DCS Remote LCD Panel Disappeared . . Help Please

Scrapiron ScherOGR Forum Member

I put fresh batteries into my DCS Remote and my LCD display is 98% gone. Only the most faint readout is possible, but for all intents and purposes unreadable.

All I did was the battery exchange. Of course, I immediately put in another fresh set of four, same result. One more time, another fresh set, same result.

What could this be?
Suggestions?

If this is the "Black Cloud," I surrender.

Eliot

11/19/1111:34 AM

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wmwalkerOGR Forum Member SUPPORTING MEMBERDIGITAL SUBSCRIBER

Eliot
I was reading in Barry's book second addition on page 45 it says to just roll the thumb dial up or down to adjust the screen under the system area scroll down to find the LCD contrast (if you can see enough of the screen to do that) but maybe you have already tried that.

11/19/111:56 PM

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RJROGR Forum Member

Are you sure all 4 batteries are good, that there is no corrosion on the contacts and springs, that the springs are stretched enough to make good contact, and that the batteries are all facing in the correct direction as indicated?

11/19/113:19 PM

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Scrapiron ScherOGR Forum Member

Fellas,
Cannot see enough panel to scroll.
Batteries are good. Previous batteries worked fine before replacement.
Changed only to test remote functions. Strange.
No corrosion, correct placement.

Eliot

11/19/1110:07 PM

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Joe AllenOGR Forum Member DIGITAL SUBSCRIBER

Eliot,
Try putting the previous batteries back into the remote and see if that works. Maybe some of the new ones are bad.

11/20/118:33 AM

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Marty FitzhenryOGR Forum Member MEMORIALIZED MEMBER

Eliot, was this a remote that came out with the first run of the Rev L?

11/20/118:28 PM

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Barry BroskowitzOGR Forum Member MEMORIALIZED MEMBER

Marty,

quote:
was this a remote that came out with the first run of the Rev L?

Eliot claimed it worked fine until he changed the batteries.

11/20/118:45 PM

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brucefclarkOGR Forum Member

Scrapiron Scher I had the same problem but I could just see the display. I put the old batteries back in and the contrast came back. I reloaded the remote with the latest load and presto the contrast could be changed and I could see the display again. It sure took a lot of turns of the thumb wheel to get the highest contrast level.

11/20/1110:18 PM

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Marty FitzhenryOGR Forum Member MEMORIALIZED MEMBER

Barry, I had one of those that did the same thing. Moving a resistor did the trick. I also had a customer of Charlies with the same. That is why I wanted to know if that was a remote he picked up with the first run of Rev L. If not something else is going on.

11/20/1111:10 PM

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Barry BroskowitzOGR Forum Member MEMORIALIZED MEMBER

Marty,

My point was that the remote worked fine for a while until Eliot changed the batteries, at which point it lost its contrast. If it had been one of the remotes with the misplaced resistor, it would have been bad from day one.

11/20/1111:35 PM

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Marty FitzhenryOGR Forum Member MEMORIALIZED MEMBER

Barry you are correct. I talked to Eliot a few days ago and knew he got the rev L. I read through quick and keyed on the contrast.

11/21/1110:10 AM

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Scrapiron ScherOGR Forum Member

Unfortunately, I don't know which remote is which.
Embarrassed to say.
I don't know how to discern that.

I'll try to find the original batteries. They're still in the can.
I'll play with the contrast.

I think it is the first run Rev L remote come to think of it.
I'll try playing with the contrast again.

Thanks folks.

Eliot

11/21/119:34 PM

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rrmanOGR Forum Member

Did you check the batteries under load, that is measure the voltage in the remote with it turned on. A battery can fail under load but read OK with no load.

11/21/1110:52 PM

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KerriganOGR Forum Member

This probably isn't related to this problem but when I got my balky remote back from MTH it sat on the front porch in cold weather for a while. When I brought it in and fired it up, the screen was hard to read and had some lines across it. After an hour in the house it was fine as far as the display is concerned.

11/22/113:25 PM

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rrmanOGR Forum Member

quote:
Originally posted by Kerrigan:
This probably isn't related to this problem but when I got my balky remote back from MTH it sat on the front porch in cold weather for a while. When I brought it in and fired it up, the screen was hard to read and had some lines across it. After an hour in the house it was fine as far as the display is concerned.

Yep, Liquid Crystal Display liquids don't like cold. Too cold and the glass cracks or display segment(s) permanently disabled. On gas pumps they put a heat material just like used on car rear windows defogger, across the display face (and maybe back). Conversely, too hot and display turns black or erratic.

11/22/114:06 PM

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cngwOGR Forum Member

Why not buy some new batteries, assumed to be good, and try it?
As pointed out, a volt meter will show that batts to have a 1.5V charge....until a load is put on them.
If problem persists, then start hunting down solutions. As Barry said, "It worked until..............."
Greg

11/22/119:24 PM

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Scrapiron ScherOGR Forum Member

Sigh . . . . .
I have tried four new sets of batteries different brands.
My remote is fainting.

Eliot

11/26/111:20 AM

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MrMuffin'sTrainsOGR Forum Member DIGITAL SUBSCRIBERFORUM SPONSOR

Scrapiron - did this get resolved?

1/19/149:29 AM

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gunrunnerjohnOGR Forum Member SUPPORTING MEMBERDIGITAL SUBSCRIBER

FWIW, one of our club members has exactly the same problem. The remote works, and the display fades in and out, mostly out. Clearly, this is an internal hardware issue.

1/20/1410:13 AM

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GreggOGR Forum Member

Isn't there a remote contrast setting someplace? I don't have a remote here to check. I've had a number of remotes go blank changing software versions (4.2 back to 3.1) The fix was reloading 4.2 software.

1/20/1410:53 AM

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gunrunnerjohnOGR Forum Member SUPPORTING MEMBERDIGITAL SUBSCRIBER

LCD contrast is on the SYSTEM menu. The failure I saw was the display varying in intensity, but with luck it would simply be a contrast setting.