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Jon_GWG
901 Posts |
 Posted - 06 mars 2010 : 08:17:59
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A relatively common problem is surfacing now that the iWay-family of GPS units has some road time under their belt. A large number of units have reported trouble with the iWay screens flipping map orientations or not responding to any key presses at all. The design of the unit leaves couple of potential weak points that can be checked relatively easily before scrapping the unit.
There is a small gap around the display bezel (the frame through which the display is visible) that allows water and debris to accumulate. Given enough time and the right conditions, this material can build up enough to actually put pressure on the touch-screen. Another failure that I have seen is when the cable that connects the touch screen to the control circuit board rubs against the metal frame that secures the display to the case. This 'grounding' can cause phantom screen presses that make the unit appear to have a mind of its own. If this failure is caught before the conductive coating rubs completely through, it can be corrected by just preventing further chafing. If the coating has rubbed through enough to break the circuit, the cable will need some specialized repair work. Contact me if you need this type of service, or if you feel that this repair exceeds your comfort level.
WARNING
Although there is no warranty provided for these units anymore, there are small, delicate connectors that could be damaged if handled improperly. Please proceed with caution and only attempt this if you are comfortable with this type of work.
Here are the highlights to the dis-assembly process and the cleaning procedure - some basic steps might have been left out, but the key points are shown below. Keep in mind that there are slight differences between the 500 & 600c models and your unit may look slightly different then the 500c pictures shown here.
Remove the Torx T8 screws that secure the two case halves together and crack the case open. There will be cables that connect the two halves together that need to be removed before you can go any further.
Here you can see the ribbon cable that connects the hard disk to the main circuit board. Using a small screwdriver, gently lift up on the black connector to remove it from the connector pins. Be careful to not lift it only from one end, as this can cause the pins to bend. (Note: On a few 600c models, the ribbon cable connectors have 'loosened', causing disk read errors. Some units have included silicone to connect the connector halves together. If your unit starts to exhibit this condition, you can order replacement connectors from this site.)
The GPS receiver connector also needs to be removed. Be careful to not put any undue tension on the wires - pull the connector itself out of the socket.
Once you get these two cables removed, you'll have free and clear access to the remaining cables. In this picture, you can see the USB data cable (White plug) and the power/audio cable (Black plug). Once these are unplugged, you can set the back half of the GPS aside.
In the far right side of the picture above, you can also see the small cable that connects the front-panel push buttons. This cable also needs to be removed by gently pulling it straight up and out of its connector. (A pair of hemostats is very helpful in dealing with these cables and connectors)
Once it's been removed, inspect and gently clean the connections (alcohol and a gentle pencil eraser scrub should be plenty) if there is any oxidation present. These flexible mylar connectors have the conductive paths bonded to the surface of the cable and can be easily damaged if not handled properly.
The real business happens at the bottom of the screen. Here you can see the wide cable that feeds the display itself and the smaller cable that provides the touch-screen data.
These cables need to be disconnected to be able to remove the circuit board from the top of the display assembly. The touch-screen connector is a simple connection similar to the front-panel button cable.
The video display cable itself uses a connector that has a small locking assembly to hold the cable in place. To release the cable, gently push the small White locking tabs on each end of the connector away from the connector body (the part attached to the circuit board) and the pressure tab will swing away from the body of the connector, releasing the cable from the connector. Re-assembling this cable is the toughest part of the repair process since there is very little access to the connector.
You can see in this close-up view that the cable that processes the touch-screen information runs very close to the unprotected metal edge of the display support frame. I found this cable had rubbed against the frame on my unit, causing phantom key presses. Repairing the conductive path on the cable and then protecting the cable from the display frame returned my unit to full functionality.
Here is a close-up view of the touch-screen cable. This unit had no damage to this cable.
The main circuit board needs to be removed to be able to remove the display. There are four phillips-head machine screws that need to be removed to gain access to the display itself.
Once these are removed and the cables are disconnected, you can set the circuit board aside and then remove the phillips-head screws that secure the display module to the front case bezel itself.
(Note: on some units, the metal frame that secures the display to the bezel fits so tightly that when the unit warms up, tolerances reduce enough to put pressure on the display. I've been able to correct this situation by placing small bushing washers between the metal frame and the bezel standoffs and then being careful to not over-tighten the screws upon re-assembly)
Here is the cause of the problems with this unit. This is the display assembly, looking from the top towards the bottom of the screen. If you look at the full-size image, you'll see the dirt and grime that have accumulated at the bottom of the display.
A gentle cleaning with soap and water returned this display to 'like-new' condition.
The assembly process is simply the reverse of the dis-assembly process, taking care to make sure that all connectors are firmly seated.
I hope this helps - shoot me a message if you have any questions. |
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ST-Bob
USA
3655 Posts |
Posted - 06 mars 2010 : 14:16:15
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Jon, could you re-load the side-view of the display board "Jon_GWG_DisplaySide_med.JPG" to the gpspassion forum. Apparently you accidentally duplicated the picture of the front of the display panel and overwrote the medium resolution version of the side-view of the display board.
By the way - thanks a lot for putting this info on the site. With the loss of factory support, we're our only technical resource I guess.
Oh, and please update your current email address in your profile so you'll continue to get notifications and we can get in touch with you via the email-poster button. Your old address bounces.
Thanks
Bob Peloquin
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Bob Peloquin - Moderator-Lowrance iWay forum
Massachusetts, USA
Various Iways, nüvi 750 |
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Jon_GWG
901 Posts |
Posted - 06 mars 2010 : 18:28:21
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| I'll need to go grab the originals again - I've updated my e-mail address... |
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fleming49
USA
1 Posts |
Posted - 05 avr. 2010 : 05:53:17
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Jon,
Thanks again for the tip. I will try this tomorrow when I get in from work. I had it apart today and re-assembled it and it at least booted and ran all afternoon. I just left it going to see if the screen would change again but it didn't. The symptoms are exactly as you described though and will do this as a preventative.
Any suggestions as to where I could locate one of those hard drives? I have an external antenna but you said that you had some too? Which one do you have and what would that cost? |
Steve Fleming
Houston, Texas |
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Jon_GWG
901 Posts |
Posted - 05 avr. 2010 : 07:26:44
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| I just went and Googled Transcend 32GB IDE and it returned a few hits - the one from eCost.com was the $107, I believe. |
Edited by - Jon_GWG on 05 avr. 2010 07:27:24 |
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coalpines
USA
2 Posts |
Posted - 13 avr. 2010 : 19:08:08
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| OOps. I pulled the connector (Picture 4)off the circut board. Slight misunderstanding on my part. Is there a way to re attach it or some where I could send it to get it repaired? It may not be worth it. The screen keeps freezing up and the touch screen buttons don't work except on occasion. I tried to clean the screen but that didn't help. I then I pulled out the conector when I went to clean the end. Dumb! What do you recommend? |
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iWay Screen Cleaning Process
