[Yaesu] FT-8100 control head

[KB0NLY]

You might get lucky, but I can barely get parts for models that came after the 8100 so I kinda doubt it.

If your really lucky it’s the mating connector on the main display board that just pulled off.  I fixed another one a couple years ago that all I had to do was solder the jack back down to the main board, it came off still inside the mating connector on the control board.  Two of the traces were broken but one was good enough to tack it back in place then I used some small solid copper wire, I think it was 24 or 26awg to fix the others by scraping back the traces.  After I plugged in the control board and made sure it worked I mixed up a batch of two part epoxy and filled it in around the connector and both sides of the vertical control board to glue it all together and give it some strain relief on that little connector.

The most common issue is that the nut holding the trimpot to the front plastic housing gets a little loose and then when your adjusting it your wiggling the entire control board which puts all the force on that tine connector.  I would open it up and diagnose it if you havent already.  It could be a horrible job or it could be a relatively easy fix depending on how it failed.  On mine it ripped all the traces off with the connector, it was a real nightmare and I was reluctant to open another one, but as luck would have it the second one I did wasn’t that bad.  Now just last year I had another one from another local ham, complete write off, everything was so damaged I didn’t even attempt it, he tossed the head in the trash and sold the body on eBay.

I just got my first DR-1X/FTM-400 repair in last week, dead PA.  That was a pretty easy fix, $30 for a new FET and a fairly quick soldering job.  I hope I never have to deal with a front panel for these newer radios, if they die I don’t see any chance to repair them.

73,

Scott KB0NLY

From: Tom WA9WSJ 
Sent: Saturday, February 03, 2018 7:02 PM
To: KB0NLY ; Yaesu Reflector 
Subject: Re: [Yaesu] FT-8100 control head

Hello Scott,


You describe exactly what I'm facing with this one. Not a fun fix, especially since there are two to do. And your wiring fix is what I had envisioned if that turns out to be the only alternative. Very bad design. They should have used through hole connectors there....


Another gent, Van, has mentioned that Yaesu has a replacement board that is the fix.


I'll be calling them next week and see if it's still available.


73 Tom




--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
From: KB0NLY <kb0nly at mchsi.com>
To: Tom WA9WSJ <wa9wsj at yahoo.com>; Yaesu Reflector <yaesu at mailman.qth.net> 
Sent: Saturday, February 3, 2018 4:25 PM
Subject: Re: [Yaesu] FT-8100 control head


I went down that road about five years ago, spent almost a year chasing a 

good control head, problem is every control head I found had issues as well. 

What I eventually did was painstakingly solder jumper wires from the 

controls to various points on the boards to fix all the connections, that 

fixed it, and then I promptly sold it due to the anger I had for that 

radio!!


The 8100 is a good radio, but the control head is absolute garbage because 

of the controls.  The little connector that the two sub-boards with the 

controls mounted on is the issue, if you jumper past that its fine, but it 

takes really tiny wires, a really fine tip iron, and some magnification to 

do it.  I think I spent about three hours fixing that blessed thing.


73,


Scott KB0NLY



-----Original Message----- 

From: Tom WA9WSJ via Yaesu

Sent: Saturday, February 03, 2018 4:35 PM

To: Yaesu Reflector

Subject: [Yaesu] FT-8100 control head


Hello Gents,

Does anyone have a good FT-8100 control head that you're willing to part 

with?

The one I have has volume/squelch control failures on both bands.

Diagnosing proved to be bad/broken connections to the pc board. Very 

difficult to fix!

Rather replace it.

Thanks,

Tom wa9wsj

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