I thought I'd dodged the dashboard bullet (and maybe I did??)

[ohiorider]

Today, another beautiful one in the low to mid 60s here in NE Ohio.  After waiting for the temps to break 55 or so, I jumped on the bike and headed for the Nation of Zoom Zoom (Burton, Ohio area.)  I'd just looked at my Trip1 odometer, and decided to check Trip2.  Seems as soon as I flipped the switch and looked back at the LCD, it was totally blank.  I continued on to the Coffee Corner in the town square, stopped the engine.  Turned key back on.  Nothing.  Did that a few times ... still nothing.  Thought I'd better write down the mileage as best I remembered it, then had lunch.

No better after sitting a while.  However, aside from the LCD display, everything else worked (speedo, tach, gas gauge.)  Checked the directional signals, since I recalled they were also controlled by the dashboard computer.  OK, too.  Idiot lights OK.

Hated to quit riding, since it was so nice out and the 1200 Sport was running as sweet as ever.  But I headed for home, pulled in the garage, shut her down.

Turned key on 'one more time' and up popped the Guzzi eagle, followed by the rest of the display.  (BTW - I was off 200 miles on remembered mileage vs actual!)  It had done this exact same thing 2-3 years ago.

Gotta be something loose, or cracked PCboard.  Maybe some sort of sporatic chip that acts as the LCD display driver?

I think I'm going to try and finish up my ride now, and when I get back, I'll start reviewing all the notes I'd saved from other owners back when I first bought the bike, and it seemed several others were having dash issues.  I'm thinking I may need to buy a backup dash, even if this one begins acting normal again.

I may come looking for some good advice from those of you who have already gone thru the flaky dash syndrome.  Maybe pull the connector and give it a shot of DeOxit?

Bob

EDIT:  I took the 1200S back out after making this initial post.  Dash stayed on for a mile or so, then went out for the next 4-5 miles.  Stopped for a few minutes.  When restarted, LCD came back to life only until I ran the engine up to 6000rpm.  Out again ..... and it apparently won't come back on (no flickering off and on) until I stop.  I rode 10-12 miles with a dead LCD display.  But as soon as I pulled in the garage, turned off and back on, the display was back.

[Groover]

Is the mileage actually stored in the dash cluster? I know cars have it stored in the ECU that is tied to the VIN and all that jazz, so when a dash replacement is in place, then the ECU is synced with the dash and all is up to date.

I don't know much about these really, so my input is as good as none, but I would try resetting the bike totally by disconnecting the battery for a few hours or overnight then try again.

[Moto]

My theory is that condensation in the dashboard may be to blame. Have you noticed any of that?

The dash is pretty softly suspended on two rubber mounting cylinders, if it's like the Griso's mount. So I wouldn't expect breakage of the circuit board to be common.

BTW, is your dash like the Griso's, or is it the bigger model as seen on the Breva? Never mind. I found a photo showing it is a larger model.

Good luck with this. I had the same problem with my Griso some time ago, but it hasn't reappeared yet. (I unplugged the battery and turned on the ignition overnight, a fix which may or may not have a real effect. You could try that if the problem recurs.)

Moto

[Bisbonian]

Hey Bob, that sounds similar to how my first dash went out.

At the time it was well over 100 degrees out here and I thought it was heat related, but with mine the LCD didn't go out as much as it got a bunch of black lines through it. I thought I had a picture on my photobucket but I guess I don't.

I tried to get that dash fixed by a guy but he never got around to doing anything but taking it all apart. I ended up getting it back but if I plug it in I get nothing.

The dash I'm using now is one that I bought off ebay, it failed with the turn signal thing within a couple of days. I sent this one off to Carmo and they repaired it, they said water damage caused the failure but they waterproofed it when they put it back together.

I haven't had any problems with this dash since then but still have a spare in my pocket which has a good LCD just in case...

FYI, the odometer memory is in the dash. If you get a replacement then you'll have a different odometer reading. If you send in yours for repair, and they're able to fix it, then yours will come back with the same odometer as when you sent it out.

The failing LCD never caused any running problems, it just bugged the crap out of me. The turn signal thing bugged me even worse.

