Icom R-7000 Firmware and PROM

[902]

Hello all,

I bought an R-7000 in 1986 and have been putting off doing a battery change for years. I think it finally caught up to me. I usually left it turned on, but for one reason or another, it was turned off. After turning it on, I get power from the power supply, but no display and no receive (I've kept up on the capacitor changes in the DC : DC converters).

The big question: Do you know of anyone marketing a non-volatile version of the firmware board?

I see there are one or two people who make them for the IC-751A (which I have to get, too), but are there any out there for the R-7000?

Thank you!

 

[dkf435]

From l have read on the memory board issue on the Icom radios, the R7000 is not on the list as having the problem.

Go back and check then DC converter boards and the caps. Or try external DC as my R7000 does have a problem with the internal power supply but runs fine on 12V DC power plug.

David Kb7uns

 

[902]

From l have read on the memory board issue on the Icom radios, the R7000 is not on the list as having the problem.

Go back and check then DC converter boards and the caps. Or try external DC as my R7000 does have a problem with the internal power supply but runs fine on 12V DC power plug.

David Kb7uns

Thank you, David.

I did tear back into the radio and you're right, it is indeed the DC : DC converter again. After several attempts to get it fired up, it does start up and receives on frequency. So it's not completely brain-dead (as I might be from time to time). This makes the third time I'll re-cap the radio in 28 years. Fortunately I've got a vacuum desoldering station and this won't take very long. I just have to order up the parts or take a ride to the not-so-local electronic component bin store. The other radio I have electrolytic capacitor problems with is a Bearcat Uniden 800XLT.

The lithium battery on the RAM board keeps the RAM from losing the firmware load. That's very similar to the 751 series radios that were made around the same time, although Piexx doesn't have a replacement board for the R7000. It does need to be replaced before the lithium battery gives up the ghost. I think I dodged a bullet, so I'm going to have to shop around and get a proper battery and try to find an isolated soldering iron that won't have a tip that shorts to ground. I get the feeling that I'd rather do open-heart surgery on myself than mess with this, as everything I've read kinda equates to putting the board on "bypass" through a regulated power supply (which I'd need to have on UPS, considering my luck). If I had any background building this kind of stuff, I'd recode the firmware onto something that is non-volatile and maybe change the 5 kHz step to a 7.5 kHz increment. Maybe next time after a few more classes in the community college.

BTW, I got this back from Icom. They won't be of any help if it ever did come to using them. Although I'm not surprised, I am disappointed in their posture. After all, I'm old, too, but I'd hope I'm still supported.

Hello,

I'm sorry, but due to its age, Icom no longer supports the R7000 radio. I apologize that we are unable to be of assistance.

Thank you,

Lorie P[...]
Service Administrator

 

[Mike_G_D]

902,

Huh, you mean the firmware on the R7000 is in RAM and needs the Lithium battery to maintain it?! I thought the firmware was embedded in ROM and the lithium battery was just for the programmable memories. If it's really for the firmware too then that is scary!

I love my old R7000 and it has held up well over the many years I've had it - would hate to lose it if the firmware dies on it!

-Mike

 

[xrorx]

The ICOM R-7000 only needs a replacement battery with no risk of losing the firmware. You will lose what is in memory so you may want to record that before the change out.

The ICOM R71A will loose the firmware unless you provide secondary battery power before changing it.

 

[dkf435]

Yes R-7000 battery is only for memory channels not for firmware.

David Kb7uns

 

[Mike_G_D]

I guess, in the common vernacular, ..."Whew!" Thanks guys!

-Mike

 

[902]

It had been my impression that the operating firmware was resident on this board, as it's pretty much the same board used in the R-71 and IC-751/751A series equipment. I've found conflicting information in these interwebs, so I can say for sure one way or another. I ordered a PIEXX board for my 751A (just in case) and found a couple of hex editor-based loads, but those were for HF radios.

I haven't used the memory function on the radio since I lived in NJ. Where I'm at now, most activity is in 800 MHz and I don't really monitor that outside of the trunked environment. So keeping channels isn't really important to me more than being able to use a VFO-like tuner.

We'll see, I guess. When I have time I've got to place an order for more caps and then do the lithium procedure. Hopefully I won't "butterfingers" the thing.

Thanks guys!