Sitex 106 MKII - The Hull Truth

kitebuz · 06-28-2006, 04:19 PM

I have this unit on my boat. It has been "acting up" the last two outings. When I power up, it will beep, but no picture on the screen. The 1st time it happened, the pictured came up while I was underway later on. The last time, the picture never came up, despite repeated on-offs.

It was working fine previously. The last time it worked with no issues was a pretty rough day, and we got banged around a little. That said, the sounder worked right to the dock when I shut it down. Had problems on the next startup 4 days later.

Any ideas what it could be? Is there anything internal that can go loose, or is there a tube to replace (like a tv)?I know very little about crt monitors, so any input is appreciated. Could it be a power issue?

Thanks.

dingbat · 06-28-2006, 04:53 PM

I've have the same unit and had this issue a while back. When the CRT fires it draws quite a bit of current and any degradation of the circuit will cause this condtion. Make sure all your electrical connections, including the fuse holder are clean and the connectors are good and tight. On mine it turned out to be a bad connection inside the fuse holder. I installed a new holder and use di-electric grease on all the connections and have not had an issue since.

kitebuz · 06-28-2006, 05:04 PM

Thanks, db. That's just the info I was looking for - I was suspicious of my bus bar connection, so I will go in and clean it up.

oldmako · 06-29-2006, 07:55 PM

If your unit needs servicing send it directly to Sitex. I tried to get mine serviced near home last season and they told me it was junk and tried to sell me a new one. Told me it was way too old to fix and beyond help.

I then spoke with an old guy at sitex and shipped it to him. 75 bucks and a week later I got it back...functioning better than it has for years. Like new.

GREAT support in this instance and 75 bucks well spent.

kitebuz · 06-30-2006, 12:36 PM

oldmako - also very good to know. I will test it today - as I suspect it might have been a loose fuse holder. I hate the throwaway mentality, so nice to know Sitex will service the older units if needed.

kitebuz · 07-10-2006, 01:09 PM

Well, I cleaned the leads - and it still did not work. I realized that if I hold the power button down, it will power up and work, but as soon as I let go of it, it shuts off. Would seem to be a faulty switch. This weekend it was like that the whole trip out, then, it powered up fine on the way back. The next day, nothing.

I'm going to see if I can open it up and do anything about the switch. Any other ideas? It may end up needing to be sent in.

oldmako · 07-10-2006, 10:45 PM

Send it in. They will go over it and call you with an estimate. They replaced a few minor components and degaussed my unit for 75 bucks. Have you priced a new machine with the same quality?

kitebuz · 07-11-2006, 01:36 PM

no, I haven't really priced a comparible unit, but it might take me one step closer to the all in one's i've been eying

I opened it up, and the switches are on a sealed circuit board - beyond my skills. I made sure the wiring harness from the switch to the main board was in tight, and will retest one more time before sending in to Sitex.