Yaesu VR5000 display revisited

[majoco]

Now this may be a fluke but.... after reading some other posts about the missing lines problem, I got my VR5000 out of hibernation and connected up 12volt supply and it works but the display was still bad. I left it going in a corner of the garage and much to my surprise by the next afternoon some of the missing display lines had returned. After three days of running continuously even more lines have come back. Don't ask me why - I can't explain it. If I switch it to the preset HF broadcast station screen it's easy to see how much has returned - prior to this pic all of the left hand half of the screen was blank and most of the right hand side had many line missing - now they are coming back and 'regenerating' slowly across to the left - is there some hope...... wait'n'see !

 

[eorange]

Send some real voltage directly to that display; shock them crystals awake!

About 3 years ago I sent my VR-500 back to Yaesu for repair of the vertical lines. I was surprised they still serviced it, but I think they killed support shortly after.

 

[MrThompson]

The VR-500 repair is straightening a warped connector on the display ribbon cable. I fixed both of ours (his & hers).

VR-500 display fix.

 

[majoco]

Yea - I read that. Unfortunately I don't have an SMD heat gun - only one of the those paint-stripper type hot air things which may be a bit vicious! I have taken it apart a few times but with little success. It's a pity that you can't get to all those little solder joints while the thing is working so that you can just prod along and see what effect there is - perhaps just running a clean soldering iron bit along the joints might do it. There is one for sale on our local auction site for NZ$500 - say US$360 - which looks to be in good condition and I'm sorely tempted but I have other things to buy yet.....

 

[eorange]

I was never able remove those fixing nuts on the VR-500. They wouldn't budge! I remember thinking how easy it would probably be if I just had the right tool.

 

[majoco]

Obviously someone has not heard of deep sockets.....

 

[eorange]

The fixing nuts aren't hex. They look like small flat washers with 2 tiny notches 180 degrees apart. That's not a tool I have.