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AMBrc TRANSPONDER CELL REPLACEMENT
NOTICE: I have decided I will do AMBrc Cell replacing for $28 each. The ones I have done of my own and for other track owners are working great, flashing green for well over 24 hours on the first cycle with the German made cells I used. My R/C business is not the only thing I do, so repairs must be pre-arranged before sending in your transponders. Please CLICK HERE to contact me if interested or have any questions. Be aware that these AMB Transponder Repairs are only to replace the failed or failing cell. If the transponder is otherwise bad, replacing the cell won't fix it. Make sure that you do not still have 100% Manufacturer Warranty Coverage on your transponders before having us work on them. No sense in paying me to work on them if you can still get them replaced for free.
WANT TO TRY TO REPAIR YOUR OWN? PLEASE READ ON...
I have worked out a good procedure for replacing the 1.2 volt NiMH button cell in AMBrc Rechargeable Transponders that fail naturally with regular use. As of May 2006, AMB charges $47 each for this service. What generally happens is you send your out of warranty Transponders in to AMB and they get exchanged for new or remanufactured ones. Last ones I got actually looked brand new. Regardless, $47 is a lot for having a new cell put in that can be bought for less than $4 each. Being a technical type, and definitely not wealthy, I will be fixing our track transponders myself if all they need is a fresh cell installed.
A properly operating AMBrc Rechargeable Transponder should flash once green and then go to it's red LED showing it is in charge mode when you put it in your charging rack. If it does not do this, there is more wrong with it than a bad cell and needs to be sent to AMB to be exchanged for a new or rebuilt one. A new AMBrc Transponder should flash green for a minimum of 18 hours after fully charged according to AMB. I consider any Transponder that won't flash green for 6 hours due for cell replacement. Don't try to do this if you are not ready to accept failure. The first one I did went dead. I still don't know exactly why. It may have been just a coincidence, but possibly I ground in too deep and damaged something. I now forgo the Dremel for this procedure. I have not had any more quit on me since, but regardless, you must have the tools and technical abilities needed to do this job. Good luck to you. I take no responsibility for any damages you do by following these instructions.
Here is how I do it. Open them by carefully prying off the battery compartment cover. (The part with the mounting post) This is hard to do. I used a small table vise, Exacto knife blades and a very sharp 3/4" wood chisel. First use the Exacto knife and get the cap loose on all sides. I found the assembly is packed with clear silicone rubber glue before squeezing on the cover and this is what holds the cap on. What I found works is to push in the wood chisel on the opposite side the the ID Number is on to cut and pry the back off. You cannot destroy the back cap when you do this because AMB won't sell you a new one and must not damage the LED's. Once the cap is removed, you need to start cleaning the silicone off to reveal the top of the two LED's and NiMH Button Cell popping up out of a pool of hard, red epoxy. Use the wood chisel to scrape the silicone out of the cap.
At this point, I can now see how these units are built. It looks like they start with the main shell with charging posts installed, slip the component board over these charge post pins and solder these pins to the board. After this, they install the 1.2 Volt Button Cell. The OEM Button Cells I had in my transponders were GP 80BVH NiMH with solder tabs attached to extend past the outer edge for both the positive and negative sides. These solder tabs are soldered to connection posts sticking out of the board for them. The cell is positioned below and between the LED's. If you were to look at the assembly as it relates to how the cell is installed thinking of the cell as the center of a clock, the LED's would be in approximately in the 10:00 and 2:00 positions, the negative tab solders to a round post at 6:00, and the positive tab solders to a flat post at about 4:00.
After the Transponder has been assembled as described in the previous paragraph, the back cover with mounting post can be placed on to allow for charging and cycle testing. After it checks out, I believe they then fill the molding with that red epoxy to both make it super tough and also keep its design secret. This is also done with that "Y" splitter that connects the pick up loop to the coax cable by filling that with black epoxy. Must keep their trade secrets intact!
The way the AMBrc Transponder is built, they were not designed to be repaired in my opinion. If there is anything besides a bad battery, I doubt even AMB tries to repair them. They likely just recycle the ID number as usable back into their data base and discard it. I bet they don't even repair the ones with just bad cells because it is difficult and time consuming. After you pry off the back and clean off all of that silicone rubber, you have to chisel the cell out of that hard epoxy without wrecking the solder posts, LED's and/or damaging the board.
