Pioneer VSX-808RDS IR problems (Was: Testing an I.R. Receiver)

[Old Sparky]

Mark, I will get the PM3215 along to the cellar, though it may not be till after the holiday weekend now. Some of the problems I've had with other test gear kept there, including that often used such as my AM/FM Signal generator, have been caused by the damp conditions in the cellar. I've had to repair the sig. gen. twice in the last 16 years, whereas in the 10 years or so previous to moving my workshop into the cellar, I never even had the covers off it, and two, if not three, analogue multimeters have succumbed to the conditions in which I work. None cost more than maybe £15 new, but, for that reason the u4324 only gets taken to the w/s when it's needed there, and the M3800 DMM is taken to and from the cellar every day, never left in there overnight. Having said that, once the PM3215 gets taken there it stays there unless I need it at home.

[ppppenguin]

Do you have a dehumidifier? Sounds like it would earn its keep. Don't know if you can get ones that will pump into a drain as the containers on ordinary ones will fill up mighty fast in those condition.

[Old Sparky]

I don't have a dehumidifier, Jeffrey. Often thought of getting one, so perhaps I'd better do so ASAP. My workshop has only been in the Cellar in question since February 2002!

[Mark Hennessy]

The 'scope in my cellar workshop is a Philips PM3305.  It's been sitting on the floor in a 'spare corner for several years, so needed a clean up externally, plus some WD40 applied to the two screws holding the rear panel on, before I could unscrew them.  That's as far as I got before calling it a day.  I now have to work out how to remove the handle so that the covers can come off.  IIRC the fault was in the PSU, but whether several years in a damp cellar has caused more problems, I won't know.  As Mark, and no doubt some other members know, these Philips scopes are quite large, and one takes up quite a bit of room on my somewhat small workbench.  I do have a small Russian 'scope which is also in need of attention.  This is suitable for some jobs, no doubt including checking the remote control, which doesn't trigger my Remote control tester at all now!

Hang about - I've just re-read this message. Buried in there - hidden by the lack of separate paragraphs - is this:

This is suitable for some jobs, no doubt including checking the remote control, which doesn't trigger my Remote control tester at all now!

Right. So by changing the resonator, you've broken the remote control. Hopefully it's just a case of the new one not being compatible - a few times you've said "filter" when really the item is most likely a "resonator" - they are not necessarily interchangeable. Put the original one back in there ASAP!

Also, assuming it's the same as the PM3215 (which I'm sure it is), there's no need to remove the handle. Remove the rear panel and the whole lot slides out from the front.

Jeffrey beat me to it re. the dehumidifier.

At the very least, make sure you have a thermometer down there that also measures humidity. They are very cheap compared to your health. Actually, they are very cheap full stop.

Establish what the average humidity levels are like so you can see what difference a dehumidifier makes. You'll need to empty the condensate reservoir frequently, so arrange for it to discharge into a drain if you can. Good ones cost about £200. Forget about the non-compressor types - the ones I've seen won't cope with a cellar. The compressor types also give off a useful amount of heat when they are running, which is always welcome.

I appreciate that involves making an investment, but if it sounds like too much trouble, it might be time to look for an alternative - and rather more healthy - place to run your business from.

[ppppenguin]

Trying to do electronics in a horribly damp cellar without a scope is what I would call masochism.

[Old Sparky]

I've given some thought to re-locating my workshop elsewhere, but there's nowhere suitable in or near Chipping Norton at an affordable rent of which I know, besides which, at the age of 75, do I really want the hassle of moving it again. Instead, I may close it altogether, and just do a few repairs at home, though I wouldn't be allowed to advertise it as a business. Economically it's not really viable anyway, so that may be the way to go..

[Murphyv310]

Hi Sparky.
I have thought for a long time your working place is not really doing you any favours whatsoever.
I also see no reason why you shouldn't work from home, Its not as if its likely to be noisy nor have enough work as to annoy neighbours, the glory days of the Radio & TV trade are long gone and to be honest neither is ICE, every car these days has a unit designed for the particular dash and has infoentertainment systems coupled to the Canbus of the vehicle. Old car radio cassettes are a trickle of work and getting less and less by the day.
I can assure you I have never seen so many self employed persons as in this street I live in, from PC repairs, Joiners, Electricians, Brickies and two driving instructors and each and everyone advertise.

[ppppenguin]

You've obviously thought about aspects of your business.

These questions I'm asking may have already gone through your head. You need to be honest to yourself about the answers. Do you need to maximise your business income? Or is it really now a hobby that happens to make some income? Or a way of getting you out of the house? Is there much business anyway? Unless there are some unusually restrictive covenants on your home then running a small business, espeically one that doesn't cause nuisance, shouldn't be a problem. And once you've saved the rent, and other expenses of having separate premises, will you be any worse off?

[Old Sparky]

Jeffrey, Running the workshop gets me out of the house for between 2 &4 hours a day, but it's certainly not a viable business. Closing the w/s would save the admittedly modest rent, the cost of the w/s phone line, and a couple of other things, so I'd probably be no worse off if I did so. As regards to running any kind of business from home, there's almost certainly something in the Tenancy Agreement which prohibits it Housing Association Property, b.t.w.). To get back to the Oscilloscope (s), this afternoon, I removed the cover from the PM3305, got as far as finding out that there was an open-circuit reading between L & N. This was caused by bad contacts in the fuseholder incorporated in the voltage selector, but I haven't yet powered up the'scope.