bc 8500

[2manyradios]

hi all , i have a bc 8500 , my question is how do i fix the dispay ? scanner still works but what use to orange is not anymore.....what to do ? thanks

 

[Ronaldski]

Had the same problem.
You will have to open the unit and check to see if the the four little lamp ( filaments ) are burnt out.
On mine, Three of the original 4 were burnt out
Initially I ordered new lamps from uniden. They were in 1999, part #
bpzy0028001 -> they were for a bc580xlt scanner

cost was $10.40

Found they didnt work. so I got replacements part # bpzy0036001 --> for a bc890xlt scanner

well it didnt work right either.What theses new lamps would do is actually draw down the brightness of the one remaining good original lamp I had. Three of the original 4 were burnt out.

Finally I sent it in to uniden and the repair was in the area of $40? I did send in with the radio the lamps I had ordered and they used em. What they repaired? It was one part I believe it was a single transistor.

 

[2manyradios]

thanks for reply on bc 8500.....since you know what transister it is now do you think you could have fixed it yourself ?

 

[Ronaldski]

yes I could but part availability would be only thing.
I cant for the life of me find the receipt for the repair which listed the part.

 

[Ronaldski]

From mods.dk

Ken Layton


Well, after several years of faithful service, the backlights for the display on my Uniden BC8500XLT scanner went out. At first the display lights would dim slightly by itself. Then after a while it would get erratic --- dimming to out completely then suddenly coming back on. Finally they went out altogether. The "dim" button still controlled the lighting and dimming of the LED's in all the pushbuttons though.

I got tired of not being able to see my display and since I had the service manual, I took it apart to check it out. Turns out transistor Q 46 was bad. The original is a 2SC 2120-Y which crosses to SK3849 or NTE293. The replacement is in a T092 Giant package whereas the original was a standard T092 package. Pinout is the same: ECB. If you can't find the SK3849 or NTE293, you can also use an NTE289A transistor.

The new transistor fixed it right up and the display lights are functioning perfectly again.

It was fairly simple to replace the transistor. Just take the top and bottom metal covers off the radio. The transistor is located near the front panel assembly. I was able to slip my soldering iron and solder sucker in there without having to remove the front panel assembly.

Hope this helps out other folks that experience this problem with the display lights.

Ken Layton
Olympia, Wash.

 

[KenLayton]

You will also want to check for cold solder joints on large resistor R 256 right next to transistor Q 46. I've found that resistor's soldering has also contributed to transistor Q 46 failures.

 

[2manyradios]

took me a few years but finally got around to changing the transitor you guys told me about and so far soi good , it worked, thanks for the replies