In detail: do-it-yourself repair of a wireless echo sounder sensor from a real master for the site my.housecope.com.
Do-it-yourself repair of the Matrix 37 echo sounder sensor
Do-it-yourself repair of the Matrix 37 echo sounder sensor
I had a sensor failure while fishing: after a two-kilometer transition to a catching spot in planing mode, the echo sounder complained that it had lost contact with the sensor. Since there were no shocks on the transducer during the transition, a failure could arise either due to a software failure of the echo sounder (this happens from time to time with Humminbirds), or due to a cable break. Rebooting the echo sounder did not help. A quick inspection showed that some of the cable wires were broken at the place where the cable was terminated in the sensor. Since paying a third of the cost of the echo sounder for a new transducer, which, moreover, was promised to be delivered to order (this is at the very height of the season!) Seemed too "bold" to me, I decided to repair it myself. It took one evening to renovate. The Americans did not come up with anything new - piezoceramic plates with silver-plated surfaces are used as emitting and receiving elements of the sensor, to which the echo sounder wires are soldered.
For repair, you need to disassemble the sensor, re-solder the wires to the plates and assemble the sensor.
The M37 sensor consists of two plastic halves, which contain three piezoceramic plates and a temperature sensor. The inner volume of the sensor is filled with a black elastic rubber-like mass resembling hardened sealant. Care must be taken when disassembling the sensor, since the silver sprayed (deposited?) On the plates can be easily torn off together with the sealant. In addition, mindlessly wielding a knife and a screwdriver, you can split the plates themselves in no time.
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Video (click to play). |
The plastic halves of the sensor are connected (glued) on only one sealant. There are no other connecting elements. To separate the upper and lower halves, use a sharp knife to cut the sensor joint to a depth of 3-5 mm. The temperature sensor, fixed in the "stern" of the sensor, looks like a metal "fungus" and has very thin leads, breaking them off flush, you will lose the ability to determine the temperature.
Slightly widening the joint, remove the upper plastic cover of the sensor. It is not so easy, but quite doable, the main thing is not to rush. The top and bottom halves of the transducer have thin rails molded in one piece with the halves of the transducer. They are needed for the correct installation of the plates, so it is advisable not to break them, at least in the "stern" part, especially in the lower half.
After the upper half of the sensor has been removed, do not rush to remove the plates. Using a scalpel and small nippers, carefully remove as much of the sealant as possible. The wires leading to the temperature sensor should be bite off 5 mm from its body in advance - this will help not to break off the leads. The wires leading to the plates should also be bitten off in advance - this way it is easier to avoid the separation of the silvered layer from the plates. Do not forget about the common wire connecting all the plates from below. When most of the plate is freed from the sealant, carefully, trying not to break either the plates themselves or their guides, pry off with a screwdriver (knife) and remove the plates from the bottom.
Before filling with sealant, the plates are covered with something like expanded polyethylene (polyurethane?). It must be removed by simply rolling it with your fingers, like the remnants of rubber glue.
Clean both halves of the sensor from sealant residues. Insert the cable through the hole provided in the upper half.
Solder the cable wires to the plates and the temperature sensor. Solder the braid of the cable from below to all plates and one of the terminals of the temperature sensor.Piezoceramic plates are sensitive to overheating, so it is advisable to use a VOODU alloy and a low-temperature soldering iron.
Fill the bottom half of the sensor with sealant. Install the plates and temperature sensor with soldered wires in the bottom half. Pay special attention to the installation of the side beam plates - they must be installed SYMMETRICALLY relative to the vertical, otherwise, at the same depth, the readings from the right and left beams will be different.
Fill the plates with sealant on top. Install the upper half of the sensor. Wrap the sensor with electrical tape and leave until the sealant cures.
P.S. Just in case, here is the wiring of the sensor cable connector. The sensor connector is easy enough to disassemble by cutting it from both sides along with a sharp knife. When assembling, fill the inside with the same sealant that was used when repairing the sensor.
An article from the site “Bearded page“
Message kolosov » 21.11.2013 09:15:38
Friends, if you have any problems while using your fishfinder, let's solve them together.
About myself:
Electronic engineer. I have been confidently holding a soldering iron since 1980.
I work in a service center. Repair of cash registers, computer cash systems and household appliances.
This is not an ad.
Repairing echo sounders is my hobby.
Write about your problems in this thread.
Call in person. +375 (29) 7145728 MTS.
Vitebsk.
I will try to help you to the best of my ability.
P.S. When asking questions on the forum, please be sure to indicate where you are from.
Message kolosov » 27.10.2014 19:10:10
Message kmoln » 27.10.2014 19:16:28
Message kmoln » 27.10.2014 20:07:30
Message xanti » 06.11.2014 15:38:05
And no one has come across such an incorrect operation of the echo sounder:
It shows everything perfectly, well, let's say the depth is 4.2 meters, the fish sometimes squeaks into the floor of the water. Suddenly, the depth readings doubled - 8.5 meters and at the depth of the real bottom (i.e. already at the bottom of the water on the screen) begins to show fish in schools, on the screen there is a black strip of fish of different sizes. And such "drops" of readings are unpredictable and do not depend on depth and other factors. Moreover, you can get real readings for an hour, or you can see such a jamb in an hour 10 times. It is treated by repeated on / off of the device.
