MEP 805B / 806B CIM CCFL backlight repair

[peapvp]

During a routine repair of the CCFL exchange, we encountered the following new issue on CIM’s when they are stored outside and are continuously exposed to the elements, especially heat and UV light (sun)

unit has 252 hours on hour meter,
CIM has date of Manufacture of May 2008

1. all cable ties are rock hard and are squeezing the wire insulation

2. the smd capacitor next to lcd connector has loose connectivity to the solder and PCB pads, causing either a blank screen with backlight on or the horizontal stabilization is lost due to intermittent contact.
The solder basically broke down over time and heat exposure of cubicle / CIM

this problem is mostly associated with lead free solder and no clean fluxes used for PCB assembly





3. The CCFL’s, which are basically fluorescent light bulbs, burn out prematurely.
The life expectancy for the original ccfl was 1,000 hours

 

[2Pbfeet]

It is the little things that reach up and bite you, isn't it?

Thanks for sharing!

All the best,

2Pbfeet

 

[peapvp]

Update:

installed NOS LCD
Came with red light ccfl which has the red / white wires
Changed them to blue light ccfl with blue / white wire which is better for outdoor use

then found out that lcd to motherboard double ribbon cable has internal wire breakage on three wires due to the pvc insulation hardening

when both cables / connectors are just in the right position, everything is hunky dory

 

[peapvp]

On the CIM’s with the motherboard shown below and running firmware 4.1.1a we are installing now an extra VGA / SVGA (DB15) on the back panel of CIM
This way a regular VGA monitor or a standalone 24VDC Marine VGA Monitor can be installed on top of cubicle.

 

[Chainbreaker]

Great added feature with lots of potential for expanded capabilities... perhaps even remote transmission of data.

The problems of the CIM screen flakiness history has caused me much consternation on ever bidding on these series gensets when they come up.

 

[peapvp]

Update:

our machinist is on vacation and my expertise in milling on a mill is extremely limited.

the connector is a tad bit crooked. I also did not risk to thread 7/16 thick aluminum with a 4-40 thread, but used good old JB Weld

 

[jones2126]

@peapvp,
I’ve been digging through your CIM post and wanted to ask clarifying questions to understand what you did. The color CIM on my 2006 MEP-805B with 98 hours is barely viewable in the daylight.

You mentioned, “installed NOS LCD – came with red light CCFL (red/white wires) and changed them to blue light CCFL (blue/white wires)”

1. Did you physically replace just the CCFL tube(s) inside the Sharp LCD panel, or did you swap the entire LCD assembly again?
2. Do you happen to know the CCFL size (length/diameter) or part number you used for the blue/white CCFL?
3. Were you able to reuse the original CCFL inverter, or did the blue CCFL require a different inverter?

On Aliexpress, LQ104V1DG21's seem to have red/white CCFL leads. I’m trying to decide whether a CCFL swap or an LED retrofit is the better long-term solution. I guess going straight to the VGA external monitor is an option also, but I would prefer having a usable CIM display.

Thanks for taking the time to document this . It’s some of the most useful CIM info I’ve found.

 

[peapvp]

[
I’ve been digging through your CIM post and wanted to ask clarifying questions to understand what you did. The color CIM on my 2006 MEP-805B with 98 hours is barely viewable in the daylight.

You mentioned, “installed NOS LCD – came with red light CCFL (red/white wires) and changed them to blue light CCFL (blue/white wires)”

1. Did you physically replace just the CCFL tube(s) inside the Sharp LCD panel, or did you swap the entire LCD assembly again? A: We swapped the entire LCD Assembly as the connector had a intermittent contact issue as well
2. Do you happen to know the CCFL size (length/diameter) or part number you used for the blue/white CCFL? A: No, we bought them via ebay Monitor Repair CCFL Backlight Assemblies for 10.4" Sharp LQ104V1DG21
3. Were you able to reuse the original CCFL inverter, or did the blue CCFL require a different inverter? A: Both use the same inverter

On Aliexpress, LQ104V1DG21's seem to have red/white CCFL leads. I’m trying to decide whether a CCFL swap or an LED retrofit is the better long-term solution. I guess going straight to the VGA external monitor is an option also, but I would prefer having a usable CIM display.

A: These are standard fluorescent light bulbs like their big 8' Cousins. Red / White is Warm and Blue / White is Cold Color

Note:

These LCD's were made by Sharp in South Korea.
The LCD's which went into military equipment in the 2000's were assembled in the USA by a Sharp US subsidiary, but all parts used for assembly were made in Asia.
At the same time, Sharp sold the very same display assembled in South Korea and now in China, to a Industrial Control Equipment manufacturer (forgot which one) who used those very same Asian made / assembled ones in HMI for CNC control gear.
Those are the ones now available as NOS via ebay / Aliexpress etc.
Sharp shifted the complete production of those LCD's to their Chinese Counterparts as the HMI's were primarily being sold to Chinese CNC machine manufacturers since about 2011/2012 - these LCD's were never meant to be used in outdoor equipment.

Please check this Service Bulletin below first, to see if this issue is going to restore your brightness


Thanks for taking the time to document this . It’s some of the most useful CIM info I’ve found. A: Thank you

 

[LuckeyD]

Remote monitoring is already built in and is in the manual. Logs are down loadable as well. no one ever does this. your article is very nice. We were not allowed to go inside of these. L3 got upset. The latest have a tamper circuit in them. It is not real good though.