvibration.Stillworks
fine,althoughIamreplacingitsoonwithafasterunit.
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ThedroppedTVwithacrackatthecornerofthemainboard.Repairedallthecracksbypatchingwith
wire,TVnearlyblewupinmyface(hence,bewareofCRTs).Thankgoodnessforthefuses...thislittle
incidentputmeoffrepairingTVsforoverayear.Itwaseventuallychucked,afailure.
Asyoucanseeabove,mostoftheserepairsareprettysimpleandcanbeaccomplishedwithmechanicalknow
how,morethananythingelse.Bepreparedtoexperimentbutalsobepreparedforthefactthatsomeofyour
experimentsmightfail!IguessI'vejustbeenlucky,butfewofmyrepairseveninvolvedusingamultimeter.
Havefun.
THEQuestion:ToRepairorNottoRepair
Oneofthethemes,repeatedmorethanonceinemailstomeandinreaderfeedbackfromPoptronix/Electronics
Nowwasofthefollowinggeneralflavor:
"WhybotherwithrepairofVCRs(oranythingelse)whenIcanbuyanewmodelfor$79.95?"
Actually,I'veseenpricesaslowas$39.95forapromotion(butnotrequiringthepurchaseofanythingelse)!
or:
"Thisstuffmayhavebeenuseful5yearsagobutnowsome/muchofthematerialdoesn'tapplyto
newerVCRs."
WhilebothofthesedealwithVCRs,itshouldbeunderstoodthatitappliesequallywelltomuchotherconsumer
electronics.
Dependingonyourbackgroundandinterests,thesestatementsmayhavesomevalidity.Thus,theneedforsome
objective(ifpossible)wayofmakingadecisionastowhethertobotheratall,andwhethertoattempttherepair
yourself.
So,whendoesitmakesensetoattempt*any*repairyourselfratherthantotosstheiteminthetrashortakeitto
aprofessional?Peopledothissortofstuffforseveralreasons:
1. Forthechallengeandrewardsassociatedwithsuccess.
2. Tosavemoney.
3. Becausetheylikeaparticularsetoffeaturesorthecontrolsorthestylingoftheequipmentanddon'twant
anythingnew!
4. Toavoidclutteringlandfills.
ThefirstoftheseislikelymostrelevanttothereadersoftheS.E.RFAQs.
It'squitedifficulttosuggestanapproachindecidingwhensomethingisworthrepairing.Youhavetodecidehow
muchtheequipmentisworthto*you*intermsofmonetary,sentimental,orothervaluehowmuchtimeyouare
willingtoputintoarepairandwhetherthefailurerepresentsagoodexcusetoupgrade!Towhatextenteachof
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thefactorsissignificantwillalsobedeterminedbyhowmuchyouenjoytroubleshootingandtinkering.Ifyou'd
ratherbedoingsomethingelseorkeepthinkingaboutallthetimeyouarespendingonthisratherthansomething
youcanchargefor,perhapsyoushouldbedoingthatsomethingelse.
However,itiseasiertoidentifyspecificsituationswhereequipmentprobably*isn't*worthattemptingtorepair
onyourown(orpossiblyatall):
1. Seriousdamageduetowater(especiallysaltwater),fireorsmoke.Eveniftheobviousfaultscanbefound
andcorrected,therearelikelytobelatentfailuresjustwaitingtostrikeinafewweeksormonths.
2. Lightningstrike.Lightningislikethe900poundgorillaitcangoanywhereitwants.Evenifyoucan
repairtheobviousdamageandgettheequipmentworking,therecouldbehiddenproblemswaitingto
appearatalatertimeduetocomponentsthataren'ttotallyfriedbutjustweakened.
3. Extremelyhighelectricalpowersurgelikea13,000Vfeederlinefallingacrossthe115Vwiringtoyour
house.Similarcommentsaslightningapply.
Whereanyofthesearecoveredbyinsurance,thatisthebestoptionwherethesettlementisatallreasonable.If
theinsurancecompanyallowsyoutokeepthedamagedequipment,thereisnothingtostopyoufromattempting
repairsasachallengeyoumaygetlucky.But,itcouldalsobealongdrawnoutandexpensivefrustration.
4. Seriousphysicaldamage,especiallyforequipmentwithmechanicalpartslikeVCRs.Itmaybeimpossible
toreplacebrokenparts.Twistedmetalcanbestraightenedbutthereisagoodchancetherewillstillbe
erraticmisbehavior.
5. Equipmentwherepriorattemptsatrepairmayhaveresultedinanundeterminednumberofnew
unidentifiedproblems.Atleastwhensomethingbreaksonitsown,youronlyoppositionisthedeviceitself.
But,ifanotherpersonattemptsarepairandtheyareanoviceorjustplainincompetent,thedumpstermay
bethebestsolution.
6. Equipmentwithknowndesignormanufacturingproblems.Whenweundertakearepair,oneassumption
thatisusuallymadeisthattheequipmentoriginallyworkedcorrectlyand/orthatthefaultisn'tsomething
thatwasdesignedinbeforethenamewenton.:)Formostthings,thisisavalidassumption.Eventhe
famousRCA/GE/ProscanandSonyTVsolderproblems,whilenodoubtresultingin100softhousandsof
setsendingupinthetrash,arerepairablewithmodesteffortatlowcost.And,theresultisawell
performingreliableTV.However,somecomputermonitorsmaydiewhenfedaparticularscanrateor
duringbootwhenmatedwithaparticularvideocardadesignflawwhichmaynothavea(known)
solution.
7. Newerthrowaways.Icanprettymuchguaranteethata$39.95VCRisn'tworthanyeffortunlessthe
problemisobvious.Thisjunkisbuiltascheaplyaspossiblewithalotofplasticparts,nothoughtgivento
accessfortestingorrepair,andwithattentiononlytotheshorttermbottomline.Therehasbeenno
miraculousinventiontoreduceconstructioncostoftherelativelycomplexVCRmechanismitcomesout
ofreliability.
8. Equipmentlikecellphones,pagers,andothermodernwirelessdevicesaswellascordlessphonesPC
mainboards,peripheralboards,anddiskdrivesTVsettop,cableboxes,satellitereceivers,etc.Itis
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essentiallyimpossibletoobtainserviceinformationonanyofthesesounlesstheproblemisanobvious
brokenconnectororbrokentraceontheprintedcircuitboard,orpossiblyadeadpowersupply,forgetit.
Youdon'thavethedocumentation,testequipment,reworkequipment,oranychanceofbuyingmanyof
therepairpartsinanycase.
9. Anysituationwheresafetywouldbecompromisedbyyourrepair.Forexample,attemptingtoreconstruct
asmashedmicrowaveovendoororjerryriggingaflybacktransformerthathasseriousarcing.Where
items(1)to(3)areinvolved,onemustverycarefullyinspectforanypossiblesafetyrelateddamage(like
charredinsulationinhiddenareas)thatmaynothaveaffectedoperation.
10. Ifyoureallydon'tknowwhatyouaredoing,leaveittoaprofessional!Notonlyisitdangeroustobe
pokingaroundinsidemanytypesofequipmentifyoudon'tevenknowwhatnottotouch,thereisastrong
likelihoodthatsuchattemptswillcauseadditional,possiblyfataldamagetothecircuitry.Evenifthe
equipmentcanberepaired,theultimatecostwillendupbemuchgreaterthanhadyounotdoneanything
inthefirstplace,bothintermsoflabor(troubleshootingandrepair)andparts.Ifyoucan'tjustifya
professionalrepair,justsetitasideuntilyouhavegainedmoreexperienceandcandealwiththeequipment
safely(foryouandit).
11. Finally,don'tattempttorepairapieceofequipmentforwhichyouarenotequippedinthetoolsortest
equipmentdepartment.Attemptingtoremoveapartfromamultilayerprintedcircuitboardwithoutproper
desolderingequipmentwilljustmakeanunsalvageablemess.Guessingatareplacementpart("Iheardthat
theflybacktransformerisalikelycauseforadeadmonitor.")willjustendupbeingfrustratingand
expensive(unlessyou'vewontheLotteryrecentlyinwhichcasemaybeyourluckisstillholding).
Inthegoodolddayswhenlifeandelectronicsweresimplerandyoucouldcountthetotalnumberoftransistors
inaTVonyourhandsandfeet,serviceinformationwasincludedwiththeequipmentorwasreadilyavailable
eitherfromthemanufacturerorSamsTechnicalPublishing(formerlyHowardSams)asSams'Photofacts(no
relationtome).TherearestillSams'PhotofactsformanyTVsatleast,butforanythingelse,obtainingschematics
maybeimpossibleoreveniftheyareavailable,thecostmaybeexcessive.Paying$100foramediocrecopyof
aservicemanualforacomputermonitorthatcanbereplacedfor$250maynotbejustified.
Onewaytogetanideaofyourchancesofsuccessforpopularbrandsandmodelsistosearchthearchivesof
theUSENETnewsgroupsci.electronics.repairviaGoogleGroups(formerlyDeja.com/Dejanews.Thereare
otherpublicUSENETarchivesbuteventhoughthisarchivekeepschangingitsname,Iseelittlereasontouse
otherswhichmaycomeandgoandprovidelessreliablecoverage.)Whereothershaveexperiencedand
repairedsimilarproblems,yourchancesofsuccessaregreatlyincreased.Then,ifyouhavedetailedsymptoms,
askingforsuggestionsonthatnewsgroupmayalsobebeneficial,especiallyifyouhavealreadydonesomeinitial
testing.If,ontheotherhand,theconsensusfromthenewsgroupisthatyourproblemishopeless,thenyoumay
beabletosavealotoftimeandfrustrationbygivingupimmediately(oratleastpostponingyoureffortsuntilyou
havemoreexperience.
Whataboutolderequipment?:
ThebasictechnologyofTVsandVCRshasn'tchangedsignificantlyin10or15years.Yes,thereare
conveniencefeatureslike"autoclockset"whicharesupposedtomakelifeeasierbutoftendon't(ifthestation
transmittingtheclockinformationhastheirclockssetwrongorusesafeedfromasourceinadifferenttime
zone!).Butasfaraspictureandsoundquality,thatVCRfrom10yearsagowillbejustasgoodorbetterthan
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onepurchasedtoday.Any,itwillalmostcertainlybebetterconstructedandmoremaintainable.
Forexample,PanasonicVCRsfromthemidtolate'80sweresolidmachinesthatcouldbekeptinshapewitha
bitofperiodicmaintenance(cleaning,rubberpartsreplacement)andrepairofknownproblems(failed
electrolyticcapacitorsinthepowersupplyafter10yearsorso).Onecouldnotexpectthat$39.95specialto
providesuchservice.Ifitlaststhroughthewarrantyperiod,you'reprobablyaheadofthegame.I'dstilltakea
middleagePanasonicoveranynewlowtomediumpricedmodel.And,eventhehighendVCRsmaybebased
onflimsychassis.
Casestudies:
Hereare4examplesofequipmentthatIdideventuallyrepairbutwhereseriousconsiderationshouldhavebeen
giventothedumpster.Thefollowingcanbefounddescribedinmoredetailatinthedocument:Sam'sRepair
Briefs/
1. GETVdropped:(From:RepairBrief#69:GEPortableColorTVDropped.)
ThisTVhadtakenanosediveoffofa4footshelfontoanunknownsurface.And,ofcourse,someone
hadprobablyattemptedtooperateafterthiswithpossibleadditionaldamage.Whiletheexteriordidn't
showanymajorabuse,itwasobviousthattherewasseveretraumaassoonasthebackwasremoved.
Themaincircuitboardwasbrokennearthe(heavy)flybacktransformer.Severaldozentraceswere
severedincludingsometosurfacemountparts.
Arepairshopwouldbeunlikelytowanttotacklethisforseveralreasons:(1)theobviousrepairstocircuit
boardtraceswouldtakeacouplehoursatleast,(2)therecouldbeunseendamagetotheCRTinformof
adistortedshadowmaskandthiswouldn'tbeknownuntilthecircuitboardwasfixed,and(3)anyrepair
mightnotcatcheverythingsofutureproblemscoulddevelop.
Asitturnedout,theonlydamagewastothecircuitboardandafter2or3hoursofsolderingandthen
findingadditionaltracestosolderthesetwasfixed,andhascontinuedtooperatereliablyformany
years.
2. GETVwith'rivlets':(From:RepairBrief#59:GE13AC1504WColorTVDead(withOther
Problems)).
Intheearly1980s,somebrilliantmanufacturingengineerworkingforGEdecidedthatagoodwaytosave
moneyoncircuitboardswouldbetousewhatweredubbed'rivlets'insteadofactualplatedthroughholes
toconnecttopandbottom.Arivletisbasicallyarivetwhich,thetheorygoes,isthensolderedtothe
coppertraces.That'sthetheory.Inpractice,duetothethermalmassoftherivet,solderingwasnever
reliable.And,asaresultofthermalcycling,cracksdevelopedbetweentherivetandtracesovertime.
Problemsrangedfromadeadsettolossofcolordependingonwhichrivlethappenedtobeunhappyon
anygivenday.
Attemptingtorepairjusttheproblemrivletswasimpossiblebecauseassoonasyoufoundabadoneand
solderedit,anotherinitsvicinitywoulddecidetofail.Theonlyapproachthatworkedwastoreheatevery
onethatcouldbelocatedusingasolderinggun.Sincethereweremanydozensoftheseonthecircuit
board,thistookquiteawhileanditwaseasytomisssome.Infact,theonlytrulyreliablerepairwouldbe
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toremovethesolderfromeachrivlet,snakeabarewirethroughit,andsolderthewiredirectlytothe
tracestopandbottom.Thisrepairwouldalsotakeacouplehoursandlikelybetooexpensiveforasmall
TV,thoughifthesamechassiswereusedona27incher,mightbeworthit.
3. CDplayerrestoration:(From:RepairBrief#10:PioneerPD5100CDPlayerTrashed).
Hereisacaseofapieceofequipmentbeingpartiallydestroyedbypreviousrepairattempts.ThePioneer
PD5100isabasicsolidCDplayerbutthisonehadbrokenpartsintheloadingmechanismandwasin
unknownoperationalcondition.Ifitweretakentoarepairshop,theresponsewouldprobablybe
somethingalongthelinesof:"Well,thatcertainlylookslikeaCDplayer.".Itsimplywouldn'tbeworththe
timeandefforttorepairwhatwasobviouslybrokenwiththepossibilityoffindingmoreseriouselectronic
problemsafterthat.
Ihadnothingbettertodo(!!)sodecidedtoattempttorestoreittosomethingusable.Afterrepairingthe
mechanicaldamage,therewasindeedaservoproblemwhichultimaterequiredthereplacementofa
motordriverchipforwhichIgotlucky.Theplayerwouldreadthediscdirectorybutwasunabletoseek
toanytrack,even#1.Oneofthechipswasgettinghot.So,Ireplaceditandafterservoalignment,the
playproblemswerecured.Ifthathadn'tworked,therewasprobablylittlemoreIcouldhavedone.Very
likely,theservochipwastheoriginalproblemandthepreviousrepairattemptcreatedthemechanical
mess.
4. SonyTVwithbadbutcheredsoldering:(From:RepairBrief#81:SonyKV19TR20ColorTVNo
Reception).
ThefinalexampleisofaSonyTVthathadtheinfamoustuner/IFboxsolderproblems.Thisisnormallya
fairlyeasyrepair,especiallyforthisparticularmodelwheretheIFbox(whichwasfaultyinthiscase)is
readilyaccessiblewithouttakingthewholethingtobits.Oncerepaired,liketheRCA/GE/ProscanTVs
withsimilarsolderproblems,theresultisasolidreliableTV.However,thefriendofafriendwhohad
attemptedtoreplaceit,apparentlyusedaWellersolderingguntodothefinesoldering,leavingnearly
everypaddetachedormissing.Fortunately,onlythepadsappearedtohavesufferedandafter20minutes
andseveraljumperwires,thisonewashealthyagain.
Repairsforthenovice:
Itwouldbewaytooeasytopoisonyourfutureoutlookonservicingbyattemptingrepairsmultipletimesand
failingormakingthingsworse.
Equipmentthatisgoodtolearnonbecausetherewilllikelybeimmediateoratleastultimategratificationmight
include:smallappliances,powertools,remotecontrols,andbasicaudioequipmentliketapedecksandlow
poweramplifiers(notbigpoweramps!).And,whileelectronictroubleshootingofCDplayersandVCRsis
definitelyfortheadvancedcourse,theyoftenhaveproblemsthatcanbeeasilyremediedbyapropercleaning
and/orgeneralmaintenance.Electronicproblemsaretoughtodiagnosebutmostaremechanical.Microwave
ovensaregenerallyeasytorepairbutduetotheveryserioussafetyissues,I'dsuggestholdingoffontheseunless
youareexperiencedindealingwithhighvoltagehighpowerequipment.
Withreasonablecare,PCtroubleshootinginvolvingbasicswappingofcomponents,canalsoberewarding.But,
don'texpecttorepairamainboardwithapeculiarfailureofIRQ2(unlessyoufindalockwasherthatatethrough
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tosomePCBtraces!).
IntermediateleveltroubleshootingandrepairwouldaddTVssinceserviceinformationintheformofSams'
Photofactsisavailableforthemajorityofpopularmodels.Video(notcomputer)monitorsarealso
straightforwardtodealwith.Andperhaps,audioamplifiersandreceivers.
Forthosejuststartingout,therearesometypesofequipmenttoavoid(beyondthosementionedabove).Onein
particularismoderncomputermonitors.Withtheirwidescanraterange,microprocessorcontrol,needfor
decenttestequipment,dangerousvoltages,andthegeneraldifficultyinobtainingserviceinformation,even
professionalswillstayawayfrommanyoftheseparticularlynonameornonmajorbrandmodels.Exceptfor
obviousproblemslikebadsolderconnections,ablownfuse(replaceONCEonly,mighthavebeenapower
surge),ortheneedfordegaussing,theymaynotbeworththefrustration,certainlynotasyourfirstproject.TVs
arenotonlymuchsimplerthancomputermonitors,butasnoted,completeserviceinformationisusually
available.
IfYouDecideThatYouDon'tWanttoBotherRepairingSomething
So,youalreadyhave10VCRsandreallydon'twanttoevenpopthecaseonyetanotherone.
Don'tjusttossitinthetrash.SeeifalocalcharityliketheSalvationArmyorGoodwillacceptsbroken
appliancesandelectronics.Theymayhavesomeoneonstaffwhocanperformatleastsimplerepairsandthen
reselltheitem.Notonlywillthisreduceclutterinthelandfill,youmaybenefitonyourtaxes(andinthegood
deedsdepartment).However,itreallyisn'tpropertodothisifyouhavealreadyworkedontheitemandgiven
uporreducedittoapileofslag!
SmokingAroundElectronicEquipment
Note:Thisismytokeneditorialbuttheeffectsonbothpeopleandequipmentareveryreal.
Ifyoustilldoubttheharmfuleffectsofthechemicalcompoundsintobaccosmokeonyourhealthandthatof
othersaroundyou,whateverIsaybelowprobablywon'tmatterandyoumaywanttoskipitsinceitmayupset
you.However,perhaps,youworrymoreaboutyourfancy,costly,finelytunedelectronicentertainmentand
computerequipment.Inthatcase,readon.
Theseveralhundredchemicalcompoundsfoundintobaccosmokehavethefollowingeffectsonelectronic
equipment.Whatisn'ttrappedinyourlungsorinthelungsofthosearoundyou:
coatstheprecisionopticsofCDandDVDplayers,CDROMandDVDROMdrives,andotheroptical
disc/kequipmentANDthemediatheyuse.
coatstheread/writeheadsoffloppydiskdrives,Zipdrives,tapedrives,ANDthemediatheyuse.
coatsthetapepathofVCRsandaudiodecksincludingtheaudio,video,andcontrolheadsANDthe
cassettesandtapeinside.
coatsmechanicalpartsandpromotesthelossoflubricationinallequipment.
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maycontributetodeteriorationofplasticandrubberparts.
coatsthescreensofTVsandmonitors,displaywindowsofVCRsandotherdevices,andtheoutsideand
insideofeverythingeventuallyresultinginuglybrowndiscolorationandahorriblestench.
Thislistofeffectsgoesonandon.
TheresultingfilmWILLeventuallycauseproblemsandisverydifficulttoremove.Damagedoneduetochemical
actionmayrequirethereplacementofcostlyparts.Increasedmaintenancewillbeneededortheequipmentmay
simplyfailbeforeitstimeandnotbeworthfixing.Contaminationwilloftenfinditswayintocriticalplacesthatare
notaccessibleandtomediawhichisirreplaceable.
Whensomeonetrystogetmetolookatsomethingthathasbeeninasmoker'sresidence(Iknowbecauseitwill
reekofstaletobaccosmokeessence),myfirstinclinationistoputitinasealedbagtogooutwiththegarbage.(I
havebeenknowntodropportableTVsdirectlyintothenearesttrashcanunderthesecircumstances.)Ifthisisn't
anoption,mynextobjectiveistogetitevaluatedandrepairedorrefusedasquicklyaspossible.However,my
concentrationmaynotbeatitspeakforsuchequipment!ItisagoodthingthatIdon'tneedtodothisforaliving
Iwouldhavetorefuseservicetoagoodportionoftheworld'spopulation:(.
So,nowyouhaveafewmorereasonstogiveupthestupid,disgusting,filthy,obnoxious,inconsiderateofothers,
costly,dangerous,killerhabit!
Sorry,endofeditorial.:)
GeneralSafetyConsiderations
Dependingonthetypeofequipmentyouwillbeworkingon,therecanbeavarietyofdangerssomepotentially
lethal:
ElectricalshockhazardfromTV,computerandothervideomonitors,microwaveovens,theswitchmode
powersuppliesinsomeVCRsandcomputerperipherals,electronicflashunits,somepartsofaudio
equipment,handandstationarypowertools,largeappliances,andevenmanysmalllinepowered
appliances.
Mechanicalhazardsfromthemovingpartsofvariousappliances,computerperipherals,handand
stationarypowertools,andespeciallygasolinepoweredyardequipment.
RiskofCRTimplosionfromequipmentusinglargeCRTs.
VisionhazardsfromthelasersinCDplayersandCDROMdrives,DVDplayersandDVDROMdrives,
otheropticaldatastoragedevices,andlaserdiscplayers.
ItisimperativethatyouunderstandandfollowALLsafetyrecommendationswhileworkinginsidewhatever
equipment.
Seethedocument:SafetyGuidelinesforHighVoltageand/orLinePoweredEquipmentforgeneralsafety
information.
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SeetheSAFETYsectionsofthedocumentsdealingwithyourequipmentforadditionalsafetyinformationfor
yourequipment.
BasicTroubleshooting
SomeofMyRulesofTroubleshooting
1. Safetyfirstknowthehazardsassociatedwiththeequipmentyouaretroubleshooting.Takeallsafety
precautions.Expecttheunexpected.Takeyourtime.
2. Alwaysthink'whatif'.Thisappliesbothtotheanalyticproceduresaswellastoprecautionswithrespect
toprobingtheequipment.Whenprobing,insulateallbutthelast1/8"oftheprobetiptopreventcostly
shorts.(IfIhadanickelforeverytimeIhavebeenscrewednotfollowingthisadvice...)
3. Learnfromyourmistakes.Weallmakemistakessomeofthemcanbequitecostly.Asimpleproblem
canturnintoanexpensiveoneduetoaslipoftheprobeorbeingovereagertotrysomethingbefore
thinkingitthrough.Whilestatingthatyourexperienceintheseendeavorsismeasuredbythenumberof
scarsyouhavemaybestretchingthepoint,expecttoscrewupweallcanpointtothatdisasterdueto
inexperienceorcarelessness.Justmakeitapointnottomakethesamemistakeagain.
4. Don'tstartwiththeelectronictestequipment,startwithsomeanalyticalthinking.Manyproblems
associatedwithconsumerelectronicequipmentdonotrequireaschematic(thoughonemaybeuseful).
ThemajorityofproblemswithVCRs,CDplayers,tapedecks,andansweringmachines,aremechanical
andcanbedealtwithusingnothingmorethanagoodsetofprecisionhandtoolssomealcohol,
degreaser,contactcleaner,lightoilandgreaseandyourpowersofobservation(andalittleexperience).
Yourbuiltinsensesandthatstuffbetweenyourearsrepresentsthemostimportanttestequipmentyou
have.
5. Ifyougetstuck,sleeponit.Sometimes,justlettingtheproblembouncearoundinyourheadwillleadtoa
differentmoresuccessfulapproachorsolution.Don'tworkwhenyouarereallytireditisbothdangerous
andmostlynonproductive(orpossiblydestructive).
6. Manyproblemshavesimplesolutions.Don'timmediatelyassumethatyourproblemissomecombination
ofesotericcomplexconvolutedfailures.ForaTV,itmayjustbeabadconnectionorfaileddiode.Fora
VCR,itmayjustbeabadbeltoridlertireoranexperimentinrockplacementbyyour3yearold.For
aCDplayer,adirtylensorneedforlubrication.Trytorememberthattheproblemswiththemost
catastrophicimpactonoperationadeadTVoraVCRthateatstapesusuallyhavethesimplest
solutions.Thekindofproblemswewouldliketoavoidatallcostsaretheonesthatareintermittentor
difficulttoreproduce:subtlecolornoise,theoccasionalinterference,orthedreadedhorizontaloutput
transistorblowingoutevery3monthssyndrome.
7. Wheneverpossible,trytosubstituteaworkingunit.Withmodularsystemslikecomponentstereosand
computers,narrowingdownaproblemtoasingleunitshouldbethefirstpriority.Thisisusuallysafetodo
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insuchcasesandwillquicklyidentifywhichunitneedswork.Thissameprincipleappliesattheelectronic
ormechanicalpartslevel.Notethatthereisthepossibilityofdamagingtheknowngoodpartbyputtingit
intoanonworkingdeviceorviceversa.Thisriskismostlikelywiththepowercircuitryinamplifiers,TVs
andmonitors,powersupplies,etc.Withappropriateprecautions(liketheserieslightbulb)theriskcanbe
minimized.
8. Don'tblindlytrustyourinstruments.Ifyourgetreadingsthatdon'tmakesense,youmaybeusingyour
equipmentinawaywhichisconfusingit.DMMsarenotgoodatcheckingsemiconductorsincircuitor
thepowertransistoryouaretestingmayhaveabuiltindamperdiodeand/orbaseresistor.Yourscope
maybepickingupinterferencewhichisswampingthelowlevelsignalyouaresearchingfor(TVsand
Monitors,orlowlevelcircuitsinVCRsandCDplayers).Yourfrequencycountermaybedouble
triggeringduetonoiseorimperfectsignalshape.
9. Realizethatcoincidencesdohappenbutarerelativelyrare.Usually,thereisacommoncause.For
example,ifaTVhasnoverticaldeflectionandnopicture,itismuchmorelikelythatacommonpower
supplyoutputhasfailedthanforpartsinboththedeflectionandvideosubsystemstobebad.Inother
words,firstlookforacommonrootcauseratherthantryingtolocatebadpartsinseparatecircuits.
Exceptionsincludelightning,powersurge,dropped,water,orpreviousrepairpersondamaged
equipment.However,multipleelectrolyticcapacitorsinolderequipmentmaybedegradingresultingin
failuresofunrelatedcircuits.Determineifalltheproblemsyouaretroubleshootinghavejustappeared
seebelow.Itisverycommontobegivenadevicetorepairwhichhasnowdiedtotallybutpriortothis
hadsomebehaviorwhichyouconsidermarginalbutthatwasnotnoticedbytheowner.
10. Confirmtheproblembeforedivingintotherepair.Itisamazinghowmanycomplaintsturnouttobe
impossibletoreproduceoraresimplecockpiterror.Italsomakessensetoidentifyexactlywhatisandis
notworkingsothatyouwillknowwhethersomefaultthatjustappearedwasactuallyapreexisting
problemorwascausedbyyourpoking.Trytogetasmuchinformationaspossibleabouttheproblem
fromtheowner.Ifyouaretheowner,trytoreconstructtheexactsequenceofeventsthatledtothe
failure.Forexample,didtheTVjustnotworkwhenturnedonorweretheresomepreliminarysymptoms
likeajitteryorsquishedpicturepriortototalfailure?Didtheproblemcomeandgobeforefinallystaying
badforgood?
11. Getusedtotheideaofworkingwithoutaschematic.WhileserviceinfoforTVsisnearlyalwaysavailable
intheformofSams'Photofacts,thisishardlyevertrueofothertypesofequipment.SamsVCRfactsexist
forlessthan10percentofVCRmodelsandonlytheolderonesincludeanythingbeyond(obvious)
mechanicalinformation.Whileaservicemanualmaybeavailablefromthemanufacturerofyourequipment
oranotherSamslikesource,itmaynotincludetheinformationyoureallyneed.Furthermore,theremay
benowaytojustifythecostforaonetimerepair.Withabasicunderstandingofhowtheequipment
works,manyproblemscanbedealtwithwithoutaschematic.Noteveryonebutquiteafew.
12. Wheneverworkingonprecisionequipment,makecopiousnotesanddiagrams.Youwillbeeternally
gratefulwhenthetimecomestoreassembletheunit.Mostconnectorsarekeyedagainstincorrect
insertionorinterchangeofcables,butnotalways.Apparentlyidenticalscrewsmaybeofdifferinglengths
orhaveslightlydifferentthreadtypes.Littlepartsmayfitinmorethanoneplaceororientation.Etc.Etc.
13. Pillbottles,filmcanisters,andplasticicecubetrayscomeinhandyforsortingandstoringscrewsand
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othersmallpartsafterdisassembly.Thisisparticularlytrueifyouhaverepairsonmultiplepiecesof
equipmentunderwaysimultaneously.
14. Selectaworkareawhichiswideopen,welllighted,andwheredroppedpartscanbelocatednotona
deeppileshagrug.Thebestlocationwillalsoberelativelydustfreeandallowyoutosuspendyour
troubleshootingtoeatorsleeporthinkwithouthavingtopileeverythingintoacardboardboxforstorage.
15. UnderstandtheriskofESDElectroStaticDischarge.Somecomponents(likeICs)insolidstate
electronicdevicesarevulnerabletoESD.Thereisnoneedtogooverboardbuttakingreasonable
precautionssuchasgettingintothehabitoftouchinga**safe**groundpointfirst.
WARNING:evenwithanisolationtransformer,alivechassisshould**not**beconsideredasafe
groundpoint.ThisappliesmostlytoTVs,computerandvideomonitors,someACoperatedstrobelights,
andotherlineconnecteddevices.Youshouldn'tbetouchingcomponentswiththedevicepoweredand
pluggedin(atleast,notuntilyoureallyknowwhatyouaredoing!).Onceunplugged,sheetmetalshields
orothergroundpointsshouldbesafeandeffective.
SomeQuickTipsorRulesofThumb
Problemsthatareerraticorintermittentthatcomeandgosuddenlyarealmostalwaysduetobad
connectionscoldsolderjointsorinternalorexternalconnectorsthatneedtobecleanedandreseated.It
isamazingwhatalargepercentageofcommonproblemsfallintothecategory.
Payparticularattentiontoareasofthecircuitboardwheretherearelargeand/orhighpowercomponents,
connectors,orevidenceofdiscolorationoractualcharringduetoexcessiveheat.Youreyeballs,abright
light,andmagnifierwillbethemostusefultestequipmentforthispurpose!
Problemsthatchangegraduallyusuallytheydecreaseordisappearastheequipmentwarmsupare
oftenduetodriedupelectrolyticcapacitors.
Whilecapacitorswilloccasionallyleakmakingdiagnosiseasy,inmostcases,therearenoobvioussignsof
failure.(Note:Don'tbemisledintothinkingthattheadhesiveoftenusedtoanchorlargecapacitorsand
othercomponentstothecircuitboardisleakage.)Themostusefultestingdeviceforelectrolyticcapacitors
isanESRmeter.However,heatingsuspectcapswithahairdryermaygettheequipmentgoingforthe
purposesofmakingadiagnosis.Seethedocument:CapacitorTesting,SafeDischargingandOther
RelatedInformation.
Problemsthatresultinatotallydeadunitoraffectmultiplefunctionsaregenerallypowersupplyrelated.
Theseareusuallyeasytofix.
CommonfailureitemsarethelargehybridpowerregulatorICsusedinmanyVCRsandTVs,diodesand
transistors,andremarkablyhighvalueresistorsthatopenup.
Catastrophicfailuresoftenresultinburnt,scorched,cracked,exploded,ormeltedcomponents,orsimilar
catastrophicconsequences.However,somecomponentsrunhotbydesignandslightdiscolorationonthe
circuitboardintheirvicinity,whilenotdesirable,maybenormal.
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Useyoursensesofsightandsmellforthepreliminarysearchforsuchevidence.
Listenforsignsofarcingorcoronasnappingorsizzlingsounds.Acomponentonthebrinkoffailingdue
tooverheatingmayprovidesimilaraudibleclues.
SomedischargesoundsarenormalforaTVormonitorwhenpoweredonoroffandoccasionalsounds
ofthermalexpansionarenothingtoworryabout.Theflyback,yoke,orother(usually)magnetic
componentmayalsoemitabuzzorwhileconstantlyorintermittentlywithoutanyothersymptomsor
implicationofimpendingdoom.However,repeatedloudsnapsorasizzlingsoundsaccompaniedbythe
smellofozoneshouldbedealtwithimmediatelysincetheycanleadtomoreseriousandexpensive
consequences.
MostVCRproblemsaremechanicalinnature.Wornordeterioratedrubberparts,gummedup
lubrication,orabuse(badtapesortoyorpenutbutterandjellysandwichstorage.).
ForanyproblembutatotallydeadVCR,acheckshouldbemadefordirtyorwornmechanicalparts
beforeeventhinkingaboutelectronicproblemsortryingtolocateaschematicespeciallyiftheunithasn't
beencleanedinafewyears.
ManyCDplayerproblemsaremechanicaldirtylens,wornoroilydrawerbelts,dirt/gummedupgrease
onsledtracks/gears,bad/partiallyshortedspindleorsledmotor.Powerproblemswithportablesseemto
becommonaswell.Nomatterwhatthesymptoms,alwaysmakeitahabittocleanthelensfirstmany
peculiarfailuremodesaresimplyduetoadirtylens.Actuallaserfailureisrelativelyuncommondespite
whatthetypicalserviceshopmayclaim.CDplayersarealsoremarkablyrobust.Opticalalignmentshould
neverbeneededundernormalconditionsofoperation.
