Flir PM675 viewfinder fault.

[fugro]

I have a PM675 with a dead EVF, raster only and some noise.  I have been following the expert advice from your member "Aurora" and would appreciate some help from him on this. I have done all the obvious checks on the EVF board, the ribbon cable from it to the CPU board, etc., and all seems OK, but there is no data on any of the connector pins. I am beginning to suspect board faults on either the CPU or A-D boards but I am not an expert on FPGA's , but can follow a circuit diagram and have a lot of other electronic experience.
Any advice would be appreciated .

[Fraser]

Do you have a picture coming out of the composite video output 7 pin LEMO connector that sits adjacent to the 10 pin LEMO power and I/O connector ?

The video connector pinout is provided in the user manual.

If you can switch the camera on (Green LED on) with its power soft button, but cannot switch it off by holding it in, the MC68340 micro is locked up.

These cameras can be challenging in that they are using several 'program on boot' FPGA's and without inside knowledge of the firmware they are bit of a black box. I reverse engineered the circuitry around the FPGA's  which does help with diagnostics. The video generator on the 675/695 is an FPGA rather than the dedicated video processor fitted in the earlier versions of the camera. The video to the EVF and 7 pin connector is analogue.

In another thread you asked whether I mighty have time to look at the camera for you. Well I am in the middle of a clear out as I have way too much equipment and need to make some space. That is a high priority for me at the moment and my M.E. limits my productivity. I am willing to look at the 675 for you when I can get into my lab again. It is presently piled high with equipment for sorting etc. If you have covered off the simple faults, it is unlikely to be a quick fix and may take some time to diagnose. Regret I cannot do that sort of repair FOC so we would need to discuss.

I am located about 5 miles North of Milton Keynes.

Fraser

[fugro]

Thanks for the prompt and comprehensive reply.  No, there is no video output. that is one of the first things I checked and which made me suspect that the fault was not with the EVF.  There seems  to be intermittent lockup , as sometimes  I can switch on and off OK, but sometimes I can't. Usually after I have been probing around on the boards, so probably due to my probing, as the system restores if I remove the power and reconnect it.
There is little I can do without knowledge of the boards circuitry and I am certainly not in a position to do any reverse engineering, although I have had a look at some of data sheets and examined the boards for any obvious damage..
I wish you luck with your clear out, I've been trying to clear my garage for over ten years and it is still bulging with unwanted equipment and old household stuff.  If you ever reach the state when you can take a look at our PM675, then let me know, as it will still be sitting here unrepaired.  We would, of course, expect you to  charge for the repair, or even for examining it, but I guess it would still be cheaper than sending it to Flir and with the added attraction that I think you would let me know what you have found and how you have repaired it, which is more than I would get out of Flir.
 You are not far from us, as we are located just outside Cambridge.

Sid