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Thread: CCU Computer board Service - Part 1/3

  1. #1
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    Default CCU Computer board Service - Part 1/3

    A/C (Air Conditioner) Climate Control Unit (CCU) Computer board Service

    Hi, all. After some careful consideration, I decided to offer this service to the NSX owners.
    As I'm doing this on a private/friend basis and I would like to be very flank and honest, I decided to put everything here and I'll appreciate if you can read all of the contents carefully.

    It's going to be long..... There will be 3 posts in total....

    After you read all of the 3 posts and if you are interested, please PM me first to arrange the schedule and exchange the contact detail.

    The Price

    • [Edit: Feb/11] As our NSX is getting older and older, the amount of repair work required for each board is increasing. Because of this, from Feb/2011 onwards, additional repair work (rebuilding track & pad using jumper wire or other method) will be charged at GBP15 per part/component.
    • GBP90 for the base service.
    • [Edit: Apr/2013, Mar/2020] GBP15 for the P & P for returning the Computer board through the post in UK. P&P may change without prior notice depending on the weight of the package and latest price by Royal Mail.
    • GBP20 for removal of CCU, another GBP20 for the installation. Therefore, GBP40 for removal and installation.
    • The member (you) is responsible for the method and cost for sending/bringing the Computer board to my place.
    • Please note that the new Computer board will cost more than GBP1,000 through Honda UK and it could be out of stock. Please handle it carefully. I’ll only use Royal Mail Special Delivery with extra compensation for returning the Computer board through the post for UK address.
    • For the request from outside of UK, international postage fee to be checked and insurance fee to be agreed.
    • Payment method to be discussed (Paypal available).


    The Fact


    • Climate Control Unit (CCU) consists of Computer and Display board.
    • There are 13 aluminium electrolytic capacitors on CCU computer board.
    • Sooner or later, some of these capacitors are going to leak causing damage to the circuit board.
    • The leak starts without being noticed. By the time it caused any issues to the climate control, the damage could be quite serious.
    • Therefore, it is highly recommended to replace all 13 capacitors as a preventative measure before start experiencing any climate control issues.
    • Replacing the 13 capacitors won’t guarantee to fix all of the issues. There are several sensors, actuators, cables and etc that are involved in climate control. Therefore, this service may fix the computer board issues but not the ones outside of CCU.
    • In US, similar service is offered at about US$150 including the postage within the US states.
    • US market is the biggest and demands for this kind of service are higher than other countries.
    • In UK, the new CCU computer board costs GBP933.91+VAT=about GBP1,074. Wow!!

    Still interested? Then please continue...

    The Basic

    • This service is purely for private friend basis and not for commercial purpose.
    • The aim is to help the NSXCB members.
    • Needs to balance between the member’s demands, what I want to do, what I can do, the time required, the risk involved and etc.
    • Be fair for each member including myself.
    • Please send/bring ONLY the Computer board.
    • DO NOT send/bring the Display module. There are 2 small light bulbs on this module and they can easily break internally.
    • Please discharge any static electricity before handling the CCU.
    • You can separate the Computer board and Display module by carefully disconnecting the 2 connectors at the Computer board.
    • The RIGHT side photo is the only part you need to send/bring to me.
    • Click image for larger version. 

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    • Please refer to the Workshop Manual (on-line version available) on how to take out the CCU.
    • When removing the Centre Air Vent, please be careful not to scratch the centre console with the sharp bottom edge of the air vent. It is recommended to insert 2 plastic cards at each corner for protection.
    • These cards will also help lifting the spring latch at the bottom of the Centre Air Vent. Try adjusting the angle of inserted card and give a good wiggle on the card while pulling the Centre Air Vent.
    • Click image for larger version. 

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    Continues to Part 2/3...



    Last edited by Kaz-kzukNA1; 02-03-2020 at 02:51 PM. Reason: P&P charge change due to increase by Royal Mail from Apr/2013.

  2. #2
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    Default CCU Computer board Service - Part 2/3

