EEVblog
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 11 ก.พ. 2025
- Dave repairs a dumpster Fluke 196 Scopemeter handheld oscilloscope that has a faulty LCD screen.
Forum:
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How to repair a faulty hot bar LCD screen flat flex cable connection.
Service Manual with full schematics: assets.fluke.co...
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Hi Dave,
My name is Dan.
At my old job I build and troubleshot this kind of devices(all of FLUKE scopemeters). They were manufactured in Brasov, Romania, now they are obsolete(this type of scopemeters).
What i wanted to say is: don't worry about the last bar it will fix it's self in time. Just leave it working for a while and it will disappear due to the heat generated by the display and backlight.
That white stuff on the chips is used for heatsink, the radiator is the shield it's self.
If you want help with the oscilloscope function write and I will try to help you.
Hi Dan , I have the same problem with my 196, nothing appear on both channel. Any advice? Thank you.
Best feeling ever when you eventually fix something
+uber1337hakz Until you find the main purpose of the device doesn't work, lol.
+JJayzX Been there, done that and have a tee shirt to prove it.
You fucking legend, fixing a multi thousand Fluke with a hot gun and a pencil eraser, gold, you and AvE are the best things to happen to youtube
Two successful repair videos in a row!!! You bloody ripper!!
Fixing those strips is easier than it looks. Just hovering over the ribbon with a soldering iron can fix it easily. You don't even need to touch the strip. This is commonly done on the original Gameboy to fix the screens as they end up separating. You can even do it while its on to see your progress.
Nice one Dave! I'm glad we finally got something fixed haha. Very fun to watch!
Hi David, I'm one of your multi-million followers eevblog, and I like a lot your way to show & teach electronics.
I came up with a PM97 Scopemeter, with one vertical line missing. But differently than your PM196, do not have zebra connectors hot welded on the pcb, but instead have (3) Zebra rubber connectors: TOP, LEFT & RIGHT, between the LCD GLASS and the pcb.
Useless to say the I wouldn't be able to recover the display using:
- extra pressure by hand on the upper LCD border
- cleaning the pcb LCD contacts using isopropyl alchool
- cleaning the Gold-on-glass contacts
- also cleaned the zebra strip band (both sides)
- furthermore I tried reversing the rubber zebra strip, thinking that one of the contacts was malfunctioning
- also tried to re-solder the Toshiba chips which drive the display columns
so I quickly gone in lack of new ideas I sadly reclosed it....
Thinking:
You're a liar or incredibly lucky ...
It's annoying you can't like more than once! One of the most rewarding fixes I've seen! VERY useful information to be found in this video in general!
I was repairing this kind of LCD about 10 years ago when I was working at Thomas Electronics in Sydney. Reheat will temporarily fix the issue, but the it will be back quickly. The "glue" is called ACF. Very expensive and have to be kept in fridge. The correct procedure is: 1. using chemical to remove and clean (under microscope) the flex cable; 2. clean glass and PCB; 3. using a Automatic Bonding Machine to bond the flex to glass and then PCB with ACF. Even you've done it correctly for 10 times, it will still be 2 or 3 come back a month later. Nowadays' COG (chip on glass) or more advanced CIG (chip in glass) are not worth to repair anymore.
(2.5 years too late): "I saw it, I saw it, I saw it!" At 3:08-3:15 during what I like to call, "Torsional maintenance." I saw two rows of pixels drop. Center of the screen.
Keep up the good work. Off to watch the rest of the video now...
I think it might be a decent repair technique for these hotbar attachments, to use a simple clamp and perhaps a long wooden or thin metal bar to apply even pressure to the entire connector (clamping it to the table basically), and then re-heating it. Avoids any sideways movement that could misalign the connections, and should bring the contacts into, well, contact, given some heat, since the pressure is all there waiting.
Purely hypothetical, I've never actually done this kind of repair, but it's how I would have done it if I was to make an attempt!
As surprised as you that it worked, good stuff!
+Mythricia Yes I was concerned about the sideways movement with such a fine pin pitch. Was totally surprised it worked for every connection.
+Gary Lloyd lol that might be a little harsher than the heat gun
+Saxie81 not if you put it on the "nylon" setting?
Had to do a LCD swap on a BMW E39 instrument cluster that has a hot-bar attached display. Need to get the iron with the T-bar tip so you can heat and press down at the same time. worked like a charm. Well done on the repair!
