Can DMD's be repaired?

ReWrite

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Mine has 1 vertical line that doesn't work. Can these be fixed, or is this just how it'll spend the rest of its days?
 
FWIW, I have heard of people using rear window defroster repair gel to fix broken traces leading into a DMD. The lost line is a result of a broken trace, generally where the glass meets the tab leading into the display. You first have to figure out where the break is, then you can fix it. Personnally, I have never had any success with this. Good luck
 
Rebuild your DMD controller pcb.. Kit is like $5 on great plains electronics.. Also, replace the ribbon cable.. That's fixed my issues in the past.. Have you tested the DMD in another game? As that will rule out if it's faulty or not.
 
Rebuild your DMD controller pcb.. Kit is like $5 on great plains electronics.. Also, replace the ribbon cable.. That's fixed my issues in the past.. Have you tested the DMD in another game? As that will rule out if it's faulty or not.

No other game to test in, but I'll take both of your advice. Pick up a new cable and that kit since it's so cheap, if it doesn't work I'll move on to Tom's advice! Thanks :)
 
Please don't take this as Gospel, but I don't think rebuilding the high power section of the Display Driver is going to fix your issue. If the display was completely blank or giving you wavy lines, then yes, that would solve your problem. However, with 1 vertical line out and all other lines working, you either have a bad trace on the display itself, or possibly a bad ribbon cable. I would start by breaking out the Digital Multi-Meter and checking for continuity (with the game off) between the top and bottom pins on the display line that is out. Then look for a cold solder joints and other possible bad connection points. My thinking is the reason the line is out is because it is not being powered. If more than 1 line or a group of lines was out, then I would suspect something else.

Just my 2 cents, sorry for the long reply
 
A single line out is a connection problem from the pin on the glass to the controller board. You can try and carefully grind down the glass with a Dremel next to the pin on the line that's out and jumper it with solder or some other conductive material. I'd say you're at 50/50 between destroying it and fixing it this way. People have done it. New displays are $130 or so. I'd get a new one and experiment on this one after.
 
Please don't take this as Gospel, but I don't think rebuilding the high power section of the Display Driver is going to fix your issue. If the display was completely blank or giving you wavy lines, then yes, that would solve your problem. However, with 1 vertical line out and all other lines working, you either have a bad trace on the display itself, or possibly a bad ribbon cable. I would start by breaking out the Digital Multi-Meter and checking for continuity (with the game off) between the top and bottom pins on the display line that is out. Then look for a cold solder joints and other possible bad connection points. My thinking is the reason the line is out is because it is not being powered. If more than 1 line or a group of lines was out, then I would suspect something else.

Just my 2 cents, sorry for the long reply

This is good (and easy) troubleshooting advice. I'm going to give it a shot, I mean it can't hurt to pull out the multi-meter and have a go at it. And never apologize for being detailed!

A single line out is a connection problem from the pin on the glass to the controller board. You can try and carefully grind down the glass with a Dremel next to the pin on the line that's out and jumper it with solder or some other conductive material. I'd say you're at 50/50 between destroying it and fixing it this way. People have done it. New displays are $130 or so. I'd get a new one and experiment on this one after.

Hmm. Well, if it comes to that I'll give 'er a shot that way. I'm hoping something (anything) else will fix it. On the other hand, if it's only one line, it's better than potentially killing it. Guess it depends on how adventurous I feel when I get around to playing with it, haha.
 
If it is indeed a broken trace, you can patch it using conductive epoxy. I've done this before with no problems.
 
Rebuilding the DMD controller board is like capping a monitor.. It needs to be done to a pin thats older than 7-10 years.. As the components only have a 5-6 year lifespan.. They get hot!

So yeah, it's worth the $5 investment.

It may not fix the issue, but it's the smart move.. Or I've been told the wrong thing for years..
 
If it is indeed a broken trace, you can patch it using conductive epoxy. I've done this before with no problems.

I've only ever done jumper wires to fix traces before, will see about some epoxy should it come to it!

Rebuilding the DMD controller board is like capping a monitor.. It needs to be done to a pin thats older than 7-10 years.. As the components only have a 5-6 year lifespan.. They get hot!

So yeah, it's worth the $5 investment.

It may not fix the issue, but it's the smart move.. Or I've been told the wrong thing for years..

I did not know this. Learn something new every day!
 
One of the few things still worth buying from Radio Shaft is a conductive silver pen. I use it to repair traces on pcbs. If there is the tiniest bit of conductor sticking out, using this might be enough to bridge the break.

ken
 
Rebuilding the DMD controller board is like capping a monitor.. It needs to be done to a pin thats older than 7-10 years.. As the components only have a 5-6 year lifespan.. They get hot!

So yeah, it's worth the $5 investment.

It may not fix the issue, but it's the smart move.. Or I've been told the wrong thing for years..

OK, so you (clearly) misdiagnose a specific issue (broken DMD lead) and then say that your recommendation should be followed anyway because "it may not fix the issue but it's the smart move"? Nice save. So, does that mean we should do everything that's a good thing to do, even if there's no current problem, just in case? I won't have time to actually play any of my games if I follow your philosophy! :(
 
I've used the silver epoxy before to fix a couple lines on a DMD. It only worked temporarily and eventually I replaced the DMD anyways, but it might buy you a couple months.
 
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