Zwei Questions...

Ardennes1944

ok lads got two questions about my mk4 astra.
one, i havent got around the changing from the stock cd player yet but i really should as it is ****! but anyway, when playing cds, if i turn it up past a certain level the sound comes and goes, it sounds like the cd is skipping and for a split second, no noise comes from the speakers. this does not happen when its the radio playing. is it just a loose connection or is the cd player fecked?
also, anyone know how much a remote fob is as the jamming a piece of paper in it trick no longer works for me. i know there is a good place cheaper than a dealer on the way into dublin for doing this but im in cork so id prefer someone down here.
thankoo

shamwari

Problem 1: Does it do this on the radio as well, or just the CD's?

Problem 2: Usually caused by dry joints on the battery terminals where they are soldered onto the PCB. The can be fixed by resoldering them, using an iron with a small tip. Don't use an iron > 25 watts or with a fat tip - You will butcher the PCB

Ardennes1944

shamwari wrote: »

Problem 1: Does it do this on the radio as well, or just the CD's?

Problem 2: Usually caused by dry joints on the battery terminals where they are soldered onto the PCB. The can be fixed by resoldering them, using an iron with a small tip. Don't use an iron > 25 watts or with a fat tip - You will butcher the PCB

as stated, only when playing cds man.
yeah heard about this problem but even though my ol man and his friend are very good at soldering i dont think they'd know where to start?

shamwari

Deutschlandfürimmer7 wrote: »

as stated, only when playing cds man.
yeah heard about this problem but even though my ol man and his friend are very good at soldering i dont think they'd know where to start?

There were a batch of the Delco CDR500's that did that. They made something like a "motorboating" sound when they were turned up, but affected the radio and CD player. Audio amplifier chip was the culprit, but as yours is out of warrantly (:D) you would be better served replacing it with an aftermarket one. If you have steering wheel controls, Halfords do a Kenwood stereo with a cable that allows the wheel controls work with it.

As for the PCB inside the fob, look at the body of the battery holder and you will 2 or 3 pins on it soldered to the PCB. It is these that usually need resoldering.

*** Edit: you will need to resync your key to the car if you remove the battery from it for any length of time

Ardennes1944

shamwari wrote: »

There were a batch of the Delco CDR500's that did that. They made something like a "motorboating" sound when they were turned up, but affected the radio and CD player. Audio amplifier chip was the culprit, but as yours is out of warrantly (:D) you would be better served replacing it with an aftermarket one. If you have steering wheel controls, Halfords do a Kenwood stereo with a cable that allows the wheel controls work with it.

As for the PCB inside the fob, look at the body of the battery holder and you will 2 or 3 pins on it soldered to the PCB. It is these that usually need resoldering.

i have a brilliant aftermarket headunit from my last car i want to use. my dad is an electrician, i presume he will be able to do something so i can still use the steering controls?
ok to go into more detail....when i open the fob, if i take out the battery, there are two kinda like fork looking things underneath it which i presume draw power from the battery? also, when the battery is in place, there is a U shaped metal thing that widens a bit when the battery is pushed into it. there are also two plastic holders to keep the battery in place but one of these is broken but i dont think that has any relevance.

Ardennes1944

my fob wont even sync with the car anymore though. before when i used do it the locks would lock and unlock but now i get nothing. the remote locking used never work but it used work for about 10 times each time i synced it. but now it wotn work at all

Ardennes1944

any other ideas?

testarossa40

I still have the original CD player & fob off my old '98 Mk4 Astra. I might even still have the manual & security code... PM me if you're interested and I'll have a root around for it at the weekend.
(Btw are you really in Detroit?!)

shamwari

Deutschlandfürimmer7 wrote: »

any other ideas?

Can you post a good quality close-up pics of both sides of the PCB?

Ardennes1944

pm sent. and no im just an Eminem fan

Ardennes1944

shamwari wrote: »

Can you post a good quality close-up pic of the solder side of the PCB?

that the side facing up with the battery or the opposite facing down?

shamwari

Deutschlandfürimmer7 wrote: »

that the side facing up with the battery or the opposite facing down?

Both sides!

Ardennes1944

shamwari wrote: »

Both sides!

2mins there, stay online please!!

Ardennes1944

just uploading there, pics arent great dont think i did great:D, never thought 12m pixels wouldnt be enough!

shamwari

Deutschlandfürimmer7 wrote: »

just uploading there, pics arent great dont think i did great:D, never thought 12m pixels wouldnt be enough!

No sign of them yet...!

Ardennes1944

http://img153.imageshack.us/g/dscf0480dg.jpg/

testarossa40

Ok, just PMed Deutschlandfürimmer7 that I don't actually have a spare fob (Bit of a brain-fade on my part) so anybody else that might have one go ahead and let him know.

shamwari

OK I've looked at those pics. See attached

The battery connections will be surface mounted on the same side of the PC as the battery holder itself. In other words, the pins of the battery holder don't go through the PCB to be soldered on the far side. They are solder to the top of the board to which the are mounted.

What you can try is to hold the PCB with a tweezers or small pliers (to avoid burning fingers!) and very briefly, heat the two metal connectors I've arrowed in the pic. The objective is to get the solder on the surface mounted joint to melt and remake the connection.

Ardennes1944

shamwari wrote: »

OK I've looked at those pics. See attached

The battery connections will be surface mounted on the same side of the PC as the battery holder itself. In other words, the pins of the battery holder don't go through the PCB to be soldered on the far side. They are solder to the top of the board to which the are mounted.

What you can try is to hold the PCB with a tweezers or small pliers (to avoid burning fingers!) and very briefly, heat the two metal connectors I've arrowed in the pic. The objective is to get the solder on the surface mounted joint to melt and remake the connection.

so i should hold the chip with whatever and then use the soldering iron to heat each of the bits arrowed, thus hoping to heat the solder at the other end and rejoin it?? do i heat them at the same time or does it matter? ive noticed a few guys on ebay who repair vauxhall keys with problems like mine?

shamwari

Deutschlandfürimmer7 wrote: »

so i should hold the chip with whatever and then use the soldering iron to heat each of the bits arrowed, thus hoping to heat the solder at the other end and rejoin it??

Yep, hold the entire PCB with a suitable tweezers or small pliers. Heating the arrowed bits long enough for the broken solder joint to reform, but quick enough top avoid cooking the whole thing. 5-6secs should do it. 10secs max

Deutschlandfürimmer7 wrote: »

do i heat them at the same time or does it matter?

No, one at a time.

Ardennes1944

shamwari wrote: »

Yep, hold the entire PCB with a suitable tweezers or small pliers. Heating the arrowed bits long enough for the broken solder joint to reform, but quick enough top avoid cooking the whole thing. 5-6secs should do it. 10secs max

No, one at a time.

thanks man. have my ol man and his electronics buddy on the case. gonna use short wave to see if its actually sending out any signal and then find out where in the circuit is broken. any other info on the cd player query?