Replacing a PURE Evoke Flow Display
** UPDATE 17th January 2023 **
Dear visitors,
For the latest Evoke display news, please check through all the comments section (best start with newest/ last and work backwards) about replacing this display.
The current suggested source for displays is Shenzhen Liyuan Huida Technology Co who have a good history of offering individual displays for various PURE radios. See their web page and contact form (Jack Wan) at the bottom. You might also find displays on Ebay - see below.
The reader comments here contain a wealth of background, advice and experience from other PURE repairers and are well worth wading through.
Some radios (eg the Avanti Flow) can turn out to be complex with lots of scope for problems, so please consider whether you want to gamble on fitting a new display yourself. Please note I cannot provide any specific advice on repairing or fixing problems, all the information I have is published on my website.
Lastly, folks, I'm sorry if this has become a bit convoluted or messy. My blog wasn't designed for such heavy traffic or 'chat' and large numbers of comments, and I'm trying to keep things going as orderly and easy to use for everyone (myself included!). Please remember, I can't retain or display personal email addresses etc on this web site, though I have successfully put a few people in touch with each other.
PURE SSW-1817 Power Supply Repair
A reader has shared details of replacing the power transistor and capacitors on this common switched-mode power supply used in several PURE DAB radios, more details here
Other sources of suitable OLEDs for PURE Evoke / Flow / Avanti Flow etc
17th January 2023
New PURE Evoke 1S 2S D4 D6 etc Marshall Mio Display Screen
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/114638725086
NOT suitable for the Pure Evoke Flow, Avanti Flow, Oasis Flow, F4
Some repair notes for the Evoke 2S are in this PDF.
20th February 2020
On Alibaba - Shenzhen Liyuan Huida Technology Co (Jack Wan) had offered some new stocks of higher brightness OLEDs and are known to offer a good service to UK individuals. Several people said they have been very successful replacements recently. See https://www.alibaba.com/product-detail/22pin-yellow-white-3003319301002-Pure-Evoke_60671545961.html
PURE EVOKE 1s (early version)
I've received step by step guide notes on swapping these displays which are now here.
PURE Avanti Flow Display
Looking to replace a PURE Avanti display instead? I've written up instructions here.
PURE Evoke 1S Marshall Display
13/6/2019 - A reader has posted instructions on replacing the (same) OLED on an Evoke 1S Marshall in the reader comments, please scroll through them to the end.
PURE Sirocco 550
2/1/2020 - A reader has posted instructions on replacing the (same) OLED on a Pure Sirroco 550 in the reader comments, please scroll through them to the end. (Happy New Year by the way.)
In 2008 I received a PURE Evoke Flow DAB/ Internet radio as a birthday gift and this cherished radio receiver had been on duty ever since as a portable Internet tuner (thanks to a Chargepak rechargeable battery), doubling as a bedside radio with dual alarms and wireless remote control. The radio recharged overnight ready for a busy day ahead, seated on my desk. The PURE Evoke Flow opened up a new world of online streaming radio with integral services such as Pure Sounds (rainfall, babbling brooks, breaking waves etc.) and BBC Listen Again, both of which, sadly, have long since been discontinued and are greatly missed.
PURE was launched back in 2001 by the higher-end VideoLogic division of UK graphics chipmaker Imagination Technologies. This was at a time when DAB radio was emerging as an exciting new radio standard and PURE was being positioned as a premium consumer brand. Imagination hit hard times and the PURE brand itself was sold off in 2016. Imagination’s major customer Apple also pulled the plug, deciding to make its own graphics chips instead, and a bitter trade dispute followed. Imagination was snapped up by a Chinese/ US private equity firm in 2017. The PURE brand still lives on, thanks to Austrian financial backers.
A Display of PURE Genius
One of the PURE Evoke Flow’s finest features was its yellow OLED graphics display which needed no backlight and had much greater clarity, luminance and viewing angle than an ordinary LCD did. As every Evoke Flow owner doubtless knows by now, unfortunately the display would fade after a few years (say six or more) as its organic element deteriorated until the display blanked out altogether, rendering the radio nearly useless.
