Pro 95 won't turn on

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rsparkyc

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You missed my edit on my previous post. Check if a button is stuck down. It will disable all of the buttons.
ahh, so if it boots up and one is shorted, sounds like that could do it too. hmm, let me look into that.
 

rsparkyc

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ok, making progress? I cleaned all the buttons, and tried pushing some when it booted, but now it says "all channels locked out"
 

tvengr

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When you re-initialize the scanner, it erases the programming. It needs to be programmed again. You get the All Channels Locked Out message when there is nothing in the scanner.
 

rsparkyc

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ok, the keypad seems to be working now after a second cleaning, and I'm able to scan for channels! Perhaps it really is fixed! This has been a wild ride for me.
 

tvengr

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ok, the keypad seems to be working now after a second cleaning, and I'm able to scan for channels! Perhaps it really is fixed! This has been a wild ride for me.
There are so many variables to consider when you try to diagnose a problem. You just have to eliminate the possibilities one at a time. Welcome to the wonderful world of electronics!
 

rsparkyc

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It’s still not perfect. I was just using it and the keypad quit again, but now I know there’s at least hope.
 
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rsparkyc

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I want to thank everyone for their help in troubleshooting this. I feel like I gave up and got reengaged multiple times, and probably would have given up a long time ago if it weren't for everyone's tips.

Thanks again!
 

rsparkyc

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So the latest update, the unit powers on consistent, but the keypad works intermittently. It seems to be temperature related. I’ve tested by using the scanner and pushing the “scan” button until it stops working, then holding the scanner near an ax vent while continuing to press the scan button. Eventually it will start working again. As the scanner warms up again, eventually all the buttons will stop working. To me that seems like a loose solder joint or something, I just haven’t been able to find out where that might be.
 

fourgres

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I know this may sound dumb but someone told me that if your electric item is not working well put it in the refrigerator for a few hours at see what happens, it can't hurt to try, it won't freeze. :cool: I did it with my wife's cell phone and it worked, however this was several years ago.
 

rsparkyc

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I know this may sound dumb but someone told me that if your electric item is not working well put it in the refrigerator for a few hours at see what happens, it can't hurt to try, it won't freeze. :cool: I did it with my wife's cell phone and it worked, however this was several years ago.
I think that would actually make it work for a while until it warmed up again. I’m guessing as it warms, something expands, breaking a connection.
 

rsparkyc

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Interesting, I had it in the car for a while when it was about 90 degrees out, and since then it hasn't acted up once. I wonder if the higher heat actually helped it this time.
 

wtp

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i think my pro 34 had a power problem with the connector inside where the plug went.
like the little metal tab in there did not re-connect correctly and the radio was dead.
 

tvengr

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Bad solder connections can be affected by temperature. Metal parts do expand and contract. The same is true for hairline cracks in circuit board foils. Bad electrolytic capacitors can change value with a change in temperature. Solid state device failures can also be heat related. To find temperature related problems, you need a hair dryer and a can of chill spray. You can heat the scanner with the dryer to make it work and then hit areas of the circuit board with the spray. When it stops working, you know the problem is in that area. Look for bad solder connections and cracks in the circuit board and foils. You can gently put pressure on components to see if you can make it fail. That will often reveal a bad solder connection. If problem is a component, you can often find the defective component with precise spraying. I have fixed many pieces of equipment using that method. You can't imagine some of the comments I received from our on-air talent when they saw me using a hair dryer to repair a TV camera in the newsroom. We kept several dryers in our tool cabinets in the shop.
 

gmclam

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rsparkyc, can you please recap the specific thing that was wrong. If I am reading this correctly, it sounds like a bad solder connection.
 

rsparkyc

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rsparkyc, can you please recap the specific thing that was wrong. If I am reading this correctly, it sounds like a bad solder connection.
Yes, specifically, right now, the entire keypad will randomly start and stop working. It seems to be somewhat related to temperature. I would consider a bad solder connection very likely.
 

CycleSycho

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rsparkyc, can you please recap the specific thing that was wrong. If I am reading this correctly, it sounds like a bad solder connection.
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:) It started with a completely dead radio, the 4 pages have troubleshot it down to a presumed bad solder connection. It also may be an intermittent component or a crack in the micro foil pcb traces.. This is where the OP is right now. I will also admit OP sounds like one that LOVES a challenge! Good luck, OP! :)


.
 

rsparkyc

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.


:) It started with a completely dead radio, the 4 pages have troubleshot it down to a presumed bad solder connection. It also may be an intermittent component or a crack in the micro foil pcb traces.. This is where the OP is right now. I will also admit OP sounds like one that LOVES a challenge! Good luck, OP! :)


.
That's very kind of you. I actually bought a BC125AT off of Amazon yesterday which just came today, because I was getting pretty close to defeat with the Pro-95 (and have a friend that might like challenges even more than me that I may ship the Pro-95 to), but I haven't completely given up on the Pro-95.
 

dave3825

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Fwiw’ there was a 93 on eBay for 45 a few days ago. If you really love the 93, keep an eye on eBay for dead or non working 93/95. Many people list things that no longer work for cheap. Sometimes a fix is simple. I still use my 93 and 95 for air and rail band scanning.
 
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