TCI help

Can this be fixed? The coil feeding 2&3 was giving a very weak spark & when tested the secondary windings had zero reading, so replaced the coil, then borrowed the TCI from my other 900, all good now, so I have to find another coil, but can I fix this TCI?..........

 

Short answer is yes it can.

I have a spare which was playing up and I sent it to Robert in California who replaced and resoldered the faulty parts/connections.

If you have a technical bent then contact Robert for some details.

I actually dropped in on him when I was over in the USA last year and had a nice chat and dinner with him. Nice bloke. And helpful. I'll see if I can find the relevant posts.

 

Tried to find the relevant posts by Robert re TCI's but there are too many of them.

Do a search for "TCI" and the author "Robert" and you should have plenty of choices.

red

 

Hi Wizard, I would look closely at the heat damaged area and if the solder is missing (ie the leg of the component on the circuit board is not in contact with the circuit board track).
If this is so, carefully clamp a small pair of pliers - use a rubber band - on the component as a heat sink and resolder the connection using multicore solder.
Most of the brown heat marks have probably been caused by the poor joint getting hot due to high resistance.

I have done this repair on a computer monitor.

trawling ebay recently, I came across "Hyperpack" who make aftermarket TCI's down under for about $200 AU.

 

Wiz, the good news is- yes you can! You need to pull the transistor (at least that is what the pad configuration looks like to me) and make sure it is still alive. Markie is right, poor contacts lead to high resistance joints that heat up more than they should. Clean up the pads, reflow fresh solder and you may make it out that easily. Best of luck and let me know if I can be of further assistance.

 

Check this out Wiz:

http://www.jetav8r.com/Vision/TCIRebuil ... ebuild.pdf

Very similar to ours.

You can de-solder the external connections from the circuit board and remove it to get to the other side and inspect the components, that transistor may be blown.

I have one apart right now to replace the electrolyte capacitors with modern ones, I'm curious to do a comparison with a stock version and see if there is a difference.

Laters

 

I've been replacing them with direct replacement electrolytics, what are you trying to use CaptNemo?

 

I was going to either use new electrolytics or tantalums, haven't decided. I am no electrical genius, what do you recommend?
Have you found that you get a stronger spark or any other improvements?
And would there be any benefit in replacing the diodes or resistors?

 

Tantalums are a little more expensive but beyond that I don't know of any improvement (perhaps they will last longer since they don't dry out).
I've not bothered with replacing diodes or resistors as they are not a "wear" item. Typically, if a component in a circuit functions well, leave it alone and it should last decades...

 

That's kinda what I figured, the electrolytes are the only components that leak or drift in value. Renewing those is a common thing to do in old tube amps for the same reason.
Other than price would there be a downside to the tantalums? I didn't they would boost performance, just bring it back to original value for the circuit and not dry out as you said.
Thanks for the insight Robert.
Good luck with the transistor Wiz!

 

This thread makes me wanna grab my TCI and check it out, and replace caps. Might help my inconsistency with high RPM.

 

Hey Wiz, repairing the TCI is possible but it may only lead to other problems if other components on the board are damaged.Save yourself the agrevation and get another TCI.

 

Has anyone given thought to the connection between the failed 2-3 coil & the burnt tci?

 

There was a gentleman from Oz who made Aftermarket TCI Modules which he sold on Ebay.

He touted them as being of a higher quality than stock and with a more powerful Advance Curve.

The Unit was a Box with two Pigtail Plugs.
I don't see them anywhere, anymore.

 

Here is the other side of the board for anyone interested.

 

Wiz:
I was having troubles with my TCI but I managed to find a techie that resoldered it and it has been fine ever since. Just to be on the safe side I orered one from that fellow in NZ. I carry it as a spare. $184.00 delivered to my door. If you are interested, let me know and I can pass along his e-mail address.

 

Thanks Glenn, PM me that e-address I'll put it in the file.
I have sent the TCI to Robert in the US, he is going to fix it up for me.