Novice in trouble

Question

Hi all. I'm a retired mechanic and have VERY little knowledge in the magic that is electronics. So I'm throwing myself on to you good people who can maybe help me out.

I hate throwing stuff away that could easily be repaired with a little bit of effort. I was given a golf trolley last year that didn't work. It has a module with a circuit board inside that looks like it has got wet at some time. I've tested the transistors (only 3) and found 1 of them has blown. The numbers on it are HO1 and YM3045N. I've tried to find one on the net but failed. Is there a way of finding an equivalent. From my limited knowledge it looks like it controls the voltage to the motor. Secondly would water getting into it be enough to blow it or should I look for a popped diode or something as well?..... Thanks in advance ... Bill

shabaz · Answer

A google search reveals that the YM.. identifier is a dual rectifier, not a transistor. Water could have damaged bits of the circuit. What's worse, if it was powered up while wet, then yes there could be more serious damage. If there is a programmed device on board then if that is damaged there is almost no hope of repair without the manufacturer's help. Perhaps it didn't work before the water damage, in which case there is even more guesswork. It may be difficult to repair without some test equipment and electronics knowledge, and even then it might not be possible without manufacturer support. Not really sure what more can be said, engineering is a huge topic (can take years of study) and without more information it's hard to advise much. If there are things that are clearly faulty (e.g. burned tracks, fuses blown etc) then sometimes visual inspection can help, and an approximate idea what each area of the board might do, and the problem symptoms based on visual inspection and some measurements.