Strand 300 Help (Repair)

[tonyyoomusic]

I'm testing the tracers today. i'm really hoping that its just stained and not the copper that eroded away. Will get back once I get the results.

 

[almorton]

Use a low current DVM - you don't want to zap any components with a misplaced continuity lamp or old style Avo.

 

[tonyyoomusic]

well to be honest, i think its pretty much spent. Although I'll be honest, my eyes are going crossed trying to follow each trace to their vias. I thought sight reading SATB in four staves was hard! I think probably the best option is to replace the board somehow, or to get a whole new system to control my lights.

 

[almorton]

Good light and a bench magnifier is the way to go, I'd say.

 

[n1ist]

There's also a lot of corrosion around the pins of U55. I would remove and replace that chip; until you do that, there's no way to know the damage underneath it. A previous photo showed it to be a 74ACT14 hex schmitt inverter.

One big problem is that if you don't get all the corrosion off, it will continue to eat away the traces. I would probably strip off the solder mask, clean everything very well, fix damaged traces, and hope that you don't have corrosion in vias. Once fixed, you can use clear nail polish to replace the solder mask.
/mike

 

[RonHebbard]

There's also a lot of corrosion around the pins of U55. I would remove and replace that chip; until you do that, there's no way to know the damage underneath it. A previous photo showed it to be a 74ACT14 hex schmitt inverter.

One big problem is that if you don't get all the corrosion off, it will continue to eat away the traces. I would probably strip off the solder mask, clean everything very well, fix damaged traces, and hope that you don't have corrosion in vias. Once fixed, you can use clear nail polish to replace the solder mask.
/mike

If / when it corrodes down through the holes / vias you're beat for connecting to intermediate layers.
Don't ask me how I learned this.
Toodleoo!
Ron Hebbard

 

[tonyyoomusic]

So this is all way beyond my level of expertise. I'm a total newbie when it comes to this portion of electrical and computer repair. I definitely don't think i have the steady hands or knowledge to execute something this intricate.

I'm willing to concede this 20 year old system is likely irreparable. Looking for other options to get the lights in my theatre back up.

Someone earlier mentioned a software based lighting system, but we have the Strand Console that still operates, just not the machine that runs the software. Is it possible to move the REF20992 Mercury card onto a standard motherboard and the Strand program onto an SSD and have it still run?

I'm looking for economical options, but wouldn't mind learning a bit more about all the options avaialble if cost wasn't an issue.

Thank you everyone for your knowledge and time, I appreciate the professionalism and candor of this forum.

Tony Yoo

 

[almorton]

If you have a new battery you could just attach it with flying leads and hope for the best. For the cost of a battery, a sticky pad and a couple of lengths of wire, you've nothing to lose by trying it. As others have said, make sure you clean the board meticulously where it may have been corroded, to stop an further corrosion - you might just get lucky.

 

[tonyyoomusic]

I am definitely gonna give it a shot. It was working before we shut down before the pandemic, so I'm gonna keep my fingers crossed. Also with the new guidelines, we are not expecting to need the stage for any purposes this year, so i've got some leeway as far as that goes. But I would love to have a solution so I can present to our CFO and try and get a budget.

 

[RonHebbard]

I am definitely gonna give it a shot. It was working before we shut down before the pandemic, so I'm gonna keep my fingers crossed. Also with the new guidelines, we are not expecting to need the stage for any purposes this year, so i've got some leeway as far as that goes. But I would love to have a solution so I can present to our CFO and try and get a budget.

Calling @dbaxter
Toodleoo!
Ron Hebbard

 

[tonyyoomusic]

This may be a dumb question, but is there anyway to still use the Strand 300 Control Surface on a different machine if this Mobo is shot? I have the OS files on CD-Rom, and I see that this mobo is proprietary. But can I use a newer PC and a USB to DMX adapter and still be able to use the physical controller?

 

[dbaxter]

What I believe Ron is calling out for is our lighting program Cue Player Lighting. Rather than a DJ system, CPL provides cue to cue live performance control. It does need a Windows PC and a USB or Art-Net to DMX adapter. Optionally, a USB MIDI slider controller (e.g. PMIDIPD30) can be used to control up to 16 "looks" to make it easy for students. It's in use in many theaters, churches, and schools as an alternative to a more expensive console. We've used it here, at Blackfriars Theatre, for over 8 years and maybe 80 or so events/shows. The web site has more details and a link for a trial download. (And I'm a PM away from any questions)

 

[almorton]

The 300 control surface communicates with the main board via can-bus and you'll be lucky to find an off the shelf way to talk to it from a standard PC. User IRW on the blue room did some work a couple of years ago rigging up a can-bus interface to talk to the be strand surfaces - might be worth asking on there. I think he was trying to get it to talk to an ETC nomad, though.

 

[tonyyoomusic]

well all.. i took the board off because i thought soldering without damaging the vias on the top of the board would prove too challenging for my novice hands.
I guess i'm glad i did. I think this is fubar. The vias on the back look totally shot as predicted by some other users on this post.

Thanks for all the advice/assistance.

I guess its time to start writing up proposals.

 

[almorton]

Could still be worth cleaning the board and trying the new battery. If you think it's cattled then you've nothing to lose.