FLIR EX320 repair: Need some help :) - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / repair

author: mlefe
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: July 23, 2021, 03:27:23 pm
content: Hi guys, I'm repairing a FLIR EX320 that I broke by messing with its batteriesThe symptom is that the camera freezes while booting: some data on the RS232 shows that the motherboard isn't identified (it says MACT 00 instead of MACT 04) and after loading the app piece just sits without showing anything on the screen.While trying to gather some information on what could be broken, I've encountered the components shown in the pictures.All of them *seemed* to be capacitors with two extra legs on the sides to help mechanically. All of them were shorted which seems very weird already as they're from different circuits (they're not connected to each other).Strangely enough, some of them were on the I/O lines (RS232 RX and USB+) and those work fine... how could that be?I've desolder them hoping to eliminate the shorts (that happened) but now the camera doesn't even "talk" on the RS232.Here are my questions:* Can you confirm that these are indeed capacitors? (ignore the one that appears white, that's the flash reflection: they're all brown)* Do you have any thoughts on where to go from here?Thank you!

author: Miti
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: July 23, 2021, 05:10:48 pm
content: Those are feed through capacitors.https://www.digikey.ca/en/products/detail/murata-electronics/NFM3DCC222R1H3L/5333681?utm_adgroup=Filters&utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=Shopping_Supplier_Murata%20Electronics_0490_Co-op&utm_term=&productid=5333681&gclid=EAIaIQobChMI-8Susdf58QIVo2xvBB0pKA8TEAQYASABEgIq0fD_BwE

author: mlefe
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: July 23, 2021, 05:14:32 pm
content: I was doing some research and those look to be feedthrough capacitors: that would explain why they seem shorted, why they're sitting on the comms and why some things stopped working when I've desoldered them.Going back to the 2nd question, do you have any advise as to how to trace what could have been damaged? What could explain that I'm able to have a partial boot but that it can't read the morherboard id?Thanks!

author: mlefe
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: July 23, 2021, 05:18:20 pm
content: Quote from: Miti on July 23, 2021, 05:10:48 pmThanks for the confirmation!

author: Miti
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: July 23, 2021, 05:28:18 pm
content: If you broke it by “messing with its batteries”, the first you need to check is the power section. Most likely you blew a voltage regulator. See what voltages you can measure on the supply pins of the ICs that you can identify and compare with the requirements in the data sheet.

author: mlefe
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: July 24, 2021, 05:13:15 pm
content: I've been checking some supplies rails.One in particular is missing that I believe it's important: the one that goes to the chip that says MACT 4.It's a NtRAM K7M803625B chip by Samsung (NtRAM stands for "No Turnaround Random Access Memory") I traced the rail activation to the PIC16F873, going through some inductors, mosfets and mosfet drivers.What do you guys think? Could be this a corrupted firmware on the PIC that fails to turn on the rail? (that could explain the fact that when it's read, it says MACT 00, instead of MACT 4... right?)

author: mlefe
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: July 24, 2021, 07:13:47 pm
content: I have a working hypothesis now... here it goes:I put 8v on the wrong battery connectorThat pin goes directly to the PIC (pin14 is SCK/SCL)That burned a couple of things, notably the pins that control the power rail for the NtRAM module so the camera doesn't complete the boot processI'm going to desolder the PIC and clone it (hopefully it isn't protected and my tl866a works): wish me luck!

author: Miti
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: July 25, 2021, 12:29:53 am
content: Ooo, good luck, you’ll need it. I’m almost sure that PIC is protected.