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  1. #1
    Important User smokefree's Avatar
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    help nüvi 1440 screen brightness flickering rapidly

    The brightness (backlight) of my nüvi 1440 screen is not steady but flickers randomly and rapidly. It does this only when the brightness is set to more than 30% and only for the first 5 or 10 minutes after switching on. Thereafter the screen brightness is steady, even when set to 100%. As if the screen has to warm up first. It does this in day as well as night mode. I tried tapping the screen, knocking the unit with "calibrated force", putting slight torsion (twist) on the housing, all having no effect.

    I wiped the internal storage clean with RMPrepUSB, flashed new FW, updated with WebUpdater, cleared NV, loaded detailed maps, but still the screen flickers.

    Considering what I have tried already, I'm assuming it is a hardware issue. Apart from replacing the screen, anyone having other suggestions to try first?

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  3. #2
    Garmin/GPS Systems GMod.

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    Nice! I see you've already tried the standard technician's 'knock test' and 'twist test' for loose connections and dry joints on the PCB. Did you also try the last resort 'drop test'?

    Possible problem apart from a failing screen is a dirty or improperly seated screen connection. My nuvi 40 screen flickered intermittently from new, so i opened it and spayed the connections with contact cleaner and reconnected. Problem when away. However, my 40 did that regardless of unit temp and was totally intermittent, unlike your 1440 flickering only when cold. That symptom would possibly be a dry joint 'making and breaking' when cold and making fully when hot and expanded slightly. Do you have another screen you can swap in to try if cleaning the contacts doesn't work?
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  4. #3
    Important User smokefree's Avatar
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    Before being able to open up the housing of the nüvi 1440. I had to wait for the torx-5 screwdriver to arrive which I ordered online. OK, so it's open now (see picture below), but I have no clue as how to detach the 67-pin screen connector from the PCB. Various video's on YouTube but none clear enough to know in which direction to exert force.

    Pressing or pushing the connector from varius directions has no effect on the screen brightness fluctuations. I therefore doubt if the connector plays a role here. I like to disconnect the connector anyway so I am able to swap screens with another 1440 which does not have Life Time Map Updates linked to it (the faulty unit does). Thanks.

    LbQIpa1

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    Garmin/GPS Systems GMod.

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    The greyish-brown locking strip flips upwards away from the ribbon. I prefer to use two fingernails simultaneously towards each end of the strip rather than exerting force only in the middle, less chance of breakage. When refitting, very little pressure should be needed to clip it back down when the ribbon end is correctly aligned. With both remove and refit, gentle is the key. Using a good strong lighted magnifier on a stand helps greatly.

    Not absolutely sure, but I think 14xx has only one type of screen whereas 13xx has 3 different non-swappable versions.
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    Important User smokefree's Avatar
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    First time ever I'm taking the screen out of a nüvi, so I wasn't too sure of how much / little force would be required into which direction to get the screen connection detached from the PCB. I expected a conventional "male/female" type connector, but it appears to be a flat ribbon cable that is held into place onto the connector block by a hinged "locking flap" that stays on the connector. Before I perform the same trick on the other 1440, could you please confirm from the pictures below that what is shown is how it is supposed to look? No part of the connector should stay on the ribbon cable? And by "sandwiching" the cable between the connector and the "locking flap", it locks in place again? I guess that that is the part where the lighted magnifier comes in handy?

    cz7kbjT
    connector on PCB ("locking flap" standing up straight)

    z4Ti1Xf
    ribbon cable on screen

  7. #6
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    Roger to all that .....
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  8. #7
    Senior Member Strephon Alkhalikoi's Avatar
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    Unfortunately, just taking the nüvi apart isn't likely to help you. The backlight appears to be malfunctioning, and if reseating the cable doesn't fix it, the only alternative may be to replace the screen.
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  9. #8
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    Quote Originally Posted by Strephon Alkhalikoi View Post
    ......... if reseating the cable doesn't fix it, the only alternative may be to replace the screen.
    I'm pretty sure that's his intent if the 'known-good' screen from the non-LM 1440 works ok in the LM unit.

    Replacement screens for 14xx aren't very expensive. Example on ebay with ww postage included ~$25:
    Code:
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    If the problem's originating from the PCB though, no point going any further than cleaning the screen ribbon connector imo.
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  10. #9
    Important User smokefree's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Neil View Post
    I'm pretty sure that's his intent if the 'known-good' screen from the non-LM 1440 works ok in the LM unit.
    Exactly my intention. Cleaning the screen ribbon connector did not make any improvement. Having a problem now opening up the non-LM 1440. Where I found size 5 torx screws in the LM 1440, the same size torx bit screwdriver slips in the head of the non-LM 1440 screws while size 6 does not fit. Yet, with a magnifying glass the screws definitely appear to be torx type. Ordered another miniature screwdriver set online with a variety of sizes and shapes (flat, allen, torx, phillips, pozdriv). Will only arrive on Tuesday. To be continued...
    Last edited by smokefree; 15th March 2014 at 10:58 AM. Reason: corrected typo

  11. #10
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    Maybe previous owner damaged torx screws or maybe your torx is "fongkong" there is no in-between size.
    If your torx is rounded on the end you can file it down a bit.
    Use magnifier to check, you can buy high quality torx bits from professional tool shop.
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    Albert Einstein.

 

 

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