BD EHC undressed!

[MogwoprJr]

Normally epoxy potted electronic units are considered disposable.

99% of the time it would be impossible to reclaim a PCB to the level that MogwoprJr has achieved.

It looks like only the outer PCB was potted to fill up to the EHC case edge instead of filling the entire EHC case with potting epoxy.

I quickly learned that the entire EHC case was filled with potting material. There are 2 PCB's and there was potting throughout. It was a solid mass of potted electronics with no air gaps anywhere. I'll see if I managed to get a picture of the brick before potting removal.

edit - It looks like my camera has images from the antique car show we went to, then pictures of an unpotted board. Sorry! it looks like car show ate the pics (Really I probably forgot to take pics of it)

FST954 - that chip is a SiLabs CP2102 USB/UART bridge. Its not a BGA but a 5x5 QFN according to the spec sheet, though I have reflowed the board the board just for good measure. I suspect that this is the chip that gets fried when the connector smacks the frame of the motorcycle - I don't have a "fried" one to test though.

 

[Whistler]

Outstanding investigative work friend!! As an old retired electrical engineer, I know that theoretical designs "on paper" may work great, but environmental influences such as temperature, vibration, mechanical stresses, etc. can cause radical operation and pre-mature failure. I've experience radical operation, ignition shutdown, pre-start sequence failures for example that appear to be caused by varations in temperature and excessive vibration possibly affecting the electronic module multi-pin connectors. Most recently, I couldn't get the pre-start sequence (fuel pump, lights, etc.) for my 2008 EFI K9 when the ambient temperature was below 48 degrees F. Once above 48 degrees, the pre-start sequence works fine.

I hope you will continue your investigation!! I'll continue to follow this thread.
Thanks again.

 

[BigDogBro1]

I quickly learned that the entire EHC case was filled with potting material. There are 2 PCB's and there was potting throughout. It was a solid mass of potted electronics with no air gaps anywhere. I'll see if I managed to get a picture of the brick before potting removal.

edit - It looks like my camera has images from the antique car show we went to, then pictures of an unpotted board. Sorry! it looks like car show ate the pics (Really I probably forgot to take pics of it)

FST954 - that chip is a SiLabs CP2102 USB/UART bridge. Its not a BGA but a 5x5 QFN according to the spec sheet, though I have reflowed the board the board just for good measure. I suspect that this is the chip that gets fried when the connector smacks the frame of the motorcycle - I don't have a "fried" one to test though.

I'm truly amazed on how well you cleaned off all the potting material. The PCB almost looks as it were never potted.

Keep up the great work.

 

[pknowles]

Why can't someone contact DCI, Inc. and see about getting these?? Or, see if they can come up with a better version.??

 

[armad]

You're right on. The spec sheet said that the components needed heat sinking capability, that potting could not do. They also needed room for expansion, and potting does not allow for that either. So I started there. Its taken months to get to this point of even getting the bare EHC tested.

Like I mentioned I'm a hobbyist and was forced to fight family and normal job. I hope I can really do something good for you guys in a reasonable time frame.

You have done a great job considering work and family time commitments. Keep up the good work. I will be looking forward to future progress. THANKS!

 

[MogwoprJr]

Why can't someone contact DCI, Inc. and see about getting these?? Or, see if they can come up with a better version.??

I have had no response from DCI.

I have not tried to call them, but emails have not resulted in anything.

 

[MogwoprJr]

Thank you all for your kind words and encouragement!

I got to the local bike shop and the EHC had no power. Looks like the 2-1 adapter for the EHC is not getting power through it. SO I have no idea if the EHC is actually working. I'm going to be setting up a test rig in the lab to test without installing on a bike.

More to come...

 

[scubaman15]

subscribed ! Great and very interesting I'm also still running the org EHC and would be thrilled to replace it !

 

[MogwoprJr]

Well crap, I just got the tracking number on one of the parts I ordered. Looks like delivery will be next Tuesday. Its the pits not having anyone local that carries odd ball components (besides Ra-Elco for those in SL,UT). Oh well...

 

[mastiffdave]

Keep up the good work and thank you for your efforts.

 

[Th3InfamousI]

Thank you all for your kind words and encouragement!

