Author Topic: Transducer Breakage (Read 9379 times)

garyr · « **on:** March 20, 2010, 04:58:03 PM »

I have had this situation occur twice.
I have installed the transducer on two occassions. The next day I inspect the boat before heading on the water and I note the transducer has broken off, and at the bottom of the pivot.
How tight is tight for the machine screw to square nut?
Anyone else have this problem.
I had made plans to fish on Lake Michigan next Tuesaday during vacation!
In the last 4 weeks I will have spent roughly $800.
Gary

Jolly Roger · « **Reply #1 on:** March 20, 2010, 05:09:52 PM »

Gary,
where exactly is the transducer broken?
At the "ears" directly at the transducer or at the two holes of the linkage?
My linkage is broken as well. I will reinforce the holes for the moment and make a new linkage out of aluminium.

800 US$?? Whoah! Bad medicine!!

Regards / Harry

PS: If the linkage holes are the problem, here's a cheaper replacement:

http://cgi.ebay.com/HUMMINBIRD-TRANSOM-TRANSDUCER-HARDWARE-MHX-HS-NEW_W0QQitemZ220572193408QQcmdZViewItemQQptZLH_DefaultDomain_0?hash=item335b209280
Could you post pictures of your mount and the damage?

garyr · « **Reply #2 on:** March 20, 2010, 05:39:38 PM »

Harry, Attached are two images of the breakage points.
Gary
Frage bitte, du bist eine Kommando Spezialkraefte?

garyr · « **Reply #3 on:** March 20, 2010, 05:48:02 PM »

Harry,
jpeg of pivot site break.
Gary

xd35 · « **Reply #4 on:** March 20, 2010, 08:45:52 PM »

Gary

Do you have any pics of this transducer mounted to the locations before this occured? It may be the location of your mount.

garyr · « **Reply #5 on:** March 20, 2010, 10:14:38 PM »

I do not think it is related to position. The aluminum bracket strength is non-flexing.
It is in the ear of the transducer that flexes then when the polymer is strained to the point of exceeding the tensile strength it ruptures at the strained point (pressure point).
I made an adapter.
Made out of aluminum.
Placed spacers to reduce gap.
No go.
I will talk with HB Monday morning.
A vacation fishing trip is trashed without the HB SI. I won't say it.
Att is the modification I made with the al with hardware that accompainied the second transducer. I did not use the lock washers.

Jolly Roger · « **Reply #6 on:** March 21, 2010, 08:18:28 AM »

Aaargh Gary,
lookin at the picture of the ears hurts. But I'm with you about the tension applied when the two screws are over tightend. Looks exactly what have happened there.
Mine broke on the upper two holes of the plastic linkage. There are two cracks on the holes and those came from overturning the bolt which goes through the metal bracket. If the bolt is too tight the metal bracket doesn't have enough space to let the transducer kick up. The thread of the bolt has some sort of Locktight on it. So it's not necessary to get the bolt completely tightend.

Regards / Harry

garyr · « **Reply #7 on:** March 28, 2010, 01:55:29 PM »

I spoke with HB. I told them the situation.
I installted the transducer and pivot correctly. I modified this previous sentence from incorrectly to correctly, my fault.
The ducer was on back order.
Three days later I rec an email message that the unit was being shipped.
Two days later I rec the ducer.
Installed with no breakage.
The only drawback was I did not have the si ducer available on my trip. I am a realist and I understand.
I have to admit. HB stands behind their loyal customer base.
Customer Service is very professional. I am very impressed.
Gary

Jolly Roger · « **Reply #8 on:** March 28, 2010, 02:05:37 PM »

That's good news Gary!

Glad you got it fixed.

Harry

sonar2000 · « **Reply #9 on:** March 28, 2010, 03:02:52 PM »

wonder if HB has a torgue setting for the nut and bolt.... chuck

Humminbird_Greg · « **Reply #10 on:** March 29, 2010, 11:38:12 AM »

Nope there is no torque setting. Engineering said that one is not needed and that the bolts only needed to be “tight”. I’ve seen where the bolts can be over-tightened but had to really strain to do this myself… you guys must be that much stronger or have more leverage on the tools you used.

Garyr your first post made this statement:
“I have installed the transducer on two occassions. The next day I inspect the boat before heading on the water and I note the transducer has broken off, and at the bottom of the pivot.”
Are you meaning that the boat did not even make it to the water and the ears on the transducer already broke?
If so, did you add any sort of thread-locking compound top the bolts or nuts?

sonar2000 · « **Reply #11 on:** March 29, 2010, 11:51:39 AM »

Maybe Humminbird should ddefine "tight" as to the bolts or screws used during installation. We could have finger tight, hand tight, wrist tight, elbow tight and finally arm tight.

Seriously, maybe a guiding word as to the meaning of tight. chuck

salvor6 · « **Reply #12 on:** April 05, 2010, 05:19:05 PM »

Garyr you have one of the old transducers. Mine has just one fat lug in the middle. Evidently they had problems with breakage in the past. The new ones are real beaffy. I am a plastic injection mold maker and I have seen this problem before. I built molds for Mercury Marine and they designed a plastic shift lever mold to replace the aluminum one. Problem was that it was the same size as the Al one.

RGecy · « **Reply #13 on:** April 05, 2010, 05:32:03 PM »

Pete,

Your transducer is different. You have the compact SI transducer that comes with the 700 series. The bigger HDSI and Standard SI transducer has the two tabs on it.

Compact SI

HDSI Transducer

Robert

salvor6 · « **Reply #14 on:** April 05, 2010, 07:06:20 PM »

OK Bob so maybe Humminbird should change their design?

RGecy · « **Reply #15 on:** April 05, 2010, 07:45:18 PM »

Actually, you hear more about the Compact Side Scan mounts breaking because it is plastic, than you do about breaking the tabs on the HDSI transducers. They are pretty beefy and it takes quite a bit of force to knock them off!

Robert

salvor6 · « **Reply #16 on:** April 05, 2010, 10:56:52 PM »

OK so the compact SI transducer is plastic. What is the HDSI transducer? Metal? No! Its also plastic. So they need to thicken the tabs on the HDSI. I have never heard of the compact side scan mounts breaking, have you? But one guy here on this forum has had TWO HDSI ducers break.

Jolly Roger · « **Reply #17 on:** April 06, 2010, 04:56:58 PM »

Quote from: salvor6 on April 05, 2010, 10:56:52 PM

But one guy here on this forum has had TWO HDSI ducers break.

Right, but isn't it strange that these two were breaking without even being in the water?? That's at least what I understand.

My guess is that either the screws were overtightened or the ducers were hit hard sideways for whatever reasons.

My two cents
Harry

Humminbird_Greg · « **Reply #18 on:** April 08, 2010, 03:14:15 PM »

I’ve seen many posts about the CSi transducer mounts breaking but only a very few of the HDSi transducers breaking. Of those that sis post about it I have had only one or two follow back up with me. It was determined that they used a thread-locking compound on these screws which attacked the plastic and caused the damage. This is why I asked if he had used something like this but had no received a response.

sgtstout · « **Reply #19 on:** June 17, 2010, 11:01:14 PM »

I broke my first transducer over a year ago just like Gary's picture... I over tightened it I am pretty sure but humminbird replaced it with no problems! second time around.. I have been much more careful with how tight I adjust them.

Brad

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