TVandmonitorproblemsareveryoftenpowersupplyordeflectionrelated.Thesetendtohaveobvious
causesblownposistor,rectifierdiodes,filtercapacitor,HOT,orchopper.Flybackwithshorted
windingsorshortsbetweenwindingsorinthevoltagemultiplier(ifused)orscreen/focusdividernetwork
arealsocommon.WheretheHOTorchopperisinvolved,operationshouldbeobservedaftertherepair
ascomponentsinthevicinitymaycausethenewpartstofail.HOTsshouldgenerallynotrunhot.Ifthey
do,checkforweakdrive,excessB+,etc.
Microwaveovenproblemsarealmostalwayspowerrelated.Faultycomponentsinthemicrowave
generatormagnetron,HVdiode,HVcapacitor,HVtransformerarerelativelyeasytoidentify.
Sometimes,componentsontheprimarysidecancausebafflingsymptomslikethemisalignedinterlock
switchesthatblowfusesortheweaktriacthatcausestheoventoblowthemainfuseonlywhenthecycle
*ends*.Controlproblemsmaybeduetoaspillinthetouchpad,driedupelectrolyticcapacitorsinthelow
voltagepowersupply,orfailureconfusedstateduetoapowersurge.
Inkjetprintersareextremelyreliableelectrically.Lookforsimpleproblemssuchascakedinkinthe
'servicestation'area,misalignedprintheadcontacts,oranearlyemptycartridgewhenerraticprinting
problemsdevelop.
Laserprinterstendtodevelopproblemsinthefuser,scanner,orpowercontrolmodules.Theseareoften
simplelikeaburnedoutlamp,badmotor,orbadconnections.
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Turntablesorrecordchangerproblemsareverylikelytobeduetogummedupgrease.
ProblemswithaudiotapedeckslikeVCRsaremostlymechanical.Similarsolutionsapply.Whereone
channelisout,suspectabrokenwireatthetapeheadbeforeabadchip.
Telephonelineconnectedequipmentlikemodemsandphonesaresusceptibletophonelikesurges.
Whereadeviceseemstorespondtousercommandsbutdoesnotdialorpickup,suspectablownpart
nearthephonelineconnector.
Sam'sMagicSpit(tm).ThisapproachusingamoistenedfingertoprobeLOWVOLTAGECIRCUITS
hascometotherescuemanytimes.Touchingvariouspartsofacircuitfromthesoldersideoftheboardin
anattempttoevokesomesortofresponsecanworkwonders.Onceansuspectareahasbeenidentified,
useametalprobeornailtonarrowitdowntoaspecificpin.
Thereasonthisworksisthatthereducedresistanceofyourmoistskinandyourbodycapacitancewill
changethesignalshapeand/orintroducesomeslightsignalofitsown.
Logiccircuitsmarginaltimingorsignallevelswillresultinadramaticchangeinbehaviorwitha
slight'body'load.Ithasbeenpossibletolocatearaceconditionorglitchysignalona305pinPGA
chipusingthisapproachinlesstimethanitwouldhavetakentorollthelogicanalyzerovertothe
systemundertest.Signalswhichhaveproperlevelsandtimingaregnerallyremarkablyimmuneto
thissortoftorture.
Analogcircuitsbehaviorcanagainbealtered.Inthecaseofaudioamps,probingwithafingeris
justaseffectiveastheuseofasignalinjectorwhichiswhatyouaredoingandtheequipmentis
alwayshandy.Byevokinghum,buzz,clicks,andpops,locatingtheliveordeadpartsofacircuitis
rapidandeffective.
Unknowncircuitswherenoschematicsareavailable,itmaybepossibletogetthedevicetodo
somethingorlocateanareathatissensitivetoprobing.Thefunctionofasectionofcircuitrycan
oftenbeidentifiedbyobservingtheeffectsoftouchingthecomponentsinthatarea.
Forexample,Iwasabletoquicklyidentifythetriggertransistorofinawirelessdoorbellbyusing
myfingertolocatethepointthatcausedthechimestosound.Thisquicklyconfirmedthatthe
problemwasintheRFfrontendordecoderandnottheaudiocircuitry.
Badbypasscapacitorstouchingthepower/signalsideofagoodbypasscapshouldresultinlittle
ornoeffect.However,acapwithhighESRand/orreduceduFwillnotbedoingitsjobbypassing
thepickupfromyourfingertogroundtherewillbeadramaticeffectinaudioorvideosystems.
Don'tgetcarriedawaytoomuchmoisturemayhaveunforeseenconsequences.
Dependingontheconditionofyourskin,atinglemaybefeltevenonlowvoltagecircuitsundertheright
conditions.However,thisisprettysafeformostbatteryoperateddevices,TTL/CMOSlogic,audio
equipment(nothighpoweramps),CDplayers,VCRs(notswitchingpowersupply),etc.
WARNING:MakesureyoudothisonlywithLOWVOLTAGEcircuitry.Youcaneasilyfryyourselfif
youattempttotroubleshootyourTV,computermonitor,photoflash,ormicrowaveoveninthismanner!
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OnLineTechTipsDatabases
AnumberoforganizationshavecompileddatabasescoveringthousandsofcommonproblemswithVCRs,TVs,
computermonitors,andotherelectronicequipment.Mostchargefortheirinformationbutafew,accessiblevia
theInternet,areeitherfreeorhaveaveryminimalmonthlyorpercasefee.Inothercases,alimitedbutstill
usefulsubsetoftheforfeedatabaseisfreelyavailable.
Atechtipsdatabaseisacollectionofproblemsandsolutionsaccumulatedbytheorganizationprovidingthe
informationorothersourcesbasedonactualrepairexperiencesandcasehistories.Sincetheidenticalfailures
oftenoccuratsomepointinalargepercentageofagivenmodelorproductline,checkingoutatechtips
databasemayquicklyidentifyyourproblemandsolution.
Inthatcase,youcangreatlysimplifyyourtroubleshootingoratleastconfirmadiagnosisbeforeorderingparts.
Myonlyreservationwithrespecttotechtipsdatabasesingeneralthishasnothingtodowithanyonein
particularisthatsymptomscansometimesbedeceivingandasolutionthatworksinoneinstancemaynotapply
toyourspecificproblem.Therefore,anunderstandingofthehowsandwhysoftheequipmentalongwithsome
goodoldfashionedtestingishighlydesirabletominimizetheriskofreplacingpartsthatturnoutnottobebad.
Theotherdisadvantageatleastfromonepointofviewisthatyoudonotlearnmuchbyjustfollowinga
proceduredevelopedbyothers.Thereisnoexplanationofhowtheoriginaldiagnosiswasdeterminedorwhat
mayhavecausedthefailureinthefirstplace.Noristherelikelytobeanylistofothercomponentsthatmayhave
beenaffectedbyoverstressandmayfailinthefuture.ReplacingQ701andC725maygetyourequipmentgoing
againbutthiswillnothelpyoutorepairadifferentmodelinthefuture.
OnealternativetotechtipsdatabasesistosearchviaGoogleGroups(formerlyDeja.com/Dejanews)for
postingswithkeywordsmatchingyourmodelandproblemandthenewsgroupsci.electronics.repair.Seethe
section:SearchingforInformationfromUSENETNewsgroups.
Pleaseseethedocument:OnLineTechTipsDatabasesforthemostuptodatecompilationoftheseresources
forTVs,VCRs,computermonitors,andotherconsumerelectronicequipment.
GettingInsideConsumerElectronicEquipment
Note:thedocumentsonspecificequipmenthasadditional'gettinginside'infoaswell.
Yes,youwillvoidthewarranty,butyouknewthisalready.
Hint:Thecrowbarand12poundhammerare*laset*resorts!Really:).
Manufacturersseemtotakegreatprideinbeingverymysteriousastohowtoopentheirequipment.Notalways,
butthisistoocommontojustbeacoincidence.Openingtheequipmentnondestructivelymaybethemost
difficultandchallengingpartofmanyrepairs!
Avarietyoftechniquesareusedtosecurethecoversonconsumerelectronicequipment:
1. Screws.Yes,manystillusethissomewhatantiquatedtechnique.Sometimes,thereareevenembossed
arrowsonthecaseindicatingwhichscrewsneedtoberemovedtogetattheguts.Inadditiontoobvious
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screwholes,theremaybesomethatareonlyaccessiblewhenabatteryorcassettecompartmentis
openedoratrimpanelispoppedoff.
ThesewilloftenbeofthePhilipsvariety.(Strictlyspeaking,manyofthesearenotactualPhilipshead
screwsbutaslightvariation.Nonetheless,aPhilipsscrewdriverofsuitablesizewillworkonthem.)A
precisionjeweler'sscrewdriversetincludingminiaturePhilipsheaddriversisamustforrepairofminiature
portabledevices.
Sometimes,youwillfindTorxoravarietyofsecuritytypefasteners.Suitabledriverbitsareavailable.
Sometimes,youcanimproviseusingregulartools.InthecaseofsecurityTorx,thecenterpostcanusually
bebrokenoffwithapairofneedlenosepliersallowinganormalTorxdrivertobeused.Inapinch,a
suitablesizehexwrenchcansubstituteforaTorxdriver.PlaceslikeMCMElectronicscarryavarietyof
securitybits.
2. Hiddenscrews.Thesewillrequirepryingupaplugorpeelingoffadecorativedecal.Itwillbeobvious
thatyouweretinkeringitisvirtuallyimpossibletoputadecalbackinanundetectableway.Sometimes
therubberfeetcanbepryedoutrevealingscrewholes.Forastickonlabel,rubbingyourfingeroverit
maypermityoutolocateahiddenscrewhole.Justpuncturethelabeltoaccessthescrewasthismaybe
lessmessythenattemptingtopeelitoff.
3. Snaps.Lookaroundtheseambetweenthetwohalves.Youmay(ifyouarelucky)seepointsatwhich
gently(orforcibly)pressingwithascrewdriverwillunlockthecovers.Sometimes,justgoingaroundthe
seamwithabutterknifewillpopthecoveratonelocationwhichwillthenrevealthelocationsoftheother
snaps.
4. Glue.Ormorelikely,theplasticisfusedtogether.ThisisparticularlycommonwithACadapters(wall
warts).Inthiscase,Iusuallycarefullygoaroundtheseamwithahacksawbladetakingextremecarenot
togothroughanddamageinternalcomponents.Reassemblewithplasticelectricaltape.
5. Itisn'tdesignedforrepair.Don'tlaugh.Ifeelwewillseemoreandmoreofthisinourdisposablesociety.
SomedevicesaretotallypottedinEpoxyandarethrowaways.Withothers,theonlywaytoopenthem
nondestructivelyisfromtheinside.
Don'tforceanythingunlessyouaresurethereisnoalternativemostofthetime,onceyoudeterminethemethod
offastening,coverswillcomeaparteasilyIftheygethungup,theremaybeanundetectedscreworsnapstillin
place.
Themostannoying(tobepolite)situationiswhenafterremovingthe18screwsholdingthecasetogether(losing
3ofthementirelyandmanglingtheheadson2others),removingthreesubassemblies,andtwoothercircuit
boards,youfindthattheadjustmentyouwantedwasaccessiblethroughaholeinthecasejustbypartially
peelingbackarubberhandgrip!Beenthere,donethat.:(
Andonthestilllighterside,fromanIBMmaintenancemanual,circa1925(displayedintheChicagoMuseumof
Science&Industry):
"Allpartsshouldgotogetherwithoutforcing.Youmustrememberthatallthepartsyouare
reassemblingweredisassembledbyyou.Therefore,ifyoucan'tgetthemtogetheragain,theremust
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beareason.Byallmeans,donotuseahammer."
Whenreassemblingtheequipmentmakesuretoroutecablesandotherwiringsuchthattheywillnotgetpinched
orsnaggedandpossiblybrokenorhavetheirinsulationnickedorpiercedandthattheywillnotgetcaughtin
movingparts.Replaceanycabletiesthatwerecutorremovedduringdisassemblyandaddadditionalonesof
yourownifneeded.Someelectricaltapemaysometimescomeinhandytoprovideinsulationinsuranceaswell.
ForthosehardtoopenLCDpanels:
(From:OnatAhmet(onat@turbine.kuee.kyotou.ac.jp))
TheLCDdisplayhousingsareusuallysecuredbyplasticcatchesbuiltintothecase.Theystillmayhaveacouple
ofscrewsthatarepositionedinthemostinnovativeplaces!Obviousplacesaresidesofthedisplay,andunder
stickers(rubyourfingeroverastickerandseeifyoucanfeeltheholeforascrew).Also,trytolookaroundthe
hingeconnectingtheLCDtothemainhousing.LookwiththeLCDclosed,andalsoopenrotatingopenthe
housingmighthidesomescrewsfromview.Expectittobeawkward!BTW,donotforgetsmallhatches,thatdo
notlooklikeone!
Afterthat,itispatience,andknowingtherightplacetotwistthecasetopopitopen.Trynottouse
screwdriverstheyleaveunsightlymarksalongtheseam.
Also,ifitisyourownunit,andyoubreakafewofthecatchesalongtheway,donotworryyoucanputthe
housingbacktogetherwithafewspotsofadhesive.
HowtoBuildObsolescenceInBeforetheNameGoesOn
Thefollowingwouldbelongmoreinthehumordepartmentifitweren'tforthefactthatmuchofitistrueby
accidentordesignwithmodernappliancesandelectronics!However,memorizingthislistwillgoalongway
towardhelpingtounderstandwhythepieceof!@#$issuchapaintorepair!Idon'tbelievewearedivulgingany
secretsherethemanufacturersalreadyhavethislistintheir"CorporateOperationsManual".:)
Theseareinnoparticularorder.
(PortionsfromvariouspeopleincludingAlanLiefting,HeathYoung,CraigOsborn,PhilAllison,FrancZabkar,
RayChandos,andSam.)
1. Placemetalshieldsaroundthepowersupplieswithoutholesforaircirculation.Thiswillensurepower
supplycapacitorswilldryoutandmakethepowersupplyfailprematurely.Andmakesurenottousehigh
temperaturecapacitors.KeepingtheelectroshotmakestheESRlowersocheaperoneswilldo.
2. Pushasmanycapacitorsaspossibleintothesidesofheatsinks,powertransistors,regulators,andpower
resistorsanythinghot!
3. Donotbotherwithputtingthermalconductingpastebetweenheatsinkandtransistor.Itonlyoozesand
driesoutanyhow.
4. Donotbothertosoldertheheavycomponentsorjointssubjecttothermalcycling.Touchupselected
connectionsbyhand?Youhavetobejoking.
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5. Thefollowingcomponentscanbeleftoutduringmanufacture:protectionzenerdiodes,VDR's,spark
gaps,decouplingcapacitors,ferritebeadsetc.Ifitworksmostofthetimewithoutthem,theexpensecan't
bejustified.
6. Keepallfactorytestsasshortaspossible.Ifthereisn'tadirtcheapsolutiontoanyproblemsfound,don't
testforthem.
7. Buythecheapestcomponentsfrommanufacturerswhocannotguaranteethelongevityoftheirproduct.It
iseasytohaveaCRTfailwithinthreeyearsbyusingimpurematerials.Thiswillmakethecathodesoxide
andreducetheemissionsgivingadull,hardtoreadpicture.Thecustomerwon'trealizetheirTVor
monitorhasdeterioratedbutwillseenewermodelswithbrightvibrantcolorsandjusthavetobuyone.
8. FitthesocalledheadcleaningdevicetoVCR's.Thiswillensurenumerousservicecallsincreasingthe
customerfrustrationwhichwillleadthemtobuyanewproduct.Thereisoneborneveryminute.
9. DispensewithEMI/RFIcomponentsinthepowersupplies.Aswellasproducingunacceptable
interference,thiswillalsomeanthatthepowersupplyismorepronetodamagefromvoltagespikes.
Theseproblemsarebydefinitiontheresponsibilityofthecustomeranyhowsotheresultwillonlybea
positiveeffectonthebottomline.
10. Usethesofterplasticsratherthanthemorewearresistantphenolicforkettlesandtoasters.Thiswill
guaranteetheconsumerwillpurchaseanewproducttoreplacetheshabbyappliance.
11. Makethecoversofheatgeneratingappliancesoutofpaintedinsteadofchromeplatedsheetmetal.The
paintwilldarkenunevenlywithuseresultinginanoldlookingapplianceinneedorreplacement.
12. Donotusespotweldingonyourheatingelements.Spotweldingmakesareliableconnection.Crimped
connectionswillfailwithinashortperiod.Thisisgood(forthemanufacturer)sincesparepartsarenot
available.Theconsumerwillhavetobuyanewproductandhavebeenconditionedtonotexpect
appliancestoberepairable.Peopleliketobuynewthingsanyhow.
13. InstallanApplianceLeakageCircuitInterrupter(ALCI)onthecordoftheappliance.Thisisaonetime
useGFCI(orwhatIcallaGFCKGroundFaultCircuitKiller).Whenconstructedwithsuitablycheap
parts,it,ratherthantheappliancewillfailbutthecustomerwillbeinformedthattheymusthavegottenthe
appliancewet.
14. Usethecheapercarbonfilmresistorsinsteadofthemorereliablemetalfilmresistorwithbettervoltage
ratings.Whatthecustomerscan'tseewon'tbotherthem.
15. Fastenheavy(orjustrandom)partstothePCBwiththatwhite/beigegluethatdecaysafterawhileto
brownandconductivecausingallsortsofnastyproblems.
16. Useadesignstylewhichwillrapidlylookdated.Thisisanotherployinordertohavetheconsumer
purchasethelateststyleregardlessofwhethertheitemisworkingornot.Peopleareslavestofashion
andtheyloveslaves.
17. Reducethenumberofserviceagenciesandthenumberofproductstheserviceagencieswillrepairfor
you.Thiswillincreasethesaleofnewproductsbyfrustratingtheconsumerseffortsinordertohavetheir
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itemrepaired.
18. Fitfastblowfusesinsidesealeddoubleinsulatedappliancesthatwillfailfrommetalfatigue.(Whydidthey
dothis???itwassealedwithheatshrinkontooneofthewires?!)
19. Manufactureequipmentasacollectionofmodulesexample.Opticstrainincertainmodelsofprojectors
insteadofreplacingjustahotmirror($15orso)youhavetoreplacethelot!(AllopticsandLCDscreen
etcasamodule)Now,trygettingthepoorservicemantoexplainwhytheprojectorthatcostthecustomer
$5,000costs$3,000tofix.
20. Encourageconsumerstopurchasethecheapestitemssowhensomeonedoesmakeagoodproduct,no
onewillbuyit,andthecompanywillgooutofbusiness.
21. Makeyoursparepartsveryexpensiveordonotbotherwithhavingsparepartsavailable.
22. Whentheprototypehasbeenbuiltandworkingcorrectly,startremovingcomponentsuntilitfailstowork
properly.Thenmanufactureitwiththeminimumpartsrequiredtomakeitwork.Inmidproductionrun,
changeselectedoverdesignedcomponentstotheirborderlineequivalents.
23. Ifagovernmentregulatingagencyforcesamajorrecallduetoaseverefirehazard,closethecurrentbrand
name,andstartanewbrandwitharedesignedoutsideshellthatemulatesanergonomiclookbutwiththe
sameinternalsasbefore.Addwordslike"New,Improved,Upgraded,andLeadingEdge"tothenew
marketingslogan.
24. Don'tmakeservicemanualsorcircuitdiagramsavailable.Ifyoudo,ensurethatonlyyourserviceagents
getone,orpricethemsohighlythatthejobbecomesuneconomical.Thinkofitthisway:Insteadofbuying
theequipmentwhichwastheusualwayofdoingbusinessinthepast,thepurchasepriceisnowactually
onlyarentalfeeforthedurationofthewarranty.Afterthat,themanufacturermayletthesmokeoutatany
timewithoutnoticeandthusthereisnoreasontosupportrepairs.:)
25. Don'tidentifyyourselfasthemanufacturer.HidebehindyourOEMresellerswhoofcoursewillhaveno
facilitiestorepairanythingexceptbytotalreplacement.
26. ScrapethenumbersoffyourIC's,orhavethemstampedwithobscureinhousepartnumbers.Youdon't
wanttomakerepairstooeasyfortheenduserorforathirdpartyrepairerwhowouldotherwisebeable
tosourcethese$1gardenvarietypartsfromanyelectronicsstore.
27. Don'tstockpartsthatcouldreasonablybeexpectedtofailorwearoutlikebatterycontacts,flexPCBs,
remotecontrolkeypads,curlycords.Ifyoumustsupplythem,thendosoaspartofacomplete,
uneconomicallypricedassembly.
28. Useflimsynonstandard(andhenceunavailable)connectorsforattachingexpensiveproprietaryAC
adaptors,chargers,andaccessories.
29. Useexpensivesealedunitswhichcannotbeopenedforservicewithoutbeingdamaged,andwhichare
poweredbyaninexpensiveinternalbattery.
30. Haveasinglesolidwirebetweencircuitboardsandanythingthatmoves,e.g.socketsatthebackof
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VCRs,oralmostanypartofaremotecontrol,especiallythebatteryconnection.Thismeansthatthe
solderedconnectionwillgiveup.
31. Haveflimsyhingedflapsonaremotecontrolthatbreakafterashorttime.
32. Onaremotecontrol,haverowsandrowsofidenticalbuttonsthathavefunctionsthatarealmostnever
needed.Alsoomitfunctionsthatwouldbeveryhandy.
33. MakesurethecoaxtothetuneroftheVCRorTVhasnopropermechanicalanchoragetothechassisso
ittakeslittlemorethanthehousecattotriponthecableandyanktheactiveinnardsfromthetuner.
34. Makesurealllargemetalcomponents(particularlytheaudioin/outsocketsattherearofamplifiers)are
onlysolderedtothesamedegreeastheflimsyICpinsjustsolderedsufficientlytopasstheproduction
finaltest.
35. Don'tusefiberreinforcedplasticgearsifyoucanuseplainplastictypes.
36. Neverusekeystolockshaftstoplasticpulleys.
37. Alwaysuseetchedcopperfilmthinribbonboardinterconnectswhereverthereismaximumflexingsuchas
inlaptopscreenhinges.
38. Nevermakerubberdrivebeltsaccessiblebyjustremovalofthebackplate.
39. Useasmanynonstandardcomponentsaspossible.
40. Don'tuse2boardsifyoucanmountcomponentsonbothsidesofoneboard.
41. Alwaysusethesmallestpossiblewattageforaresistor:ifthedissipationis2watts,thenusea2watt
resistor.
42. Takeadvantageofexcitingnewlegislationincreativewaystomakeitillegalforotherstomake
compatibleuserreplacableparts.Nomorethirdpartybatteries,inkjetcartridges,etc.
43. Adduselesscomplexitytoaccessorieslikebatteriesandinkjetcartridgestomakeitmoredifficultforthird
partiestomanufacturereplacements.Includewarningsabouttherisksofusingthirdpartyaccessories.
44. Shortenproductintroductioncyclessothatbythetimetheenduserrequiresarepairtotheitem,it's
alreadyobsolete.
45. Setthecostoftherepairtogreatlyexceedthecostofanewmodelofthesametypeofequipment,which,
youjusthappen(surprisesurprise)tohaveinstockandforsale.
46. Securebatterycompartmentcovers,cassettetapedoors,andotheraccessopeningswithbrittleplastictits
thatreadilybustoffwhenevenlookedataskance,muchlessflexedinnormaloperation.Carefullyplace
thesedelicateplasticprojectionssothat,whenbroken,theythereafterrendertheentireproductunusable.
Besuretheyemanatefromthemaincoverorchassisoftheunit,renderingitinfeasibletoreplaceincase
anyonedoestrytoreplaceit,pricethemaincoverjustundertheretailpriceofawholenewproduct.Also
becertaintodesignthesetitsthinandbrittleenoughtobustoffafterthefirstorseconduse,andfroma
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typeofplasticthatisincompatiblewithallavailableplasticcements,incaseanyonetriestorepairthem.
Tools,TestEquipment,andOtherStuff
HandTools
Investingoodtools.Ifyouareintogaragesales,youcanoftenpickupexcellentwellmaintainedtoolsvery
inexpensivelybutbeselectivethereisalotofjunkoutthere.Intheend,substandardtoolswillslowyoudown
andproveextremelyfrustratingtouse.Keepyourtoolshealthylearntouseawetstoneorgrindingwheel
whereappropriate(screwdrivers,drillbits,etc.)andputalightfilmofoil(e.g.,WD40)onsteeltoolstoprevent
rust.
Somebasichandtools.
Screwdriversofalltypesandsizesincludingstraight,Philips,Torx.Securitybitsforsomevideogames,
PS2s,etc.NotchedstraightbladeforVCRmechanicaltrackingadjustmentmakeorbuy.
Jewelersscrewdriversbothstraightandphilips.Thesearegenerallyinexpensivebutqualityisalsoquite
variable.
Smallsocketdriverset.
Hexkeywrenchesorhexdrivers.MiniaturemetricsizesforVCRs.
Plierslongnose,roundnose,curved.Bothsmoothandserratedtypesareuseful.
Adjustablewrench(small).
Cuttersdiagonalandflush.Linesman'spliers.
Wirestrippersfixedandadjustable.Crimptool.
Alignmenttools(atleastastandardRCAtypeforcoils).
Filessmallsetofassortedtypesincludingflat,round,square,andtriangular.
Dentalpicksmaybeareasontogotothedentist?:)Theseareusefulforpokingandproddingin
restrictedareas(butyouknewthat).
Lockingclampshemostatsforsecuringsmallpartswhilesolderingetc.
MagneticpickuptoolyoucannevertellwhenyouwilldropsomethingdeepinsideaVCR.Ifyoukeepa
strongmagnetstucktoyourworkbench,youcanuseittomagnetizemoststeeltoolssuchas
screwdrivers.Justkeepanythingmagnetizedawayfromthetapepathandmagneticheads.
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Handdrill,electricdrill,drillpressoneorall.Asmallbenchtopdrillpress(e.g.,8")isinvaluableformany
tasks.Agoodsetofhighspeedbits(notthe1000bitsfor$9.95variety).Also,miniaturebitsforPCB
andsmallplasticrepairs.
Solderinganddesolderingequipment.Anentirechapterisdevotedtothistopicwiththename,you
guessedit:"SolderingandDesolderingEquipmentandTechniques".
EmergencyScrewRemoval
Whileagoodqualityselectionofstraight,Philips,Torx,andhexheaddriversshouldhandlemostscrewsfound
inconsumerelectronicequipment,acoupleofothertypesdoturnupandcanreallybeapainintheyouknow
wheretoremoveintact.Seethesection:AboutThoseOtherFunnyHeadedScrews.
Itmaybepossibletoremovesuchscrewsevenifnothinginyourdriverassortmentquitefits(shortofbuyingthe
propertool,thatiswhataconcept!).Thereisalsothesituation(verycommon)wheresomeone(wewon'tsay
who)haspremangledthescrewhead!Hereareafewapproachestotrywhenyouarestuckat2:00AMona
Sundaymorningwithanuncooperativescrew:
1. Selectadrivertype(usuallyPhilips)andsizethatprividesthebestgrip.Thenapplyasmuchpressureasis
safelypossiblewithoutdestroyinganythingandattempttoturnthescrew.Whatyouwanttoavoidis
slippageoncethebladeslips,theheadwillbequicklydestroyedandthenyouareleftwithoptions(2)or
(3),below.Forajeweler'stypescrewdriver,clampingsomethinglargertoitsshaftcanprovidevaluable
additionalleverage.
2. Useahandgrinder(e.g.,Dremeltool)orthinfiletocreateaslotinthescrewheadwhichoneofyour
straightbladescrewdriverswillfit.Obviously,takecaretoavoiddamagetoadjacentpartsanddamoff
theareatopreventgrindingchipsfromgettingovereverything.
3. Grabthecenterandedgeofthescrewwithapairofsharpdiagonalcuttersandturnit.This,ofcourse,
alsodamagesthescrewheadandifyouaretooforceful,willbreakyourcuttersaswell.
4. Drilloutthescrewusingabitjustlargeenoughtosevertheheadfromtheshankofthescrew.Then,usea
pairofneedlenoseplierstounscrewwhatremains.Forlargescrews,drillonlypartwayandthenusea
screwextractorlikeEasyOut(tm).
5. Supergluethescrewdriverorsomeothersuitabletooltowhat'sleftofthescrew.Waittillithardensand
turn.
6. Therearealsoproductsavailableforthepurposeofimprovingthegripofscrewdrivers.Forexample:
ScrewGrab.
7. Forscrewsintoplasticholdingmetalcovers,removeallotherscrewssothecovercanbeusedtopullon
thescrewandheatthescrewwithasolderingiron.Withcare,itwillmeltitswayoutbuttheplasticwill
solidifytoasmallerholethatcanbeusedtoinstallanewscrew.Wherethecoverisalsoplastic,itmay
meltfirstsoprobablynotagoodidea.
Note:someofthesescrewshavehadsomemateriallikeLockTight(tm)(whichlookslikecolorednailpolish)
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appliedtothetoptopreventthescrewfromlooseningonitsown.Thisalsopreventsthebladeofascrewdriver
fromproperlyseating,soremovalisessentialbeforeattemptingremoval.
PlasticScrewThreadRepair
Whereascrewnolongertightensintoathreadedplastichole,hereareafewsuggestions:
1. Installalargerscrewinoriginalwornhole.:)Forrepairswheretheappearanceisn'timportant,thismaybe
thebestsolution.
2. Useasolderingironfromthehiddensideto"adjust"thehole.Doingthiswiththescrewinplacewillresult
inproperthreadsbeingpreformed.
3. Filltheholewithamixtureofthesametypeofpowderedplasticandsolventorothersimilarmaterial.
Whendry,drillapilotholeandtheninstalltheoriginalscrew.
4. Glueametalnuttotheundersideofplasticanduseamachinescrew.
Therearemanyotherpossibilities.
Toavoidthisprobleminthefuture,realizethatplasticisverysoftanditisessentialtogentlystartthescrewinto
theholetogetafeelforitproperlymatingwiththeexistingthreads.Theuseofanundersizedscrewdrivertoget
thescrewstartedmaybehelpfulinthatitwon'taccidentallyapplytoomuchtorqueandstripthethreads.
Somethingthatislessobviousisthatscrewsforplasticareoftenmadewithawidethreadandanarrowthread
woundthatalternate,sortoflikeadeformedhunkofDNA.:)Withthese,thereisonlyoneproperwayforthem
tomatewithanexistingholeandforcingthemisaskingforstrippedthreadsandafinestrandofplasticbeing
pulledoutalongwiththeloosescrew.
AboutThoseOtherFunnyHeadedScrews
(From:TonyDuell(ard@p850ug1.demon.co.uk).)
AswellasPhillips,therearePozidrivandJIS:
Pozidrivscrewscanberecognizedbythe'starburst'thelittlelinesontheheadbetweenthemainslots.
Theseareverycommon(certainlyinEurope)inallsortsofequipment.
TherearealsoJIS(JapaneseIndustryStandard)heads.These_look_justlikePhilips,butthe
screwdriverisalittleflatterontheend.NotsurprisinglythesedoturnupinJapanesestuff.
APhilipsscrewdriverwon'tevenappeartofitaPozidrivhead.ItwillappeartofitaJIShead,butitwillalso
damageitifit'satalltight.JISscrewdriversarenoteasytoget,either.IthinkIhaveasmallsetmadebyAcu
Min(?).
It'snotuncommonforall3tobeusedinthesameequipment,especiallyifsubassembliesweremadebydifferent
companies.
(From:RobertMcPherson(rm502@bellsouth.net).)
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Thereisatypeofscrewdrivercalleda"Reed&Prince"whichfitsthesescrewswhicharesimilarinappearance
toPhillipsscrews.Coopertoolsmakesthem.
WorkbenchandACPower
Perhapsthisisn'tasimmediatelyessentialasapairofwirestrippersbutforanyseriouselectronicsbeit
constructionorrepairsomededicatedplacetodoitisessential.Itdoesn'tneedtobea$2,000professionally
designed"workunit".Anylargesturdyflatsurfacewillsufficeaslongasitdoesn'tneedtobeclearedofffor
meals.:)
Asizeof3x6feetshouldbeadequate,longerisbetterifyouhavethespace.Workbenchheightistypically36
inches.Makesurethelegsaresturdyandrigidsomeequipmentcanbequiteheavy.Getyourselfacomfortable
stooltositonforthosemarathontroubleshootingsessions.
Thesurfacecanbelaminate,particleboard,plywood,butcherblock,orsomeotherinsulator.Itshouldn'thavea
dramaticpatternthoughsincesmallpartswillbehardtofind.Woodproductsshouldhavemultiplecoatsof
varnishorpolyurethane.Usingacheapmaterialthatcanbereplacedwillenablethesurfacetoberejuvenated
afteritgetspittedandburntasitinvariablywillafterawhile.Anantistaticsurfaceisdesirablebutprobably
expensivetoputontheentireworkbenchsojustgetanantistaticmattforusewhenneeded.(Anantistatic
surfaceisn'tquiteaperfectinsulatorbuthasjustenoughconductivitytominimizethebuildupofstaticelectricity,
essentialforanyworkwithdeviceslikeCMOSICsandlaserdiodesthatcanbedestroyedbyevenasmall
staticdischarge.)
Installashelforshelvesalongthebackthatareabouthalfthedepthoftheworkbenchsurfacetoholdsmaller
piecesoftestequipment,powersupplies,partscabinets,andotheroddsandends.Addashelforshelves
underneathforstorage.
InstallACoutletsalongtherearedge,verticallysodebriscan'tfallintotheholes.Howmany?Themorethe
merriertheywillallgetfillednomatterhowmanyarethere!Ataminimum,oneevery6inchesoraduplex
everyfoot,doublethiswon'thurt.Powertheworkbenchfromtwobranchcircuitsfedfromoppositesidesofthe
1150115VAC(intheU.S.A.)Considerincludingatleastone230VACoutlet(intheU.S.A.).Providing
someoutletsthatareswitchedwithpowerindicatorlampsandprotectedbyfusesorcircuitbreakers.Most
outlets,particularlythoseusedtopluginequipmentbeingworkedon,shouldbeGFCI(GroundFaultCircuit
Interrupter)protectedforsafety.Butafewclearlymarked"NOTGFCIPROTECTED"shouldbeavailable
forequipmentthatwillnotfunctionreliablyonaGFCIwiththeunderstandingthattheselacksuchprotection.
