Initially the problem was random, one row of the message, was missing for few seconds, then working normally.
But on time, the missing row problem become permanent.
Then another row started to dim and then disappeared.
At this point I decided to open the Infoglobe and discover the cause of the problem.
Here a description of what I did, hopefully it can be useful to somebody else.
Opening the Infoglobe
As described in my first article on the Infoglobe, I opened the Infoglobe.
However, I just removed the dome. There is no need to remove the 4 screws on the bottom since the problem is located only on the rotating arm.
Once removed the dome and unscrewed the rotating arm, I removed the rotating arm for a detailed inspection.
 |
| The rotating arm removed from the Infoglobe |
The problem
The rotating arm is composed by two PCBs connected at 90 degrees.
The small PCB at the end of the arm is hosting 8 LEDs (in my case, 8 blue LEDs).
In the picture, note the arrows indicating the side exposed during the rotation.
The first thing I noticed was a dark color on the side exposed in the rotation.
I think is was dust mixed to small PCB particles. The high rotation and vibration, during the years, probably caused a partial disintegration of the PCB and conductive material.
The rotation itself allowed this dust, probably also electrically charged, to deposit on the LEDs side exposed to the rotation.
Note in the picture above the dust deposit around the LED. When the dust touched two LEDs, a short circuit happened, forcing the LED off.
Initially only for few microseconds, thus the "dimming" effect, then with enough dust, permanently.
Fixing the problem
With a very soft old tootbrush, I removed the dust from the rotating arm, especially from the PCB with the LEDs, and then I put it back the rotating arm.
It worked perfectly.
I was worried to have to re-do some soldering on the LEDs, but I didn't found any sign of detachment, so for the moment I put it back the rotating arm and close the dome again.
I have an Info globe also, except the difference of mine is that it has 3 colors. Mine used to have a problem where one line shut off, then another until blank. All what had to be done is on the back, use a soldering kit and solder the pieces back together and then good as new. Now what happens, (I'm hoping your post helps and not an electronic board issue/data corruption) is several things. Sometimes it shows random text instead of what I programmed it to, or just some text. Sometimes it is showing text, and then all the sudden it completely goes blank. I 10 - 60 seconds later, it comes back on and happens random. When the text becomes still to replace the text with something else, the text is very shaky. Oh, also, I currently have my color set to blue, but sometimes, rarely, it turns the color to red then back to blue. I will follow your steps here, and hope that it get's this working again (I've had it since I was 6 and I'm now 13 and it was a display model where it was bought. So maybe it's just dying.
ReplyDeleteThank you for posting this blog.
Ian
Ian, the Infoglobe multicolor has a rotating arm little bit bigger of the normal one, since the "head" has 3 set of LED instead of one.
ReplyDeleteOther than that, the same principle of the standard arm apply.
The problem you describe it could be generated by a defective base board or also from a IR link problem.
The data to display, what color to use, ecc., is trasnfered via an IR link.
A diode on the base is sending up the info to the rotating arm. If the diode is misaligned or has problems, or if the photodiode on the rotating arm has problems (i.e. dust that cover it) I would expect the kind of problems you describe.
I would try to check if the photodiode on the rotating arm is clean.
Check also the alignment of the diode on the base.
Stefano,
ReplyDeleteThank you so much for posting how to fix the Infoglobe. The bottom rows of lights were not working so I thought my Infoglobe was dying. But I tried your suggestion of cleaning the LED and it worked!! Am so happy! I hope it lasts another 10 years for I love that silly thing.
Rebecca
Hi,
ReplyDeleteI have the Olympia Infoglobe Plus, which is the globe and handheld telephone. I have had it since it was new. I had to move a couple times and after my third move, I plugged it in and it needed a new battery for the handset. I found one and replaced it. Then it seemed to work pretty well. Except that about a year later it suddenly set the time and date back about 30 days, as if someone hacked it through the phone line and reprogrammed a chip inside. Then a day or two later it went back to normal time.
Now it is about 2 years later and the globe is losing time. About a week ago I reprogrammed the time and it lost about a minute a day. Today I reprogrammed it and it lost 5 minutes in about a half hour.
