Thank you for the detailed repair video. My IC-756 Pro II had a similar problem. It wasn't self-oscillating - it actually generated a 30 amp short and did not transmit any power in TX mode when the RX attenuation was 0 or -6dB. When -12 dB the radio transmitted fine. So there are other symptoms besides self-oscillation that can manifest themselves when the RX line is not properly grounded during TX mode. I pulled Q25 and D22/D23 and they all tested OK , which was disheartening. I replaced them anyway using a hot air soldering station - first time working with SMD that small. Guess what? That fixed the problem. The radio now works perfectly! Transistors that fail testing are definitely bad, but that doesn't mean the ones that pass are actually good. Glad I replaced the lot anyway.
Great troubleshooting Peter. You can see the evidence that somebody had their iron in that thing.... at 22:14 there is a small burn on the orange trimmer cap in the background. I have dealt with many company's that say they can't repair their own items.... That's really embarrassing for them! Maybe these companies should pay their employees a little more and actually get the job done. The problem is..... Most people in a large company's "HR" don't know a wire from a macaroni noodle. But they know how to read a pretty resume with lots of useless writing on it. *Look past the politics!* If Icom is listening..... Stop looking at paperwork, and start testing your employee's at interview time. Your goal Icom: Seriously now......Give them a test, *This is great fun,* throw some resistors on a table in front of them (the ones with color bands) if they can identify every one at a glance, your on your way.... If they can modify your test, or circuit design right in front of you, you "just about" have a keeper, The last test: hand them a cold soldering iron, if they grab the handle instead of the element..... You have a WINNER :^)
Hi Paul, can't agree more. To many cost saving programs all 2 years reorganisations, HR really has no idea what's going on and board of management tries to lead a company by watching out for figures only. I have seen that for many times and the result was always the same....Thanks for stopping by 73
Paul, One way manufacturers could handle older electronic equipment is by offering repair exchange parts. By doing this you only need a small group of very experienced Tech's to repair boards on their shop schedule and not the customers. You keep several boards that have already been repaired on the shelf and as customer need repaired boards you install and sell the boards based on repair costs and profits. The old boards go to the tech for repair when they get a chance at them. Results in happy customers""""" what a concept... Dale KG7SSB Tucson.
Mr Carlson's Lab how many times do we come across this with technology and cars where the manufacturer is so big that the service dept can't keep up with their own products and even seem to struggle service for older products Shame on you Icon.
Peter, I own a late model ICOM but after seeing the kind of support they offer for repairing older equipment it makes me wonder if I should just buy radios I can easily repair. Ham radio began by building your own equipment and putting it on the air. Maybe we'll go back to that concept. Great job Peter,,,,,,,,,,,Dale KG7SSB Tucson
Great troubleshooting Peter. It is good when you already have experience on what to look for. It is so ashamed that ICOM EU could not fix the radio. Tells me they did not even try. Good thing is there are folks like yourself, Paul, and Mike out there that can fix them.
Your comment is valid. Manufacturers today aren't concerned about repairs, just sells. So as long as we have dedicated technicians as yourself, the electronics of yesterday, will survive. Job well done.
i remember when studying for radio electronics teacher put eletralitic cap the wrong way round i asked is it on the right way he said yes with a smile then asked for all of us to step back . big bang i never knew so much was in the cap he said in classes not a lot of students corrected him and congradulated me and said to the rest be observent and double check your work before power up enjoyed you videos
Peter, I think you are right ICOM are not interested in repairing but rather sell you a new radio, interesting that there were so many faulty components sometimes these companies just want you to buy new and you were right so embarrassing for them saying they cannot fix it :)
Hi Peter. I repaired an IC-746PRO, IC-756PROII & IC-756PROIII with the same faulty. Another problem with this faulty is in RX, you have a big QRM without antenna !!! Thanks for you video, compliments. Regards de IW0HEX Pasquale.
In my view I am not sure why the fault was not found. You used logic and in the intermediate part of the repair I did not see what your next step would be which I usually know what you are going to check next. So good work sir. Saving another which is most excellent.
Another brilliant repair Peter. But no one is surprised by that. It is a given. Just a thought. If the radio companies won't service them and the technical ability of the average ham is less than years past, the future looks bright for the independent repair techs. Glad I own a stereo microscope in case there is a transistor hiding under a spec of dirt. How much smaller can parts get before they disappear !
Hi Todd, well most likely we will not get any service documentation in the future so no bright future for independent techs..All electronics will most probably go into the waste after fault.. And yes good to have a microscope yeah how much smaller can parts get lol. Thanks for watching 73
Good repair Peter. Sad when the manufacturer can't even repair their own products. More interested in making money selling new products than providing good after the sale service. I like Dino was a little surprised you were not concerned about the cooked power resistor.
Thanks Mike! Well as I already answered to Dino. Have seen it quite often on Icom boards. Could have designed in a better way but finally will not kill the pcb.. 73
Yes indeed very well done. It is almost criminal to have someone at Icom say that they can't fix something. Thank God that the owner contacted you. It is unprofessional that Icom Europe sent the unit back unrepaired. In my humble opinion, a factory authorized service center should only be second to the design section of a corporation. Again, good job.
Hello Peter. Enjoying your repair videos very much. Unfortunately these radios, although they were very expensive at the time (at least to me) are considered consumer electronics and are therefore disposable. The factory repair centers do not consider it cost effective to trouble shoot at the component level assuming of course that they even have the staff who are capable of doing it. They replace boards and after a number of years they just stop supporting the radio. Its a great thing that there are guys like you out there who can show us how to do it. All the best and keep up the fine work.
