Recent searches

No recent searches

Search options

Only available when logged in.
mastodon.radio is one of the many independent Mastodon servers you can use to participate in the fediverse.
Mastodon.Radio is a space for the Amateur (Ham) Radio community, anyone interested in Shortwave Listening (SWL), etc. Come join us and talk radio, technology, and more!

Administered by:

Server stats:

819
active users

mastodon.radio: AboutStatusProfiles directoryPrivacy policy

Mastodon: AboutGet the appKeyboard shortcutsView source codev4.4.5

*
OE1RFC | Clemens

Some time ago this Yaesu VX8 of a friend of mine died while transmitting, no display, no LEDs, no charging light.

Last week I took it apart to see if it could be fixed.
I traced the voltage rails in the service manual, the micro controller voltage was completely dead. I suspected the LDO regulator, but it turned out to be a reverse protection diode. I don't have SMD diodes, but there was enough space to fit a similar DO diode 🎉
The VX8 is still a great radio, I also have one

The opened Yaesu VX handheld radio, just the PCB boards and power connected to it. The radio is on and in scanning mode, with a few fingers carefully holding SMD pliers to short two vias connected to the broken diode at the bottom left of the PCB .
The two radio and control PCB boards of the VX8 taken apart.
The VX8 PCB stack visible from the side. At the bottom, between the two PCBs below a black diode, a red/transparent diode in DO formfactor can be seen, which replaces the original reverse-protection diode
A picture of the again closed VX8 handheld radio with power attached, the radio is on and displays some old APRS stations in it's station list.
neuron

@OE1RFC It's so interesting how often a simple (sometimes hard to diagnose) fault is responsible for an unusable device. I wish there would be a better culture around repairing stuff.

It is such a satisfying feeling ❤️

OE1RFC | Clemens

@neuron I fully agree, without the service manual I probably would have never found the fault, as the LDO regulator is on the completely other side of the PCB and the routing is just chaos 😅 It was already hard enough to find the components in the layout.

··Web
0boosts·1favorite
Live feeds
About