Hit by lightning

[gafftaper]

Again, I would send it to a qualified repair shop or ETC directly. The odds are very good that you toasted more than just one chip. But if you decide to do it yourself, the only thing you will potentially destroy is the light board so you'll get no lecture from the CB staff. We want to keep you and the people around you alive. If you want to risk breaking your equipment further (and making it more expensive for ETC eventually repair) that's your choice. Just unplug it before you go in.

 

[TimMiller]

Pretty much every dmx console uses that chip (i know avolites does not), but I think all repair houses should keep a few in stock. You never know what may happen that will kill them off. I always keep a pile of them at my house. I would try running off of the second universe to see if that brings everything up. The strike could have damaged the (most likely same) chip on the dimmer or splitter (if you have one).

 

[church]

I have replaced more of these chips on equipment than I care to remember. If there is a spike or someone accidently connects phantom power because the DMX is going over a 3pin XLR then the Line driver/receiver chip dies very quickly because if I remember correctly introducing anymore than 15V into an input or output exceeds the maximum device limits and it destroys it.

I am surprised that manufacturers don't install an IC socket to make this a straightforward swap. It isn't hard to do even when you have to remove a soldered in device. Of course if you do not know how to solder and remove soldered components you can quickly lift tracks from the board, short tracks etc.

Some manufacturers use multilayer boards i.e. more than two layers of tracks where tracks are sandwhiched between layers of the glass fibre material. These boards have plated through holes to reach the buried layers. If you tear out the plated through hole removing the chip then the fun really starts. Colortran did this as far back as the early nineties and pretty much any computer board that uses a 286 microprocessor or better will be a multilayer board.

These are some things you assess when you perform a repair. If you are not sure what to do then do not risk it take it to someone who is or who can show you how to do it. The people who do repairs frequently ask each other for help and advice to speed repairs or to help with tricky and unusual problems.

 

[SteveB]

I am surprised that manufacturers don't install an IC socket to make this a straightforward swap. It isn't hard to do even when you have to remove a soldered in device. Of course if you do not know how to solder and remove soldered components you can quickly lift tracks from the board, short tracks etc.

.

If memory serves, the DMX chip on an Express is a pop-in and is the same as the 2nd output as well as the RFU port, thus is easily replaceable. Issue is getting the brick BACK ON, which is a delicate operation. I recall being told that ETC specifically did not put in opto-isolation on the Express as changing out a blown opto-isolator circuit required a soldering gun, where as a blown chip was a pop out/pop in.

SB

 

[TimMiller]

That chip is an optoisolation chip. Whenever i replace one in a console that is soldered in i install a socket, because i dont want to have to resolder it again. It also seems like the chips are installed in the weirdest places sometimes.

 

[fredthe]

AND...anti-static precautions...

True, but you'll only injure the board, not yourself by ignoring them.

-Fred

 

[church]

An optoisolator chip can be placed in a socket - true some only have six pins and not eight but they will still fit the board if you remove the two extra pins on the socket and block off the two extra holes.

The limit for using sockets is operating frequency and DMX is too slow for this to be a concern

 

[masterelectrician2112]

Yesterday night, not during a show, my high school was struck by lightning. The next day, the house lights started going crazy! I am the master electrician. The light board is fried and unusable. It's like a piece of my soul has been torn out! But to have it happen during a show would be like 10 times worse than that!!! I feel your pain!