Thanks Mr. Peter another awesome video. I always take away a little more information with every video you do. Learning a lot your a great teacher. Thanks 73
Nice fix Peter. I was a little surprised that you weren't that concerned with the larger resistor that was overheating the PCB around it. Interesting about Icom Europe, I had my IC-910H repaired just in 2014 by the Icom repair center in Michigan and I think it predates the Pro III? You may be right about marketing though; there is a great repair operation on the West Coast of the U.S., Malcolm Tech Services, that still works on really old Icom's - he actually repaired my IC-211 2m rig in the early 80's and recently repaired a friend's vintage Icom transceiver (I was surprised he was still around but glad to know it!). Your customer is very lucky to have you on his side! 73 - Dino KL0S
Hi Dino, no not really have seen this overheating on ICOM boars quite a couple of times. It is not nice and it could have been better designed but finally it will not kill the pcb. Good that there are still repair centres which have a good quality. Thanks for watching 73
Hi Peter, good video. I always like the way you step through the problem, and then do the same for the repair. I have watched all your videos and hope there will be many more… 73
As always, an awesome job walking the viewers through the troubleshooting process, seems so easy watching you do it. I think the key to making it look easy in this instances was recalling that you had a similar issue before, I guess it must be true that there is no better teacher then experience.... Don't worry Peter I still consider you the second best thing ;O) Again, thanks for doing these and sharing. 73
thanks for your great vids i couldnt hope to repair such tiny parts. i was in electronics 50 years ago when they were a bit bigger but find your vids so interesting and informative
You are correct on your observations I had an icon 8 years and icom told me the same thing it was a 1200 dollar radio and they could fix it radio was only 6 years old so I junked it and from that day forward don't buy icom products. Thanks for your comments you were right in. Brian from the USA
I am curious about two things. Why did these components fail? Was there an arc-over due to high SWR or miss operation of the radio or is there something about the switchover design that has a weakness? The second is what is the function of the power resistor that had a scorched board below it? Was it in any way damaged by the same event that damaged the three components? You were unconcerned and of course could see much better than I can in the video but I am always curious to know why something failed in the hope of preventing it from happening again.
Hello Peter! I think you hit the nail on the head. It is better for them to sell new gear than repair the used equipment. At least more profitable. As always, I enjoyed the video and always look forward to your new ones. Thanks! Dan w4mnc
Well done as always, Peter! I find it very sad that the "factory" technicians couldn't find the faulty components. It seems (in retrospect) to be such an obvious and easy issue to find. Makes me wonder what, if any, training Icom is offering their techs.
I didn't mean to imply that it's simple or easy to find faults like that without having already experienced that particular issue. I apologize if that's how it seemed. Radios are complex devices and no repair is simple if you haven't seen a given problem before. I meant to say that a "factory trained" technician should have a list of potential problems and solutions that should include this particular fault, which is really quite simple if you already know where to look, as you did in this case. My definition of a "simple" radio repair is any repair that I believe that I could actually perform. :D Thanks again for all of the great videos. Please keep them coming!
No No Adam, no worry I didn't get it that way! No reason to apologize! For Icom it should be a easy repair as it is not unknown over the years. And if you follow the mods on this particular portion right from the 756 over to Pro1 and up to the Pro3 you see that they should know this problem.... Thanks for comment!! 73
As always I learn from your videos. Outstanding work!!! Do you accept repair requests from the USA? Obviously the unit would have to be shipped both ways at my expense. Thanks for sharing. 👍
Another excellent video Peter keep up the good work. I am sure the owner is over the moon these things aren't cheap and a lot of amateurs are on a budget .
Good repair video again. The R58 varistor could have been changed also, as it has suffered quite a bit of stress from excessive voltage from over power (~90V rms vs 70V rms for normal power; this seems to be the cause of over heating of R58). Varistors apparently fail in three different ways: short, open or become a linear resistor. I don't think that there is anymore any protection for surges from antenna unless the varistor is changed. (Also the charcoaled pcb area could be examined, so it doesn't cause any leakages in the future)
Thank you for watching and comment. And thanks for the hint. Basically you are right and this component should be tested and I will have an eye on that but on the other hand varistor's are very questionable in the portion of this circuit. They can of course handle 100++amps but they are simply to slow for fast transients...73
There may not be any worries at all. The R58 seems to be in suspiciously good condition when you look the "skid marks" on the side of the relay next to it (see 19:23). It may have been changed already. Unfortunately you cannot get any data for that varistor as it is an icom oem type, but there are varistors which are rather fast: response time of 20ns, according to Vishay bcc components [originally Siemens if I don't remember wrong]. Just wondering why they didn't use a bidirectional TVS for protection (possibly less capacitance and faster response). (My 25+ year industrial electronics design background makes me just wonder what they were protecting the circuit from, lightning induced surges (8us/20us waveform) or what? And why the protection was placed in that point of circuit. Good learning point for a designer :) ) Keep up good work for salvaging good equipment from getting dumbed into recycle bin. 73
Hi Peter: Apologies for the delay in replying to your message, been having mail problems. Thank you for the reply & information, much appreciated. I will have a go at getting some of the probes, they look excellent. Regards: Andy
I watched a lot of your videos very informative and honest nice think like a number of companies these days would more than likely sell you a new radio than fix the one you have big thumbs up from the uk... M6dnu....
Radios and the most of other electronic devices. They does not offer easily service manuals, dont sell spareparts, only whole boards replacements (and with prices that are over the 50-70% of the cost of a new one obiously.....). Yes, most of the companies, marks a device as obsolete after few years and they are only interested in selling a new one. Really sad, but its the way most of them are following from some years ago.