Any ideas?
I currently have it unplugged to discharge any capacitors. I have also noticed it retains caller ID numbers for quite a while, so whatever is supplying power for that I also want to discharge, and then plug everything back in and hope this resets the timing circuit as well.
Does anyone have a better idea?
I have no issues with the display except it did seem to get stuck in a loop of only showing the last number called in. Which is why today I pulled the plug to help it reset.
Charles, unless your model is totally different than the others, the date and time used are the one received from your phone line when a call is received.
DeleteIf for any reason your provider has the wrong time set for your line, you can see on your caller ID (ANY caller ID, not only the Infoglobe) the wrong date/time.
So basically any caller ID doesn't track the time precisely since every received call the internal clock is refreshed with the received value.
Wrong date/time usually is due from a wrong date/time sent from your provider.
Showing the last number received is also a normal behavior for the Infoglobe unless is the only thing showed :) A reset sometime could be necessary .. honestly I don't even remember when I reset mine last time :)
hola, me acaban de obsequiar un infoglobe pero no tengo idea de como configurarlo. tienes algun manual o video en español para hacerlo?. te agradezco de antemano.
ReplyDeleteGreat instructions and I was able to repair the globe successfully. Popping the globe off the base was the hardest part.
ReplyDeleteThanks Michael
Glad it helped ! :)
DeleteThanks
Hi,
DeleteHow exactly did you Pop off the globe? Did you use a small screwdriver and slowly insert it between the base and the globe while prying it up a little at a time?
Thanks, Fred
Basically yes, very very gently and better use some tool in plastic rather than a screwdriver.
DeleteHi Stefano,
ReplyDeleteI just stumbled across your blog. In my case, my InfoGlobe has stopped spinning and all LEDs are dark. The power adapter still seems to be providing power. Any ideas on what could be wrong?
Kok-Yong
Well, if the arm is not spinning I would first verify the motor.
DeleteThe LED are dark because the power to the LED bar come from contacts on the rotor. No motion, no power.
Maybe on ebay you can find some infoglobe with other problems and you can just change the motor.
It is also possible is some electronic component burned, I'm sure the motor is controlled by a transistor or mosfet, possible it burned off.
Sadly, I didn't see your reply before I gave up. After a lot of poking around inside my dead infoglobe, I went to Amazon and bought a new one for a hefty chunk of money! Blue LEDs this time (the original was orange). The new one worked fine until it stopped lighting up although the arm continues spinning! Could this be also due to the dust issue? I'm going to have to figure out how I opened the dome up the last time. Sigh.
DeleteThe dust problem is forming after years of daily use. Unless the infoglobe you bought is used I would think about other possible problems.
DeleteIf the arm is spinning and no messages are coming out is possible the board below is fried, or the infrared LED is burned out, or the arm is not receiving power .. i.e. is not easy to diagnose the problem.
Sure, go ahead and open it and try to clean the LEDs but also consider that the dust problem happens gradually, i.e. one LED having problems, then two, etc.
If it just stopped to work altogether I would look elsewhere.
Hello Stefano! I have an Olympia Globe OL3000.2 that I've had a few years. Lately it has been shutting down all a sudden. The first time it shut off I thought it was due to a power outage, but it turned out the unit was the only item no working. So I decided to unplug it and plug it back it back in. It worked for 24 hours. After 24 hours it shut down again. It now appears that I need to unplug and plug the power back in daily. Any ideas of what might be happening.
ReplyDeleteI would try to change the power supply. These things with the age often simply start to have problems. If after changing the power supply (the wall wart, 9v 300 mA) still has problem, is necessary to take apart the unit and look for damaged capacitors (the most other common problem due by the age).
DeleteBut first change the power supply. I have the feeling that you will solve your problem juts doing that :)
Good luck
Steve
My infoglobe's Caller ID (CID) just quit woring. I put in fresh batteries. I took out batteries and unplugged hoping that a complete drain might somehow "reboot" it. No such luck. Any ideas?
