Strand 300 Help (Repair)

[RonHebbard]

I would try to clean the board up as much as you can. I first replaced it with a battery from ebay. It didn't last long but you could know if the console is going to work.

@AAMorgan @Mac Hosehead and @FMEng Read and head @FMEng 's comments in post #2 before disconnecting, cleaning and replacing your previous Varta battery.
Toodleoo!
Ron Hebbard [Proud restorer and reviver of three derelict, abandoned and still surviving Strand 300's.]

 

[Mac Hosehead]

Personally, I would never unsolder/solder anything with the power on. Also, I had to remove the motherboard to properly do the replacement. To me, the information you don't want to lose with this console is the file with the password in it. Good to back it up on a floppy.

 

[FMEng]

Personally, I would never unsolder/solder anything with the power on. Also, I had to remove the motherboard to properly do the replacement. To me, the information you don't want to lose with this console is the file with the password in it. Good to back it up on a floppy.

Lose the BIOS firmware and all you'll have is a big paper weight.

 

[Mac Hosehead]

Here is a picture of my battery mod. I did not do it live. I'm not sure how you would solder to the diode mod on the underside from the top.

 

[tonyyoomusic]

Hi All,

I know this post is pretty old, and my strand console is now almost 20 years old. I inherited the position of stage crew manager at my school (i'm the music teacher). When our school got shut down for the pandemic, it was just as we were about to start our run of our musical. Someone unplugged the computer while we were shut down. When I went in to gather my gear (after about 2 months) I found that the system would no longer boot.

I'm not sure if there is a way to fix this, but I basically have no budget, and am trying to see if there's a way to bring this back to life. I checked the bios battery, seems like there's a bit of juice, the control surfaces all work fine, but it wouldn't get passed the loading screen. Now that it has been another few months, the computer won't boot at all..

Is there a way to replace this system? I have all the install files, but i'm not sure how to go about finding another board to replace this existing PC.

 

[almorton]

Which strand console is it - a 300series, a 500 series, or one of the smaller ones (such as a GSX/LBX) or something else?

I've seen the GSX refuse to book when the battery is flat. Leaving it plugged in and turned on for 24 hours recharges the battery if it still has any life, then I give the console its "birthday" to reload the firmware and it starts up again. Not sure if the same procedure is available on 300/500 series. However, you'd do well to inspect the battery and check for chemical leakage, which can destroy the motherboard, and do the mod as illustrated above to replace with a new battery well away from the mobo. I have a friend who repairs a lot of old Strand gear here in the UK and that little battery is an object of utter hatred for him.

 

[Mac Hosehead]

Hmm...If the battery has never been replaced I would consider it to be suspect. When you checked the battery did you get a voltage reading? It should be at least 3 volts. Any signs of leakage? Other than the battery I have seen the "disk on chip" go bad but that is less common.

Since the console has aged, trying to find someone who will work on it might be difficult. I have seen these consoles on ebay but you could be purchasing something that is in a similar condition to the one you have now. It's probably a good time to consider an alternative lightboard.

 

[tonyyoomusic]

Hmm...If the battery has never been replaced I would consider it to be suspect. When you checked the battery did you get a voltage reading? It should be at least 3 volts. Any signs of leakage? Other than the battery I have seen the "disk on chip" go bad but that is less common.

Since the console has aged, trying to find someone who will work on it might be difficult. I have seen these consoles on ebay but you could be purchasing something that is in a similar condition to the one you have now. It's probably a good time to consider an alternative lightboard.

I just checked the battery today, although its reading under 3 volts.... it looks closer to just above 1 volt. The volt reader they have at school doesn't have a digital read out. I'll bring my volt meter in and check out the actual voltage.

Its a 300 series console with a PC. I think the PC is a custom Chassis as it has the strand 300 logo imprinted onto it. I'll leave it plugged in over night and see if I can get it to boot. Keep my fingers crossed. To be honest I was suprised that the machine was still running at all as it was first installed in 2001. I know the control surfaces work fine, its just getting the machine to boot up now. I'll check for battery leakage, but it actually looks pretty clean, and I don't see any problems on the board itself.

That was my other question actually. If I wanted to replace with an alternative lighting board, is there one that will work with a dmx signal that splits into lamps powered by stage pin connectors? Sorry if this question doesn't make sense.. i'm not terribly proficient in the language used to describe the tech.

 

[tonyyoomusic]

Which strand console is it - a 300series, a 500 series, or one of the smaller ones (such as a GSX/LBX) or something else?

I've seen the GSX refuse to book when the battery is flat. Leaving it plugged in and turned on for 24 hours recharges the battery if it still has any life, then I give the console its "birthday" to reload the firmware and it starts up again. Not sure if the same procedure is available on 300/500 series. However, you'd do well to inspect the battery and check for chemical leakage, which can destroy the motherboard, and do the mod as illustrated above to replace with a new battery well away from the mobo. I have a friend who repairs a lot of old Strand gear here in the UK and that little battery is an object of utter hatred for him.

So i've been wanting to learn how to solder, but i'm a bit nervous having this project by my first one. I definitely am surprised the machine was still running for as long as it had. I'm surprised the rotational hard drive was still functioning to be honest. I'd love to salvage this, as any money being spent to fix it will be my own. Probably not a huge priority, as we aren't expecting to have any stage performances this year, but i'd love to get it up and running before the end of the school year.

 

[aeh20s]

So i've been wanting to learn how to solder, but i'm a bit nervous having this project by my first one. I definitely am surprised the machine was still running for as long as it had. I'm surprised the rotational hard drive was still functioning to be honest. I'd love to salvage this, as any money being spent to fix it will be my own. Probably not a huge priority, as we aren't expecting to have any stage performances this year, but i'd love to get it up and running before the end of the school year.

