CS800 Update - External Speaker Modification Procedure

CS800 Update - External Speaker Modification Procedure

We will post something to our website today that shows how to put in the diode. As was mentioned earlier, it does not matter which way you put in the diode. You could also mount the diode external to the CS800 or across the speaker. The problem with this is you might forget in a few years and get another speaker and forget about the diode and burn out the radio after the warranty has expired.

Jerry Wanger KK6LFS

http://www.connectsystems.com/products/top/radios%20CS800.htm

As Jerry mentioned, we have a solution for the external speaker problem and it is being implemented in all new radios being shipped and also those being manufactured. For those who already have a CS800, we will either add the diode for you or send the diode to you for installation. If you want to see what is involved, here is a step by step with photos (sorry, they are not the best pics). I will upload this to the files section also.

Problem trying to load new firmware to CS750

If trying to update firmware to versions 1.00.32 or 1.00.34 follow the instructions in the June 19 note?

*** NOTES:  Upgrades are included for both CS750 and CS800 

SELECT CAREFULLY:   If your CS750 is not on V26, you will need to load the V26 Font data before this update.  Then: Both CS750 and CS800 require new Bootloader to be installed before the firmware.   Bootloader and Upgrade files are both loaded to radio using FlashBurn program.   

Cs800.blogspot.com

Cs750.blogspot.com

Repair of CS800 External Speaker Problem

Connect Systems is going to offer you three options for fixing the external speaker problem:

1. You can send the radio to us and we will pay for shipping both ways. We will get you a FedEx or USPS call tag to send it back to us. WE WILL NOT REIMBURSE YOU IF YOU SEND IT YOURSELF.

2. We will send you a P4KE12CA diode and have you install it yourself. To install the diode you need to take off the top cover and install the diode on top of the Speaker Jack. This is a relatively easy job because it is NOT surface mount. The diodes are a D041 case with leads.

3. You do nothing.

4. At this time this is only a possibility. We will supply a diode on an external device that will plug into the radio and you will then plug your speaker into that external device.

The problem was with our design and we take full responsibility for getting the problem resolved.

CS800 USING EXTERNAL SPEAKERS - IMPORTANT NOTICE - UPDATE JUNE 17

Reply-To: CS800DMR@yahoogroups.com
Here is the latest information and our recommendation -

Currently, we request that you DO NOT USE any external speaker of any impedance value with the CS800. We are working on solutions to correct this problem as quickly as possible.

We have been able to recreate the damage to the audio output system while using an external speaker. On careful analysis, Jerry has determined that this problem originates in speakers with a high inductance, and that impedance will play little role. The cause is a voltage spike generated due to high inductance that is reflected back into the system, overpowering the MOSFETs. The spike is generated when a sharp waveform is passed to the speaker, which is possible under both analog and digital reception.

CS800 Using External Speaker - UPDATE

CS800 Using External Speaker - UPDATE
Reply-To: CS800DMR@yahoogroups.com

We have been testing a variety of scenarios and researching the circuitry on the CS800 since the last post. Here is the latest information:

The audio output is rated to handle between 2 and 16 ohms, and is supposed to be able to handle a dead short. The part number for the audio amplifier is TDA2003 in case anyone is interested in doing additional research. We do not suggest experimenting on your radio - but instead we are providing this to assure folks that we will not currently be refusing warranty repair or replacement if the audio output is compromised.

We have tried to break a couple of radios by using a variety of speakers with a range of impedance values, but we have yet to recreate the problem. Our manufacturer is also investigating the problem, and we are exchanging information often.

update #12 - Connect Systems Inc.

Greetings to the DMR Groups.

I'll begin with a thank you for all of your reports and comments regarding your experiences with the CS750 and CS800. I will also apologize for not posting more often, but things are very busy at CSI right now.

Good news first then - as some of you have already noticed, we posted the Data Extraction tool for the CS700 .rdt files, written for us by Tom Wheeler who also created the Contact Manager software. This tool will extract your Contacts and Channels information from the .rdt file and export them into an Excel spreadsheet. Yes, unfortunately Excel is still required at this time. From there, they can be imported into the CPS. Due to the nature of interdependencies in the CPS, we cannot export or import Zone, Scan, or Receive Group
information. We are aware that this still leaves quite a bit of additional programming, but the heavy lifting of large contacts lists and extensive channel information is handled by the new tool. One more important note - import your Contacts FIRST and then your Channels, otherwise the TX groups will not populate correctly.

On to the bugs. Please continue to post any issues that you find with our radios, even if it is listed below. I read every post placed here even though I cannot respond to most of them. We are chasing down some elusive causes for these problems and you never know who might post that one small bit of information regarding a setup or experience that provides a critical clue. This is by no means a complete list, but these are the priority items now for both the CS750 and the CS800.

Review Connect Systems CS800 UHF Digital Moblile Radio

The Connect Systems CS800 UHF Analog/Digital Moblile Radio is first moblile of the latest additions to Connect Systems’s MOTOTRBO line of Digital Mobile Radio (aka DMR) TDMA radios, featuring audio, Remote Head Capability, with a DTMF Microphone included, mono color LCD display, plus much more. This is a great single band radio for ham radio use on either the 2m or 70cm bands, as it is valued price, durable and likely to more than satisfy even the most demanding user. At the time of this review, pricing for a new Connect Systems CS800 mobile is about $300US.  The price of $280 for the radio with a DTMF Microphone included, $15 for the pair of programming cables, and $15 for the remote mounting kit.

Cost: $280.00 usd.

EDITORS’ RATING
Excellent

  (3.5 stars)

THE GOOD

Some clarifications on CSI software

Just a quick response to some of the questions -

The new firmware (V2.19) and CPS (V1.25) for the CS700 offer corrected DTMF signaling (I believe the * key is working correctly now) and Nuisance Channel Delete during scanning mode. Microphone gain is not included in this firmware, which is being provided by the previous consulting group.

The Data Extractor software pulls out Contacts and Channels data. The older Contact Manager software written by Tom Wheeler is still available on his website, but the extracted data will need adjustments before it can be imported into the CS750 CPS. It will also only get the contacts data.

The CPS currently requires Microsoft Excel, 2003 or later. We are aware

CS750/751 Contacts

In another thread, Mark (mark-yahoo@...) posted a link to a zip file he created containing all the world’s contact lists (http://www.foxhollow.ca/DMR/Contacts/ALL-DMR-Contacts.ZIP). I pulled out his list for California and tried it. It imported fine.

So, experimenting and comparing his list to mine, I discovered a few things; which can be summarized by saying that “CSI’s Customer Programming Software (CPS) is a bit picky about importing things.”

I noticed that Mark’s list did not have the sequential “No.” field populated, while mine did. Also, as Bernie found, the CPS apparently does not like to import All Call contacts. Finally, I found by accident that the CPS does not like any formatting in the files. I had originally left a few cells in my modified file with a yellow background highlight, causing the import to fail.