    The Service

    • The member to carry out the CCU diagnosis procedure based on the workshop manual. Please refer to the attached PDF file for the procedure. Please let me know on the result.
    • The member to provide me with the information on the climate control issues.
    • On receiving the Computer board, visual inspection will be carried out and photo will be taken, if possible.
    • The computer board will be tested prior to make any changes to confirm the issues reported from the member. The board will be connected to my car which is already checked for climate control operation.
    • I will ONLY replace the 13 aluminium electrolytic capacitors on the CCU computer board and repair (if required) the 2 hole copper pads where each capacitor is inserted. It will be repaired using jumper wire.
    • Any leakage will be cleaned as much as possible but the colour change caused by the leakage will stay on the circuit board.
    • I thought about going further to repair/replace other surface mounted components and the IC but considering the purpose of this service, time, risk, price, etc, I decided to draw the line here and thus, only replace the 13 capacitors.
    • After replacing the capacitors, the board will be tested again with the same procedure/method that was used on receiving the board from the member.
    • The member will be informed on the progress.
    • As the service will be carried out during my spare time, I’ll try to send out the computer board within 5 working days after the arrival at my place.
    • However, to be fair with everyone and to keep the same spec of the service, I would like to use the same spec of capacitors including the manufacture. Due to the stock level of capacitors within UK, I may require more time but I’ll notify the member if that is the case. I’ll appreciate your patience.
    • I don’t want to carry huge stock of capacitors at this stage as I don’t know the size of the demand. Also, once it is repaired, it should last for many years and thus, less demand.
    • Due to the sky-high cost and unknown delivery schedule of new CCU computer board from Honda UK, I have no option but to use Royal mail Special Delivery with upto GBP2,500.00 compensation.

    Still with me?? Then please continue....

    The Risk

    • In case the computer board is lost or damaged during the shipping, the compensation through the delivery method needs to be high enough.
    • There is no guarantee that the replacement board (new or used) is available at the time of loss/damage.
    • At this stage, it is not clear on the size of demands for this service within UK.
    • Therefore, I’m not planning to obtain replacement board as an emergency replacement at this stage but possible to get it from Japan.
    • The issues that the member reported to me may not be re-produced during the initial test process using my car before start working on the circuit board.
    • If the leakage from the capacitors were too bad and invaded the IC or other components pad, replacing the capacitors may not be enough to fix the circuit board.
    • It is possible to replace the IC and other surface mounted components but if that is the case, it would be better to replace the entire board with refurbished/new board.
    • Unless the member owned the car from new, there is a possibility that the CCU was tampered previously.
    • Unless we meet face to face and exchange the detail, we don’t know each other.


    Finally, continues to Part 3/3
    Attached Files Attached Files
    Last edited by Kaz-kzukNA1; 02-04-2013 at 09:28 PM.

  3. #3
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    Default CCU Computer board Service - Part 3/3

    The Condition – VERY IMPORTANT

    • As stated above and based on the above procedure, cost, time and etc, it is not possible to tell whether this service will fix all of the climate control issues or not. In fact, as the worst case scenario, this service may highlight other issues that were not noticed by the member previously. Therfore, once the CCU computer board has been shipped out for this service, there will be no refund of the stated cost unless it is agreed with both parties.
    • The temperature of the soldering and vacuum de-soldering station is controlled automatically. I’ll be wearing appropriate equipment to discharge the static electricity. I have been trained to carry out this kind of service (my background in later section).
    • I don’t know the history of delivered CCU computer board and it would be the same for the member if it was not owned as a new car. Therefore, unless the board was damaged on purposely or cracked accidentally by myself, it will be the member’s responsibility once the board is tested and shipped out for delivery or handed directly to the member. If not happy with this, please do not use this service. I’ll appreciate your understanding on this as a friend within NSXCB.
    • If I accidentally drop the CCU computer board and crack the components or the board itself, I’ll either replace it with mine (capacitors already replaced) or place an order to Japan for refurbished one. Depending on the stock in Japan, the process will take some time and I’ll appreciate your patience for this case.
    • If the CCU computer board was damaged on the way or lost before arriving at my address, the member to take care of the compensation process through their selected delivery company.
    • If the CCU computer board was damaged or lost after shipped out from my address using Royal mail special delivery with upto GBP2,500 compensation, I’ll chase Royal mail to find the package or request them for the compensation. At this stage, I don’t have spare computer board so I’ll not be able to provide the member with the replacement until it arrives through the compensation from Royal mail. This will take time.
    • As we are within the NSXCB community, I would like to respect you and also would like to be respected from you. If you have any questions or if you are not happy with my service, I would like to and expecting to deal with it in a friendly manner.
    • The conditions may change without prior notice.


    My Background
    Although I owned my NSX from 1994 and moved to UK in the late ‘90s, I only joined NSXCB in 2008. I was not comfortable on some of the way the people wrote down their own view in similar forum outside of NSXCB. Also, I prefer talking to people face to face simultaneously and not like the one way communication over the forum or email. I kept close eye on NSXCB for a long time and once I felt more comfortable, I decided to join it but only showed very little background.
    Having said this, if I’m going to offer this service to the friends/members of NSXCB, I thought I need to tell a little more about myself as I’m going to handle someone’s GBP1,000.00 component on a private/friend basis.
    So, here it is;

    • BSc Electronics/Electric Engineering and Controls
    • Being in Automotive industry for more than 20years
    • Worked on many hardware/software including ECU (thus, soldering/de-soldering of capacitor is easy for me) but also trained on car assembly and driving.


