SDS200 Hum repaired, but returned

[Hit_Factor]

If they made a major revision to the internal hardware to eliminate the grounding issue on the SDS200, that would open them up to having to REPLACE every single SDS200 that previously shipped...replace or modify and replace internal components to the extent it would be easier and cheaper to just replace the entire unit. I don't see them doing that...perhaps simply adding the improved resolution to the next model or version of the SDS series.

Paul

Are you sure about that? Ford won't send a new F350 to me when they update a component.

There is very likely a specifications may change without notice clause...

Their warranty explains what they will do to remedy problems.

 

[Citywide173]

And again here is proof that part B is illegal.

The letters warn that FTC staff has concerns about the companies’ statements that consumers must use specified parts or service providers to keep their warranties intact. Unless warrantors provide the parts or services for free or receive a waiver from the FTC, such statements generally are prohibited by the Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act, a law that governs consumer product warranties. Similarly, such statements may be deceptive under the FTC Act.

I'm late to the game here, but aren't warranty repairs from Uniden free? Which makes everything else moot in the FTC argument.

 

[radio3353]

Are you sure about that? Ford won't send a new F350 to me when they update a component.

Exactly. If Uniden would add a wire to the SDS200 to really mitigate the hum it does not mean they have to recall everything they sold previously. I don't know where people get these ideas. It is called 'product improvement' in the business.

 

[budevans]

If they made a major revision to the internal hardware to eliminate the grounding issue on the SDS200, that would open them up to having to REPLACE every single SDS200 that previously shipped...replace or modify and replace internal components to the extent it would be easier and cheaper to just replace the entire unit. I don't see them doing that...perhaps simply adding the improved resolution to the next model or version of the SDS series.

Paul

I can't speak for Uniden, but they have done it before. The BCD436HP recall.

 

[iMONITOR]

I can't speak for Uniden, but they have done it before. The BCD436HP recall.

This makes the most sense of any suggestions. Uniden called it a "Repair Campaign" and it applied to defective BCD436HP's and BCD536HP's.
This would be the proper way for Uniden to address the defective SDS200's noise, dim keypad back-light and flickering display issues. These truly are defects. Uniden didn't not delibertly design the SDS200 to have these anomalies. Consumer should not be expected to just suck it up!

 

[chill30240]

I can't speak for Uniden, but they have done it before. The BCD436HP recall.

They did it for part of the problems with the 436. They still to this day won't acknowledge the C1 noise issue but will install it if its missing when the unit is sent in for a campaign issue.

 

[Joe_Blough]

If they made a major revision to the internal hardware to eliminate the grounding issue on the SDS200, that would open them up to having to REPLACE every single SDS200 that previously shipped...replace or modify and replace internal components to the extent it would be easier and cheaper to just replace the entire unit. I don't see them doing that...perhaps simply adding the improved resolution to the next model or version of the SDS series.

Paul

What law or order by a judge requires them to replace every single SDS200 that shipped if they do a major revision? Can you give is a link as proof? Most manufacturers actually say they have the right to make updates and changes.

 

[Joe_Blough]

This fix for the hum looks much cleaner than previous ones I have seen posted. He was able to find a point on the display shield that was meant for solder.

Unauthorized modification to fix hum

I recently purchased the latest version of the SDS200 with serial #9800 and noise mitigation factory installed. And again the humming noise was quite evident. So I decided to do Unauthorized modification to see if I would get better results. Using an existing solder point on the bottom side of...

forums.radioreference.com

This should have been done by Uniden 5 months ago. It was actually a RR forum member who discovered the source of the noise and the fix, which Uniden used (stole) for the mitigation part. Then when that turned out to be a failure the engineers were informed.

The reason, source, and fix has been handed to Uniden on a silver platter and they are still sitting on their butts doing nothing. Don't expect a fix for the dim keypad or screen flicker when they can't fix an issue the end users figured out for them.

 

[Joe_Blough]

I'm late to the game here, but aren't warranty repairs from Uniden free? Which makes everything else moot in the FTC argument.

Read the part of Uniden's warranty where they say replacement parts must be purchased by Uniden or the warranty is void.

Let's say you don't want to pay to ship your scanner back and be with it for a month so you do your own repair using parts from a source other than Uniden. Then something else goes wrong and you ship it back to Uniden for warranty service. Uniden's policy says the warranty is void because you didn't buy replacement parts from Uniden. That's illegal per the FTC.

Same with having it repaired by a local repair shop because you don't want to wait a month for Uniden to repair it. Later you send it to Uniden for warranty service. Uniden says the warranty is void because the parts used by the local repair shop were not purchased by Uniden but that's illegal per the FTC.

