partyanimallighting

So the blowouts I've suffered are not on the 380V power supply side but on the ballast itself. Any ideas as to what would cause these ballasts to blow out so violently?

indyld, it's heartwarming to hear that I am no the only one suffering. I was fortunate yesterday that I only lost a fuse so I just tried again with one of the larger ballasts and there was another loud pop and this time the 380V PSU died. I'll tear it apart later and see if I'm lucky enough and hopefully it's just a blown fuse. So it's definitely an ongoing issue with these ballasts then......

I ordered ballasts directly from the company the units were originally bought from and these smaller ballasts were sent instead of the larger 150MM x 60MM ballasts that screw directly to the mounting bracket. Apparently last night's event also blew out the 380VDC power supply that feeds the ballast.

Really? Stuff going bang? Just like what happened to me? Yes, I just ordered these parts to do some repairs/servicing to my 17R outdoor rated beams and, as typical of Chinese companies, they sent completely different parts. The lamps used in the units are "supposed" to be 17R but they're a slightly smaller diameter than an actual 17R but the lamps that were sent are the correct size and fit exactly in the unit. The replacement power supplies they sent carried the same voltages but they're slightly larger which means drilling new mounting holes which should not be a problem (haven't gotten to that yet). The ballasts however........these more closely resemble the 7R ballasts that I have in stock but they're marked 330 hence my post to get some answers. I originally tested the unit with one of the new lamps and an old 17R ballast and that lamp struck fine. When I swapped out the old ballast with one of these new smaller "330" ballasts the 'event' occurred. You mentioned an R2 Beam....as in the Chauvet R2 Beams? I've had my fair share of issues with my RH1 Hybrids myself with ballast and fan error issues so it seems to be a thing with this line also. The difference in lamp size and power supply size is not the issue right now. I'm really just seeking some answers on these ballasts.

Hi all, just trying to get some answers on Platinum lamp ballasts. I'm comparing 5R/7R lamp ballast components to those on a 17R ballast and there are basically 3 components used on each type, 4 SUP57N20 N-Channel MOSFET's and one FDPF18N50 N-Channel MOSFET and either one of STTH15L06 Turbo2 High Voltage Rectifier or BYV29X Ultra Fast Rectifier Diode. My question is how do they use the same components but one outputs 230W and the other 330W? Is it the larger number of coils that generate the addition wattage on the 17R ballast? I'm wondering because I received some new 330W replacement ballasts and they are smaller (135MM x 50MM) than the original installed ballasts (150MM x 60MM) and the newer smaller ballasts have two coils compared to four on the original ballast. They also look identical to some 7R ballasts that I have (second picture). When I replaced one of these original ballasts with the newer smaller ballasts the moving head started up fine but when the lamp strike was initiated, there was a loud pop and the line fuse blew and the breaker tripped on the 120VAC supply. The newer ballasts are also labeled 330W so I'm just looking for some feedback as to what could have caused this.

Well, that looks like the end of the line for me.

Hi, I have a non-functional Magic 260 which, upon power up, has a flashing top character display line and nothing else. Nothing is functioning and I believe that either the W77E058A40DL MicroController and/or the SST29SF040 is faulty. Are these parts available, fully programmed, ready for installation and startup and at what cost? Renato Hello Renato, What happens if you press and hold function buttons 1, 10, 20 and 24 then turn the unit on? Best Regards Kevin C Picard (KC) 1800-322-6337 EXT 754 323-316-9754 Fax # 323-582-2941 6122 S. Eastern Ave Los Angeles CA. 90040 http://www.americandj.com/ http://www.adjaudio.com/ http://www.elationlighting.com/ http://www.globaltruss.com/ Hi Kevin, I posted the problem in some forums and someone suggested that but it did not work. The top character row of the display kept flashing and nothing else functions. Renato Sorry to hear that was our last hope as we do not have parts for this unit any longer. Let me know if you have any other questions and have a good day. Best Regards Kevin C Picard (KC) 1800-322-6337 EXT 754 323-316-9754 Fax # 323-582-2941 6122 S. Eastern Ave Los Angeles CA. 90040 http://www.americandj.com/ http://www.adjaudio.com/ http://www.elationlighting.com/ http://www.globaltruss.com/

