XTS3000 Model III power up problem

[AL7OC]

Hi Gang,

I have an XTS3000 that will not power up. When the radio is switched on, I get a momentary green light, but no power up beep, and no display. I've tried different batteries with no luck.

When he problem first occurred, The green light was dim, and stayed on for a few seconds.

It is highly improbable that the radio was killed, as it doesn't have that option, nor is it used on any system that would be able to kill or stun it.

It acts like the radio has a dead or low battery, but that's been ruled out. Maybe it's bricked somehow as in lost it's firmware? I had the radio out in the cold today in the van for SAR K9 practice but it wasn't turned on at all today. Usually that doesn't bother the radio.

Any suggestions?

Pierre

[n7maq]

Have you tried to read it with CPS? Are you able to get it into service mode?

[AL7OC]

I cannot read it with CPS. There is no display whatever, not even momentary. I disassembled the radio and made sure that everything was seated correctly inside.

My immediate thought was that maybe the cold had caused condensation on a PWB or connector, but it has had enough time to dry out.

Just get a momentary green light - no beeps, no display. Sort of like it's lost it's marbles. Again, I don't think that it could have been killed as it doesn't have trunking as an option, and couldn't have tried to affiliate with a system. It was fine when it was last used on an analog system, and dead when it was switched on again.

-PL


-PL

[AL7OC]

Another symptom - the green light sometimes flickers or stays on dimly for a few seconds after power up. Maybe a Mickey Mouse power switch? It's a model "AN", so I suspect that cases are hard to come by?

-PL

[n7maq]

Another symptom - the green light sometimes flickers or stays on dimly for a few seconds after power up. Maybe a Mickey Mouse power switch? It's a model "AN", so I suspect that cases are hard to come by?

-PL

If it is an "AN" model then the flex is a possibility, of course the best way to test it is to swap with another but that can be hard unless you have one, or another radio around to get the housing off of.

Of all the 3000's that I saw with bad flexes were AN models if I recall correctly, but they did not display symptoms as you describe, they had read/write and PTT/side switch issues.

If there was a chance of condensation on the inside of the radio then it shroud be disassembled completely and then do a close visual inspection for any corrosion or indications of liquid intrusion on all boards, connectors and controls. The symptoms as you describe could also be from liquid damage.


Jim

[AL7OC]

When I had it apart to check connectors, the flex appeared OK.

As it has sat longer, the symptom is now that the green light comes on, and is staying on. What controls the LED on power up, the CPU? Still no beep or LCD display. It was about 0 to +5F today, and these radios have been fine in the past in the cold. I had 2 bubble pack GMRS radios, my XTS 5000, and another 3000 and they all survived just fine. No moisture or other problems detected in the radio, and all flexes were properly seated.

I would like to know how far in the boot-up the radio is getting if you get a green light, but nothing else.

-PL

[AL7OC]

OK - after sitting around for a few weeks, the last symptom is that when powered up, the green light stays lit, and the display is blank. The radio is straight conventional, flash 140001-000000-3. Not on ay trunked system, so should not have been inhibited. Can't read or write to it with CPS. Used ESD precautions and reseated everything. No events prior to the failure, just exposure to usual cold - minus 5.

Sound like a toasted controller, or trashed firmware? Is there anyway to recover, or should I consider this a parts radio?

TNX, Pierre

[misawatech]

Sounds like a bad controller board but here is what I try. Disconnect the display and take out the encryption board(if installed). These are usually not required to boot the radio, short of needing the display to see what is going on, but if either one is bad I have seen your symptoms. You also said you had another 3000 so can you swap the cases to determine if anything is wrong in the flex? I have also had some flex controls that looked fine but somewhere there was a broken circuit. If none of this works then I would guess a bad controller board. You could also swap the good 3000 board to the bad radio, if they are the same models, as a last test for the controls flex and display.

[AL7OC]

Thanks for the posts and PMs regarding the problem. Sounds like a toasted controller...

I'll be looking for a replacement controller, or more likely, another XTS 3000 M3 VHF. The "brick" is a type "AN", and my others are "BN"s, which precludes swapping a bunch a parts. I suppose being 15 years old, it's earned a retirement in the parts box!

When the checking account recovers after Christmas, I might as well consider another XTS 5000 upgrade.

Cheers, and Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

-Pierre

[AL7OC]

Been looking at this VHF XTS-3000 sitting in the parts box since last Christmas. Anyone got an old model III type AN housing that they want to part with? I am thinking that it might be worth a shot to try to resurrect this if it's a bad flex. The encryption board has been ruled out. The green LED comes on when powered up, but the display is blank, and the green light stays on. It also could be that the controller never gets past the power up tests. Anyway, hate to pitch it without the ol' school try! It's not on any system where it could have been inhibited - it just looks like it fails power up sequencing. No apparent reason - it just quit working out of the blue.

[AL7OC]

Update- I was playing around with this radio after having it in a junk box for a while, and got it to wake up again. The radio would display the green LED on top when switched on, but the display would stay blank, and the LED would remain green. It was not stunned or inhibited as it doesn't have that feature enabled, nor does it operate on a TRS. It just appears that it wouldn't make it through all of the power up sequence.

I held both the purple side button and orange button in at the same time at power up, and continued to hold them for about 10 seconds. The display went from blank to the normal power on display. This is the normal process for erasing the keys, and it did erase the keys. I reloaded the keys, and it continues to power up normally.

Someone had suggested this fix in the past, but it didn't work until I kept both keys in for an extended period.

Not sure why the key erase button combination brought the radio to life, because the radio didn't power up even with the UCM removed. Anyway, the radio is working now. Hope that this helps someone else if they have the same problem with an older XTS3K.