Repair of an Axiom 49 controller (1st generation), which exhibited a so-called "blue screen of death" symptom. Thanks to hints I found on some forums, the problem was traced to a faulty reset chip. The tiny 3-pin reset chip was replaced by a classic RC reset circuit.
Equivalent reset chip by Microchip on DigiKey:
http://www.digikey.com/product-detail/en/TCM809JVNB713/TCM809JVNB713CT-ND/459183
Data sheet: http://ww1.microchip.com/downloads/en/DeviceDoc/21661E.pdf
Note that there are several versions of the chip with different voltage threshold. I think 4V version should fit just fine.
The main processor: http://pdf.datasheetcatalog.com/datasheet/stmicroelectronics/5521.pdf
RC time constant: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/RC_time_constant
...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GAeNwjgq0Qw
This Coleman Rechargeable QuickPump model 5999C400 had a dead 6V lead-acid battery. Simple replacing of the old-school battery seemed too boring, so an upgrade to Li-ion was attempted. There were some complications, and some compromises had to be made. I hope you will enjoy discussion of the design decisions and technical challenges involved.
RFP70N06 MOSFET data sheet: http://www.mouser.com/ds/2/149/RFP70N06-100073.pdf
Sony Li-ion Technical Handbook: http://dlnmh9ip6v2uc.cloudfront.net/datasheets/Prototyping/Lithium%20Ion%20Battery%20MSDS.pdf
...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HqVPSuePv1c
This is a capacity test of a no-brand VW-VBT380 battery replacement for Panasonic HC-VX981 4K camcorder. The battery was purchased on AliExpress for about $20 including shipping. The result of the test is a bit disappointing. The battery has about 75% of the nominal capacity. However, the genuine Panasonic battery was almost exactly as it should.
Using Agilent 66x for testing Li-ion batteries: https://youtu.be/riB0NASj_KU
Agilent 66312A repair: https://youtu.be/8tZQJkFyyUE
...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IOxmHpm6Ohg
This unit did not have any output and intermittently showed a couple of different errors during self-test. The problem was traced to a batch of faulty 301 ohm resistors. 10 out of 48 failed. After replacing the faulty resistors the instrument seems to work fine.
...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o6E4Utmlnlg
This is a look inside of two dead Shure UA845 antenna and power distribution systems. Both units turned out to have exactly the same problem. Yet another problem with a switch-mode power supply, and yet another case of bad electrolytic capacitors.
Previous video: https://youtu.be/t_3QQ9xotDo
AS3842 datasheet: http://pdf.datasheetcatalog.com/datasheets2/15/159170_1.pdf
AS3842 application note: http://pdf.datasheetcatalog.com/datasheet/ASTECSemiconductor/mXrvsyx.pdf
...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uXLPRng6s7c
Troubleshooting of a faulty Agilent 66321B Mobile Communications DC Source from eBay. It seems like the calibration memory was corrupted somehow. After going through the calibration procedure the unit appears to work just fine.
User's guide: http://cp.literature.agilent.com/litweb/pdf/5964-8184.pdf
Repair of Agilent 66309D: https://youtu.be/3kg7LIYbYLQ
...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OqyC8DkskaI
Another lucky find from eBay. This Agilent E4400B generator has some problem with fractional PLL. It seems to be unstable, so the instrument periodically shows error 508 "Frac-N Loop Unlocked". The synthesizer was inspected, the block diagram was discussed and the blocks were located on the board. Unfortunately, there was no definite solution to the problem due to lack of appropriate equipment at the moment. If there will be any developments, another video might follow.
Calibration guide: http://literature.cdn.keysight.com/litweb/pdf/E4400-90325.pdf
Document with the block diagram. It is for a different model, which seems to use the same synthesizer:
http://cp.literature.agilent.com/litweb/pdf/E4400-90014.pdf
Discussion: http://www.eevblog.com/forum/testgear/a-look-inside-of-an-agilent-e4400b-signal-generator/
...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JPEmbvUx0JQ
This piano did not power up. The problem was traced to a broken off soldering joint on the power connector. After fixing this problem the piano worked perfectly fine.
...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FRuW3TsuDRI