Pl8 dead

[ICEUK]

So one of pl8's died. I took a look and one of the SMD capacitors looks like its expired. I removed it from board hoping to identify it but there are no numbers on capacitor but it says C2 next to it on board. Do you know if i can get schematic of the board?

The for help.

[expresso]

this is bound to happen sooner or later -

i think someone will repair them - that used to work for them - if you wanted to ship it to the person - will have to email first and ask -

[expresso]

hmatosrepairs@gmail.com

i realize your in the UK - not sure if its worth to ship it here in the states for that - it maybe - cant hurt to ask

[ICEUK]

thx expresso,

I can email him a picture of the board if he can tell me which one it is I will fit it myself.

[expresso]

this is all new territory now -

i hope he does really repair them if and when the time comes -

he can change his mind anytime - and thats that - good bye PL8

hopefully he can guide you from the picture

[Dan]

I think there must be a good chance that another manufacturer will buy the rights to produce Revolectrix's chargers.

[daveonwheels]

Must be?
why do you think that?

[Burgerman]

Where exctly is the cap? Maybe its capacity isnt critical, and its voltage will be 35 or 5V or something depending where it is and what its doing. Also when you say died, what are the symptoms? Capacitors frequently look horrible and the device still works. So values probably not critical. Many are not essential or may be to remove noise or something.

[ICEUK]

The pl8 does not power on, nothing no beep no fans nothing. I checked the fuses and they are fine that's when i seen the capacitor looking like it had blown it was discoloured and had some residue around it. I removed capacitor hoping to id. It.

Im not an electronics whizz but i will give most things ago

[Burgerman]

Could be that cap. But... Sounds like a mosfet. I would check all of them. But that usually means removal.

This may help.

On the PL8 there two rows of FET's, one for the input side, one for the output side (and a single large discharge FET in the middle).

The input side FET's appear to be 4N06L05 (IPP80N06S4L-05) which can be hard to find with the middle pin intact.

This past weekend, the magic smoke escaped when I simply plugged a fully charge battery into a powered up PL8 in order to regeneratively discharge it. No idea why it decided to blow smoke. The screen went dark.
I pulled it apart and discovered the blown FET (under the big filtering capacitor). Upon removing the FET... I tried powering the unit on and the display worked and no apparent issues (but I expect reduced capacity if I were to actually use it). I ordered some of the FET's from ebay (they are cheap)... and when the slow boat from China arrives I'll find out if the blown FET is the only issue. It is VERY hard to read the markings on the FET hence my posting here. It took younger eyes, in bright light, with 5x magnifying lens in order to make them out.

[Burgerman]

And

After 36 years in business FMA, Inc has made the decision to cease business operations, effective August 31, 2021. Also ceasing operations is the brand Revolectrix.

This is very sad news for many people including myself as I have been with the company for over 26 years. I have held hope that we would make it through another hard time just as we have done in the past but the Covid outbreak hurt us like never before and in so many different ways.

I pray for my friends and family (because after 26 years we have all become family), that our great God will lead us all to new opportunities in the very near future. With Jamie and Tim’s approval, I have decided that I will continue to do non-warranty repair work on the FMA/Revolectrix product lines. This is not affiliated with FMA or Revolectrix in any manner.

If you have repair items, a $25 non-refundable diagnosis charge will be incurred and applied to any repair fee. Please keep in mind that your equipment may be damaged beyond repair or not cost effective to repair in which the $25 diagnosis fee is still paid. You will also be responsible for all shipping charges. I will also be selling Bump Tags, FUIM3’s, and other charger peripheral products. Please email me at: hmatosrepairs@gmail.com for any questions.

I will only accept Venmo for payment at this time.

Best,

Howard Matos

[ICEUK]

I have four pl8's so i don't mind tinkering with the broken one, I will take a look at the them mosfets. It's a good learming experience.

[Burgerman]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RkWy1EirEu8