Hi Peter, had the very same problem come into the service centre here in NZ, Client also told not repairable>>>> Not many people realize there will not by any vintage radio sets or cars in the future as once the software disappears, be it firmware or mask programmed, the equipment will turn into a house brick. It takes a lot of time and effort to backwards engineer solutions in such cases. 73s Joe G4PMY / ZL1PMY
Hi Peter thank you for posting this repair. My IC-756 Pro II has a similar problem which only affects the six meter band. What are your thoughts as to whether these components will also fix this problem. I do not have a service manual and would appreciate the part numbers of these three parts. I just bought this rig a few months and did not discover this problem until the six meter band opened the other day. Thanks again for this video you are a brilliant tech.
I did find the service manual on line and if anyone needs the part numbers of the three components required for this repair here they are: Q25 is 2SC4213-B (TE85R) the pin diodes are both MMBV3700LT1 AND R58 IS 2P-50A-301
Hi Peter, very nice Job have you doing here, But if the official dealers reject fixing RIG´s that should be a good news for you, your customers and your bench.. keep up fixing ahead and 73 de CX3CP
Great repair. What is the chance that you could contact Icom Europe to let them know about the fault and what the repair was so that another HAM doesn't receive the same treatment from them? However I do agree that Icom should have people working there that should be able to find something like that and repair it. That is inexcusable for a manufacturer repair shop to turn a radio away like that.
Peter on the radio I didn't see the power meter working was that power resistor which was showing heat damage on the PCB were you where working in that area was it ok underneath just wondering as a matter of interest? but Icom are only interested in selling new products its the same with Computers to as well, but it is a joy even when I saw this video before you notice something difference but a joy to watch an electronic engineer at work :)
5 5 2019 picked up a 756p3. had this issue only on 6m.rest of the HF bands are fine. called icom.. told its my antenna as it only does this on one antenna out of 3. key up on 6ssb not am and ALC goes full scale and no audio out no output power. 4 secs later it TX. i did the little trick you did peter with 6 and 12 db so on .... 6db stoped it. i spoke to a guy on west coast of states. for repair.iam thinking price range with round trip mail. 150 bucks. so have to think on this as if adding the 6db stoped issue. how bad it owuld be to not fix it. but wanting to understand the issue better.. your video has done just that.. heck i may give this repair a go.. what ive learned from you and the other guy hahahhah Mr Carlson. and just out rite comman cents.. hahahah .. only issue i see for me is ... i dont have a hot gun. but i guess i could make a 2 tip iron tip. or ill check for videos on it.. but at least you showed me the issue and fix...
Thanks for the video again Peter...Shame about Icom i suspect it was a sales pitch but it can backfire as the customer could walk away from Icom.I would.Well done with the fix another happy customer.
Thanks Peter, that was most fascinating, being owner of 2 PRO3's this is most valuable information. I wonder what might have damaged those components possible local Lightning activity?....btw when pronouncing "MIC" its the same when saying "MICrophone" you don't say "Mick"....just a little thing...;)...cheers Clint - VK3CSJ Melbourne...
Hi Peter: Excellent information as usual, could you tell me the make of the probes your using on your multimeter please ?. The tips look lovely & thin.
Peter it shows you are much cleverer than ICOM it doesn't say much for ICOM engineers they couldn't repair the radio but you did we live in times some companies take the easy way out and want you to buy new radios peter it is very sad :(
bench techs do the repairs, not engineers. The engineers are mostly in Japan. The problem with the bench techs: they need training and lots of experience to do their job. Typically if a part catches fire, they can figure out that one part. And 90% of the time, all they do is swap boards.
39:18 I sent my BRAND NEW IC7300 to Icom Toronto in Canada for a crooked display panel, assembly problem not even an electronic problem and I was also really ashamed of what happened... the technician that open the radio used a lawn mower to unscrew all the screws, they were all chewed up, the front of the radio was badly reassembled, could not press on some of the button without pressing so hard that it made the display change color... and speaking of display, instead of being crooked, in was now shifted to the right.... I sent the unit in original box in untear original bag. Of course, when I got the radio back, the bag was all torn out, box was dented and styrofoam were cracked... I don't understand how a technician can work like that at Icom and keep his job... AWEFUL technicians that absolutely did not care at all for what he was doing, I cannot beleive a tech would do such a damaging and badly done reassembly and say "meh... that looks ok... let's go take a beer now"... I had to send the radio then at Icom Canada in BC, which I had to pay again for shipping at that was a brand new radio ! I've got a replacement radio after 1.5 month of shiping, wait for "repair", ship back and BC is costing a lot of money to ship with the insurance... I've got a replacement radio that seem better, can still see a dent in the faceplate but the screen is not crooked and all the keys work... Icom, beautiful radios but man, the repair center technicians in Toronto are sooo freakn bad, I can't beleive they would "play" inside a 7851 at 15000$... And now you say this, Icom could NOT find the fault ??? Come on... of course they want the user to buy a new rig instead of fixing it and give many more year of usage with a couple parts and 200$...
Wonderful work. I'm seeing this in'18 but....my gosh,Icom said it was a total loss??? That is almost criminal at the price of that system. disgusting. But are other brands any better??
Thanks Andy! All radios have from time to time technical issues the difference is how the factory support performs.. In this regard I prefer Kenwood and Yaesu. 73
It is a sales a sales strariage they did the same thing to me best video please keep it up I don't buy incom for that very reason. Thank sooooo much brian Wb8idy myrtle beach
Good job in finding the problem when IC could not or would not. hihi.. Do you have any info on a IC 756PRO dealing with the tuner/control board? Mine has to be rebooted to work somewhat and the tuner always tunes when you key the radio. My 15 meter antenna trap, while working dx, flashed over causing a flash in my amp when this all started. ( Its like being in a contest with other band operating getting high power into the radio).any clues? JIm
Well Peter, another interesting little video. But I must say that I find Icom Europes attitude quite odd. Certainly NOT environmentally friendly either. Oh well, never mind. Thumbs up, keep making them videos.
