Another attempt at fixing Apex EB832

[_AV]

Very intrigued by this thread. I have had 2 EB832s fail right around 12 months of operation. Both times the EBs would work if I connected my brain to a power supply. I wonder if this fix would work... FWIW, my electronics are all stored in a dry room away from my tank so it’s definitely not a water issue. I’m getting pretty tired of Neptune myself. Considering I’ve now spent $600 on EBs to keep my multi thousand dollar ecosystem functional.

I don't remember if the 12v power supply also feeds the aquabus 12v power, which powers the head unit. But if it does, the behavior makes sense. By providing separate power to the brain, you are offloading some of the load from the failing PSU.

 

[dbq5anlxj]

After accidentally spilled some water on my eb832 the fan is keep spinning. It been few weeks now. Everything else is working fine just the fan. What might be the cause of this? Thanks

 

[((FORDTECH))]

After accidentally spilled some water on my eb832 the fan is keep spinning. It been few weeks now. Everything else is working fine just the fan. What might be the cause of this? Thanks

Could be salt creep shorting circuits out. You should take apart to do inspection and clean anything with salt

 

[_AV]

After accidentally spilled some water on my eb832 the fan is keep spinning. It been few weeks now. Everything else is working fine just the fan. What might be the cause of this? Thanks

The fan is supposed to spin when the eb832 is plugged in. I assume the problem is that it's making too much noise. The fan may have to be replaced if salt got into it. Fans are cheap.

 

[CaptainOver]

I have 2 EB832's in a failed state - status lights work but no solenoid click. Apex reports it as there, but 0 volts.
Looking in both, neither of the red lights turn on when plugged in. Is there something else I can test to see if it is the caps - or where else it might be failing?

 

[_AV]

I have 2 EB832's in a failed state - status lights work but no solenoid click. Apex reports it as there, but 0 volts.
Looking in both, neither of the red lights turn on when plugged in. Is there something else I can test to see if it is the caps - or where else it might be failing?

No red light or blinking red light on the PSU is 99.9% due to failed capacitors. My original post in this thread describes the test with a 12v computer fan. It requires removing the PSU from the board.

 

[CaptainOver]

No red light or blinking red light on the PSU is 99.9% due to failed capacitors. My original post in this thread describes the test with a 12v computer fan. It requires removing the PSU from the board.

Thanks! I don't tend to work on the AC side of things, so I don't completely follow and will probably ask some dumb questions.
You said you removed the board to test it with the fan, but how did you power the board on the AC side for the test?

 

[_AV]

Thanks! I don't tend to work on the AC side of things, so I don't completely follow and will probably ask some dumb questions.
You said you removed the board to test it with the fan, but how did you power the board on the AC side for the test?

The AC side is just a straight 110V input from you wall outlet. Just don't electrocute anyone in the process .
Once plugged in, you will likely see the red led turning on while the psu has no DC load. As you apply higher load to the DC side, by the means of a small fan for example, the red LED will either start blinking or turn off.

 

[CaptainOver]

OK...Update.
2 for 2 in fixing my dead EB832's!!! I contacted Neptune to see about fixing them, but they came back with a cost of $150-$185 per unit since they were out of warrantee...but offered a discount to purchase a refurb for $175...Ummm.
That kind-of made it a no-brainer for me to try and fix them for $5's worth of capacitors (as I already payed full price for a replacement after the first one failed, and didn't want to fall into that trap again)...
I swapped all 4 capacitors on the board, soldered it back on, and like magic, they are working again. I'm going to keep them on easy-duty for the next bit to ensure things are working, but so far so good.
Thanks _AV for the great post on how to get started here!

 

[_AV]

Happy that it worked for you! Good job.

Manufacturers are not very well positioned to do the after warranty repair economically. They swap major components, often reintroducing exact same faults, at a high cost. They are in business of selling new product, not maintaining existing stock.

I have helped countless reefers on here fix their equipment. An independent repair often improves quality and it doesn't have to be so expensive. I often end up upgrading relays, MOSFETs, voltage regulators, ports, connectors, etc. to something that will last longer. We rely on this equipment to run some very expensive tanks so that we don't have to. Compromising on parts is silly, especially considering the cost of high end equipment.

 

[laverda]

Do you know what typically goes wrong with the EB8s. I have two bad ones. I also have 2 bad displays.
I know one EB8 got wet. The day I bought it I had everything laid out on the floor in front of my tank trying to get an idea how to set it up and mount it. Then my dog comes over and pees right in front of me directly on top of the EB8. She never did anything like that before or since, let alone pee in the house. I guess she was trying to tell me I just bought an over-priced unreliable piece of crap.
Of course that was the end of the EB8. :-(

 

[_AV]

Haha, this is too funny. Sorry.

