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Author Topic: POD LEDs - left bank constantly flashes  (Read 5908 times)

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Offline TRS

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POD LEDs - left bank constantly flashes
« on: 30, June, 2014 - 10:21:25 »
Hi folks
I have a Sinclair C5 in Sydney (Australia) that my brother and I are trying to get going again after being in storage since the late 80's.  It's largely in quite good shape, though while connecting the c5alive wiring kit I bought, we did notice that resistor D1 in the control box had blown, so replaced that and it's now powering up.

The issue now, is this:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DtSuHDb_cOY

No matter what we do, these LEDs are flashing, which according to this means the motor is too hot.  Obviously the motor isn't hot at all (it won't even run when we press the throttle) so something else is clearly wrong.

I'll note that when the motor is connected to nothing but a 12V battery, it does indeed run.

We tested the thermistor, and it was an open circuit, so replaced that with a new one, and also replaced the relay and LM358 IC2 in the control box as I read these are parts that commonly fail, however it hasn't helped.

Can anyone share any tips on what else we can possibly test/check/replace, to try and get our beloved C5 working again?

Thanks!
« Last Edit: 30, June, 2014 - 10:28:06 by TRS »
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Offline TRS

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Re: POD LEDs - left bank constantly flashes
« Reply #1 on: 30, June, 2014 - 10:31:34 »
hmmm, I've been reading around a lot more, and keep seeing this comment:

Quote
Prime suspects in the control box - op amp or one of the 3 transistors

Obviously the op amp is replaced, so I'll work on replacing the three transistors.

Any other tips, or validation of my plan, will be welcomed  ;)
« Last Edit: 30, June, 2014 - 10:33:46 by TRS »
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Offline radiomarty

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Re: POD LEDs - left bank constantly flashes
« Reply #2 on: 30, June, 2014 - 19:04:02 »
Hi - yes the transistors may cause this fault as will having te two sensors connected to the wrong pins in the control box worth checking-  the other suspect is the ULA chip which is sadly no longer avaliable.
« Last Edit: 30, June, 2014 - 19:15:00 by radiomarty »
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Offline TRS

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Re: POD LEDs - left bank constantly flashes
« Reply #3 on: 02, July, 2014 - 12:45:26 »
Hi Marty
You were bang on. After replacing the three transistors (this thread was immensely helpful in ordering replacements), the flashing lights stopped.
It still wouldn't run after that, but going back to the original thermistor and relay now sees the motor spin when we press the throttle, so a really good result!
Thanks! ;D
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Offline radiomarty

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Re: POD LEDs - left bank constantly flashes
« Reply #4 on: 03, July, 2014 - 15:34:42 »
Great news - good to here another one is back up and running -well done
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