Big shocker they couldn't find the fault. Maybe they should sub to your channel for a how to fix this. If I sent this in and they said they couldn't fix it I sure wouldn't buy another ICOM rig. With enough money sent to them they should be able to fix anything unless the parts are totally unavailable and no used parts are able to be sourced. I have a Kenwood 2000 I would love to send you to work on if the shipping wasn't so high. It would make a good video. Thanks again for the great video. Brian kd0lrg
I ordered a brand new IC7300 that had a crooked display in the window openeing and let me tell you, icom technicians in toronto are sooooooooo bad and careless at fixing their products... it took two weeks for repair, then received my radio back with all chewed-up cover screws, torn bags, broken styrofoam in my original dented box, badly reassembled loosed front radio face plate, scratched buttons, unpressable keys at the bottom of the radio and now instead of a crooked display, the assembly is shifted to the right of the window screen... the technician who worked on this should be terminated right away, it is totally unacceptable... how the hell can a technician say "meh... that looks ok... job well done... here you go sucker..." I had to send the radio again to icom canada directly in BC, took another two weeks WITHOUT knowing if I would get a replacement radio or a repair... sent numerous emails, videos, pictures to at least 4 technicians, branch directors and even the head director of icom canada, no answer... then I receive an email that my radio is on the way, STILL NOT knowing if it was repaired, what had been done to it... Finally received a new replacement radio... Brand new unit, lost it over a month, had to pay 50$ for shipping to toronto, had to fight to get free shipping to BC (that would have cost me at least 90$ with insurance)... I am glad it turned out ok afterall and the new replacement radio works well... but man, when I see these units said not to be reparable when it can clearly be, I am not surprised as they could not even fix a mechanical faulty assembled radio... not an electronic problem, a mechanical problem... Beautiful product, I like my 7300 but I am scared that if/when I will have an issue, specially with a complex 7300 (or imagine the 7610), they won't care at all and tell me : "meh, not reparable... no parts available... bye for now and good luck..." I hope not...
Well, yes what you are reporting here is something I have heard very often. They will only correct there behaviour if they feel consequences and consequences means much lower sales. As long we buy those products they will never change.....
Thank you for the detailed repair video.
My IC-756 Pro II had a similar problem. It wasn't self-oscillating - it actually generated a 30 amp short and did not transmit any power in TX mode when the RX attenuation was 0 or -6dB. When -12 dB the radio transmitted fine. So there are other symptoms besides self-oscillation that can manifest themselves when the RX line is not properly grounded during TX mode. I pulled Q25 and D22/D23 and they all tested OK , which was disheartening. I replaced them anyway using a hot air soldering station - first time working with SMD that small.
Guess what? That fixed the problem. The radio now works perfectly!
Transistors that fail testing are definitely bad, but that doesn't mean the ones that pass are actually good.
Glad I replaced the lot anyway.
Great troubleshooting Peter. You can see the evidence that somebody had their iron in that thing.... at 22:14 there is a small burn on the orange trimmer cap in the background. I have dealt with many company's that say they can't repair their own items.... That's really embarrassing for them! Maybe these companies should pay their employees a little more and actually get the job done. The problem is..... Most people in a large company's "HR" don't know a wire from a macaroni noodle. But they know how to read a pretty resume with lots of useless writing on it. *Look past the politics!* If Icom is listening..... Stop looking at paperwork, and start testing your employee's at interview time. Your goal Icom: Seriously now......Give them a test, *This is great fun,* throw some resistors on a table in front of them (the ones with color bands) if they can identify every one at a glance, your on your way.... If they can modify your test, or circuit design right in front of you, you "just about" have a keeper, The last test: hand them a cold soldering iron, if they grab the handle instead of the element..... You have a WINNER :^)
Hi Paul, can't agree more. To many cost saving programs all 2 years reorganisations, HR really has no idea what's going on and board of management tries to lead a company by watching out for figures only. I have seen that for many times and the result was always the same....Thanks for stopping by 73
Paul, One way manufacturers could handle older electronic equipment is by offering repair exchange parts. By doing this you only need a small group of very experienced Tech's to repair boards on their shop schedule and not the customers. You keep several boards that have already been repaired on the shelf and as customer need repaired boards you install and sell the boards based on repair costs and profits. The old boards go to the tech for repair when they get a chance at them. Results in happy customers""""" what a concept... Dale KG7SSB Tucson.
Mr Carlson's Lab how many times do we come across this with technology and cars where the manufacturer is so big that the service dept can't keep up with their own products and even seem to struggle service for older products Shame on you Icon.
It is an iron mark - look again at 22:08. There's actually a few oopsies in that area.
Mr Carlson's Lab I may be able to pass your test Paul. That would be a disaster for any radio company 😂.
Peter, I own a late model ICOM but after seeing the kind of support they offer for repairing older equipment it makes me wonder if I should just buy radios I can easily repair. Ham radio began by building your own equipment and putting it on the air. Maybe we'll go back to that concept. Great job Peter,,,,,,,,,,,Dale KG7SSB Tucson
Yeah Dale may be we are rally going back to that.. Thanks fro watching 73
Excellent tutorial Peter; your test bench is a technician's dream! Keep up the good work, Regards,
Mike
Thank you Mike 73
Great repair Peter and thanks for saving such a beautiful radio from the dumpster. Robert.
Thanks again for watching Robert! 73
Fantastic work sir. You really are the master! You repair things that the manufacturer cannot. Unbelievable. 73’s Lynton.
Great troubleshooting Peter. It is good when you already have experience on what to look for. It is so ashamed that ICOM EU could not fix the radio. Tells me they did not even try. Good thing is there are folks like yourself, Paul, and Mike out there that can fix them.
