Engine Hours LCD problem on Nanni Control Panel
Hi All,
I came across this thread when researching problems with the LCD Engine Hour meter in the VDO Tacho that comes with the Nanni engine (see attached photo) we have in Pegasus II. Like others here, I have the problem of the hour meter apparently accumulating engine hours OK, but only displaying them intermittently, lately almost never.
I followed NorthStar's original guide and like him, tried cleaning up the ribbon cable contacts and using silicone paste to seal the connection. No significant change in symptoms. Since doing that, I read later in the thread that various interventions have been tried to fix this problem without success.
Also, like others in this thread, I am surprised that a major Instrument company like VDO produce a product that seems to have a long-standing, persistent flaw. A friend of mine with a Seawind 1160 with twin Yanmar motors has VDO tachos, both of which have the intermittent engine hours display problem.
I then bit the bullet and peeled back the tacho fascia to inspect the cavity next to the Engine Hours LCD. Unlike NorthStar, I could find no significant debris or anything obviously shorting the PCB tracks in there. However, on turning over the gauge and looking at the PCB, I did notice a lot of rubbish around the pins that the ribbon cable originated from (see photo). I figured this was bound to be shorting pins that probably shouldn't be shorted and might be the cause of my problem?
I've used a number of tools to clean these up (toothpick, soft-head toothbrush), making sure there is a clear strip of PCB visible between the pools of solder around the pins. It's fiddly work, needing either good magnification or excellent eyesight (which I no longer have); the gaps between the soldered pins are very fine.
I've not yet been back to the boat to test the outcome of my efforts so I'll report back after I've done this.