Announcement

Collapse
No announcement yet.

Soyo Topaz S (M24E14)

Collapse
X
Collapse
 
  • Page of 1
  • Filter
  • Time
  • Show
Clear All
new posts
Previous template Next
    #1

    Soyo Topaz S (M24E14)

    Ok, I picked this up as a fix-up project. It was reported to have a flickering problem tha would resolve after 1/2 hour to an hour of warming up.

    When I got it I confirmed the flicker problem. kinds of random staticy horizontalish lines that didn't go the whole length of the screen. Other than that, the picture looked fine.

    Took it apart. The inverter and power supply did not have any visibly bad components. Looking at the video board and the board between it an the panel, both also had no visible damage. However the video board had something sticky and brownish on the back side. I didn't see any other evidence of a spill inside the case, so I suspected it was flux. It cleaned off with isopropyl. When I put it back together, the display was blank (you can see the backlights are on, but the display is otherwise dark). Took it apart again and checked the ribbon cable between the video board and the second video board. It had what appeared to be some build-up or possibly mild corrosion on the contacts. Several reseat attempts produced several different display patterns. Vertical lines. Flickering dots. Broken up (kind of fractallyish) wallpaper pattern. Best seatings produced a solid, non-staticy picture. However it appeared to be 8-bit color.

    Given this behavior seems to be cable related, would replacing the cable with a new one be a good option? This is the thin film type flat internal cable. Also, where would be a good place to get one?

    If I can't find one, would soldering in a hardwired connection between the two boards be a possibility that has a chance of working?

    Sorry about the flash in the photos. Otherwise I couldn't see anything clearly.
    Attached Files
    Tags: None
    #2
    Re: Soyo Topaz S (M24E14)

    Originally posted by torin3 View Post
    Took it apart again and checked the ribbon cable between the video board and the second video board.
    Are you talking about the blue end cable on the logic card that has glue on it? If yes, it looks a bit pinched on the sides?
    --- begin sig file ---

    If you are new to this forum, we can help a lot more if you please post clear focused pictures (max resolution 2000x2000 and 2MB) of your boards using the manage attachments button so they are hosted here. Information and picture clarity compositions should look like this post.

    We respectfully ask that you make some time and effort to read some of the guides available for basic troubleshooting. After you have read through them, then ask clarification questions or report your findings.

    Please do not post inline and offsite as they slow down the loading of pages.

    --- end sig file ---

    Comment

      #3
      Re: Soyo Topaz S (M24E14)

      Originally posted by retiredcaps View Post
      Are you talking about the blue end cable on the logic card that has glue on it? If yes, it looks a bit pinched on the sides?
      Yes, that is the cable I'm talking about. Though I didn't notice the pinched bit on the sides. That may have been me moving the parts around as I was taking it apart the first time. Once I saw it was glued in, I left it alone, and didn't try and remove that end on the assumption that it wasn't moving.

      It was the other end I was concerned about. the metal clip over the cable before the connector actually popped up on one side and I had to push it back into place. When it was popped up, the screen was at its worst.

      Comment

        #4
        Re: Soyo Topaz S (M24E14)

        Originally posted by torin3 View Post
        Though I didn't notice the pinched bit on the sides.

        Once I saw it was glued in, I left it alone, and didn't try and remove that end on the assumption that it wasn't moving.
        I circled 2 red parts where I think it may be slightly pinched.

        I could be incorrect about this, but glue, over time, can be conductive. In addition, while glued in, the cable could still be slightly dislodged. If it were me, I would remove the glue, clean off the connectors with alcohol and reseat it.
        Attached Files
        --- begin sig file ---

        If you are new to this forum, we can help a lot more if you please post clear focused pictures (max resolution 2000x2000 and 2MB) of your boards using the manage attachments button so they are hosted here. Information and picture clarity compositions should look like this post.

        We respectfully ask that you make some time and effort to read some of the guides available for basic troubleshooting. After you have read through them, then ask clarification questions or report your findings.

        Please do not post inline and offsite as they slow down the loading of pages.

        --- end sig file ---

        Comment

          #5
          Re: Soyo Topaz S (M24E14)

          Originally posted by retiredcaps View Post
          I circled 2 red parts where I think it may be slightly pinched.
          Sorry, poor phrasing on my part. I meant that I didn't see them until it was pointed out. When I took it apart again, I could see that the wrinkle didn't intrude far enough to potentially damage all the conductor for that wire. The plastic covering the wires is translucent, so you can see exactly where the wire is in the plastic.

          I could be incorrect about this, but glue, over time, can be conductive. In addition, while glued in, the cable could still be slightly dislodged. If it were me, I would remove the glue, clean off the connectors with alcohol and reseat it.
          Man, that glue doesn't want to move. Slightly sticky to the touch, slightly pliable, and TOUGH. I was able to get it off, but the wedge piece of the connector got broken. Not really a problem, as it still wedges in place and holds the cable securely. It just is in 2 pieces now.

