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Fixed my LandStar myself

B

BH-LandStar

New member
Well, after much thinking about it, I took my Land Star apart, and found some slight corrosion on the circuit board...looks like it got some moisture (condensation, not water) in it at some point. I took an old toothbrush and some EverClear/Rubbing Alcohol solution (DO NOT use WATER) to the corrosion and it cleaned up real nice....I then re-touched the effected solder joints with some good solder and a 30 watt iron...I put it back together, and took it out in the back yard for a bit...I am now able to turn the sens up to almost 2 o'clock before getting false signals, and I had no further problems....A little corrosion on the solder joints was probably causing weak signals to get to components, and the detector was malfunctioning...I guess I just saved myself some time and money...
I would not recommend anyone without electronics knowledge to open up their machine...There are very fine ribbon cables inside, and long wire leads that are easily broken...If BH sees the machine has been tampered with, they will NOT fix it under warranty.

HH,

BH-LandStar
 
Well, I went out tonight with the Land Star, and even in the cold (25 degrees) it performed almost flawlessly. I have to give it to BH...They make one tough bird....I thought I was going to have to shell out like $40.00 to ship the detector back to First Texas, but it appears that I have solved the problem myself, and by the time the corrosion comes back, I will probably be the proud owner of a BH Time Ranger...So folks, never give up on your machine....I can once again trust my gal to not withhold the goods from me...Se my Post "I am going out after typing this" for pics of my finds.

HH,

BH-LandStar
 
hey bh-l, ive been considering putting silicone on some strategic places to help protect the brain box. any ideas?
 
You can spray the circuit board with a clear acrylic finish, there is one specifically for electronics. I would avoid spraying any pots or DIP switches if there are any on the board. You can cover them with a masking tape first. We used to coat our industrial electronics with this stuff and it really helped keep the contamination from shorting or corroding the electronics.
 
Hmmmm...I was considering the black silicon myself...There is a ledge under the front panel, that will hold a bead...take the 4 screws off the front plate, and carefully slide the board out....no need to take knobs off...You will not be able to slide it far, so be careful or you will pull the wires off the board. put your sparing bead of silicon around the ledge, and reassemble...As far as spraying the board, I would do it if the warranty was expired, but not under warranty. I would use the stuff specifically made for the job (get it from Rat Shark (Radio Shack), or any true electronics store)...Other than that, maybe conformal coating (liquid polyurethane) up to the tops of the pots...The pots are accessible from BOTH sides of the board...easier to get to them from the bottom...I am still unsure what each pot does though, and I do not intend to find out without schematics, which are impossible to come by.

HH,

BH-LandStar
 
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