How To: Electrical Monitor Motor Board Troubleshooting

This video and article cover the necessary steps for troubleshooting your Task Force Tips RC Monitor motor board. 

This video is right for you if your straight stream to fog control, vertical axis, or horizontal axis are not working. The goal of this exercise is to determine if the problem is a board issue or a motor issue. 

Inside most TFT monitors are three identical motor boards that we can examine to determine the issue. Remember to always shut down power to the monitor before working on your motor boards. Any “hot swaps” or swaps while they are under power will result in damage to the boards. 

Monitor Board Troubleshooting Steps 

1. Shut down power to the monitor. Remember that some trucks are hardwired, and you may need to remove the cables from the battery and shut the power down completely. Once the green light on the monitor goes off, that means power has been killed. 

2. Remove the cover by undoing the four corner screws and pulling the cover off. Attached to this cover is a ribbon cable, so remember not to pull too hard or quickly during removal or this may detach. You can secure the cover back to the electronics box with a single screw if desired.  

3. Identify your three boards. Each board will have a small label nearby. 

4. Swap two boards, the one that correlates to the axis that is not working, and one other. The purpose of this is to see if the lack of function moves to the other axis when the boards are swapped. 

   To remove a motor board, disconnect the blue and white communication wire, the power cord directly behind it, and then gently pull the board out.

5. Once you have removed your first board, set it aside. Repeat the removal steps for a second board and place it in the first boards place. Reconnect the power and communication wires.  

6. Place the first board in the remaining space. 

7. Make sure everything is connected and mounted. 

8. Power the monitor on and wait for the green light to finish flashing. Test your axis.  

In this example, the horizontal axis originally had the problem. Once the horizontal and vertical boards were switched, the vertical access stopped functioning. This is a sign that the board is the problem, and it needs replaced. 

Replacing a Motor Board 

Once you have found that the motor board is the problem, you will need to replace it. 

1. Contact TFT Customer Service for a new board. 

2. Once received, shut down the power to your monitor and wait for the green light to go out.  

3. Remove the new board from the anti-static bag. 

4. Replace the faulty board with the new one by following the board removal steps used before. Then, put the new board in place of the old one and reconnect the power and communication wires.

5. Power your monitor on and test the axis. 

If the problem is corrected, you now want to kill power again, remove the single screw and replace the cover. Tuck the ribbon cable behind the lid carefully and make sure the gasket is in place.  

You should feel the lid fit into place. Then retighten the screws using a cross pattern to tighten evenly. Failure to tighten the lid evenly may cause it to pull to one side, creating the possibility of water entering the compartment and damaging components. 

Retest again. 

Reconnecting the Ribbon Cable 

If the ribbon cable does disconnect from the communication board, it is easy to reconnect.  

1. Examine your ribbon cable and find the contact side. One side of the cable will have contacts and the opposite side will have a protective plastic coating. 

2. Insert the ribbon cable into its place on the communication board, ensuring that the contacts on the ribbon and communication board are connected. 

3. Push the plastic piece down to secure and reconnect the board.  

Still need help? Reach out to our customer service team!