MosttestequipmentandpowersupplieswithproperlywiredgroundedpowercordsdonotneedtobeGFCI
protectedbutwon'tcomplainiftheyare.However,someequipmentmaynuisancetrip(immediatelyorat
random)GFCIseveniffunctioningproperly.
Thetotalcostcanbewellunder$100forallofthisevenifthematerialsandpartsarepurchasednew.With
somereasonablescroungingabilities,itcanbealotless.
BasicTestEquipment
Obviously,youcanloaduponexotictestequipment.Whatfollowsarethosethataremostused.Youmightat
firstnotconsiderallofthesetofitthecategoryoftestequipmentbutanoldTVcanprovideasmuchormore
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usefulinformationaboutavideosignalthanafancywaveformanalyzerinmanycases.And,basicreliableeasy
tousetestequipmentismoreimportantthansophisticatedinstrumentationladenwithfeaturesyouwillnever
need.
DMMand/orVOM.Iprefertohaveboth.AgoodoldSimpson260isbetterinmanywaysthanacheap
digitalmultimeter.Formostmeasurements,Istillusea25yearoldLafayette(rememberthem?)VOM.I
onlygofortheDMMwhenIneedtomeasurereallylowohmsorwherebetteraccuracyisneeded
(thoughthiscanbedeceptivejustbecauseaDMMhas31/2digitsdoesnotmeanitisthataccurate
checkyoumanual,itmayproveenlightening).TheSimpson260alsohasanice5,000VAC/DCrange,
whichmostotherslack.
(From:DeanHuster.)
"TheSimpson260,nowsellingastheSeries8,atonetimedidhavea5,000voltrange(as
didtheTriplett630andtheKnightKitversionoftheseVOMs).However,theSeries5,
discontinuedin1974,wasthelastofthe260stohavea5,000voltrange.Safety
considerationsformultimetersingeneralcausedmosthighendVOMmanufacturerstodrop
to1,000voltsfortheirhighendrange.ThatwasaproblematTektronix,whereIworked,
wherewehadtochangeovertousingFlukeDMMswiththeircumbersomeHVprobefor
measurementsintheHVcircuitryofoscilloscopes."
Afancyexpensivemultimeterisnotneeded,atleastnotwhileyouarejuststartingout(andlikelytomake
someoccasionalmistakeslikeattemptingtomeasurelinevoltageontheohmsscale.)However,if
someoneofferstogiveyouaniceFlukeDMM,don'tturnitdown:).
Scalesfortransistor,capacitor,frequencycounter,etc.arenotreallyessential.Adiodetestfunctionona
DMMisneeded,however,toproperlybiassemiconductorjunctions.Eventhisisnotusefulforincircuit
testsorforsomepowertransistorsortransistorswithbuiltindamperdiodesand/orbaseresistors.
Makesureyouhaveagoodwellinsulatedsetoftestprobes.Thisisforyourownsafetyasyoumaybe
measuringrelativelyhighvoltages.Periodicallyinspectfordamageandrepairorreplaceasneeded.Ifthe
onesthatcamewithyourmultimeteraresubstandardflimsyconnectorsorverythininsulation,replace
themaswell.
AhighimpedancehighvoltageprobeissometimesusefulforTVsandmonitors.Youcanbuildoneof
thesewhichwillsufficeformostconsumerelectronicswork.
ACclamponammeter.Thispermitsthemeasurementofcurrentsinappliancesorelectricalwiringwithout
havingtocutanywires.Atmost,youwillneedaneasilyconstructedadaptertopermitaccesstoasingle
conductorofalinecord.Thismaybeanoptionforyourmultimeter.
Oscilloscopedualtrace,10to20MHzminimumverticalbandwidth,delayedsweepdesirablebutnot
essential.Agoodsetofproper10x/1xprobes.Highverticalbandwidthisdesirablebutmostconsumer
electronicsworkcanbedonewitha10MHzscope.Ifyougetintohighspeeddigitaldebugging,thatis
anotherstory100MHzandupwillberequired.Ifmoneyisnoobject,getagooddigitalstoragescope
withafancycolordisplay.:)However,evenifyouhave$30,000tospend,allocatesomeofitforahigh
qualityanalogscopeaswell.Thengainexperienceinusingbothtypes.Theadvantageofadigitalscopeis
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thatitgenerallyhavemuchmoremeasurementandcalculationcapability,sometypeofvariable
persistenceandstorage,canshowthefastestlowrepetitionorsingleshotsignals,ANDaregenerallyvery
lightinweight!!!:)Afterluggingaroundancient"portable"scopes,theimportantofthatlastbenefitcannot
beoveremphasized!However,theinherentnatureofdigitalsamplingmeanstheusermustbeawareofthe
potentialfornonsenseonthescreenduetoaliasing,thetracesmaynotbeverysmoothduetothepixel
resolutionofthescreen,andthedigitizationprocessinsulatestheuserfromthesignaltosomeextentso
someaspectsofitmaybelostforever.
ThereisanexcellentpresentationonscopefundamentalsanduseatScopeJunctionOriginsofScopes:
EvolutionofaMasterpiece.Watchthevideo"NJARCOscilloscopeSchoola.k.a."ScopesforDo...".
Someofitisannoyingbasicforanyonewhousesscopesroutinely,buteventheywillprobablypickup
somescopeusetidbits.Therearealsoinexpensivedigitalscopesbutbecarefulbecausethereissome
truthinthesaying"yougetwhatyoupayfor".OtherdigitalscopesconnecttoPCsviaUSB,PCI,orPC
card,butunlessyouareintoPCcontrolledinstrumentationorrequirerecordingcapability,astandalone
scopeismuchmoreuseful.
eBay(andotherauctions)cansometimesbeasourceofgoodusedTekandotherscopesatreasonable
pricesthoughsometimesthebidpricegoeswaybeyondwhatisreasonable.:)Asearchfor"oscilloscope"
willtypicallyturnupseveralhundredhits.However,tohaveanyconfidenceintheoperationalconditionof
ascope,thesellermustbereputableandknowsomethingabouttestingthem.Awarrantymaybeof
limitedvaluesinceamajorpartofthecostofausedscopeislikelytobetheshippingandyou'dendup
havingtopaythatbothways.ForTektronixscopes(morebelow),checkoutPhil'sTekScopePriceson
eBayListaswellascatalogpagesofsurplustestequipmentdealers.AWebsearch(e.g.,Google)will
usuallyturnupenoughsitesforanyspecificmodeltoprovidebothspecificationsandtypicalpricesfrom
surplusequipmentdealers(whichareusuallyhigh!).
Myinstantchecklistforausedscope:
Bright,sharptrace,noscreenburns,shortwarmuptime.
Verticalamp(s)operationalonallranges.
Horizontaltimebase(s)operationalonallranges.
Stabletriggeringatlowandhighendoffrequencyrange.
Switchesandcontrolsreasonablynoisefree(mayneedcleaningthough).
Decentcosmeticcondition,allknobsandbuttonspresent,nosignsofmajortrauma.
IwouldrecommendagoodusedTektronix(Tek)orHewlettPackard(HP)scopeoveranewanalog
scopeofalmostanyotherbrand.(TekandHPhavenotmadeanalogscopesinmanyyears.)Youwill
usuallygetmorescopeforyourmoneyandthesethingslastalmostforever.Untilrecently,my'good'
scopewasthemilitarizedversion(AN/USM281A)oftheHP180labscope.Ithasadualchannel50
MHzverticalpluginandadelayedsweephorizontalplugin.Isawthesegoingforunder$300fromsurplus
outfitswhenIboughtitfor$50atagaragesalemanyyearsago.Nowforevenlessmoney,youcangeta
Tek465or465B(slightlynewerbutmostlysimilarspecifications)100Mhzscope(typically$100to
$200oneBayasof2012)whichiswhatIusemostlynow.TheHP180isstillfinebutIcouldn'tpassup
areallygooddeal.:)TheTek465/Borothersimilarmodelwillsufficeforallbutthemostdemanding
(read:RForhighspeeddigital)repairs.(SeetheadditionalcommentsbelowontheTek465aswell.)
Frommyexperiencewiththisscopemanyyearsagoandnowaswell,Ireallydoagreewithsomewho
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saythatthe465/BwasthebestscopeTektronixeverdesigned.Theproblemisthatthesearenow
showingtheirageasfarasreliabilityisconcerned.Almostforeverisalongtime,butnotperhapsquiteas
longastrulyforever!.:)Ontheotherhand,completeservicemanualsareavailableforfreeonlineand
partsunitsarereadilyavailablefornexttonothingoneBay.Whatbetterleaarningtooltohoneyour
diagnosticandtroubleshootingskillsthantorepairanoscilloscope!
I'verecentlyacquiredaTek2467,whichisprobablynearlythebestallaroundanalogscopeevermade
wherehighspeedsignalsneedtobedisplayed.While*only*ratedforabandwidthof350MHz,itcan
easilytriggeronanddisplaysignalsat700MHzorevensomewhathigher.Thereisalsoa2467Bwitha
400MHzbandwidth,whichisprobablyoflittlesignificanceunlessyou'regoingforthefastestscopeon
yourblockbraggingrights.:)ThespecialimageintensifyingMicroChannelPlate(MCP)BrightEye
CRTinthe2467and2467Benablestransienteventstobedisplayedclearlywhichwouldbetotally
invisiblewithnormalCRTs.Asof2012,thesescopesaregoingforaslittleas$400oneBay.(TheTek
2465Aand2465Baresimilartothe2467and2467B,respectively,butwithouttheMCPCRTandthere
isalsoa2465withabandwidthof300MHz.)However,onebenefitofthe2465/A/Bsisthattheyhavea
slightlylargerscreenthanthe2467/B.SomehavecalledtheTek2465/2467seriesthe"kingsofanalog
scopes".
Youdon'tabsolutelyneedanoscilloscopewhenyouarejuststartingoutinelectronicsbutitwouldhelpa
greatdeal.Itneednotbeafancyoneatfirstespeciallyifyouarenotsureifelectronicsisforyou.
However,beingabletoseewhatisgoingoncanmakeallthedifferenceinyourearlyunderstandingof
muchofwhatisbeingdiscussedinthetextbooksandthenewsgroups.Youcanprobablyfindsomething
usedthatwillgetyouthroughacoupleofyearsforlessthan$100.Anoldiebutgoodieismuchbetter
thannothingatallevenifitisn'tdualchannelorhighbandwidth!
Andanoteaboutdigitalversusanalogscopes:Analogscopesarewhatweusedtothinkofasan
oscilloscope:TheCRTistheplacewherethewaveformisgenerated.DigitalscopesuseafastA/D
convertertocapturedatainmemoryintheformof1sand0sandthendisplaythisonarasterscanCRT
(likeacomputermonitorscreen).Digitalscopesareautomaticallystoragescopesandaregreatfor
analyzingwaveforms.However,mostolderdigitalscopesarereallypooratrealtimedisplayandin
addition,appeartohavebeendesignedbycomputerprogrammers,nottestequipmentengineers.Evertry
toplayamenudrivenpiano?:)Forgeneralelectronicsandtroubleshooting,I'dratherhavea20yearold
Tekanalogscopethana5yearolddigitalscopecosting25timesasmuch.Theinherentrealtime
presentationofananalogscopecanbeinvaluablewhenattemptingtoobservethesubtlecharacteristicsof
awaveform.Thosewhogothroughschoolneverhavingtouchedatrueanalogscopehavemissedouton
agreatexperience.
Logicprobeforquickchecksofdigitalcircuitryforactivity.Alogicpulsarcanbeusedtoforcea
momentary1or0.Somepeopleswearbythese.Iconsiderthemofmarginalvalueatbest.
TVset(colorisdesirable)and/orvideomonitorfortestingofvideoequipmentlikeVCRs,camcorders,
laserdiscplayers,etc.IhaveanoldCGAmonitorwhichincludesanNTSCinputaswell.
AgreatdealofinformationcanbegatheredmorequicklybyexaminingthepictureonaTVormonitor
thancanbelearnedfromthevideowaveformondisplayedonascope.
VCRorothervideosignalsourcefortestingofvideomonitorsandTVs.ThesewillhavebothRF(F
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connector)andbaseband(RCAjacks)outputs.
Stereotunerorotheraudiosignalsourcefortestingofaudioequipment.
Audiosignalgenerator.Afunctiongenerator(sine,square,triangle)isniceaswell.Theusualaudio
generatorwilloutputfromafewHztoabout1MHz.
Audioampconnectedtoaloudspeaker.Theinputshouldbeselectablebetweenlinelevelandmiclevel
andbebroughtoutthroughashieldedcabletoatestprobeandgroundclip.Thisisusefulfortracingan
audiocircuittodeterminewhereasignalisgettinglost.
Signalinjector.Areadilyaccessibleportablesourceofatesttoneorothersignal(dependingon
application)thatcanbeintroducedintotheintermediateorearlystagesofamultistageelectronicsystem.
Foraudio,asimpletransistoror555timerbasedbatterypoweredoscillatorcanbebuiltintoahandheld
probe.Similar(butgenerallymorespecialized)devicescanbeconstructedforRForvideotesting.
RFsignalgenerator.Forseriousdebuggingofradioandtunerfrontends.Thesecangetquite
sophisticated(andexpensive)withvariousmodulation/sweepfunctions.Formostwork,such
extravaganceisunnecessary.
LCRmeteracapacitortesterisdesirablebutIprefertosubstituteaknowngoodcapacitorratherthan
trustingameterwhichwillnottestunderthesameconditionsasexistincircuit.
Adjustablepowersupplies.Atleastoneoftheseshouldboofthetotallyindestructablevarietyoneyou
canaccidentallyshortoutwithoutfearofdamage.Mineisasimple1amp040Vtransformerand
rectifier/filtercapaffairwithalittleVariacforadjustment.
Thefollowingbookhasanumberofsimpletestequipmentprojectsyoucanbuildwithreadilyavailable
parts:
TestEquipmentProjectsYouCanBuild
DeltonT.Horn
TabBooks,adivisionofMcGrawHill,Inc.,1992
BlueRidgeSummit,PA17214
ISBN0830641548(hardcover),0830641556(paperback)
Jerry'sCommentsonUsedScopesandtheTek465
(From:JerryGreenberg(jerryg50@hotmail.com).)
Ifyouarebuyingaused465,lookforthe465B.Itisabetterunit,andisthesamepricemostofthetime.Take
carethatthisscopeisabout20yearsold,andthereisnosupportfromTekonit.Thereplacementpartsarenot
availableifsomethingblows.Iusedtohaveafewofthem.OneneededaCRT,andtheotherIsoldwhileitwas
stillworking.Forconsumerelectronics,youwillgetbywitha100MHzunit,butitispreferabletohaveover
200MHzbandwidthifyouwanttodofrontendserviceonconsumerFMradioreceivers.ReaduponNyquist
andyouwillseetheanswer.
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IfyoualsocallTektronixtechnicalservices,tellthemthatyouarelookingforausedTekscopetobeusedfor
hobbypurposes.Theywillbeveryhelpfulingivingyouanyinformationyourequire.Theywillevenrecommend
modelsandwhattolookfor.Ifyoutalktotheirsalespeople,theywillsometimesevengiveyoutheirauthorized
dealerswhohandleusedTekequipmentsothatyoucanshoparound.
Ifyougoabitmoreforyourusedscopeyoucangeta200or300MHzunitthatisanewerversionofananalog
scope.Itwillhaveimprovementsoverthe465series.Lookatthe2000analogseriesscopes.Thesehavealot
ofenhancementslikeonthescreendisplay.Thiswillbeveryhandyforprecisework.Whenbuyinganytypeof
scope,IwouldstressthattheTektronixisthebest.Ifyoufindagoodworkingusedone,youwillhaveavery
highqualityproduct,anditshouldgiveyouyearsofservice.Mostoftheanalogscopethattheymadeincludethe
TVsyncoptions.
Evenifyoubuyausedone,andthepartsarenotavailable,itpaysthentobuyasecondusedoneandyouwill
havespareparts.Thesescopesusedtocostinthemanythousandsofdollarswhennew,andyouareprobably
payingbetweeneighthundredtofifteenhundredforausedone(somewhatcheapernow,evenfromsurplus
companies.Sam).Thesescopeswillbefarsuperiortoeventheneweronesfromtheconsumerlevelscopes.
In1978Ibelievemycompanypaidover$8,000forthe465Bscopenew.AnewChevyfullyloadedwasless!
RepairingTectronix400SeriesScopes
Asnotedabove,theTektronix465and465B100MHzscopesareamongTek'sbestevermade,andvery
desirableandaffordablefortroubleshootingandgeneralelectronicswork.TheTek485isanice350MHz
scope.Therearemanyother400SeriesTekscopes,almostanyofwhichwouldmakeafineservicescope.
However,theyareshowingtheiragedatingfromthe'70stotheearly'80sandmanyareappearingwithpower
supplyproblemsatevenmoreaffordableprices.:(:)WhileTekcustompartsarenolongeravailableforthese
scopes(andyoucouldn'taffordthemanyhow!),manypowersupplyproblemswhichoftenresultinatotally
deadscope(butmayalsojustcausespecificsectionslikethetimebasetobenonfunctional),canberepaired
withreadilyavailablepartsatlittlecost.AndevenifitturnsouttobeoneofthecustomICsorother
components,cheappartsscopesareavailableoneBayandelsewhere.
Themostlikelycausesofatotallydeadscope,oronewithmultiplesystemproblems,areshortedtantalum
"dipped"capacitorsdraggingdownoneormorepowersupplyrails.Apparently,Tekusedabatchofunreliable
capsonthesomeofthe400Seriesscopes.Whilealuminumelectrolyticsusuallyjustdryoutwithdecreased
capacitanceandincreasedESR,thesedippedtantalumsgoshortcircuit.Fortunately,thedesignoftheswitching
powersuppliesinthesescopesissuchthatthecontrollershutsdownfromaseriousoverloadorshortratherthan
lettingitssmokeout.Iftheoverloadisononlyonevoltagerailandnotsevere(e.g.,througharesistor),onlythat
voltagemaybeloworabsentresultinginlossoffunctionalityorthesupplymaycycleonandoff,butnotatotally
deadscope.
So,thefirststepis(WITHPOWEROFF)tochecktheresistanceofeachvoltagetestpointtogroundwitha
multimeter.Whiletheexpectedresistancesmaynotbeknownexceptfromaservicemanual(ifthat),anything
verylow(e.g.,10ohms)issuspect.HerearetypicalvaluesmeasuredonaTek485usingaFluke87DMM
withtheblackleadonground:+50V,2.1Kohms+15V,89ohms+5V,70ohms5V,222ohms15V,
152ohms.Theresistancefor+5Vchangessignificantlydependingonfrontpanelsettingsandwhich
incandescentindicatorlampsshouldbelitandmaygobelow35ohms.Onthisscope,the15Vrailoriginally
measuredabout10ohmsduetoabadcap.Whereoneoftheseisfound,attempttodeterminethelocationof
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theshorttoaspecificcircuitboard.Then,tracethewiringonthatboardtolocatethepossiblebadcaps.Agood
DMMormilliohmmetercanhelptotrackdownthecapsincePCBfoilresistanceishighenoughtobemeasured
andtheresistancetogroundwillbelowestatthelocationatthebadcap.Atthispoint,unsolderingoneleadof
eachcapandcheckingitsresistanceisthesafestapproach.Withcare,thiscanbedonefromthecomponentside
oftheboardwhichisfortunatesinceremovingsomeoftheselargePCBscanbearoyalpain.Heattheleadwith
asolderingironandpullitfree.Then,useavacuumdesolderingtool("SoldaPullet")toclearthehole.Checkthe
resistanceofthecapand/oracrossthesupplyrailtodetermineifyoufoundthecorrectone.Thebadcap
mentionedabovewasfoundinabout5minutesinthismanner.Therearetypicallyonlyafewofthesecapson
eachboardbutit'spossibleforthebadonetobeonaboardthatisn'teasilyaccessible.Itmaybeeveneasieras
sometimesthebadcapwillhavesplitopenandthusbeobviouslybad.I'vealsoheardofcaseswherethecap
explodedandtheonlythingleftwereitslegs!(Thescopemayevenhaveworkedfineatthatpointwiththeshort
removed!)
However,anylowvalueresistorsbetweenthepowersupplyrailandshortedcapmaybecomequitetoasty,
burnt,andcarbonized,alsoresultinginaverynoticeablestink.:)AndthecarbonmayevenshorttoaPCBviaif
thereisoneunderneathit.:(:)IhadthishappenonthesameTek485afewyearslater,whereitalsotookouta
2N2222transistornearby.Buteventhoughtheresistor'ssurfacewasburnttocrispycarbon,whencleanedoff,
theresistancewasstillcorrect.(However,Ididreplaceit.)
Wheretheseapproachesdon'twork,orforthelazybutdaringamongus,thealternativeistoapplyvoltagefrom
anexternaladjustablecurrentlimitedsupplytothebadpowerrail.Ifthebadpartisn'taperfectshortcircuit,it
willdissipateheatandletitssmokeoutorexplode(oraoneofthoseseriesresistorsmaydosoinstead).Wear
safetyglasses!Ifthisdoesn'thappen,itmayactuallybepossibletopowerupthescopewiththeexternalvoltage
appliedtodeterminefunctionality.Ineithercase,Iwon'tberesponsibleforanydestroyedequipmentshouldthis
bedone.
SoYouCan'tAfforda$20,000TransientEventRecorder?
Youknowthesituationanintermittentthathappensonceanhourfor1/2second!Inindustry,youwouldusea
fancylogicanalyzerwithassociateddigitalscopetocapturetheevent.
However,theremaybenoneedforsuchextravagance.Ifyouhaveanoscilloscopeandcamcorderorvideo
camera/VCR,youprobablyhaveallthatisneeded.
ForaTVormonitor,pointthecameraattheCRTandthescopescreensothattheyarebothinthepictureand
recordona6hourtape.Then,whenyoureventtakesplace,youhaveapermanentrecord!
Thatoldvideocamerawillbeperfectlyadequate.Itdoesn'tneeda100Xdigitallystabilizedenhanced
reprocessedzoomor1/10,000thsecondshutter.Itdoesn'tevenneedtobecolor!
Sure,thiswon'tcapturethe1nsglitch.But,fortheoccasionalflashinthepicture,itismorethanadequateto
eliminateavideosignallineasthesourceoftheproblem.
Extensionstomoreconvolutedproblemsareleftasanexerciseforthestudent!
TransformersIsolationandVariable
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Isolationtransformersare*essential*tosafelyworkonmanytypesofequipmentwithexposedACline
connectionsorlivechassis.Variabletransformersprovideaconvenientwaytocontroltheinputvoltageto
equipmenttodeterminewhetherafaultstillexistsortoevaluateperformanceatloworhighlinevoltage.
IsolationTransformers
Anisolationtransformerisveryimportantforsafelywhenworkingonlivechassisequipment.Makeitahabitto
useanisolationtransformerwheneverpossible.PortionsofTVs,monitors,switchmodepowersupplies,and
manyothertypesofequipmentaregenerallyfedfromadirectconnectiontotheAClinewithoutapower
transformer(whichwouldprovidetheisolationfunction).TheDCpowerrailswilltypicallybebetween150and
300Vwithmomentarycurrentavailabilityofmultipleamps!
SinceEarthGroundandtheNeutralofthepowerlineareconnectedtogetheratyourservicepanel(fuseor
circuitbreakerbox),groundslikecoldwaterpipes,testequipmentchassis,andevenadampconcretefloor
makesuitablereturnsforthelinevoltage(Hotorlivewire).Sincethisisjustastruewiththeconductorbeing
beingawireoryourbody,suchasituationisverydangerous.
Anisolationtransformerasitsnameimpliesprovidesabarriersuchthataccidentalcontactwithanearthground
resultsinnegligiblecurrentflow(onlyduetotheparasiticcapacitanceandinductanceofthetransformer)a
slighttingleatworst.Thisalsoprotectsyourtestequipmentaswellasthedeviceyouaretroubleshootingsincea
similaraccidentalcontactcanresultinashortcircuit,sparks,smoke,andmanydestroyedparts.
Theschematicforatypicalisolationtransformerisshownbelow:
_1:1
Ho/_++o115V
PowerFuse)||(
Switch)||+o105V
)||(
)||(
Primary)||(Secondary
Tiedtogetherat)||(
servicepanel)||(
|)||(
|)||(
+>No++|++oReturn
||4.7M*||
|+/\/\|+
||
+>Go+oGround
Note:Groundisincludedonthesecondaryside.Thisisactuallyneededforsafetywithcertaintypesof
equipmentlikemicrowaveovenswheretheHVreturnistothechassis.Mostotherconsumerelectronic
equipmentandapplianceswillonlyhavea2wirecordandthusnotusetheGround.However,apotentialsafety
hazardcanariseifsomeotherpieceofequipmentdevelopsagroundfaultresultinginalive,nonisolatedpart
beinguseraccessiblesothismustbetakenintoconsiderationindecidingwhethertogroundthesecondaryside.
Whereyouroutletsareonly2prongwithoutsafetyGround,anisolationtransformerwillstillprovidemostofthe
benefits,andiftheequipmentbeingtestedhasa2prongplugaswithmostconsumerelectronicsitis
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irrelevantanyhowexceptforthegroundingofthetransformeritself.
Thehighvalueresistor(*)isdesirabletopermitanystaticchargetoleakofftoground.Sinceitisquitelarge2
Mohmsnoperceptiblecurrentwillflowbetweenthesecondaryandprimarysidesbutthisvalueislowenough
todissipateanystaticcharge.CAUTION:Theresistormustbeahighvoltageratedtype(asin4,200V
isolation,largesizelightbluecolortoassurethatarcoverwillnotresultduetovoltagedifferencesthatmaybe
presentwhentheisolationtransformerisbeingusedinitsnormalmanner.
AlthoughthepowerlineNeutralandGroundwiresaretiedtogetheratthemainservicepanel(fuseorcircuit
breakerbox),thetransformerpreventsanysignificantcurrentflowbetweenanyofitsoutputsandearthground
shouldafaultoccur.
Evenifyouwerestandingwithbarefeetinapuddleofsaltwateronaconcretefloor(notingthatthisisdefinitely
NOTrecommended)andweretotouchsomethingconnectedtothesecondaryoftheisolationtransformerorits
return,orequipmentcircuitryattachedtothese,thereisnodirectreturnpathforcurrenttoflowthroughyou.
However,thisshouldn'tencourageafalsesenseofsecurity.Ifyouweretotouchtwopointsatdifferent
potentialsonthesecondaryside,youcouldstillbefried!Andsomeequipmentlikemicrowaveovensusetheir
chassis,andthusground,asthehighvoltagereturnsoanisolationtransformerisoflimitedvalueforthese
whetheritpassesgroundthroughornot.
Isolationtransformerscanbepurchasedorconstructedfromapairofsimilarpowertransformersconnected
backtoback.IbuiltminefromacoupleofoldtubetypeTVpowertransformersmountedonaboardwithan
outletboxincludingafuse.Theirhighvoltagesecondarywindingswereconnectedtogether.Theunusedlow
voltagesecondarywindingscanbeputinserieswiththeprimaryoroutputwindingstoadjustvoltage.Seethe
section:TypicalHomemadeIsolationTransformer.
Forsupercriticalapplicationslikeinhospitalswhereeverymicroampofleakagecounts,specialisolation
transformersareavailable(nodoubtatequallysupercost)whichhaveshieldingbetweentheprimaryand
secondarytominimizetheinterwindingcapacitanceandinductanceaswell.Thisshouldnotreallybenecessary
forgeneralservicing.
Note:Notalldefinitionsoftheterm'isolationtransformer'arecreatedequal!Forsomepurposes,thismaymean
justpreventinglinebornelectricalnoisefrompassingtotheequipment.So,ifyouacquiresomethingcalledan
'isolationtransformer'onitsnameplate,confirmthattheprimaryandsecondaryareindeednottiedtogetherbya
lowresistance.Iftheyare,itcanprobablybemodifiedforserviceneedsbydisconnectingajumperbutitmay
nothavetheinsulationratingsdesirableforhighvoltageisolation.
(From:Filip"I'llbuyavowel"Gieszczykiewicz(filipg@repairfaq.org).)
EverwonderhowthoseguysrepairHVtransformersrunning200kVwithoutshuttingoffthepowerlinesfeeding
thecity?Theyuse*verywellisolated*cherrypickers!TheguyonthatplatformisworkingonONEwirewhich
sincehe'snotconnectedtothegroundisatZEROpotential!Thatwirehasnoreferenceatallsonocurrent
flows.Andheprayseachmorningthatitstaysthatwayorhegoesoffwithaflash![ugh!].
You'redoingsomethinglikethatonamuchsaferlevel.:)
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TypicalHomemadeIsolationTransformer
Theschematicforahomemadeisolationtransformerapairofbacktobackpowertransformersfromancient
tubetypeTVsisshownbelow:
+o109V
|
|+o121V
||
|++
||||
||+oNC||++|||
||(||)|||
||(||6.3V)|||
||+oNC|++|||
_||(|)|||
Ho/_+||(|6.3V)||++o115V
PowerFuse)||+oNC++||(
Switch)||++||(
115V)||()||(115V
)||()||(
)||(350V350V)||(
No++||()||++oReturn
|||+oNCNCo+|||
|||()|||
|||()|||
|||(350V350V)|||
|||()|||
||++||
|Pri1|Sec1Sec2|Pri2|
Go++oGround
|Transformer12M*Transformer2|
+/\/\+
Notethatthereshouldbeafuseintheprimarytoprotectagainstfaultsinthetransformeraswellastheload.A
slowblowtypeshouldbeusedintheprimarycircuit.Theinrushcurrentofthetransformerwilldependonthe
partofthecyclewhentheswitchisclosed(worstisactuallynearthezerocrossing)aswellasthesecondary
load.Toprotecttheload,afastblowtypeinthesecondaryisrecommended.However,theinrushcurrentofthe
degausscoilsinTVsetsandmonitors,forexample,willoftenpopanormalorfastblowfusewhennoactual
problemsexist.(Itisprobablyagoodideatodisconnectthedegausscoilswhiletestingunlesstheyaresuspected
ofbeingthesourceoftheproblem.)
Thehighvalueresistor(*)istobleedawayanystaticchargeasdescribedabove.
Thepower/VAratingsofthetransformersyouuseneedtobegreaterthanyourexpectedload.And,sincesome
equipmentlikeTVsandcomputermonitorsdrawalotofcurrentatpoweron(fromthedegausscircuit),the
isolationtransformerwilllimitthepeakcurrentandmaycauseproblemsduringstartup(thoughoverall,thelimited
currentmaypreventsometypesofdisasters!).Inanycase,don'texpectapairof6.3VAC,1Atransformers
wiredbacktobacktobeusefulfortestingmuchofanything!
Whereyouroutletsonlyhave2prongs(withoutsafetyGround),leaveouttheG>Groundconnectionand
DON'Ttiethetransformercases/framestogether.Iftheequipmentbeingtestedhasa2prongplug,it'sirrelevant
anyhowexceptforthegroundingofthetransformeritself.Withtwoseparatetransformers,therewouldhaveto
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beafaultinbothtoresultinasafetyhazardaverylowprobabilityevent.
Alsoseethesection:IsolationTransformersfromDeadMicrowaveOvens.
(From:DavidMoisan(dmoisan@shore.net).)
It'snotashardasyouthinktofindinexpensiveisolationtransformers.Atthenexthamfest,lookforsomeone
sellingdeadUPS's(UninterruptiblePowerSources)orotherpowerconditioningequipment.Isolation
transformersareoftensoldforuseinthecomputerindustrythat'showIgotmine.250VAfor$20,andIcould
havegotten1000VAfor$50ifIwanted.Definitelyincreasesmysafety*and*confidencelevel!
IsolationTransformersfromDeadMicrowaveOvens
Thehighvoltagetransformersfromdeadmicrowaveovens(failuresarerarelyduetothetransformers)canalso
beused.Theseareprobablymucheasiertolocate(tryyourlocalappliancerepairshopordump)andwillhavea
nicehighcapacityusually5to10Aormore.
However,notethatmicrowaveoventransformersareusuallydesignedwithaslittlecopperaspossibleinthe
primarywindinganddogointocoresaturationatnormallinevoltagewithnoload.Forexample,measurements
usingaclamponACammeterofatransformerfromamidsizemicrowaveovenshows:
InputVACInputAmps
80.3
90.6
1001.1
1102.0
1153.0
120>4.0
At115VACinput,that'sabout350VAprobablycloseto350Wwithnothingconnectedtoitssecondaries!
Italsohadaverynoticeablehumaboveabout100VAC.
Thus,thissortofapproachisn'trecommendedunlessyoureallyneedthehighcapacitytestingofother
microwaveovensorionlaserpowersupplies,forexample!
ApairofthesetrnasformerscanbeconnectedinasimilarmannertothetubetypeTVpowertransformers
describedinthesection:TypicalHomemadeIsolationTransformer,thereareafewmorethingstokeepinmind:
ThesetransformersareDANGEROUS.Theirhighvoltageoutputisbetween1,500and3,000VRMSat
AMPSaninstantlydeadlycombination.Therefore,thoroughlyinsulatetheconnectionsbetweentheHV
secondaries.
ThehighvoltagereturnsareconnectedtothecoressothesemustbetiedtogetherANDtoearthground
forsafety.
Thesetransformersmaynotberatedforcontinuousdutyoperation.So,theyshouldprobablynotbeleft
pluggedinwhennotinuse.
Themorelimitedcapacityofasmallisolationtransformercansometimesprotectyoufromyourself
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preventingtheburnoutofahorizontaloutputtransistorduetoexcessiveloadorcarelessness.Youwill
havenosuchguardianlookingoveryourshoulderwithamicrowaveovenmonster!
Abetterwaytousetheseistotaketheprimary(lowvoltage)windingsfromtwosimilartransformersandmount
themonasinglecore.Then,thereisnohighvoltagetoworryabout,theunitismorecompactandlighterin
weight,andtheperformanceisbetter(lessvoltagedroopathighloads).Ofcourse,disassemblingthecoresmay
proveinterestingespeciallyiftheywereoriginallywelded!
