Koolstar42
Experienced Member
I recently acquired a Zenith supersPORT ZWL-184-02 in a non-working condition. It would not power on and the plastic was broken in several places. To fix the electronics I replaced the fuse (duh) and repaired the display connector (one pin had worked itself out of the plastic) after which it booted up. Unfortunately it had a modified BIOS, which required a password for access. I disassembled the BIOS and after de-crypting the contents, disabled the offending code. After formatting the (original) hard disk and installing DOS, the system worked, until it didn't. The hard disk failed. It appeared that the 5 electrolytic caps on the hard disk board had been leaking, so after removing the caps, cleaning the board and replacing the corroded solder in the affected areas (and repairing one via) I soldered on new caps. Now the hard disk works again.
Repairing the plastic is a work in progress. For now it is a solid unit, although not pretty. I am missing the plastic shutter under the display, which I intend to 3d-print when I find pictures of the original (somebody?). The double hinge system needs attention. Also the unit is yellowed badly, albeit quite evenly. I can't do anything about that; no sun to speak of.
One question, did someone ever replace the EL backlight on displays of this type? Any guidance on how to, preventing catastrophic failure?
Rienk
Note: when checking for corrosion you poke the solder and when it chips off, you need to replace the whole joint. you have to remove the old solder mechanically, because it no longer melts, scrape until you see the copper pads, and re-solder the joint. Use flux liberally.
Repairing the plastic is a work in progress. For now it is a solid unit, although not pretty. I am missing the plastic shutter under the display, which I intend to 3d-print when I find pictures of the original (somebody?). The double hinge system needs attention. Also the unit is yellowed badly, albeit quite evenly. I can't do anything about that; no sun to speak of.
Another note: This unit has no tabs holding the shells together. after unscrewing top and bottom you can lift the top off effortlessly. The same goes for the display. After removing the 2 bottom screws you slide the LCD down about 3 mm (1/8 inch) and the shells separate. In my case a previous owner forced the display open causing the locks to break off.
One question, did someone ever replace the EL backlight on displays of this type? Any guidance on how to, preventing catastrophic failure?
Rienk