I got to the local bike shop and the EHC had no power. Looks like the 2-1 adapter for the EHC is not getting power through it. SO I have no idea if the EHC is actually working. I'm going to be setting up a test rig in the lab to test without installing on a bike.

More to come...

Would love to see pics of the testing/progress and your workbench.

I'll be honest I just know enough about electronics to follow along with this thread and understand but I wouldn't be able to do what your doing. I can put PC's together and solder things when broke but building and disecting from scratch is beyond my current knowledge.

I look forward to your findings and updates on the progress. I also hope to learn a thing or two along the way. I'm always trying to learn, whats the old saying? Jack of all trades master of none

 

[BBChopper]

"Good morning, I am an electronic hobbyist and a friend of mine asked me to see what I could do with the broken EHC's."

Who is the friend that asked you to get involved with the ehc's?

:roll::roll::roll:

 

[MogwoprJr]

BBChopper - You're not implying that he's NOT my friend are you???

Its all in good fun, and I enjoy picking this kind of problem apart. If I get to help someone along the way then all the better!



Here's another link to some pics I took while searching for a broken SMD.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/87191102@N03/sets/72157631585261390/

It shows one of broken components and some microscope views of the micro controller PCB. The component was damaged by the milling machine when we removed the aluminum housing, NOT through normal use. Some of the images show a component labeled 103S - that took a while to figure out what it was. Turns out it's just an RF filter 10000pf with a couple of inductive coils. The empty pads next to the existing 103S are where the broken component used to be.

 

[Bobby Schulz]

I have a pair of EHC's that I replaced with wire plus units sitting in the back of the shop from customers bikes. I was going to do the same as you but never got around to messing with them. You can have them if you want them.

 

[MogwoprJr]

Would love to see pics of the testing/progress and your workbench.

I'll be honest I just know enough about electronics to follow along with this thread and understand but I wouldn't be able to do what your doing. I can put PC's together and solder things when broke but building and disecting from scratch is beyond my current knowledge.

I look forward to your findings and updates on the progress. I also hope to learn a thing or two along the way. I'm always trying to learn, whats the old saying? Jack of all trades master of none

Well, the workbench is covered in projects and looks like a tornado hit it... there's about a 2x2 foot clean space where I can set the microscope(borrowed from a friend) and or work on things. I have a PicoScope ADC200 100 mhz scope next to the soldering iron... and a crap load of parts laying around I'll see if I can get a picture that does not look like a collage of devastation.

If you know a little about electronics then you've got enough to work on this thing! There's quite a bit about this board that I don't understand yet but a magnifying glass can get the labels on the components, then a search for the spec sheets will confuse further!

If you're not familiar with spec sheets they're the super secret decoder ring of IC's. They will tell you everything you wanted and didn't want to know about things, the good ones will at least.

I do circuit repair for the phone company here, so I'm used to troubleshooting. And the laws of physics don't change from the technology I isolate everyday to this little stuff on the EHC. Its a little different to isolate and test on little electronics like this but all the principals are still the same. Plus I think its fun, so all the better!

If you have any questions let me know I'll do my best to answer.

 

[BigDogBro1]

Just curious.

Are you going through all this preliminary investigation on this unpotted EHC to help you in the the repair of other EHC's or a new design of a replacement?

 

[MogwoprJr]

Some of both. Initially I wanted to see if there is a common point of failure that can be resolved. Since working through the board has taken so long I'm not sure how worth it the whole thing is, but in the end I still want to at least figure out how to fix em. I have some ideas for replacement options, but I want to learn what the failures are first so I don't repeat them. An added bonus is that I enjoy doing this stuff

 

[JeffM]

Top thread, and good luck to all.
I am going to hi-jack the thread just slightly here.
A couple of pages back you stated the the 2012 WP units were failing........ouch.
I am about to change out my running EHC to WP next Monday, this is not what i want to hear.
Has anyone had dramas with the new batch o WP units???

I too have a spare set of leads to put my EHC back in if the WP fails.

This threads looks like a very positive thing, well done so fare.

 

[MogwoprJr]

I can not speak personally, i only have second hand info that the bike shop here was starting to have problems with the WP kits.

 

[MogwoprJr]

Sorry for the lack of updates folks. Life has intervened for a minute. I will soon return to the regularly scheduled program - EHC teardown.

My employer is currently in a bit of limbo so I'm taking care of other things first.

-Travis