 

[Joe_Blough]

This fix for the hum looks much cleaner than previous ones I have seen posted. He was able to find a point on the display shield that was meant for solder.

Unauthorized modification to fix hum

I recently purchased the latest version of the SDS200 with serial #9800 and noise mitigation factory installed. And again the humming noise was quite evident. So I decided to do Unauthorized modification to see if I would get better results. Using an existing solder point on the bottom side of...

forums.radioreference.com

I am thinking of buying all available stock of SDS200's, doing this mod, and then selling them for a small profit. The description would say "Has Real Hum Fix" or "Guaranteed No Hum" and will include a letter with FTC proof that the warranty is not void.

 

[werinshades]

Read the part of Uniden's warranty where they say replacement parts must be purchased by Uniden or the warranty is void.

Let's say you don't want to pay to ship your scanner back and be with it for a month so you do your own repair using parts from a source other than Uniden. Then something else goes wrong and you ship it back to Uniden for warranty service. Uniden's policy says the warranty is void because you didn't buy replacement parts from Uniden. That's illegal per the FTC.

Same with having it repaired by a local repair shop because you don't want to wait a month for Uniden to repair it. Later you send it to Uniden for warranty service. Uniden says the warranty is void because the parts used by the local repair shop were not purchased by Uniden but that's illegal per the FTC.

Are you at it again Johnny Cochran, spouting misinformation about warranties...lol? You neglect to constantly mention that you don't own one, never tried a modification on an SDS 200 and that if damage occurs as a result of any unauthorized modification, Uniden has a right to void your warranty and you'll be paying for repairs. Nothing "illegal" about it and you keep posting your legal opinion on a product you don't own. If, anyone has any questions should be contacting Uniden, not an RR Forum attorney.

 

[Citywide173]

Read the part of Uniden's warranty where they say replacement parts must be purchased by Uniden or the warranty is void.

Let's say you don't want to pay to ship your scanner back and be with it for a month so you do your own repair using parts from a source other than Uniden. Then something else goes wrong and you ship it back to Uniden for warranty service. Uniden's policy says the warranty is void because you didn't buy replacement parts from Uniden. That's illegal per the FTC.

Same with having it repaired by a local repair shop because you don't want to wait a month for Uniden to repair it. Later you send it to Uniden for warranty service. Uniden says the warranty is void because the parts used by the local repair shop were not purchased by Uniden but that's illegal per the FTC.

The colored/larger words are all that is necessary to disprove your argument. "You don't want to" There are inherent obligations to maintain a warranty. If you ship your radio to Uniden (shipping is not part of the warranty) they will not charge you for the parts, they will perform the repair, not charging you for labor and pay the cost to ship the radio back to you. If you CHOOSE not to abide by those obligations which constitute a good faith effort simply because "you don't want to" then you are also choosing to void your warranty. Since the FTC states "Unless warrantors provide the parts or services for free," which they do, you have no argument under their statement.

 

[Firekite]

So many web warriors in this thread. Why can’t people, even if they’re convinced they’re right, stop trying to one-up each other? I don’t care if it’s someone’s personal name on the credit card used to purchase a unit or three or if it’s the company they work for. I don’t care if they’ve never even touched one before, if they have the ability to contribute useful information. I don’t care if one person thinks it’ll void a warranty or if someone else thinks it won’t. The quasi-understood legal bickering and such isn’t productive or useful from a real-world perspective.

The SDS200 has an issue that appears to be caused by insufficient grounding between components. Uniden’s quick-n-dirty mitigation efforts are welcomed, but for some it’s insufficient. Due to their use cases, some don’t notice or can’t hear the hum, so for them it’s not an issue. For others they can, so it is indeed an issue for them.

If there’s a DIY fix as simple as bolting/soldering a ground strap between two components, great! Let people do that without trying to denigrate everyone who does so or poo-poo those who can hear the hum and want to get rid of it. Ideally Uniden will step up and 1) offer a more permanent fix like that and 2) adjust their design and manufacturing process to incorporate it for future units. But for now, if someone has the issue and wants to get rid of it and can do so, stop with all the bickering and bashing.

Good lord.

 

[werinshades]

Possibly, but we don’t (can’t) know. You can’t just make that kind of statement by counting the number of users who register an account here and post in this thread. It’s likely that users in a mobile or otherwise noisy environment have it and never even notice it, and so they’re fine anyway. Or that some notice but don’t mind it enough to find this one thread on the internet to complain about it. It’s also a condition that appears to worsen over time, so someone unboxing and saying it doesn’t have any noise doesn’t necessarily mean it will never develop any noise. Neither of us know for that matter exactly how many units are in users’ hands and how many support tickets are opened up with Uniden about it.



