Roddenberry Tricorder mark IX malfunction?

[TomVDJ]

Hey guys, I just received my Roddenberry Tricorder Mark IX... But it seems to malfunction. It starts working when it's closed and I insert the batteries. It doesn't stop when the lid is opened and closed again. It just goes into sleepmode after 2 minutes. Then it wont start again when I open the lid again. Seems as if the magnetic switch doesn't work as it should be. I unscrewed the back of the tricorder to get access to the electronics, and with the back part (with the batteries in it) removed, the tricorder works as it should be, but when is screw that part back in place, it doesn't anymore. Iif I hold a magnet above the top part, it also works as it should be.

Did anybody have a similar problem with this tricorder and had an easy solution to resolve this? If not, I'll send the thing back tot the seller (got if from eBay, it was brand new in a sealed Roddenberry shipping box) to get a replacement, but shipping this back from Belgium to the US and waiting for a replacement will certanly take a month, so if there is an easy way to fix this myself, that would be great.

Any input on this is moren than welcome! I do love this pieace for the rest. Light and soundeffects are great, and it has a nice weight to it. Comes with a great looking stand and in a nice box. Too bad for the malfunction...

 

[USS Endeav]

The speaker, it is located on the sub panel that also houses the batteries?
It is secured by a plate screwed into the sub panel? I'm recalling from the RFX which this
is very close to. The speaker may be interfering with the reed. Try adjusting their positions
relative to each other.

 

[TomVDJ]

Yep, the speaker is placed like that, but I can't really replace is or adjust it's position... I guess I'll just send it back to the seller and get a replacement...

 

[USS Endeav]

Hmm.

The Roddenberry version added a magnet to keep the door closed...and from pictures I see online, it looks equally apart from the speaker.
Given it works when you remove the subpanel, try these steps. First, unscrew the speaker and let it dangle off the body edge while putting
the sub panel back, then check operation. If it is normal, replace the speaker and remove the magnet that keeps the door closed. then reinsert
the battery subpanel and check operation. If it works, the magnet is the issue. It's poles are affected by the speaker magnet and are in turn
affecting the reed. If it doesn't work, replace the magnet but not permanently. Then remove the speaker and tape it in a position as close to
where you believe it is when the subpanel is in place. Then check if it works normally. If it does, the reed is being affected by the batteries.
Try switching brands...otherwise you'll have to exchange it. If it doesn't work then in all likelihood further troubleshooting would require a
solder gun, a reed switch, a speaker and a magnet to see if individual components are the issue.

 

[TomVDJ]

Thanks for the tips, but I'm going to have it replaced... If I fiddle with it now and break something, there's no way I can return it, so I'm not taking the risk braking it... But thanks for the help anyway!

 

[ajcatalano1]

Funny thing, I have had mine for about 2 years and I am just now changing the batteries and had the SAME problem when I placed new batteries in it. It's just ON no matter what. So I read this thread and just as a test I put the old batteries back in and it works as it should! So what battery "brand" would make it work better? I mean I put in Ray-O-Vac's not Duracells so i suppose I could try some off brand from 99 cent store and hope for the best.
Also, has anyone attempted to modify this to accommodate a medical scanner?

 

[TomVDJ]

That strange, that the batteries actually matter... I had mine replaced with one that works fine (with the original batteries). I have some new Panasonic batteries lying around. I'll give it a try this evening with these other batteries and let it know here if this causes the "malfunction" on mine...