HowSafeisaHomemadeIsolationTransformer?
Somepeoplewillclaimthatbecauseitishomemadefromsalvagedparts,it*cannot*beassafeasacommercial
unit.
KeepinmindthatIamnottalkingaboutusingsomethingthathasbeenrustingawayinadampbasementfor20
years.ThepowertransformersfromtubetypeTVsoraudioamplifiersmusthavebeendesignedwithisolation
requirementsinmindtoobtainregulatoryapprovalinthefirstplacesincetheyareusedinequipmentwherethe
usermaycomeincontactwithmetalparts.
Also,theuseofanisolationtransformerisnoexcusetoignoretheotheraspectsofsafetroubleshooting.
ItiseasytotestforACandDCleakageandthisshouldbedonetobesurethatyourtransformersarein
goodcondition.Withtwotransformers,theprobabilityofafailureisevensmaller1/(P*P).Personally,Iwould
trustthehomemadetransformeroveracheapimportanyday!
VariableAutotransformers
Avariableautotransformer(Variacisthetradenameofonepopularbrand)enabletheACinputtoanappliance
orpieceofelectronicequipmenttobeeasilyvariedfrom0tofull(orgreaterthanfull)linevoltage.Yourfirst
Variacdoesn'tneedtobelargea2Aunitmountedwithaswitch,outletandfusewillsufficeformosttasks.
However,a5amporlargerVariacisdesirable.Ifyouwillbetroubleshooting220VACequipmentintheUS,
thereareVariacsthatwilloutput0to240VACfroma115VACline.WARNING:AVariacisNOTan
isolationtransformer!
TheinternalwiringofatypicalVariacisshownbelow:
_1
Ho_/>o+Tap1:0to115VAC
Fuse1Power2)||
(Input)Switcho+||Tap2:0to140VAC
)||
)||_
Tiedtogetherat)<_oAdjustableoutput
servicepanelPower)||Fuse2
|220LED)||(Output)
|+/\/\|>||>|+||
||)||
+>No++|oReturn
||
+>Go+oGround
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WARNING:DirectconnectionbetweeninputandoutputnoisolationsincethepowerlineNeutralandGround
aretiedtogetheratthemainservicepanel(fuseorcircuitbreakerbox)!
CAUTION:KeepanylargetransformerofthistypewellawayfromyourmonitororTV.Themagneticfieldit
producesmaycausethepicturetowiggleorthecolorstobecomemessedupandyoutothinkthereisan
additionalproblem!
Note:the'PowerLED'circuitissoldereddirectlytoawindinglocationdeterminedtoproduceabout6VAC.
Sam'sRule#61453:YourlaborshopcanneverhavetoomanyVariacs!
Sam'sRule#61454:IfyouonlyhaveasingleVariac,itshouldbeLARGE!
WiringaVariableAutotransformer
Typicalvariableautotransformers(e.g.,Variacs)maybewiredsothateitherclockwiseorcounterclockwise
shaftrotationincreasestheoutputandforeither0to115VACor0to140VACfroma115VACline(0to
230VACor0to280VACforunitsdesignedtooperateona230VACline).TherearealsosomeVariacsthat
canproduce0to280VACfroma115VAClinewiththeproperwiring(buttheymusthavebeendesignedfor
this!).Intermediatetapsonthewindingprovidetheseoptions.TheonefortheLED,Iaddmyself.:)
Wiringisstraightforwardifyouhaveacquiredabareunit(thefollowingassumesa115VACline,theextension
to230VACshouldbeobvious):
Decideontheoutputvoltagerangeanddirectionofrotation(clockwiseshouldalwaysbeusedtoincrease
outputasfarastheuserisconcernedbutdependingonmounting,actualdirectionoftheshaftwithrespect
tothebodyoftheunitmaybeeitherway):
For0to115VACoutput,HotandNeutralgobetweentheendsofthewindingwithNeutralatthe
terminalwherethewiperwillbewhenyouwanttheoutputtobe0VACTheoutputgoesbetween
Neutralandthewiper.
For0to140VACoutput,Hotismovedtothetapabout20percentawayfromtheterminalwhere
thewiperwillbewhentheoutputisat140VACTheoutputgoesbetweenNeutralandthewiper
asabove.
Forsome(mostlysmall)Variacsthatdonothaveintermediatetaps,itmaystillbepossibletoadda
taptopermit140VACoperation.However,thiswillreducethenumberofturnsontheprimary
andcouldleadtooverheatingfromcoresaturationifthedesignismarginal.Mostoftheseare
overdesignedandthisshouldn'tbeanissue.But,nonetheless,ifyoutrythis,monitorthe
temperatureoftheunloadedVariacfor,say,anhourtomakesureitdoesn'tgetexcessivelyhot.
Includeaprimarysidepowerswitchandpoweronindicatorlamp.Intheolddays,aneonlampwouldbe
used(e.g.,NE2Hwitha47Kohmresistor).Nowadays,neonlampsmaybehardtofind.Analternative
assuggestedaboveistoaddatapontheVariacwindingatabout6to10VACanduseanLEDand
currentlimitingresistor.
Providefusesforbothinputandoutput.TheyshouldbethesameratingastheVariac.Thefuseforthe
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inputprotectsagainstprimarysideshorts.TheonefortheoutputprotectstheVariacwindingfrom
excessiveload.Commercialunitsmayonlyhaveonefusebutfusesareinexpensiveandtheadded
protectionwon'thurt.
Useanadequatelyratedgroundedcordsetandmounteverythinginawellinsulatedbox.TheVariacframe
andbox(ifmadeofmetal)shouldbegrounded.
VariableIsolationTransformers
Thisshouldprobablybeyourbasicsetupfortroubleshooting.Youdon'tneedtobuyafancycombinationunit.A
Variaccanbefollowedbyanormalisolationtransformer.(Theoppositeorderalsoworks.Theremaybesome
subtledifferencesinloadcapacity.)
Variac/IsolationTransformerwithCurrentLimiting
Forthewellequippedtroubleshooter,therearealsodevices(Variacsand/orisolationtransformersorcombos)
withadjustable(electronic)currentlimiting.Thisisparticularlyusefultoprotecttheequipmentbeingtestedfrom
excessivecurrentsomewhatliketheserieslightbulbbuteasilysettableforeachparticularsituation.
ConstantVoltageFerrorsonantTransformer
Theseprovideverygoodlinevoltageregulation(typically+/1%outputchangefora+10/20%inputchange)
withoutanyactivecomponents.Theyalsoareveryeffectiveatsuppressinglinenoise,spikes,andharmonics.
SOLAisprobablythemostwidelyknownmanufacturerofthesedevices.AcompleteFAQcanbefoundat
SolaTechnicalSupport.
Notethatwhileisolationmaybeprovided,itisNOTinherentinthistechnology.Sometypesmayuse
autotransformersandthushavenoisolation.
(From:DaveMartindale(davem@cs.ubc.ca).)
Thesimplestversionhasfairlyordinarylookingprimaryandsecondarywindingswoundonthecentrelegofa
shelltypetransformercore.Unlikeanormaltransformer,wheretheprimaryiswoundoverthesecondary(or
viseversa),theprimaryandsecondarywindingsarephysicallyseparated.Magneticshunts(chunksof
transformersteel)areinsertedbetweenthecentreandoutsidelegsofthecoreatapointbetweentheprimary
andsecondarywinding.Thesemagneticshuntsprovideafluxpatharoundtheprimarythatbypassesthe
secondarywinding,producinglotsofleakageinductance.Thisiswhatlimitsthecurrentwhenthesecondaryis
shorted.
Meanwhile,thesecondarywindingisinparallelwithacapacitor,chosentomakethesecondaryresonantat60
Hz.Theresonancedrivestheportionofthecoreinsidethesecondarywindingintosaturation,whichlimitsthe
amplitudeofthesecondaryvoltage.Changesinprimaryvoltagehavealmostnoeffectonsecondaryvoltageover
theregulatingrange.
Now,theaboveisactuallyasimplification.InrealCVtransformers,thesecondaryactuallyhasenoughturnsto
stepupthevoltagebyafactorofseveral,sothecapacitorisoperatingatseveraltimeslinevoltage.Thisallows
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thecapacitortobelowercapacitanceforresonance,whichisphysicallysmallerandcheaperthanwhatyou'd
needat115V.Theactualoutputvoltageisobtainedfromataponthesecondarywherethevoltageis115Vor
so.
Also,thetransformerI'vedescribedsofaroutputsaprettysquarewaveform.That'sgreatfortheinputstageofa
DCpowersupply,butnotforsomeACloads.ThecommercialCVtransformersIseeusea"harmonic
neutralized"designthatgivesanoutputclosertoasinewave.Insteadofonesecondarywinding,therearetwo,
withanotherpairofmagneticshuntsbetweenthetwosecondaries.Thecapacitorisconnectedacrossthetwo
secondarywindingsinseries.Theoutputvoltageistakenfromjustthe"middle"secondarywinding.IntheSola
transformer,there'salsoanairgapinthecentrelegofthecore,attheendwherethe3rdwindingis.Idon't
understandhowtheextrawindingandshuntcancelsomeofthe3rdharmonicoutput,buttheydo.
TheSeriesLightBulbTrick
WhenpoweringupaTV(oranyothermodernelectronicdeviceswithexpensivepowersemiconductors)that
hashadworkdoneonanypowercircuits,itisdesirabletominimizethechanceofblowingyournewlyinstalled
partsshouldtherestillbeafault.Therearetwowaysofdoingthis:useofaVariactobringuptheACline
voltagegraduallyandtheuseofaseriesloadtolimitcurrenttopowersemiconductors.
ActuallyusingaseriesloadalightbulbisjustareadilyavailablecheaploadisbetterthanaVariac(wellboth
mightbebetterstill)sinceitwilllimitcurrentto(hopefully)nondestructivelevels.
Whatyouwanttodoislimitcurrenttothecriticalpartsusuallythehorizontaloutputtransistor(HOT).Mostof
thetimeyouwillgetawaywithputtingitinserieswiththeACline.However,sometimes,puttingalightbulb
directlyintheB+circuitwillbeneededtoprovideadequateprotection.Inthatlocation,itwilllimitthecurrentto
theHOTfromthemainfiltercapacitorsoflineconnectedpowersupplies.Thismayalsoberequiredwithsome
switchmodepowersuppliesastheycanstillsupplyburstsoffull(orexcessive)currentevenifthereisalightbulb
inserieswiththeACline.
Actually,anactualpowerresistorisprobablybetterasitsresistanceisconstantasopposedtoalightbulbwhich
willvaryby1:10fromcoldtohot.Thelightbulb,however,providesanicevisualindicationofthecurrentdrawn
bythecircuitundertest.Forexample:
Fullbrightness:Shortcircuitorextremelyheavyloadafaultprobablyisstillpresent.
Initiallybrightbutthensettlesatreducedbrightness:Filtercapacitorscharge,thenlowercurrentto
restofcircuit.Thisiswhatisexpectedwhentheequipmentisoperatingnormally.Therecouldstillbea
problemwiththepowercircuitsbutitwillprobablynotresultinanimmediatecatastrophicfailure.
Pulsating:powersupplyistryingtocomeupbutshuttingdownduetoovercurrentorovervoltage
condition.Thiscouldbeduetoacontinuingfaultorthelightbulbmaybetoosmallfortheequipment.
Note:foraTVormonitor,itmaybenecessary(anddesirable)tounplugthedegausscoilasthisrepresentsa
heavyinitialloadwhichmaypreventtheunitfromstartingupwiththelightbulbinthecircuit.
Thefollowingaresuggestedstartingwattages:
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40WbulbforVCRorlaptopcomputerswitchingpowersupplies.
100Wbulbforsmall(i.e.,B/Wor13inchcolor)TVs.
150200WbulbforlargecolororprojectionTVs.
A50/100/150W(orsimilar)3waybulbinanappropriatesocketcomesinhandyforthisbutmarktheswitch
sothatyouknowwhichsettingiswhich!Or,fortheultimateintroubleshootingconvenience,seethesection:
CombinationVariableIsolationTransformerandSeriesLightBulbUnit.
Dependingonthepowerratingoftheequipment,thesewattagesmayneedtobeincreased.However,startlow.
Ifthebulblightsatfullbrightness,youknowthereisstillamajorfault.IfitflickersortheTV(orotherdevice)
doesnotquitecomefullyup,thenitshouldbesafetogotoalargerbulb.Resistthetemptationtoimmediately
removetheserieslightbulbtotallyfromthecircuitatthispointIhavebeenscrewedbydoingthis.Tryalarger
onefirst.Thebehaviorshouldimprove.Ifitdoesnot,thereisstillafaultpresent.
NotethatsomeTVsandmonitorssimplywillnotpowerupatallwithanykindofseriesloadatleastnotwith
onesmallenough(intermsofwattage)toprovideanyrealprotection.Themicrocontrollerapparentlysensesthe
dropinvoltageandshutstheunitdownorcontinuouslycyclespower.Fortunately,theseseemtobethe
exceptions.
CombinationVariableIsolationTransformerandSeriesLightBulbUnit
Ifyouplanondoingalotofelectronicstroubleshootingconsiderbuildingaboxwhichincludes:
AVariacandisolationtransformerorvariableisolationtransformer.IncludeapowerswitchandBIG
REDpoweronindicatoraswellasprimaryandsecondaryfusesorcircuitbreakers.
Aserieslightbulbbankconsistingof25,50,100,and200Wlightbulbsinparallelwithindividual
switchesforeach.Byselectinganappropriatecombinationofswitchpositions,anywattagefrom25to
375Wcanbesetupin25Wincrements.Anadditionalswitchinparallelwiththelightbulbscanbeused
tobypassthementirely.Thelightbulbsshouldbeoutsideanyenclosureso(1)theyareclearlyvisibleand
(2)theirheatwon'tcookthecomponentsinsidethecase!
ACvoltmetersontheisolationtransformeroutputandfinaloutputACammeterinserieswiththeload.
UsingaLightDimmerorSimilarDeviceasaVariac?
Thequickansweris:No,getaproperVariac!
Thebehaviorofaphasecontroldevicelikealightdimmerdependscriticallyonwhatsortofloaditsees.Ifthe
dimmerseesmostlyaresistiveload,itwillworkreasonablywellandsurvive.However,mostelectronic
equipmentdoesn'tfallintothiscategory.Ifthedimmerisattemptingtodriveapieceofequipmentwithalotof
capacitanceorinductance,attheveryleastitwillbehavestrangelywiththecontrolrangesquashedtooneendor
theother,ortheoutputvoltagewillchangesuddenlyratherthansmoothly.Butmorelikely,itwillselfdestruct
and/ordamagetheequipmentduetothestrangewaveform,whichmayresultinapeakoutputvoltagethat
approachesfulllinevoltageevenatrelativelylowsettings.There'salsousuallyaminimumloadbelowwhichit
won'tdoanythingpredictable.Inshort,getaproperVariac.Youknowmymotto:"Youcanneverhavetoo
manyVariacs!".:)SurplusVariacsarereadilyavailableincludingoneBay.
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WhatAbouttheScopeGround?
ThefollowingalsoappliestootherAClinepoweredtestequipmentwhereoneleadisconnectedtothecase.
Ingeneral,oscilloscopesSHOULDbeearthgrounded.Theonlytimethisisnotthecaseisifyouareattempting
tomeasuresignalsinalineconnecteddevicelikemanyTVsandswitchingpowersupplies,andarenotusingan
isolationtransformer.However,thisisaverydangeroussetupandshouldbeavoidedifatallpossible.Withline
connectedequipment,thereturnorgroundreferenceisnotatearthgroundpotentialduetothebridgerectifieror
voltagedoubleroftenusedinthepowersupplyfrontend.
Withoutanisolationtransformer,connectingthescopegroundcliptothereturnwillresultinashortthroughthe
groundleadbetweentheequipmentandearthground.Therewillbesmokeandpossiblyblowncomponentsas
wellintheequipmentbeingtested,andpossiblyinthescopeaswell.Thekeyhereisthatneitheroutputofa
bridgerectifier(themostlikelyfrontendconfigurationinlineconnectedpowersupplies)isatEarthGround
potential.TheybothhavealargeACcomponentwithrespecttoEarthground.Consider:
D1
Ho+|>|++oDC+
~|D2|+|
Infrom+|<|+|+_|_
AClineD3||C___
+|>||+|
|D4||
+oNo+|<|++oDC
|~Bridge
+oGooEarthGround(alsoconnectedtoscope)
_|_
///
Hot(H)andNeutral(N)aretiedtogetherattheelectricalservicepanel.Nowthinkaboutwhatwouldhappenif
thescopetestprobegroundleadwasconnectedtoDCwithoutanisolationtransformer.Thiswouldbasically
shortoutD4andputD2directlyacrosstheline(amongotherthings).Notgood.Withanisolationtransformer
forthepowersupply,therewillbenofireworks.However,anisolationtransformerforthescopewillnothelp
unlessithasanisolatedground,orthescopegroundisdisconnected.
Disconnectingthescopefromgroundallowsitscasetofloatwhichwillpreventthemeltdownbutis
EXTREMELYDANGEROUSsincetheentirescopecabinetiseffectivelyconnectedtothepowerline.You(or
someoneelsenotfamiliarwithyourfoolishness)maycasuallytouchorleanagainstthescopecabinetandbe
thrownacrosstheroomifitisaluckydayorworse.Don'tdoit!Investinanisolationtransformer.Itisverycost
effectiveinsurance.
Nosolutionisperfectlysafeastherewillalwaysbepotentiallylethalcombinationsofterminalsinsidehighpower
orhighvoltageequipment,buttheideaistominimizerisks.Usinganisolationtransformerfortheequipment
beingservicedalongwithabatterypoweredscopeoronewithgroundleadsthatareNOTdirectlyconnectedto
EarthGroundanditscaseisbest.
However,many,ifnotmostscopes,tiethegroundleadsandcasetoEarthGround.
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Whenusingtheseforequipmentwith2wirecordslikemostTVs,usinganisolationtransformeronthe
equipmentisacceptable.Butthisstillmeansthatwhenthescopegroundisconnectedinsidethe
equipment,thescopecaseisstillashockhazardwithrespecttolivepointsinsidetheequipment.
Forequipmentwith3wirecordslikePCpowersuppliesandhighendA/Vequipment,usingseparate
isolationtransformersforboththeequipmentbeingtestedandthetestequipmentmaybedesirable,but
thiswouldrequireisolatingthetestequipmentground(s)aswell.Andeventhen,thescopecasemaystill
beariskasnotedabove.
OnetestmethodthatpotentiallyeliminatestheissueofthescopegroundentirelyistousetheABsetting
availableonmost2(ormore)channelscopes.However,theisolationtransformerisstilldesirableforsafety,and
maybeneededeliminatethelarge(identical)voltageswingwhichwouldbepresentonbothprobes,possibly
affectingthemeasurementssincethecommonmoderejectionoftheverticalamplifiersinmanyscopesmaynot
beverygood.
Intheend,developingproperworkhabitslikekeepingonehandinyourpocketwhendealingwithhighvoltage
orlinevoltage,changingtestsetupsonlywithpoweroff,andconfirmingthatlargecapacitorsaredischarged
beforetouchinganything,areatleastasimportantasisolationtransformersandothersafetygearinminimizing
risks.
BasicAncillaryEquipment
Variouscommonitemsareusefulfortestingofthefollowingconsumerelectronicsandcomputerdevices.These
willnormallybeusedbeforeandduringuseofanyactualtestequipment.(Someofthesewerealreadylisted
undertheheadingof'testequipment').However,thisiskindofinvertedidentifyingwhatisneededforeachtype
ofequipmentbeingrepaired.
TVs:VHFandUHFantennasand/orVCRorothervideosourcewithbothRFandbaseband(RCA
plugs)outputs.
VCRs:asmallTV(preferablycolorbutamonochromeTVwillsufficeformanytests)and/orNTSC/PAL
videomonitor,antenna,knowngoodvideotapesatbothSPandSLPspeeds.Also,acoupleofblank
cassettesforrecordtests.
Camcorders:sameasVCRsbutinaddition,atestchart,tripod,andlampsforindoortesting.
CDandLaserdiscPlayers:agarbageCDandtestCD(orlaserdiscs).Agarbagediscisoneyoudonot
careaboutifitgetsscratched.Atestdiscdoesnotneedtobeanofficial(andexpensive)testdiscany
knowngooddiscwilldoformosttests.ThegarbageCDcanevenbeanoutdatedCDROManaudio
CDplayerwilloftenreadthedirectoryofaCDROMjustlikeanaudioCD.
SpecialcutdownminiaturetestCDscanbemadetoviewthelensmotionwhilefocusingandtopermit
accesstoadjustmentsblockedbynormalCDsinmanyportableplayers.Seethedocument:Notesonthe
TroubleshootingandRepairofCDPlayersandCDROMDrivesfordetails.
AnIRdetectorwillbeneededtoconfirmlaserdiodeoperation.
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Anaudioamplifierwithspeakersorheadphoneswillbeneededfortheaudiotests,orheadphonesifthe
unithasaheadphonejack.ATVorvideomonitorwillbeneededforLaserdiscvideotests.
AudioEquipmentasetofknownworkingstereocomponentsconsistingofatleastatuner,amplifier,and
speakers.Headphonesarealsouseful.Formostpurposes,aninexpensivesetupispreferredsincethereis
notellingwhatkindofabuseitmayneedtoendureduringtroubleshooting.Isupposethataturntablemay
evenbeneededoccasionally.Acoupleofprerecordedaudiocassettesarehandywhentestingtape
decks.Oneoftheseshouldhaveatoneofknownfrequencyrecordedonanaccuratelycalibrateddeck
forsettingtapespeed.Also,acoupleofblankcassettesforrecordtests.
MicrowaveOvensacupofwaterforaload.Youdon'tneedspecialmicrowaveapprovedwatertap
waterwilldo:)Athermometerforpowertests.Neonorincandescentbulbswiththeirleadsshorted
togethercanserveasmicrowavedetectorsinsidetheoven(thoughthesemaynotalwayssurviveforvery
long).
PCsandcomponentsaworkingbasicPCisusefultoserveasatestbedfortryingsuspectcomponents.
Iuseanold286mainboardwithjustenoughtobootfromanoldharddrive.Asetofknownworking
basicPCperipheralboardsisusefulSA,IDEandMFMHDandFDcontroller,I/Oports,soundcard
andspeakers,51/4"and31/2"floppydrives,etc.Asparepowersupplyevenonethatisnotanexact
mechanicalmatchisalsohandyfortesting.Anoldlaptop(commonlyusedasadoorstop)isusefulfor
testingprintersonlocation.
ComputerMonitorsatestPCisusefulasavideosource.Ofcourse,itwillneedtosupportwhatever
scanratesandvideotypesthemonitorisdesignedtoaccept.Programsareavailabletodisplaypurity,
convergence,focus,color,andothertestpatterns.
Telephones,answeringmachines,faxesaphonelinesimulatorisusefulforinitialtests.Formany
purposes,aDCpowersupplyorbatteryand600ohmresistorwillbeallyouneed.Apairofnormal
phonelineswillofcoursealsoworkbutyouwillneedtoprovidejackswhereyouareworkingandaccess
(whichmaybedifficultwithteensinthehouse).
IncrediblyHandyWidgets(tm)
Thesearethelittlegadgetsandhomemadetestersthatareusefulformanyrepairsituations.Someofthesecan
alsobepurchasedifyouarethelazytype.Herearejustafewofthemostbasic:
SerieslightbulbforcurrentlimitingduringthetestingofTVsets,monitors,switchingpowersupplies,
audiopoweramplifiers,etc.Ibuiltanoutletboxwithtwooutletswiredinseries,switch,andindicator.A
lamporotherloadcanbepluggedintooneoutletandthedeviceundertestintotheother.Clearlylabelthe
specialoutletboxsoyou(orsomeoneelse)willnotattempttouseitforotherpurposes!
Atypicalschematicisshownbelow:
Ho/++
Power||HN
Switch/+||+Currentlimitingload
\|
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47K/oG|
\|
|++
+++|HN
NE2H|o|+||+Deviceundertest
Power|o||
Light+++oG|
|||
No++
|
Go+
Note:Groundconnectionsnormallynotusedforequipmentlikelytobetestedusingthis
device.
Seetherepairguidesforspecificequipmentformoredetailsontheuseoftheserieslightbulb.
Capacitordischargetool.Thisdeviceprovidesasafeandlowstress(foryourspousenozap)wayof
dischargingthecapacitorsfoundinTVsets,monitors,microwaveovens,electronicflashunits,etc.An
indicatorcaneasilybebuiltinaswelltoprovideavisualconfirmationasthevoltagedecays.
Safetynote:alwaysdoublecheckthatcapacitorsarefullydischargedwithavoltmeterbeforetouchingany
highvoltageterminals!
Seethedocument:CapacitorTesting,SafeDischargingandOtherRelatedInformationforadditional
information.
Videocassettecheater.ThisistheshellofaVHSorBetacassettewithalloftheinnardsremovedand
mostofthetopandbottomcutouttopermitaccesstothereelspindlesandotherrotatingcomponentsof
aVCRduringoperation.Youcanalsopurchasetheseatgrosslyinflatedprices.
Seethedocument:NotesontheTroubleshootingandRepairofVideoCassetteRecordersforadditional
constructiondetails.
Degaussingcoil.Makeorbuy.TheinternaldegaussingcoilsalvagedfromadefunctTVdoubledoverto
halfitoriginaldiametertoincreaseitsstrengthinserieswitha200Wlightbulbforcurrentlimiting,(usethe
serieslightbulbwidgetforthis),fuse,andmomentaryswitchwillworkjustfine.
Seethedocument:TVandMonitorCRT(PictureTube)InformationforadditionalinformationonCRT
magnetizationanddegaussingtechniques.
Tapeheaddemagnetizer.Thiscouldjustbeacoilwrappedaroundacommonnailwithitsendprotected
withtape.ConnecttolowvoltageAC.However,thesearesoinexpensivethatyoushouldjustbuyone.
Seethedocuments:"NotesonTroubleshootingandRepairofAudioEquipmentandotherMiscellaneous
Stuff"and"NotesonTroubleshootingandRepairofVideoCassetteRecorder(VCR)"foradditional
informationontapeheaddemagnetizing.
Caution:donotuseademagnetizeronvideoheadsunlessspecificallydesignedforthem.Somearestrong
enoughtodamagethefragileferritecores.Videoheadsgenerallydonotrequiredemagnetizinganyhow.
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IRdetector.Thiscanbeaphotodiode/LEDcircuitorIRsensitivecard.Usefortestingremotecontrols,
IRLEDsinphotosensors,andCDlaserdiodes.
Seethedocument:NotesontheTroubleshootingandRepairofHandHeldRemoteControlsfor
constructiondetails.
Flybacktester.Iusea12Vchopperwitha10turncoiltoexcitetheflybackundertest.Thiswillidentify
mostprimaryandsecondaryshorttypefaultsundernearoperatingconditions.
Seethedocument:TestingofFlyback(LOPT)Transformersforadditionalinformation.
Highvoltageprobeforyourmultimeter.Thiswillcomeinhandywhentestingthehighvoltagecircuitsof
TVs,monitors,andmicrowaveovens(thoughextremecarewillbeneeded,particularlywiththelatter).
Seethedocument:SimpleHighVoltageProbeDesignfordetailsonbasichighvoltageprobesyoucan
constructfrom(relatively)readilyavailableparts.ThesewillbesatisfactoryforDCvoltagesbut
compensationtogetanykindofhighfrequencyresponsecanbetricky.However,thatwillhandlemost
consumerelectronicsneeds.
Notsofantasticcurrentprobe.WhendiagnosingTVandmonitordeflectionproblems,acurrentprobe
maybedesirabletoviewthecurrentwaveformsintheyokeandflyback.Youcannotviewthehigh
voltagesignalswithoutahighfrequencyhighvoltageprobe.
Ifyouhaveacurrentprobeforyourscope,thiscanbeusedtomonitorthevariouscurrentwaveforms.I
haveusedmyTektronixcurrentprobetoviewtheyokecurrentonTVs.Therenditionofthehorizontal
deflectioncurrentwaveformisquitegood.However,theverticalsuffersfromseveredistortionduetothe
lowfrequencycutoffofthisprobe.
Youcanbuildanotveryfantastic(butquiteusable)currentprobeusingasplitferritecoreofthetype
usedonkeyboardandmonitorcables(preferablyonethatsnapstogether).Thefollowingwillwork:
Wrapseventurnsofinsulatedwirearoundonehalfofthecore.
Soldera2.2ohmresistoracrossthetwoleadstoactasaload.
Connecttotheverticalinputofyourscopeviaacoaxialcableorprobe.
Youcanexperimentwiththenumberofturnsandloadresistorvalueforbestresults.
Touseyourfabulousdevice,insertoneandonlyoneofthecurrentcarryingwiresinsidetheferritecore
andclampthetwohalvestogether.
ForatypicalTVhorizontaldeflectionyoke,thisresultsinabouta.3Vppsignal.Theshapewassimilar
tothatfrommy(originally)expensiveTektronixcurrentprobe.Enjoytheshow!Duetoitsuncompensated
design,thissimpleprobewillnotworkwellforlowfrequencysignals.
Quickanddirtycurvetracer.AcurvetracerisusefulfordisplayingtheIVcharacteristicsof
semiconductorandotherdevices.Seethesectionsoncurvetracerdesigninthedocument:BasicTesting
ofSemiconductorDevices.
Thereisinfoonusefuldevicesforyourscopethatyoucanconstructinabout10minutes.Thesewon't
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replaceafancyTek576butmaybeallyouneed(oratleastcanjustifyonafinitebudget).
Handydandyphonelinetester.TheinexpensivevarietyisjustapairofLEDsinserieswitharesistorfor
eachlineattachedtoanRJ11connector.However,thisismuchmoreconvenientthanfumblingwitha
multimeter!YoucanbuyoneatRadioShack(about$7)oreasilybuildyourown.Seethedocument:
NotesontheTroubleshootingandRepairofAudioEquipmentandOtherMiscellaneousStuff,specifically
thesection:"Handydandyphonelinetester"fordetails.
Highvoltagediodeandneonbulbtester.Thisisalinepoweredlowcurrentvoltagedoublerproducingup
toabout300VDCtotest(inconjunctionwithaVariacandmultimeter)forreverseblockingofhigh
voltagerectifiers,diodes,andratingsofhighvoltagezeners,neonandothersmalldischargelamp
characteristics,andsoforth.
WARNING:Useanisolationtransformerwiththisdevicesinceitislineconnectedwithoutisolation.The
maximumsustained(shortcircuit)currentisonly4or5mAbutthisisstillenoughtobedangerousso
respectitevenwiththeisolationtransformer!
C1D2
ACHo||+|>|++o+DC
.2uF|1N4007||
250VD1||/
+|>|+C2_|_\R2
|1N4007.5uF/5M
|400V|\
R1|||
ACNo/\/\+++oDC
3.3K
CheaterCords
Inthegoodolddays,beforeVCRs,beforemostsolidstateTVs,beforetheNet,andbeforenewsgroups,most
electronicequipmenthadasortofinterlocktopreventoperationwhenthecoverwasremoved.Normallythis
consistedofthelinecordpluggingintothechassisviaaplugfixedtothecover.Then,emovingthecover
automaticallydisconnectedpowertotheequipment.So,acheatercordwasneededfortestingandhadanAC
plugatoneendandthisspecialplugattheothertobypasstheinterlockandallowyoutogetashocking
experience.:)
Exactlywhythisisnolongerdoneexcepttosavemoneyisn'tquiteclear.ChassisofmodernequipmentlikeTVs,
computermonitors,microwaveovens(especiallymicrowaveovens)areverydangerous.Perhapsthe
manufacturersfigurethatatleastforthefirsttwo,notusingvacuumtubes,mostoftheirvoltagesarelower.More
likely,sincetheyprovidethewarning"nouserserviceablepartsinside",theyfigurethattheycan'tbesuedandit
isisn'tworthspendingthe10centsfortheextraplug.:)
Whereyourequipmentactuallyhasthissortofinterlock,itisusuallypossibletopopoffaretainingclipanduse
theoriginalcordforthispurpose.Justmakesureyouunderstandthesafetyissues.Moderndevicesmaynot
haveseveralhundredvoltssprinkledalloverthechassislikethoseusingvacuumtubes,buttheremaybenon
isolatedlinevoltage,25kVormorefortheCRT,or5,000VatAMPsinamicrowaveoven.Youcanbejustas
deadfromthese!
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MonitoringCurrentConsumptionfromBatteries
Whenaproblemdevelopsinabatterypowereddeviceditmightbetotallydeadordrainbatteriestooquickly
itisdesirabletobeabletomeasurethecurrentfromthebatteries.Asimplewaytodothisistoconstructa
gadgetthatcanbeinsertedbetweentwocellsorbetweenacellandthebatteryholderterminalsothata
multimetercanbeinstalledinserieswiththebatteryoutput.
(Portionsfrom:RaydonBerry(rayberry@pt.lu).)
Takeasmallpieceofstiffplastic(e.g.,asusedinblisterpacks)andattachstripsofselfadhesivecopperor
aluminumfoiltobothsides.Shapeoneendofthestripintoasortoffinger,narrowenoughtoslipbetweenthe
AAorAAAbatteriesorbatteriesandthecontactwhentheyareinstalledintheholder.Ifthefoiliscopper,
wirescanbesolderedtoeachsideattheotherend.Ifaluminum,cutawayaportionofthefoilinopposite
locationsonbothsidessoclipleadsfromamultimetercanbeattachedwithoutshorting.
Thisdeviceisused(frequentlybyme)forcheckingthecurrentconsumptionofallbatterypoweredequipment
it'sverysimpleandverycheap.
Forexample,withremotecontrols,insertbetweenbatteriesandputthemultimeteronarangeofabout25mA
andwhenyoupresseachbutton,thecodebeingsentwillshowupasawaggingneedleonaVOMoran
averagecurrentforaDMM.IftheceramicfilterortheIRdiodeshavefailed,thecurrentremainsverylow,butif
OK,youshouldseepulsesof5to10mA.