Please stopping with the yelling. Yes, if you do something that causes damage, that damage will not be required to be covered under warranty. But to be clear, it’s up to them to prove that the thing you did caused the problem. If you buy new wheels to replace the OEM ones and your transmission goes out, they can’t claim that you modified the vehicle and therefore all bets are off. If you put in a custom exhaust and your A/C stops working, they’d have to show that somehow the exhaust caused the problem. If you tint your windows and the shifter linkage breaks, etc, etc, etc.

In this case, if you go about modifying the scanner, and that modification causes damage, they’re not liable for fixing it for you for free. For example, maybe you add a ground strap, but that ground strap touched some components and shorts something out. Not covered under warranty. If you go and replace a capacitor or remove a resister on the board, and that causes a problem, not covered under warranty. If you open up the case and write your name in sharpie inside the case, they can’t claim the warranty is forfeit. There are lots of things you can do that wouldn’t invalidate the warranty, as long as whatever you did wasn’t the cause of the issue.



I don’t think you’re on the right track. You’d have to modify the fundamental function of the receiver and its components in such a way that it creates new emissions or something along those lines. The mitigation part from Uniden modifies the SDS200 and posed no risk of somehow running afoul of the FCC. Neither does a soldered/bolted ground strap, for that matter.

You summed it up very well in this post...thanks for your examples

 

[Anderegg]

I would gladly pay to buy one of the declared "hum free" SDS200's, to send it to an engineer to be evaluated to find out why it doens't hum.

I think it is very important to note here that the unwanted flame war that has found it's way into my post, is speaking of a (correct) hum mitigation that doesn't eliminate the hum, when others state as fact that they have 100% hum free SDS200's, one even saying wiht the hum mitigation part removed. You can't claim to know how to properly "fix" the hum when there are units exibiting no hum at all. You've mearly mitigated as Uniden tries to do...the fix is in the units that are hum free. Reverse engineer one of them.

Paul

 

[werinshades]

I would gladly pay to buy one of the declared "hum free" SDS200's, to send it to an engineer to be evaluated to find out why it doens't hum.

I think it is very important to note here that the unwanted flame war that has found it's way into my post, is speaking of a (correct) hum mitigation that doesn't eliminate the hum, when others state as fact that they have 100% hum free SDS200's, one even saying wiht the hum mitigation part removed. You can't claim to know how to properly "fix" the hum when there are units exibiting no hum at all. You've mearly mitigated as Uniden tries to do...the fix is in the units that are hum free. Reverse engineer one of them.

Paul

I hope someone posts a video of the bad hum/processor noise to one of the "fixes". Like a "before and after" video. That might push Uniden a bit for a resolution for those that are having a problem.

 

[StaticDischarge]

Ok, Here is my 2 cents..
In the beginning I reported that I could not hear the hum. Well if I have the audio time off setting to infinite and have ear plugs in I can tell it is there but not terrible. Very, very low with internal speaker and could not hear it with an external speaker unless it (like the ear plugs). So NO as far as I am concerned there isn't a hum from my radio.
Regardless...
I took the cover off and I do have a factory installed NMP200 so I removed it.. Well the findings are the hum did get much more noticeable!

So I took it all apart to see what, if anything could be done..

My findings:

The NMP200 simply connects the "screen ground" of the display to the chassis.. That is it!!
So on a further inspection I see that the "screen ground" is in fact soldered to the front board's ground plane pretty well. I also saw (the main issue I am about to explain a fix to) is the four mounting screws that hold the front board to the chassis ARE NOT CONNECTING THE FRONT BOARDS GROUND PLANE TO THE CHASSIS DUE TO THE LACQUER COATING! Which in fact is WHAT THE NMP200 DOES. Simple fix really..
No soldering..

You need:
No. 1 & No. 2 Phillips screwdriver
Small flat jewelers screwdriver
X-Key tool
Credit card or similar to not mar the knobs upon removal
X-acto or utility blade
To help removal of the wire plugs that connect the front to the main boards I used curved hemostats
If your eyes are going (like mine are) some type of magnifier

Now once you have the radio taken apart (explained elsewhere on the forum) and have the front panel in your hand you will see 4 (No. 1) screws (notice the lacquer?). One at a time, remove the screws and CAREFULLY

 

[StaticDischarge]

Sorry but my edit time ran out.. Here is the full version of the above post:

Here are my 2 cents on this hum issue..

In the beginning I reported that I could not hear the hum. Well if I have the audio time off setting to infinite and have ear plugs in I can tell it is there but not terrible. Very, very low with internal speaker and could not hear it with an external speaker unless it (like the ear plugs) is up against my ear. So NO, as far as I am concerned there isn't any hum from my radio.

Regardless...

