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Extreme longshot

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Sydsmith
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Extreme longshot

Post by Sydsmith »

This is an extreme long shot but as my mum used to say, if you don't ask you don't get, those who ask have too much cheek.

I have bought a Countax D18-50 lawn tractor/mower for a song because the local agent wrote it off for an electronics problem, full of confidence that I could fix it. I am struggling for the want of a schematic diagram for the three printed circuit panels.

Just wondered on the off chance if any one here may have such a thing. As I say a very long shot. Syd

classiclife
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Re: Extreme longshot

Post by classiclife »

Hello Syd,

Just random hits - the latter may help as a further point of contact.

Also worth having a look at Google diagrams as they do have quite a bit on your model.

Regards.

Richard.

http://pdfstream.manualsonline.com/6/6b ... 790f9c.pdf

https://www.google.co.uk/url?sa=i&url=h ... AdAAAAABAZ
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Brian-H
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Re: Extreme longshot

Post by Brian-H »

Countax D18/50 Exploded Views and Parts List 2000-2003 https://help.gardentractorspares.co.uk/ ... 000-03.pdf

Countax D18/50 Exploded Views and Parts List 2004-2006 https://help.gardentractorspares.co.uk/ ... 004-06.pdf

Countax Yanmar Diesel Engine Exploded Views and Parts List https://help.gardentractorspares.co.uk/ ... 2v78ca.pdf

I've found two Countax D18/50 2003 Loom Wiring Diagrams which I've uploaded to Dropbox
https://www.dropbox.com/s/vzzispb9a9zva ... 803%29.pdf
https://www.dropbox.com/s/payjbttwkxsye ... 803%29.pdf

Note that you don't need to sign in to Dropbox, or create a Dropbox account or install it,
Click on the cross at top right of the white box, which removes the white box.
Then to get the diagram, click on the download arrow (to the right of "Sign Up"), top right.

Sydsmith
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Re: Extreme longshot

Post by Sydsmith »

Wow!! Great and speedy response, many thanks both. I am sorry I should have been more clear with my post.

Countax Customer Services have failed to help after three weeks wait and several prods. I spent those weeks trawling the net and found the links you both kindly posted. They have been useful in tracing the connections to the panels and correcting a couple of errors in the wiring a previous Countax agent had made. But they only show the wiring loom which is fairly straight forward and are no help with the three printed circuit panels.

I have repaired one of the three panels, which had a faulty selector switch which cost £3, a new panel would have cost £91, the other two panels I am sure will be repairable, they cost over £100 each. But the lack of schematic diagrams is making things difficult. Countax refuse to release a copy to a member of the public, all the agents I have spoken to will only supply new panels, they make no attempt to repair a panel.

I am not stuck, I can just replace the panels but what a waste, I am a retired TV and Radio engineer and have enjoyed the challenge of getting it this far and just wondered if any one who shares this forum might have a connection that would provide the schematics. Syd

Brian-H
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Re: Extreme longshot

Post by Brian-H »

I'd guess that it's basically too much trouble for Countax to dig out the circuit diagrams as very few people will have ever seen them at Countax. For this type of low volume low functionality board , once an electronics engineer has designed and tested a prototype, the production PCB layout is then done on a PC, a parts-list produced, and thereafter it'll probably be turned over to a sub-contract company to produce the working boards (there may be a test jig to test the assembled board as well). But basically, once it's proven to work, the circuit diagram for the board itself is unnecessary and will fester somewhere in an archive.

Sydsmith
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Re: Extreme longshot

Post by Sydsmith »

Point taken Brian but when I was in the trade, we were agents for Panasonic, Sony,Toshiba B&O etc, they all supplied schematics, even for the later flat panel TV's and DVD recorders. We were honour bound not to share them. What we did not have in hard copy we could down load in latter years from the net and I know the TV trade now relies a great deal on the net for schematics.

Once the circuit has been designed and the schematic has been drawn it will be on computer and I am sure Countax share them with their dealers to aid repairs, I was hoping some one here may have access.

My problem is that the panels are very small and packed with components, they are double sided and contain between them 16 relays with another four relays mounted within the tractor, all the panels are interconnected and rely on the others for voltages to operate correctly, discovering which relay does what has taken many hours and I am still uncertain because the PC tracks are hidden under the relays, without dismantling the panel it is guesswork, which a schematic would eliminate.

As I say an extreme long shot.

Brian-H
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Re: Extreme longshot

Post by Brian-H »

What you've listed are high volume high functionality boards, whereas the boards in that Countax are low volume low functionality.

Having said that, these days, even for high volume high functionality boards, it's quicker and easier to just replace with 2nd hand boards that you can buy online - there are companies that buy large quantities of dud electronics products and check which boards work and list them on ebay e.g.. back in May I bought a main card for a Celcus TV for £30 (incl delivery) similar to this one https://www.ebay.co.uk/c/20024441947 . From the symptoms, the flash memory had corrupted itself as it couldn't remember anything when powering on, it was ok when it was on and the menus reset, but even a full factory reset didn't cure the symptoms, for £30 there is no point trying to find the circuit diagram and then hope to repair it. This is the way that electronics is today, even for high volume high functionality boards, most of which include complex chips at the heart of their operation, and a schematic won't show you much anyway.

Dealers of Countax will require the loom schematics for troubleshooting but will merely substitute boards where they seem to be the cause, it's not worth labour costs trying to repair a faulty board, even if they have someone with that detailed level of expertise (which they won't). Trust me, the days of circuit diagrams are dead, they reside in archives in R&D and are never seen again when the finished product is being sold. As an analogy, you wouldn't expect to get the circuit diagram of the internals of a microprocessor chip, many high functionality boards now contain chips with a microprocessor integral to the overall functionality of the chip, that chip is a component on a board, but these days the board itself is the component. Even if there's no chip on a board (low functionality) , the board is still the component these days. As you got the Countax "for a song", simply replace the boards, they're not a lot of money - or search for a company selling 2nd hand boards.

Alternatively, if you have the time and the willpower, remove all the components and then use a continuity tracer on the holes to build up a circuit diagram. 40 years ago I did something similar for 1950's Band I TRF valve TV that had belonged to my grandfather, still got both the hand-drawn diagram and the TV.

Brian-H
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Re: Extreme longshot

Post by Brian-H »

Did you see this "service bulletins" page at Countax https://www.countaxtractorspares.co.uk/ ... -bulletins

Early pCB boards https://help.gardentractorspares.co.uk/ ... boards.pdf (scroll down to D1850 for pics of PCBs on the D18/50)

"PCB Programming" https://help.gardentractorspares.co.uk/ ... rogram.pdf

Basic electrical fault finding guide https://help.gardentractorspares.co.uk/ ... inding.pdf

Sydsmith
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Re: Extreme longshot

Post by Sydsmith »

Thanks Brian for your suggestions, however, this afternoon I rigged up some switches and wiring and got the beast going, which led me to the real fault, which was wrongly routed connections during a previous failed attempt to repair the tractor.

He replaced a panel but I recon before he did so he jumbled the connections to it. All repaired except the deck height control, which has a duff selector switch, I was aware of and will now replace.

Thanks every one for the contributions, a bit of moral support goes a long way :)

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Re: Extreme longshot

Post by Brian-H »

:D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D

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