Shocker/Nerve Electronics Troubleshooting [ZDSPB Tech]

Shocker/Nerve Electronics Troubleshooting
This includes problems relating to the powerswitch, LED, battery, and solenoid not clicking issues. Please refer to the other Troubleshooting pages for information about Vision or general leaking/shooting problems respectively.

Listed are the gun's symptom along with a series of possible causes, and how to remedy them. The possible causes are in a specific order, more likely first with the less likely causes lower down the list. When diagnosing problems, you should try each item listed in order.

LED doesn't blink and solenoid doesn't fire.
· Check the wire harness for damage; recommended replacing it to be sure.
· Check the pins inside the connectors for the wire harness on both boards (see Bent pins at the bottom of the page).
· Check the horizontal circuit board for damage caused by the top grip screws (see Board Damage at the bottom of the page). If there is enough of a scratch, the board will have to be replaced or repaired.

Marker functions correctly, but LED doesn't blink.
· Check the wire harness for damage; replace if unsure.
· Check the pins inside the connectors for the wire harness on both boards (see Bent pins at the bottom of the page).
· Check the horizontal circuit board for damage caused by the top grip screws (see Board Damage at the bottom of the page). If there is enough of a scratch, the board will have to be replaced or repaired.
· The LED has fried. This is very uncommon but can be easily repaired.

Shocker doesn't turn on
· Replace the battery.
· Check the wire harness for damage; replace if unsure.
· Check the pins inside the connectors for the wire harness on both boards (see Bent pins at the bottom of the page).
· Examine the power switch on the circuit board for damage. It should look EXACTLY like the dwell switches on the stock boards. A common problem is for the raised button to break off; if this is the case then the switch will need to be replaced. Another common problem is for the metal cover to come off, exposing the black plastic rectangle inside it (when that happens, parts of the switch can often be found inside the grip frame, including the metal cover, plastic button, and small metal plate).
Below are three pictures of the switch with a missing button (button broken off). The fourth picture is of the switch if the metal cover came off.

· This is easily repaired. Please check the Powerswitch Repair page in the Related Links section.
· Check the horizontal circuit board for damage caused by the top grip screws (see Board Damage at the bottom of the page). If there is enough of a scratch, the board will have to be replaced.
· Check the wire harness connector on the upper board for any paint splatter. This may cause a jump in the circuit and exhibit a problem.

Tadao board enters programming mode by itself (M3 or original board only; no M5 or higher).
· This is being caused by the grip screws shorting out the circuit. Replace with shorter screws or use o-rings or other washers to space them out.
· Infrequently caused by low batteries.

Battery drains if left in for a few days (Predator board only).
· Bad flash. Send the board back in to be reflashed.

Shocker turns on as soon as the battery/wire harness is plugged in, and the power switch doesn't work.
· Check the pins inside the connectors for the wire harness on both boards. Most likely the pins are bent and coming in contact with one-another. See Board Damage at the bottom of the page.
· Check the wire harness for any paint splatter. This may cause a jump in the circuit and exhibit a problem.

Semiauto mode is capped at 9-bps regardless of settings (Predator board only).
· More commonly known as the Predator semiauto probem. Send the board in to be reflashed, or just use a different firing mode.

Shocker turns itself on and off at will.
· The powerswitch on the circuit board is defective or may be bouncing. The switch would have to be replaced.
· Check the wire harness connector on the upper board for any paint splatter. This may cause a jump in the circuit and exhibit a problem.

Solenoid doesn't click when you pull the trigger.
· If the LED doesn't blink each time you pull the trigger, the trigger microswitch isn't being actuated. Adjust the trigger and check to see if the switch is broken (take the board out and push it with your finger). If the switch is broken, it will need to be replaced (not difficult, but requires soldering).
· Replace the battery (very common). "Dead" batteries occur around 7 to 7.5 volts with most boards. At this point, the board may turn on but the solenoid probably won't click.
· Verify that the dwell setting is at least 12 chirps or 6 milliseconds (also very common).
· Check the wire harness for damage; replace if unsure.
· Check the pins inside the connectors for the wire harness on both boards (see Bent Pins at the bottom of the page).
· Check the horizontal circuit board for damage caused by the top grip screws (see Board Damage at the bottom of the page). If there is enough of a scratch, the board will have to be replaced.
· Parker solenoid only - Solder connection between the board and solenoid has degraded and needs to be re-applied (very uncommon)
· Parker solenoid only - Board has pulled the solder terminals out from the solenoid coil. The whole solenoid would need to be replaced.

Powerswitch actuator sticks; has to be manually pushed back.
The powerswitch actuator is the clear Y-shaped button inside the frame, that you press from the outside to activate the marker. The actuator should reset itself freely when you release it.
· Remove the actuator and clean it and the inside of the frame. Any dirt or other debris in there can cause resetting problems and will stick on the actuator. Pay special attention to the small "button" part that sticks through the hole in the frameand the hole itself in the frame.
· Check to be sure both magnets are isntalled in the actuator. If both are missing then the switch won't return at all. If one magnet is missing then the actuator will get pulled to the side and usually won't reset.
· Infrequently, the pin looses its magnetism, this is normally a very slow process but sometimes happens quickly.

Bent Pins in Wire Harness Connector:
A sample picture of this issue can be seen below. In the picture, the third pin is bent down right at the base. The second picture shows a normal connector.

Upper Board Damage caused by Grip Screws:
A few sample pictures of this can be seen here:

For details on this problem, check the Board Damage page in the Related Links section.