B&g chartplotter turns into expensive paperweight

[rfkneller]

My B&G chartplotter has developed a pattern of colored lines through the middle of the display. AS far as I know the unit has not received any trauma. I contacted B&G and guess what? They have no idea what causes the display issue and they no longer service this model! Anyone have any idea what the issue might be?

[tkeithlu]

Here we go again. Damned expensive proprietary screen supposed to do bunch of stuff goes bad. I don't know why, I just recognize that you're in a jam with zero help from the seller, which is sad. Even if you find a replacement, that sucker will be expensive.

It looks like this is at your helm station. Are you weather protected there?

Consider the possibility of buying a refurbished iPad off Amazon for about $150 and loading OpenCPN on it. Might need a bit of a hood against sunlight at your helm station, and might need a waterproof case. Much simpler and cheaper than even repairing what you've got.

[SVHarmonie]

Originally Posted by tkeithlu

Might need a bit of a hood against sunlight at your helm station...

DEFINITELY need a hood on it to see in sunlight. You also need the hood also to keep sun off the screen for other reasons. If sunlight shines directly on the screen for more than a few minutes, an iPad WILL overheat and shut down.

AND you need a tinted screen cover so it doesn't blind you when sailing at night. They don't turn down brightness nearly enough to preserve night vision if they are at the helm station.

Originally Posted by tkeithlu

...and might need a waterproof case.

"might need a waterproof case"? Might? Of course real waterproof charging so you can use it for more than a couple hours is still a challenge... I guess you could buy three and rotate them between the helm station and charger... Although thee iPads, plus three cases, plus three mounting brackets. starts to add up.

I love my iPad, and use it for all kinds of things, including as a repeater for my MFD below deck. But as a navigation tool at an exposed helm station it lacks a lot. I know a lot of people have "sailed around the world with one" and if it is all you can afford it is better than nothing.... I guess.

[sailah]

Without knowing more about how the screen connects, it's likely something to do with the ribbon cable that drives the display. You could have gotten some moisture in there and the connection isn't perfect.

Personally I'd try to take it apart and remove the connector to LCD. Clean it with alcohol and reinstall. See if that fixes it. This is best done off the boat on a desk as you need a clean space. You could also try to wiggle the ribbon and see if that points you to a clue. If there's a pinout in a manul you could see whick pins provide power on the back of the unit and drive it with a cheap 12V power supply.

But if you take it apart, and you don't know what you are doing or careful, you may never get it back together or really screw something up.

But in the condition that it is in, you don't have a lot to lose. The MCU and firmware appear to be working as the screen is trying to display the right data which is why I suspect a connection issue

[chrisr]

if B&G no longer service this model i suspect it's fairly old.

why not spend a few bucks and get a new one ?

cheers,

[BugzyCan]

Usually when it is lines on a display it is related to the memory going bad, but on a boat, with lots of moisture around all the time, it could be a salt buildup on circuits shorting things together.
On a computer, the first thing to do is power it down, and re-seat everything, but not sure if that is possible on this unit, it may be one main board.
One thing for certain, you cannot use it like that, so you may as well send it in for repairs, or give it a try yourself.

[svMarite]

Originally Posted by rfkneller

My B&G chartplotter has developed a pattern of colored lines through the middle of the display. AS far as I know the unit has not received any trauma. I contacted B&G and guess what? They have no idea what causes the display issue and they no longer service this model! Anyone have any idea what the issue might be?

doesn't look like many people answered your question. The only thing I could suggest seeing that you're at a point of no return, open the back of the unit unplug the screen cable and plug it back in. I learned this a long time ago when I was a fool and bought Nexus oh, boy that was crap equipment, and I figured out to open up the back of the unit unplug the cables to the screen and plug them back in and it cleaned it up

[ilenart]

Your chartplotter appears to be missing the plastic frame that surrounds the unit, which probably means water ingress is more likely. Some good advise above about trying to clean and dry the unit.

Ilenart

[Ivansgarage]

There is one other option, a lot of times the lcd panel is replaceable, get direct number off panel and google it... might be cheaper than you think...

[a64pilot]

I believe I have the same plotter, a Zeus touch?
I would try to find out if or which of the newer models will plug into existing components as there are a lot of them, the B&G system is way more than just the screen.

The edge plastic is just decorative, it’s not a seal

[StoneCrab]

B&G doesn't make most of the components. It may be possible to source a compatible display. I agree with the comments suggesting that you open it up and have a look. Have a notepad, can of contact cleaner and compressed air handy.

Take a good look at the ribbon cable for the screen. If they used conductive foam for the contacts, recovery would be unlikely.

As a possible source of help for you, reach out to your local IEEE chapter. It is a professional society of electrical engineers. Usually run by retired or semi-retired guys who are still very smart and active. You might find one who would trade some of his time for some boating time.

[Lake-Effect]

Originally Posted by rfkneller

My B&G chartplotter has developed a pattern of colored lines through the middle of the display. AS far as I know the unit has not received any trauma. I contacted B&G and guess what? They have no idea what causes the display issue and they no longer service this model! Anyone have any idea what the issue might be?

Try looking around online for the service manual. Maybe B&G will let you download one from them, since they won't support it otherwise.

A good independent shop should be willing to have a crack at it, but specialized parts won't likely be available should it need any. If you have nothing to lose and have some DIY confidence, you can open it up yourself.

Display panels like that are usually connected to the main PC board in one of 3 ways:

1. a flat multiconductor cable with connector(s)
2. a flexible ribbon with flat printed traces inside, with a prapared end that slides into a socket on the PC board
3. a conductive rubbery interface area on the back of the display glass that's pressed into traces on the PC board

With 1 and 2, you can look for any breaks or cracks, but most often it's a case of bad contact at the connector, and unplugging, cleaning and replugging any connectors can often fix it.

In the case of #3, it's trickier, but the glass display board can be carefully unmounted, then the connector area inspected and carefully cleaned, then reassembled.

As pointed out, it could also be some corrosion or build-up around connectors or memory or other ICs. You can try removing any salty buildup with a Q-tip and distilled water, or isopropyl alcohol if it's an oily deposit.

[GregW1309]

My Raymarine C70 display goes to ALL lines, which has been identified as a poor connection between the display and a ribbon connector. The normal screen re-appears if you press on the lower part of the screen, restoring the connection. Fix is to improve the connector.

[ilenart]

Originally Posted by a64pilot

The edge plastic is just decorative, it’s not a seal

Its more than decorative, if it is missing the B&G cover for the screen will not provide a proper fit. If the cover is also not being used regularly again this is more likely than water ingress is happening. And yes it does appear to be a Zeus Touch T7, I have the T12.

Ilenart

[Apollo366]

A new similar replacement https://www.mygreenoutdoors.com/bg-v...CABEgJKn_D_BwE

is about $700, check for other listings to see.