Elenos ETG 105 DR - 100W Transmitter Repair

[BriansBrain]

The latest repair project an Elenos ETG 105 DR from 2003

+5V = OK
+12V = OK
-12V = OK
+ 48V = OK (on 30V Standby)

At turn on the screen flickers and looks like it's gonna start as normal then goes as picture.
If I look closely you can see some slight vertical line movement but that's it.

Elenos ETG 105 DR-2.JPG

I if I scope some of the connections going to the screen from the mother board around the
two 74HC245s I get varying logic signals at 5V so it seems the mother board is putting out a signal.

Any suggestion

Elenos ETG 105 DR-1.jpg

Elenos ETG 105 DR-3.JPG

Elenos ETG 105 DR-4.JPG

Elenos ETG 105 DR-5.JPG

Elenos ETG 105 DR-6.JPG

Elenos ETG 105 DR-7.JPG

Elenos ETG 105 DR-8.JPG

038 = Mother Board - CPU.jpg

Keyboard - P 54.jpg

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[teckniqs]

Very surprising to see it's only as little as 100w output with two of these beefy (double) transistors in it. Did they mean 1,000w?
(the thickness of the LPF coils is also a clue it has to be way more than just hundred watts)



....I repair laptops for a living and although that is obviously nothing like a laptop I've seen similar issues to yours with broken screens so maybe the unit has been dropped. As for replacing it though I wouldn't even know where to start!

[Krakatoa]

There is corrosion as seen on the photo of the back side of the LCD. See it on the top left near capacitor CP3 the Toshiba IC and the cable header and screw. It seems some PCB tracks are cut, and vias don't look good.

[BriansBrain]

There is corrosion as seen on the photo of the back side of the LCD. See it on the top left near capacitor CP3 the Toshiba IC and the cable header and screw. It seems some PCB tracks are cut, and vias don't look good.

Yeah I seen that rust as well

My next job was to take apart the LCD assembly for an inspect and a clean anyway,
I will report my findings in my next posting

[BriansBrain]

Disassembled the Display and Keyboard
Suspect the Display Faulty.... it's a AMPIRE 24064B1

AMPIRE 24064B1 Rear.JPG

Found a good looking 5V P-P logic signal on what I work out to be Pin 11

Scope Connection - Display.JPG

*Note* and the signal changes when I press the Menu Key

Scope 5V P-P Logic Signal Pin 11.JPG

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[EFR]

https://www.aliexpress.com/item/4001130118447.html

https://www.alibaba.com/product-detail/ ... 58728.html


Seems to be possible to buy spare one.

[BriansBrain]

https://www.aliexpress.com/item/4001130118447.html
https://www.alibaba.com/product-detail/ ... 58728.html
Seems to be possible to buy spare one.

However they are
Original LCD Module for AMPIRE 24064b1 rev.c

As you can see mine is a REV.B

+ It's not worth spending that sort of money on a 20+ year old 100W Transmitter

that I got for Free

[jvok]

Looks like the same LCD that was in the other Elenos you fixed recently. If you still have it could try swapping in the known good one, would prove if fault is on LCD or main board

[BriansBrain]

Looks like the same LCD that was in the other Elenos you fixed recently. If you still have it could try swapping in the known good one,
would prove if fault is on LCD or main board.

That is a good Idea which of coarse I have already thought about
However - my other Elenos is ''ON AIR'' every day

AMPIRE 24064 - Pin Connections.jpg

Also... I have scoped pins 11 > 18 and I get a solid Data signal on each.
That is why I am assuming it's the Display Module that's Faulty.

There seem to be many 240x64 LCD Displays available on ebay and Aliexpress
However mostly look different and are 22Pin whereas mine is only a 20Pin.


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[Krakatoa]

Maybe the extra pins are for LED backlight?
Don't know how yours is lit, but for typical hd44780 chip based LCDs the interface was 14 pin on early types without backlight, and then newer versions came along and the header was 16 pin to include the LED.

[BriansBrain]

Cheapest I can find

Aliexpress @ 25.99€.JPG

Maybe the extra pins are for LED backlight?

Looks like it yeah

Pins.JPG

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[jvok]

If pinout is different you could probably make up a cable to adapt it. Bigger issue will be finding one with the right control IC, register set will probably be different between different ICs

[BriansBrain]

If pinout is different you could probably make up a cable to adapt it.

That would be no problem.

Bigger issue will be finding one with the right control IC, register set will probably be different between different ICs

OK............ how do I do that I wonder

[BriansBrain]

Looks like the same LCD that was in the other Elenos you fixed recently. If you still have it could try swapping in the known good one, would prove if fault is on LCD or main board

OK........ Lugged the 22Kg 1000W Elenos down of the TX rack
My ''Radio Brian'' is now running of the NRG with a 300W Enigma Linear

Then..... I borrowed the LCD display from the 1KW and Bingo - got the ETG 105DR working

Elenos ETG 105 DR - with 1kW LCD Dispaly.JPG

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[BriansBrain]

Bigger issue will be finding one with the right control IC, register set will probably be different between different ICs

OK.......... according to the AMPIRE 24064 Specs pdf

Ampire 24064 Controler.JPG

And according to the 25.99€ one I can get from Aliexpress

Aliexpress 6963 IC.JPG

The same Controler IC

I'm gonna take the risk and order one I think

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[teckniqs]

Such an overly engineered 100w transmitter, never seen anything like it. Those two transistors look like they must be at least 300w or more (EACH). Never seen anything like it. Maybe they use two massive (and expensive) high power transistors turned right down to 50w each for maximum efficiency.

.....Anyway apologies for my lack of help, I just find things like this very facinating especially when it's SO MUCH lower in power than it looks like it should be.

[BriansBrain]

Such an overly engineered 100w transmitter, never seen anything like it. Those two transistors look like they must be at least 300w or more (EACH). Never seen anything like it. Maybe they use two massive (and expensive) high power transistors turned right down to 50w each for maximum efficiency.

.....Anyway apologies for my lack of help, I just find things like this very facinating especially when it's SO MUCH lower in power than it looks like it should be.

After looking inside for the first time I was also surprised at the size of everything for a 100W transmitter.
So - after replacing a Tactile Switch as the other one was intermittent I gave it a power test.

Elenos ETG 105 DR @ 460W.JPG

It in fact maxes out @ 540W on the front display

The BIRD measurement when the front panel said 460W

Elenos ETG 105 DR @ 400W on BIRD.JPG

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[Albert H]

There will be a calibration pot to correct the power reading.

[BriansBrain]

There will be a calibration pot to correct the power reading.

Yeah I know where that is

[teckniqs]

The meter might be correct and the transmitter may not. I'd check it on other meters FIRST as it might be fine.

....Just wondering though, what would you use to ACCURATELY calibrate it??