I think this was the most intense EEVBlog yet! Awesome!
You guys think Dave'll say In Like Fly... yep yes he will. Just kiddin'. It's why we love you Dave.
+DoItYourselfMusician
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/In_like_Flynn
"In like Flynn" and "Unbeleeeevable" are signature Dave-isms. Keep up the great videos, Dave!
Had a same fault with an LCD years ago, also a hot-bar problem. I managed to fix it with just a regular soldering station set to a low (and increasing in case of fail) temperature and trial and error. Managed to fix the whole LCD. It was way smaller though! only 64x128 or something. The good part was that you don't need to take the compression bracket off of it. You can reach the hot-barred flex easily.
What a beauty. And this Flukes 19x series, what a performance for a handheld scope.
I did enjoy it very much. I was so impatient and excited when you were going to push the button to see the reflow worked!
Repair/troubleshoot videos are faves. This one was a toughie, but FUN!
Love the videos. They keep me highly entertained and help me climb deeper down the rabbit hole of electronics. My fellow "Yankee" friends have been giving me weird looks ever since I've started saying all of Dave's Australian "catch phrases". Gotta make sure everyone knows that Bob is their uncle.
I once used a clothes hot iron/steamer to re flux a similar flex... it worked flawlessly and the fix was permanent. Just make sure you have an infrared thermometer to monitor/set the temperature on the iron.
I'm not an electronics engineer or anything, but I still find your videos to be extraordinarily useful and entertaining (hard to find that combination!)
Thanks!
+Grant Guarino Thanks.
Thats awesome! Genuinely made me smile when I saw you fixed those horizontal lines, shame the scope part of it is cactus though. Perhaps a repair video part 2?
Great stuff as always though.
Did this to my old Gameboy a while back. Damn those hotbar connections
+Boredness yep, just drag a crappy soldering iron along that hotbar till those vertical lines came back
it was difficult to believe my eyes! went in to fix a common issue for the WIN! bravo!
I have had a similar failure on a Fluke 12 multimeter. Those elastomeric zebra strips look like a common fault on their displays. But you can order replacements directly from them at low cost.
You sir, are my hero. Awesome example of troubleshooting technique.
Nice work on the display Dave!
I fixed this ribbons a couple of times by running a round tiped soldering iron set to 200° over the connectors applying light pressure.
Use some sort of "drawing" movement as if you would use a pencil to color the area.
Definitely need to make another video about the scope repair.
My guess would be stainless screws, probably to prevent corrosion. At least the non-magnetic nature means they probably used a decent stainless :)
+TheChipmunk2008 Or just Aluminium screws.
+TheChipmunk2008 I work with MRI machines which are basically very large, strong magnets. We use Fluke tools right next to it, most of them are not very magnetic, very useful!
+Art Vandelay Yes, they make aluminum screws. They are usually made from an aircraft grade alloy and are very strong. Much stronger than the plastic or aluminum they thread into.
Not at all. They are surprisingly hard. They are not soft at all. As I stated earlier, they are made of an alloy of aluminum and can be heat treated.
+bain5872 that was very interesting, i asumed stainless also. thanks
Super cool that you got the LCD fixed!
Good result :)
Congrats Dave! Here in Canada we say He shoots,He score's! 👍
You can sometimes get a quicker easier result by using a soldering iron rather than hot hair - provided temp not set too high. Same technique used to fix Gameboy and Game Gear LCD screen connections.
+GadgetUK164 soldering with hot hair :)
+arcadeuk lmfao - yes, typo of the year lol
+MKUltra Doesn't make a mark on it with Gameboy screens. I think they use a fairly high temp at manufacture. It does depend on temperature of the iron. With some screens hot air can easily hit the screen, for example on the Gameboy. Using hot air is possible but screen will heat up as well if not careful.
+GadgetUK164 I fixed the screen of my Gameboy with this technique, too. I used a 5mm tip and pulled it across the hot bar a couple of times, worked fine!
+MKUltra Yeah a while back I used a 15W Radio Shack soldering iron to reflow the flex cable in a somewhat modern but cheap product. The heat from the iron was definitely enough to completely melt through and destroy the flex cable. I got around this by putting a strip of kapton tape over the flex cable to protect it which worked great. I can't say how permanent the repair will be though.
Dr. Murphy again.... but your positive attitude helps a great deal!
First time viewing with eevblog t-shirt. I feel somewhat more involved today :D
+bwack Sweet!
