Hi all, the pcb in my Propex heater needs repairing or replacing due to being covered in some sort of insect cr@p, can anyone recommend somewhere to get it looked at? Thanks in advance.
You mean the crap’s been put on there, or supposed to be there (some kind of conformal coating)? What exactly is wrong with the heater?
Thanks for your reply. The heater hasn’t been used for a few years. It blows cold ok but nothing happens when switched to heat apart from the red led lighting. I opened the cover and the pcb near the fan has spider (?) egg cocoons (or something) and is covered in black stuff that’s really difficult to clean off. There’s also corrosion on the contacts of the ic’s. It might be beyond saving or just a good clean in something other than contact cleaner but I’ve reached the end of my knowledge.
You sure it's not the dielectric breaking down through heat, it crackles and turns black. Are the components all ok? You may have a circuit burnt out...if it's a single layer board you can fix them by using a razor blade to scrape the dielectric off, then solder a thin piece of wire to bridge the break and hot glue over the repair.
Propex are very helpful on the phone and do a repair service if they can’t talk you through the problem.
+1 for Propex customer service , very helpful . Give 'em a call and I'm sure they'll be able to sort things out easily... Sent from my SM-A320FL using Tapatalk
If the black stuff is tarry and shiny it might be an intentional coating. Put up a picture - I have rebuilt several damaged PCBs over the years.
Thanks for the help folks. I emailed Propex yesterday but haven't had a reply yet. On the board it says 'manufactured by CL i Ltd. They come up on Google as in Dorset, with a phone number but no website. I rang them, went to voicemail and left a message. So I'm playing the waiting game! The pictures aren't great but I think you can get the idea. [/URL [/URL [/URL
After speaking to propex about a fault on my HS1800 they talked me through some basic tests then said it must be a fault on the board. I stripped it out and sent my pcb to them for repair. Turned out it was beyond repair so £140 later and a new pcb it lives again. Very helpful on the phone so give them a call.
Cheers guys. If no email today I’ll give them a ring. If it’s a new board, similar price to Chinese heater. Wonder which is the best option?
I’ve just talked to Propex. If I send the board down they’ll have a look at it. Older boards are £140+VAT, which mine probably will be. New boards are £100+VAT. Naturally not interchangeable as they ‘do the same job but in different ways’. Hopefully it can be repaired as if not I’m still undecided on the best option.
It looks like dampness and long life. It also shows something that should be there that is not, and you will likely find on even Chinese heater PCBs : conformal coating. My boat Webasto has its PCB so covered in conformal coating you cant see the components clearly. A spray of that coating both sides of the PCB when Propex made the heater and you would not be having grief now. Black mark to UK manufacturer. If I were tackling that board, I would guess the socketed chip has corroded and lost contact. Sanding the pins, re-tinning them, and changing or deleting the socket. And then search for corroded tracks and rebuild. Wash the board in IPA and when clean and the board is working tape off the socket and cover in conformal coating.