Forotherdevices,selectanappropriaterange.Itmightnotbeabadideatochecknew/workingequipmentas
welltoobtaina"signature"ofhealthwhichisrecordedonaslipofpapergluedinsidethebatterycompartment.
Then,ifthedeviceshouldfail,acomparisoncaneasilybemade.
Miscellaneous
Clipleads.Likewoodworkingclamps,youcanneverhavetoomanyofthese.
Patchcordsforaudio,video,andtelephoneinterconnection.
Parallel(Centronics)printer,serial(breakoutboxdesirable),othercomputercables.
Insulatingsheetsforseparatingcircuitboardswhenremovedfromthechassis.Thesecanbecardboard,
fiberglas,plastic,etc.
Insulatingsticksforproddingtolocateintermittents.
Smallpartstrayandcontainer.Ialwaysuseafilmcanisterorpillbottleforstoringthescrews,washers,
andspringsremovedduringdisassembly.Anicecubetrayoreggcartonmakesahandypartsbinfor
temporarystorageofsmallpartswhileyouareworking.
MakingaBenchPowerSupplyfromaPCPowerSupply
ThepowersupplyfromalongobsoletePCcanbethebasisforalowcostunitusefulforavarietyofdesignand
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troubleshootingapplications.Thetypical200WPCpowersupplywillprovide+5Vat20A,+12at8A,and
lowcurrent5Vand12Voutputs.However,thesearenotthatwellfilteredatleastnotwherelownoise
analogcircuitsareconcerned.Theyarefinefordigitalandpowercircuitsasis.Foranalogwork,additionalpost
regulation(e.g.,LM317s)andfilteringmaybeneeded.
Typical(butnotalways)colorcodesforPCpowersupplies:
Red:+5,Yellow:+12,Black:Gnd(Probablycaseaswell).
White:5,Blue:12,Orange:Power_good(output).
(Somenewersuppliesmayhavea+3.3outputaswellwhichmaybegreen).
PCpowersupplies(aswellasmostotherswitchers)needaminimumloadon+5andpossiblyon+12as
well.Anamp(e.g.,5ohmson+5)shouldbeenough.
Iuseanolddualbeamautoheadlight.Itaddsatouchofclassaswelltoanotherwisetotallyboringsetup
:).Youcanalsouseautotaillightbulbsorsuitablepowerresistorsorolddiskdrivesyoudon'treally
careabout(youknow,thoseboatanchors).
Therearenosenselines.Thereisa'Power_Good'linewhichisanoutputfromthepowersupplytothe
mainboardandcanbeignoredunlessyouwanttoconnectittoanindicatortoletyouknowalltheoutputs
arewithinspecs(itmayneedapullupandIdon'tknowitsdrivecapability).
PinoutforthestandardPCandcloneconnector(somecompanieslikeCompaqdoNOTusethistypeof
connector,however.).Black(Gnd)wirestogetherfortheP8andP9connectorswheninstalledto
mainboard.
J8:Pin1=Power_GoodJ9:Pin1=Gnd
Pin2=+5Pin2=Gnd
Pin3=+12Pin3=5
Pin4=12Pin4=+5
Pin5=GndPin5=+5
Pin6=GndPin6=+5
Note:foranXTonly,J8Pin1isGnd,J8Pin2isnoconnect.
Theperipheralconnectorsare:Pin1:+12,Pin2and3:Gnd,Pin4=+5.
SolderingandDesolderingEquipmentandTechniques
SolderisNotGlue
Theeaseandqualityofyourworkwilldependbothonpropersolderingaswellasdesoldering(oftencalled
rework)equipment.
However,thepurposeofsolderisnottophysicallyanchorconnectionstheymustbemechanicallysecurefirst
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toassurereliability.Whenproperlydone,solderactuallycombineswiththecleanmetalsurfaceofthewires,
pins,andterminalsassuringalowresistanceconnection.
Whilethereareseveralconditionsmustbesatisfiedtoachievgoodreliablesolderconnections,withalittle
practice,solderingwillbecomeessentiallyautomaticandyouwillknowimmediatelywhentheresultsare
satisfactory.
Therehavebeenentirehandbookswrittenonpropersolderingtechnique.OrganizationslikeNASAtakethis
seriouslyafterall,aservicecalltotheoneofJupiter'smoonswouldbequitecostly!
Aditionalinformationonsolderingtechniquesandequipmentcanbefoundat:
TheBasicSolderingGuide
CAUTION:Youcaneasilyturnasimplerepair(e.g.,badsolderconnections)intoanexpensivemessifyouuse
inappropriatesolderingequipmentand/orlackthesolderingskillstogoalongwithit.Ifindoubt,findsomeone
elsetodothesolderingoratleastpractice,practice,practice,solderinganddesolderingonajunkunitfirst!
SolderingEquipment
Alowwattage(25W)ironfordelicatecomponentsincludingdiscretesemiconductors,ICs,othersmall
parts).
Amediumwattage(4050W)ironforheavydutycircuitboardworkincludingpowercomponents,power
planeconnections,andlargetransformers).
A100140Wsolderinggunforchassisconnections.
ThreewiregroundedsolderingequipmentisrecommendedbutIdonotconsideritessentialforthistypeof
repairwork.However,atemperatureregulatedsolderingstationisareallynicepieceofequipmentifyoucan
afforditorhappenonareallygooddeal.
Iconsiderfinegaugerosincoresolder(.030orless)tobebestformostapplications(e.g.,ErsinMulticore).
DesolderingpumpSoldaPullitorsimilar'soldersucker'forremovingcomponentseasilyandusually
nondestructively.SolderWickisalsohandyforcleaningupdesolderedconnections.
Avacuumreworkstationisnotneededunlessyouareremovingyoursolderedin500pinIntelP6!
SolderingTechniques
Solderingisaskillthatishandytoknowformanytypesofconstructionandrepair.Formodernsmallappliances,
itislessimportantthanitoncewasassolderlessconnectorshavevirtuallyreplacedsolderforinternalwiring.
However,therearetimeswheresolderingismoreconvenient.Useofthepropertechniqueiscriticaltoreliability
andsafety.Agoodsolderconnectionisnotjustabunchofwiresandterminalswithsolderdribbledoverthem.
Whendonecorrectly,thesolderactuallybondstothesurfaceofthemetal(usuallycopper)parts.
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Effectivesolderingisbynomeansdifficultbutsomepracticemaybeneededtoperfectyourtechnique.
Thefollowingguidelineswillassurereliablesolderjoints:
Onlyuserosincoresolder(e.g.,60/40tin/lead)forelectronicswork.A1poundspoolwilllastalongtime
andcostsabout$10.Suggesteddiameteris.030to.060inchesforappliances.Thesmallersizeis
preferredasitwillbeusefulforothertypesofprecisionelectronicsrepairsorconstructionaswell.The
rosinisusedasafluxtocleanthemetalsurfacetoassureasecurebond.NEVERuseacidcoresolderor
thestuffusedtosweatcopperpipes!Thefluxiscorrosiveanditisnotpossibletoadequatelycleanupthe
connectionsafterwardtoremoveallresidue.
Asaresultoftoxicityandenvironmentalconsiderations,therearenowvariousleadfreesolder
formulationsforelectronicssoldering.
Keepthetipofthesolderingironorguncleanandtinned.Buytipsthatarepermanentlytinnedtheyare
platedandwilloutlastcountlessnormalcoppertips.Thepartylineisthataquickwipeonawetsponge
whenhotwithabitofsolderandfluxwillkeepthemasgoodasnewforalongtime.Theseplatedtips
shouldneverbefiledorsanded,butbrassorcopperwoolcanbeusedtoremovestubborddeposits).
However,Ihaveobservedthatforgoingthewetspongeinfavorofsuperquickwipeonadrysponge
withoutsolderorfluxmaybepreferredfortiplongevity.
Makesureeveryparttobesolderedterminal,wire,componentleadsisfreeofanysurfacefilm,
insulation,oroxidation.FinesandpaperoranXactoknifemaybeused,forexample,tocleanthe
surfaces.Thesecrettoagoodsolderjointistomakesureeverythingisperfectlycleanandshinyandnot
dependonthefluxalonetoaccomplishthis.Justmakesurethescrapingsareclearedawaysotheydon't
causeshortcircuits.
Startwithastrongmechanicaljoint.Don'tdependonthesoldertoholdtheconnectiontogether.If
possible,loopeachwireorcomponentleadthroughtheholeintheterminal.Ifthereisnohole,wrapthem
oncearoundtheterminal.Gentlyanchorthemwithapairofneedlenosepliers.
Useaproperlysizedsolderingironorgun:2025Wironforfinecircuitboardwork2550Wironfor
generalsolderingofterminalsandwiresandpowercircuitboards100200Wsolderinggunforchassis
andlargeareacircuitplanes.Withaproperlysizedironorgun,thetaskwillbefast1to2secondsfora
typicalconnectionandwillresultinlittleornodamagetothecircuitboard,plasticswitchhousings,
insulation,etc.Largesolderingjobswilltakelongerbutnomorethan5to10secondsforalargeexpanse
ofcopper.Ifitistakingtoolong,yourironisundersizedforthetask,isdirty,orhasnotreachedoperating
temperature.Forapplianceworkthereisnoneedforafancysolderingstationalessthan$10soldering
ironor$25solderinggunasappropriatewillbeallthatisrequired.
Heatthepartstobesoldered,notthesolder.Touchtheendofthesoldertotheparts,notthesoldering
ironorgun.Oncetheterminal,wires,orcomponentleadsarehot,thesolderwillflowviacapillaryaction,
fillallvoids,andmakeasecuremechanicalandelectricalbond.Sometimes,applyingalittlefromeach
sidewillmoreeffectivelyreachallnooksandcrannies.
Don'toverdoit.Onlyenoughsolderisneededtofillallvoids.Theresultingsurfaceshouldbeconcave
betweenthewiresandterminal,notbulgingwithexcesssolder.
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Keepeverythingabsolutelystillforthefewsecondsittakesthesoldertosolidify.Otherwise,youwillend
upwithabadconnectionwhatiscalleda'coldsolderjoint'.
Agoodsolderconnectionwillbequiteshinynotdullgrayorgranular.Ifyourresultislessthanperfect
reheatitandaddabitofnewsolderwithfluxtohelpitreflow.
Practiceonsomescrapwireandelectronicparts.Itshouldtakeyouabout3minutestomasterthetechnique!
DesolderingTechniques
Occasionally,itwillbenecessarytoremovesoldereitherexcessortoreplacewiresorcomponents.Avariety
oftoolsareavailableforthispurpose.TheoneIrecommendisavacuumsolderpumpcalled'SoldaPullet'(about
$20).Cockthepump,heatthejointtobecleared,andpressthetrigger.Moltensolderissuckedupintothe
barrelofthedeviceleavingtheterminalnearlyfreeofsolder.Thenuseapairofneedlenosepliersandadental
picktogentlyfreethewiresorcomponent.
Forstubbornjointsorthoseconnectingtothepowerplanes(surfaceormultilayerboards),youmayneedtoadd
somefreshsolderand/orfluxandthentryagain.Generally,ifyouonlygetpartofthesolderoffthefirsttime,
repeatedattemptswillfailunlessyouaddsomefreshsolder.
Otherapproachesthatmaybeusedinplaceoforinadditiontothis:SolderWickwhichisacopperbraidthat
absorbssolderviacapillaryactionrubberbulbtypesolderpumps,andmotordrivenvacuumsolderrework
stations(pricey).
(Portionsfrom:PatBrunner(Brunner@ieee.org).)
IhaveusedaSoldaPulletfor30yearsbutfoundaninexpensiveimprovement.Adda1inchlengthofsilicone
tubing(orsomethingelsethatwon'tbedamagedbytheheat,1/8"IDx1/4"OD)overtheSoldaPullettipleaving
3/16"to1/4"extendingpastthetip.ThisabsorbsthedownwardforcewhentheSoldaPulletisfiredreducing
damagetothePCB,providesabettersealaroundthecomponentleadsoit'softenpossibletoclearaholein
oneoperationthatmightotherwiserequireseveral,anditpreventstheplastictipoftheSoldaPulletfrombeing
damaged.
Nick'sCommentsonSuccessfulDesolderingTechniques
Thesedirectlyapplytothedestructive(i.e.,youdon'tcareaboutsavingthepart)removalofICchips.However,
thebasictechniquesworkfordiscretepartsaswell.
(From:NicholasBodley(nbodley@tiac.net).)
Afewpointstokeepinmind...
TrytogetcuttersthatwillletyousnipindividualleadsontheIC.Gettoolcatalogs!IlikeContactEast,inthe
USAnotsureaboutCanada.Jensen,inArizona,Ithink,tendstobecostly.
Ifyousnipalltheleadsononeside,youcanbendtheICbackandforthtobreaktheothersidefree,butbesure
todothebendingnexttotheplastic(it'shardertodothere).
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WhenyoucuttheICleads,doyourbesttoleavemostofeachleadstickingupabovethesurfaceoftheboard.
Setyourirontoabout770deg.F(400deg.C).(Thisassumesamodernsolderingstationwithatemperature
control,andarelativelyslendertip.)Besurethatthetipiscleanandshinyandproperlytinned.Anyoxidationis
justnogood.(DON'Tfilemodernplatedtips!You'llremovetheplating!).Befanaticalaboutensuringthatthetip
alwaysidleswithadecentcoatingofsolder.
Hottertempsrunarealriskofspoilingtheadhesivebondthatholdsthecopperfoiltotheboard.DONOTusea
highertemptomakeupforanimproperlytinnedtip!!(Youmightneedahighertempforholesinthemiddleof
groundplanes,however.Thesewillsinktheheatawayeffectivelybutdothoseseparately.)
Youmustgeteachpadhotenoughtobewellabovethemeltingpoint,sothatthecoldairwon'tmakethesolder
resolidifywhenyouslurpitup.
Totransferenoughheat,youmusthaveafilletofsolderbetweenthetipandthepad.Ifnecessary,addabitof
soldertoensurethis!
Afterhittingthesepointssohard,I'llrelaxandsaythatyou'llreallydobetterifyouremoveeachleadstub
individuallywithassemblytweezers(AAstylearegood)orthinneedlenosepliers.
Oncethey'reallout,thenyouneedtobeconcernedaboutheatingthepadsenough.Nowyoucandesolder.The
othermessagesinthisposthavegoodadviceonthat.
Youneedtomaintainyourdesolderingtool,too.Itmightnothavegoodvacuumifignored.
It'strickytoholdtheirononthepadwhilegettingthenozzlecloseenough,butadecentdesolderingtoolwill
workiftiltedsomewhattoletthetipcontactthepad.
Ifaholedoesn'topen,butsomesolderhasbeenslurpedup,youcouldtrygoodsolderwick(SolderWick
(SoderWik?)brandisgood)itcansometimespullupsolderfromunderneathbycapillaryaction.(Ididn't
believethisuntilithappened!)Poorsolderwickisn'tfluxedsufficiently,ormightbesubtlycorroded.Itshould
soakupsolderlikeasponge.
Itmightbequickertorefilltheholewithabitofsolderandrepeattherecouldbeagoodblobofitontheother
side,whichyoumight,ormightnot,beabletogetto.
(Ifyoucangettobothsides,andhavefivehands,youcouldapplyheattooneside,letthetipdwellforafew
secondstomeltallthesolder,andslurpfromtheotherside.)
Ifthingsbecomemessy,applyliquidflux(seemsnottobetooeasytofindinsmallquantitiesIuseafluxpen,
whichseemsnotoverpriced).Reheatthepad,andthefluxshoulddoagreatjoboftidyingthingsup.Ittendsto
letcapillaryactionmaketheholesopenwider,whenmostofthesolderhasbeenpickedup.
Ithinkit'swellworththeefforttocuttheleadsfreefromtheICbodyandremovethemoneatatime,thengo
overthepadsasecondtimetoremovethesolder.
Ihaveveryrecentlyremoveda16pinDIPtwicefromalocationwithoutdamagingthepadsatallbythese
principles.
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It'smuchharder,orimpossible,todogoodworkwithpoortools.Dotrytogetgoodtools,andlearntotake
careofthem.
SolderingPinsinPlasticConnectors
Thethermoplasticusedtomoldmanycommoncheapconnectorssoftensormeltsatrelativelylowtemperatures.
Thiscanresultinthepinspoppingoutorshiftingposition(evenshorting)asyouattempttosoldertothemto
replaceabadconnection,forexample.
Oneapproachthatworksinsomecasesistousethematingsockettostabilizethepinssotheyremaininposition
asyousolder.Theplasticwillstillmeltnotasmuchifyouuseanadequatelysizedironsincethesocketwillact
asaheatsinkbutwillnotmove.
Animportantconsiderationisusingthepropersolderingiron.Insomecases,alargerironisbetteryougetin
andoutmorequicklywithoutheatingupeverythingintheneighborhood.
CommentsonRepairingDamagetoPrintedCircuitBoards
Twocommonproblemsarediscussedhere:damagedtracesanddamagefromoverheatedcomponents.
Tracesmaybedamagedduetopoorsolderingordesolderingtechniquesorbyactingasfusesdueto
shortcircuits.Wherethereisjustagapinatrace,itmaybepossibletoscrapeoffanyprotectivecoating
(thesoldermask)andthensolderingabarejumperwiretobridgethegap.DONOTjustputablobof
solderthereitwon'tlast.However,itisoftenbettertoremovetheremainsofthetraceentirelyand
solderawirebetweenthetwoendpoints.
Whencomponentsoverheat,theycanalsodamagethePCBmaterialunderneaththem.IfthePCBisjust
slightlydiscolored,thenprobablyitcanbecleanedupandreused.Thiswilloftenhappenunderhot
componentsevenwithproperlyfunctioningequipmentaftermanyyearsofoperationanddoesn'tcause
problems.
Butifthereisactualdamagetotheboardmaterialitself,thenthecarbonthatispresentandcan'tbe
removedwillresultinaconductivepathwhichmayresultincircuitfailureorerraticbehavior.Itwouldbe
besttoreplacetheentirePCBifpossible.Butamorerealisticalternativeistocutoutthebadsectionand
buildthemissingcircuitryonaseparateprototypingboard.
SuppliesandParts
Lubricants,CleaningAgents,andOtherLiquidyorSlimyStuff
Lightoilsuchaselectricmotoroilor3InOne.WD40maybeusefulforcleaningorfreeingrustedscrews
butitisnotageneralpurposelubricantdespitewhatisclaimedonthelabel.
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Lightgreasesuitableforfineelectronicsmustbeplasticsafe.
Isopropylalcohol(91%medicinalorbetterpreferredthoughrubbingalcohol(70percent)canbeusedin
apinchaslongasitdoesn'tcontainanyadditives).
Qtipswabs(youmayknowthemascottonbuds)forcleaningofeverythingBUTthevideoheads
onVCRsandotherhelicalscantapetransports.
Chamoiscoveredheadcleaningsticksforvideoheads.
Notethatsometimesplainwaterwillworkbetterforsugarbasedcoatings.Tapeheadcleanercanbe
usedforheadcleaningaswell.
Contactcleanerinspraycan.Thisisusedforswitchesandrelays.
Controlcleanerinspraycan.Thisisusedforpotentiometersandwillprobablyincludesometypeofnon
dryinglubricant.
Tunercleanerandlubricantinspraycan.ThestuffsoldbyRadioShackworksfine.
Degreaserinspraycan.Usewithcarearoundplastics.
WD40inspraycan.NOTforlubricationinmostcases.However,WD40isanintermediatestrength
solventthatcomesinhandyforcleaning,removinglabelsandlabelgoo,coatingtoolstopreventrust,etc.
Liquidfluxforhelpingintoughsolderinganddesolderingjobs.
Fluxremover.Isopropylalcoholwillworkbuttherearealsospraycansofthisstuff.
Siliconeheatsinkcompound.Alittlegoesalongway.Youdon'tneedtogoopitonjustthethinnestfilm
tofillvoids.Herearesomenumbers:
(From:Asimov.)
Thermalresistance(C/W)forsiliconeheatsinkcompound:
InsulatorWithoutWith
None0.200.10
AnodizedAluminum0.400.35
Mica0.800.40
Teflon1.450.80
Notethatusingnoinsulatorisalwaysbetterthanonewithheatsinkcompoundforthesematerials(nodataon
BeOwhichmaybetheexception).
(From:GavinParrish(the_big_geez@ameritech.net).)
KanoLabsmakesanumberofexceptionalproductswhichareonlyavailabledirectlythroughthem.Theyarenot
cheap,butallthatIhavetriedhavemetorexceededmyexpectations.Theirpremierproductis"KROIL"a
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penetratingoilthatbreachesaspaceassmallasonemillionthinch.Nofooling!ThrowawaythatWDwhatever
itscalledstuff.Ifit'sstuck,thiswillunstickit.
Whiletheyhavealotofreallybigindustrialcustomers,theygiveattentiveserviceevenifyouonlybuy1can.The
onlydrawbackistheykeepsendingyousomewhatamusingflyerseverymonthorso.Youalreadygetalotof
thissoit'snobigdeal.
Forinfoororderingcontact:(what?noURL?!):KanoLaboratories,1000ThompsonLn.,Nashville,TN
372112627.Phone:16158334101,Fax:16158335790.
(Theaboveisnotapaidpromotion,merelydataIhopeyoufinduseful.)
(From:RichGrise(richardgrise@yahoo.com).)
Whichsolventtousedependsonwhatyou'retryingtodissolve.Forasomethinglikeacruddymotor,I'dtry,in
orderfromleastaggressiveup:
1. Isopropylalcoholgoodonmostoilsandgreases,fairlyinnocuouschemically.
2. Ethylalcoholasgoodasolvent,orbetterthanisopropyl,butmuchtoovaluableasabeverage.
3. Methylalcoholdon'teventouchthiscrapifyouevenjustgetitonbareskin,itcanblindyou.(Actually,
thisisanextremeposition,methylalcoholismainlydangerousifingested.Sam.)
4. Naphtha(lighterfluid)theonlysolventI'veeverseenthatcangetchewinggumoutofyourhair.Nottoo
goodonaliphaticgreases,however.
5. Mineralspiritsorturpentinestillflammable,makesgoodpaintthinner,butseemstoleaveagreasy
residuewhenusedforcleaning.
6. Toluene/xyleneexcellentcleaner,butitcouldattacktheinsulationonthewindings.Breathingthefumes
cancauseasortofintoxicationthatIthinkisn'tverygoodforyou.
7. Acetone/MEKMEKislessvolatile,butstillquiteaggressive.Veryflammable,butevaporates
completelywithoutresidue.AcetoneistheonlythingI'veeverseenthatcandissolveacrylicplasticslike
Plexiglas.
Thechlorinated/fluorinatedsolventssitsomewhereinthemiddleoftherangesomeoneelsepointedoutthe
differencebetweentrichloroethyleneandtrichloroethaneIguessTCAismuchfriendlierthanTCEbutweused
themintheAirforcetocleanuphydraulicfluidsthatnothingelsewouldeventouch.
I'veheardthatVaselinemakesasuperblubricantforbikebearingsitalsomakesareasonablevacuumseal,and
it'sincrediblytenaciousoneday,Iuseditonagasket,andwhenIneededtomakeachange,Icouldn'tfind
anythingintheshopthatwouldcleanitupcompletely.
Don'tuseWD40asacleaneritgumseverythingup.IinheritedanoldBaudotteletypeonceandthoughtI'd
cleanitwithaWD40spray.HAH!Spentthenextweekdisassemblingthethingandcleaningallthegunkoffthe
intricatelittlepartswithTCAorsomething.WD40isgoodfordoorhinges.
60/100
1/2/2015
Carburetorcleanerisamixtureofsolventsinaspraycanwhichmayincludeacetone,tolueneandmethanolbut
it'sextremelyflammableanditseemstowashgreasydirtawayasifitweren'teventhere.
Adhesives
TwopartEpoxy.Epoxyisoneofthestrongestandmostversatileallaroundadhesiveandbondswellto
mostmaterialsexceptsomeplastics.Irecommendseparatetubes,notthecombinedsyringetype.With
tubes,it'smucheasiertogetexactlywhatisneeded.Thesyringesinvariablydispenseabout10timesthe
desiredquantityandthenlastforonlyafewuses.
Fastcuring(5minute)Epoxyismostconvenientforquickrepairsbutmaynotbeasstrongasthe
slowcuring(1/2to1hour)type.
ItisgenerallyeasiertodoaneatjobwithclearEpoxybutwhiteormetaltypesworkaswell.
Conductive(silverfilled)Epoxymaybeusefulforrepairingprintedcircuitboardtracesandremote
controlpadsbutisnosubstituteformetalwires.
ThereisalsospecialEpoxyforplasticswhichmayformastrongerbondtocertaintypesofplastics
thannormalEpoxy.
IndustrialqualitycyanoacrylatelikeLoctite401.Thecommontypes(Crazyglue,Superglue)workbut
sticktoeverythingyoudon'twantstucktogetherandthetubesneverseemtokeeptheunusedportionin
decentcondition.Loctite401comesinanicebottlewithapplicatorandproperrecloseabletop.Thisis
probablybestforinstantrepairs.
GeneralpurposeadhesivelikeDucoCement.
Semiflexibleadhesivelikewindshieldsealer.
FlexibleadhesivelikeweatherstripcementorsiliconesealerorRTV.Note:sometypesmaybecorrosive
tometalsuponcuringtestfirst.OneexampleofasuitableproductwouldbeDowCorning#736RTV
thoughIdon'tknowfirsthandifitisacidfree.
Solventtypeplasticcementorplasticmodelcement.
Rubbercement.
Plasticelectricaltape.
Maskingtape.
Clearplastictape.
ElectronicSealersandPottingCompounds
Thesemaybeneededtoinsulateahighvoltageconnectionortoencapsulateacircuitforreliability(ortokeepit
frompryingeyes!).
61/100
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Ordinarysiliconewindowandbathtubcaulkhastherightmechanicalandelectricalproperties(tough,flexible,
excellentinsulatorespeciallyforhighvoltage),butitsecretesaceticaciduponcuringandthismaydamagethe
electroniccircuitry(butnotalwaysthecase).Sometypesclaimtobesafeforthisorthat(e.g.,aluminum)but
unlessitstatesspecificallythatitissafeforelectronics,useatyourownrisk.
(From:RalphL.(ralphl@keycomp.net).)
YoucanalsouseanRTVthatissafeforoxygensensorsthatareusedonmostcomputercontrolledcars.Itdoes
notproducethataceticacid(vinegarsmell)duringthecuringprocessandwillnotharmelectronics.
(From:GregSzekeres(gjs@prophet.pharm.pitt.edu).)
Yes,PermatexUltraBlueissafe,availableatmostautopartsstores.Ihavealsobeenusingpolyurethaneinstead
ofsilicone,althoughishasproblemswithsomematerials.
(From:RadMan(radcom@comnet.ca)).
SomeagentsrequireUVtocure,someneedheat.YoucanalsotryMillerStevensen907availableat
Future/Active,anditpotswithaheatgunveryfast(30minutess).
(From:BobWilson(rfwilson@intergate.bc.ca).)
DextermakesHysolEpoxywhichisapottingcompoundthattotallyencapsulatesthecircuits.Thereareeasily
availablecommercialcoloringcompoundsintendedforthispurpose,andareavailablefromthesupplierofthe
Epoxy.Analternativeistomixsomelasercopiertoner(drypowder)withtheepoxyifmakingitopaqueis
desired.
Mindyou,allthatpottingdoesasameansofsecurity,istokeepheamateursout.Depottinganelectronic
assemblyisprettyeasy.Allthatisneededisjudiciousapplicationofasmallweldingtorchflametolocallyheat
theepoxyaboveitsglasstemperature(whereuponitbecomesrather"crunchy"andeasytoremove),andalittle
patience.
(From:BrianSymons(brians@mackay.net.au).)
Theproductsnormallysafetousearelabeled"neutralcure"oratleasttheyarehereinAustralia.
Anyacidcureproductiscertainlydangerousaroundelectronics.IcamacrosssomePCB'sthathadhadthe
wiresgluedinplacebyarunofacidcuresilasticacrosstheboard.
Whenlookingforthefault,Ipeeledupthesilasticandfoundeverytrackunderthesilasticwascompletelyeaten
away.
BTW.Overhere,Itisquitecommonforovenstohaveafromglassviewingwindowthatisgluedinpositionwith
asilasticmaterialthatcanhandlethehightemps.
Whenawarranteeguyorderedinatubeofthesilastic,theysuppliedatubeofthesilasticthatisavailablehereat
carpartssuppliersandservicestationstorepairwindscreenseals.Theywereonlychargingabouteighttimesthe
pricethough.Thissilasticisablackproduct.Ihaveuseditsuccessfullyforovenglassrepairsforseveralyears.
62/100
1/2/2015
ElectronicParts
Iwasgoingtoattempttomakeabasiclistofrecommendedpartsbutthisquicklygotoutofhand.Thelistbelow
isjustastart.Theideaistohaveenoughpartsavailablesothatyoudonotneedtoraidthelocalelectronics
storeeverytimeyouwanttotrysomething.
Agoodsourceformanyofthebasicpartsisdeadequipmenttheirorganscanliveonatyourworkbench.Parts
likesmallresistorsaresoinexpensivethatthisdoesn'twarrantalotoftime.However,powerresistors,
potentiometers,powersemiconductors,someICs,etc.arewellworthsaving.Usedelectrolyticcapacitorswill
generallystillbefunctionalbutthesedodeterioratewithtimeandheatsotestingthemfirstandavoidingtheuseof
reallyoldonesforthepermanentrepairisprobablywise.Themajorityofmypartsinventoryisfromsalvage.
Thinkofthemas'preownedburnedincomponents':).
Resistorassortment.Avarietyofresistorpacksfordigitaltermination.
Potentiometers(variableresistors),assortedvalues.
Capacitorassortmentceramicandelectrolytic.Largehighvoltageelectrolyticsforpowersupplies.
Rectifiers1N4007sforprimariesofpowersupplies.Microwaveovenrectifier.Fastrecoveryrectifiers
forswitchingsupplies.
Diodes1N4148signaldiodes.
Transistors(bipolar):smallsignal,mediumpower,highpoweraudio,andhorizontaloutputtransistors.
Obviously,thislistcouldgetquitelong.Afewbasictypeswillsufficeinapinch.
Fuses3AGsize(11/4"x1/4").5,1,2,3,5,10amp.Youcanalwayssoldertheseacrossthesmaller
5x20mmfusesoftenfoundinconsumerequipmentthesedays.
LEDsandindicatorlamps.
Wire:assortedcolorsof#24,#18,and#14strandedandsolidinsulatedwire.75ohmcoaxforvideo.
Shieldedcableforaudio.Finewire(e.g.,#30,bareandinsulated)forPCBrepairs.
Assortedsmallswitchestoggle,pushbutton,etc.
Linecords,plugs,andotherelectricalcomponents.
Lampsockets,singleandthreewayswitch/sockets,plugs,etc.forsmallappliancerepair.
VariousjacksandplugssuchasRCA,phono,F,BNC,etc.
Smallloudspeakers,headphones.
etc.,etc.,etc.
MechanicalParts
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HardwareassortmentincludingEnglishmachinescrewsandnuts,Metricmachinescrews(mostlyfor
replacementuse,andMetricnutsarerare),andflatandlockwashers.
Plasticsplitwasherassortment.Despitedirewarningstothecontrary,thesecanoftenbereused.
However,theyareeasilylost.
EclipandCclipassortment.Thesecanbereusedbutveryoftengo'pling'intoneverneverlandwhen
removed.
Springassortment.
Severalthicknessesofsteelwire.
Variousbitsofplastic,wood,andmetaltofabricatesplintsorotheremergencyrepairs.
Dialcordmaterial.
PlasticPartsRepair
Whenalittleplasticpartbreaks,repaircanbeatimeconsuming,frustrating,andultimatelyfutiletaskunlessthe
failurewasfromabuse.Thereasonisthatwhenapartbreaksundernormaloperatingconditions,theplastic
giveswayattheareasofmaximumstress.Simplygluingthepartwon'tworkbecausethestrengthaftertherepair
willprobablynotbeasgreatasitwasoriginallyeveniftheproperadhesiveisused.
Notethattherearequiteavarietyofwhatwecall"plastics".Anadhesivethatbondswithextremestrengthto
onemaynotevenstickatalltoanother.(Nylonandpolyethylenearedifficulttogluestyreneiseasy.)Thisis
especiallytrueofthe'welding'adhesiveslikeMEK.
However,usingthemostappropriategluecanmakeaverysignificantdifference:
MEK(MethylEthylKetone)isthestuffinplasticsolventusedfor'welding'styrenes.Thisresultsinatruly
adequaterepaironlyunderveryspecialconditions(whichI'veyettoencounter).
PlasticmodelcementcontainsallylIsothiocyanate(oilofmustard,huh?),andisgoodforstyreneand
acrylicplastics.Notrecommendedforpolyethyleneorphenolicplasticsorforstyrofoam(whichitwill
eat).
DucoCement(tm)andsimilarallpurposegluesaredecentformanyplasticsincludingphenolics.
Windshieldsealerissimilarbutresultsinasemiflexiblerepair.
Tenex7Risrecommendedforjoiningdissimilarplastics.
SuperGlue(tm)anditsclones(Cyanoacrylics)areonlygoodonsomeplasticsandonlywherethefracture
iscleanwithaperfectfituponreassembly.However,theyareexcellentforstickingthumbstoforeheads.
:)
WARNING:Thevaporsfromalloftheseadhesivesareharmfultohealthifinhaled.Workonlyinawell
ventilatedarea.
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CAUTION:Spillsfromsomeofthesewillalsodamagepaintandotherplasticsurfaces(includingeyegless
lenses!)evenifwipedupimmediately.
RTVSiliconworkswellonavarietyofplasticswhereaflexiblerepairisacceptable.
Epoxies,woodglues,whiteElmersglue,andlibrarypaste:)ingeneraldonotworkwellforplastics.
Wherepossible,Iaddreinforcementtoplasticpartseitherwithplasticormetal.Or,fabricateallmetal
replacements.I'veheardofpeoplesuccessfullyaddingbitsofmetaltoreplaceplasticgearteeth.Ihaveseveral
clockradioswithamechanicalclockwherethelittleplasticpininthenumberchangingmechanisminvariably
brokeafter5yearsorsoonallsimilarmodels.Ireplacethemwithapieceofsteelwire(fromalargepaperclip)
gluedinplace.Thisrepairhasworkedforover20years.Ibetthemanufacturersavedafractionofcentoneach
unitthough!And,whensomeoneforeblyremovedapaperjamonanHPDJ1000printerandbrokeseveral
pressurerollerspringlevers,stiffsteelwirecametotherescueonceagain.
