Eddie Bauer Overhead Console Fix

[kc5mhb]

A few weeks ago my overhead console display started flickering and then went out completely. I disassembled the console module that houses the board and display, I noticed the faint smell of something that had burnt. I also noticed that the 5 pin heatsinked voltage regulator (ST brand L4947H www.st.com) was dissapating quite a bit of heat when powered. Using a meter and the spec sheets on the two regulators (the other was LM2940CT-12 or NTE1954) I noticed that the output from the L4947H was around 2 volts where it should have been 5 volts. Noting the amount of heat being dissapated and the low voltage reading, I determined that another component must have failed. I started looking at the nearest component which was a 100uF 6.3 volt electrolytic capacitor. Closer inspection revealed some brown crud under the bottom of it which meant that the capacitor had failed. I dug around in some spare parts and found a 100uF 16 volt capacitor which I installed in the circuit. Put the console back together and display is working fine.

Some guy is selling fixes on the internet for this problem for $20. Now this may not be the problem for all broken console modules, but a 50 cent capacitor is not worth $20 in my book. Always try to replace parts with the same values. The capacitor I used will work fine because it will never charge above 5 volts or so, but its always best to replace with like parts.

Hope this helps someone else out.

P.S. I do suggest that if you do replace the capacitor that you make sure you put the new one back in the same way the old one came out. Make sure you note which pin is the (-) and that you put it back in the proper hole or you will explode the capacitor. If you don't know what you are doing, LEAVE IT ALONE AND LET A PROFESSIONAL DO THE WORK.

[Steve83]

...or just cannibalize a cheap Explorer OHC console which uses the same display module & can be found at most junkyards for less than $30.

BTW
This probably belongs in the Tech Writeups forum.

[Drilim]

Steves right. Why bother trying to reinvent the wheel?

My display on my OHC went out, and i bought a new display out of an explorer for less than $5.

[kc5mhb]

Can someone move this post to the Tech Writeup forum?

[autx790]

Hey KC,
just wanted to say thanks. My console broke a while back. All my LEDs would stay on, and then the slightest touch of the mode button and it would go off and not come back on. It actually randomly worked at one point. But anyway, I did notice my heat sink getting really hot! and the brown around my capacitors, but my regulators were putting out the right voltages, so i thought maybe i had something bad further in the circuit. I replaced those caps in a few min, and now its working again. It's nice fixing something for free!
Thanks