Thread: Lilliput Power Tracing? Schematic? No longer lights LEDs

Aaah, now we have two cables from hell. Many thanks! The carefully centrally seated cable (my bad) was a third of the problem!

So I know some new things. Bad seating (which would be good seating in any other venue) on the led panel cable will cause no operation at all. Thanks again!

Once that was cleared I got backlight and burnin images (ghosts anybody?) but no VGA. That, as you might guess, was the wider cable from hell, from the LCD to the controller. As many have noted, it's totally quirky, and took no fewer than eight seatings and various reversals and combinations before I got signal.

Another and new-to-me signal of poor wide cable seating is vertical rainbow streaks on powerup, in case anybody else passes this way. Keep reseating, and watch out for the black retainer on the controller end. It really wants to get lost, and I doubt one can find another.

Now we have a new and interesting situation - fully functional VGA, functional poweron, but no other buttons operate, no lights on the LEDs, and no IR control. Which means no on screen display.

So I repeat the request for schematics if anybody has any.

Absent that, I'll leave well enough alone, except to say that there may be an addendum due to the instructions on wiring power controls direct. I suspect there are a range of traces that carry power; some to the controller, which are OK, and at least one to the LED strip, which somehow is not.

Love to find, trace and fix that circuit path.

Diagrams anybody? Anyone been down this road?

And many thanks a third time to Mox. You made my day.

Thanks. That's a good diagram.

All is well at the controller side, however all of the +5V stayed high regardless of switch press.

Only the power switch worked


I say worked because in the course of (very gently) measuring I got a flicker on the LCD, then lost signal, so now not even power works.

But measurement is golden ... although there WAS a good solid 5V at the controller end of the 13 connection ribbon, I soon saw nothing, nada, zip at the switch end, even when removed. And as I measured a +5v on powerswitch, the lone 5v vanished.

Which is very odd, since the cable was simple and visually intact.

Slowing down and using sewing straightpins to test connectivity I finally found at least part of the issue. Almost invisibly the 13 strand cable had flex/worn through just below the seemingly permanently afffixed connection to the controller board.

Q: Does anybody know if the controller side 13 strand flat cable allows removal of the cable? Is that cable replacable

It seems unlikely that something as perishable as a flat cable would be permanently affixed to its insert, but no sign of a release, gate or other way to pull the cable.

Supposing the darn thing is fixed in place and broken ...

1. Microsoldering 13 connections is probably above my pay grade, but I do note that only 3 connections go to the IR connector, and one of them is ground and can come from anywhere. Any guesses as to the odds of getting a functional unit by just soldering those 3 wires and using the IR remote? Should work in theory.

2. The other possibility -- observation shows that the switches seem to be simple momentary SPST that pull their relevant lead to ground when pressed. I suppose I could solder leads to a few key points ... power, IR, VGA/video.

But half measures seem a pity.

Sure, picture attached, to the extent my little macro function will allow. The things to note are (all directions relative to the picture):

1. On the left there is a black tab of the sort one usually pulls out to remove a cable. It's immobile to moderate force, and I don't want to apply more unless I know from somebody's experience that it's supposed to move
2. In the same position on the right there is no matching black tab, making me doubt further that the tab on the left is meant to move to remove cable
3. As you see the cable itself is in pretty awful shape. The actual break in the traces is underneath the cable you see; the damage up top in terms of delamination is flashy but not a real issue

In addition the VGA won't activate now. What I figure is that I bought this unit used, and it had already seen a fair amount of cable wear; the work I did pushed the poor thing over the top.

I'm experimenting with micro-supergluing tiny copper traces on the wider cable to repair it ... Arman's site sez he has none of the reverse-sided cables, and I can't find a parts store on the web to stock it.

I suppose if I had any sense I'd buy another and keep this for parts, but I'm stubborn and relatively broke. Sigh.

Anyway, let me know what you think, and thanks. Two good cables just might get this puppy up and running. Or not.

Thanks,

R.