    If this is still not enough, then I’ll provide you with one more thing which is already on NSXCB.
    If you can look at my avatar on NSXCB, it will show the special parts from a certain engine that I was involved, the autograph from my colleague and the year he wrote it for me (1990).
    I believe above background would be enough to justify that I’m capable of dealing with the circuit board and being very close to NSX.

    Thank you for reading this long post and your time.
    Looking forward to hearing from you soon.


    Regards,
    Kaz

  4. #4

    Default Ccu

    Hi Kaz, Brendan here.

    When do we get started? Where and when?


    My mobile is

  5. #5
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    Default

    Hi, Brendan.
    I just replied back to your other post in the previous thread but to close this converstaion, I'll post the same thing here.

    I'll contact you thorugh email or PM in order to keep the thread/post tidy .

    Thank you for showing your interest for this service.
    Looking forward to talking to you very soon.

    Regards,
    Kaz

  6. #6
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    Default

    ....I don't think you could get a better CV....

  7. #7
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    Default

    Hi, all.
    Last weekend, I met with one of the member here to receive his CCU computer board.

    Probably, this was one of the worst state of the board that I have ever seen.
    I’m happy to report that I managed to recover the full functionality and it is now working.
    The board was 'tampered' previously by someone without any soldering training and possibly no qualification in the electronics. The member didn’t know about the state of the board as he was not the original owner of the car.

    In summary, if you have never replaced the capacitors or if you are not the original owner of the car, it is highly recommended to replace these capacitors before experiencing any issues.

    The member has kindly allowed me to post the process that I went through so here it is.

    The member reported that when he bought the car, none of the lights, LEDs, fan, etc on the CCU worked. Basically, it was completely dead with no power at all.

    This suggested that there would be a power circuit failure but I’ll touch on this later.

    On receiving the board, I was surprised to find the following;
    Someone tried to work on the board but made so many damages to it.
    Even there were traces of re-soldering at some of the capacitors, none of them were replaced apart from the one which was replaced only bacause it was possibly damaged during the process.

    First, I was amazed to find the huge mountains of solder at C14 and 44. Wow!!
    The circuit pad and track at C14, 24, 44 were completely destroyed and had to be repaired using the jumper wires and the hard pin.
    There was a solder ball/debris left on the board.
    Click image for larger version. 

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    The mountain at C14............. Destroyed pad and track ............Solder bridge and huge debris left

    The star GND had to be rebuilt.

    After the initial inspection, the member was informed with the initial report sent over the email.

    Then, there was a short at the power circuit.
    Initially, it was agreed that I'll only replace the 13 capacitors but without fixing this power issue, I won't even be able to power up the board. Therefore, I contacted the member to get authorisation for replacing another component in order to fix the power circuit. Of course, this was done at free of charge.

    Afrer further inspection and repair on the track and pad, it was safe to power up the board for the first time.
    Click image for larger version. 

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    Repaired GND and pad .............jumper wires used

    Everything looked fine so it was time to connect the board to my car.

    Self diagnosis and actuator mode test were carried out and the result were excellent.
    So, if this CCU board is connected to the member's car and experienced any issues, that means there is a problem on the sensor or actuator side and not on the CCU.
    After this test, the board was further tested with 50miles drive with no issues.

    Finally, the board was inspected again, applied with protection coating and received another quick test and job done. Final report was generated.

    During the process, the member was kept updated, received the Initial inspection report and will receive the Final report at the end.

    We'll be meeting again this weekend if the weather is fine.


    So, another member has been saved and looking forward to helping someone here on NSXCB in the near future.

    Regards,
    Kaz

  8. #8

    Default

    Kaz,

    Previous owner of my car sent the board over to the US for this service, if not I would be sending it to you.

    Fantastic write up BTW.

    Cheers,

    AR

  9. #9
    Join Date
    Jan 2006
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    RAF Lossiemouth, Moray
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    Default

    Kaz,

    Excellent work there mate, I hope to get mine out the car this weekend ( I know i say that every weekend these days!) But I will be in touch soon.

    Jim
    1992 NSX, 3.0 Manual, (Was Sebring Silver) Now Kaiser Silver

    2018 Jaguar XE, 2.0 R-Sport 250, Loire Blue.

    2013 Kawazaki ER6F, Metalic Green.

  10. #10

    Default

    Hopefully my car will not encounter any problems (touch wood )! but could with age? I feel alot better knowing this service is being offered by a valued member here who is decent, very knowledgable & helpful. Well done Kaz.
    1999 3.2 Manual 6 Spd Coupe
    Honda's Finest Hour

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