This doesn't necessarily help you repair the console you have, but if you're looking for an inexpensive replacement then ETC will sell you a software license and USB to DMX adapter for about $250 since you are a teacher. You'll need a computer to run the software on, but it is a viable option if you have no budget.

 

[almorton]

If you want to try repairing the 300, but don't feel confident, is there someone you could get to do it for you - TV repair shop maybe? It's a simple job, and it's usually recommended to just cut the old battery out (leaving the pins behind) to avoid damaging the mobo, and then attaching the new battery to the chassis where it can't do any damage if it leaks, and running flying leads to the pins. Could be worth it as you say there's no obvious signs of leakage (lucky you) and the batteries are cheap enough. If it's reading 1V it does sound like it's cattled.

 

[DrewE]

That was my other question actually. If I wanted to replace with an alternative lighting board, is there one that will work with a dmx signal that splits into lamps powered by stage pin connectors? Sorry if this question doesn't make sense.. i'm not terribly proficient in the language used to describe the tech.

Pretty much any light console made today will have DMX512 outputs that will work fine with your setup. The basic concept of DMX512 is that any controller can talk to any dimmers or other devices that use the protocol, and for the most part that works out well in practice.

You have existing dimmers somewhere that take the DMX512 control signal and use it to vary the power to the stage pin receptacles. There's no need to replace or alter or reconfigure those if (or when) you get a different console. If you upgrade to moving lights or (many) LED fixtures, you will most likely need to rethink and rework the dimmer and power and data distribution in the venue for them--but there's no need to burn that bridge until you come to it, so to speak.

 

[tonyyoomusic]

Pretty much any light console made today will have DMX512 outputs that will work fine with your setup. The basic concept of DMX512 is that any controller can talk to any dimmers or other devices that use the protocol, and for the most part that works out well in practice.

You have existing dimmers somewhere that take the DMX512 control signal and use it to vary the power to the stage pin receptacles. There's no need to replace or alter or reconfigure those if (or when) you get a different console. If you upgrade to moving lights or (many) LED fixtures, you will most likely need to rethink and rework the dimmer and power and data distribution in the venue for them--but there's no need to burn that bridge until you come to it, so to speak.

Thanks for the info. Definitely don't see my school investing in any new lamps that will need motion control or any LEDs. I think that's really the step I was worried about. I wasn't sure if I could just buy a new Lighting Controller and have it run software from a different PC. I will definitely look into that, i'm not so sure this system is worth saving considering its already 20 years old.

 

[tonyyoomusic]

If you want to try repairing the 300, but don't feel confident, is there someone you could get to do it for you - TV repair shop maybe? It's a simple job, and it's usually recommended to just cut the old battery out (leaving the pins behind) to avoid damaging the mobo, and then attaching the new battery to the chassis where it can't do any damage if it leaks, and running flying leads to the pins. Could be worth it as you say there's no obvious signs of leakage (lucky you) and the batteries are cheap enough. If it's reading 1V it does sound like it's cattled.

I will definitely take a look at this. In all honesty I wouldn't mind upgrading the control surfaces..it has way more dimmers than needed. The people in charge of our program must have had a fortune to spend, but since then my school's enrollment has dipped and the arts program has really gotten the short end of the budget stick. I'm usually bringing in my own mixer and pa's to run my school's concerts and what not. Thanks for the info!

 

[tonyyoomusic]

Thanks everyone for their replies. This forum is awesome. I've been wanting to learn more about the technical aspects of putting on a production, and wasn't sure where to turn. Very encouraging to have such helpful replies so quickly. Thanks again all.

 

[Mac Hosehead]

I'm surprised the rotational hard drive was still functioning to be honest.

There is no hard drive. It is a "disk on chip".

The ETC Nomad offer for teachers is great and worth checking out. The warning being that there are no physical faders.

I agree that this is not a good starter project in learning to solder. I consider a new console to be the best route for your situation. If after that you still want to repair it, I can see if my company would accept it to change the battery.

 

[tonyyoomusic]

So i got the Varta off. There was some corrosion, cleaned it up.

I'm hoping I can just solder to the remaining pins.. been practicing, but any advice would be welcome.

 

[Mac Hosehead]

The traces look pretty good but I notice some discolored ones near the top of the white outline. This would indicate that the battery has been leaking. Hopefully the traces are intact.

Do you have a replacement battery? It looks like the old one was cut from the motherboard. What is left of the pins might drop into the case when heat is applied to the solder.

 

[FMEng]

I wonder if Mac and I are looking at the same photo? There are a bunch of traces that look damaged. Every trace that isn't a nice solid, bright green, under that battery, needs to be tested for continuity and repaired if it's open. The tiniest hairline of missing copper is all it takes to kill it. The bright green is a protective coating on the copper traces. Battery acid has clearly eaten away the coating, and may have dissolved the copper of the trace. Testing and repairing broken traces is possible but it will be tedious and hard to do, and you can't miss just one.

 

[almorton]

I concur with @FMEng - there are potentially corroded traces there, so before replacing the battery check for continuity and if necessary fix any broken traces - fine single core wire wrap wire is often used - while you can see where the traces go. Check for continuity along the trace between the vias - the little holes where the trace burrows into the board. I had an MBX which had what I thought, and looked at first sight, to be some surface corrosion but when properly examined the traces had been destroyed, and given it was a multi-ply board, it was beyond repair. Hopefully you'll be ok.

It can be worth connecting the battery to the board with wires and mounting it somewhere else (on the case with Velcro is popular), so that if in future it leaks again it's less likely to damage the board.