MFD12 powering up but no screen.

[Ben77400]

Hi, just got my MFD12 out of storage to install on my Tayana 52. Wanted to do a test run before installing so I connected power and Furuno NMEA0183 GPS antenna to check if everything was OK.
Unit powered up to a blank, white screen which gradually turned black. After a minute it flares up white and turns black again. When pushing the power button repeatedly I can get the screen to go from pitch black to a grey and the black again, but that{s it. No image at all.
At first the buttons do not seem to respond with a beep when pushed down but do after a couple of minutes.
The unit also makes a mechanical noise that sounds like something turning that needs to be greased. HDD?
Power to the unit reads 12.99V.
My MFD8 is working perfectly withe same power cable and antenna...
Any ideas?
Ben.

 

[Ben77400]

Update: I connected the MFD via a DVI-D cable to my computer screen and everything worked perfectly. So it seems there is no problem with HDD nor video card. Does that mean my screen is toast? Could something have come loose in transport between house and boat?
Ben.

 

[Johnny Electron]

It could be the LCD screen has died but it also could be that the last time it was used was night operations and the operator left it in NIGHT Mode. I would back up all your user data and try factory clearing the unit if you can't get it to brighten enough to see. Normally if you turn it on and give it about 10 mins and touch the power button quickly and then turn the knob to the right it can brighten a night mode unit just light enough you can make it out well enough to put it back into DAY mode.

 

[Ben77400]

Johnny, do you mean turning the rotokey clockwise?
Ben.

 

[Johnny Electron]

Yes, normally turning it clockwise after hitting the power button quickly once (that brings up the pop-up) will increase the intensity. If that doesn't work, the next step would be to try a factory clear/reset. If that doesn't work then it is time to go shopping for a used replacement or think about updating the system.

 

[Quitsa]

Sounds kind of obvious, but did you try starting up the unit at night in pitch darkness or draping an opaque cloth over it and your head? I had something similar happen once and it was just that the brightness had been turned down to the lowest setting accidentally, which made the screen look black in normal light.

An even easier way to do what Johnny is suggesting and then you can adjust the brightness if that is indeed the issue.

 

[Ben77400]

Tried both to no avail I'm afraid. Master reset next I suppose...