HELP!: loose wire

IIRC the mk I is different than the 3000, the 3000 has the solder pads on the other side of the pcb than the backlight goes on, the 60 has the solder pads right next to where the backlight goes in, and the wire I'm not sure but I think on the back. maybe on MK II's it's just direct to the backlight tabs?

No doubt it looks like you ripped the leads right off the backlight since there is no where to solder on the LCD panel. If you pull your backlight out you might be able to get those leads to stick back on your backlight otherwise you'll just need to make or buy a new one. I think the DIY ones are probably alot brighter than telesis'.

One thing that causes backlights to go out quicker is humidity, that's the reason why it's laminated. personally I would find the part of lamination thats ripped, stuff the leads in it so they are not touching, and Iron it back together carefully with a small towel covering the backlight. If it works cool, if not then it might be a good idea to make a new backlight yourself.

elmacaco wrote:IIRC the mk I is different than the 3000, the 3000 has the solder pads on the other side of the pcb than the backlight goes on, the 60 has the solder pads right next to where the backlight goes in, and the wire I'm not sure but I think on the back. maybe on MK II's it's just direct to the backlight tabs?

Having just done an MPC60MK2 backlight change for one of my friends I can confirm.

The MPC60MK2 screen assembly is different to the MPC3000 and MPC60MK1.

The wiring tabs are part of the back light.

Power supply feed wires have to be soldered directly on to the backlight tabs.

Rohan.

OK, so try and put the tabs back on the backlight and see if it lights up. i guess you have to iron it, but I'm not sure how the metal tabs are in the backlight, they should be easy to slide back in.

When I made my backlight I had these leads that had spikes on the bottom and I had to give them a hammer hit to install them on the EL panel and then I laminated the whole thing. Mine was a bit different though, because on yours it looks like if you did that then you would create a short and ruin it. As long as you can get them to stay on there you'll be good, anyway, good luck.

a big thanks to everyone who provided info/pics/advice.

from your explanations it looks like the ends of the wire were simply stuffed into the backlight and laminated. i'm not finding any leads or any such part/piece lying around inside my unit so i'm thinking these two wires just came loose after time.

aha! now that i know which piece the backlight is i was able to pull that little strip out right now and i discovered two 'contact strips' (i'm sure i butchered the correct term!) inside the laminated backlight. it looks like this could be a DIY backlight and no soldering is needed.

i will take more detailed pics in the coming days. i just got back from out of town and need to recuperate tonight but i would like to run some pics by y'all for any additional tips/advice on the repair before i follow through with it.

and mikedean, maybe i'll wait 'til you've done your MKII backlight repair to hear your input as well. thanks for your insight so far.

glad to know i have some good peeps to come to for help.

here's what the backlight looked like when pulled from the display unit:



and here's the other side where i found the contact points:



from the front after connecting the leads and powering up:



a close up of the display, note the dimness of the backlight:



could anyone here help me DIY a brighter backlight? preferably one like this:



if so, PM me and maybe we can work something out. can this type of backlight only function on a MKI model or can i do it on my MKII also?

hey that's my 60!!!!



it's funny I can recorgnise the stuff in the mess in the background, and remember what was above and below the 60 when I took the picture.

that't the white backlight, and when brand new, mine isn;t that bright anymore, a new one will help but the Mk II backlight in inverted (bright letters, dark background) which is easier to see IMO.

A new backlight will make things brighter, but it looks fne from your picture.

Congrats on fixing it!

^word, thanks elmac. after looking at some other MKII's it seems my backlight is pretty similar and i haven't seen any customized. i may get a new one. i may trade the whole unit for an MKI .

MK I screens aren;t that easy to see either. Have a look at one before you swap.

I think the Mk II is easier to see, that's why 3000's have the same screen.

Also, if you trade, don;t get shafted on the upgrades.

"Sure it's got 3.10 & Scsi"

elmacaco wrote:Also, if you trade, don;t get shafted on the upgrades.

"Sure it's got 3.10 & Scsi"

no doubt. man, ntalec's went for MAD cheap on the 'bay! fully upgraded and he prolly ended up throwing in the ZIP drive, disk & cable all for like under $900 incl. shipping.

re: 3000, i think that actually might be my next machine if and when i upgrade. depends on what kinda deals i can find. either way i think i'll forever stick to one or the other. i'm really itchin' for that internal ZIP drive.

I just got a 60 MkI with SCSI zip and all that for $800 including shipping on ebay so the deals are out there. I just swapped all the tact switches and the backlight. I would DIY a backlight but I am way too lazy for that so I just cop em off Telesis. Mine probably would not last long anyway.

highlife wrote:

elmacaco wrote:Also, if you trade, don;t get shafted on the upgrades.

"Sure it's got 3.10 & Scsi"

no doubt. man, ntalec's went for MAD cheap on the 'bay! fully upgraded and he prolly ended up throwing in the ZIP drive, disk & cable all for like under $900 incl. shipping.

re: 3000, i think that actually might be my next machine if and when i upgrade. depends on what kinda deals i can find. either way i think i'll forever stick to one or the other. i'm really itchin' for that internal ZIP drive.

And the crazy part was it still sold for more than I paid for it
Kept the ZIP tho.
If you just look 60 deals always come along, people just seem to assume that the ones in good condition will sell high so they bid on the dogs.
I think the current prices are going to settle in and the 60's will remain there, won't go any lower but won't go any higher, the 3000's are down in price as well.
If you look at recent eBay auctions for exp 60mkI's they have been consistantly lower yet haven't been dogged out units.
The 2000 O.G.'s are going to take a major hit, if more XL's start to hit the used market, so even more MPC deals are going to be out there as people shuffle from one model to the next.

I think the mkI backlight looks better than the mkII, but I think it may have to do with the variance in the angles.
Your mkII screen looks a lot better than many you see and believe me when a mkII screen gets dim you will know, you will definitely know.
It good you didn't become hectic and was able to fix the wires without making a worse situation.

El, how could you trade a 7" control strip for an intenal ZIP?

i should've waited 7 months longer!

El, how could you trade a 7" control strip for an intenal ZIP?

That wasn't me but yeah the 60 can have an internal zip, but I always advise against it, since it's good to have something that doesn;t rely on the scsi controller in case something goes wrong, also there are some midi file conversion utilities and the disk repair disk that only load from floppy.

When My zip had issues I just worked with floppies while I fixed it. Also, a buddy got some floppy disks with a 60 he bought and I could load them up nop problem. There are also so floppy images that you get get online and hopefully that will expand with users finding old disks and putting them up, I'm not sure if you can take a floppy image and put it on a zip. I don;t think so.

Don;t underestimate floppies. it's a decent back up.