Found the picture, it was hiding in plain sight:

[Moto]

The dash I'm using now is one that I bought off ebay, it failed with the turn signal thing within a couple of days. I sent this one off to Carmo and they repaired it, they said water damage caused the failure but they waterproofed it when they put it back together.

Bisbo,

Did you find out what Carmo did to waterproof it? Seal the case? Coat the printed circuit board?

Moto

[ohiorider]

Biz, my screen looks nothing like yours.  Mine is simply that off white appearance you see before the key is turned on.  It looks like it is getting absolutely no power when it fails.  Man, do I hate to see this happening to this lovely old bike.  Like I said in my original post, I thought I'd dodged the bullet.

I did contact Carmo in CA.  Told the individual that I had a post from them from a few years ago where they said they were trying to find a source for LCDs for the Digitek dashes.  They're supposed to call me back if they think they can do something for me.

I still want to find some deoxidiser for the connectors and see if that helps. When the LCD is working, it is perfect.  When it fails, it goes totally out.

All I can say is ................... . the old gal, aside from the dash issue, was running oh so nicely today!  She's simply getting a little sassy because she thinks I take her for granted!!  And I do, since this bike has cost me nearly nothing aside from normal wear items and routine maintenance.  One of the best bikes I've ever owned.  62,400 miles and 6 riding seasons.

[ohiorider]

My theory is that condensation in the dashboard may be to blame. Have you noticed any of that?

The dash is pretty softly suspended on two rubber mounting cylinders, if it's like the Griso's mount. So I wouldn't expect breakage of the circuit board to be common.

BTW, is your dash like the Griso's, or is it the bigger model as seen on the Breva? Never mind. I found a photo showing it is a larger model.

Good luck with this. I had the same problem with my Griso some time ago, but it hasn't reappeared yet. (I unplugged the battery and turned on the ignition overnight, a fix which may or may not have a real effect. You could try that if the problem recurs.)

Moto

Moto, thanks for your observations.  No, I've not noticed any condensation under the plexi instrument covers.  Like I responded to Biz, my LCD simply acts like it's lost total power.  When it comes back on after I stop and restart the bike, the display is perfect (for a few minutes.)

Bob

[Bisbonian]

Bisbo,

Did you find out what Carmo did to waterproof it? Seal the case? Coat the printed circuit board?

Moto

They coated the circuit board. The said moisture had damaged one of the leads so they repaired that and then put a double coating of waterproofing on the board.

It's been a few years now so I may not have it exactly right with regard to what they have to fix, but I remember the waterproof bit quite well.

[Moto]

They coated the circuit board. The said moisture had damaged one of the leads so they repaired that and then put a double coating of waterproofing on the board.

It's been a few years now so I may not have it exactly right with regard to what they have to fix, but I remember the waterproof bit quite well.

Thanks. That makes perfect sense. FWIW, I began to disassemble my Griso's dash to see whether I could coat the circuit board, but I gave up when it would not come apart.

Moto

[Gliderjohn]

My 2011 Norge dash has gone blank on me several times at start. Has always come back up after a restart. No idea. Seems to do it less as the bike ages.
GliderJohn

[ohiorider]

My 2011 Norge dash has gone blank on me several times at start. Has always come back up after a restart. No idea. Seems to do it less as the bike ages.
GliderJohn

My LCD display went blank one other time, nearly 4 years ago.  Yesterday was the first time since then that this happened.  I previously commented that if it was a loose or corroded connection at the dash, that one would think it would perhaps flicker off and on as it was vibrated by the engine and by bumps in the road.  But then I got to thinking that the LCD comes back on only when the dashboard goes through its startup gyrations, ie, the LCD may only get 'booted up' once, when the ignition is turned on.  If the LCD loses power while the bike is running, it won't come back on until the dash once again goes thru bootup.  This is only a guess on my part.  Anyone else have a thought about this?

[Chuck in Indiana]

^^^^ That's my guess, too.. but I'm more than willing to be corrected. My Norge did it once. The engine was already running before I noticed it. Shut it down, turned it back on, light show, and it never failed again. <shrug> Some things just aren't meant to be understood..

