SYSTEMS 9000 CONTROL HEADS

[PEDLEY1]

I HAVE HCN 1063A,HCN1033D AND HCN 1047A CONTROL HEADS AND I NEED TO KNOW IF THE ARE FOR THE SPECTRA 9000????THEY ALL POWER UP BUT GIVE ME A 08/10 ERROR ARE THEY ANY GOOD??
THANKS

[Rick Rock]

Here's the system 9000 heads, which you can refer to on batlabs under Spectra:

HCN1045B H1591A NPD Clear Replacement
HCN1063A H1591A
HCN1066F H1593A Zone/Mode/Vol Replacement
HCN1071C H1596A Rear NPD Replacement
HCN1033D/HCN1073E X9000 Head
HCN1063B X9000 Head

Here's the link: http://batlabs.com/spectra.html

[Mike B]

The 08/10 error means the radio drawer is programmed for an external Siren/Public Address unit (that is the 08 part of the error message) and the Siren/PA is not responding to the radio drawer microprocessor serial communications (that is the 10 part of the error message). This is not a control head problem.

All of the control heads listed will work on a Spectra. However, not all of them will program on a Spectra.

The HCN1033D is a Syntor X 9000 control head.

The HCN1047A is based on the HCN1045A (these two control heads have different front plastic with different rocker switches). The HCN1045A is not supposed to be a Spectra head either. The HCN1045B is supposed to be the Syntor X 9000 or Spectra head. I do not know if the HCN1047A follows the HCN1045A exactly?

The HCN1063A is an official Syntor X 9000 or a Spectra control head. This is the one that has the best chance of programming on a Spectra.

[Leadenwah]

I understand Mike as saying that most Syntor 9000X head should work or function with the Spectra, though some may not program with/for Spectras.

I've had great service from the HCN-1073 head, the HCN-1045A-1, the HCN-1066, all have worked well with my Spectra 800 Trunking and VHF/UHF Conventional A-9 radios.

I've just received an HCN-1033D head which on Spectras does not power up, no VF Display, no backlight for keys, not even "XMT/BUSY" light up. So, this is actually a bad head, correct ?

I'm sure that I'm not alone in having some confusion about the full line of Systems 9000 or A-9 type control heads so I find these postings very helpful.

Thanks,
Geo.

[Mike B]

If the radio will still transmit and receive, then it appears your HCN1033D at the very least, has a bad high voltage supply:
http://www.open.org/~blenderm/syntorx/c ... ml#ch_trbl

The C25 tantalum capacitor is a known weakness. C25 can short out which takes out coil L1 and kills the display high voltage supply. However, the backlight is run from the switched battery voltage and is not part of the high voltage supply.

If the radio does not work, then it could be a blown fuse, loose cable in the back of the control head, a bad control head power switch, bad 5 volt regulator, shorted electrolytic capacitors (they do not normally short out), etc.

[Leadenwah]

Thanks again, Mike

This is some very useful information. In the case of the HCN1033, it was tried on working Spectras on which other heads which worked quite fine. Nothing happens at all, so this has to be a bad head.

I've heard of the Systems 9000 head having leaking capacitors as a fairly common problem. On heads where the vacuum fluorsecent display is working, but weak, faint characters with some segments not lighting up, is this a problem related to the high voltage supply or usually a matter of the display itself fading out?

I wasn't sure if the high voltage supply was often a gradual loss or something which was either all on or not at all.

Thanks,
Geo.

[Mike B]

While the high voltage supply can malfunction and the display driver chip can be damaged, I would expect the most common cause of fading VF displays to be the eventual deterioration of the Vacuum Fluorescent display itself. The VF display is a vacuum tube, complete with a filament. Just like vacuum tubes most people used to be familiar with when they were in common use, VF displays also wear out with extended use.

Also, since the VF display character segments are strobed via the microprocessor, microprocessor timing problems can cause display problems, including dimming the display.

