vexilar problems?

[arcticcat400]

i have an fl8 slt and towards the end of last year i noticed the colors were very dim and hard to distinguish and i also noticed that i had to turn my gain way up to even pick up my lure? i was thinking either brushes or maybe bad transducer or something? and i also bought a new battery so i know its not that and help is appreciated

[CSP88]

If you have a buddy that has a Vexilar, swap with his transducer. If the symptoms still exist I would say it's time for new brushes.

Chad

[BIG DS]

It is very easy to clean the brushes. Once you get the case apart, use rubbing alcohol and a q-tip. Clean the board where the brushes contact it. While you have it torn apart, clean the inside of the lense with a soft cotton cloth sprayed with windex or the like. Do not saturate the cloth, it only needs be damp. Replacing the brushes can be a bit of a challenge as the board that the LED's are attached to does not always want to come off. Get yourself to a electronics store such as Radio Shack or a camera store and buy some canned air (canned air is gauranteed dry) and blow all the dust off the boards and out of the motor. Blowing out the motor can make a huge difference in how loud your Vex runs. I have done it to a bunch and only had to replace brushes on a couple. Good Luck.

[rockman]

Check your power cord and all contacts with the battery posts.Test your battery, even if it is new, to make sure you have a battery that holds a good charge.A tech at vexilar told my awhile back it takes a lot of continuous usage to wear out a set of brushes.

[BIG DS]

Good point. LED's, however are either on or off, there is no dim or bright like a regular light bulb. On a sonar such as a Vexilar, a "dim" appearance is usually due to spots on the wheel where the brush is not making contact and the LED is actually not staying lit the entire breif moment it is on giving the appearance of being dim. I guess you could say it is flashing on and off when it is supposed to be lit steady. I'm not sure if I explained that real good but that is the best I can do.

[rockman]

Well sure, and your post explaining how to clean up the brushes is right on.The guy at vexilar said to always check the battery/power source/conections before assuming the brushes are bad.That is all I am passing along with that.If it is bad brushes,fix 'em.Transducer could be the next culprit.Been there done that on replacing the transducer.