I took the cover off and I do have a factory installed NMP200 so I removed it.. The hum did get much more noticeable!

So I took it all apart to see what, if anything could be done and here are my findings at this time:..

The NMP200 simply connects the "screen ground" of the display to the chassis.. That is it!! (which explains why, over time, people start hearing the hum return - loose fitting part and oxidation.)
So on further inspection I see that the "screen ground" is in fact soldered to the front board's ground plane pretty well. I also saw (the main issue I am about to explain a fix to) is the four mounting screws that hold the front board to the chassis ARE NOT CONNECTING the front boards ground plane to the chassis! Which in fact is EXACTLY WHAT THE NMP200 DOES. Simple fix really... without soldering! (or voiding your warranty ~ just a disclaimer for the warranty police on the forum so they will finally STFU already!)

The tools I used:

No. 1 & No. 2 Phillips screwdriver
Small flat jewelers screwdriver
X-Key tool
Credit card (or similar to not mar the faceplate or knobs upon removal)
X-acto or utility blade
To help removal of the wire plugs that connect the front to the main boards I used curved hemostats
If your eyes are going (like mine are) some type of magnification

Once you have the radio taken apart (explained elsewhere on the forum) and have the front panel in your hand, display towards you, you will see four (No. 1) screws towards the corners of the front board (notice the green lacquer all over and under the screw heads?). One at a time remove the screws and CAREFULLY scrape the lacquer from under the screw heads but DO NOT SCRAPE AS HARD THAT YOU REMOVE THE COPPER FROM UNDER THE LACQUER!! and replace the screw. Now to make sure you have good contact, tighten, loosen, tighten, loosen and tighten the screw a few times.
Now carefully put the scanner together without the NMP200 and test..
I hope your results are as satisfying as mine..

If you do anything I have explained here, you will not hold me responsible for anything that may happen, what-so-ever. You will assume full responsibilities for your own actions (which you should always do... period!). This includes but not limited to the leakage of liquids from your body due to the misuse of sharp objects!

Normal scanning may now resume...

 

[KevinC]

Sorry but my edit time ran out.. Here is the full version of the above post:

Here are my 2 cents on this hum issue..

In the beginning I reported that I could not hear the hum. Well if I have the audio time off setting to infinite and have ear plugs in I can tell it is there but not terrible. Very, very low with internal speaker and could not hear it with an external speaker unless it (like the ear plugs) is up against my ear. So NO, as far as I am concerned there isn't any hum from my radio.

Regardless...

I took the cover off and I do have a factory installed NMP200 so I removed it.. The hum did get much more noticeable!

So I took it all apart to see what, if anything could be done and here are my findings at this time:..

The NMP200 simply connects the "screen ground" of the display to the chassis.. That is it!! (which explains why, over time, people start hearing the hum return - loose fitting part and oxidation.)
So on further inspection I see that the "screen ground" is in fact soldered to the front board's ground plane pretty well. I also saw (the main issue I am about to explain a fix to) is the four mounting screws that hold the front board to the chassis ARE NOT CONNECTING the front boards ground plane to the chassis! Which in fact is EXACTLY WHAT THE NMP200 DOES. Simple fix really... without soldering! (or voiding your warranty ~ just a disclaimer for the warranty police on the forum so they will finally STFU already!)

The tools I used:

No. 1 & No. 2 Phillips screwdriver
Small flat jewelers screwdriver
X-Key tool
Credit card (or similar to not mar the faceplate or knobs upon removal)
X-acto or utility blade
To help removal of the wire plugs that connect the front to the main boards I used curved hemostats
If your eyes are going (like mine are) some type of magnification

Once you have the radio taken apart (explained elsewhere on the forum) and have the front panel in your hand, display towards you, you will see four (No. 1) screws towards the corners of the front board (notice the green lacquer all over and under the screw heads?). One at a time remove the screws and CAREFULLY scrape the lacquer from under the screw heads but DO NOT SCRAPE AS HARD THAT YOU REMOVE THE COPPER FROM UNDER THE LACQUER!! and replace the screw. Now to make sure you have good contact, tighten, loosen, tighten, loosen and tighten the screw a few times.
Now carefully put the scanner together without the NMP200 and test..
I hope your results are as satisfying as mine..

If you do anything I have explained here, you will not hold me responsible for anything that may happen, what-so-ever. You will assume full responsibilities for your own actions (which you should always do... period!). This includes but not limited to the leakage of liquids from your body due to the misuse of sharp objects!

Normal scanning may now resume...

Won't this void the warranty???

I'm sorry, I just had to. Good job! Hopefully this is a better and more permanent fix.

 

[sfb88]

Is there a convenient location where an ohmmeter could be used to verify that the screws have been properly modified and good continuity established?