My main purpose with this section is to warn people that are considering trying to do their own work on their rechargeable AMB transponders what they are getting themselves into. If you have the needed tools and are very good with your hands in doing delicate work, go for it. If you feel uncertain you can do the job, don't have the time to do it and can afford to pay AMB for exchange units anyway, it is probably best to trade them in. Another option is that there is a guy in Australia that has been doing cell replacements for AMB Transponders for several years, I understand. He charges $28 each plus shipping and claims to be the best at this. I may start offering this service myself here in the US also, but won't look to beat the Australian guy for price. The job is worth every dime of his price of $28. Please keep in mind this though, if there is something else wrong with a transponder besides just a weak cell, it will not be repaired. The risk is that if I do a cell replacement and after that find the transponder still does not work properly, I would have to remove the replacement cell, return the bad transponder and my time invested in that repair job would be my loss. I will match the Australian guy's $28 each unit plus shipping for this service should I decide to offer it.
HERE IS SOME OF THE EQUIPMENT THAT WE HAVE TO SERVICE
CUSTOMER NEEDS AT THE KRC PRODUCTS REPAIR SHOP
Diamond Commutator Re-Truing
We do diamond bit com cutting on both stock and modified motors. (Stocks motors must be rebuildable types) Before installing those new brushes, have your com re-trued to get the best performance. Your motors will run faster and last longer!
Computer Motor Dyno Services
We have a Fantom Racing Facts Machine Dyno, Computer and Printer always available to test and tune your new or used motors. When you purchase a new motor from us, we can do a spin-up test and store the results at no extra charge. This will allow later tests to compare the present performance of the motor to the when-new condition readings. We offer these services: Cleaning, Testing, Diamond Commutator Re-Truing, Brush Replacements, Break-In, and Dyno Tuning. All services performed at reasonable prices.
Battery Services
Having trouble with a battery pack? Need some cells Zapped, Cycled and/or retested for matching? Would you like to know how a pack is actually performing? We can test any cell or pack for you. A bad cell will stop a pack from performing well or even taking a charge. Our services range from testing single cells to complete pack assembly. I will soon put together a list of services with prices to post on this site. For now, please email me what you would like done, and I will quote all costs. Please click here to contact me.
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All final testing of single cells for re-matching your packs done with high-quality Competition Electronics equipment. The Turbomatcher 4 is widely know as the industry- standard machine for today's cell testing. All labels printed on plain paper protected by clear single-cell shrink wrap. |
Cell zapping services available to help lower resistance and increase voltage output. For Sub-C Nicad cells only. Can also zap cells in packs assembled side-by-side with exposed ends. |
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Victor Grading and Cycling System
How are your packs performing? Is the voltage and capacity holding up? Which pack is your best pack? We can test any 6-cell pack for capacity, peak voltage and average voltage at up to 40 amps constant. After performance testing your individual packs, you won't have to wonder which ones to use to run in the mains. You will know! | |
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Portable R/C Race Management System Kevin's R/C Products & The Altepeter Off-Road Raceway have the latest Race Management Equipment and Software. It can be pre-arranged for me to run events at your location provided there is some profitability possible, I can fit it in my schedule and the location is not too far from us. I have fully mobilized all my equipment by putting everything into a 6' x 12' Cargo Trailer that can set up a race very quickly and professionally at any site. Please click here to contact me for more info. Below is the start-up screen for Autoscore. All of our races are run using this professional race management system.
Below is the Rechargeable Transponders used to track lap times of the individual racers and the decoder to process information to be sent to the race computer. The charging rack is both a holder and charger. Racers take the assigned Transponder from this rack and install it into their R/C model before each heat or main and it is held in place by a body clip.
Below is a Direct Powered or Personal Transponder designed to be sold to any racer for more permanent installment in his R/C Model. They are very small, light-weight and are powered directly from the model's battery system with the power supplied to run the radio gear from your ESC or receiver pack. Currently they are $95 each. Click here for more information
Race Management Service Details
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