ReplyDeleteWell, thank you for the trust, but I really can't guess what the problem can be :)
Delete"Just quit working" is quite generic description.
The motor is running ? If yes, it could be the arm with a lot of build up or can be the base with problems. It could be the infrared LED fried, so no signals are coming to the rotating arm, can be the power supply with problmes, etc.
Here's a weird one. Have an OL3000 Infoglobe that has been working just fine for a decade or so. However, one morning I noticed it was spinning, but not displaying anything. I thought maybe wall wart had gotten weak, so I connected it to a regulated external power supply set for 9V. Same problem. Decided for no particular reason to try varying the power supply up to 10V and down to 0. Strange thing happened when I reduced voltage to 5V... it started working. When I increase voltage to 6V, it quit working. If I leave it 5V, it stays working. Only hypothesis I have right now is maybe it has a blown voltage regulator, but I've never seen such a weird symptom from a blown VREG. Any ideas?
ReplyDeleteSeems to me that maybe the internal 5V regulator short circuited, so if you supply the 5V all OK, over and everything is out of spec.
DeleteProbably you need to open it totally, locate the 5V power supply circuit and replace it.
One night, I suddenly remembered I had this stuck away in a drawer for the past 3-1/2 years, so I decided to take another look at it. I had completely forgotten I'd posted about it, until searching Google to see if anyone else had this same problem and came across my own old comment here. Checked the 5V supply and it's okay. However, I discovered if I put a potentiometer across the microswitch terminals, I could adjust the rotation RPM. At lower RPM it would work. At higher RPM, blank. One of the IRLEDs is always on and is what the rotor uses to detect the start of a revolution. I hypothesized at higher speed, it might have a harder time seeing the IRLED, so maybe the IRLED is too dim. I checked it with my cellphone camera, and it was barely visible while the other IRLED that transmits data was clearly visible whenever I pushed a button. I substituted a spare 5mm IRLED I had in my parts bin, and it worked! However, it was too large. I noticed the series resistor for the IRLED is 560-ohms which is maybe 7mA to the IRLED and most are rated at 20mA, so I put the original 3mm IRLED back in and connected a 270-ohm resistor in parallel with the 560 which should take it to around 20mA. Now it's close to the brightness of the other on my cellphone camera, and it works! Anyway, thought I should update in case anyone has similar issues.
DeleteGood diagnostic and finding Shawn !!
DeleteHello Stefano,
ReplyDeleteI have an Info Globe similar to yours and I'd like to know what the procedure is to remove the dome? I have one line out on my display & I'd like to try the cleaning tip that you posted. From what I understand it is not necessary to remove the four screws on the bottom of the unit. Does that mean that I can carefully pry the cover off with a small flat blade screwdriver? Once the cover is removed is it necessary to remove the arm or can I carefully try brushing the LED's with a toothbrush as you suggested?
Thanks for the great information, Fred
Correct, you need to remove the 4 screws on the bottom if you want to access the circuit below the rotating arm.
DeleteOnce you remove the dome (BE SURE TO DON'T RUN THE ARM WITHOUT DOME !! Quite dangerous thing to do !!) you can evaluate if you can clean the arm on the spot or if you have to remove the arm for a better job.
Dear Stefano--After reviewing the above information, I was able to restore my Globe to normal by brushing the LED. Thanks for having this information online.
DeleteI cleaned my leds like you said and it came up great for about 15 minutes then went to the darker mode with the leds not as bright.What is this problem?
ReplyDeleteMmm let me turn on the magic crystal ball :)
DeleteWell, the crystal ball is not telling me much. My guess would be that the board is more damaged than appears and the vibrations are causing some detaching of the LEDs. You could try to solder back all the LEDs and see if there are improvements.
Or maybe when you did put back the arm, the board was not well coupled with the motor and thus there is less power coming to the arm. Very hard to make an hypothesis, many different things can go wrong.
I did repair about 3 units so far and after the cleaning everything worked for years. But again, maybe the arm is more damaged than appears and some re-soldering is necessary.
Good luck !
