Is there any way to get an l.e.d. readout to stop fading?

July 19, 2008 7:13 AM

I have a GE remote temperature sensor that uses an LED screen for a readout (black numerals against a grey background). REcently, the lines making up the numbers began to disappear. I replaced the batteries, but they still kept disappearing to the point that nothing is visible on the screen at all. Is there a solution to the problem or is this the end of the unit? For some reason, I thought these kind of readouts lasted forever.
posted by quintno to Technology (3 answers total)

That's an LCD (Liquid Crystal Display), not an LED (Light Emitting Diode). Has this device been exposed to sunlight for an extended period of time? If so, yeah, the LCD component is probably toast.
posted by majick at 7:18 AM on July 19, 2008

Little LCD panels are usually connected to the boards behind them via a rubbery-looking strip consisting of hundreds of alternating layers of conductive and insulating polymer. The strip will be about 1mm x 2mm x the length of the display. If it's slipped, or if the connector fingers on the PC board it's pressed onto have corroded, or if the clamp holding the glass panel onto the PC board is loose, or if the PC board itself is warped, then the LCD will progressively lose display elements. You might care to take the thing apart and make sure none of these things are happening.
posted by flabdablet at 7:29 AM on July 19, 2008 [1 favorite]

Seconding the slipped connector strip hypothesis. Can be a bit fiddly to fix, but worth a try if you're otherwise going to throw it away.
posted by le morte de bea arthur at 7:47 AM on July 19, 2008