RadioBanter - Eton E-5 Radio erratic behavior

On 6/29/10 11:42 , Mike M. wrote:
Hi
I was turning on the E5 and got no response on the LED board. I
thought the batteries were old and changed them and had the same thing
occur. I used the AC adapter from Eton and again nothing. No read out
on the board or volume. Dead.
Finally I got a paper clip and pushed the reset button while i had
the AC adapter plugged in and the set went on.
I have had the radio for a year and this is the first time this has
occurred. Anyone have any ideas
on what is happening
Thanks,
Mike

If this is one incident, it may be nothing. After all, they
include a reset button for a reason. Specifically, because they
expected a need to arise for its use.

If this doesn't recur in a while, it's likely nothing but a
glitch on the logic board. Could be caused by static. Could be
caused by a local storm. A quick spike on the mains. I"ve seen
things like this caused by a nearby pulse of radio energy. Like a
two way radio.

If it does recur, it could be an impending logic board failure.
But it may be, and more likely so, the logic board lock up is a
secondary symptom to another issue. This could be a loose battery,
or a dirty or oxidized terminal, momentarily interrupting voltage to
the board while moving the radio. Or a battery with physical
dimensions out of spec. (I had this happen with my SAT 500 when
using Energizers and some rechargeables. Changing to Duracells and
name built rechargeables fixed the problem.) It may be caused by a
failing surface mount capacitor, which happens with an irritating
frequency. And there are connections to the battery box. An
intermittent here will drive you nuts.

You say the radio is a year old. Depending on your warranty, you
may be SOL for a cost free remediation by the factory, should the
radio fail. But there is always service and repair available.

For now, it's a one time thing. Don't worry about it. When you
start this fault happen more often, then start looking for
electrical or mechanical failures.