Author Topic: Screen turning grey  (Read 7187 times)

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Offline Bobbrown

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Screen turning grey
« on: May 20, 2012, 12:52:42 PM »
I have a 797c2 and the corners are rounding off in a dark grey. Seems the longer I have it on the more the corners round and the darker they get.  My "low voltage" message does not appear
Any ideas?


Offline ITGEEK

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Re: Screen turning grey
« Reply #1 on: May 21, 2012, 07:36:01 AM »
Fully charge and load test your battery.
Check your power connections and fuse.
You want corrosion free, tight connections.

Having enough voltage does not mean that your battery is any good.
It only means it's fully charged.

Offline Humminbird_Greg

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Re: Screen turning grey
« Reply #2 on: May 21, 2012, 01:55:01 PM »
Check to see if this happens while in the Simulator mode as well as checking the electrical connections and load testing the battery.  It may be some early signs that the display is failing.

Greg Walters at Humminbird
gwalters@johnsonoutdoors.com

Offline Bobbrown

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Re: Screen turning grey
« Reply #3 on: May 21, 2012, 03:42:13 PM »
Thanks for the reply. Will do a complete electrical test.
Could you please explain what to look for in  the simulator mode test
Thanks

Offline Bobbrown

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Re: Screen turning grey
« Reply #4 on: May 21, 2012, 09:07:17 PM »
Used the unit tonight. Main interest was the volt reading. Under power the reading was in the mid 14's...meaning the alternator was working...I think. Then turned the engine off and the reading went down to 12.6.  Normal...I think. Also....during use today the grey started, then progressively got worse while on the anchor. Then made the hour run to the dock. Tat would mean the alternator was running in the 14's the entire time....so......if this was electrical related wouldn't the grey recede during the run time
Thanks
Bob

Offline ITGEEK

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Re: Screen turning grey
« Reply #5 on: May 22, 2012, 07:39:35 AM »
Quote
Also....during use today the grey started, then progressively got worse while on the anchor.


This points to a bad battery.
Your battery cannot sustain the load of the unit.

I say again, ample voltage only means that the battery is fully charged.
It doesn't mean the battery is any good.

Before you do anything else, fully charge and load test your battery.
Once you get things sorted out, get a separate battery only for the sonar, or you
will have interference issues from your main motor.
« Last Edit: May 22, 2012, 07:43:34 AM by ITGEEK »

Offline Humminbird_Greg

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Re: Screen turning grey
« Reply #6 on: May 22, 2012, 02:03:25 PM »
I would start with getting the battery load tested, but the progressively getting worse while at anchor could also mean that it is a heat induced problem ITG – that is assuming it got hotter through the day.  You should be able to run your unit with the boat on the trailer and the battery on charge to see if it is power related or if it is heat related.  If it only happens when the sun is up and shining (and not at night) than I would say it is heat induced. 

Greg Walters at Humminbird
gwalters@johnsonoutdoors.com

Offline Bobbrown

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Re: Screen turning grey
« Reply #7 on: May 22, 2012, 03:25:40 PM »
Thanks guys...load testing the battery later this week...will post results.
Appreciate the help

Offline ITGEEK

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Re: Screen turning grey
« Reply #8 on: May 22, 2012, 03:28:29 PM »
That's a good point Greg.
I hadn't thought of that.

Would this be rare, that outside/sun heat could adversely affect a unit?

Offline Humminbird_Greg

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Re: Screen turning grey
« Reply #9 on: May 22, 2012, 04:05:24 PM »
Yes it would be as we test both high and low temperature performance.

If the problem started in the center of the display and spread outwards than I would bet money that it was heat related but we have also seen this starting on the edges and working inwards.

Greg Walters at Humminbird
gwalters@johnsonoutdoors.com

Offline Bobbrown

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Re: Screen turning grey
« Reply #10 on: May 22, 2012, 06:05:27 PM »
Could be interesting since this is happening on the tarpon flats in Key West.
Seems much worse on a bright sun day.
I'll continue with the battery test and let you know


Offline xSilmarilSx

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Re: Screen turning grey
« Reply #11 on: May 23, 2012, 01:13:58 PM »
I bet 10 bucks that's the CCFL Backlit (I think the 797 use CCFL) that start to fail.

I pretty sure that the battery voltage or load is not the cause of the problem.
Humminbird Unit can operate at a low voltage. Low enough that even a dead battery
could power a unit.

Offline ITGEEK

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Re: Screen turning grey
« Reply #12 on: May 23, 2012, 01:24:25 PM »
xSilmarilSx:
I had a battery once that showed over 12.5 volts and it WOULD NOT power
my 1197.

I think the charger malfunctioned during an electrical storm
and overcharged/fried the battery.

Drove me crazy trying to find the problem.

Offline Bobbrown

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Re: Screen turning grey
« Reply #13 on: May 23, 2012, 02:48:14 PM »
Battery load test ok.....just talked to my mechanic.
I have a feeling I'll  be sending it in after tarpon season...if it lasts that long.

Offline xSilmarilSx

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Re: Screen turning grey
« Reply #14 on: May 23, 2012, 08:16:26 PM »
ITGEEK...

It's what I was referring to... Your unit didn't power up.
But if the unit start, it will not show strange symptoms like loss of screen brightness.

The voltage regulator in the HB units are switching types, and can work with a wide range of voltage and fluctuation.
So the unit either power-on with no problems, or don't power at all...

In the present case, I don't think is a power problem. More of a screen defect.

Offline ITGEEK

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Re: Screen turning grey
« Reply #15 on: May 24, 2012, 07:40:30 AM »
xSilmarilSx:
When I had this bad battery situation, I went fishing in the morning.
The unit worked for about 10 minutes, then, it quit.

I went to restart it half a dozen times.
Each time, it seemed to be going through the boot process,
then it would just die.

I really thought the unit was bad, but the battery was the culprit.
I hadn't had the unit that long, and I was extremely frustrated
with the situation.

I charged the battery up when I got home and checked it with
a volt meter, and it had over 12.5 volts, so I assumed the battery
was good.  Extremely bad assumption on my part. ???

After re-checking the power wires and all connections,
I put a load tester on the battery, and the needle
immediately went all the way to the bottom.  Red and dead.

I learned a very valuable lesson that day.
I won't ever be caught like that again.

Don't assume anything, test everything.


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