SDS100/SDS200: Can't figure this one out . . .

[Ubbe]

If this solder issue happens what is the best way to fix it?

Send it in to Uniden. You can't do it yourself and even Uniden sometimes isn't doing the repair correctly and the scanner has to be sent in a second time for the same problem

/Ubbe

 

[jonwienke]

The problem isn't the antenna connector, it's the 40-pin connector that joins the circuit boards. The solder joints are borderline microscopic, and in some cases the connector itself goes bad. You can touch up all the solder joints and get the scanner to work while holding the connector together with your fingers, but when you put the scanner back together, it malfunctions again.

My SDS100 is en route to Uniden for the same problem, after several unsuccessful attempts on my part to fix it. So I won't be adding that to the list of services I offer...

I'll post an update re how they handle the repair after the scanner had my GPS mod.

 

[Ubbe]

My SDS100 is en route to Uniden for the same problem, after several unsuccessful attempts on my part to fix it. So I won't be adding that to the list of services I offer...

Probably Uniden did the same thing and at some occasions only tried to touch up the solderings, but the connectors aren't lined up exactly to each other and after a while the soldering cracks again. You must use a jig that holds the connector exactly in the right place, or the problem will come back.

/Ubbe

 

[jonwienke]

The connector alignment to the circuit board isn't an issue, at least with my unit:


I removed the stray speck of solder between pins 15 and 17, but that didn't help.

 

[buddrousa]

This is the cold solder joint issue I saw it on a used sds100 I bought that said it had problems sent it in for repair worked great sold it local user loves it.

 

[dazza0768]

Does anybody have a picture of this cold soldier? No one apart from uniden can fix it? All this makes me treat my scanner like my dream girl. My girlfriend hates it

 

[SteveSimpkin]

Does anybody have a picture of this cold soldier? No one apart from uniden can fix it? All this makes me treat my scanner like my dream girl. My girlfriend hates it

It may not be visible to the naked eye and may be hard to see with a microscope. Most board assembly houses inspect the final soldering with special x-ray equipment, particularly when BGA parts are involved.

 

[trentbob]

You probably have the cold solder joint failure. Symptoms are typically:

• sudden onset
• abnormally slow scanning
• abnormally poor reception
• abnormal fluctuations in NOISE reading
• abnormal crackling static on many analog channels, regardless of frequency
• no signal bars or RSSI indication, even when receiving a transmission

This is the cold solder joint issue I saw it on a used sds100 I bought that said it had problems sent it in for repair worked great sold it local user loves it.

This is the first thing I thought of, I agree with you both.

 

[jonwienke]

Does anybody have a picture of this cold soldier? No one apart from uniden can fix it? All this makes me treat my scanner like my dream girl. My girlfriend hates it

It's not visible to the naked eye. The photo I posted shows the connector, which is about 5/8" long, and maybe 1/4" wide. The solder joints on the pins are too small to really inspect visually.

 

[dvendt]

I had a very similar problem. Turned out to be the SD card. Formatted another one , installed, reprogrammed and I was of and scanning again.

 

[Ubbe]

The connectors on each board needs to be perfectly aligned or the connectors will be stressed and when the scanner gets hot, the SDS100 can get really hot, and latter cools down the connectors are forced back and forth with each temperature change. Usually in those designs they select to use a flex cable and not unmovable stiff connectors. But this is probably Unidens marine radio design that have been re-used.

/Ubbe

 

[Schwartzm9039]

What is the brand and specific model of the SD-Card? Did you use DeOxit D5 solution to clean the SD-Card gold fingers and antenna connections? Ohm out the antenna as well using a good meter like a Fluke 87 in REL ohms mode.

 

[tkenny53]

Set SQL to 2 or 3

 

[kc5igh]

My SDS100 is on its way to Uniden repair, and I'm hoping for the best if this turns out to be the dreaded cold solder joint issue (which I'm almost certain it is).

I have some questions for experienced SDS100 aficionados (jonwienke and Ubbe, for example) and anyone else who might be able to help:

• What seems to cause this problem? The heat generated by the processors?
• If it is indeed caused by excessive heating and cooling, is there any practical way to minimize damage to the cold solder joints? (I've been careful to remove the SDS100's nylon case while it's plugged into an AC outlet and running, and especially if I'm trying to charge it while it's running.)
• Is there any evidence that Uniden has addressed this issue in newer versions of the SDS100?