SourcesofInformationandGeneralComments
Thissetofsectionsdealswithwaysoflocatinggeneralelectronicsrepairinformationaswellasproblemspecific
specifications,datasheets,manuals,andtechtips.Sincewefirstpresentedthissetoftopicsseveralyearsago,
therehavebeentwomajortrendswhichareworthnoting,onegood,onebad:
TheInternet,specificallytheWorldWideWeb,hasbecomeTHEpreferredavenueforobtainingdevice
datasheetsandrelatedinformation.Whileitmaystillbepossibletoobtainprinteddatabooks,the
convenienceoftypinginthepartnumbertoasearchenginelikeGoogleandhavingitsdatasheetlink
appearalmostinstantlyasoneofthetop3resultscannotbeoveremphasized.Thisappliestovirtuallyany
widelyusedcommercialdiscretesemiconductororIC.Unfortunately,thosewith"housenumbers"and
morespecializedICsfoundinconsumerelectronicswillprobablynotyieldwiththisease.
ForthoseofyouwithoutWebaccessathomeorwork,thismaynotsoundlikegoodnews.However,
librariesandotherinstitutionsareincreasinglyprovidingthisservice,andonecan'thidefromthefuture
forever!
Thenumberandtypeofequipmentthatcanbeeffectivelyandeconomicallyrepairedisdwindling.VCRs,
CDandDVDplayers,cellphones,pagers,andmuchothernewerequipmentissimplynotdesignedtobe
repairedbyanyonebuttheauthorizedservicecompanyornotatall.MuchA/Vequipmentis
constructedsocheaplythatit'sluckytolastthewarrantyperiod.Compacthightechdevicesareput
togetherusingsurfacemounttechnology(SMT)andICsthatsimplycannotbeidentifiedsoanything
beyondanobviousbadconnectionprobablymeansitisjunk.AbsolutelyNOserviceinformationis
availableinanyformandthemanufacturer,assumingtheycanbeidentified,couldn'tcarelessabout
helping.
PCshavebeenofthistypeformanyyearswhereanythingbeyondswappingmodulesisprobablyafutile
exercise.Well,guesswhat?Devicesliedigitalsettopboxes,digitalvideorecorders,videogame
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consoles,anddigitalflatscreenTVscanbeaddedtothislist.Except,thattheyaren'tgoingtouse
anythingresemblingstandardmoduleslikePCsstilldotosomeextent.So,forgetaboutachievingany
significantsuccessraterepairingthisandsimilarequipment.
References
Eachoftherepairguidesinthe"NotesontheTroubleshootingandRepairof"seriesincludesalistofrelevant
linksandbooksonthetechnologyandservicing.Alsocheckout:
ElectronicTroubleshooting
DonMatsuda,1992
ISBN0132480557
Manufacturer'sServiceLiterature
Servicemanualsarestillavailableforagreatdealofconsumerelectronics.Onceyouhaveexhaustedtheobvious
possibilitiesormechanicalproblems,thecostmaybewellworthit.Dependingonthetypeofequipment,these
canrangeinpricefrom$10to50ormore.Somearemoreusefulthanothers.However,notallincludethe
schematicssoifyouarehopingtorepairanelectronicproblemtrytocheckbeforebuying.
IdentifyingOEMManufacturerFCCNumbers
Onlyafewmanufacturersactuallyproducethevastmajorityofconsumerelectronicequipment.Forexample,
RadioShack,Magnavox,andEmersondonotmaketheirownVCRs(Icantellyouarenotreallysurprised!).
Housebrandsarenearlyalwaystheproductsofwellknownmanufacturersidenticalorverynearlyidenticalto
theirstandardmodelsbutrepackagedoratleastrelabeledtoreflectthestorechain'snameandlogo.Thisisone
reasonwhysuchlowercostproductsmaybeagooddeal(butnotalways).
Howdoyoudeterminetheactualmanufacturer?Formosttypesofconsumerelectronicequipment,thereis
somethingcalledan'FCCID'or'FCCnumber'.AnytypeofequipmentthatmayproduceRFinterferenceorbe
affectedbythisisrequiredtoberegisteredwiththeFCC.Thisnumbercanbeusedtoidentifytheactual
manufactureroftheequipment.
Acrossreferenceandotherlinkscanbefoundat:
FCCIDNumbersCrossReference
Sams'Photofacts
Sams'(norelation)isSamsTechnicalPublishing(formerlyHowardSams&Company)whopublishescircuit
diagramsandserviceinfoforjustabouteveryTVsoldonthisplanetsincethe1940s.
Sams'Photofactsschematicsandserviceliteraturearepublishedby:
SamsTechnicalPublishing
5436W.78thSt.
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Indianapolis,IN462683910
Phone:1800428SAMS
Fax:18005523910
Emailcustomercare1@samswebsite.comorcustomercare2@samswebsite.com
Web:http://www.samswebsite.com/
YoucansearchtheWebsitetodetermineiftheyhaveafolderforyourmodel.Serviceinfo(EFacts)formost
modelsmanufacturedafter1992isavailableinelectronicform(currently)about$11.Thesearesimilartothe
printPhotoFactsbutmaybeorderedonlineandwillarriveviaemailwithin1businessday.
Thesefoldersofserviceinformationhavebeenpublishedforover45years(Idon'tknowforhowlongbutI
haveasetfora1949portable3inchPilotTVaboutasportableasanofficetypewriterifyourememberwhat
oneofthosewaslike)andaregenerallythebestmostconsistentsourceofserviceinfoforTVs,radios,some
VCRsandotherconsumerelectronics.TherearesomeComputerfactsbutthenumberoftheseisverylimited.
TheVCRfactsarealsosomewhatlimitedandtheneweronestendtohavestrictlymechanicalinformation.
Eveniftheydon'tlistyourmodel,theymayhaveafolderforoneusingthesamechassissosearchbychassis
numberaswell.Evenifthisdoesn'thelp,therestillmaybeafolderformodelsthataresimilarenoughtobeof
value(thoughyoureallyhavetobeinthelibrarytobeabletodeterminethisbylookingatthecircuitdiagramsor
photos)socheckoutfoldersforothermodelnumbersthatareclosetotheoneyoureallywant.
Sams'Photofactsareoftenavailable(forphotocopycosts)fromyoulocallargepubliclibrarywhichmay
subscribetothecompleteseries.Ifnot,alargeelectronicdistributorcanordertheselectedfolderforyou.
OneadvantageoftheSams'infoisthatitiscompiledinaveryconsistentformatsothatonceyouarefamiliar
withonemodelTV,itiseasytotransferthatknowledgetoanyother.Theyprovidewaveformsatkeylocations
andDCvoltagemeasurementsalmosteverywhere.AdditionalinfosuchasICpintogroundandcoilresistances
areoftenprovidedaswell.Themanufacturer'sservicemanualsaregenerallynotnearlyascomplete.
Note:IhaveheardthatsomeofthePhotofactsrecentlypurchaseddirectlyfromSamsTechnical
Publishing/HowardSamshavebeenpoorphotocopieswithillegiblescopewaveformsratherthanoriginal
printings.Ifthisisthecase,itistrulytheendofaneraandtoobad.Inanycase,trytoconfirmthequalitybefore
youbuyorgetyourinfofromthelibrary.
InsideCoveroftheEquipment
Televisionsetsandevenoldradiooftenhavesomekindofcircuitdiagrampastedinsidethebackcover.Inthe
olddays,thiswasacompleteschematic.Now,ifoneexistsatall,itjustshowspartnumbersandlocationfor
keycomponents,occasionallysometestpointsandvoltagesstillveryuseful.SomeTVsaslateas10years
ago,maybeevennowincludedacompleteschematicwiththeproductinformationandowner'smanual.Ihave
a1984Mitsubishiwhichcamewithaverynicehighqualitymultipageschematic.However,thisisthevery
occasionalexceptionratherthantheruleanymoreforA/Vequipment.
Microwaveovensdoalmostalwayshaveaschematicdiagramofthemicrowavepowergenerationcircuitry
pastedinsidethesheetmetalcover.Thiswillgenerallyincludeatleastthehighvoltagetransformer,interlocks,
rectifier,capacitor,andmagnetron.Sincemostmicrowaveovenproblemsareintheseareas,thisisallyouare
likelytoneed.Thecontroller,especiallyelectronicunits,isoftenomittedoronlycoveredsuperficially.
67/100
1/2/2015
AdditionalSourcesforServiceInformationandManuals
Whereserviceinformationonyourequipmentisn'tavailableasaSams'Photofact(orevenifitis),NAPis
anotherpossibility.Theyaren'tthatexpensive,Maybe$25forasetof6microfiches(well,youcan'thave
everything!)thatcoversavarietyofmodelsincludingtheoneyouarespecificallyinterested.NAP'sphone
numberforpartsis18008518885.Theywilllookupyourmodelintheirdatabaseandidentifythemicrofiche
set(s).
TherearenowmanymanyInternetsourcesformanualsandschematicsofalltypesincludingthosethatarehard
tofindforvintageequipment.Somearefreewhileotherschargeanywherefromanominalfeetosomething
ridiculous.Doyourhomeworkbeforespendingmoneymostofthoseyoulikelyneedmaybedownloadedfor
freeincludingthoseformajorbrandsoftestequipment,communicationsgear,andtubeaudio.
Thelinksthatusedtobebelowhavebeenremovedsinceattemptingtomaintaintwosetsofnearlyidenticallinks
(hereandinmybookmarkfile),manywithshorthalflives,becameunbearable.Therefore,pleasegotothe
"Manuals/Schematics"sectionsofSam'sNeat,Nifty,andHandyBookmarks.
AsofFall,2006,IhaveconfirmedthatalltheseWebsitesformanualsandschematicsareactive.Notethat
sincethesesortsofsitescomeandgo,I'dadvisedownloadingandarchivingwhateveryoumightpossiblyneed
whenyoufindthemdon'tjustsavethelinks.Youmaybesorrylater!
(From:WilliamE.Miller(eagle@trader.com).)
BesidestheusedSamsTVRepairManualsIsell,hereareafewgoodsourcesforvariousflavorsofservice
manuals.
A.G.Tannenbaum
ElectronicServiceData
2043EmpireCentral
Dallas,Texas75235
Phone:12146540033
Fax:12143574693
Web:http://www.agtannenbaum.com/
"PartsandServiceData,1920stothepresent".Lotsofstuff!
MichelleTroutman
47No.BainStreet,Brewer,ME044122014
Email:mtroutm@michelletroutman.com
Web:http://www.michelletroutman.com/
SamsPhotofactsandservicemanualsforolderTVs,stereos,andradios,aswellastestequipment,
vacuumtubes,electronicsbooks,andmagazines.
(From:MikeKaufman(makaufman@jps.net).)
"Thisisanexcellentsourceforveryreasonablypricedrepairmanuals,especiallyoutofdate
68/100
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manuals,.Michelle'spricesareontheorderof$2.50permanualplus$1.50shippinghard
tobeat."
MartyGasman
Email:mgasman@tiac.net
Web:http://www.tiac.net/users/mgasman
HehasaLOTofAUDIOservicemanualsforsale.Checkhisfulllistathiswebsite.
MicrotechJohnGallawa
Email:john@microtechfactoryservice.com
Web:http://www.microtechfactoryservice.com/
"Wewillbehappytohelpanyonewhoneedsaschematicorpartsbreakdownforvirtuallyanymakeand
model(commercialorresidential)microwaveoven."
MauritronTechnicalServices
Phone:01844351694
Email:mauritron@dial.pipex.comWeb:http://www.mauritron.com/
"SuppliersofTechnicalBooksandServicingInformationtothetelevision,videoandcomputerrepair
trade"
Manualssometimesturnupatauctionsonline(e.g.,eBay)andothers,aswellasestatesalesandthe
like,thoughthesewouldhardlyberegardedasawayoffindingexactlywhatyouwant!
TheU.S.Militaryhasanextensivelibraryoftestequipmentandrelatedmanuals,someofwhichareinthepublic
domain:
(From:Dino(kl0s@cox.net).)
Goto:U.S.ArmyLogisticsSupportActivity.Select"PublicationsandForms"whichshouldgetyoutoLOGSA
PublicationsandForums.Thenselect"ElectronicTechnicalManualsOnline"whichwillrollyoudownto"Goto
ElectronicTechnicalManualsOnline".Clickonthislinkwhichtakesyouto
http://www.logsa.army.mil/etms/online.htm.Ifyouaccepttheirterms,clickon"Iaccept"whichtakesyouto
http://www.logsa.army.mil/etms/welcom1.htmChoose"EntertheSite"[Notethedisclaimerthatyouhaveto
loginifaccessinganythingbutpublicreleasemanualsandthatyouhavetohave128bitencryptionengaged.That
shouldbringyouto:http://www.logsa.army.mil/etms/find_etm.cfm.whichisthesearchpageclickon"TMTitle
Text"andenter,forexample,"Tektronix"andscrolldowntohit"Search"whichshouldgetyouto:
http://www.logsa.army.mil/etms/show_etm.cfmwhereifyouscrolldownandlookCAREFULLYyou'llfindlots
ofmaterialin.PDFformatwhichyoucanthendownload.
Youmayhavetogothroughthisentireprocesstoestablishthefactthatyouaccepttheirterms.There'sprobably
acookieinmysystemthatletsmegostraighttothesearchpage.I'vefoundanumberofgoodreferenceshere
fortextequipment.
CanadianSchematicsSource
69/100
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ThisoutfitseemstohaveschematicsforavarietyofoldorvintageTVs,radios,carradios,CBs,amplifiers,and
more.
(Ihaveupdatedthecontactinformationbelowsoamnotsureifeverythingappliestothenewdistributor.
Sam.)
(From:JohnR.Hepburn(jhepburn@recorder.ca).)
IuseasourceinCanadaforcheapschematics.Ihavetomentionthattheyhavelimitedcoverageinthelastwhile
duetosomeO.E.M.holdbacks.Thereisnothingatallonmonitors.Itis:
R.C.C.(RadioCollegeofCanada)
Availablethrough:JustRadios
Email:justradios@yahoo.com
Web:http://www.justradios.com/
Whattheydocoverisinexpensive,typically5schematics+datainone$19.50manual($14.00U.S.).An
example,IjustreceivedamanualtheotherdaythatIorderedtoserviceaSonyVCR.Itcontainedthefollowing.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
CitizenTVmodelJCTV0204/JCTV3097
CitizenVCRmodelJVHS3931
HitachiTVmodelCY07C#G9LXU1M
HitachiVCRmodelVTM262A
SonyVCRmodelsSLV340/380/440/441
Isuggestorderingtheirmasterindex.Theyhave2ofthem,pre1973and1973topresent.Youwillneeditfor
crossinganywayanditwillgiveyouabetterideawhatvaluetheirresourceswillbetoyou.Costforanindexis
$5.00(Can).
ReverseEngineeredSchematics
Anumberofcompaniesareinthebusinessofgeneratingschematicseitherfromsamplesoftheequipmentorby
'othermeans'(whichwewon'tgointo).Onesuchcompanythatclaimstohaveover3,000suchschematicsis:
BomarcServices
P.O.Box1113Casper,Wyoming82602
Phone:3072343488
Web:http://bomarc.org/
Ihavenoideaoftheircost,reliability,quality,oraccuracybutthistypeofsourcemaybeworthcheckingifyou
aredesperate!Oneriskisthathewants$5forcatalogsofatmost3categoriesfromthefollowingbeforeyou
canorder:audio,auto/air/marine,computer,detection,industrial,lighting,medical,phone,powersupplies,radar,
radio,security,tape/disk,telemetry,television,testequipment,time,toys&games,video,potpourri(misc).
Hereisanothercompanywhichhassomereverseengineeredschematics:
EaganTechnicalServices
408NorthlandDrive#304
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MendotaHeights,MN55120
Phone:16516880098
Web:http://www.eagantech.com/
Email:dcarlson@eagantech.com
TheyhavesomePS/2andotherPCandmonitorrelatedschematicsbutnotnearlytheselectionsitwouldseem
asBomarc,above.Idonotknowanythingmoreaboutthiscompany.
ReverseEngineeringYourOwnSchematics
Ofcourse,mostofushavehadneedtoreverseengineerequipment.Thisisprobablynotrealisticforamultilayer
PCmainboard.ButforevensomethingascomplexasaTVorcomputermonitor,itmaynotbethatdifficult
andinsomecases,theonlyoption.Igenerallydothisbygoingcomponentbycomponentanddeterminingall
connectionstoeachone.Theinitialdrawingwillbeatotalmessaspaghettidiagram.:)Oncethewiringhas
beendetermined,Iredrawthecircuit(you'veseenenoughoftheminthesepages!).Everyonewhodoesthis
morethanonceprobablyhastheirfavoritetechniquetomakethetaskeasier.
(From:JeffZurkow(jeff@atrox.com).)
Here'satrickI'musingforreverseengineering:Puttheboardonacolorphotocopier,setthecopierfor"mirror
image",andmakeacopy.Thisgetsyouatopviewoftheunderside,asiftheboardweretransparent.Youcan
tapeapieceofdraftingmylaroverthecopy,anddrawinthetopsidecomponentsandtraceswithcolored
pencils.Infact,Isometimesusemultiplemylars:toptracesonone,componentsonanother,componentvalues
onathird,andafinaloneonwhichIcheckoffcomponentsandsolderjointsasIdrawthemontheschematic.It
helpstohavealightbox:)
Thelayereddrawingcanalsoserveasacomponentlocationkeyforfuturetroubleshooting.Justassignnew
componentidentifiers(theonessilkscreenedontheboardareoftenobscuredbythecomponents),anddraw
theminonboththemylarandtheschematic.Makesitrealeasygofromtheschematicbacktothecircuitboard.
Mark'sApproachtoFindingInformation
Thefirstskillyouneedwhenyouwanttodesignsomethingisdiggingupthedatabooks.Thisappliesto
troubleshootingandrepairaswell.Awellstockedliteratureshelf(fcabinet)isaninvaluabletimesaver.Don't
assumeyoucangetEVERYTHINGonthenetjustyet!
Takethelowly2N3055powertransistor,forexample....(Mostofushaveitsspecsengravedonsome
radiationhardenedneuronssafelytuckedawayinaforgottenpartofourbrainsbutforthefreshlymintedEEor
technician....
(From:MarkZenier(mzenier@netcom.com).)
Placestolook:
Theweb,atsitesforcompaniesthatmakepowertransistors.Awholebunchofpeoplemakejellybean
transistorslike2N3055s,downtosomelittle50employeecompaniesthatyou'veneverheardof,buttheymay
nothaveawebsiteyet).Orstartwithoneofthewebdirectories.(Checkthe"ElectronicComponents"sections
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ofSam'sNeat,Nifty,andHandyBookmarks.)
Thesalesrep,salesoffice,orcompanyliteraturedepartment.Lookinthephonebookoronthewebpagefor
thephonenumberofacompanyortheirlocalorregionalsalerepresentativeoroffice.Callthemupandask.It's
theirjobtoprovidecustomersupportandifyousoundlikeyouhalfwayknowwhatyou'redoing(sayingyou'rea
studentworks,too)ANDitdoesn'tcostthemmuch(don'tgetgreedy)they'lloftenbemorethanwillingtosend
youinformation.(Thesedays,itmightbeaCDROMoftheirwholeproductline.Cheap,butnotthateasyto
use,IMHO.)Iftheywon'thelpyou,askthemwherethereissomeonewhocan.Likethenearestdistributor.
Electronicsdistributors.Largeronesoftenfillthesameliteraturedistributionroleasthesalesrep.Other
distributorslikeJameco,JDRMicrodevices,FutureActiveselldatabooksasacatalogitem.Oralocal
distributorthatcaterstothewalkintradewillhaveadatabookshelfandallow(orhaveanominalfeefor)
photocopies.(Thebigdistributorsareclosedoperations,mostlyusingphonesalesmenandUPSfordistribution,
visitorsaren'tnecessarilywelcome.)
Agoodlibrary.Likeoneatauniversitywithanelectricalengineeringprogram,oralargecitylibrary.
Usedbookstores,abigunselective'bookdump'oftenwillhaveagoodstockofolddatabooks.Onesthatyou
can'tgetfromthemanufacturerandmore.Likewise,electronicssurplusstores(mostbigcitiesshouldstillhave
oneortwo)oftenhavethem.
PartsInformationandCrossReferences
Ihavefoundthatoneofthemostusefulsinglesourcesforinformationonsemiconductors,especiallyfor
troubleshootingandrepair,tobetheECGSemiconductorsMasterReplacementGuide.(ECGisnowmerged
withNTE.)Itusedtobeabout$6andmaypossiblybeavailablefordownloadfreenowfromtheNTEWebsite
(butit'shuge).SKandothershavesimilarmanualsbutNTE,especiallywithitsacquisitionofECG,nowappears
todominatetheindustry.ThemanualwillenableyoutolookupU.S.,foreign,andmanymanufacturer's'house'
numberstoidentifydevicetype,pinout,andotherspecifications.
Alsoseethesection:HouseNumbers.
HereisthecurrentWebsiteforNTE:
NTE(NTEElectronics,Inc)
(From:Gregg(gregglns@ix.netcom.com).)
"NTE'sdevicenumbersarethesameasECG's,andtheircrossrefguidecanbedownloadedfrom
http://www.nteinc.com/.
It'sfreebuttheydowantyoutoregister.Ifyouwanttobypassthis,gotoftp://nteinc.com/pub/and
downloadthewindowsversionoftheguide,ntesetup.exe.Don'tbotherwiththedosversionthe
filenameddosdisk2.exeisbad,andwon'tunzip."
IamnotnecessarilyrecommendingusingNTE(orothergeneric)replacementsiftheoriginalreplacementsare
(1)readilyavailableand(2)reasonablypriced.(Notethatveryoftentheoriginalreplacementpartwillbeless
expensivethantheequivalentfromNTE.Therefore,itshouldbeusedifavailable.)However,thecrossreference
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cansavecountlesshourssearchingthroughdatabooks,seachingtheWeb,orcontactingthemanufacturers.Even
ifyouhaveawallofdatabooks,thissourceisinvaluable.However,thereareacoupleofcaveats:
1. Somecrosseshavebeenknowntobeincorrectthespecificationsofthegenericreplacementpartwere
inferiortotheoriginalortotallywrongwithdifferentpinoutorevenfunction!
2. Don'tassumethatthespecificationsprovidedforthegenericpartareidenticaltotheoriginal.Sincea
singleNTEpartmayreplacemultiplestandardparts,itmayactuallybebetterinsomeways.Thus,using
oneofthesecrossreferencestodeterminethespecificationsofthepartsinyourjunkbincanberisky.
Ioftenusethereplacementguidetodetermineupperboundspecsbutasnotedabove,rarelybuyanygeneric
parts(sorryNTE).ThenIfindindustrystandardpartsthathaveequalorbetterspecs.Dalbani'scatalog(seethe
section:MailOrderPartsSources)hasasortofinversecrossreferencefromNTEto2S/2N/BU/whateverthat
isn'tabadstartingpoint(thoughprobablynottobetrustedwithoutconfirmationofactualspecs).Ofcourse,this
doesn'tnecessarilyhelpwithsometrickyHOTsandchoppers....
NotethatwhileHowardSamsofSams'Photofactfamepublishesasemiconductorcrossreferencemanual(or
usedto),itwouldappeartojustbeacompilationoftheECG,NTE,SK,andRadioShackmanualsandmuch
moreexpensive($25orso).
ForstandardICs,ICMasterusedtobethe"bible"forICreferences.Itcanoftenprovidequickaccessto
completedata.FullaccesstotheirWebsiteiscurrentlyfreebuttheydorequireregistration.However,withtheir
printversion,ICsnolongermanufacturedwerenotlisted.Iassumetheonlineversionwillbesimilar.Thus,it
maybeofonlylimitedvalueforolderequipment.
DigChipisoneofagrowingnumberofonlineservicesthatprovidecrossreferenceandmanufacturerlinks.
Manylikethisonearefreebutrequiresimpleregistration.
Therearealsospecificationsand/ordatasheetsformanyJapanesesemiconductorsaswellasICsandotherparts
atRoyJ.Tellason'sPartsPages.
TransistorDesignations
Unfortunately,thereisnosuchthingasauniversalpartnumber!
U.S.madesemiconductorsusedtobemostlyofthe'nN'variety2Nwitha3or4digitnumberfor
bipolartransistor,forexample.ThisiscalledtheJointElectronDeviceEngineeringCouncil(JEDEC)
standardnumberingbutseemstohavebeenreplacedbyletterprefixeswhichmaybemanufacturer
dependentalthoughthesamepartmaybeavailablefrommultiplesources.Thesenumbersarebecoming
lesscommonandarerareinconsumerelectronics.
1N:diodes.
2N,3N:bipolartransistors.
4N,5N:optocouplers.
Manydevicesinconsumerelectronicequipmentaremarkedwithaletter(A,B,C,D,F,J,K)anda3or
4digitnumber.Adda'2S'infrontofthisandtheresultislikelytobethecomplete(Japanese)part
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number(the'2S'isnearlyalwaysabsentfromthepackagelabel).Youcanoftenusethisnumbertofinda
suitablecrossfromNTE.However,mostofthecommon'2S'devicesareavailablefromplaceslike
MCMElectronicsandDalbani.
2SA,2SB:PNPbipolar.
2SC,2SD:NPNbipolar.
2SF:thyristor.
2SJ,2SK:FET/MOSFET.
Therearemanyother'2S'prefixesbutthesearebyfarthemostcommon.
Suffixesmaydenotepackagetypeorsomespecialfeaturelikeaninternaldamperdiode(D,forhorizontal
outputdeflectiontransistors),enhancedgain,specialspeedsort,etc.
AcrossreferenceofsortsisavailabeatTransistorsJaponais(French).Don'tworry,thedevicenumbers
arethesameinFrenchandEnglish.:)
Therearealsospecificationsand/ordatasheetsformanyJapanesesemiconductorsaswellasICsand
otherpartsatRoyJ.Tellason'sPartsPages.
LesscommonaredesignationswhichlooksimilartotheJapanese2Snumbers(acapitalletterfollowedby
a3or4digitnumberandoptionalsuffix)butareactuallyKoreanpartnumberstowhichyouadda'KT'
(KoreanTransistororType?)insteadofa'2S'.SoD998becomesKTD998.Thesecomponentstypically
haveacapital'K'ontopinadditiontothepartnumberstartingwiththeletter(e.g.,A,B,C,D).However,
sometimestheonlywayyouwillknowisthatorderingthe2Sversiongetsyouadevicethatisn'teven
close(likeatinyTO92smallsignaltransistorratherthanthe200W,TO3typeyouexpected)!
Theremaybeotherexamplesbutthesearetheexceptions(atleastfornow).
Notethatsomecomponents(usuallyICs)maybelabeledinasimilarmanner(likeC4558Cwhichis
actuallyadualopamp)butthisISthecompletepartnumberjustsomethingelsetoconfuseyou!Some
ofthesesuchasonelabeledC1003mayactuallybeauPC1003soifwhatyoufindinadatasheetdoesn't
makesense,trytheseotherpossibilities!
AsidefromtheVERYexpensiveD.A.T.A.semiconductorreferenceseries(don'tevenask),whichincludes
virtuallyalltypesandflavorsofdevices,therearevariousJapaneseSemiconductorReferencemanualsavailable
throughplaceslikeMCMElectronicsforaround$20.SomeofthetextmaybeinJapanesebuttherelevantdata
isinEnglishsothesearehandyifyouwantmoredetailedorprecisespecificationsforthesedevicesthan
providedbycrossreferencessuchasNTE.
MoreonTransistorDesignations
AcommonlabelingschemeforMOSFETsconsistsofa2digitnumberfollowedby"N"or"P"followedby
another2digitnumber:IITVV.Thismaybeembeddedinamuchlongerpartnumber.
IIdenotesthecurrentratinginamps.
TwillbeeitherNforNchannelorPforPchannel.
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VVdenotestheDSvoltageratinginV/10.
(From:MarkRobinson(markr@snow_white.ee.man.ac.uk).)
Weareluckywithtransistorsthat,apartfromafewodditieswhichI'lltalkaboutlater,mostmarkingsfollowone
ofthesecodes.ICsaremoretrickyasyou'reoftendealingwithcustomchipsormaskprogrammeddeviceswith
manufacturersindividualcodes.Aquickhintthough:alwayslookforknownnumbers(e.g.,723,6502,2764)
etc.betweenthesuffixandprefix,andbewareofthedatecode.
Right...Backtotransistors.Thethreestandardtransistormarkingschemesare:
1. JointElectronDeviceEngineeringCouncil(JEDEC).
Thesetaketheform:
Digit,letter,serialnumber,[suffix]
wheretheletterisalways'N'.
Thefirstdigitisonelessthanthenumberoflegs,(2fortransistorsunlessthey'recrippledalthoughI'mnot
sureabout4leggedtransistorsmaybetheygeta3)exceptfor4Nand5Nwhicharereservedfor
optocouplers.
Theserialnumberrunsfrom100to9999andtellnothingaboutthetransistorexceptitsapproximatetime
ofintroduction.
The(optional)suffixindicatesthegain(hfe)groupofthedevice:
A=lowgain
B=mediumgain
C=highgain
Nosuffix=ungrouped(anygain)
Seethedatasheetfortheactualgainspreadandgroupings.Thereasonforgaingroupingisthatthelow
gaindevicesarefractionallycheaperthanthehighgaindevices,resultinginsavingsforhighvolumeusers.
Examples:2N3819,2N2221A,2N904.
2. JapaneseIndustrialStandard(JIS).
Thesetaketheform:
Digit,twoletters,serialnumber,[suffix]
Again,thedigitisonelessthanthenumberoflegs.
Thelettersindicatetheapplicationareaandflavourofthedeviceaccordingtothefollowingcode:
SA:PNPHFtransistor
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SB:PNPAFtransistor
SC:NPNHFtransistor
SD:NPNAFtransistor
SE:Diodes
SF:Thyristors
SG:Gunndevices
SH:Unijunctiontransistor
SJ:PchannelFET/MOSFET
SK:NchannelFET/MOSFET
SM:Triac
SQ:LED
SR:Rectifier
SS:Signaldiodes
ST:Avalanchediodes
SV:Varicaps
SZ:Zenerdiodes
Theserialnumberrunsfrom10to9999.
The(optional)suffixindicatesthatthetypeisapprovedforusebyvariousJapaneseorganizations.
NOTE.sincethecodefortransistorsalwaysbeginswith2S,itissometimes(moreoftenthannotis
seems)omittedso,forexample,a2SC733wouldbemarkedC733.
Examples:2SA1187,2SB646,2SC733.
3. ProElectron.
Thesetaketheform:
Twoletters,[letter],serialnumber,[suffix]
Thefirstletterindicatesthematerial:
A=Ge
B=Si
C=GaAs
R=compoundmaterials
NeedlesstosaythebiggestmajorityoftransistorsbeginwithaB.
Thesecondletterindicatesthedeviceapplication:
A:DiodeRF
B:Variac
C:Transistor,AF,smallsignal
D:Transistor,AF,power
E:Tunneldiode
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F:transistor,HF,smallsignal
K:Halleffectdevice
L:Transistor,HF,power
N:Optocoupler
P:Radiationsensitivedevice
Q:Radiationproducingdevice
R:Thyristor,Lowpower
T:Thyristor,Power
U:Transistor,power,switching
Y:Rectifier
Z:Zener,orvoltageregulatordiode
Thethirdletterindicatesthatthedeviceisintendedforindustrialorprofessionalratherthancommercial
applications.ItisusuallyaW,X,YorZ.
Theserialnumberrunsfrom1009999.
Thesuffixindicatesthegaingrouping,asforJEDEC.
Examples:BC108A,BAW68,BF239,BFY51.
ApartfromJEDEC,JISandProelectron,manufacturersoftenintroducetheirowntypes,forcommercial
reasons(ietogettheirnameintothecode)ortoemphasizethattherangebelongstoaspecialist
application.
Somecommonbrandspecificprefixesare:
MJ:Motorolapower,metalcase
MJE:Motorolapower,plasticcase
MPS:Motorolalowpower,plasticcase
MRF:MotorolaHF,VHFandmicrowavetransistor
RCA:RCA
RCS:RCS
TIP:TexasInstrumentspowertransistor(plasticcase)
TIPL:TIplanarpowertransistor
TIS:TIsmallsignaltransistor(plasticcase)
ZT:Ferranti
ZTX:Ferranti
Examples:ZTX302,TIP31A,MJE3055,TIS43.
ManymanufacturersalsomakecustompartsforlargevolumeOEMuse.Thesepartsareoptimizedfor
useinagivenpartofagivencircuit.Theyusuallyjusthaveamanufacturersstampandanuntraceable
number.Oftenwhenacompanygoesbankrupt,orhassurplusattheendofaproductionrun,these
transistorsfindtheirwayintohobbyistbargainpacks.Thereisnowaythatyoucantracedataonthese
devices,sotheyareonlysuitableasLEDdrivers,buffers,etc,wheretheactualparametersarenot
important.Checkcarefullybeforebuying.
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Onceyouhaveidentifiedyourpart,atriptothedatasheetorequivalentsbookiscalledfor(anyoneknowofan
onlineequivalentslist?).
SurfaceMountParts
Duetotheirsmallsize,verylittleinformationisprintedontheactualpackagefordiodes,transistors,capacitors,
andotherdiscretedevices.
Resistorsareoftenlabeledwith3or4ittybittydigitswherethelastoneisthemultiplier(10totheNth
power).
Capacitorsareoftentotallyunlabeledbutlargerelectrolyticsmayhavebothcapacitanceandvoltage
rating.Nonelectrolytictypesoftenhaveabrownbody.Electrolyticsmaybeblack,yellow(tantalum),or
someothercolor.
