electronic repair of tractor parts

[sd455dan]

Well CM, some of us old "dinosaurs" cut our teeth with a voltmeter in our hands, and although dementia may have set in a bit, I can still remember a lot of the basics.

Having just finished up on my Inverted L 160 meter antenna project (it works very well thank you), I am going to start on an endfed portable antenna (Parts on order for building the 9 to 1 UNUN). So "Dino" I may be, but as long as I still have 2 or 3 marbles rolling around up there in the gourd, I will continue to repair what I can and build what I want. And let me tell you, there is a lot more to repairing something than just the money saved, there is the pride of accomplishment that perhaps some people have never known.

So "Dino" I may be, but as long as I still have 2 or 3 marbles rolling around up there in the gourd, I will continue to repair what I can and build what I want. And let me tell you, there is a lot more to repairing something than just the money saved, there is the pride of accomplishment that perhaps some people have never known.[/QUOTE]


Can't say it any better than ^^^

 

[skyhook]

Ken, can you get any numbers off the part in question?

 

[Ken]

Ken, can you get any numbers off the part in question?

Looking at the "transistor" it has been washed clean or never was stamped with number.
But looking at a 555 8 pin timer circuit the input +Vcc is 2.5 to 18 volts in and out put is clean pulse able to use in relay circuits. also above the circuit board of the tach is room to build a stand alone circuit board .
all that is needed is a single pulse to feed coil on solenoid to make a one minute timer pulse.

Thanks for the offer to look up a cross reference to the 3 legged what ever it is .
Good engineering would never place a circuit board 1/16 away from a metal container that rusts from condensation.
ken

 

[Coyote machine]

Looks like old Ken had you figured pretty close.

Think what you want, neither of you know anything about me.

 

[Coyote machine]

<snip>
Good engineering would never place a circuit board 1/16 away from a metal container that rusts from condensation.
ken

Planned obsolescence, you may have heard of it?! Its why everything is throwaway today. And its why all the 'jobs' supposedly coming back to America won't be. There are tons of skilled tech jobs that already exist here that need to be filled with no young people gaining the skills to do them. To get tech things done there needs to be a trained workforce to do them. The existing workforce of skilled technicians is dying off, unfortunately, and the knowledge needed to continue designing and making and fixing the tech gadgets of today and tomorrow is being lost in the process of attrition. The facts are available to those interested in knowing them.

 

[Xfaxman]

Speaking of Dinosaurs, I started my Electronic Technician career working on first generation computers in 1962.

Most people nowadays don't know what a vacuum tube is.

Everything was fixed at the component level. I still have my solder sucker, similar to this one: :thumbsup:

 

[Ken]

Xfaxman I still use the Black Beauty soldering iron of 1950 and the Black Diamond tools received with passing communication license test. Then it was the wick solder woven wire. on a roll if not good enough could heat and slap the board on edge of bench and clear the solder away.
Given away most all tools to strip and prepare wire for wire wrapping on the strip terminals.
The first computer was all tube and talk of this transistor was mostly being used in toys.
Went to Los Cruses N,Mex. to a Texas Instrument information seminar received a meal and shown the first
5400 14 pin chip and Military rejected for the minute man rocket the electronics developed to fly because they thought no box that small could do what was necessary explained would have to fill the unused space with water to be able to control. Door prize was a 5400 on tie clip.
used for several years a memory for data accumulator consisted of coax cable and could on scope read the date flow.
For pressure reading a 33 Rpm record and arm tied to phone mouth piece and pressure would move arm to point when called set down on record and the tone was measured with a frequency from record. 200 to 1000 cycles with uncut spacing between so would run with out jumping to new track. fairly accurate.

Still have some of the old needles.
couple of the telemeter receivers and transmitters.
Telegraph keys and voltage amplifier to increase distance of telegraph line .
used to carry telephone teletype and telemeter all on one pair of telephone line. and very little interference between the circuits.
all used to be.
ken

 

[jenkinsph]

I started out in electronics at the age of 10 years old. My next door neighbor gave me a big box of wires, switches and a few speakers. That was back in 1965 and I became immersed in electronics and audio later video too. In 1971 I got my FCC 1st phone, the FCC office in New Orleans commented I was the youngest person to do this. I worked for a couple of Motorola shops and marine electronics companies over a ten year period and built up my own sound reinforcement company. Later I was a broadcast engineer for seven radio and television stations, when I moved to my present location (Ruidoso) I gave up the broadcast work, just really tired of it all.

Fast forward to the present, building up my laser grading equipment for my tractor work. Thought I could make up my own cables for the Topcon equipment and found out how difficult it was to obtain any kind of electronic parts and connectors. Searched high and low for the proper connectors and finally had to give up. Wound up ordering four cables ready made from Topcon for about $2600. That was tough to chew for someone who has made up cables and large harnesses for almost fifty years.

During my lifetime we have had tube jockeys, later pcb jockeys and now we just skip the parts jockeys and replace the entire item. I don't see this changing or reverting back anytime soon. Unless you are an electronics enthusiast for lack of a better term it will be difficult to fix much of anything to save money.

 

[skyhook]

Lucky, down our way we have a shop that has pretty well everything you'd need. I remember when the TV guy from them would come to the house with his wooden box filled with tubes and tuner spray. Pretty well all you needed back then to fix a TV. They still carry tubes but the price for them now is very high.
Home - Gervais Electronics

 

[yomax4]

Today decided to check why the tach.(engine hour meter} on a B7100HST-D Kubota had quit.
and removing from dash saw it was a sealed unit. since it had quit. carefully pealed back the rolled metal front removing the glass and removing the retainer bolts on rear. saw that humidity has caused rust to build into the circuit board. cleaned off the rust with brush and checking with volt meter then with oscilloscope had pulses to the emitter of transistor and coming out was just broken pulses.
then with 9 volt battery saw the coil to hour meter was working .
retiring 22 years ago used to repair or be able to search for parts or use a cross reference to locate almost any chip transistor or special circuit in electronics. today spent most of day trying to locate the parts only the prices are so unreasonable be cheaper to just toss and forget.
Locally RadioShack sells some electronic chips but since almost no one purchase repair parts not stocked anymore.
parts house are no longer available in reasonable distance.

so back to question does anyone repair there electrical or electronic parts on the tractors.
maybe just buy new and get on with life.

Im lucky enough to know a deranged guy with micro tools, magnification and test equipment. he sometimes can repair boards for welders, computers and tv sets. he seems to know by looking at the component whether it's doable or not. Lately I've been talking with a repair tech at a gaming store. He is sharp and i guess they have to be. He moonlights on the side fixing boards too. He removes and re-solders nearly anything. He also does video game, pin ball machines and such at Dave and Busters. If you have a gaming store near you it may not hurt to stop and talk to their tech guy. If you go to an arcade there is usually a sticker on the machines that has the repair company on it. Sometimes the repair guys like a few extra bucks in their pockets and will work with you on the side. Good luck !!