I bet you weren't using your EEVBlog ruler at the same time though ;) I need an EEVBlog coffee mug!!!
+GadgetUK164 one of those mugs with heat sensitive paint that say 'Murphys Law!' on one side =)
Hi Dave, Love the Repair videos I've watched em all. Im just a hobbyist but your videos really do teach me a lot. i learn so much from them. Thanks for the hard work you put into them and look forward to more repairs in the future
I've fixed quite a few of these hot bar connections with just a soldering iron set to low temperature and quick swipe across the flat flex.
Great repair, have to try this myself now!
Havent used a 196 in ages, looks strikingly like the SIglent SHS810 I recently bought!
You won the battle but the war isn't over! You've gotta give the scope inputs another look😎
From 1996 to 1999 we used 240x64 displays from Varitronix that also had the 64 rows hot bar attached. ALL of them failed. So since 1999 we use Winstar and Bolymin displays. They use longer zebra strips where each of the four sides 16 additional contacts are used to connect the rows. Those displays are a bit wider though but that's ok.
Hello Mate.... great videos. Here's another method for re-attaching the flex.... quick and dirty. Teflon sheet and Weller variable temperature soldering iron with very large tip. Teflon sheet prevents burning. Just wipe back and forth (slower/higher, faster/lower heat transfer) while viewing the display for corrected graphics. Got the idea from form/fill heat sealing industrial machines. Cheers.....
That is a heck of a nice scope. I started my Electrical Engineer program at my local college, and we don't have anything that nice. I am hopefully going to buy an old Oscilloscope next semester to assist with project troubleshooting.
+Spektor 22 Guns and Gear Reviews Might take a look at the Rigol scope before you buy a used scope. Dave did a teardown on the Rigol, and it's a very nice scope at a very reasonable price. I'm pleased with mine.
Thanks Dave, I love watching your videos, they're really entertaining and so informative. Your gusto to try and diagnose/fix that crappy zebra strip had me chuckling out loud and perhaps I'll try to repair one next time I encounter a failed strip instead of just wholesale replacing it.
Like someone else suggested, I'd check the fuses but I'd also check those optos and power isolation chips. Could be even simpler then the display, but if someone took the display apart they might have also overloaded the inputs somehow...
So I guess we'll see a part 2? At least I hope. It'll be interesting to see if you can get this working again.
So epic!!!
I've had an issue with this kind of hotbar connection on an electronic dictionary... I tried just using pressure (which worked for a few minutes), but now i'm going to try heat too
I tried to repair an lcd matrix with lines by covering the strip with kapton tape and swipe the soldering iron across the contact and it worked (for a few hours :) )
I just talked to John Bender (from Shermer High School) and he was a bit disappointed that he stole the wrong Scopemeter from shop class - that is, one with three problems instead of the two that he knew about. He would still like Dave to attempt a repair of the oscilloscope section of the scopemeter. The "Breakfast Club" sends their best to the Jones family and all the viewers.
Glad to see you got it half fixed! Now its just the other half...
I agree with the many comments that fixing the scope would be really great
I've had this same issue with some old Motorola radio displays. I have had good results by using the edge of a hot clothes iron on that flex cable.
Used to repair Saab SID units with this problem. A piece of masking tape over the "hot bar" and a clothes iron on max. Plenty of heat and pressure from the iron and the tape to hold the flex in place .
Killer repair, I didn't think you were going to be able to do it but you freaking nailed it! Well done! I'm wondering if it would be easier to actually use a metal bar to put pressure down on the ribbon, like one of those roller bars from a printer. I always grab and keep them when I can because their hard and perfectly straight. Just clamp that guy down(not super hard obviously) across the ribbon and use the hot air gun, might have worked.
Might have to look for one of these guys with the screen issue, it would be the only way I could afford one of these guys!
Dave, it's VOGT electronic AG (used to be a German company founded by Hans Vogt in 1934, he has patents for making magnetic cores) nowadays it's SUMIDA AG (from Japan).
29:23 Handheld Scopes are usually finicky, most of the time not that accurate as well, that thing is really expansive but if you damage it it will never work as good as factory, good job on the screen alignment though that’s really tough to work on 👍🏻
Thanks Dave! I was able to repair my 192 with a iron!
Way to go, Dave (with the display)!
