OBC preventative maintenance ?

[michael8554]

Are there any components on the OBC that could be (easily) replaced before faults occur and/or would prevent faults occurring ?

For example, in Meade computer-controlled amateur telescopes there are 20V Tantalum capacitors on the 12V powered boards that blow after about 20 years of use. Replacement before blowing prevents damage to the PCB traces and to other components.

 

[kiev]

Which version do you have? 2011 might be the earliest generation with the mini waffle plates, or it could be the same version as the 2012 with the single large plate underneath the power board. Remove the cover and take a picture to know for sure.

 

[coulomb]

I wonder if the AC capacitors that ooze gunk can be spotted months before there is a problem.

I also think that it's worth pre-emptively replacing the small high voltage capacitors, particularly if you have the SMD versions. You would of course replace them with higher voltage parts that hopefully will last longer than the originals.

If you suspect that the relay has had a hard life, it might be a candidate for pre-emptive replacement. But it's hard to know what state the contacts are in, and there isn't a readily available replacement that has significantly better ratings.

 

[michael8554]

It's a 2011 UK.

The inside of the OBC lid is free of blackening.

The big caps aren't bulging.

The little back caps aren't split.

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1TtjhvvN6fUiHP_6KHmNzSd8tpqYKU_1v/view?usp=sharing, https://drive.google.com/file/d/1csIJliUImom5AJ83RGUi5pkVwHuTi2fF/view?usp=sharing, https://drive.google.com/file/d/1oVv1pzIZGpUeX0iIP8ASxQoSGgZiXNdL/view?usp=sharing, https://drive.google.com/file/d/1xXkxIKMv4qM19XwFEmY3j-ipIXGgUk4n/view?usp=sharing

 

[michael8554]

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1csIJliUImom5AJ83RGUi5pkVwHuTi2fF/view?usp=sharing, https://drive.google.com/file/d/1xXkxIKMv4qM19XwFEmY3j-ipIXGgUk4n/view?usp=sharing

 

[michael8554]

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1xXkxIKMv4qM19XwFEmY3j-ipIXGgUk4n/view?usp=sharing

 

[kiev]

It's in the same family as the 2012, so most of the Troubleshooting thread applies.

The last 2 posts are duplicates with fixation on the transient voltage suppressors, rarely have we seen those fail.

 

[coulomb]

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1xXkxIKMv4qM19XwFEmY3j-ipIXGgUk4n/view?usp=sharing

Those are not the smaller high voltage DC capacitors that frequently cause trouble, those are on the lower board. It would be worth inspecting those while you have the charrger open.

 

[michael8554]

Thanks for the replies
Michael