Spectroscan-T troubles - looking for help and service manual or schematic
I have a Spectroscan-T that is no longer working. It's been a long time since I've needed to make a profile, so it's been sitting idle. Anyway, the device powers up and the stepper motors work. Furthermore, Measure Tool sees the device as expected. The problem is when I go to measure a target, and I get an error which prohibits me from going any further. Unfortunately, I don't have the error code with me at the moment. To get the Spectroscan working again, I've attempted to connect with two different Keyspan serial-to-USB adapters, two different USB cables, and two computers. Same problem in every situation. Additionally, I borrowed a Spectrolino from a friend and that didn't work as well. I also inspected the 25-pin to 9-pin cable and this checks out ok. According to the user manual, I can reset the Spectrolino by moving it to the calibration plate, lowering it to the down position and then pressing/holding the measure button for 10 or more seconds. Unfortunately, nothing happens. But it appears to me that the light in the Spectrolino never turns on. Looking into this further, the power supply has nine wires from it to the main circuit board: three black, three red and one brown. It looks like the black are ground and red are positive, which each measure as 23.98v. I'm assuming this is correct, because I think stepper motors typically need 24v. I'm not sure what the brown wire is for, so I haven't measured it yet. Next, I removed all of the ribbon cables and tested for continuity to each trace, and these all seem fine. So I'm narrowing down the problem to something on one of the circuit boards. Perhaps power isn't getting to the Spectrolino itself. I plan on doing a few more tests tomorrow to see if any power shows up at the 8-pin DIN connector that the Spectrolino plugs in to. In the meantime, I've contacted X-Rite, and they don't have a service manual or schematic that they can provide me. Obviously, I cannot find one anywhere on the internet. So I was hoping someone here might be able to help me by either providing the documents or giving me more information to help me. Without a schematic, I'm going in blind. Thanks, Mike
On Jan 18, 2016, at 9:15 PM, Mike Boden <mpboden@dslextreme.com> wrote:
I have a Spectroscan-T that is no longer working. It's been a long time since I've needed to make a profile, so it's been sitting idle.
Anyway, the device powers up and the stepper motors work. Furthermore, Measure Tool sees the device as expected. The problem is when I go to measure a target, and I get an error which prohibits me from going any further. Unfortunately, I don't have the error code with me at the moment.
Are you running El Capitan by any chance?
From: Mike Boden
I have a Spectroscan-T that is no longer working. It's been a long time since I've needed to make a profile, so it's been sitting idle.
Anyway, the device powers up and the stepper motors work. Furthermore, Measure Tool sees the device as expected. The problem is when I go to measure a target, and I get an error which prohibits me from going any further. Unfortunately, I don't have the error code with me at the moment.
Hi Mike, You're in a familiar situation. We maintain a stable of Spectroscans, cannibalizing parts to keep half a dozen in working order. I can't help with schematics; first GMB then X-Rite insisted they were proprietary followed by "no longer supported." The first step I suggest is to determine if the problem lies in the Spectroscan's wiring or elsewhere. If you have access to an older PC with a real serial port, try connecting from that. We have several Spectroscans that simply will not fully connect using any model of USB adapter. Next, connect the Spectrolino directly to the computer without the Spectroscan in the way. To do so, you'll need the 25 to 9 pin adapter that accepts external power input and the power supply. If you don't have one or both available, contact me off-list. If MeasureTool connects and can perform basic measurements, the fault lies in the Spectroscan interface. When we have reached this point, our approach is to delve into our parts bin. Years ago we had success repairing a few Spectroscans, but with the price of used units on eBay being what it is (particularly if you are not looking for one with working stepper motors) the time investment did not make sense. Cheers, Ethan
participants (3)
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Ethan Hansen
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Mike Boden
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Steve Upton