[jas67]

Hey Bob, that sounds similar to how my first dash went out.

 :1: X 2 (2006 Breva 1100).   That was the main reason I finally sold the bike.

[jas67]

Biz, my screen looks nothing like yours.  Mine is simply that off white appearance you see before the key is turned on.  It looks like it is getting absolutely no power when it fails.  Man, do I hate to see this happening to this lovely old bike.  Like I said in my original post, I thought I'd dodged the bullet.

I did contact Carmo in CA.  Told the individual that I had a post from them from a few years ago where they said they were trying to find a source for LCDs for the Digitek dashes.  They're supposed to call me back if they think they can do something for me.

Carmo wasted my time and money.

Don't even think about dealing with them if they don't have the actual LCDs to put in them.
They said they could repair my dash, and when the couldn't it still ended up costing me $150.

Oh, and beware the charges to ship from their CA facility to their European facility (Switzerland or Austria, can't remember which) where the actual work is done, and, of course return shipping.

It was NOT a pleasant experience.

First time it happened, I bought an NOS unit off ebay.   That one last 7k miles, and then did the same thing.   I then bought a used one off ebay that already had 28k miles on it.      I figured, WTH, it lasted this long, right?    I 2k miles later, I sold the bike while it was still working.

I do have an extra unit in stock that I bought as a spare, though, it has a black face instead of the white face of the Sport 1200.   

I'll take $250 + shipping for it (cost me > $300).

[ohiorider]

Carmo wasted my time and money.

Don't even think about dealing with them if they don't have the actual LCDs to put in them.
They said they could repair my dash, and when the couldn't it still ended up costing me $150.

Oh, and beware the charges to ship from their CA facility to their European facility (Switzerland or Austria, can't remember which) where the actual work is done, and, of course return shipping.

It was NOT a pleasant experience.

First time it happened, I bought an NOS unit off ebay.   That one last 7k miles, and then did the same thing.   I then bought a used one off ebay that already had 28k miles on it.      I figured, WTH, it lasted this long, right?    I 2k miles later, I sold the bike while it was still working.

I do have an extra unit in stock that I bought as a spare, though, it has a black face instead of the white face of the Sport 1200.   

I'll take $250 + shipping for it (cost me > $300).

Jas - I'm sending you a PM.

Bob

[Bisbonian]

I do have an extra unit in stock that I bought as a spare, though, it has a black face instead of the white face of the Sport 1200.   

I'll take $250 + shipping for it (cost me > $300).

I'm not sure that just the gauge face is the only difference between the 1200 Sport and Breva 1100 dashes.

I believe it was explained to me that the method of scrolling through the menu is important as well. What I mean is that some bikes had the little joystick for scrolling and some had the button on the back side of the left gauge pod, the two versions don't interchange.

I'm happy to have been wrong about that if it's the case as it would open up a greater variety of units if necessary.

[jas67]

I'm not sure that just the gauge face is the only difference between the 1200 Sport and Breva 1100 dashes.

I believe it was explained to me that the method of scrolling through the menu is important as well. What I mean is that some bikes had the little joystick for scrolling and some had the button on the back side of the left gauge pod, the two versions don't interchange.

I'm happy to have been wrong about that if it's the case as it would open up a greater variety of units if necessary.

That's my understanding of the difference.    The later dash worked fine with the single button on the 2006 for scrolling the menus, but, the other way around might not work.

That's why I told Bob that I'd refund his purchase if it doesn't work for his bike.

[Kiwi Dave]

Make sure the user code for the new dashboard is known.  Brand new it is 00000, but if someone has reprogrammed it, then all odds are off.

[jas67]

Make sure the user code for the new dashboard is known.  Brand new it is 00000, but if someone has reprogrammed it, then all odds are off.

IIRC, the code gets reset to zero when disconnected from the battery long enough.

[Bisbonian]

IIRC, the code gets reset to zero when disconnected from the battery long enough.

I don't think so. I write the user code I set on the back of the unit in Sharpie.

The one I've sent out as a tester has held the code.