Stefano
ReplyDeleteHere’s-one picked one up at a thrift store, spins no problem, displays all menu info, you can cycle through the menus and even put in a message, but when called no caller I’d appears, it’s an Olympia ol3000.2 . Any ideas also have an older one in closet doing same thing.
Hi, well, seems the telephone interface has problems.
DeleteI don't know what kind of phone interface the Olimpia guys used, but very probably there is a discharger somewhere and maybe some varistors.
It is possible that an overcharge, maybe due by a thunderstorm, damaged some components if not even the CID chip.
Again, I never analyzed the PSTN interface on the Infoglobe but I did work on PSTN modem for many years, so I know it must be present some protection circuitry and good chances are that is enough to replace such circuitry to restore the unit.
Unfortunately there are many many ways to protect a PSTN interface so I can't give you any suggestion without analyzing the circuit.
Take a look to this picture for example :
http://www.almcom.net/images/Telco%20Surge%20Protection-b.gif
Is one way to protect a modem from the line. There are some diac, impedences, sometime there is a transformer.
If I have to repair something like that I would start to check all the components around the RJ11 especially if varistors, or diac, or discharger.
If a component is in parallel to the PSTN line, just remove it and see if is the unit is working.
If is in series you need to replace it or maybe just short it.
Of course I don't recommend AT ALL to leave the unit without protection.
When a surge arrives (not if, but when) you can say goodbye to the chip if there are no protections.
But to quickly see if the chip is working, just bypass the protections.
Good luck
Oh .. of course I'm assuming you DO have the CID service activated from your PSTN provider right ? :)
DeleteYour posts have been so helpful. Mine was spinning but no display. I took the dome off as per your instructions and all seemed to go well. I could not see any dust, etc. so I placed it back together, didn't put dome on it yet, and plugged it in and now it seems to be completely dead. Everything looks like they are still connected. Do you any suggestions for me? Thank You so much!
ReplyDeleteThe dust can be hard to see, try use a very powerful magnifying lens or just do some clean up.
DeleteWithout the dome the arm is not spinning, there is a safety switch that prevent that.
The arm can spin fast enough to be very dangerous, can have a finger cut, so DON'T FORCE IT TO RUN without the dome or just be aware that can be VERY dangerous !!
Was all set to throw my Sharper Image Globe out. Replacements were only available "used". Accidently found this post. Removed dome and cleaned arm with toothbrush while still attached. Voila! Works 100%! Thank You so much!!
ReplyDeleteGlad it worked !
ReplyDeleteI never reverse engineered the base, but surely should be present a power supply based on some voltage regulator. I would start to take a look at it.
ReplyDeleteThe batteries should power basically the memory in case of power outage so in theory you could us the unit also without them.
Good luck
Not really, the problem can be located in many places.
ReplyDeleteI surely would start checking the power supply INSIDE the unit.
While spinning do you see any message on the display ?
And there is a Red LED on the base, is supposed to be ON. Is it ?
If not something is wrong with the power supply, there are some regulators inside the base.
As I said in other answers, I never reverse engineered the base so I don't have first hand suggestions other than what I said.
Good luck
Hi,
ReplyDeleteI accidentally turned off power to my infoglobe and can't figure out how to reboot it. I can get it to Demo mode but can't seem to get back to normal working. The arm spins fine. Also, I used to have the display white but now it is red, which is hard to read.
Could somebody give me a step by step instructions for getting out of demo and back to working mode?
Mmmm quite strange.
DeleteThe fact only one color is showing up (I assume is a multicolor model, the standard one has only blue LEDs) could indicate some problems.
I would :
- remove completely power for few minutes, it include to remove also batteries if present)
- check that the power supply is giving enough voltage/current (let say at least a 9V and 1A)
Turning the unit on after a while should start normally.
If pushing the button for the demo is not working then the unit has other problems.
Good that the arm spins, but the problem could be located in the main board or maybe the IR LED that send info to the arm is damaged.
To sum up, if the power supply is OK and resetting the unit is not solve the problem then is time to dig in the unit checking signals and looking for damages.