Discretesemiconductorscanoftenbeidentifiedbythenumberofpinsusinganohmmeteratleastina
roughsortofway.However,theonlywaytodeterminetheirspecifications(andofteneventhetype)orto
findacrossreferencefortheabbreviatedmarkingslike1A,B2,2J,istolookthemupsincethereisno
logicalrelationshipbetweenthemarkingandtheactualpartnumber(unlikethe2Sdiscreteparts,for
example).Thiscanbedoneifyouhavethemanufacturersdatabooksorpossiblyeventheirabbreviated
catalog(e.g.,Motorola's"MasterSemiconductorSelectionGuide".NTEdoescrossafewoftheseSMT
partsbuttheircoverageisnotnearlyascomprehensiveasfornormal(throughhole)counterparts.
TheWebsitesofsemiconductormanufacturersmayalsohavesomeinformationbutthisvarieswidely
fromcompanytocompany.
AnonlinelistcanbefoundviatheS.E.RFAQMainTableofContents(nearthebottom).
Thisisalsosomewhatincomplete.And,severalotherveryniceonesat:
Rob'sElectronicsSiteSMDMarkingCodes
TechnicalKnowledgeBaseforYou:SMDMarkingCodes
SMDCodes(GermanWebSite1)
SMDCodes(GermanWebSite2)
SMDGodebook
ICs.TheonlyoptionformanyoftheseistolocatethedatabookorWebsitewiththedatasheet.Evenif
thepartnumberissimilartoathroughholeversion,thepinoutmaydiffer.However,commonTTL/logic
chipsandopampswillusuallyhaveidenticalpinoutsandspecifications.Itisoftenpossibletopartially
confirmthisbycheckingthelocationofthepowerpinsorknownsignalconnections.
HouseNumbers
Thesearethecrypticnumberinglike1211025or113234thatmaybetheonlymarkingonthatcriticalpartyou
needtoreplaceoridentify.
Arehousenumbersusedjusttomakelifedifficult?
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Itcertainlyseemsthatwayfromtheperspectiveofrepair.Givemeindustrystandardnumbersanyday.However,
housenumbersareafactoflife.
Thehousenumberiswhatyouneedtoorderareplacementfromtheoriginalmanufactureroftheequipmentbut
thatmaynotalwaysbedesirableduetothelikelyhighcostandpossibledifficultyinlocatingasuitabledistributor
thatcarriesthemanufacturer'sreplacementparts.
Asnotedinthesection:"Partsinformationandcrossreferences",aMasterSelectionGuidelikeNTEmaybe
abletogiveyousomeideaofthespecificationsevenifyoudon'twanttousetheirgenericreplacement
semiconductors.Theirwebsiteshave(orshouldhaveinthefuture)someamountofcrossreferenceinformation
forindustrystandardandhousenumbers.However,don'texpecttodetailedICspecificationsorevenpinoutsin
mostcasesthereorfromthediskstheymayalsooffer.ThehardcopyMasterSelectionGuideswhichthese
companiessellhavebeenbetterinthepast(thoughthismaybechanging)buteventhesewon'tgiveyouallthe
details.However,ifyoudorepairworkregularly,these'telephonebook'thicknessguidesworththefewbucks
thatischarged.
Alsoseethesection:PartsInformationandCrossReferences.
GenericParts(MostlySemiconductors)
NTE(whichnowincludesECG)offersanextensiveselectionofdiscretedevicesandintegratedcircuitswhich
arereplacementsforthousandsofindustrystandardaswellanhousenumberedsemiconductors.Shouldyou
considerthem?Mygeneralfeelingis:notunlessyouhaveto.Theyareoftenmoreexpensivethanthepartsthey
replaceandqualityisnotalwaysquiteashighasanoriginalstandardpart.However,inmostcases,theseparts
willworkjustfine.
Othercommoncomponentsincludingflybacktransformers,beltsandotherrubberparts,andRFmodulators
mayalsobeavailablefromthesesourcesbuttheytendtobeusedlessoftenandqualitymayvaryevenmore.
TherearesomeothersimilarcompanieslikeSK(partofThomsonConsumerElectronics)butNTEnow
appearstodominatetheindustryforthesegenericreplacementsemiconductorandotherelectronics
components.
HPtoIndustryStandardSemiconductorCrossReference
(From:WalterShawlee2(walter2@sphere.bc.ca).)
Sphere'sUsedElectronicTestEquipmentswillhelpdecodeallthoseodd1820xxxnumbers!AlsoHPandTek
repairpartsandequipmentonline,plushelpfulFAQsandlinkstoallkindsoftestgearsites.
WealsohaveabigusedequipmentsiteonlineforCanadians.
InternetSourcesofInformation
MostmanufacturersofelectronicequipmentarenowprovidinginfoviatheWorldWideWeb.Theanswerto
youquestionmaybeamouseclickaway.Performanetsearchorjusttrytoguessthemanufacturer'shomepage
address.Themostobviousisoftencorrect.Itwillusuallybeoftheform"http://www.xxx.com"wherexxxisthe
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manufacturers'name,abbreviation,oracronym.Forexample,HewlettPackardishp,SunMicrosystemsissun,
WesternDigitalCorp.iswdc.ItisamazingwhatisappearingfreelyaccessibleviatheWWW.Forexample,
diskdrivemanufacturersoftenhaveproductinformationincludingdetailedspecificationsaswellascomplete
jumperandswitchsettingsforallcurrentandolderharddrives.
Tandy(RadioShack)usedtohaveanicewebresourceandfaxbackservice.Thiswasmostlyfortheir
equipmentbutsomeofitappliedtootherbrandsandtherewerediagramsthatwereusefulforother
manufacturers'VCRs,TVs,CDplayers,camcorders,remotecontrols,andotherdevices.However,thepageis
longgoneandnorealyusefulinfoisobviousonTandy'sWebsite.
AreThereSchematicsofConsumerElectronicEquipmentontheWeb?
Well,yesandno.
YouaresearchingfortheHolyGrail.Everyoneis,butitisn'tgoingtohappenonalargescaleatleastnotfor
free.Schematicsarecopyrightedbytheequipmentmanufacturerswhosellthemaspartoftheirservicemanuals
orlicensethemtoorganizationslikeSamsTechnicalPublishing(Sams'Photofacts)andothers.
Ifyoureverseengineertracetheschematicofapieceofequipmentfromtheunititselfandcanprove
itandthenmakeitavailableatyourWebsite,thatisprobablylegal.You'llhaveahardtimeprovingit
thoughforsomethinglikeaTVorVCR.
However,ifyouscanaservicemanualorSams'Photofactandmakethatavailableatyourwebsite,you
mayeventuallyfindyourselfincourt.Forschematicsfromoriginalserviceliteratureofobsoleteequipment,
thechancesofthemanufacturerwantingtospendalotofmoneyonlawyersissmallbutfornewer
equipment,theymayindeedorjusttomakeanexampleatyourexpense.AscannedPhotofactislikely
tobeaproblemregardlessofage.
Thatismytake,atleast.
Havingsaidthat,therearemanyWebsiteswithschematicsthatmayormaynothavebeenlegallycopiedand
madepubliclyavailable.Seethesection:AdditionalSourcesforServiceInformationandManuals.
TakingtheUnittoaRepairShop
Aswithmedicalproblems,anaccuratediagnosiscanonlybemadewithgoodcompleteinformation.Useyour
sensestotheirfullest.Ifyoudodecidetohavetheunitprofessionallyrepairedanddependingonyourlevelof
experienceandconfidence,thismaybethewisestchoicethemorecompleteyourdescriptionoftheproblem
theeasier(andcheaper)itwillbetolocatetheproblem.Includefunctionalbehaviororlackthereof,mechanical
andelectronicsoundsitmakes,anythingthatisrelatedatalltotheoperationoftheunit.Sometimesseemingly
unrelatedfactorscanbeimportant.Forexample,thefactthatyourofficematerearrangedtheirdeskandyou
monitor'simageisnowshaking.Don'tomitanythingevenwhatyoufeelisinconsequentialleavethat
judgementtotherepairperson.Also,whatmayhavechangedinyoursetup,didyoumovetheequipment
recentlyoraddacomponent?Whataboutyourcableconnections?Didyourearrangethefurniture?Whenwas
thelasttimeyouknowitworkedproperly?Whatwereyoutryingtodoatthetimeofthefailure?
Toparaphraseafamousquote:'Theonlystupidoruselessinformationisthatwhichisnotprovided'.However,
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unlessyoureallyaresureofwhatyouaretalkingabout,don'ttrytotelltherepairpersonwhatyouthinkthe
problemislikelytobe.Don'tbombardthemwithtechnobabblefullofbuzzwordsanycompetenttechwillsee
rightthroughthat.Youcanbesurethatifyoumentionthatyoususpecttheexpensiveflybackistoast,itwillbe
diagnosedasbad.Letthemdotheirjob.Listencarefullytotheirdiagnosis.Youshouldbeabletotellifitmakes
sense.
SearchingforInformationfromUSENETNewsgroups
USENETnewsgroupsareonlinebulletinboardsordiscussiongroupsthatcatertoeveryinterestfromsoupto
nutsandbeyond.Thereareover20,000activenewsgroupsinexistencethoughforourpurposesoneisofmost
interest:sci.electronics.repair.
Thereisanexcellentchancethatyourquestionhascomeupandresultedininformationbeingpassedbackand
forthonsci.electronics.repair(orotherappropriatenewsgroup).Forexample,ifyouhavehadproblemswitha
latemodelRCA/GEtelevision,therehavebeendozensifnothundredsofpostingsonthissubjectoverthelast
coupleofyears.Thereisnoneedtoaddtotheclutter.
GoogleGroups(formerlyDeja.com/DejaNews)includesaUSENETnewsgroupsearchingfacility.Ithasbeen
archivingnewsgrouparticlessinceMarch,1995.Bygoingtotheirwebsite,youcaninvokeasearchofover
45,000newsgroups(hundredsofGBofdata!)foranysetofwords,names,oremailaddresses.Within
*seconds*,theywillprovidealistofpostingsthatsatisfyyoursearchcriteria.TryusingGoogleGroupsatleast
onceyouwillbeinstantlyhooked.:(SomeoftherelevantsiteURLsare:
GoogleGroupsHomepage
UsenetAdvancedSearch
Specificallyforthesci.electronics.repairnewsgroup:
ArticlesonSci.Electronics.Repair
Thisresultsinlistingofthreadsbydate.However,goingthroughtheSearchpageprovidesmanymanyoptionsto
locatespecificarticlesrelevanttoyourproblemorjustyourcuriosity.
Whilepostingstypicallydropoffofyourlocalserverinafewdaysorless,Googlegroupsmaintainsthem
*forever*sothatlocatinganentirethreadbecomesatrivialexerciseinidentifyingasearchstringthatwillnarrow
downthepostingstothoserelevanttoyourneeds.
TherearemanyotherservicesavailableviaGoogleGroupsincludingnewsgroupposting(underconstructio
apparentlyduringthetransitionfromDeja.com).
Speakingofposting:
PostingtotheSci.Electronics.RepairNewsgroup
Thisisabitdifferentthanattemptingtotellthetechatarepairshophowtodotheirjobspeculationissafer.
Thereisenoughcrosscheckingsuchthatanygrosserrorsinanalysiswillbeuncovered.Thereisalsogenerally
noprofitmotive.Ifyourspeculationistotallybogus,youwillfindoutquicklyenough,turnvariousshadesofred
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andlearnfromtheresponses.
EvenifyourISPdoesn'tprovideUSENETnewsgroupsorallowpostingforsomereason,youcanalways
accessthem(read,search,andpost)viaGoogleGroups.Seethesection:SearchingforInformationfrom
USENETNewsgroups.
Nomatterhowyoudoit,however,herearesometipsthatwillgetyouwhatyouwantwithoutunnecessary
flamewars:
PleasereadtheonlinerepairFAQsorrepairguidesfirst.Yourproblemmaybecovered.Evenifan
exactsolutionisnotprovidedthere,theadditionalinformationmayallowyoutoaskyourquestionsmore
conciselyandintelligentlyandthereforearriveatasolutionmorequickly.
TheFAQscanbefoundat:
Sci.Electronics.RepairFAQ(RepairFAQ.org)
anditsmirrorsites.FirstreadtheREADMEandMirrorslinkstoidentifythebestwayforyoutoaccess
theinformationfromyourlocation.
Putthetypeofdevice(i.e.,VCR,CDplayer),manufacturer,andmodelnumberinthesubjectheaderas
thiswillgettheattentionoftheprofessionals.Ifyoudonotprovidethisinfo,thefirstreplyyouwillreceive
willbetoprovideit.AvoidthiswasteofNetbandwidth.Forgeneralquestions,suchinfomaybe
unnecessary,butitwillnothurt.
Aswithprofessionalrepairs,provideasmuchrelevantinformationaspossible.Ambiguitycanleadto
totallybogusadvice.Forpartidentification,includeboththedesignator(e.g.,R324,Q1)andtype(e.g.,
330K,BU407D)ifavailable.
Don'tjustaskforrepairtipsdescribeinchronologicalorderwhatyouhavedonesofarintermsof
troubleshootingapproachandtestsperformedbutdon'tfillscreenuponscreenwithdetails.Peopledon't
wanttoreadalotoffiller.Includeonlytheessentials.
TurnoffanyfancyformattinglikeHTMLorWORD!UseplainASCIItextsinceeveryonecanreadthat,
formattingaddsNOTHINGtothecontent,takesupspace,andisveryconfusingforthosepeoplewhose
newsreaderscannotinterpretit.
Takeabitoftimetomakesurewhatyouhavetypedislegible.Spellcheckingitwon'thurt.DONOTuse
ALLCAPSthatislikeshoutingincyberspaceandagoodwaytobeignored.
Abitofcourtesywon'thurtaswell.Manypeoplewhoreplywon'tcareabouttheuseofplease,thank
you,andanyhelpmuchappreciated,butnoneofthesewillhurtanddon'ttakemucheffort.
Ifalittlecircuitdiagramwillhelp,provideitinASCIIifpossible.ASCIItakesupalmostnospaceand
everyone(withafixedwidthfont)canreadit.HerearesomebasicguidelinesforcreatinglegibleASCII
schematics:
1. UseafixedwidthfontlikeCourier,LucidaConsole,QuickTypeMono,etc.
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2. Makesureyourlinelengthissetto78charactersorless.
3. UseSPACESratherthanTABsTABsinterpretdifferentlydependingonterminalornewsreader
settingsandthealignmentgetsmessedupwhentextisincludedinanewsposting.
FornumerousexamplesofASCIIschematicsthatshouldlookfine,see:VariousSchematicsand
Diagrams.
Largebinaryfilesarenotsupposedtobepostedonthesenewsgroups.Inaddition,youwillupsetpeople
whoareforcedtodownloada1MBfiletheyhavenointerestinbutmaynotknowituntiltheyseethe
description.SomeISPschargeforconnecttimeandbitstransferred.Ifyouhavealargescanned
schematicandyouthinkitreallywillhelpwithadiagnosisoforsolutiontoyourproblem,offeritviaemail,
uploadittoyourWebsite,orpostittothenewsgroup:alt.binaries.schematics.electronic(butnotallnews
serverscarrythisgroup).
Youneedtobepatient.Noteveryonesitsattheircomputersallday.Somenewsserversmaybedays
behindintheirpostings.Ifyoutrulygetnorepliesofanykind(tothenewsgrouporemail)inafewdays,
repostyourquestionwithanotethatitisarepeat.Thenetisn'tperfectandduetofinitediskspace,many
serverswillmisspostingsorpurgethemafteradayorless.Sometimes,yourpostingmaynothavemadeit
outofthebowelsofyourcomputersystem.Youshouldbeabletocheckthisviaseebelow.
Don'taskforhelpon25problemsinthesamepostingthatistakingadvantageofthegenerosityandtime
ofothers.Dribblethemoutandreciprocatebyreplyingtootherpeople'sproblemsaswellifyoucanbut
nottojustsaysomething.Ifyouactimmature,youwillendupineveryone'skillfile.
Don'taskforhelponproblemsthatyoucouldjustaseasilysolveonyourownbycheckingadatabook
youshouldhaveoraWebsitethatyoushouldknowabout.
Don'taskforanemailresponse.Firstofall,itisveryimpolite.Sci.electronics.repairwasnotcreatedfor
yourbenefit.Wedothisbecauseweliketohelppeoplebutatthesametimedonotwanttofeellikewe
arebeingtakenadvantageofortakenforgranted.Wearenotyourprivateconsultingservice.Inaddition,
otherswillknowwhenanadequateresponsetoyourqueryhasbeenprovidedandwillnotneedtowaste
theirtimerepeatingthesameinformation.And,everyonewilllearnsomethingintheprocess.
Moreimportantlyforyou,receivingrepliesviaemailwillcircumventoneofthemostimportantfunctionsof
thenewsgroupcrosscheckingtolocateerrorsinresponseseitherbecausetheresponderdidn'tknow
whattheyweretalkingaboutormadeanerrorininterpretation.Perhaps,theywerejustbeingabozoand
sentatotallybogusorevendangerousresponse.And,somepeoplemayhavehiddenagendasthataren't
inyourbestinterests.Ifthatwastheonlyreply,youwouldneverknow.Whilethereisalotofhighquality
informationavailableviatheInternet,thereisalsoalotofnoise.Yes,youwillneedtoreadthenewsgroup
forafewdays.Thatwillbeasmallsacrificeandwellworththeeffort.
Ifyournewsfeedisindeedpoorasmanyareandyouarehonestlyafraidofmissingtheresponses,
thenphraseyourrequestforanemailreplyinsuchawaythatitdoesn'tsoundlikeyouaretotally
immatureandlazy.
Anotheralternativeistosearchforrepliesat:
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GoogleGroups(formerlyDeja.com/Dejanews.)
Thisservicewillenableyoutosearchforonlythepostingsyouareinterestedinandseemstobepretty
reliable.Theysubscribetoahalfdozennewsfeedsjusttoavoidmissing*your*postings!
ManypeoplewillsendyouaCCoftheirpostinganyhowsoavoidgettingflamedforpoornetiquette.
However,takenotebelow.
Useyourtruefullnameandemailaddressinthe'Replyto'fieldofyourposting.Itisunreasonableto
expectustoreformatabogusemailaddressthatyoumightusetoavoidSPAM.Itisquiteannoyingtotry
tohelppeopleonlytoreceivebouncedmail.Whilethe'delete'keyworksquitewellindumpingthe
returnedmessage,youdon'tgetyourquestionsanswered.Theregularsonthesci.electronics.xxx
newsgrouphierarchyallusetheirrealnamesandemailaddresses.Pleasedousafavorbybeingmature
anddothesame.Spammerslurkingaroundthesescinewsgroupsgetpummeledanyhowanddon'tsurvive
forlong.:)
Don'tacceptthefirstresponseasthedefinitiveword.Gatherafewrepliesandfollowupsandthenyouwill
beabletomakeanevaluationofwhichtobelieveandactupon.Postaquestionforclarification,if
needed.
Ifyoudoreceiveemailresponses,replytothesendersaswellaspostingtothenewsgroup*and*indicate
tothesendersthatyouarepostingacopytothenewsgroup.
Itisveryannoyingtoreplyviaemailonlytofindthatthesamequestionappearsalittlelateronthe
newsgrouprequiringarepeatresponse.
Inanycase,onceyourproblemhasbeenresolved(oryouhavegivenup),itispolitetopostaconcise
summaryoftheproblem,suggestions,thesolutionorfrustration,andappreciationtothosewhohave
helpedyou.
PrivateDiscussionGroupsandEmailListservers
InadditiontoUSENETnewsgroups,thereareanumberofprivatebulletinboards(mayalsobecalledforums)
onrepairrelatedtopics.TheseareaccessibleviatheWebratherthanthroughaNewsserver.Newonescome
andoldonesdisappearregularly.:)Ipersonallyseelittlepointinusingthesetrafficisusuallyverylow,andthe
expertsallhangoutontherelevantUSENETnewsgroupsanyhow!And,veryoftentheprivateonesarerelated
toacommercialenterpriseas(1)youdon'tknowhowwhethertherepliesareslantedtowardsellingsomethingin
somecasesand(2)thereisoftenobjectionable(atleastinmyopinion)advertisingonthesite.
Therearealsoafewrepairrelatedemaillistservers.Theserequirethatyousubscribebysendingaspecialemail
messageand/orfillingoutaform.Somemayhavemeritinthatexpertsaremorelikelytobesubscribersandthey
areforcedtoatleastreceiveallemails(eventhenextstopisthebitbucket!).
Sorry,giventherelativelylowinterestinbothprivatediscussiongroupsandemaillistservers,Ican'tjustify
attemptingtokeepupwiththeirarrivalsanddepartures!:)Bothofthesecanbefoundthroughthevarioustech
tipssitesaswellasbysearchingpostingsontheSci.Electronics.RepairNewsgroupviaGoogleGroups
AdvancedSearch.AfewmayalsobelistedinmyBookmarkFile.
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Havingsaidthat,popularserviceslikeYahoooftenhostatleastafewnichediscussiongroupsthatsimplydueto
thenumberofusers,haveavolumeoftrafficworthnoting.Forexample,gotoYahooGroupsandsearchfor
"Tektronix".TwogroupsforTektronixoscilloscopeswillpopup,oneforgeneralpostingsandtheotherfor
documentationlikeschematics.
TherearealsosomelikeFixya.comthataren'tgenerallyverytechnicalbutmaybeofuseinfindinganswersto
commonproductspecificrepairproblems.
DealingwithaRepairShopinanEfficientandProfessionalmanner
Whenallelsefailsandyouareforcedtoadmitdefeat....OK,I'lltrythatagain:Shouldyouenduptakingthe
equipmenttosomeoneelseforservice,herearesometipsforgettingitfixedwithminimalhassle.
(From:Rex(bopeep@prysm.net).)
Ihavebeenaskedtogivetipsfordealingwithrepairshops.Itissometimesdifficultfortheaverageconsumerto
conveytheirneedstoshopsortechnicians.
Limitthescopeoftheproblemtotheactualproblemyouarehavingwithyourproduct.
Avoidgettingintodialogaboutchildren,grandchildren,holidays,badmouthingothershopsor
manufactures,"Icangetanewoneforthat",vacations,schoolfunctions,howseldomyouhaveusedthe
productoranythingthatthathasnothingtodowithyouproduct'sfailure.
AskforanESTIMATE,butrealizethatanESTIMATEcanandMAYberaisedorlowered.YouMUST
beadvisedofanychangetotheestimatebeforeyouarebilledforaunapprovedamount.
AvoidGUILT,RUSH(unlessyouarewillingtopayforit),andpressuretotheshop.Bepoliteand
EXPECTtobetreatedpolitelyandyoushouldbegiventherespectthatanybusinessshouldgivetheir
customers.
Iftherepairdoesnotmeetyourstandards:
Askforandexpect,thatsomethingwillbedoneasquicklyaspossible.
Iftheshopfailsinitsobligationtoyou,calltheBBB,consumeraffairsagenciesoranyotherplace
thatcanhelpyouresolvetheproblemiftheshoprefusestohonoritswarranty.
CAUTION:BeVERYsurewhatthewarrantyis.Mostrepairsarecoveredfortheworkdone,not
theentireoperationoftheproduct.ReadtheshopwarrantyandASKquestions.
DoNOTexpectashoptocleanuporrepairproblemsfromotherrepairattempts(includingyour
own),ortobeabletorepairaproductthathasbeabused.
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PartsSources
WheretoGoforParts
LargeelectronicsdistributorslikeAllied,Digikey,Mouser,Newark,andothersstocktensofthousandsoftypes
ofelectroniccomponents.EvenRadioShackcanbeusedinapinch.
However,noneoftheseplaceshaveeventhemostbasicservicepartsforconsumerelectronicequipment.You
won'tfindasinglerubberbelt,RFmodulator,posistor,orvideohead,normostJapanesesemiconductorswithin
theirthickcatalogs.
Itmaybepossibletogodirecttothemanufactureroftheequipmentbutexpecttospendmanytimesthetrue
priceofaparttogetitfromthehorsesmouth.Inmostcases,atotallyidenticalpartwiththemanufacturer's
logoandeverythingmeetingidenticalspecificationsisavailableelsewhereatafractionofthiscost.
WebPartsInformationandOrdering
Manymanufacturersarenowprovidingagreatdealof*useful*informationontheWeb.Forexample,
Panasonichasawebsiteyoucanenteryourmodelnumberandgetapartslistwithlistpricesandpart
descriptions:
PanasonicParts&ServiceOnline
ThissiteincludessupportforPanasonic,Technics,andQuasarconsumerelectronics.However,myquickvisit
onlyshowedaccessorytypeitems(e.g.,replacementoriginalremotecontrols,cables,etc.).Encryptedcredit
cardprotectionpresumablymakesitpossibletoorderpartsdirectly.
MailOrderPartsSources
Seethedocument:"MajorServicePartsSuppliers"forsomecompaniesthatIhaveusedinthepastandothers
thathavebeenrecommended.(Theselistshavenowbeenconsolidatedintothatdocument.)
And,Don'tForgetRadioShack
RadioShackmaybethemostabusedchainonthesci.electronics.xxxnewsgrouphierarchybuttheyAREgood
whenitisafterbusinesshoursforyournormaldistributors,youneedaresistororcapacitor,andjusthaveto
haveitNOW!
Inaddition,Tandy,theparentcompanyofRadioShackisworldwideandmayactuallyofferaUSEFUL
selectionofcomponents:
(FromTedGondert(vcrepair@bbs.industrynet.net).)
Tandy(akaRadioShack)hasanewcatalogavailableatyourlocalRadioShack"TechAmerica""Your
ElectronicsResource".Thisisspecialmailordercatalogwithmanypartsavailablefromadifferentdivisionof
Tandy.Thereisnominimumorderandpartsaresentdirectlytoyourhouse.Shippingis$4.00forcomponents
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ordersonlyorvariousratesupto$13forordersof$500.
Call18008770072between7a.m.to11p.m.MFCentralTime,9a.m.to8p.m.Saturday,11a.m.to7
p.m.Sunday.Fax18008130087.Mail:TechAmerica,POBOX1981FortWorth,Texas761011981.
Thiscatalog,Sept1997has546pageswithcapacitors,resistors,transistors,IC,coils,wires,antennas,test
equipment,tools,radios,securityequipment,books,etc.
Thecapacitorsincludehightemperature,105Celectrolytics.Theintegratedcircuitsandtransistorsaremostly
Americantypepartnumbers,digital,opamps,etc.nottheJapanesetypeusedinmostconsumerelectronics
today.Butshouldbemanypartsthatelectronicstechscanuse.
Forexample1000ufd16volt105Celectrolyticcapacitorisonly39cents.(pg14)That'spopularsizeinusein
PanasonicSMPS.AlsohasMJ15024audiooutputtransistorfor$4.59(pg49)andsurfacemounttransistors.
RadioShackalsohascatalogsinstoresforRSU,RadioShackUnlimited.ThoseshowJapanese
semiconductors,specialbatteries,phonostylus,equipment,etc.thatyourlocalRadioShackcanorder.
(Ihaven'torderedanythingyetbutaftercheckingmyinventoryandbudgetwillprobablystockuponsome
capacitors,etc.GetmostofmypartsfromMCM,MATElectronics,etcandsomelocaldistributors.)
TroubleshootingofIntermittentProblems
Thesearetheoneseveryonedreadsequipmentthatistempermental,workingornotworkingapparently
dependingonlyonitsownmood.Behaviormayappeartobetotallyrandombutinmostcases,therewillbe
somecorrelationwithphysical,environmental,orexternalinterference.Carefulobservationandperhapsabitof
detectiveworkwillultimatelyallowarepairtobesuccessful.Troubleshootingsuchproblemsisaprimarycause
ofhairlossinengineersandtechnicians.:)However,withamethodicalapproachandpatience,itshouldbe
possibletoidentifythecauseandrepairmisbehavingequipment.Herearesomeexamplesofintermittent
problems:
Acomputermonitorthaterraticallylosesoneofitsprimarycolors(red,green,orblue).
TVreceptionthatturnstoslowandthenreturnstonormalapparentlyatrandom.Oronethatturnsitself
onatmaximumvolumeinthemiddleofthenight.
Acarradioortapedeckthatmisbehavesonroughroads.
ATVthatturnsitselfoninthemiddleofthenight.
ACDplayerthatispronetoabortingorskippingatrandomtimes
Amicrowaveoventhatblowsitsmainfuseoncein10days.
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ATVthatexhibitsannoyingherringbonepatternsatcertaintimesofday.
ThissectiondealsmostlywithTVsandmonitorssincetheyappeartobemostpronetothesesortsofproblems.
Thisispartiallyduetothehigherpowerlevelsandassociatedheatgenerationinsideofthem,andpartiallydueto
thecostpressureswhichresultinmanufacturingqualitycontrolproblems.OtherequipmentlikeVCRsandCD
playersalsomaysufferfromintermittentbehavior,butitisusuallynotduetobadsoldering(thoughthereare
exceptions)butratherduetomechanicalproblemsordirtyorworninternalpositionsensingswitchcontacts.
TVandMonitorManufacturingQualityandColdSolderJoints
Lowcostnoname(orunknownname)computermonitorstendtobeparticularlypronetobadsolder
connections.However,soaremanymodelsofnamebrandTVsincludingthosefromRCA/GE/Proscanand
Sony.We'lltouchontheseattheendofthisarticle.
Anyintermittentproblemswithmonitorsthatcauserandomsuddenchangesinthepicturebrightness,color,size,
orpositionareoftenaresultofbadconnections.Strategicallyplacedbadconnectionscanalsocausepartsto
blow.Forexample,abadconnectiontotheSCRanodeinaphasecontrolledpowersupplycanresultinallthe
currentpassingthroughthestartupresistor,blowingitaswellasothercomponents.IhadaTVlikethisthereal
problemwasabadsolderjointatapinontheflyback.Thus,erraticproblems,especiallywheretheyarepower
ordeflectionrelated,shouldnotbeignored!
BadsolderjointsareverycommoninTVsandmonitorsduebothtopoorqualitymanufacturingaswellasto
deteriorationofthesolderbondafternumerousthermalcyclesandcomponentsrunningathightemperature.
Withoutknowinganythingaboutthecircuitry,itisusuallypossibletocuretheseproblemsbylocatingallbad
solderconnectionsandcleaningandreseatinginternalconnectors.Theterm'coldsolderjoint'strictlyreferstoa
solderconnectionthatwaseithernotheatedenoughduringmanufacturing,wascooledtooquickly,orwherepart
pinsweremovedbeforethesolderhadachancetosolidify.Asimilarsituationcandevelopovertimewith
thermalcyclingwherepartsarenotproperlyfastenedandareessentiallybeingheldinbythesolderalone.Both
situationsaremostcommonwiththepinsoflargecomponentsliketransformers,powertransistorsandpower
resistors,andlargeconnectors.Thepinsofthecomponentshavealargethermalmassandmaynotgethot
enoughduringmanufacturing.Also,theyarerelativelymassiveandmayflextheconnectionduetovibrationor
thermalexpansionandcontraction.
WhyCan'tTVManufacturersLearntoSolderProperly?
Icanthinkofseveralpotentialreasonsallsolvablebutathighermanufacturingcost.
1. Massoflargecomponentleads(likeshields)doesnotgetadequatelyheatedduringmanufactureleading
tolatentcoldsolderjoints.WhiletheymaylookOK,thesolderneveractually'wetted'theheavypinsand
thereforedidnotformagoodmechanicalorelectricalbond.
2. Thermalcyclesanddifferentialthermalcoefficientsofcircuitboards,traces,andsolder.Whileitisnot
easytodoanythingaboutthematerialproperties,usingplatedthroughholesorasimilarmechanicalvia
wouldgreatlyincreasethesurfaceareaofthejointandpreventtheformationofcracks.
3. Vibration.Thisisalsodirectlyrelatedtothesinglesidedcircuitboardswithoutplatedthroughholesto
strengthenthejoints.
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4. Lackofadequatemechanicalsupport(singlesidedcircuitboardswithoutplatedthroughholes(vias).
Ibelievethatthesinglemostsignificantimprovementwouldcomeaboutbyusingplatedthroughholesbutthis
wouldaddtothecostandapparentlytheconsumerisnotwillingtopaymoreforbetterqualityandreliability!
Somedesignshaveusedrivletsmechanicalviasinsteadofplatedones.Whilethisisgoodinprinciple,the
executionhasoftenbeenflawedwherecoldsolderjointsresultedbetweentherivletsandthecircuitboardtraces
duetolackofadequateprocesscontrol.
TheSonyandRCA/GEtunershieldproblemisinterestingbecausethiscouldhavebeensolvedyearsagoat
essentiallynoadditionalcostasothermanufacturersandtheirownrepairprocedureshaveproven.
Attackingintermittents
First,determinewhethertheproblemisinternalorexternal.
Themostcommonexternalcauseswouldbeelectromagneticinterference,eitherthroughtheairorviathe
powerline.Formoreontheseinparticalur,seeinformationoninterferenceinthedocumentsonTVandmonitor
repair.But,sufficeittosay,changingthelocationorelectricalpowersourcewillusuallyhelptonarrowitdown.
Ifinternal,itmaybephysical,heatrelated,ormoderelated.Gentlewhacking(yes,whackingisanacceptable
diagnostictechniquebutdon'tgoforthe12poundhammer!),pressing,flexing,cablewiggling,etc.,canand
shouldbeusedinanattempttoconfirmatleastthatthereisaphysicalcauseinsidetheunit.Doingthesetestsjust
astheproblemcomesorgoesisthebesttimeaswhateverismarginal,willbemostmarginalthen.
Iftheproblemappearsordisappears,ordoesboth,overaperiodoftimeaftertheequipmentisturnedon,then
temperatureisalmostcertainlyafactorasthecircuitboardandcomponentsexpand.
Themostcommonphysicalproblemsarebad(cold)solderjoints,connectorsthatneedtobecleanedand
reseated,andbadcablesorcableconnections.Perhapssurprisingly,thoughcomponentsmayfailinternallyand
resultinerraticbehavior,thisisprobablyloweronthelistoflikelycausesthanthoselistedabove.Some
exceptionswouldbemechanicalrelaysinaudiopoweramplifiers,phoneequipment,andelsewherehybrid
poweramplifiers,andotherpowerdevices.
Thewhacking,etc.,canbedonewithouttakingthecoverofftheequipmentandmayormaynotrevealanything.
Ineithercase,youwillhavetogoinside.Butifthereisaneffect,thenyouwillknowthattheproblemISinside
andfurthertestswillneedtobedonetoidentifythespecificcause.
