So the time has come for me to deal with the SI battery/board issue now that I have the non resettable Inspection and red LED display showing constantly as of this week. I have spent some time looking at the threads here and am on the fence as to what to do.
The cheapest solution since I have soldering skills is just to replace the Ni Cads (providing the board is not toast). I am also considering the Programa battery-less solution primarily since as advertised I would not have to replace any more batteries. I became concerned about this after I read of guys having trouble getting it to work initially, and having to repeatedly pull the clusters back out - really want to avoid doing that.
I am looking for opinions and recommendations here as to what to do; and all input is very much appreciated.
Please see post below. It turns out I had a bad board from Programa, and repaired it.
Last edited by smtguy on Sun Jan 10, 2021 7:47 am, edited 1 time in total.
1983 Bronzit 633CSi 5 speed
2004 Audi TT Quattro 6 speed
I posted a thread on this topic previously - this time last year I think. I had it in and out a couple of times before I got the right instructions from Programma about having to ground out the cluster. I don't remember the specifics, but once I did that, it worked fine.
Dale
Buffalo, NY
1980 633CSi
1987 325is (sold)
2001 740iL Sport (sold)
2007 328xiT (Sold)
2014 320dT (Sold)
Current: 2023 Jetta GLI M/T
2007 GMC Sierra,
1972 Pontiac LeMans Sport Convertible
I'm about to do the same thing.
Replaced two other cars with programma n had no issues.
Once did one with new batteries n lasted about 2 years n had issues again. Went to programa,have my vote
Well, after pulling the cluster I found that the PO had already installed the Programa SI, but it appears to have died and shows the same symptoms as the OEM board with dead batteries. I did try grouding the pin as was shown on their site, but to no avail. The board looks simple, but in the interest of time I guess I will have to bite the bullet and just buy another one which is a little annoying.
1983 Bronzit 633CSi 5 speed
2004 Audi TT Quattro 6 speed
I called them and they said that repairing it would be more than a new one! They were polite, but seemed uninterested that their product had failed, and unwilling to offer any kind of solution, other than buy a new one. I know I could repair it myself, but the prospect of having the dash apart for a while is not in the cards right now.
1983 Bronzit 633CSi 5 speed
2004 Audi TT Quattro 6 speed
OK, so I pulled my instrument cluster out again to see if I could repair the bad Programa SI board. This after calling Programa and being told that my only options were to send my board in for repair ($199.00), which was more money than buying a new one since I would pay shipping both ways; so I elected to see if I could do the repair myself.
Background info: The board failure presented itself by going from normal to the "Inspection" indication immediately during a drive to my office, and could not be reset with the reset tool. I pulled the cluster and In looking at the board, saw it was not too complex. I suspected the two 100mF electrolytic capacitors immediately, and figuring these would be the easiest and cheapest to replace, I took a chance and spent $2.00 for new capacitors at my local electronics supply house. The original capacitors are Surface Mount, and since my local supply house didn't have the correct value in SM, I bought regular through-hole capacitors, and cut and bent the leads so I could easily solder them to the existing surface mount pads. CAUTION: When desoldering the old SMT capacitors, be gentle and don't mistakenly rip the circuit board pads off, or your simple component replacement will be a board trace repair as well!
After soldering on the new capacitors and cleaning off the leftover flux residues, I reassembled the cluster, re-installed it in the car, reset it using the SI reset tool, and all was well AND I saved myself at least $197 had I gone the new or repair Programa route.
1983 Bronzit 633CSi 5 speed
2004 Audi TT Quattro 6 speed
Good info - should probably go in tech section for next person with same issue.
Curious - what soldering tool do you use? I just dis a transistor/resistor/thermal breaker swap on my AC controller and was not happy with the tool I bought from Amazon and looking for a higher quality one without spending a few hundred $$$.
I use a Metcal soldering station left over from my days of being in the electronic assembly business. I sold the business years ago, but kept one of the stations. I believe in good tools, but you don't have to use a Metcal. The most important part is using a good tip, solder, the right amount of heat and a little liquid flux can work wonders to help create a good intermetallic bond. I always remove the flux residues afterwards, although some is considered "no clean"
1983 Bronzit 633CSi 5 speed
2004 Audi TT Quattro 6 speed
Was going to purchase a Programma batteryless board as in previous e24s but glad I did not.
After dis assembling cluster my 86 doesn't have a separate board all one piece. First time seeing this board.
Found these on eBay supposed BMW brand. Hmm have a message into seller. https://www.ebay.com/itm/2-Brand-New-BM ... 0010.m2109
Have not seen any references to a BMW brand replacement before either in all research.
I have 2 brand new batteries for sale. These are the correct ones, and do require they be soldered in like the original BMW ones. I bought them before I realized I had a Programa board installed. Price: $20 for the pair and includes shipping to anywhere in the U.S.
1983 Bronzit 633CSi 5 speed
2004 Audi TT Quattro 6 speed
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