The high voltage supply and filament supply can be checked with a volt meter. The microprocessor and driver chip is more difficult to check. Usually, is is just a worn out display which can be replaced.

[Big Blue TO/\/\]

Reading a TON of posts about X9000 Control heads, as I put a system together (I'm trying something new, ID'ing ALL parts, boards, cables, etc and filing this away for future use, upgrades etc.) Kinda like a chinese menu it is becoming... speaking of that, I think I'll have chinese for lunch... but I digress

I have a control head labled HLN1033C yes, C ! I have found NO reference for the C anywhere. Inside it's the HLN4907 (not 4709 as is printed on the schematic on the white pages...)
It has the 8k eeprom (whahoo!)

I am trying to determine, most of all, whether I can even attempt to connect my Siren DEK to this head (and have it work)
I have been reading all the threads about the Siren DEK (HLN 1241C) and the YES you can and NO you can't topics. Figured I'd try it, I'd just like to put modes on it kinda like Radio Presets if I can.

What head do I have? Will it take the DEK?

(Doing all this BEFORE ever applying power the 1st time to this system too! )

[Mike B]

Unfortunately, one common problem with used Systems 9000 heads is the back plastic with the part number is not always the original plastic. I do not think I have ever seen a HLN4907 board before. However, with a used head, it is hard to tell if it really is from a C revision of a HCN1033 or not.

I speculated in a previous posting, that a conventional Spectra A9 programmed for a Siren/PA DEK could be read with Syntor X 9000 control head RSS and saved (the HCN1033 will probably not program on a Spectra, so it would have to be a real Spectra A9 head). Then try writing the saved Syntor X 9000 file to your HCN1033. If you never edit the RSS DEK screen (the X9k RSS would probably not know what to do with the Siren/PA DEK keys and just get confused), it would be an X9k RSS control head template with a Siren/PA DEK. There are lots of things that could go wrong and mess up the process, but it might work.

[RFI-EMI-GUY]

"Per MIKE B The C25 tantalum capacitor is a known weakness. C25 can short out which takes out coil L1 and kills the display high voltage supply. However, the backlight is run from the switched battery voltage and is not part of the high voltage supply."

Here I am 2 decades later and quite amazed that I had just this failure today. I got word that bands were opening and turned on my low band X9000 only to notice the display was blank. That part indeed shorted and took out the choke feeding it 10uf tantalum and 5.6 uH choke. Not having those exact parts I spent better part of the day moving my codeplug and buttons to a different control head. Beware folks the lite pipes and Mode/Volume buttons can differ with different front plastic. But only enough to frustrate you by sticking and jamming volume and mode. Even the apparently correct parts were sticky as new old stock rocker buttons were a bit tight.

[jry]

do you have an older analog spectra or an Astro Spectra ?

None of those heads will work on an Astro Spectra ...you may be able to update the firmware in the 1063 head to work though

the 1033 head is the older 9000 series only

the 1047 and 1063 should work on an old spectra if it is an A9 version radio

[RFI-EMI-GUY]

I have a project to resurrect some low band Syntor X9000 radios. I may want to build up an ASTRO Spectra A9/W9 at some point. I have three radios. One for my main vehicle, second for a consolette base I am assembling and the third as spare . Along the way, I have been gifted a lot more radios and parts and help, for this project. I did make an order on DigiKey today for parts to fix the notorious C25 failure. I got 10 each of these parts chokes that smoke and capacitors that smoke them. The capacitors are the problem. Apparently Motorola de-rated them 67% of 25V (at 16.5 volts) when the industry now indicates 50% de rating of 35V (16.5V) . The capacitor is at switched B+ so will see the entire vehicle voltage swing.

PART: 78F5R6J-RC-ND
MFG : BOURNS INC / 78F5R6J-RC
DESC: FIXED IND 5.6UH 500MA 400MOHM TH

PART: 399-11366-1-ND
MFG : KEMET (VA) / T350G106K035AT7301
DESC: CAP TANT 10UF 10% 35V RADIAL