Hi Drv, as requested, label peeled. I also retested voltages on the 7705 and all the readings are the same except for pin 2, on which I got a reading of 5V. From the datasheet for the 7705 I saw that it sends intermittent voltages and I'm assuming that this is for the actual booting up of the console but I saw no spikes on my readings when the controller was switched on and off. Maybe I was doing something wrong or as you said it would not show up on a meter. It seems that this investigation to repair is winding down unless I get a hold of another working unit and it makes no sense to buy a used one (2 available on eBay) for 200 bucks just to find out what's wrong with this one. I don't want to waste more of your time so let me know if you think I should close this case and file it under UNSOLVED and toss the unit back in storage until another working unit turns up or falls out of the sky.

Yes indyld, the next strategy for analysis it is. What are your general findings on the new (CORRECT) voltage readings? Does the 7705 and microcontroller appear to be functional based on the readings? As you said, it would be great if I had another working unit but that'll be hard to find locally. Am I to assume that the QFP chip SST29SF040 (U9) which I can source online can be replaced and just popped in and this would not have to be preprogrammed whereas the microcontroller would be proprietary and preprogrammed from Elation and I'd have to contact them and hope for the best? Their support for older or discontinued units is relatively non-existent. Now, just assuming that I did have another working unit available for testing purposes what would be your approach? Would it be to replace the SST29SF040 and power up to see what happens and, if the problem is still there, then replace the microcontroller and repeat the process?

Drv, I understand now. It's all in my learning process and I'll be more careful in the future and I'll check for a definite ground before taking any more readings.

Brian, indyld, I took readings again. The first readings were taken with the - meter lead connected to the TIP41 heatsink on the main input PCB (I thought this would be fine as I assumed that a common ground would be fed through the ribbon cable). So I tried again, connecting the - meter lead to the heatsink on the TIP42 but I did not get continuity from the heatsink to pin 4 on the 7705 so I connected again to a tested ground which gave continuity back to pin 4 on the 7705 and pin 20 on microcontroller. I'm really sorry about this but I am still learning a lot about circuits in general and I should have tested for a proper ground instead of wasting all of your time. Fortunately, every day I learn a little more, thanks mostly to help from you guys. Anyway, I hope you can accept my my apology and I've relabeled everything that was tested and here are the new readings for the 7705 and the microcontroller. Obviously, I made a mistake connecting to the TIP41 initially but can you explain why the readings are different? Would there not be a common ground fed from the input PCB to the control PCB via the ribbon cable?

Here's my update in order of posts. timsabre, I did some scrounging around and I found a bag of old crystals and I found one, just one 24.000 crystal so I replaced it and............. the unit still flashes on startup. Now, I'm not saying it's not the crystal because this is an old crystal that I found but it may well be fully functional. Brian, I'll take another set of readings off the 40 pin microcontroller with the probes reversed and post it. I also peeled the label as you requested and it's an SST 29SF040 and a picture is attached. indyld, I could always take to the board with with a solder iron and the hot air gun and freshen up all the solder points. Remember this unit was in storage, albeit wrapped up in a garbage bag, for over 10 years. sunray, I reversed the image for ease of tracing for you guys and I can't recall if I reversed the labeling too ......sorry but I'll double check. I also took some readings off the 7705 and they're attached.

So what are we looking at here? A possible faulty crystal clock?? Or the chip in the QFP socket? Should I try to take readings off this chip? I'll also take some readings off the 7705 also and post them as soon as....... I know the chances of finding a replacement crystal locally would range between slim and none so how do you suggest I proceed? I'll have a bag of crystals that were taken off old PCB's so I could look for the same component number but in the event that I can't find an exact match do I try the "next closest value"? 👀 I have a couple old Elation Show Designer and Scene Setter mainboards so I'll check these too in case they carry the identical crystal clock.

Hi DrV, the crystal clock is under the microcontroller.

Hi indyld, I checked the datasheet and this IC seems to control the actual startup and function of the processor so I'll be checking the voltages on the pins on this IC next. If, as Brian said, the display has onboard drivers, what's everyone's guess as to the function of U9?

Please let me know if this is suitable. I also took some readings off the microcontroller.

