HELP!!! - Jornada720 with white sreen

Hi,

Yesterday it was everything ok and nothing out of routine happened.

Today I turned my Jornada720 on and all I got was a white screen! No icons, no "start" button, no taskbar, nothing!

I took a picture for you to see:



I went to the site: Jornada Central - Troubleshooting Guide (700 Series) and didn´t find the answer (I was unable to understand).

I did a hard resed, as explained at support and tutorials page at hpcfactor.com and also there was no change.

What is happening?
How do I fix it?

I just received my Keysync Keyboard and I would install it today...

Sniff!!!

Thanks in advance,
Nimel

Edited by Nimel 2008-07-16 12:41 PM

I haven't seen that symptom before. When the display cable failed on my first 728, the screen was much dimmer than that. (I was able to fix the problem by replacing the display cable with the one from my old 680, but that involved taking apart the display half of the device, which is a risky procedure.) If you're willing to open up the 720, you can try removing the bottom cover and reseating the display cable where it connects to the motherboard. (Much easier and safer than taking apart the display half.) Can't hurt to try it. Let us know if you need further guidance.

Open up!
replace a cable!
taking apart the display half of the device!!!

Risky procedure!!!!


:insert a sound #$@%¨&*&¨%$ here:

Now I´m worried...

Please someone else tell me it´s something else...


:Bumps head in the wall:

P.S.: thanks CEGeek...

Don't be intimidated by the idea of removing the bottom cover and reseating the cable - it's rather easy to do. (Just remove the Torx screws from the bottom cover and lift it away, and the cable connection is right there in plain view.)

I also suspect the problem is with the cable. I had blank screens on 1 J720 and 2 J728's. After selling 1 J728 with the problem at a rediculously low price, I managed to repair 1 J720 and 1 J728 by replacing their cables.

Edited by CAuser 2008-07-16 2:01 PM

This thread was moved to "hardware support"... Two people are saying that it´s the #@$%@#$ cable... OMG, i´m fried...

I´m laughing in order to not cry...

CE Geek how did you guess I was feeling [very] intimidated by the idea of removing the bottom cover and reseting the cable?

Could you or CAuser do a step by step tutorial for very dumb people with photos?

I would appreciate a lot (to say the least...)

Thank you a lot for your assistance,
Nimel

Edited: I was looking at Jornada Central about screen replacement (http://home.freeuk.com/gogmagog/installation_guides/installation_guide_screen_710_720_728.html)

And I became a bit confused. I think "step 11" to "step 15" show how to open the bottom cover... But what do I do from there?

Thanks, Nimel

Edited by Nimel 2008-07-16 3:09 PM

You already found the page. As a simpler step first, I'd suggest you only open the display by removing 2 screws under the labels and check the connection of the screen cable. The likely cause is the loose connection at the lower left corner when the display is in close state.

Edited by CAuser 2008-07-16 3:30 PM

here's my opinion. don't attempt to disassemble it if you never did any of that sort of thing before. we all know CE Geek had made many mistakes too when he was unexperienced.

so, if you are this unsure, I'd suggest asking a friend who has done repairs before, or, for god's sake, just risk bricking the device even more. I don't think the jornada is the ideal test device with which you first try to learn this stuff.

anyway, maybe you are luckier and your problem is just this: http://spiny.mysite.wanadoo-members.co.uk/computers/720_screen.html


Edited by cmonex 2008-07-16 3:32 PM

Or you could try the expensive route: http://www.usedhandhelds.com/store/cart.php?m=product_detail&p=162

What ever it is I hope you can get you J720 working again Nimel .

Edited by HPCer 2008-07-16 3:46 PM

Thanx for the compliment, cmonex. I'd say I made a lot fewer mistakes than I expected when I was inexperienced. I've never bricked a Jornada while attempting to repair it, including the above-mentioned screen cable replacement - I'll have you know that that 728 is still in one piece and working fine. ('Course, we all know that cmonex is my harshest critic. )

Thanks Cmonex,

Yes, I´m not only unsure, I´m scared... I will find a more experienced friend...

I think I will calm down a bit before thinking more about it...

Thank you all,
Nimel

I'm just curious as to how this happens? How does the cable just become loose? It doesn't sound like Nimel did anything that would have caused the cable to come loose overnight. I've owned HPCs for over 10 years and I've never had this problem.......I guess I've just been lucky.

Nimel - with the help of a lot of talented people on this forum, I hope they can solve your screen problem.

It's happened on several people's 900Cs here, John (mine included).

I once bought a J680 package with the problem for $25. I guess I intended to check the screen cable connection inside as an exercise. I found the loose tab and inserted the cable to the place and pressed the tab in place. Wow, it came back! During the course, I did notice the possibility of looseness due to opening and closing the display.

Another possibility is the failure of the cable somewhere, likely near the notification light/button. In this case, replacement is probably the way to go. Some exceptional guys did check the cable by examining trace by trace and repaired broken one(s). That's not easy for regular guys (At least, I can't do it).

BTW, I sold its serial cable for $25. So, my exercise was a complete success and free of charge. I just invested my time to gain experience.

Edited by CAuser 2008-07-16 6:31 PM