Geometrics, Inc.

2190 Fortune Drive

San Jose, CA 95131
Tel: 408-954-0522
G-856 Repair Fax: 408-428-4272
Service Bulletin

This service bulletin has been written to assist our service centers in the timely repair of G-
856AX Magnetometers. The information herein has been derived from our experience
repairing the G-856AX and should be used as a tool for determining quick solutions and in
conjunction with the G856 Technical Manual.

Geometrics has determined that in order to provide quick turn around and ensure reliable
performance of those G-856 magnetometers that are returned for repair, the following course
of action be taken:

1) Verify malfunction. Duplicate the symptoms noted by the customer.

2) Use substitution of known good boards to isolate the problem to one of the three major
assemblies: CPU board, Mag board or Front Panel/ Chassis wiring.

Replace the defective board assembly. Verify operation. Perform the next steps to insure
reliability:

1) Verify current drain on lithium battery.

2) SN 277575 to 277785: Replace U4H and U6H. (Any lots beginning with 27D)
3) Verify ability to download data. U5B RS-232 IC.
4) Verify/Adjust battery cutoff voltage.
5) Inspect keyboard.
6) Verify dipswitch settings.

If needed refer to the attached service bulletin for details on how to perform these checks.

The items listed below are common problems encountered in our repair department. Many of
these problems occur with units manufactured between April 2005 and April 2006. Please
familiarize yourself with this information and refer to the technical manual whenever prompted.

• Lithium battery dead/prematurely drained.

A premature drainage of the lithium battery is the result of excessive current draw in the B
power circuit while the instrument is in a quiescent state. This may be due to component aging
or failure, faulty keypad, improper keystrokes and possibly the removal of the external power
source during or immediately after a read cycle. If the battery measures less than 3.4 volts
across the leads, then it is best to replace it.

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 Follow this procedure when replacing the lithium battery:

Lithium Battery Voltage is nominally 3.6 V DC measured at the battery leads. Battery life is
about 11 years with a correctly operating magnetometer. Take care, when replacing the
Lithium Battery that you do not damage the plated through holes in the Control circuit board.
This board has 5 layers of circuits. It is possible to cause an internal short circuit if excessive
force or excessive heat is used to remove and replace the battery. Each time the lithium
battery is replaced, or when a problem is suspected, you should measure the current drain on
the B power circuit. There are three methods for measuring the current draw while the
instrument is in a quiescent state:

1) If the battery is soldered in place, disconnect main battery power (“D” cells or
Rechargeable Gel Cell), connect the current meter across CR 15. The measured
current should not be greater than 36uA.

2) If the battery is being replaced, solder the negative lead of the battery to the circuit
board and connect a current meter between the positive battery lead and the circuit
board to measure current draw. The measured current should be less than 30uA.

3) Disconnect main battery power (“D” cells or Rechargeable Gel Cell), and measure the
voltage drop across the 1K Ohm resistor at location RLK3 if installed. (RLK3 will be
installed in series with the positive lead of the lithium battery) Measured voltage should
be less than 30 mV. This is an ECO that is currently under review. 5/08/2008.

Note: If the measured values exceed these limits, refer to the Repair Guide in the G856
Technical Manual; Troubleshooting section “Lithium Battery Failure”.

In this section you will see that there are four common causes to this problem. Note the
information in step 4, as it specifies components that we have found to cause excessive
current leakage: U7F, U5B, U5C, U1D and CR15. Check also the RAM chips U2E, U2G, U2H
and U2J. Monitor the leakage current while applying cold/heat to each component. If a
measured change in current is noted then change that component and recheck the leakage
current. This process can quickly identify faulty components and reduce time spent on
troubleshooting this problem.

• Bad IC Lots

Units manufactured between April 2005 and April 2006 had been given an extended warranty
of 2 years primarily due to identified bad IC lots used during that time period. U4H and U6H
should be replaced in all units manufactured within these dates. The bad lots are identified by
any combination of lot marks beginning with 27D.

• Common Component Failures

IC U5B is the RS-232 chip and should be replaced whenever there is communication problem
noted between the console and computer.

Hung CPU will not reset or respond to keystrokes: IC U3B is a flip flop that resets the CPU. If
pushing SW2 does not reset the CPU, then check this IC. To check: monitor U3B pin 1 logic
level. Jumper 5V to U3b pin3 and verify the output on pin 1 changes. (U6F pin 28 can be used
as the 5V Vcc) If the output on pin 1 does not change, replace U3B.
G856 Service Center Repairs.doc Page 2
 Note: Refer to G856 Technical Manual; Troubleshooting Techniques, Reset CPU or exit a
locked state section for more details.

Display Malfunction: Display drivers IC U8B (CA3082) and IC U8C (74HC373).

MOSFETS: VN10KM are highly susceptible to ESD and are used at various places on both
boards. Test forward and reverse bias using a voltmeter in diode check mode. Replace as
necessary.

Furthermore, if problems can be isolated to either board by substitution, we suggest a

“shotgun” method of replacing the following ICs:

Magnetometer PCB: U10, U11, U12 and U16.*

CPU PCB: U7F, U5B, U5C, U1D, U2D and U3D.*

*These ICs have sockets and can be easily swapped and eliminated as the cause of failure in
a timely manner.

• Battery Cutoff Voltage Adjustment

It has been found that when a G-856 battery voltage goes low enough to trigger its LOW BATT
warning message and the operator then replaces the internal batteries or applies external
power to the unit to resume operations, some units will generate a DATA ERROR message
and may cause all previously collected data to be lost. This problem can often be corrected by
re-adjusting the battery voltage sensing circuit. Refer to the G-856AX Low Battery/Data Error
Problem document in the Technical Manual for detailed instructions on performing this
adjustment. Always perform the Low Battery Voltage Adjustment Procedure before the Voltage
Measurement Adjustment Procedure.

Note: If R59 cannot be adjusted to within 0.1V as noted in the procedure, check the value
of R40. The resistance value should be 163K Ohms for older boards and 140K Ohms for
newer boards. Also verify diode trace cut on reverse side of magnetometer PCB.

U1A is made by Texas Instruments. (Look for logo in shape of the state of Texas with a TI in
the middle.) These ICs have a wide hysteresis, not allowing the display to come on until
voltage is raised to 9V or higher. The display should power on around 8.5V and therefore we
recommend a device made by Harris (CD4093BE). The best approach is to test the hysteresis
first by slowly raising the supply voltage and noting the level it takes to turn the display on.
Then, if necessary replace this IC until the hysteresis value of 8.5V is achieved.

G856 Service Center Repairs.doc Page 3

 • Keypad Moisture

Seepage of moisture into keypad can cause high resistance shorts resulting in false
keystrokes, which in turn, could lead to problems previously mentioned. Refer to G-856
Keypad and Test Procedure document in the Technical Manual.

Make a shorting plug as shown on page one of the G-856 Keypad and Test Procedure. Next,
measure the resistance between pins 2-4 and 5-8 and verify greater than 20 M Ohms with no
keys depressed. Depress keys and verify resistance less than 200 Ohms.

Note: If the keypad needs to be replaced make sure to apply a bead of RTV around the
keypad overlay as well as the cutout for the console cable connector. The objective is to
create a watertight barrier in place between the front panel seams and the console
faceplate assembly.

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