Panasonic KX-FT981LA-B Service Manual Download

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KX-FT981LA-B / KX-FT987LA-B

12.5.6. Digital Board Section

When the unit fails to boot up the system, take the troubleshooting procedures very carefully. It may have a serious problem.
The symptom: No response when the power is turned on. (No LCD display, and keys are not accepted.)
The first step is to check the power source. If there is no problem with the power supply unit, the problem may lie in the digital
unit (main board).
As there are many potential causes in this case (ASIC, DRAM, etc.), it may be difficult to specify what you should check first. If
a mistake is made in the order of checks, a normal part may be determined faulty, wasting both time and money.
Although the tendency is to regard the problem as a serious one (IC malfunction, etc.), usually most cases are caused by solder
faults (poor contact due to a tunnel in the solder, signal short circuit due to solder waste).

Note:

1. Electrical continuity may have existed at the factory check, but a faulty contact occurred as a result of vibration, etc., during

transport.

2. Solder waste remaining on the board may get caught under the IC during transport, causing a short circuit.

Before we begin mass production, several hundred trial units are produced at the plant, various tests are applied and any mal-
functions are analyzed. (In past experiences, digital IC (especially DRAM and FLASH ROM) malfunctions are extremely rare
after installation in the product.)
This may be repaired by replacing the IC, (DRAM etc.). However, the real cause may not have been an IC malfunction but a sol-
dering fault instead.
Soldering faults difficult to detect with the naked eye are common, particularly for ASIC and RA (Resistor Array). But if you have
an oscilloscope, you can easily determine the problem site or IC malfunction by checking the main signal lines.
Even if you don’t have such a measuring instrument, by checking each main signal line and resoldering it, in many cases the
problem will be resolved.
An explanation of the main signals (for booting up the unit) is presented below.

Don’t replace ICs or stop repairing until checking the signal lines.
An IC malfunction rarely occurs. (By understanding the necessary signals for booting up the unit, the “Not Boot up”
display is not a serious problem.)

What are the main signals for booting up the unit?

Please refer to

Check the Status of the Digital Board

(P.111).

The ASIC (IC1) controls all the other digital ICs. When the power is turned on, the ASIC retrieves the operation code stored in
the FLASH ROM (IC2), then follows the instructions for controlling each IC. All ICs have some inner registers that are assigned
to a certain address.
It is the address bus by which the ASIC designates the location inside each IC. And the data bus reads or writes the data in
order to transmit the instructions from the ASIC to the ICs.
These signal lines are all controlled by voltages of 3.3V (H) or 0V (L).