Hey Buddy you forgot yourself!! Thanks for stopping by my friend 73
Your comment is valid. Manufacturers today aren't concerned about repairs, just sells. So as long as we have dedicated technicians as yourself, the electronics of yesterday, will survive. Job well done.
i remember when studying for radio electronics teacher put eletralitic cap the wrong way round i asked is it on the right way he said yes with a smile then asked for all of us to step back . big bang i never knew so much was in the cap he said in classes not a lot of students corrected him and congradulated me and said to the rest be observent and double check your work before power up enjoyed you videos
yes teaches seems to do the same all over the world lol
Shame on the makers who can't fix it (or can't be bothered to look properly). Congrats to you on another well considered repair.
Peter, you are very talented. Wish you were in US if I ever needed a repair!! Thanks for ALL your outstanding, precise, videos!
Thank you :-) 73
With this minor fault I do not suppose that Icom could not fix it but rather did not want to fix it. Thanks Peter for the instructive video!
most likely
I have the same radio and find that it is the best I have ever owned. Thank you for the troubleshooting video.
Peter, I think you are right ICOM are not interested in repairing but rather sell you a new radio, interesting that there were so many faulty components sometimes these companies just want you to buy new and you were right so embarrassing for them saying they cannot fix it :)
Yeah that are the truth...73
Hi Peter. I repaired an IC-746PRO, IC-756PROII & IC-756PROIII with the same faulty. Another problem with this faulty is in RX, you have a big QRM without antenna !!! Thanks for you video, compliments. Regards de IW0HEX Pasquale.
Hi Pasquale, yeah and there are some more problems with this radios. Sometimes simply annoying..Thanks for feed back 73
In my view I am not sure why the fault was not found. You used logic and in the intermediate part of the repair I did not see what your next step would be which I usually know what you are going to check next. So good work sir. Saving another which is most excellent.
Another brilliant repair Peter. But no one is surprised by that. It is a given. Just a thought. If the radio companies won't service them and the technical ability of the average ham is less than years past, the future looks bright for the independent repair techs. Glad I own a stereo microscope in case there is a transistor hiding under a spec of dirt. How much smaller can parts get before they disappear !
Hi Todd, well most likely we will not get any service documentation in the future so no bright future for independent techs..All electronics will most probably go into the waste after fault.. And yes good to have a microscope yeah how much smaller can parts get lol. Thanks for watching 73
Good repair Peter. Sad when the manufacturer can't even repair their own products. More interested in making money selling new products than providing good after the sale service.
I like Dino was a little surprised you were not concerned about the cooked power resistor.
Thanks Mike! Well as I already answered to Dino. Have seen it quite often on Icom boards. Could have designed in a better way but finally will not kill the pcb.. 73
Yes indeed very well done. It is almost criminal to have someone at Icom say that they can't fix something. Thank God that the owner contacted you. It is unprofessional that Icom Europe sent the unit back unrepaired. In my humble opinion, a factory authorized service center should only be second to the design section of a corporation. Again, good job.
Hello Peter. Enjoying your repair videos very much. Unfortunately these radios, although they were very expensive at the time (at least to me) are considered consumer electronics and are therefore disposable. The factory repair centers do not consider it cost effective to trouble shoot at the component level assuming of course that they even have the staff who are capable of doing it. They replace boards and after a number of years they just stop supporting the radio. Its a great thing that there are guys like you out there who can show us how to do it. All the best and keep up the fine work.
Hi Doug, yes you are right! Finally we have a piece of consumer electronic here...Thanks for stopping by 73
Great video Peter. Typical.... "we can't find the fault" well maybe if they bloody looked for it. I bet they didn't even take the lid off. Great video
LOL yeah may be....Thanks for watching George! 73
Thanks Mr. Peter another awesome video. I always take away a little more information with every video you do. Learning a lot your a great teacher. Thanks 73
Very good, glad that you have a use for my videos..Thnaks for comment 73
Nice fix Peter. I was a little surprised that you weren't that concerned with the larger resistor that was overheating the PCB around it. Interesting about Icom Europe, I had my IC-910H repaired just in 2014 by the Icom repair center in Michigan and I think it predates the Pro III? You may be right about marketing though; there is a great repair operation on the West Coast of the U.S., Malcolm Tech Services, that still works on really old Icom's - he actually repaired my IC-211 2m rig in the early 80's and recently repaired a friend's vintage Icom transceiver (I was surprised he was still around but glad to know it!). Your customer is very lucky to have you on his side! 73 - Dino KL0S
Hi Dino, no not really have seen this overheating on ICOM boars quite a couple of times. It is not nice and it could have been better designed but finally it will not kill the pcb. Good that there are still repair centres which have a good quality. Thanks for watching 73
Hi Peter, good video. I always like the way you step through the problem, and then do the same for the repair. I have watched all your videos and hope there will be many more… 73
Thanks for the kind words Larry! All the best 73
Thank you again Peter, just ordered a pair of the probes via TME & should get them mid week.
Thanks Peter for saving a radio that could not be fixed. Another good video mate. A good share for our Icom radios. 73 best to your family.
Thank you Dennis, we never give up ;-) All the best 73
As always, an awesome job walking the viewers through the troubleshooting process, seems so easy watching you do it. I think the key to making it look easy in this instances was recalling that you had a similar issue before, I guess it must be true that there is no better teacher then experience.... Don't worry Peter I still consider you the second best thing ;O) Again, thanks for doing these and sharing. 73
LOL, very good thank you Michael! All the best 73
thanks for your great vids i couldnt hope to repair such tiny parts. i was in electronics 50 years ago when they were a bit bigger but find your vids so interesting and informative
Hi Mike, thanks for feed-back. Yes the components are getting still smaller and smaller, Where will it ever stop?? All the best 73
A power resistor mod would be in order! I'd put in a high-power chassis-mount resistor to replace the one which has charred the PCB.
