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Handheld screen turning off

So I think I am joining the many of you that had issues with the screen all the sudden turning off. This was happening sporadically but I just unplugged and plugged and it worked. Now it is getting pretty bad. It works sometimes but most times it is not turning on. It is not an issue with the power cable since I could measure voltage at the male connector but still not turning on the screen. If I leave the connector plugged to the screen it will sometimes turn on for a few seconds and then off again, which is a good indication of a power issue. I think the issue is internal. I tried opening the screen case but the thubmstick doesn't allow me to completely open. As far as I could see through the gap the soldering looks good. What I would like to do is replace the female connector on the screen with something more robust or just wires soldered directly. However, to do this I need to remove the thumbstick. Has any one been able to remove the thumbstick? Any pointers? Thank you.

PS: I am reposting in this forum instead of the Member's Section

1971 Mach 1 Mustang w/Ram Air, 408-4V stroked Cleveland, Hooker headers, FiTech EFI w/ RobBMC PowerSurge pump

Any ideas on how to remove the thumbstick?

1971 Mach 1 Mustang w/Ram Air, 408-4V stroked Cleveland, Hooker headers, FiTech EFI w/ RobBMC PowerSurge pump

Today it stopped working again so I gave it a try and I was finally able to remove the button off the thumbstick. It is "easy". I  had to pull the button harder than what I felt comfortable, but it worked. The button is simply snapped onto the thumbstick shaft. I will try to weld wires so I can feed power directly.

1971 Mach 1 Mustang w/Ram Air, 408-4V stroked Cleveland, Hooker headers, FiTech EFI w/ RobBMC PowerSurge pump

I continued troubleshooting this issue and I have it down to the male power plug in FiTech's harness. The screen finally stopped working for an extended period of time to troubleshoot. I first thought it was the female jack in the display but I was able to power it on with a universal power plug. I can measure voltage at Fitech's harness power plug but when I plug it the screen doesn't turn on. That leaves me with an issue with the actual harness' plug. The plug from the universal adapter is 2.35 mm OD while the plug from the harness is 2 mm OD. The plug from the universal adapter fits much better than the harness. So, I ended up purchasing a USB power adapter from Amazon claiming to be 2.5mm OD (https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07TFTMYK6/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o02_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1). The 5.5 volts from the USB turned on the screen without an issue. They also sell these adapters with a straight plug but the angled one works better for my setup. What I will be doing is cutting the male plug from FiTech's harness and soldering the plug from the USB power adapter. Hopefully, this should take care of this ongoing annoying and intermittent power issue.

Edit: I read on another post that FiTech may have upgraded their plugs so this may not be an issue for most users.

I also purchased this 4-pole extender for the harness' data plug so I can have an angled connector off the screen since it works better for my application. This is just an aesthetical issue. (https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07H2D2SND/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1).

 

1971 Mach 1 Mustang w/Ram Air, 408-4V stroked Cleveland, Hooker headers, FiTech EFI w/ RobBMC PowerSurge pump

Continuing with this monologue. It just happens that the plug was not the issue. I can measure 12+ volts in the plug but when I plug it to the handheld it doesn't work. Then I unplugged the power wire coming from the EFI unit and fed it directly from the battery and the handheld turns on. That leaves me with something wrong with the CPU electronics that when plugged it is not sending enough juice to turn the handheld on - strange but that's the only option left. I will have to permanently connect the power wire to the battery (through a fuse) so I can turn the handheld on.

1971 Mach 1 Mustang w/Ram Air, 408-4V stroked Cleveland, Hooker headers, FiTech EFI w/ RobBMC PowerSurge pump

So I think the problem is with the CPU that doesn't send enough power to turn the handheld on. I ended up feeding 12v from the battery through a fuse directly to the handheld and it is working.

1971 Mach 1 Mustang w/Ram Air, 408-4V stroked Cleveland, Hooker headers, FiTech EFI w/ RobBMC PowerSurge pump

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1971 Mach 1 Mustang w/Ram Air, 408-4V stroked Cleveland, Hooker headers, FiTech EFI w/ RobBMC PowerSurge pump