VISAR - intermitant LCD "segment" - any fix?

[g8tzl2004]

I have recently acquired a VISAR. When I originally powered it up , I noticed one the "segments" of the LCD was not working - the LCD should display "C1" but the bottom half of the "1" was missing.

BUT after I charged the Visar and powered it up again - the missing segment was back. It was OK for a couple of days , but the segment is now missing again.

Hopefully its a poor contact in the LCD and/or flex cable?

Any thoughts on a possible fix?

Thanks

[W2MB]

You might want to search the message base here. I know that there have been factory service bulletins issued for similar issues with various handheld transceivers of the Visar vintage. The depot replaced the display in my JT1000 recently at no charge due to pixel issues with it's display.

[g8tzl2004]

Thanks - I had tried searching the archives but the Jedi LCD problem seemed to be missing rows /columns rather than an intermitant.

Infact , when I look carefully at my Visar LCD , the missing "segment" ie half of the number "1" is actually visible but very very faint - but sometimes reappears at full contrast. Feels like a poor contact somewhere???

73

[W2MB]

I'd call and ask, they way I read this thread: http://batboard.batlabs.com/viewtopic.p ... sb#p340299

It suggests that any radio with the issue will be covered.

[g8tzl2004]

Somehow I don't think Motorola "England" will be willing to fix a 13 year old radio bought from a hamfest!!! But you never know !!! It's certainly worth a try.

In general , I find most other UK LMR suppliers very helpful to radio hams for spares/service manuals etc - but getting help from Motorola UK is very difficult!!!

I've got a feeling that fixing the Visar LCD will be a homebrew fix!!

[Karfield]

I've noticed that a couple of things could cause your issue. One possible fix and it's always my first try is to simply reflow the flex board where it connects to the controller. If that doesn't get it I usually just replace the display. However at the cost of the display I'd simply just be happy with the one missing or dim pixel. (List is somewhere around $110 give or take)

[g8tzl2004]

$110!!! - I wonder how much a Visar would cost if you built it all from spares !!!

Is the flex cable from the LCD actually soldered to the control board? Or does it push into a "flex socket" located on the control board?

Any hints on opening the Visar? - I know it pops open - I have a HT1000/GP900 which uses same RF/control board - but the layout is different.

Thanks

[Karfield]

Same software, TOTALLY different look to the controller board. The workings and most of the components are the same but locations and design and typical board issues are totally different.

1. Yes the display has a factory placed flex attached to the LCD itself and then the flex is soldered on to the controller board this is the only place where any field or bench work is possible (that I know of) when dealing with the LCD itself.

2. In dealing with Visars the depot repair costs were incredibly high considering they are nothing more than a bent over HT1000.

Taking a Visar apart is pretty easy just need a small flat head screwdriver. Place your screwdrive at the right or left side of the radio between the cover and the casting. Then just lift the base of the cover just till it clears the "clip" on the casting and repeat for the other side. You may end up going back and forth for a while till you get the hang of it as the visar likes to close it'self back up.

The thing to remember is the retainer clip for the controller. That needs to be removed before trying to take the controller out. It's a bit of a trick getting that clip back on the radio without bending it. Just take a good look at the posts and see how it's sitting.

[g8tzl2004]

Thanks.

I will practice on my other Visar which has a totally bad LCD - it lights up but no pixels at all.

This Visar also has a bad speaker - it works fine at very low volumes but as you increase the volume it suddenly starts to badly distort. I guess this is a duff speaker?? However, the volume pot also feels a bit "uneven" - I don't know whether this would cause any audio distortion - the distortion cuts in at a very specific point as you increase the volume. Once the distortion starts , if you back off the volume pot a tiny bit , you get clean audio again.

The side function keys also take some pushing to make good contact - is this dirty contacts or is the switch mechanism out of alignment? I had a similar problem with my HT1000 PTT - I had to get the inner/outer case alignment just right - it was more luck I think but after popping open the HT1000 6 times , eventually I got a nice clean PTT "click". I have noticed this on several other Jedi radios - you can tell when its been opened by the fact that the PTT does not feel right !!

Any thoughts?

[Karfield]

Now those fixes are easy and pretty cheap. The volume pot can be replaced or realigned depending on your mood. Just make sure the blue o-ring is there and that the pot is fully inserted. The side buttons is like 1 long strip of popple similar to the Jedi PTT popple. The Visar popples suffer the same difficulties as the Jedi do, water, dirt, oil etc all break down the adhesive holding the popple in place and causes them to shift. I suggest completely replacing it as opposed to trying to fix it, but you can fix it with some scotch tape and patience. The speaker is the same as for a SP50 just be careful when removing it from the housing the clips that hold the speak down can be quite fragile.

[g8tzl2004]

Thanks Karfield - very useful advice