Synscan LCD display gone bad!

[matteboy]

Hi guys, my handset has some missing lines which makes it really hard to guess what's the right number when setting up, does anyone know if the display can be replaced without buying a whole new handset? (HEQ5 pro) TIA!

I don't know which version mine is but it's about 7 years old now 😁

[malc-c]

Hi Matt,

Looking at other post where they had similar problems it would appear that the graphical display is proprietary, and Synta, the company behind Skywatcher and Celestron don't offer them for sale.  You would need to buy a new handset  

[matteboy]

Ouchie! Oh well, V5 version when I can save up enough! Thanks for the reply 😁😁

[Geoff Lister]

I have not dismantled my V3 Synscan handsets, but have opened-up many other similar devices, with an LCD and a motherboard. Unless the LCD glass is damaged, the missing part of the display is often due to a poor contact, or group of contacts, somewhere between the display and the motherboard.

The LCD usually has a set of printed contacts near one edge of the back of the display. These sit on a long, thin, silicon rubber strip, with a series of black (conducting) and white (insulating) slices - like the stripes on a zebra, but more regular. The other side of this strip sits, either directly on equivalent contacts on the motherboard, or a short piece of flexible contact strip, often plugged into the motherboard. The assembly requires good mechanical alignment of the different parts, and an even pressure along the silicone strip. Usually, the silicone strip provides good environmental protection for the electrical contacts, but if moisture has, somehow, got into the contact areas, surface contamination could produce an insulating coating.

Sometimes, a careful disassembly and re-assembly of the parts will solve the problem, without resorting to a soldering iron.

Geoff

[matteboy]

Hi Geoff thank you for the reply. It was after a night of such bad dew we needed canoes to get to the 'scope! I might take it apart of in feeling brave and have enough to buy a new one if I F it up! Thanks again

 

[malc-c]

If you do take it apart be careful removing the flex cable.  It's held in place by a pressure connector.  Using a blunt instrument or fingernails slide the dark brown part (indicated) by pushing on the edges upwards away from the main board towards the LCD.  Clean the contacts using IPA (Isopropanol Alcohol 99.99% Pure) and wipe the end of the flexi cable with a cotton bud soaked in IPA.  Place the flex cable back into the socket and push the pressure plate back down so it grips the cable..

If that fails then unless you can find a handset with some other fault but with a working LCD that can be swapped,  then a new handset is needed because as you can see the LCD is proprietary, including the fixings.

 

 

[matteboy]

Thanks again Geoff, think I'm going to try when I'm feeling brave enough! Appreciate the detail, even I should be able to follow that without doing any more damage 🤣🤣