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CDM1550 LS+ Lights all not working

Posted: Thu Nov 17, 2005 4:45 pm
by cfdeng3
Ok well...this is a good one.

We just had 2 new CDM1550 LS+ put in our ambulance. The cmed radio in the back had a telephone style handset put on it today. The issue was that they were still hearing audio out of the front speaker and not just the handset. So I said we could pull the front panel off the radio and remove the speaker plug. WELL someone else did it and pulled the ribbon cable out. I got everything back together BUT now the front Red/Green/Yellow lights and backlight don't work. ANY help?? Is the ribbon cable not seated properly??

Also is the handset audio a programming issue?

THANKS

Posted: Thu Nov 17, 2005 5:53 pm
by thebigphish
yes, i would say the ribbon for the LCD was disconnected....

and we tried that same damn setup w/ ours, and ended up buying a kenwood dual head setup...the CDM is a joke for that style setup.

Posted: Thu Nov 17, 2005 6:14 pm
by cfdeng3
welli put the ribbon back in...the display shows you what channel you are on but no lights???

Posted: Thu Nov 17, 2005 7:34 pm
by jackhackett
A few things to ponder..

Was the flex(ribbon) cable possibly plugged in the wrong way at some point?
I remember one of our former-techs did that once and burnt something up, can't remember if it involved the lights or not.

Also, one of the conductors in the cable might have broken.

There's a backlight setting in the programming, but I don't think it would have any effect on the red/yellow/green LEDs

The control head board wasn't taken out, was it? I've seen those LEDs broken off the board by someone prying the board out with a screwdriver.

Posted: Thu Nov 17, 2005 8:22 pm
by thebigphish
before you start ripping into stuff for the backlight, push the backlight button (if programmed) on the unit...it's always nice when that is the easy fix!!! :-)

Posted: Thu Nov 17, 2005 8:33 pm
by jackhackett
thebigphish wrote:before you start ripping into stuff for the backlight, push the backlight button (if programmed) on the unit...it's always nice when that is the easy fix!!! :-)
Lol... I meant to mention that one...
I try not to program a dimmer button, I've had too many service calls where I just had to push that #&$& button. Now if I could just find a way to disable it on the MDT laptops...

Posted: Fri Nov 18, 2005 6:07 am
by jim
I'm assuming that you have a dual-head CDM?

First, the radio must be programmed properly for a handset. Second, there is documentation in the Quickmount kit that explains a mod that may have to be made to use the QM kit with a handset.

As for the lights, make sure one of the flat pins on the ribbon didn;t break loose from the ribbon. When pluggin in the ribbon you may lose one of the conductors as it bends away. Also, be sure to have to board seated properly in the face of the radio. They must be properly clipped in at all 6 locations and the speaker is usually guilty of making the PCB come loose from the head when installing it. The quickmount's 10-pin jack sometimes doesn't seat when plugged it. The best thing to do is to remove the 10-pin plug's rubber boot to ensure you plug in securely.

Also....are the LED lights disabled in CPS? This is seperate from the LCD backlight.

Posted: Fri Nov 18, 2005 6:32 am
by jackhackett
jim wrote:I'm assuming that you have a dual-head CDM?
I wouldn't assume that, sounded more like they have two seperate radios.
jim wrote:Also....are the LED lights disabled in CPS? This is seperate from the LCD backlight.
The Lights/LEDs tab in CPS has settings for the Busy LED and Power Up Test LED as well as Backlight Intensity. Even if you turned them all off I think at least the TX LED would still work.


The Handset setting is under Radio Configuration on the Accessory Configuration tab, there's a checkbox for it.

Posted: Fri Nov 18, 2005 1:38 pm
by jim
Well then....maybe I just assumed incorrectly. Damn. First time this year.

Posted: Sat Nov 19, 2005 11:00 am
by jackhackett
You've got a long way to go to catch up to me then.. ;)

Posted: Sun Nov 20, 2005 7:07 am
by n1pfc
jackhackett wrote:A few things to ponder..

Was the flex(ribbon) cable possibly plugged in the wrong way at some point?
I remember one of our former-techs did that once and burnt something up, can't remember if it involved the lights or not.

Also, one of the conductors in the cable might have broken.

There's a backlight setting in the programming, but I don't think it would have any effect on the red/yellow/green LEDs

The control head board wasn't taken out, was it? I've seen those LEDs broken off the board by someone prying the board out with a screwdriver.
I'd agree with the magic smoke getting let out. The handset should at least allow you to PTT even if its not programmed correctly to mute the radio / external speaker when you pick it up off the hanger and the LED should light. All it does is re-direct the HUB line to mute. If you're running dual handsets off a CDM via the accessory connector, you need to program a pin on it for HUB as well and wire it to the other handset.

As far as the flex cables go, make sure the black dot or the 0 on the cable lines up with the 0 on the circuit board. If they dont you'll definately have issues. Most cables I've seen just have a black dot on them made with a permanent marker.

Kurt