Echo sounder FishFinder Lucku FF718li, wired transducer. Thought the problem was in the cable / connector. The cable (it was 7m) was shortened to 4m and rang, the “daddy” connector was soldered (it was made for 90 ″, very unsuccessfully). As a result, it became 3 times less likely to fail, but it was not cured. What do you recommend?
Actually, all the critical points on the board itself disappeared along the way, but this only led to the fact that the echo sounder stopped seeing the wireless sensor-boat. because the arms grow out of w .. But that's a completely different story. kolosov Advise something.
PS Yes, it also turned out that the cable to the sensor consists of “3 cores insulated + 1 bare ground” and is shielded only with a very thin foil, which is not connected to the earth wire in the sensor and in the connector, but only touches it along the entire length of the cable. Maybe the dog is buried here? I actually do not know how the quality of the cable to the sensor affects the readings. I just know that the device is configured for some value of the capacitance (hundreds or several thousand picofarads) of the sensor + cable, which can actually affect the readings.
Message kolosov » 06.11.2014 18:48:32
Message xanti » 06.11.2014 20:18:51
12 cm below the keel - no effect. Apparently the hardware or raw firmware was problematic. By the way, the device is not Russified, although in the internet they write what is with the Russian firmware. sedes.html. In general, I think that this is not yet a run-in damp model, there is no information on it.
Message sansanich » 28.11.2014 23:21:33
Message kolosov » 29.11.2014 22:05:04
Sansanych, good evening.
I have several questions at once:
How many years has the echo sounder been in use?
Has the sensor been dropped (or hit)?
During storage, was the door kept open and the CR-2032 battery removed?
Did water get into the sensor?
Is there an icon on the display
I suspect that first you have to replace the CR-2032 battery in the sensor. If there are traces of corrosion in the battery compartment, remove with alcohol.
Here are the Russian instructions for your fishfinder:. eholot.pdf
Message sansanich » 29.11.2014 23:43:34
Message kolosov » 30.11.2014 16:07:30
Message sansanich » 30.11.2014 18:31:16
Message Boatswain » 01.12.2014 12:25:58
Good afternoon.
I am sorry to bother you.
If possible - help me with one question.
The question is as follows:
On one of the tugs we are designing, a 520-5MSD Echo sounder sensor was installed.
During the sea trials of this tug, the following was revealed:
1. At speeds up to 7 knots - the sensor works perfectly.
2. Unfortunately, at a speed of 7 knots to 12, the sensor was not monitored.
3. At a speed of 12 - 12.2 knots - it was revealed that on the echo sounder screen - the depth jumps from 0 to XXX depth.
That is, the echo sounder does not work stably.
4. Sea trials were not carried out in calm weather - the only thing I know is that at that moment there were grains of soil in the water.
What could be the reason for this phenomenon?
The attachment is where the echo sounder is installed. The echo sounder is installed on the Starboard side, 750mm from the DP.
If it's not difficult to consult us with our problem or tell me who can help.
Thanks in advance.
Message kolosov » 01.12.2014 14:32:31
The boatswain wrote: At a speed of 12 - 12.2 knots - it was revealed that on the echo sounder screen - the depth jumps from 0 to XXX depth.
That is, the echo sounder does not work stably.
4. Sea trials were not carried out in calm weather - the only thing I know is that at that moment there were grains of soil in the water.
What could be the reason for this phenomenon?
The attachment is where the echo sounder is installed. The echo sounder is installed on the Starboard side, 750mm from the DP.
If it's not difficult to consult us with our problem or tell me who can help.
Boatswain, good day.
You have a cool fishing boat
What to say about your problem. Any sensor sooner or later (with increasing speed) begins to lose its bottom. This is due to many reasons. Including with the properties of water itself (the presence of suspended matter and turbidity).
But more often the reason is the appearance of small air (vapor) bubbles in the water under the sensor under certain modes of fluid flow. The so-called cavitation.
It is impossible to completely eliminate this phenomenon. Changing the location of the sensor may help in part. The sensor should not immediately be fixed thoroughly (on epoxy resin), but fixed, for example, on a thin layer of plasticine (the presence of air bubbles between the sensor, plasticine and the bottom is not allowed. After finding the optimal installation point for the sensor, it must be fixed thoroughly (naturally, again pay attention to bubbles air).
And further. The outside of the bottom of your boat is most likely treated with a special corrosion protection agent. Probably more than once. Probably over corrosion. Bottom fouling is also possible. All this increases the thickness of the material that must penetrate the echo sounder beam and does not at all contribute to improving the transmission of the reflected signal (it is much weaker than the emitted one).
I just looked. And your sensor is installed through a hole in the bottom of the boat:
Perhaps it was fastened incorrectly? Or is the sensor overgrown? Well, the installation location may have been chosen incorrectly.
These ridiculous malfunctions appeared repeatedly on my echo sounder and my friend's echo sounder (both ER-4Pro).
It's good when there is a service. It's bad when he's far away. (folk wisdom