I had the problem that the LED lights were faint and/or partially lighting up. I took the arm off as suggested and cleaned the LED lights, but it still didn't work. I took it off again, but this time I took rubbing alcohol and a toothbrush and cleaned the two silver contact pads on the underneath of the arm. I then took the contract arms on the rotary disc that the arm attaches too and bent them up some more. This way it would make better contact. Put it all back together and fixed! I believe over the years of spinning, the arms lose their tension and need to be bent up a little to make better contact again.
ReplyDeleteGood finding !
DeleteGreat site, I have a different issue than found here. Blue led model get olymia infoclobe with power on. Select brings up Tx:BB22/V06 Rx:7015/06 Ep:DC31. Down changes to MOTOR SPEED:36.3Hz. Down again clears sisplay. Right gives demo mode with cycle thru of display info. Problem is can't get into menu to set anything. Manual from https://www.manualslib.com/download/1076904/Wave-Olympia-Info-Globe-Ol3000.html With the Tx and Rx info I wonder if this has a modem built in and is stuck is a service mode or somthing. Would be neat to send info on the fly with modem connection. I don't have a pots line to test CID. Would like to know what the Tx Rx and Ep means.
ReplyDeleteTake a look to these articles : https://hanixdiy.blogspot.com/2010/10/hacking-infoglobe-part-1.html
DeleteI've been modding JavaScript from the project below to send date like Fri Feb 11 2022 and refreshing it at 18 seconds so it doesn't time out. I tried posting it but it's over the character limit. I listen to one channel of the string on a TV and when I went to mute it the globe setting in front went blank. So I thought I could send to it from an automation controller that can send with IR probes. It didn't blank the globe so it isn't strong enough like a hand held remote. The probes get stuck on equipment so they don't have to be as strong as a remote. I did try using an x10 IR transmitter/receiver but it didn't make the probe signal stronger, it did blank the globe using a remote but not the probes being repeated. I've got some old remotes with a pin header in the battery compartment and wondered before If I could connect to a pc to make a blaster. Guess I'll take another look at that. Using the remote thur the extender did get the globe to display o's all around usually but occasionally a > or ? etc. The characters stay showing so they must be generated in the spinner if the remote makes them show. The program that works by bypassing the internal circuitry may work externally if a strong enough LED is used to shine thru the globe. Trying to make the javascript automatic to keep refreshing thru the day then updating at midnight with the next day. Windows task schedular brings up Sarari but it isn't processing the date to show and Microsoft Edge shows the date but so far, I can't get it to pop up at midnight. May have to make it keep rechecking for the change just like I have to keep resending to the globe to keep it from timing out. I'll keep hacking at it, gives me something to do, just thought others may want to try something similar. I tried setting this next to some digital clocks with bigger letters that are only numeric so I would have alpha day and month but the text on the globe is much smaller and blue isn't that visible. Too bad since I already have an old pc driving those clocks. I found this time hack for PC's that appears to be pretty accurate, ptbtime1.ptb.de
DeleteBy 6v6gt and based on a javascript audio core by NeoCat
Designed to test PSTN/POTS Telephone Caller ID Systems, for example: Esp8266 Arduino Telephone Caller ID system with anti-spam feature
I've found that a hand held remote will make the globe blank out and can make it display characters, mostly o's all around but other things occasionally. So, it should be possible to make an IR blaster work from outside the globe if it's strong enough. Probably would have to keep repeating the message so it doesn't time out. I have some IR probes from an automation controller and they aren't strong enough to make the globe respond. I've been working with the below JavaScript program to make it keep refreshing the globe with the date in alpha. It shows Fri Feb 11 2022 which is less than 16 characters so it displays twice. Every fourth display I refresh it before it times out. It jumps since it would probably be impossible to refresh it at the right time every time. Have to work on getting it to pull the next date at midnight.