Peter,
Another nice repair video. With those components so small, good thing you didn't sneeze. You would never find them. :-)
LOL yeah you are right those components would be lost for ever! 73
Very good job Peter, i am surprised Icom couldn't fix it, or wouldn't fix it....from Fred in UK.
Hi Fred, well we never know. Thanks for stopping by.73
You are correct on your observations I had an icon 8 years and icom told me the same thing it was a 1200 dollar radio and they could fix it radio was only 6 years old so I junked it and from that day forward don't buy icom products. Thanks for your comments you were right in. Brian from the USA
Hi Brian, very interesting info, so it not only in Europe..Thanks for watching 73
Thanks for sharing. Some day I will have time to get my ham license. I still enjoyed the troubleshooting. Well done.
Thanks for watching 73
Great work Mr. Peter
Thank you
I am curious about two things. Why did these components fail? Was there an arc-over due to high SWR or miss operation of the radio or is there something about the switchover design that has a weakness? The second is what is the function of the power resistor that had a scorched board below it? Was it in any way damaged by the same event that damaged the three components? You were unconcerned and of course could see much better than I can in the video but I am always curious to know why something failed in the hope of preventing it from happening again.
Hello Peter! I think you hit the nail on the head. It is better for them to sell new gear than repair the used equipment. At least more profitable. As always, I enjoyed the video and always look forward to your new ones. Thanks! Dan w4mnc
Thanks for stopping by Dan 73
Well done on the repair ,top person ,and just love ur set up of test gear.
Well done as always, Peter!
I find it very sad that the "factory" technicians couldn't find the faulty components. It seems (in retrospect) to be such an obvious and easy issue to find. Makes me wonder what, if any, training Icom is offering their techs.
H,i yeah you are right it always looks pretty easy on a video but it took a while until I found this problem first time... Thanks for stopping by 73
I didn't mean to imply that it's simple or easy to find faults like that without having already experienced that particular issue. I apologize if that's how it seemed. Radios are complex devices and no repair is simple if you haven't seen a given problem before. I meant to say that a "factory trained" technician should have a list of potential problems and solutions that should include this particular fault, which is really quite simple if you already know where to look, as you did in this case.
My definition of a "simple" radio repair is any repair that I believe that I could actually perform. :D
Thanks again for all of the great videos. Please keep them coming!
No No Adam, no worry I didn't get it that way! No reason to apologize! For Icom it should be a easy repair as it is not unknown over the years. And if you follow the mods on this particular portion right from the 756 over to Pro1 and up to the Pro3 you see that they should know this problem.... Thanks for comment!! 73
Thanks, Peter. Glad to hear it.
And thanks again for providing such an excellent resource for those of us trying to learn the craft.
As always I learn from your videos. Outstanding work!!! Do you accept repair requests from the USA? Obviously the unit would have to be shipped both ways at my expense. Thanks for sharing. 👍
Another excellent video Peter keep up the good work. I am sure the owner is over the moon these things aren't cheap and a lot of amateurs are on a budget .
Thank you John. All the best 73
Good repair video again. The R58 varistor could have been changed also, as it has suffered quite a bit of stress from excessive voltage from over power (~90V rms vs 70V rms for normal power; this seems to be the cause of over heating of R58). Varistors apparently fail in three different ways: short, open or become a linear resistor. I don't think that there is anymore any protection for surges from antenna unless the varistor is changed. (Also the charcoaled pcb area could be examined, so it doesn't cause any leakages in the future)
Thank you for watching and comment. And thanks for the hint. Basically you are right and this component should be tested and I will have an eye on that but on the other hand varistor's are very questionable in the portion of this circuit. They can of course handle 100++amps but they are simply to slow for fast transients...73
There may not be any worries at all. The R58 seems to be in suspiciously good condition when you look the "skid marks" on the side of the relay next to it (see 19:23). It may have been changed already.
Unfortunately you cannot get any data for that varistor as it is an icom oem type, but there are varistors which are rather fast: response time of 20ns, according to Vishay bcc components [originally Siemens if I don't remember wrong]. Just wondering why they didn't use a bidirectional TVS for protection (possibly less capacitance and faster response).
(My 25+ year industrial electronics design background makes me just wonder what they were protecting the circuit from, lightning induced surges (8us/20us waveform) or what? And why the protection was placed in that point of circuit. Good learning point for a designer :) )
Keep up good work for salvaging good equipment from getting dumbed into recycle bin.
73
Hi Peter: Apologies for the delay in replying to your message, been having mail problems. Thank you for the reply & information, much appreciated. I will have a go at getting some of the probes, they look excellent.
Regards: Andy
Thanks for feed back Andy! 73
Great repair! thank you Peter for doing videl
Thanks Dennis! 73
I watched a lot of your videos very informative and honest nice think like a number of companies these days would more than likely sell you a new radio than fix the one you have big thumbs up from the uk... M6dnu....
Radios and the most of other electronic devices. They does not offer easily service manuals, dont sell spareparts, only whole boards replacements (and with prices that are over the 50-70% of the cost of a new one obiously.....). Yes, most of the companies, marks a device as obsolete after few years and they are only interested in selling a new one. Really sad, but its the way most of them are following from some years ago.
Hi Peter, had the very same problem come into the service centre here in NZ, Client also told not repairable>>>> Not many people realize there will not by any vintage radio sets or cars in the future as once the software disappears, be it firmware or mask programmed, the equipment will turn into a house brick. It takes a lot of time and effort to backwards engineer solutions in such cases. 73s Joe G4PMY / ZL1PMY
Hi Joe, yes you are absolutely right and there is not much we can do....Thanks for watching 73
I didn't know Peter Lorre was an electronics genius!
