Batboard

Hey all,
I went to plug in a maxtrac that's been sitting for some time now and noticed that the male end of the power connection on the radio itself broke off. It appears that the plug could be replaced by just unscrewing the two screws around it and placing a new plug there. The problem is that I just don't know if it's as easy as it sounds, or if it's even possible at all to do. Any info will help me out, thanks

I'd thought I'd see this one recently...


http://batboard.batlabs.com/viewtopic.php?t=48376

Is this what you're looking for?

Doug

And they are a real bastard to unsolder, at least a couple that i worked on. What i did was remove the PA section of the radio, remove the two connector screws, and placed it across a box so the power connector could drop out when desoldered. Then i fired up my micro torch and a few seconds on each pin, going back and forth, it fell out without any damage. You could do more damage with a soldering iron and cooking it for a long time.

I had one that wouldn't drop out, seems some of the boards the holes were a snug fit for the connector pins, that one took a little more time and work. I put the whole thing in a vise so i could pull on the power connector with a pliers while heating the pins.

The connector is still available as mentioned on that other thread. But, if you have a junker, say a useless 800Mhz unit, scavenge the connector!

If you've got any "useless" 800 MHz Maxtracs, you're welcome to send them to me instead of robbing parts from them.

Jeff

Well, they are just about useless. I buy them to rob the multi channel display front, and the 16 pin logic board if so equipped. And any other misc parts i can use to repair other radios.

Once the rebanding is done they are totally worthless anyway. I have been buying them for $10-$20 each on eBay, well worth it if they have the 16 pin logic board.

No 800Mhz stuff or any trunking for that matter around my area.

About the only other use, convert them into a 900Mhz receiver!

I've taken out lots of those connectors, I use a Weller WTCP with an 1/8 inch 700 degree tip and a Soldapullt spring loaded solder sucker, you suck off as much solder as you can, then do like above, heat the pins and let it drop out.

Usually you can suck off enough on the positive pin to free it up pretty good, the ground one is the tough one, as it's got a little more metal soaking up the heat.

Once it's off, use a little solder wick to clean any remaining solder out of the holes so the new connector pins go in easier. Be careful, there's usually a little chip cap on the bottom of the board (you can see it when the connector is out) make sure that didn't come loose.

On a lot of the radius radios they don't solder the ground pin, so those are a lot easier.

buy a new one from motorola i think they are less than 10

KitN1MCC wrote:buy a new one from motorola i think they are less than 10

I have the same problem.I asked the Motorola dealer and they said it would be $34.00 plus $2.50 for a pack of 25 screws.

Jordan,TFD,TCFD,VFD

Buy the parts from Motorola yourself - 1-800-422-4210. I do believe the power connector is now closer to $12, but even when you add shipping and sales tax, it'll only be around $17, so order a bunch of stuff that you need at the same time. Ask friends as they might want something too.

You might be able to buy some metric hardware locally for the power connector's screws. They don't have to be Torx-head; Phillips head will work just fine.

A good investment for a dirty radio is a new front panel escutcheon. They're around $4 for the 2ch or 16ch conventional ones, and they really do make the radio look like new, especially if yours is dull or the text is melting away. While the control head is apart, clean the buttons too.

Also, a new volume control knob is around $4, so if yours has lost its white dot due to being cleaned too agressively, get a new one of those as well. Both parts are sold individually.

Bob M.