In the meantime, I'm relying on my Unication G5 to reliably monitor the simulcast P25 system I used to monitor with my SDS100. I understand that there's a huge difference between the two receivers, and one shouldn't make comparisons (G5 isn't really a scanner, it's only locked on one control channel and one digital mode at a time, etc), but it's got amazing audio clarity and volume and stays cool as a cucumber no matter how long I keep it running. I don't know what technology Unication is using for signal processing, but it works!

Thanks for any insights!

-Johnnie (KC5IGH)

 

[Ubbe]

One issue, with all modern electronics, are that lead are banned from being used in solder. That makes the solderings being hard and brittle. There's an increase in failures where connectors, accessory jacks, antenna jacks, rotary controllers and volume controls break in the solderings as those things often move slightly and stress the solderings. I don't know how much the enviroments are helped by lead free solder. I guess most of the electronics anyhow ends up in waste management facilities where they can extract all hazardous material.

I don't know how big components like that J401 are soldered to the circuit board. It used to be manual work by an employee in the old days, perhaps it is automatic today. In that case it's probably an adjustment that can be done to the placement robot or the jig that holds the connector while it goes thru the wave soldering. Or it is the connectors in them selfes that are the culprit, they are of too low quality to be used in such a delicate and sensitive area. All the signalling from the radio board goes thru that connector.

/Ubbe

 

[Schwartzm9039]

It would be nice to know what the serial number ranges are for the units that have been sent in for repair. This will enable us to determine if their was a bad batch run, or if their is a global design issue. I have been skeptical of the SDS100, which is why I bought a TRX-1, but I may want to purchase and dissect an SDS200. The larger form factor just may be the ticket to long-term reliability.

 

[hiegtx]

It would be nice to know what the serial number ranges are for the units that have been sent in for repair. This will enable us to determine if their was a bad batch run, or if their is a global design issue. I have been skeptical of the SDS100, which is why I bought a TRX-1, but I may want to purchase and dissect an SDS200. The larger form factor just may be the ticket to long-term reliability.

I don't know that a "serial number range" would provide more specific results. Scattered "cold solder joint" related repairs go all the way from fairly early production to (based on purchase dates) more recent units. It could well be symptomatic to what Ubbe mentioned, the inflexibility of the solder to the extent that normal usage will result in some units having the failure. Before lead was removed from usage in solder, failures related to solder itself were rare. There was a few, seemingly related, instances with the GRE produced PSR-500s wher the connection between the BNC connector for the antenna, and the circuitry, but that well could have initiated by the occasional stress on antenna & BNC connection. (Offhand, I don't recall, exactly, of when lead was completely ruled out for usage in solder. So, that may not have been a contributing factor.) However, the frequency of this type of failure (cold solder joints) would indicate that Uniden might need to push more training for workers assembling these, as well as enhanced quality control to try & catch these before they go out the door, as much as possible.

I have one of the early production units, and, at least so far, have not seen any of the issues being reported. That's likely due to pure dumb luck, not "skill and control" on my part.

 

[Schwartzm9039]

It sounds like a fault in the wave soldering process, which is a challenge for any industry. I am glad that I purchased the TRX-1. Take a look at this thread for wave soldering challenges: Selective Soldering Frame Causing Cold Solder Joints

 

[hiegtx]

We have not seen the 'solder' type failures on the SDS200; at least, I don't recall a pattern of them. For the SDS200, there is a lot more 'room' in the case, probably making it easier to assemble, than the tight spaces of a handheld. I have one of the early production 200's as well. It has performed very well from the beginning, and seems to be more sensitive than the SDS100 (or 536HP, for that matter). I'm getting some of the more distant trunked systems in the area on the SDS200, that I don't receive on the other scanners, even with the same antennas.

It sounds like a fault in the wave soldering process, which is a challenge for any industry. I am glad that I purchased the TRX-1. Take a look at this thread for wave soldering challenges: Selective Soldering Frame Causing Cold Solder Joints

Interesting article; thanks for the link.

I have a TRX-1 as well. While it is a god choice for some systems, especially when I am out in a rural area, it does not handle simulcast or cell tower interference very well. In town, I mostly use it for trying to map out talkgroups on newly discovered systems.

 

[Schwartzm9039]

I also just realized that the SDS-100 is weather sealed, and weather sealing also wreaks havoc in the DSLR and mirrorless camera world [same for point and shoot models] concerning heat dissipation and system thermal shutdowns. I do hope that the SDS-100 will shut itself down at a certain temperature, rather than heating to the point of disturbing the alloys on all the pads, joints, and through-hole components? Geeze-Louise, this gives me a panic attack just thinking about it. I am for sure buying an SDS-200, and already have plans for making it portable.