LCD screen went blank

[The motor guy]

I have a marine vhf radio on my boat that I bought and 5 months later the screen went blank where you couldn't see what channel you were on. The radio still worked and the amber back light worked too, but I found this odd.

So my question is will a voltage drop short out the LCD screen? Cause I recall stopping the boat and shutting the engine off for a bit then restarting it and shortly after I noticed the screen was blank. The radio turns off when I start the engine, so I guess I need to switch batteries when starting the engine to stop this from happening. Or does it not even matter?

Btw yes I asked this question on a boat forum but got no answers. The question pertains more to LCD screens than the marine radio anyways. Do you think the voltage drop shorted the screen out or was it just a fluke this happened. I doubt the radio had more than 10hrs of on time.

 

[supton]

Not every electrical fault is a "short".

I'm dubious that power interruption caused any problem, although a spike in voltage could damage things. Perhaps on restart voltage had a spike well above 14V--you'd think they would have designed the equipment to handle that, though.

I'm of the opinion that a cable inside has come loose. Alternatively it's possible that some solderjoint has opened up, or some IC has decided to quit. Without opening up it's all guesswork.

 

[MrMoody]

Originally Posted by supton
I'm of the opinion that a cable inside has come loose. Alternatively it's possible that some solderjoint has opened up, or some IC has decided to quit.

Seconded. The LCD itself will last forever unless physically damaged. Backlights fail but the display itself won't. If the backlight is working, then it isn't getting signals. Often the failure is at the edge of the display where the cable is clamped against contacts on the LCD. Vibration etc.

 

[mk378]

Shine a flashlight at the display to see if maybe the numbers are still working just the backlight is out.

A two-way radio should be wired directly to the battery for best performance and also to enhance the likelyhood it will be usable in an emergency situation.

 

[EdwardC]

Originally Posted by MrMoody
Originally Posted by supton
I'm of the opinion that a cable inside has come loose. Alternatively it's possible that some solderjoint has opened up, or some IC has decided to quit.

Seconded. The LCD itself will last forever unless physically damaged. Backlights fail but the display itself won't. If the backlight is working, then it isn't getting signals. Often the failure is at the edge of the display where the cable is clamped against contacts on the LCD. Vibration etc.


I agree with the above. It's unlikely a short, but the exact opposite, an open. Likely a simple wire that popped loose, or maybe the ribbon/edge contacts got loose. 5 months, is it still under warranty?

 

[The motor guy]

Originally Posted by EdwardC
Originally Posted by MrMoody
Originally Posted by supton
I'm of the opinion that a cable inside has come loose. Alternatively it's possible that some solderjoint has opened up, or some IC has decided to quit.

Seconded. The LCD itself will last forever unless physically damaged. Backlights fail but the display itself won't. If the backlight is working, then it isn't getting signals. Often the failure is at the edge of the display where the cable is clamped against contacts on the LCD. Vibration etc.


I agree with the above. It's unlikely a short, but the exact opposite, an open. Likely a simple wire that popped loose, or maybe the ribbon/edge contacts got loose. 5 months, is it still under warranty?



YES. I sent it in and they're replacing the LCD screen.

 

[The motor guy]

Originally Posted by MrMoody
Originally Posted by supton
I'm of the opinion that a cable inside has come loose. Alternatively it's possible that some solderjoint has opened up, or some IC has decided to quit.

Seconded. The LCD itself will last forever unless physically damaged. Backlights fail but the display itself won't. If the backlight is working, then it isn't getting signals. Often the failure is at the edge of the display where the cable is clamped against contacts on the LCD. Vibration etc.

Clamped? So kind of like a spade connector?

 

[MrMoody]

Not really. They vary of course, but most have a plastic bar with screws or some clamping mechanism that holds the ribbon cable against the display contacts, or no cable, just a rubber contact block between the display and the board it connects to, again held by screw pressure.

 

[The motor guy]

So is this easily fixable myself? I wonder why they would just replace the screen? This must be fairly common cause she quoted me like $275 parts and labor to do this. Didn't even ask what model radio and then I was like it's 5 months old, so then she says oh well it will be under warranty then. $275.00 repair on a $173.00 dollar radio after sales tax. lol

 

[The motor guy]

I'm surprised they didn't swap it out with another one. I would have just done that at the store, but I bought this off of ebay

 

[supton]

Repair isn't being done on a manufacturing line that was optimized to minimize labor and time spent on said line. Someone has to pick it up, inspect it, take it apart, find the problem, etc. All adds up. Is part of why we're a disposable society now--it is often cheaper to toss than it is to repair (well, unless if you do it yourself and even then sometimes parts costs exceeds replacement).