UIRT2 worked for 20 minutes, and then....

[scm]

:cry:

I received my UIRT2 assembled unit from Luc. I managed to solder the receiver to my wire, add the capacitor and ferrite core as recommended. The wire was 35ft, so I was worried, but it worked!! I was recording IR commands from an old remote!! Life was good. I even trained a button to shut down the computer. After the computer shut down, I spent a little time moving around the receiver, and bent the leads some. After this, I turned back on the computer and the UIRT2 WILL NOT WORK. Girder is not receiving any signals. I have unsoldered everything, resoldered, I bought new receivers and replaced the original receiver thinking that it might have gone out. Nothing. I have cut a 1 ft wire and added the connectors to it just in case the length was too much. Nothing.

One odd thing did happen. When I orginally found the device quit working, I unsoldered everything to reattach. When I did this, one of the metal arms from the ferrite core fell off. I found another item off of an old modem that looks like a ferrite core, but is about four times larger. It does not help. I am wondering if when I was adjusting the IR receiver and bent the leads if I broke the ferrite core and the thing I found is not actually a core. Would this explain the problems I am having? If so, where can I buy a ferrite core? PLEASE HELP ME!!!!!

[windtrader]

Did you replace the receiver with the exact same model as the original? Can you post a picture of the component you think is a ferrite? It should look like a black barrel with a wire running it through the center. Some types have multiple wires but the principle is the same: wire running through center of magetic core. I am pretty sure a bigger one would work fine.

Also, make sure you soldered the ferrite and cap onto the proper leads of the receiver.

Don

[scm]

Windtrader,

I made an error in my post. The ferrite core is fine, it is the capacitor that broke. And that is what I have replaced with a larger model. (I'm still learning with all of this.) Could too large a capacitor cause the problem? Again, where is a good source for capacitors?

I replace the receiver with the Panasonic PNA4502M-ND, which was listed as a viable option on the UIRT web page. I'm not sure which model was originally sent, but they look almost the same.

[windtrader]

I would use the correct capacitor. I picked the .1uF capacitors at Radio Shack. Just about any electronic store will have them.

Go to the external connections section of the Guide to verify the receiver is wired properly.

The IR receiver being supplied is the Vishay TSOP4838, 38khz and it looks like the Panasonic PNA4602M has the same specs.

You can link to the specs here as well as the current UIRT2 guide.

http://www.fukushima.us/uirt2/UIRT2B-Parts%20List.htm

Don

[scm]

Thanks, Don. I'll pick up the capacitor at RS tonight and see. I still have the Vishay receiver that Luc sent, and it is probably still working. I bought the others thinking that maybe it had gone bad, but I can try both with the correct capacitor.

I have used the guide extensively. I look up the diagrams every time I start to solder, since that is the only way I know what to solder where!! :) I do have the connections correct.

Thanks so much for taking the time to help me. I sometimes wonder if I bit off more than I can chew, but I am learning from it all. Thats what makes life fun!

[vynce]

You might also want to check if the Panasonic receiver has the same pinout as the Vishay one.

[scm]

Well, I solved the problem!!

It was the capacitor. It appears that when it was originally working and I started playing around with the receiver, I must have broken the capacitor wire within the central part of the capacitor, but I could not see that. When I unsoldered everything, the broken part of the wire fell free, but I thought it had broken then. Anyway, I cannot believe it is working again. Thanks for the help. Just talking through this helped much!

[windtrader]

Steve,

Bravo! I'm glad you are up and running again. I did a similar thing: kept bending the IR emitters to orient them and broke one of the led pins off. Back in business as soon as I soldered in some new ones.

Don