Right, I'll try to answer all the followup posts starting with indyld. Based on what you've posted, it seems that I wasted most of my time thinking that this input board was the cause of the problem 😆 when I should be focusing on the main controller board. There is MIDI IN and THROUGH on the board and there is an RCA AUDIO IN on this board also. There is a USB light connector on the main controller board and you stated that the TIP42 probably controls that. There is an unmarked chip in the QFP socket and I also pulled that, cleaned it up and reinstalled during my initial poking around looking for problems. If you're assuming this is the display driver maybe this is the cause of the problem? Maybe it's faulty? DrV, the pot is the brightness control for the display. A stuck button may cause a problem and I've encountered this scenario in the past with other models of controllers but there were never startup issues. Those units would start up fine but the button function would create a loop scenario until it was unstuck. I can't even check for a stuck button unless I get the unit started up or I attack each button individually and test for continuity.....all 41 of them 🤣 indyld, there is an internal mic for audio pickup for sound activation of the light shows. Regarding the LED's, I can't even remember how this controller looks when it boots up, if LED's are on, off, flash or run a chase, it's been so long. As it is right now, on startup, the top row of characters on the display light up briefly and then flash. Nothing else. So I can't check buttons or LED's for functionality. I'll try to take some cleaner pix of the main controller board and post them ASAP. Thanks all!

Hi guys, thanks for all the help so far. I did some component labeling and took the pic of the rear of the power board as DrV requested. I hope the pic is clear enough.

I just plugged in to take some readings on the TIP41 on the power input board (Pin 1 ~ 1.688V / Pin 3 ~ 2.279V) and on the TIP42 on the control mainboard (Pin 1 ~ 0.641V / Pin 3 ~ -0.03V). I would think that the voltage on the power input board is too low so I'm inclined to believe that the problem is on this particular board (maybe the SMD caps?). Anyone wants to offer some advice here?

Hi DrV, I'm using a a 12V wall wart and output from that is fine (I tried another just in case with the same result, barely visible top row of character blocks on the display slowly flashing). And no issues at the 7805, 10V in and 5V out without fluctuations when I metered it last night but I forgot to put the meter on the Q1 TIP41 to get a reading. Sorry about that. I have an abundance of new parts lying around so I swapped out the LM7805, TIP41C, 25V 2200uf and 16V 1000uf so far, along with the TIP42 on the main control board. The voltage readings on the ribbon terminal at the main control board to are steady to and I listed these readings in the first pic. "Scrapped out" as in taken apart to pieces, even the knobs are in for a thorough cleaning/degreasing to remove any grime and buildup. It's been so long that I've seen this controller I'm not even sure why I packed it up and put it away. Maybe it had this specific issue and it was simply put into storage, I just can't remember from so many years ago.

Hi guys, I recently pulled an old Elation Magic 260 DMX controller out of storage after probably 10 or 12 years and decided to check it out for functionality. On power up the display does not light up at all and I am just getting a very dim flash on the top row of characters, nothing else. I scrapped it out and checked the usual suspects on the main power input board (two large caps 16V 1000uf and 25V 2200uf, LM7805, TIP41C) and decided to change them out, along with the BIOS battery (2032) and a TIP42 on the main console mainboard............Still that dim flashing row of squares on the display and nothing else. I've checked the ribbon cable for continuity (that's fine) and posted the voltage readings at the terminal on the console mainboard. Can I get some advice as to where I should check next? Maybe the 16V 47uf SMD caps on the main power input board? I'd be grateful for any guidance just to see if I can get the old girl up and running again.

And then came the pandemic. 22 months later I've decided to pick back up where I left off with this PCB. What a time we've all had. 🤧🤧

Hi indyld, I do work with a hot air rework station and it makes things so much easier especially with the new SMD boards. I'll check my stock of replacement boards to see if any of them carry the necessary diode and mosfet and will update you soon. Thanks for all the assistance so far!!

Hi indyld, I've been preaching this for years. Using compressed air is all well and good, but the fans must be jammed. I've seen pcb's damaged in this way. What would you recommend concerning this issue? Should I look for a SS14 on an old or spare pcb and replace it? I'll see if I can find AP2306 mosfets and replace those also. Right direction?

So this diode prevents voltage caused by the spinning fan to feed back into the circuit board? Interesting. Did not think of that.