Hi Peter thank you for posting this repair. My IC-756 Pro II has a similar problem which only affects the six meter band. What are your thoughts as to whether these components will also fix this problem. I do not have a service manual and would appreciate the part numbers of these three parts. I just bought this rig a few months and did not discover this problem until the six meter band opened the other day. Thanks again for this video you are a brilliant tech.
I did find the service manual on line and if anyone needs the part numbers of the three components required for this repair here they are: Q25 is 2SC4213-B (TE85R) the pin diodes are both MMBV3700LT1 AND R58 IS 2P-50A-301
Hi Peter, very nice Job have you doing here, But if the official dealers reject fixing RIG´s that should be a good news for you, your customers and your bench.. keep up fixing ahead and 73 de CX3CP
Great repair. What is the chance that you could contact Icom Europe to let them know about the fault and what the repair was so that another HAM doesn't receive the same treatment from them?
However I do agree that Icom should have people working there that should be able to find something like that and repair it. That is inexcusable for a manufacturer repair shop to turn a radio away like that.
Hi Randy, more and more it looks like that they don't do component repair level any longer...But this is an assumption only.. Thanks for watching 73
Great Video as usual Peter, looks like again someone was there before you could see the burn marks on little trimmer cap. 73's
VK6NJP
Yeah this radio had an manufacture shop visit before...Thanks for watching 73
Great repair. Thanks for the all the great videos keep up the good work.
Thanks for watching and stepping in 73
Well done , good technical explanations and I am enjoy to watch this video.
73
Peter on the radio I didn't see the power meter working was that power resistor which was showing heat damage on the PCB were you where working in that area was it ok underneath just wondering as a matter of interest? but Icom are only interested in selling new products its the same with Computers to as well, but it is a joy even when I saw this video before you notice something difference but a joy to watch an electronic engineer at work :)
Oh John can't remember need to look into it sorry
5 5 2019 picked up a 756p3. had this issue only on 6m.rest of the HF bands are fine. called icom.. told its my antenna as it only does this on one antenna out of 3. key up on 6ssb not am and ALC goes full scale and no audio out no output power. 4 secs later it TX. i did the little trick you did peter with 6 and 12 db so on .... 6db stoped it. i spoke to a guy on west coast of states. for repair.iam thinking price range with round trip mail. 150 bucks. so have to think on this as if adding the 6db stoped issue. how bad it owuld be to not fix it. but wanting to understand the issue better.. your video has done just that.. heck i may give this repair a go.. what ive learned from you and the other guy hahahhah Mr Carlson. and just out rite comman cents.. hahahah .. only issue i see for me is ... i dont have a hot gun. but i guess i could make a 2 tip iron tip. or ill check for videos on it.. but at least you showed me the issue and fix...
Icom Europe: fail
good working honest repair you've done
Thank you 73
As always, I learned a lot , keep up the good work Peter ! '73 Bob
Thank you Bob! 73
Thanks for the video again Peter...Shame about Icom i suspect it was a sales pitch but it can backfire as the customer could walk away from Icom.I would.Well done with the fix another happy customer.
Yes backfire can really hurt...Thanks for watching 73
LOL, Icom Europe couldn't repair it! Excellent job Peter, 73.
Thanks Kostas 73
Thanks Peter, that was most fascinating, being owner of 2 PRO3's this is most valuable information. I wonder what might have damaged those components possible local Lightning activity?....btw when pronouncing "MIC" its the same when saying "MICrophone" you don't say "Mick"....just a little thing...;)...cheers Clint - VK3CSJ Melbourne...
Thank you!
Hi Peter: Excellent information as usual, could you tell me the make of the probes your using on your multimeter please ?. The tips look lovely & thin.
Hi Andy, it is from Hirschmann Tip Lab program typ PRUEF 2610-FT.. Not sure if you can get it in your country.. 73
Great video and repair again! Nice explanation to as always. (You should promote your shop if icom is that bad what a shame on them!)
Thank you Michael! All the best 73
Another great video I did notice that you left the att on I was shouting at the screen lol
LOL but realized it early enough.. 73
Sei il miglior tecnico....
Fantastic video man that is very good Wb8idy myrtle beach south carolina
Thanks for watching 73
Peter were you not tempted to raise that power resistor up off the board to reduce the charring?
Definitely not a bad idea! Thanks for watching 73
Peter it shows you are much cleverer than ICOM it doesn't say much for ICOM engineers they couldn't repair the radio but you did we live in times some companies take the easy way out and want you to buy new radios peter it is very sad :(
bench techs do the repairs, not engineers. The engineers are mostly in Japan. The problem with the bench techs: they need training and lots of experience to do their job. Typically if a part catches fire, they can figure out that one part. And 90% of the time, all they do is swap boards.
39:18 I sent my BRAND NEW IC7300 to Icom Toronto in Canada for a crooked display panel, assembly problem not even an electronic problem and I was also really ashamed of what happened... the technician that open the radio used a lawn mower to unscrew all the screws, they were all chewed up, the front of the radio was badly reassembled, could not press on some of the button without pressing so hard that it made the display change color... and speaking of display, instead of being crooked, in was now shifted to the right....
I sent the unit in original box in untear original bag. Of course, when I got the radio back, the bag was all torn out, box was dented and styrofoam were cracked... I don't understand how a technician can work like that at Icom and keep his job...
AWEFUL technicians that absolutely did not care at all for what he was doing, I cannot beleive a tech would do such a damaging and badly done reassembly and say "meh... that looks ok... let's go take a beer now"...
I had to send the radio then at Icom Canada in BC, which I had to pay again for shipping at that was a brand new radio ! I've got a replacement radio after 1.5 month of shiping, wait for "repair", ship back and BC is costing a lot of money to ship with the insurance...
I've got a replacement radio that seem better, can still see a dent in the faceplate but the screen is not crooked and all the keys work... Icom, beautiful radios but man, the repair center technicians in Toronto are sooo freakn bad, I can't beleive they would "play" inside a 7851 at 15000$...
