well, after getting some decent hex keys, I finally got the spool control board out easily..and off to the electronics shop tomorrow to order some parts. doing a brief test with a multimeter, they don't seem to be discharging or charging, it's sems like they may be open, that's testing with the them on the board. there's also what looks like a ceramic resistor on the board which doesn't resist, so I'll try replacing that too. I'm thinking that board is the cause right now, it would make sense, but ultimately, it's trial and error...