Fixing serial number on a broken equipment

pilot921pilot921
edited January 2005 in Internet & Media
Hi,
My dad gave me a piece of avionics that something is wrong with it beyond repair. I want to play around with it and get into it and change things around to see if I can. The first thing I notice is when I turn it on a serial number comes on and stays on. This may be what is wrong with it, I don't know. My question is where is this information stored, how do I get to it, can it be changed or is there something else I can change. There is a serial cable port in the back of it like for a printer, is this how to get info from it. I am in the dark any info will help. do i need a special tool?

thanks

Comments

  • profdlpprofdlp The Holy City Of Westlake, Ohio
    edited January 2005
    Could you be a little more specific about exactly what it is you are working on? Brand, Model# and Serial# might help. (The one stamped on the case, if any. Plus the one you're seeing on the screen.)
  • pilot921pilot921
    edited January 2005
    I guess the number I see on the screen is not the serial number but the model # is apollo cnx80 it was a gps map that was in a aircraft accident and can't be used for navigation anymore I think. it's pretty banged up, the sticker with the serial # on it is too scratched to read. I don't know a lot about it but it was sitting on the shelf at my dads for a long time. hope this will help you help me. Garmin ownes the company now and I looked all over for info but I guess I don't know what I am looking for.
  • DexterDexter Vancouver, BC Canada
    edited January 2005
    On a specialized piece of hardware like this, the data is stored in EPROMS. While it boots up, the system displays the model number while it loads the data into RAM to work with. The fact that all you get is the boot screen and nothing else indicates that the data is inaccessible. These types of units can usually be re-programmed, that is what the serial port is for, you can interface it with a computer to pull data from it for use in other software, or you can send new data to it, and the factory would have command codes to reset and re-program it. Since your father indicated it is unrepairable, this would make me guess that either:

    - it *is* repairable but simply not worth the expense of sending it back to be re-programmed; or

    - it is not repairable because the EPROMS or the interface hardware is damaged

    There's probably not much you are going to be able to do with it, but you could have fun taking it apart and playing with the components. :)

    Dexter...
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