Has anyone tried replacing the polarizing film on a blackened (due to heat ) Raymarine instrument? I have looked on the Raymarine forum with no sucess. Raymarine repair says unit is out of date and they no longer service it. And if so what type of product did you use and where did you purchase it.
Replacing polarizing film
- Thread starter Slipin Away
- Start date
Yep: I have done it.
However, wish I could give you more specifics. In my case, the original film over the glass of a 1979 Data Marine knot meter LCD display began to crack and peel away from the the underlying glass. I could still see the numerals on the display, but just barely.
My first attempt was to carefully remove the film from the knot meter display surface. After I did this, I couldn't read anything. Then I transferred polarizing film I peeled off a Dollar Store $1.00 calculator. Was an improvement, but not much.
Next, I ordered polarizing film from a site on ebay. Too long ago; so I no longer have the reference. This material did work. Not nearly as good as the original Data Marine display before it went bad. But I can at least read it again.
Looking just now on eBay, Polarizing film is readily available for not much $'s at all. If your display is now unreadable, you don't have much to lose by trying. Note however that the orientation of the film when you apply is important. But at only (say) $0.25 cost per try, you can experiment until you find the best outcome. Also, there are numerous types of polarizing film. If you can find one with a description for the old B&W LCD's try those first.
When you take the display apart, just be real careful not to turn on the 12V until you are sure that you haven't shorted anything out.
However, wish I could give you more specifics. In my case, the original film over the glass of a 1979 Data Marine knot meter LCD display began to crack and peel away from the the underlying glass. I could still see the numerals on the display, but just barely.
My first attempt was to carefully remove the film from the knot meter display surface. After I did this, I couldn't read anything. Then I transferred polarizing film I peeled off a Dollar Store $1.00 calculator. Was an improvement, but not much.
Next, I ordered polarizing film from a site on ebay. Too long ago; so I no longer have the reference. This material did work. Not nearly as good as the original Data Marine display before it went bad. But I can at least read it again.
Looking just now on eBay, Polarizing film is readily available for not much $'s at all. If your display is now unreadable, you don't have much to lose by trying. Note however that the orientation of the film when you apply is important. But at only (say) $0.25 cost per try, you can experiment until you find the best outcome. Also, there are numerous types of polarizing film. If you can find one with a description for the old B&W LCD's try those first.
When you take the display apart, just be real careful not to turn on the 12V until you are sure that you haven't shorted anything out.
My C120 chart plotter screen film was damaged and I contacted Raymarine who suggested polishing the film completely off with a very mild abrasive in a liquid suspension. The process takes a bit of work, but in the end the film is completely removed. The screen is still polarized. I forget the name of the polish they recommended but I will look around for it and report back with the name if I find it. The original film would be damaged if you cleaned the screen with windex or something similar. They eventually decided to leave out the film to eliminate this problem.
Thanks but my instrument is blackened from inside I am told this is due to the heat sensitive polarizing film applied inside the viewing area. Since the instrument is unusable and not serviced by Raymarine, I think I might just take it apart and see what it looks like
If no one has a better idea, you have nothing to lose.
Heat sensitive film on a boat in the sun? What were they thinking??
Heat sensitive film on a boat in the sun? What were they thinking??