Oncethecoverisoff,therestillmaybequiteachallengetofindthespecificsolderconnectionorcontactthat
needsattention.Knowingsomethingabouthowtheactualcircuitarearelatestothesymptomswillhelpnarrowit
down.Forexample,ifthereisalossofverticaldeflectioninaTVorcomputermonitor,themostlikelyareasto
attackwillbetheverticaldeflectionoutputstageanditspowersupplyfeed.
Forpopularconsumerelectronicequipment,intermittentproblemsareoftenpresentinmany(orevenmost)
samplesofaparticularmodeloverthecourseofitslife.Therefore,checkingatechtipsdatabaseoraskingon
theUSENETnewsgroupsci.electronics.repairmayrevealacommoncauseandaneasysolution("resolderthe
flybackpins").TherearealistoftechtipsdatabasesatmyWebsite,www.repairfaq.org.
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(From:PhilBubleN1GTZ(muttnik@ecr.net).)
Anoteonwhackingasatroubleshootingtechnique,athomeandintheshop.
I'mnotwhatyouwouldcallafulltimeelectronicrepairmanthoughIhavemadealivingdoingitcommercially.I
canbejusthelpingafriendoutathomebutusuallyit'sbeenanadjuncttomymainworkasassembler/postflow
touchupandI'mprettygoodatit.Thereforemostofmyrepairexperienceiswithnewequipmentthatdoesn't
workcorrectlytheveryfirsttimeit'spoweredon.(andyeswhen*will*thatwavesoldermachinelearnto
solder?:)RunningthatthingisaartformI'mgladtoavoid)
NaturallyinsuchasituationI'magreatbelieverin"swapoutwithNGPtesting"sincethere'susuallylotsofthem
inanassemblyshopbutthiscannotalwaysbeeasilydone.Especiallyathome,withobsoleteunitsorthoseso
smallorcheaplymadenotavacuumtube,ICormoduleistobefoundinasocket.Myfunniestexperienceswith
whackingregardtheseonecommerciallyandoneathome.Thecommercialonefirst:
Itinvolvedatotallyobsoleteandsmallishsensorboardusedinthegroundwatermonitoringindustrytomeasure
waterpHdeepdowninwells.Evencarefullysealedyoucanimaginetheconditionitwasinafteryearsofhard
use.Onlyafewhadeverbeenmadebythecompanylongbeforeandtheengineerwhodesigneditequallylong
gone.Ayoung,recentlyhiredengineerwasgiventhetaskoffindingoutwhatwaswrong.Itwasgivingrather
uselessanderraticreadingsandneededtoberepairedinahurry.Icleaneditandreflowedalljoints,justincase,
thenturneditovertohimsinceitstilldidn'twork.Afterhoursoffrustrationandattemptstoget"intotheheadof
thedesigner"hegaveupandIaskedtogiveitatry.BythenIhadahunch.Imadearoutinetesttomakesureall
wasgettingpowerthengavethePCBawhackandalittletwistingaction.Itbeganworkingperfectlyaslongas
thePCBhadaslighttwisttotheright.Thisliterallytookmeallofabout5minutes.Youhaveneverseensucha
dumbfoundedengineer!Theydoneedtogetoutmore!Evenwiththefailuremodedetectedthecrackedtrace
couldnotbefoundinareasonabletimesoIhadthehonoroftransferringallthepartstoanewPCB.Amazing
theyevenhadone.
Thesecondfunnysituationoccurredmanyyearsbeforetheaboveandhappenedathome.Aneighborbrought
overaold(evenforthetime)butnicecondition19"tubetypeB/WTVhopingIcouldfixit.Fullyhalfthisset
waspointtopointwiring,noPCBsatall.I'moldenoughtohaveonefootinthealltubeand"condenser"era
andonefootinthetransistorizedworldsoitdidn'tmattertomethatitwastubes.Aslongasmyfriendsare
willingtopayforthepartsandhopefullylocateaschematicI'mwillingtoatleasttry.It'salldoneinacasualsort
ofway.(Sidenote:You'llhavetoprymyHeathkitAA100VacuumTubeStereoAmpfrommycolddead
hands,itstillsoundsgreat41yearsafteritwasbuilt)
ThisonelocatedtheSam'sPhotofactsforit,completewithschematicandpinvoltages.AresistorintheB+line
totheplateoftheHorizontaloutputtubehadburnedout.ThatwasreplacedandallDCpinvoltagesthenlooked
OKyetnopicture.Sure,theHOscillatorwasn'toscillating!ThenextlogicalthingtodowastoswapouttheH
outputtubewithanothertoseewhathappened.Itoldmyneighborweneededtolocateatube,andarather
expensiveone,togoanyfurther.Hedidn'tbother,itwasn'tworththeeffortorexpense.5*YEARS*laterhe
trotsoutthatsameTVhoping,onceagain,Icouldgetittowork.Itellhimwestillneededthattube.Heshrugs,
plugsitin,turnsitonandgivesitagoodwhack.Itcameonandworkedperfectly!That'sallitneededallalong,
mypowersupplyrepairhadfixedit5yearsbeforebutnooneeverwhackedittogetitstartedagain.
Selectivecircuitwhacking'sbeenoneofmymostproductiveandtimesaving
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InspectionandPowerOffTestsforIntermittents
Assumingthesedon'thelp(oryouconsiderlettingsomeoneelsesolveyourproblemtobecheating),adetailed
visualinspectionisthenextstep.Thismaybeallittakes.Withtheunitunplugged)andafterconfirmingthat
powersupplycapacitorsaredischarged!),removethecover.
Startwiththepinsondeviceslikepowertransistors,transformers,andlargeorhighcurrentconnectors.
Thesearemostlikelytocausemarginalsolderconnectionstobreakapartduetothermalandphysical
stress.Hairlinecracksatsolderjointsisaprimarycauseofintermittents,especiallyinTVsandmonitors
withtheirpowersupply,deflection,andvideocircuitrythatmayrunhot.
Maketheinspectionunderabrightlight.Ifyourcloseupvisionisn'tperfect,useagoodmagnifierthese
mayliterallybehairlinecracksandtheirvisibilitymaybeobscuredbyreflectionsfromthesolderjoint.Use
apointedstick(notsomethingmetalifpossible)togentlyprodanysuspiciouslookingpinstoseeifthey
move.Lookfordiscoloredpatchesonthecircuitboard.Suchdiscolorationisn'tinitselfaproblemunless
itisseverebutindicatesthathotcomponentslivethereornearbyandbadsolderjointsareverylikely.
Checkfortanorbrownglueonthetopandbottomofthecircuitboards.Arigidadhesivemaybeusedto
attachvariouscomponentsbutsomevarietiesdecomposeandbecomeconductivewithheatandage.
Someveryweirdproblemshavebeenlinkedtodecayedglue!So,carefullyscrapingitawayandreplacing
itwithnonacidicRTVSiliconeorsimilaradhesivemaybeprudent.However,Idon'tknowhowtotell
whichtypesareaproblem.
Checkforlooseordamagedcables(particularlyinuserservicedequipmentlikePCs!).
Remove,inspect,clean(ifnecessary),andreseatallinternalconnectors.Eveniftheydon'tseemtobein
anareaofthecircuitrythatisrelevant,theycouldbefeedingapowerorcontrolsignal.Checkfor
discoloredorfatiguedcontactsaswellasphysicaldamagetothewiresandimproperlymadecrimps.If
anycomponents(liketransistorsorSIMMmemorymodules)plugin,dothesameforthem.
Whereaproblemisfound,don'tassumethereisonlyone!Inmanycases,badsolderconnectionsorbadcrimps
arecausedbypoormanufacturingprocesscontrolandwillberepeatedinmanylocations.So,correctwhatwas
foundandthencontinuetoinspecttheentireunit.Sometimes,manufacturingissopoorthatresolderingtheentire
boardistheonlysolutionwithanychanceoflongtermsuccess.
Ifasuspiciousareaislocated,itmaybepossibletouseanohmmeterbetweenselectedpinstodetermine
ifaconnectionisintermittent.Toincreasethechanceofdetectingamomentarychangeinresistancethat
maybetoobrieftoregisteronameter,connecttheinputofanamplifiedspeaker(oraudioampand
speaker)inparallelwiththemeterprobes.
PowerOnTestsforIntermittents
Ifnoneofthisproducesabreakthrough,thenextstepistopoweruptheequipment.WARNING:Dependingon
theparticularequipment,lethalvoltagesorotherhazardsmayexist.Makesureyouunderstandandfollowwhat's
inthedocument:SafetyGuidelinesforHighVoltageand/orLinePoweredEquipment.
Usinganinsulatedstick,startgentlyproddinglikelyareasofthecircuitryinanattempttomakethe
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problemcomeandgo.Ifyouaresuccessful,don'tassumethejourneyisover!Pressingatacornerofthe
boardmayhaveaneffectattheoppositeside.Infact,youmayfindthatpressing*anywhere*appearsto
haveaboutthesameeffect.Itmaytakesomevaryverylighttapping,flexing,etc.,tolocatetheculprit.
Untilaphysicalcauseifactuallylocated(e.g.,avisiblycrackedsolderjointwherethepincanbeseeto
move!),don'tassumeyou'rehomefreeeveniftheproblemappearstoclearup.Infact,itisverycommon
foranintermittentproblemtogoawayassoonastroubleshootingbeginsnottoreappearforseveraldays
ormorebutitwillreappear!
Onceaparticularlysensitiveareaislocated,useastickthinenoughtojusttouchasinglepinatatime.
Sometimes,aprobewithapointedmetaltip,insulatedforallbutthelast1/16"orso,willbeusefulasit
cangetintotheareabetweenthepinandsolderpadwherecracksmayhavedevelopedbutarenot
visible.Themetaltipwillbridgethegapcausingachangeinbehavior.
Ifthecauseisheatrelated,noamountofprodding(orcursing)mayresultintheproblemoccurringwith
thecoveroff.Inthiscase,aheatgun(orblowdryer)maybeneededtocarefullywarmupselectedareas
ofthecircuitryinanefforttoidentifytheculprit.Ablowerwithnoheatmaybeusedforcooling.Or,
"circuitchiller"or"coldspray"maybeusedformoreaggressivespotcooling.However,simplyremoving
thecovermayhavealteredsomethingphysical.Forexample,oneofthecabinetscrewsmaybetolong
andisshortingoutsomethingthismaybeeitherfromimproperpriorreassemblyafterrepairora
manufacturingordesigndefect.
Thehardestintermittentproblemstolocatearethosethatoccurinfrequentlyandforonlyashorttimewith
nochanceofmakingameasurement.Therearefancyandexpensiverecordinganalyzersforjustsuch
occasions(butyoucanbuyanicecarforwhatoneofthesecosts!).However,theremaybenoneedfor
suchextravagance.Ifyouhaveanoscilloscopeandcamcorderorvideocamera/VCR,youprobablyhave
allthatisneeded.
ForaTVormonitor,pointthecameraattheCRTandthescopescreensothattheyarebothinthe
pictureandrecordona6hourtape.Then,whenyoureventtakesplace,youhaveapermanentrecord!
Thatoldvideocamerawillbeperfectlyadequate.Itdoesn'tneeda100Xdigitallystabilizedenhanced
reprocessedzoomor1/10,000thsecondshutter.Itdoesn'tevenneedtobecolor!
Sure,thiswon'tcapturethe1nsglitch.But,fortheoccasionalflashinthepicture,itismorethanadequate
toeliminateavideosignallineasthesourceoftheproblem.
Don'trushthisprocess.Itmaytakeseveraldiagnosticsessionstofinallyresolvetheproblem.Evenifoneor
morecrackedsolderjointsarefoundandfixed,itmaybeworthwaitingafewdaystoreinstallthose10shields
thathadtoberemovedinordertoaccesstheundersideofthemainboard!However,doreplacethecoverso
thattheinternaltemperaturewillbesimilartonormalduringextendedoperation.
Nowthequestioncomesup:Howcanthereoccurrenceofintermittentsbeprevented?Forcrackedsolder
joints,inadditiontousingpropersolderingtechniquesforrepair,itshouldbepossibletoaddsome
"reinforcements"intheformofbarewirewrappedaroundthepinandextendingouttothecircuitboardtraceor
eventoanadjacentcomponentpin.Thiswillbebetterthanjustusingmoresolder.FortheCTC175etc.cases
discussedbelow,thereisalsospecial"elastic"solderthatsupposedlyshouldbeused.But,therearemixed
reviewsonwhetherthisreallyhelps.
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Someequipmentmayalsobenefitfromasmallamountofadditionalcooling.Asmallfancanbeaddedtodraw
airoutofthecabinet.Thiswillimprovereliabilitysincemostcomponentsarehappierbeingcoolbutwillalso
reducetheextentofthethermalcyclesreducingthelikelihoodofbadsolderjointsdevelopinginthefuture.
RCA/GE/ProscanandSonyTVs
Oneoftheclassicexamplesofanintermittentproblemthatispresentinanentireproductlinearethe
RCA/GE/ProscanTVchassisstartingwithCTC175andrunningatleastthroughCTC187,possiblybeyond.A
verylargepercentageoftheseTVsaredestinedtohavecrackedsolderjointsintheareaofthetuner/controller
resultinginerraticpictureandsound.Ifnotcorrected,thiseventuallyresultsinbaddatabeingwrittenintothe
EEPROMthatstorestheTV'sparameterscausingtotalfailuretoturnon.Untilrecently,ThomsonElectronics
wascoveringatleastpartoftherepaircosts.Theremayalsobeatleastoneclassactionlawsuitpendingin
regardstothisproblem.
SomeSonyTVssufferedfromasimilarsetofbadsolderjoints,usuallyinthetunerorIF(metal)boxes.The
mostcommonlocationfortheproblemformanyofthesewastoonepinofacoilinsidetheIFboxwhichalways
seemedtolackadequatesolder.
MuchmoreinformationontheRCA/GE/ProscanandSonysolderproblemsandsolutions,seethedocuments:
RCA/GETVCTC175187+SolderConnectionandEEPROMProblemsandSonyTVTunerandIFSolder
ConnectionProblems.
OthermakesandmodelsofTVshavesimilarproblemswithsolderjointsbutnottotheextentofthese.
PerfectingYourSkills
WheretoFindEquipmentinNeedofRepairorAbuse
Nowthatyouhavereadalltheprevioussections,perhapssomeoftheRepairBriefs,followedthe
sci.electronics.repairnewsgroupforawhile,builtyourhandywidgets(tm),andloadedupontestequipment,
whereshouldyougotofindbrokenstufftoplaywithandpracticeon?Ofcourse,youprobablyhaveclosets
bulgingwithbrokenVCRs,TVs,stereos,andsmallappliances.Youmaynotmaynotwanttopracticeonthese
justyet.
Oneobvioussourceareaccomodatingrelatives,spouses,andcollegues.However,again,youwillwantto
holdoffonthisuntilyouhavesomesuccessunderyourbelt.
Garage,yard,driveway,porch,etc.sales(alsotagandhousesalesbutthismaybehigherclassmore
expensivejunk)canbeveritablebonanzasofdeadappliances.Withalittlerestraint(don'tbuythefirst
itemsyouseeuntilyouhaveafeelforwhatthegoingratesare)youshouldbeabletobuyexcellentdead
itemsfornexttonothing.Forexample,Iusuallydon'tpaymorethan$5foradeadVCRmaybe$10for
alatemodelinexcellentphysicalcondition.Iboughta26"RCAColortrakTVfor$5andalatemodel
20"colorTVfor$3.CDplayerswithproblemstypicallygofor$2to$7.Sometimestheywilljustgive
93/100
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youthestuffsotheydonothavetohaulittothedump.Muchofthiscanberepairedinexpensivelyonce
youhavesomeexperience.Ifyoumessupsomeofthepatients,sobeit.Youwillhavelearnedagreat
dealandsacrificedlittle.
Alwayschecktoseethatyougotalltheaccessoriesremotecontrols,cables,attachments,etc.Often,
theywillhavelongsincedisappearedbutitwon'thurttoask.
Trytofindoutwhatthesymptomswerefromtheownerifpossible.Withalittleknowledge,thiscould
improveyourbargeningpositionaswellormakeyoudecidetotryforalesserchallenge:
"Jonnystuckapeanutbutterandjellysandwichinthetapeslotandwhenhispethamster
wen'ttoeatthesandwichitgotstuck.Theyhavebothbeenthereforacoupleofyearsnow.
IputtheVCRinthisplasticbagtoprotectitfrommoisture.ItreallyisagreatVCR".
or:
"Well,therewasthislightningstrike,themodemexplodedand6footflamesleapedoutof
themonitorsoIdumpedapitcheroflemonadeonittoputoutthefire.WhatisleftofthePC
isstillmeltedtothefloorbutIfiguredsomeonecouldusethemonitor."
Iwouldskipthose.
Anotherhighriskwouldbeapieceofequipmentthathadbeenworkedonbysomeonenotcompetentto
changealightbulb:
"MyVCRwouldn'tplaymyRambotapesoIopeneditupandfoundthissilverthingwas
outoflineyouknow,allcockeyed.SoItriedtostraightenitwithapairofViseGrips(tm)
butImustnothavedoneitquiterightasnowallIgetissnowanditmakesthesecrunching
noises.Maybeyouwillhavemoreluck"
or:
"ItriedtorepairthisamplifierbutwhileIwasmakingsomeadjustments,myscrewdriver
slippedandthereweretheseHUGEsparksandbubblesappearedonseveralofthoseblack
thingsthatlooklikecochroachesandpartsflewoffofthoseclipsgluedtothisplateatthe
back.Youwantedachallenge,right?"
or:
"Duh,IthoughtIwouldgetcoolmusicinmycarbutforsomereasonIcannotfathom,the
jumpercablesIusedgotreallyhotandmyportableCDplayernowsmellsreallybadand
doesn'tworkonthenormaltransformeranymore.Iwillthrowinthejumpercablesfor
nothing."
Iwouldpassontheseaswell.
Inadditiontomeltedorscorchedcabinetryandthewonderfularomaofcharredcircuitry,lookforthe
absenseofcoverscrewsandchiselorchainsawmarks!
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Movingsalesaresimilarandbetterinsomewaysastheownersareusuallyverymotivatedtomoveoutas
muchjunkaspossible.
Fleamarketsmayyieldsimliartypesofitemsbutexpecttopaymore.Wheredoyouthinktheyobtainall
theirmerchandise?
Thriftstores,Goodwill's,andsimilaroutletsmayalsoyieldsuitablecandidatesinsomecasesforfree.Find
outwhentheir'dropoff'daysareandcampout.:)
Auctionshavepotentialaswellbutyoubetterknowevenmoreaboutwhatyouarebiddingon,setahard
upperlimitforyoubids,andbepreparedtospendtheday.
Iliketoswoopinandswoopoutthusmypreferenceforgaragesales.
Thecurb,localdumpsters,andthetowndumpcanalsobesourcesbutconfirmthatwhateveryouare
takingisreallyupforgrabs!Onerecommendationistodrivearoundacollegecampusattheendofthe
termwhenstudentsarepackingupandthrowingawayanythingthattheywillnotbetakinghome.There
areevensupposedtobeUSENETnewsgroupsonthesetopics.Forexample,alt.dumpsterthoughI've
notactuallyfoundit.
Internetforumsincludingthosethatspecializeinbuy,sell,andtrade,aswellassomespecificallydevoted
toreuseofusedstuffmayproducemoreresultsthanyourhousecanaccommodate.Oneexampleis
Freecycle.org.Butmanyotherbulletinboardsornewsgroupscanbeuseful,particularlyiftheyare
reasonablylocal.RequestingadeadVCRfromOuterMongoliaprobablydoesn'tmakesenseunlessyou
happentolivenearby.:)I'veevenhadsuccessaskingfordeadCDplayeropticalpickupson
sci.electronics.repairandnowhaveacartonfullofthem.:)Hagglingatgaragesalesmaybemorefun,the
there'ssomethingtobesaidfortheconvenienceofjunkacquisitionfromthecomfortofyourcomputer
chair.
(Portionsfrom:IainE.Davis(feaelin@kemenel.org).)
"Freecycleisactuallyalargegroupofmailinglists(theoretically,oneforeachcity,township,
orvillage)onthePlanet)wherepeoplewhohavethingsthatthey'dnormallyjustthrowaway,
offerfor"free(re)cycling"instead.Mostoftheselistswilltake"WANTED"postsaswell.So
agoodtechniqueistoposttoarelevantlistwithsomethinglike:"WANTED:Broken
consumerelectronics"orinmyareaitswisertosay"WANTED:BrokenVCRs,TVs,
computers,etc.".I'veactuallyacquiredmorestuffthanIreallyknowwhattodowiththis
way."
Themostannoyingsituationiswhenafterhagglingoverthepriceofa'dead'VCR,yougetithomewithgreat
expectationsofthechallengeaheadonlytofindthatitworksperfectlyoryourMarkIthumbisallittakesto
cleanasupposedlytrashedvideohead(butyoudohavetoknowthepropertechniqueandincantations!)I
endedupwithacoupleVCRslikethat.A'dead'CDplayerfor$5magicallycureditselfonthebackofmy10
speedbicycle.Oftenproblemsaresimpleandeasilyremediedresultinginquickgratification.However,therewill
berealdogswhichcouldmorethanmakeupfortheeasyfixes(liketheGETVwiththeneverendingstringof
badsolderconnections).Atleast,ifyouselltheeasyones,thiswillhelppayforyour'habit'.
95/100
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Repairshops.Theywillliterallyhavewallsofbeyondhope,dogs,orunclaimedequipmentTVs,VCRs,
CDplayers,etc.Itmightbeworthaskingifyoucanbuysomeoftheseforamodestfee.WhileIam
alwaystemptedtosaveeverythingontheoffchancethatapartwillbeusefulinthefuture,realiztically,this
rarelyturnsouttobeusefulandtheymaybehappytopartwithwhattheyconsiderjunkespeciallyifthey
havemorethanoneofthesameorsimilarmodelclutteringuptheirbackwall.
IdonotknowhowviableanoptionthistypicallyissinceIhavenevertriedit.(However,Iusedtotrash
pickmostlyreplacedvacuumtubesnearlyalwaystestedgoodbackinthosedayswhensuchthings
werecommon.)Iftheyconsideryouathreattotheirbusiness,youmaygetthecoldshoulder.Ifthey
consideryouafutureemployeeorsuspectyouwillmakewhateveryouareworkingonworseand
increasetheirbusinessthatway,youmaybeforcedtotakeawholepalletloadofstuffofftheirhands:).
Notethatthiscouldturnouttobeveryfrustratingifbychanceyouendupwithpartiallycannibalized
equipmentwithoutrealizingit."ThisVCRdoesnotloadthetapearoundthevideodrum.Cometothinkof
it,whathappenedtothevideodrum...?"Or,"ThereseemstobeabigholeinthefrontoftheTV.Now,
whatcouldpossiblybemissing...?"
(From:JerryPenner(jpenner@sentex.net).)
MakefriendswithseverallocalapartmentsuperintendantsWhentheycleanhouseaftersomeonemoves,
theytossoutallkindsofworking/nonworkingstuffthefolksleftbehind.Somesupersmakealittleextra
cashbyfixingandresellingthisstuff,somejustgiveittheheaveho.
Onenote:inspectwhateveryoutakehome.Cockroachesandotherunwelcomevisitersmayhavemadea
comfortablehomeinthatoldTV.IoncepickedupanicetoasterovenbutfoundthatIwasbakingmorethanI
expectedordesiredandhadtocompletelydisassembleandcleanitbeforethecockroachesstayedaway
permanently.
Paul'sCommentsonthe'WellEquippedGarageorFleaMarketSaleer'
Onlyreadthefollowingifyouareseriousaboutthis!Note:thesecommentsapplymoretotheelectronicflea
marketsorhamfestsfoundaroundhightechpartsofthecountrybutcanbeadaptedforthebackwoodsas
well.
(From:PaulGrohe)grohe@galaxy.nsc.com).)
Ah!Ifyouarereallyseriousaboutbuyingequipment,carryoneofthoselittle200W120VACinverterbricks
*withyou*inyourbackpack,alongwithacigarettesockettocarbatteryclipadapter.Keepasmallmarineor
gelcellbatteryinyourcar(orwithafriendwhohasatable).
Thisway,whenyou"rollup"onagooddeal,askthesellerifyoucanborrowhiscigarettelighter,orcarbattery,
forafewminutes.Ifyoucan'tusehiscar(andifyouhavetime),runbackandgetyourbattery.
Ifherefuses...There'syouranswer!
Ikeepan8cell"AA"batteryholderandanassortmentofpigtailpowerconnectorsinmybackpack.Thisway,I
haveanadjustable1.5to12Vpowersourcetotestthingsthereonthespot(I'mplanningonmakingacomplete
96/100
1/2/2015
testbox,completewithammeterandcurrentlimiting).
Ialsocarryabunchof"AAA"and"C"cellsinmybackpack("C"cellscanbeshimmedinto"D"holderswitha
fewcoinsbetweenthebatteries).
Thesameruleapplies,Iftheywon'tletyoutestit.....etc,etc,etc.
Willtheygiveyoutheirbusinesscardorphonenumber?Makeitclearyouwillnotbotherthemunlessabsolutely
necessary(secretlywritedowntheirlicenseplatenumber,for"JustinCase").
AlsocarryapocketDMM(Thisisa*must*foranyfleaenthusiastNEVERbuybatteriesw/otestingthem
first!)andasmall,brightflashlight(for"inspections").
Smelltheequipmenttoo!Thiscanbeabigclueastoit'scondition.Doesitsmelllikesomethingblewup?Doesit
smellmustyormoldy?
AnotherclueIhavefoundisthephysicalconditionoftheunit.Sometimesthe"cleanest"unitofthebunchisthe
onethatfailedprematurelyandgotstuffedonashelforbackinthebox.Whereasthe"usedlooking"unitswere
justtakenoutofservice.
Moreimportantlythan"functional",is"complete".
Nuthin'worsethangettingsomethingandfindingoutapiece,oraboard,oramodule,oranexpensiveorrare
ICismissing.Nowyouknowit'snotfunctional,andtheremaybelittlechanceofitevenbecomingfunctional
again.
Ialwaysassume"dead"untilhappilyprovenotherwise.Followyourinstincts!Ifyouhavedoubts,there'sa
reason!Ialwaysconsiderthescrapvalueoftheitemalso.Anyexpensivegoodiesinit?Thepowerswitchmay
beworthmorethantheitem!
Someofmybestdealswerethe"Idon'tknowifitworks...Oh,..fivebucks"deals.
It'sagamble...Ya'winsome,ya'loosesome!
CaveatEmptor!!!!!
(Letduhbuyerbeware!)
Cheers.
And,HowPaulEquippedHisHomeLab
(From:PaulGrohe)grohe@galaxy.nsc.com).)
That'sme!FleaMarkets/SurplusStores/SalvationArmy/Goodwill/thriftstores/GarageyardSales/etc...And
thereis*lots*ofgoodstuffaroundthisarea!
Icallit"going'Junkin'".
97/100
1/2/2015
Iarriveatabout5:30AM,sothatrequiresacombokryptonspotlight/fluorescentlampflashlight(a$3Goodwill
special:^).
Icarrywithmetheaforementioned8cellbatterypack,8"C"batteries,abrightkryptonpenlight,oneofthose
allinonescrewdriver/knife/pliers/scissors/bottleopenercontraptions("fishermansfriend"?)andasmallpocket
DMM.Allabout57poundstotal.IcarryitallinabackpackthatIwear"backwards"onmychest(foreasy
access).Duringthe"lull"(around9AM),Igobackand"loadtransfer"tothecar.
Igotitdowntoascience!!^)
Aftersomelucky"scores",andafew*hundred*hoursoftroubleshooting,Ihavea*very*wellstockedhome
lab...:^)
MyhomelabisgracedwithaTek576Curvetracer(badXfmr),HP5345Freqcntr(badNPNtrannie),
HP3456DMM(badROM),Radiometer106RFGenerator(stuckkeys),Genrad1688DigitalRCLmeter
(anotherbadROM)anda"few"otherassortedgoodies...
TheTek576ismyfavorite.Thisunitwastheoneofthebunchthatfailedearlyandwasshelved.Itwasdusty,
dirty,fullofspiderwebs,andmissingonelittleknob,butinotherwiseperfectshape.Igotitfor$200.Guyswere
offeringme$750forit"asis"onthewaybacktothecar!Totopitoff,twotablesdownfromwhereIgotthe
576,someonewassellinga*complete*setofthetransistor/diodepluginfixtures.Score#2!
Itwasagoodday.....Iusedupallofmyallocated"luck"forthatyear.:^)
The576'scollectorsupplytransformersprimarywasdeadshorted.EventuallyIwasleadtoDeanKidd,who
soldmea*brandnew*onefor$75!Tekeventookthebadtransformerbackforfailureanalysis!
TheHPfrequencycounterwasthelongestfix(~2months).It'salljellybeanTTLlogic(someECL),butno
"brains"atall!Boardswappingwithafriendsunitandsome"shotgunning"broughtittobacklife.Theeventual
rootfailurewasasingleNPNtransistor,inabufferbetweentwostagesofthemain500MHzcounters,whose
betahaddroppedsignificantly.Istucka2N2222intheretocheckitout,and"there"itremainstothisday!
"Ifit'snolongerbroke,Quitfixin'it!"PaulGrohe^)
TheGenradwasthe"hairpuller"(reallymademebegintodoubtmytroubleshootingskills!).Itwouldcontinually
failit'sselfcheckatthesamestep.Thefailurecodeindicatedacertainsectionoftheanalogsection,whichI
*knew*wasokay.Thereisnotmuchtotheanalogsectionanyways!Itismostlyjellybean,offtheshelf74C
seriesdigitallogicsittingarounda6502uProc.Afterchecking*every*analogpart(mostoutofcircuit),and
swappingallofthedigitalchips,Iconcludedit*must*betheROM.Itwastheonlypartleftthathadnotbeen
replaced!Ipostedfora"braindonor"andgotareply.Hehadtwodeadunitsandofferedtosendmethe
ROM'stocompareandread.ItookhimuponhisofferandcopiedtheROM,andthentransferredittoan
EPROM.Voila!Thef#@&!#gthingworked!Ichasedmytailforweeks!ItturnsoutthatafewbitsintheROM
werecorrupted,andtheerrorwassubtleenoughtocauseittojust"tripup"atthatphaseoftheselftest,even
thoughthehardwarewasfine.Arrrgghh!!IsenthimhisROM'sback,withalittle"thankyou",andeventually
helpedhimrevivehistwounits.Thiswasoneofthose"fun"repairs.
EverythingelseIhavewasdead,dyingorcrippled(er,"functionallychallenged").Ievenhadtorepairmy475A
O'scopebeforeIcoulduseit!(It'sa"PITA"totroubleshootascopew/oascope!)
98/100
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TooBadAbouttheGoodOldDays
(From:MikeDiack(moby@kcbbs.gen.nz).)
Inthedaysbefore'WeirdstuffWarehouse'stoppedbeingweirdandsimplybecameboring,alotofthejunkus
electronicustheysoldboreastickerstating:
Thisequipmentisguaranteednottoworkshouldyoufindthatitdoes,wewillbehappytoexchangeitfor
somethingthatdoesn't.
Treatfleasthesame.
(From:PaulGrohe(grohe@galaxy.nsc.com).)
Yep!Iboughtalotof"goodies"withthatlittleorangeandblacksticker!!Iresistedthetemptationtotakeitback
ifitworked.Ifitdidwork,Ibrokeit,thenfixedit,sothenIwouldnotfeelso"guilty".^)
Harrie'sNotesonRepair
(From:HarrieGulikers(hgu@oce.nl).)
Justwanttosharemyexperienceonrepairingelectronicdevicesingeneral.Aftermany(mostsuccessful)
repairmentsI'veconcludedthefollowing:
IfIneedaschematic,thenI'mreallydesperate,probablyhavespenttoomanyhoursbynowonthe
device.
Mostoftheproblemswereduetobadwiringbetweencomponents.Youmustinterpretthisverygeneral:
badsolderdots(mostcommonproblem),badcontactsinconnector,etc.
10yearsagoandearlier,warmcomponentsweresolderedwithwithstraightleadstothesolderdots.
Afterafewyearsthesesolderdotscomeloose,ormakebadcontactbecausetheleadsvaryinlengthdue
totemperaturevariations.Mostlyyoucanseethiswiththebareeye.Justresolderallbig(warm)
components,liketransistorsattachedtoheatsinks,bigcapacitors,coilsetc.Thisworksalsopreventivefor
futureproblems.Also,trytobendstraightleads.
Thesebadcontactswerethecausefor,say75%ofalldevicesIhaverepairedforthepast16years.If(andIF)
acomponentwasdamaged,itwasbecauseofbadcontacts.
TakethisadviceinmindandIhopeyoucanprofitfromit.Repairshopsprobablywillthrowastonetowardsmy
head)
Roger'sCommentsonTroubleshooting
(From:RogerPariseau(grinder@west.net).)
TheclosestIevercametobenchtekkingwaswhenIwouldserviceelectronicorgansatadealer'swarehouse.If
IspentalldaythereI'dnormallyfixupwardsof20instrumentsand"checkout"severalothers.NormallyIjust
99/100
1/2/2015
"rantraps"atchurches,auditoriums,schoolsandhomeswhereIgottofiveorsixinstrumentsaday.
Idealtwithintermittentsviaalittlerubbermalletandacanofcoldspray!
And,Ilearnedacoupleofthings:
1. 'Shotgun'abadcircuit.
2. Ifanamp'soutputsareblown,check/replacethespeakersalso
3. Digitalcircuitsare*not*logical!
4. Neverhurry.
5. Check*all*supplyvoltagesfirst.
6. Checkallsignalgenerationandtheirpaths(someorgansderivedtheirrhythmsection'sclockfroma
generatednotetherearesimilarcircuitsinTVs).
7. Burninyourworkitcangooutthenextday.
Itwasagreatlittlebusinessuntilthemid'80swhentheCasiosandtheYamahasbecamepopular.NowImostly
repaircomputerswiththeoccasionalpieceofHiFigearhittingmybench.LikethatdamnedSony100discCD
playerthatIcan'tfindpartsvaluesfor!
endV2.47b
100/100

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