DeleteTelephone Caller ID AFSK Generator
By 6v6gt and based on a javascript audio core by NeoCat
http://www.nailed-barnacle.co.uk/callerid/homepage.html hoto open the case and a control program using .wav files. cidmaker
ReplyDeleteTelephone Caller ID AFSK Generator
DeleteI've modified the html to display day month and year and refresh to keep it displaying. Alas, new users can't upload files. Using it on a Discovery Channel Olympia globe.
the last post is mine but another didn't get posted. I can't get into menus. I do get a readout with Tx Rx Ep info then push down and get motor speed readout. Up button does nothing. Haven't opened it up yet. cidmaker from last post works sending up to 16 numbers and 18 alpha, numbers and a few others. I use a Radio Shack telephone recording control, cat # 43-228A normaly used for record and play on a cassette with remote trigger. Plug into PC audio out and globe line in.
ReplyDeleteCaller ID MOD TO SHOW DDD MMM DD YYYYY
Deletehttps://forum.arduino.cc/c/community/exhibition-gallery/45
Telephone Caller ID AFSK Generator
By 6v6gt and based on a javascript audio core by NeoCat
Modified to display like this Tue Mar 07 2023. Done on windows 7 and worked on win XP. Issues now on win 10 but it may be the globe acting up as they do. There may be a timing issue also, hard to tell with a questionable globe. Interestingly it can receive characters from hand held remotes, I'll have to experiment with updating it that way from an automation controller.
My Globe all of a sudden reverted to a 1/1/20 date display and a 13 hr earlier time
ReplyDeleteI have reset it 3 times and it stays correct for about 10 -15 hours and then reverts bacl to January 2020. Now on the fouth day of this it now displays January 4 etc.unplugged and chsnged batreries. Any thoughts?
I don't think your globe has problems.
DeleteLike ALL PSTN caller ID the date/time is coming with every incoming call.
The battery on the globe is supposed to help to store the "last" time/date received until the next one arrives.
You say it keeping the date for about 10-15 hours.
Did you set the globe to turn off during the night ?
When you turn it off and back on, the date is lost (on mine at least works in this way) until a new call arrives setting back the date.
It is possible your provider sometime is sending a wrong date/time.
Cheers
I have an Infoglobe model OL3000. The problem is that after turning it on the display works for maybe ten minutes or even up to half an hour and then the display shuts off however the arm still rotates. I followed the above directions and cleaned the LED thoroughly and repeated multiple times however the problem still persists. Any help? Thanks.
ReplyDeleteHi, is not clear what you mean with "shuts off".
DeleteThe LED problem in the article imply the display "missing" one or more rows, not the display totally off after a while.
So is another problem. It could be the IR led on the base with problems, or the base itself or the power supply. If for a while you see the display normally then the problem is NOT dirt built up on the arm.
Try to change the power supply, is possible it has problems and after a while give not enough to the circuit.
If with a new power supply the problem still persist then could be the base and is not easy to fix that since you need to do some measurements and know the circuit.
Good luck
Steve
I know this is an old thread, but I'm having the exact same problem with my globe. I suspect what the poster means by "shuts off" is the globe has power and the arm is spinning but all of the LEDs just turn off (with the arm still spinning). After reading all of the above, I decided to take a look at my power supply. It says it's suppose to be supplying 9V DC so I put a meter on the plug. It's actually putting out almost 14V DC. I have an adjustable power supply that I connected to the globe. I found one of the settings that gave a reading very close to 9V DC. Low and behold the globe has been running perfectly for several days now. Does that mean there's probably a problem with the voltage regulator on the globe or is the original power supply the problem? Thanks for this discussion.
DeleteHi !
DeleteIs not the first time somebody reported malfunctioning with a power supply above 9Vdc.
I can understand having problems when below 9Vdc, but above .. I never did a reverse engineering of the Inforglobe so I just don't know what can be.
However I remember, looking at the base, to have seen 5V in some points so it must exists a 5Vdc regulator on the base.
I assume that above 9Vdc it still should work as expected.
It is however probable, since I assume you did measure the 14Vdc with a multimeter and not with an oscilloscope, if the power supply is damaged, is possible an AC is superimposed over the Vdc, creating interference with the operations.