And now you say this, Icom could NOT find the fault ??? Come on... of course they want the user to buy a new rig instead of fixing it and give many more year of usage with a couple parts and 200$...
You have put Icom to shame, another great video, Peter.
Thank you Howard 73
TKs for your`s videos 200%👍
I have this exact same problem but the radio also has attenuation in the middle of the receive pass band and is only putting out 4W
Good job mate big thumbs up
Thank you Allan 73
Wonderful work. I'm seeing this in'18 but....my gosh,Icom said it was a total loss??? That is almost criminal at the price of that system. disgusting. But are other brands any better??
Thanks Andy! All radios have from time to time technical issues the difference is how the factory support performs.. In this regard I prefer Kenwood and Yaesu. 73
Burnt *R58* is 2P-50A-301 a Gas Discharge Surge Arrestor
GREAT JOB, good way to learn more, thanks W4GSM
Thanks for feed-back 73
It is a sales a sales strariage they did the same thing to me best video please keep it up I don't buy incom for that very reason. Thank sooooo much brian Wb8idy myrtle beach
lol yeah....
Danke für das tolle Video.73,von Jozef S56CJG,QTH Wien.Österreich.😊😊😊
freut mich das es dir gefällt
Well done and good job!
Thank you for feed-back 73
Good job in finding the problem when IC could not or would not. hihi.. Do you have any info on a IC 756PRO dealing with the tuner/control board? Mine has to be rebooted to work somewhat and the tuner always tunes when you key the radio. My 15 meter antenna trap, while working dx, flashed over causing a flash in my amp when this all started. ( Its like being in a contest with other band operating getting high power into the radio).any clues? JIm
Well may be a ground issue but would need to see it on the bench for diagnosis.. Thanks for stopping by Jim 73
Well Peter, another interesting little video. But I must say that I find Icom Europes attitude quite odd. Certainly NOT environmentally friendly either. Oh well, never mind. Thumbs up, keep making them videos.
Thank you Nina! All the best 73
Hi
could one day make a video of how to assemble a SSB Lab Monitor like this you have at the Bench?
Hi, this videos are already on-line. Watch video #17-#19. All the best Cheers
Yes very very embarrassing. Thanks for ur awesome videos!!
👍 Good job.
I wonder what caused the problem in the first place?
good question but I believe it was a thunderstorm surge
wonder part number and where order from for the 3 parts...
I agree with you, Peter
Big shocker they couldn't find the fault. Maybe they should sub to your channel for a how to fix this. If I sent this in and they said they couldn't fix it I sure wouldn't buy another ICOM rig. With enough money sent to them they should be able to fix anything unless the parts are totally unavailable and no used parts are able to be sourced. I have a Kenwood 2000 I would love to send you to work on if the shipping wasn't so high. It would make a good video.
Thanks again for the great video. Brian kd0lrg
LOL, yeah can't moe agree... Well yes to expensive to send overseas makes no sense.. Thanks for watching 73
could you please tell me why the power on (red led) display light is not on..
is it a setting on the radio..
sorry too long ago I can't remember
where did you find the parts? the diodes are hard to find.
thx
My icom 756 pro 2 won't power on any solution
I ordered a brand new IC7300 that had a crooked display in the window openeing and let me tell you, icom technicians in toronto are sooooooooo bad and careless at fixing their products... it took two weeks for repair, then received my radio back with all chewed-up cover screws, torn bags, broken styrofoam in my original dented box, badly reassembled loosed front radio face plate, scratched buttons, unpressable keys at the bottom of the radio and now instead of a crooked display, the assembly is shifted to the right of the window screen...
the technician who worked on this should be terminated right away, it is totally unacceptable... how the hell can a technician say "meh... that looks ok... job well done... here you go sucker..."
I had to send the radio again to icom canada directly in BC, took another two weeks WITHOUT knowing if I would get a replacement radio or a repair... sent numerous emails, videos, pictures to at least 4 technicians, branch directors and even the head director of icom canada, no answer...
then I receive an email that my radio is on the way, STILL NOT knowing if it was repaired, what had been done to it... Finally received a new replacement radio...
Brand new unit, lost it over a month, had to pay 50$ for shipping to toronto, had to fight to get free shipping to BC (that would have cost me at least 90$ with insurance)...
I am glad it turned out ok afterall and the new replacement radio works well... but man, when I see these units said not to be reparable when it can clearly be, I am not surprised as they could not even fix a mechanical faulty assembled radio... not an electronic problem, a mechanical problem...
Beautiful product, I like my 7300 but I am scared that if/when I will have an issue, specially with a complex 7300 (or imagine the 7610), they won't care at all and tell me : "meh, not reparable... no parts available... bye for now and good luck..." I hope not...
Well, yes what you are reporting here is something I have heard very often. They will only correct there behaviour if they feel consequences and consequences means much lower sales. As long we buy those products they will never change.....
great fix ;)
Thank you Neto 73
Fun-tastic:)
Great trouble shooting and repair ........ shame on icon for not being able to repair this radio.
Thank you for watching! 73
wonder before i go looking lol if someone will know part number of Q25 and the 2 diodes . before i can look them up lol
Yes, they want to sell a new radio.
send this video to ICOM HAHAHAHAHA
LOL.. Thanks for stopping by 73
OLA,radio amador no brasil tenho um 756pro3. estou precisando do esquema eletrico .e o acesso au menu de serviço.ai esta meu email, si possivel,grato.
icom uk repaired my 7400 the twice i have sent it
Good to hear that there are still good techs out there...73
ICOM caught with their pants down, looks likes they want to loss business with people :)
Hi Robert, well sometimes things are funny..73
Well thank god we have people around like you to help us out :)
Never more icom rtx....