Nice scope, i have 2, one rare model full isolated, i test psu, hot side, low side, tv repair, computer repair without any security trouble, i plug all channel and test with dmm built-in worry free, more than 20 year with my 196 and 5year with my 199c, nice Fluke instrument!
My 196 need two time the screen repaire like this and also two time asic input chip, 1x probe are dangerous on low scale...
I was screaming at you to check if it works before fixing the lcd.
+Vadzim Dambrouski I was blinded by the fault!
"You bloody beauty!"
Gets me every time.
Finally a repair video that ends in a repair!
Hi Dave ..same problem with the scope no display..but did a firmware flash and it good now
Dave's razor, percussion maintenance...
Who gave out a big "YA!" when he got it fixed at 26:45? Awesome! I knew he would get it.
That was pretty good. I always like seeing stuff get fixed in these videos. :)
Never liked that hotbar thing tho. There is always some sort of problem with those....
Awesome repair Dave! Pretty obvious from the start but still very very interesting. Especially the "hot bar rework" part!
Lukas
p.s. looking forward to a pt 2 to fix the o-scope
the fluke was more than likely disassembled for repair, then they got a price for the replacement screen and threw it in the bin.
you could hack into the aux display port, and take the signals out to an lcd with flat flex.
At 3:10 when you flexed the case, middle lines did actually change.
Great video. I took a chance on a Fluke 193C , a very nice scopemeter. Yes all the data and service info is available. What is not available is the top most c over to the scopemeter.Fluke freely says the part is obsolete unless you send it to them. The female power Jack which is btw reversed with positive casing and negative pin is also obsolete but there are dozens available from Mouser etc. I love fluke but their obsolete policy is a bit skewed. These are 2-3 thousand dollar meters on eBay or junk. I got mine for 500. I'll eventually find someone to part one out.
You did actually manage to affect the screen a little by twisting it- 3:09 one of the lines in the center switches from black to white
+EEVblog if both scopes are not working I'm thinking you could narrow it down to the main ADC area. Perhaps even the circuit that switches between the 2 channels to the one ADC input. Does it use a single (differential pair) input to the ADC? I think with the schematic you could at least isolate the fault pretty quickly. Hmm... I want to see it fixed!
Dave, good job mate! I love watching your videos. This one was one the best.
I fixed similar hotbar problems using an Iron. It works much better than hot air gun. Dave, try this method next time :)
Dave, great repair job on the LCD - shame about the scope inoperability!
I have a label printer with a hot bar connected screen with a similar problem. I also have a rework station, a pencil with a rubber and a tonne of perseverance - so I'm going to try your excellent repair method! What's to lose? I can't use the bloody thing as I can't see what's on the display!
I have one of these, but one of channels is blown as well as the screen... Those gray pads on the chips are sil pads as they contact with the metal casework which acts as a heatsink....
useful instrument for probing HV power supplies to categorizes waveforms on the primary.
I've always wondered how they manage to manufacture these zebra strips as they're an absolute pain to get working once they've been separated
I'm a fan club in Thailand I follow all your videos.
And I hope that one day I can send things to you. And you unpack it in the mailbag.
oh and btw , you can fit hard foam or styro between the flex and the metal pressure casing , i fixed a gameboy with it someday
"the signal path" did a Tear down and Repair of one of these.
Always bet on Dave for the win !!! Cuppa to celebrate, here's to you -
I just realized that I've watched a ton of your videos and I don't even know what your name is!
+Chris S Jones. Dave Jones.
Yes, I haven't started my shows by saying my name since the very early days.
Haha cool thanks for the reply Dave! I love your videos. Keep up the great work!
At 7:40 I was so disappointed that you didn't point out the chip's name is Jill. :( Good on ya, Jill!
The moment I saw those vertical bars, I thought that was going to be the issue as there are several HP printers that get this same problem (they just have simple 2 line lcds but it's the same stuck-on cable like that, and a very similar issue). The fix for the printer was to simply take a flat screwdriver and press down on the cable, slowly working your way up. Although heating it up would be a great idea, I'll definitely try that next time I get one of those printers!
I have seen Nintendo Colors with this exact same problem, and the ribbon cable that the mainboard connected the LCD had to have solder reflowed at the screen connector.
You may try with an aluminium bar or something like that, that you can pressure the left part of that connectors, and then put heat there with air? Just like they will do it in the factory, but with hot air, and the bar will protect the other side of that cable. I think that will work best that the rubber trick, you can do ir in the glass too if you controll the pressure, just use some pliers or something to hold the aluminum bar
When you see chips with obviously missing heatsinks, alarm bells should go off; "maybe I'm not her first".