To answer your question, with the data I have (not much :) ) I can assume the problem is with the power supply.
Try to find a new 9Vdc wall wart and see if everything works fine.
Good luck
STeve
Thanks for the reply. I measured the voltages with a multimeter as I don't have an OScope. We had SEVERAL old wall warts laying around and none gave a 9 volt reading. I measured both the DC and AC voltage on all of them. All of the power supplies rated for DC gave a reading of 0V AC. The ones I had over 9V all worked for a short time until the lights turned off. A couple of those said the had an output of 9V but they were actually putting out more like 12-15V. I did have 2 power supplies (one outputting about 6.5V (listed as 3.5V DC output) and one about 7.5V (listed as 4.5V DC output). Both of those supplies seem to work although the LEDs don't seem to be a bright as they used to be. I'll keep looking around for something that delivers closer to 9V to see how that works. In the meantime, I have a working globe again albeit a slightly dimmer globe.
DeleteMeasuring the voltage of these things can be tricky, you should do with a load (like a small lamp rated for the voltage you want to measure) and also you should check how much current these things are supposed to give.
DeleteAt this point I would say that is very probable the malfunctioning can be caused from "electric noise" or lack of current from the wall wart.
They are usually very cheap components and on time degrade their performances, plus is also possible to have a degradation in the Infoglobe electronic, ending to require more current.
So even a "working" wall wart in the end can't catch up with the demand.
Very empirically, if you find something that works, good :)
The alternative would be doing extensive measurements on the Infoglobe trying to determine how much is consuming and if maybe some components (like a electrolitic capacitor or burned resistor) are damaged and cause an increase of the needed current to work in the specifications.
Is a problem that unfortunately affect all the electronics, especially cheaper ones.
STeve
Thanks for your great advice do you have videos on YouTube?
ReplyDeleteNo sorry, I do have something but not related to the globes
DeleteThe motor assembly was screaming prior to dying. Does anyone know where to purchase just the motor assembly portion of the globe?
ReplyDeleteI doubt you can even find anymore something like that.
DeleteTry to go on Ebay. Maybe you can find broken Infoglobe to cannibalize, is the only thing.
Or go on antique mall, sometime is possible to find interesting thing.
Alternatively, take apart your infoglobe and look at the motor.
You can find maybe the manufacturer of the motor and see if you find online some equivalences.
Good luck :)
I already had it apart. It turned out to more like Pandora's box. It's not your typical motor. The noise was from the lower magnet longer being secured to the mounting plate and thus freewheeling while scraping the upper magnet (with the two data wires). No manufacture info could be found. Repairable?, maybe, err. Cheers
DeleteProbably was manufactured on specifications, so your only hope is to find some other broken/cheap infoglobe on Ebay. What models is your Infoglobe ?
ReplyDeleteI mean, was the classic blue LED type ? Or multicolor ? Or the one with the phone ?
Aww, it didn't work for my aunt's. I gave it to my aunt and uncle over 20 years ago. It still works, but two of the center LED lines are out. I was hoping to restore the display.
ReplyDeleteSorry to hear that.
DeleteIs possible the LED are detached (corroded PCB) or are broken. If you are good to work on SMD you can try to re-sold them and/or replace them.
Or you can try to buy another Infoglobe on Ebay, also broken, and cannibalize the rotating arm.
Good luck
My blue one had a lot of LEDs dead and dim. My experience with blue LEDs is they seem to have a shorter life span than other colors. I replaced them with ice blue and it looks really cool.
ReplyDeleteWow ! Good job !!
DeleteHi there. I’ve had mine since 2005 and it’s worked flawlessly. However there is a red led lit up inside the unit, not on the rotation arm. The unit is working fine but this LED didn’t display until recently. Any ideas what it might be/mean?
ReplyDeleteHi, long time I don't open an infoglobe, but if I remember the red LED just indicate the presence of power.
DeleteSince your unit works I exclude the power is gone :) however it could indicate something wrong with your power supply.
Try to change it. If with a new one the LED is still off, is possible something on the main board is not correct related to the power and it could worsening in the near future.