Led panel issue, please help.

V

vamoz

Member
Hello,

I have an issue with my Cidly Phantom. It used to work fine but I stopped using it for a year and when I started growing again I realized that the leds on C channel ( bottom two rows) were not lighting up. I thought that maybe it was a soldering issue...
Now...

This is how it looks turned off
IMG_8717.JPG

And this is how it looks when I touch the side/inside of the case while I was working on it.
IMG_8718.JPG

And this is how it looks when i put the iron on it. Currently only the bottom row was active, I dimmed all the other ones for the easy of workability. So the bottom row lights up.

IMG_8719.JPG

I did re-solder that led but its not only that one. Couple of others don the same thing when touched. I ended up re-soldering all the bottom row... still no light. Maybe it's my soldering skills but come on..I dont think so?

Any ideas? ( all the other channels and rows work. Only 1 channe which is he bottom two rows wont work)
 
Boatguy

Boatguy

Well-Known Member
I think you have an issue with the chassis ground.
Or your solder has made a connection to the chassis.
With the unit unplugged, use your multimeter to check for continuity from the leds you re-soldered to the chassis. Their should be no continuity there.
 
V

vamoz

Member
Boatguy said:
I think you have an issue with the chassis ground.
Or your solder has made a connection to the chassis.
With the unit unplugged, use your multimeter to check for continuity from the leds you re-soldered to the chassis. Their should be no continuity there.
Click to expand...
Sure I will check it today after I buy a multimeter but keep in mind the issue was there even before I re-soldered anything. I started using it again 2 weeks ago and realized the bottom LEDs were not lighting up. I kept using it like that until I watched a youtube video explaining soldiering issues at the factory. So today, I opened it up to check factory solder and re-soldered it but no fix.

Thanks for your concern.
 
Boatguy

Boatguy

Well-Known Member
I think what you did created a new problem, and fixed nothing.
If the panel lights when you touch it, you have become part of the circuit. This should not happen since the chassis is isolated from the leds, and grounded.
 
V

vamoz

Member
Boatguy said:
I think what you did created a new problem, and fixed nothing.
If the panel lights when you touch it, you have become part of the circuit. This should not happen since the chassis is isolated from the leds, and grounded.
Click to expand...
Maybe so. I did not check touching that spot before re-soldering so I couldn't say if that was present before. I need to touch the inner metal part that holds the led panel up and by light up, I don't mean light up as it should, they merely look alive than off when I touch that place. They light up more (compared) when I touch the soldering iron to a LED connection.

Anyway, I hope more people chip in so we can figure it out before I shock and kill myself.
 
V

vamoz

Member
vamoz said:
Maybe so. I did not check touching that spot before re-soldering so I couldn't say if that was present before. I need to touch the inner metal part that holds the led panel up and by light up, I don't mean light up as it should, they merely look alive than off when I touch that place. They light up more (compared) when I touch the soldering iron to a LED connection.

Anyway, I hope more people chip in so we can figure it out before I shock and kill myself.
Click to expand...
Update: Also, the drivers are located at the bottom of the panel, clearly touching the metal casing. So maybe that is the reason LED's look "alive" when I put my hand on that metal casing.
17035839_10154985821235891_79997113_o.jpg
 
Nugachino

Nugachino

Well-Known Member
Drivers might be earthing or shorting somehow. And when you touch the case you're completing the circuit.
 
V

vamoz

Member
Boatguy said:
Without a meter to check anything, you wont be able to troubleshoot the panel.
You can avoid electrocution by not handling it plugged in.
Click to expand...
Okay, I did a continuity check and all the LEDs lit up other than 3. I am attaching a picture. Can you give me an idea what my next step should be?

In all fairness, 2 of them are IR lights. I think that's why. Because I get the same readings when I touch the IR diodes on other rows. There is 1 left which I don't know what it is.

IMG_8718.JPG
 
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Boatguy

Boatguy

Well-Known Member
Are you using an analog or digital meter?
If its digital it should light up the led if you attach the meter to either side of each individual led with fixture unplugged.
 
V

vamoz

Member
Boatguy said:
Are you using an analog or digital meter?
If its digital it should light up the led if you attach the meter to either side of each individual led with fixture unplugged.
Click to expand...
Its digital. It did light up. I checked each and every diode. only 3 did not light up. 2 of them are IR. They look dead even on the other rows which has no problems. (they give the same readings) So I think out of that 3, 1 is not IR and is creating the issue? I think its the first LED on the bottom row.

EACH and every row has 1 IR light. So it has to be the bottom row where there is 2 diodes that give out readings. 1 is IR,1 is not. So what do I do with that information?
 
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Boatguy

Boatguy

Well-Known Member
Depends on how they are wired on the back side of the panel.
If the ir's are wired separately from the rest, it would be a good place to start looking.
Does the panel come apart easy enough? If it does you could disconnect the IR string if there is one and see if the problem is solved.
 
V

vamoz

Member
Boatguy said:
Depends on how they are wired on the back side of the panel.
If the ir's are wired separately from the rest, it would be a good place to start looking.
Does the panel come apart easy enough? If it does you could disconnect the IR string if there is one and see if the problem is solved.
Click to expand...
Nope, I dont think its easy for me to take the panel off , it's like a thin sheet. I dont think the IR is the issue anyway.
Because each and every row has 1 IR light. They all give out readings and don't light up with the meter. But for sure those rows work... So only 1 led is not an IR and doesn't light up.
 
V

vamoz

Member
Boatguy said:
Depends on how they are wired on the back side of the panel.
If the ir's are wired separately from the rest, it would be a good place to start looking.
Does the panel come apart easy enough? If it does you could disconnect the IR string if there is one and see if the problem is solved.
Click to expand...
Okay the issue is with the FIRST led on the Bottom row. Whats next? Maybe its dead and since they are all connected it wont let the current pass through?
 
Boatguy

Boatguy

Well-Known Member
You need to bypass it or replace it. It looks like if you pull those screws around the leds it'd be easy enough to get at the back.
 
V

vamoz

Member
Boatguy said:
You need to bypass it or replace it. It looks like if you pull those screws around the leds it'd be easy enough to get at the back.
Click to expand...
I did take those screws off, it leads to the thermal paste and heat sink. Nothing behind it.

How do I take it off or bypass it?
 
Boatguy

Boatguy

Well-Known Member
Desolder it and replace with a resistor or another led. You may just be able to solder a wire from one side to the other and not have any problems, the rest of that string will probably wind up being brighter and run alittle hotter than the rest.
You do still have the issue of the short to the chassis though.
Did you check for continuity from the chassis to an led yet?
 
Boatguy

Boatguy

Well-Known Member
Its just a guess, but if each row is a string, you could run a jumper from the left side of the dead led to the left side of the next good led to test.
 
V

vamoz

Member
Boatguy said:
Its just a guess, but if each row is a string, you could run a jumper from the left side of the dead led to the left side of the next good led to test.
Click to expand...
That issue with the short to the chassis is resolved by itself. I did not check the continuity from the chassis to the LEDS (put the black tip to chassis and red to the plus of the LED?)

I went to the electric shop to buy a diode but they said I have to go to a LED blah blah place for it and today they are all closed.

I did desolder that diode and took it off. If i were to run a cable, i attach the - to - and + to + of the next diode?
 
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