EB8 often has issues with relays. Both mechanical and solid state ones. They get overloaded quickly. Next one up is corrosion on aquabus ports. Traces go straight to the CAN transceiver and then to the main controller. Corrosion causes a short and smokes the transceiver.

What's wrong with the other EB8?

 

[laverda]

Glad you guys got a laugh out if that! I was dumb founded at the time. She clearly did not like the EB8 for some reason. It was very weird!
Sorry your reply was like when I read Italian. I understood some of it. Are the transceivers available? I don't know what is wrong with the other EB8. I took one apart partially to see if I could see anything like corrosion and clean it. I think it was the one the dog hit, as I figured a good cleaning with electrical cleaner might solve the issue.

 

[_AV]

Does the other EB8 turn on at all? Do you get a light green or orange? Does it connect to Apex? Any specific outlets that don't work? etc. That's what I'm looking for.

Cleaning may or may not solve it. Take a look at an example of what corrosion does to electronics in another one (or two) of my repairs:

Radion XR30 complete no light repair

My previous electronic equipment repairs Radion XR15: https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/radion-lights-board-level-repair.774331/#post-8197536 A fellow reefer mailed me their Ecotech Radion for repair service as it's long been out of warranty. The unit turns on briefly before shutting down and...

www.reef2reef.com

AI Hydra Fan Connector Repair - Significant Corrosion

My previous electronic equipment repair projects Radion XR15: https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/radion-lights-board-level-repair.774331/ Radion XR30: https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/radion-xr30-complete-no-light-repair.792711/ Imagine a problem with a connector breaking off the board...

www.reef2reef.com

EB8 is more basic than EB832 inside, but at the same time, unlike EB832, it does not have a collection of third party power supplies that are relatively easy to diagnose and fix. Inside, everything is mounted on the main board on both sides. So fixing something on that board requires a component level repair. This is something I could do, you'd need to ship it over.

 

[((FORDTECH))]

Does the other EB8 turn on at all? Do you get a light green or orange? Does it connect to Apex? Any specific outlets that don't work? etc. That's what I'm looking for.

Cleaning may or may not solve it. Take a look at an example of what corrosion does to electronics in another one (or two) of my repairs:

Radion XR30 complete no light repair

My previous electronic equipment repairs Radion XR15: https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/radion-lights-board-level-repair.774331/#post-8197536 A fellow reefer mailed me their Ecotech Radion for repair service as it's long been out of warranty. The unit turns on briefly before shutting down and...

www.reef2reef.com

AI Hydra Fan Connector Repair - Significant Corrosion

My previous electronic equipment repair projects Radion XR15: https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/radion-lights-board-level-repair.774331/ Radion XR30: https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/radion-xr30-complete-no-light-repair.792711/ Imagine a problem with a connector breaking off the board...

www.reef2reef.com

EB8 is more basic than EB832 inside, but at the same time, unlike EB832, it does not have a collection of third party power supplies that are relatively easy to diagnose and fix. Inside, everything is mounted on the main board on both sides. So fixing something on that board requires a component level repair. This is something I could do, you'd need to ship it over.

Hello wondering if you could point me in the right direction. I have a eb4 that outlet 3 the 12amp outlet stays on all the time. So I took apart and found relay looks bad so would like to replace this to start but can’t seem to find the same relay. By any chance do you know what the replacement part is for this relay or one that would work. Thanks for any info if you have some

 

[_AV]

Hello wondering if you could point me in the right direction. I have a eb4 that outlet 3 the 12amp outlet stays on all the time. So I took apart and found relay looks bad so would like to replace this to start but can’t seem to find the same relay. By any chance do you know what the replacement part is for this relay or one that would work. Thanks for any info if you have some

Those are still available direct from zettler via digikey. P/N 2487-AZ2150-1A-12DEF-ND
Watch for that burned pad. It may have to be restored on the other side.

 

[BostonReefer300]

I found this post this morning and was fascinated by it, so I read some of your others. I know next to nothing about fixing electrical devices, but found these to be almost like a course. Thank you so much for sharing! I'll be following you from now on!

 

[_AV]

I found this post this morning and was fascinated by it, so I read some of your others. I know next to nothing about fixing electrical devices, but found these to be almost like a course. Thank you so much for sharing! I'll be following you from now on!

Thank you! I'm actually seriously contemplating on starting a youtube channel soon to show some of these repairs. Bringing good electronics back to life is a rewarding experience and I feel that the video format has the potential to provide a whole lot more content to those who are interested.

 

[BostonReefer300]

Do it! And I'll definitely be sending you repair work whenever needed (and it WILL be needed)!

 

[((FORDTECH))]

Those are still available direct from zettler via digikey. P/N 2487-AZ2150-1A-12DEF-ND
Watch for that burned pad. It may have to be restored on the other side.

Thank you very much I will check that out. Desoldering and resoldering relay will be no big deal but I have no clue how to restore a burnt pad. Any info on doing this ?