Symptoms:
- No text or icons at all are visible on the LCD screen. In other words the console display appears completely blank. (if you can see ‘Receiving from’ in the ticker area at the bottom then see the Rebooting the console topic);
- A large area of the LCD screen is blank or showing corrupted characters (see internal ribbon cable issue below);
Cause: Power failure
The console can be powered by either or both of the standard 5v AC mains adapter or 3 ‘C’ cells. Check both sources of power before concluding that the console is dead.
If the console works on batteries but not AC mains then the mains adapter is probably defective.
If the console works on AC mains but not on batteries then double-check that the batteries are all inserted with the correct polarity and, if possible (eg with a multimeter), that all cells still have some charge – minimum 1.2-1.3v each.
Additional notes
If the console does not work on battery power then check that all batteries seem reasonably tightly in place and that the spring or other part in the battery holder has not become dislodged.
If the console has been stored for any length of time with old batteries left inside then these may have leaked and damaged the battery holder.
Cause: Logger failure
If the console has a logger installed then power down the console, remove the logger and power up the console again. If this restores the display then it’s likely that the logger is damaged and may need replacing. (However, do be sure to try reseating the existing logger and check that it is fully home before concluding that a new logger is needed.)
Cause: Internal ribbon cable
Open the console case (with the console power off, of course) by removing the 3 screws and gently prise apart the two halves of the case (which are held together by two small lugs around the edge of the case).
You will see a ribbon cable that joins the main circuit board to the display board. Ensure that this cable is properly in place.
There are a couple of tiny catches either side of each end of this cable that click back and forth to lock the cable in place. It’s not unknown for one cable end to have worked loose, especially if the console might have been jarred or dropped at any stage; this will always cause apparent display problems. Once you’ve learned the simple trick of how the latches operate then it’s pretty simple to check that the cable is making good contact and properly locked in place at each end.
Symptom: All or most characters on the display are lit but will not clear or respond to button presses
Very occasionally, the display will lock up when the console is first powered up or eg if there might have been a spike on the AC mains supply. This is an issue that seems to occur more with cabled consoles than the wireless version but can in principle happen to either. The fix is simple: just power down the console (including removing one battery, if fitted), wait a few moments and then power up the console again. Most times this will cure the problem. (For further details of repowering the console, see the rebooting the console topic.)
NB For other symptoms associated with a misbehaving display then consult your support contact – there are other rare faults which there’s not space to detail here.
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