Speedset will not adjust

[IDBoating]

I'm all set here!

[Timmy!]

This thread could get interesting! Good luck!

[IDBoating]

FedEx says "On FedEx vehicle for delivery"... should see it today!

[jmhatchett]

Awesome!! Once you get into it if you need my "OK" for anything seriosly the best way to get a hold of me is cell phone. 806-241-2371 i carry it all day and am comfortable texting or talking doesnt matter to me! and thanks again for all the help!

Really hoping to have it all fixed and back in my hands by the 21-22nd before memorial day if possible!! I know thats a tiny amount of time, but if it takes longer I am understanding! any small fix is better than $1250 plus fuel cost for me to go to factory.

[ChrisSnow]

beware that opening them in any form is likely to do more damage...

for WABoatings benefeit here is how it is built.

Layer makeup front to back


black moulded front cover, screwed on from the rear (4 screws)
Black printed membrane with adhesive backing.
clear film with adhesive backing that holds the switch caps in place
switch contacts
flexible PCB with adhesive backing
acrylic sheet and black rear housing.
PCB assembly (2 screws hold this on).
lots of clear potting compound

to get to where the flex pcb meets the main PCB you will need to prise the PCB out of the potted area, you may(probably) will damage the flex doing this, this is where I found my problem which was the FFC being torn. i know I didn't do the damage as there was no connectivity from the switch ground to the main PCB ground before doing this.



If the buttons are permanently depressed I would first remove the black printed membrane but be sure not to lift the layer below as it's really fragile. you can then carefully make a path to the switch contacts and bend the caps back into shape.

I had to bend all mine all back as i originally peeled all the layers back as far as the acrylic sheet in one go and that seemed to damage them all :-(

Ps i have ordered one of these
http://uk.rs-online.com/web/p/fpc-connectors/7188740
which might fix mine.

failing that i will try this
http://uk.farnell.com/fci/65801-008l...way/dp/1103978
but that's a bit more severe as it pierces the FFC

if not I will build a new switch panel and probably re use the main PCB,

Good luck!

[ChrisSnow]

heres some photos that might help...IMAG0996.jpgIMAG0998.jpgIMAG0999.jpgIMAG1000.jpgIMAG1002.jpgIMAG1003.jpg

[IDBoating]

Thanks to you both. FedEx just dropped off the box, I'm going to unpack and inspect now.

JM: I will look at "fixing" it, but realistically it's more likely that we will come up with some sort of DIY workaround. My first guess is simple momentary contact switches similar to what Chris mentioned earlier. Based on his comments (he's seen one), this assembly wasn't built to be repaired so a workaround may be the only way to keep things running without spending $1250 (!!!).

Getting to work on it now, back soon.

[IDBoating]

Unwrapped the touchpad. Got all goosebumpy when I realized I was holding something so small that Tige says is worth $1250!

I can feel the difference in the side touch areas, feels like the snap domes have collapsed. I wonder if I take it to the airport, if TSA will give me an internal visual with their taxpayer-funded scanners?

Got to handle a few phone calls (yeah, I know, letting business get in the way) and then back at it.

[Timmy!]

[SBM1234]

Love the commentary. LOL

[ChrisSnow]

The up and down snap domes are significantly larger than the enable one. A multimeter will tell you if it's collapsed but you probably already did that :-) if you can't get continuity you probably have a torn fpc like me.

[IDBoating]

First observations.

JM's touchpad is in good physical shape. First level disassembly revealed no water intrusion, no delamination, everything looks fine.

So... out come the microprobes. These allow me to test the flexible circuit traces without having to disassemble the layers. All of the traces test fine, and - importantly - all of the snap domes are working. They are mechanically fine, they retract when released and snap down properly when pressed. They also break contact when released and make contact when pressed. The pairs on either side operate in parallel as the traces indicate they are meant to.

That's somewhat bad news, because if it were just a snap dome problem it would be easier to fix. I fear ChrisNow's connector problem may be endemic to the design, and as he's noted it's a bugger to access and work on without damaging stuff on JM's touchpad that isn't broken.

I am troubled by the fact that the switch actuation felt "wrong" when the unit was assembled, yet feels OK when disassembled. JM, did you ever plug this in and test it with the faceplate off, just pressing the snap domes directly with your finger? I will investigate if something appears wrong with the rubber overlay assembly.

Analysis continues....

[IDBoating]

Figured out the "weird feel" thing. Here's a photo of the unit with the faceplate removed:
IMG_20150513_143248965_HDR.jpg

Look at the back of the faceplate on the right. It has little dimples that are intended to depress the snap domes. There are three such dimples for each side (the "Faster" and "Slower" sides).

Now look at the assembly on the left. Note that while there are three locations for snap domes on each side, only two of those positions are populated on this unit. For some reason (reliability?), the original design intended for three snap domes on each side but in production they only populated two per side.

That black rubber surface that you press with your finger is backed by that cream-colored stuff with the dimples on the right. I expected the area on the left and right to be stiffer, such that pressing anywhere in that "zone" would cause multiple snap domes to be actuated. But the entire assembly is really quite flexible. You can take it out and bend it all around. Pressing one snap dome isn't going to actuate the other(s) on that side. And - interestingly - pressing over the MISSING snap dome may not actuate either of the two that are there! It's a "feel" thing, and it's weird that the center area where you're most likely to press is the area that now doesn't have a snap dome. That's what I was "feeling", the lack of a snap dome in the middle.

Reassembling things and intentionally pressing at the top or bottom of the sides, where we know there to be a snap dome, actuates the dome properly.

With that mystery solved, back to electronics....

(Let me know if this is too much detail for everyone. I can take this offline privately to JM and just post the conclusions if so.)

[ChrisSnow]

Have you got continuity from the fpc all the way back to the external connector? Peeling the overlay off may have released the domes.

[ChrisSnow]

That is odd the placement of the snap domes and especially the difference between mine. I don't have back lights and only have 1 switch per area. What year is this off?

Bit of cross posting going on here!.