Whahahahahahaha!!! +10 internets to you sir!
my thoughts to
+Toni Lähdekorpi I was wondering if the back shield was interfacing with the chips for heatsinking.
Ding!ding! 😂
found your channel through AvE's channel, man you're hella funny LOL.
I think the problem with the vertical line originally was that you'd been putting pressure on the LCD before it was aligned properly due to your previous taping it back, potentially causing an issue with the zebra strips. I haven't finished the video yet, however, so I can't be positive. Either way, congratulations on your success, whether you get it or not!
EDIT: Murphy is being a pain in the ass, lol. Nice job either way, sir =)
I'm so jelous about the scopemeter, i can't even afford a proper Multimeter :/
+muh1h1 me too.. :/
I'm a broke sob as well.
+muh1h1 Ye, i could affort it but for ocasional tinkering i can't justify the cost...
Somebody's gonna recommend a vichy VC99 in a minute, then World War 3's gonna break out...
+Gragagrogog Yeah I've wanted a proper oscilloscope and multimeter (still got my old one from high school that's absolute crap), but man I can justify the cost :(
His sigilent SDS 1202X video got my panties wet, but my conscious bitch slapped me.
This is a *widely* known issue with these. Multiple eBay sellers offering fixes for this exact symptom.
+Aurelius R www.ebay.ca/itm/Fluke-192-196-199-Scopemeter-LCD-Display-Repair-/230424487426?hash=item35a65ea602:g:DPUAAMXQlgtS8X1o $195 US for the same fix!
wow, i thought you were on a fools errand with the lcd, but you fixed it. Now you have a nifty nightlight.
This is why I like old skool 80's eqiupment. No LCDs anywhere. Those LED displays back then lasted much longer and looked much better. Nixie tubes were also nice. VFDs look nice but don't last very long.
LCDs suck for reliablility because their contacts can go bad, they can leak, backlight can die, polarisation foil degrades and they break quite easily by bad handling.
Nice job on the LCD there, regardless of the PITA line that won't die, you certainly have more patience than I do, I'd have sourced a replacement screen myself... :P
It reminds me of a Tricorder from Star Trek too, just without the blinkies and bleeps... :P
"VOGT" N9, Vogt Electronic seems to now be part of Suminda who produce shiny inductive components (according to their website).
Good on you, mate!
So... fix the scope as well, what good is it without it? Just an oversized multimeter.
Isn't it possible to put some kind of springy clamp over the "hotbar" assembly? Or something you can screw down to put pressure on.
In calculators and so on a few strips of paper and then screw it back together again would solve disappearing segments in the display.
Broo, you work safer if you put capton tape above the flex cable (cover the whole flex cable so it does not get destroyed by your iron!) and the iron on lowest temp.
This kind of adhesive usually has to get cold under pressure, so if you fix a horizontal line wait there until your iron gets cold.
to avoid shadows on black white borders allign for vertical lines propperly. there is a test pattern for the screen in the calibration service menu...
Dave, the most important part, where you seperate the lcd is missing.. shaaame.. 8-)
However thank you for the videos the informations and the entertainment!
Awesome Dave.
In this situation I would seek to answer these questions....
1) Do Fluke have a repair service?
and if not...
2) Will Fluke supply a new LCD module?
It seems to me that anything made by Fluke has a reasonably high value, even the older stuff, so it may have been worth sending it off to be repaired and re-conditioned by Fluke themselves IF the cost was reasonable. An example being the Softy S4 EPROM programmer. I brought one from eBay a few years ago. It was faulty and therefore quite cheap. I contacted the manufacturer to enquire about spares and they said they did a fixed price repair service - £50 including parts & labour!!. I sent it off straight away. Thing is at the time Softy S4s sold for about £500, in fact there are 2 on eBay right now, both BuyIt Now at around £300. Every time I see Fluke scopemeters on eBay, they are very expensive, even the older models.
Fluke has repair service, but Fluke discontinued the 196 series I scopemeter and so all custom parts, especially the LCD, are not manufactured anymore and since their repair SOP for faulty LCD is to replace it, they can't as they dont have the parts.
The other option is getting a functional USED lcd display on the internet.
This-is-wonderful-progress....Don't-give-up-on-it.
Show-that-Murphy-who's-boss.