Aviom AN-16/i-m Issue

[TNasty]

Hey guys,
So I've got an Aviom ANet transmitter that I'm trying to repair. It seems that it either has an issue with the power supply or somewhere on the control board, as the relay on the power supply keeps "ticking" synchronously with the power LED.

I'm just wondering if anybody would by chance know what voltage its power supply produces, as I can't get a consistent reading with my multimeter (as it keeps cycling on and off). I would say that it uses 5v, considering that the highest reading I was able to get was 4v, and that it uses red wiring for its DC power (standard for 5v in computer electronics), but the capacitors directly attached to the main DC line are rated for 35v, which concerns me that it might be more than 5v (perhaps 12?).

Any advice is appreciated- Aviom isn't willing to repair it, mostly due to the fact that it's out of its warranty.

 

[FMEng]

The behavior sounds like a dying switching power supply. Maybe if you disconnect the load from the supply, it'll stay up well enough to get a measurement. Using over rated capacitors is very normal, so you can't judge by that. Many times, switchers are a standard form factor, making buying a substitute fairly easy.

When I can't source a new supply, I gamble some times by replacing all of the electrolytic capacitors. A good portion of the time, that'll revive it. Start with the ones nested near heat sinks because they are the first to go.

 

[TNasty]

The behavior sounds like a dying switching power supply. Maybe if you disconnect the load from the supply, it'll stay up well enough to get a measurement. Using over rated capacitors is very normal, so you can't judge by that. Many times, switchers are a standard form factor, making buying a substitute fairly easy.

When I can't source a new supply, I gamble some times by replacing all of the electrolytic capacitors. A good portion of the time, that'll revive it. Start with the ones nested near heat sinks because they are the first to go.

I'll give that a go. It should work since the power switch is connected directly to the supply unit. If it is 5v, then I can hook it up to one of my spare desktop power supplies to see how that goes and see if any of the important stuff died along the way.

I was just using the capacitor ratings as a way to get a general idea of the voltage (IE: if it had 8v caps connected directly to the main line, then it clearly couldn't be 12v, it would probably less than 8v).