          Had to try and reseat the cable a few more times, but I got a good picture. Sealded it up and set it to the right resolution and it looked good....mostly.

          There was still some flickering static type effect, but only for certain colors on the screen. Given it moved based on where the colors were on the screen, I thought it was more settings based, rather than a hardware problem. Turning down the contrast and the brightness to slightly less than 50 on both settings seemed to make it go away. Picture looks much better too. Turned it off for about 10 minutes and then back on again, in case it was temperature related, and no reoccurance.

          Whoo-hoo! Cost to fix = $0 and about 2 hours of exploration.

          I did see that the PSU portion is not that well designed. Caps covered by a heat sink. (Pics in the other thread about this monitor show the same design as mine.) Apparently there is a new revision of the PSU that isn't quite as crappy of a design. Will cost about $15 for the unit and about $20 for shipping from China. I may just get it as an insurance policy.

          Comment

            #6
            Re: Soyo Topaz S (M24E14)

            Well, I tried to swap this in as my secondary monitor and I see the static is still there. I've taken a quick video of the effect, but it is about 10M. If anybody thinks it will help, I'll post a link to it.

            Comment

              #7
              Re: Soyo Topaz S (M24E14)

              Originally posted by torin3 View Post
              If anybody thinks it will help, I'll post a link to it.
              Upload it to youtube and then supply a link.
              --- begin sig file ---

              If you are new to this forum, we can help a lot more if you please post clear focused pictures (max resolution 2000x2000 and 2MB) of your boards using the manage attachments button so they are hosted here. Information and picture clarity compositions should look like this post.

              We respectfully ask that you make some time and effort to read some of the guides available for basic troubleshooting. After you have read through them, then ask clarification questions or report your findings.

              Please do not post inline and offsite as they slow down the loading of pages.

              --- end sig file ---

              Comment

                #8
                Re: Soyo Topaz S (M24E14)

                Can also get a photo of the power board?

                A longshot, but carefully measure the DC voltage across the main filter capacitor. We want to see if that is steady or fluctuating.

                It helps if you can use aligator clips for this type of measurement so your hands don't slip and short out something. See if the voltage fluctuates during the flickering.
                --- begin sig file ---

                If you are new to this forum, we can help a lot more if you please post clear focused pictures (max resolution 2000x2000 and 2MB) of your boards using the manage attachments button so they are hosted here. Information and picture clarity compositions should look like this post.

                We respectfully ask that you make some time and effort to read some of the guides available for basic troubleshooting. After you have read through them, then ask clarification questions or report your findings.

                Please do not post inline and offsite as they slow down the loading of pages.

                --- end sig file ---

                Comment

                  #9
                  Re: Soyo Topaz S (M24E14)

                  Originally posted by retiredcaps View Post
                  Upload it to youtube and then supply a link.
                  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xDphOxt7sOw

                  Originally posted by retiredcaps View Post
                  Can also get a photo of the power board?

                  A longshot, but carefully measure the DC voltage across the main filter capacitor. We want to see if that is steady or fluctuating.

                  It helps if you can use aligator clips for this type of measurement so your hands don't slip and short out something. See if the voltage fluctuates during the flickering.
                  I have the same model as in this thread:
                  https://www.badcaps.net/forum/showth...ght=soyo+topaz There are some decent pictures there.

                  I've had a migraine most of the day, so I haven't felt like doing much, but I did pick up some aligator clips, so I should have something soon. I'll also check it on another circuit with a different computer to see if the static goes away there.

                  Comment

                    #10
                    Re: Soyo Topaz S (M24E14)

                    Originally posted by torin3 View Post
                    I have the same model as in this thread:
                    https://www.badcaps.net/forum/showth...ght=soyo+topaz There are some decent pictures there.
                    If it looks like post #15, then the problem is obvious!

                    https://www.badcaps.net/forum/showpo...2&postcount=15
                    --- begin sig file ---

                    If you are new to this forum, we can help a lot more if you please post clear focused pictures (max resolution 2000x2000 and 2MB) of your boards using the manage attachments button so they are hosted here. Information and picture clarity compositions should look like this post.

                    We respectfully ask that you make some time and effort to read some of the guides available for basic troubleshooting. After you have read through them, then ask clarification questions or report your findings.

                    Please do not post inline and offsite as they slow down the loading of pages.

                    --- end sig file ---

                    Comment

                      #11
                      Re: Soyo Topaz S (M24E14)

                      Originally posted by retiredcaps View Post
                      If it looks like post #15, then the problem is obvious!

                      https://www.badcaps.net/forum/showpo...2&postcount=15
                      Yeah, I forgot to mention that mine had no swollen caps. Sorry, migraine affects my concentration.

                      Comment

                      Previous template Next
                      Working...
                      X