Sad to say, the same fate befell my own radio and I have searched in vain for a replacement display for several years. Spares became unobtainable once RS Components discontinued the Bolymin 128 x 64 pixel BL12864KERNH$ (Stock No. 668-6124). I failed to find any foreign source that would ship a single replacement display (but read on).
New OLED Display for PURE Evoke Flow, Avanti, Evoke-1S.
The search for a new display having defeated me (and I don’t give up easily), in 2018 I was really delighted to learn that an enterprising individual has managed to source and import replacement yellow OLED displays that fit the PURE Evoke Flow, Avanti Flow and Evoke-1S Marshall, PURE's guitar amp style DAB radio.
I feared it might be too good to be true but, sure enough, after placing an order online with the UK seller AJSDyno a small carton soon arrived containing a new display for my ten year old radio. Perfect! They have since run out of stock so you will have to source one yourself from eg China (read the comments section later for guidance).
Next was a learning curve to figure out how to fit the new part, so here’s my photo sequence and instructions to help those wanting to replace their displays with minimum fuss.
Only basic tools are needed but a lot of ‘sympathy’ and some dexterity when handling delicate parts is also required: allow yourself half an hour of quality time and work carefully, don’t rush things and you should be fine.
DIY Instructions to replace a PURE Evoke Flow OLED
Unplug the radio from its a.c. adaptor and if a Chargepak battery pack is fitted, remove it. The display is accessed from the rear of the radio, which is secured by six Philips screws, so start by removing them.
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Remove 6 x Philips screws holding in the rear panel [click to see];)
... and swing the panel out, as if it's hinged on the left hand sideThe rear panel can be gently prised out with a plastic spudger or similar tool, swinging it gently out from the right and allow it to rest on the worktop. It carries the main board and some interwiring. Note how some wires and ribbons hook the mainboard to the SnoozeHandle, loudspeaker, front panel controls and the Imagination Technologies display controller.
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The rear panel resting on the workbench. Take care not to strain the taut blue wire (SnoozeHandle PCB)A word of warning,
THE SINGLE WIRE (ARROWED) CONNECTING THE SNOOZEHANDLE IS QUITE TAUT. IT IS SOLDERED AT BOTH ENDS AND CANNOT BE DISCONNECTED WITHOUT DESOLDERING IT. TAKE CARE NOT TO TUG OR STRAIN THIS WIRE OR THE TINY PCB CONNECTING THE SNOOZE HANDLE MAY BE DAMAGED!
So ensure you don’t strain this wire. You can easily pull the two-pin loudspeaker wire connection off the main board. This frees up things to give more access to the innards.
The main front panel connection cable (a silver ribbon, 15mm wide) is quite sturdy and simply slides out of its PCB connector embedded in the front panel on the left, so note which way round the blue ‘pull tab’ goes and pull the ribbon wire gently out. (You can choose to leave this connected if you have the dexterity to work around it, but you may find it slips out accidentally anyway.)
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Main board resting on the worktop, display PCB arrowed;)
The OLED display ribbon in situ, note pins 1-22 markedThe OLED display connects using a flexible printed circuit board ribbon. The connector is probably hidden under some masking tape which can be removed.
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Showing how the connector latches must be disengaged before disconnecting the ribbonDO NOT PULL THE RIBBON OUT! It’s numbered 1 and 22 to show the polarity of the flexible cable. Look closely at how the OLED ribbon is seated in the connector, which has a black plastic clamp to secure it in place.
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Use a pointed tool or maybe a fingernail to slide out the retaining latch at both endsA pointed plastic tool (or your fingernails) must be used to slide the black plastic clamp outwards to the edge of the PCB. It’s effectively just one latch with two handles on the end that pop out evenly about 2mm, and then gently slide out the display’s flexible ribbon.
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Then remove the flexible ribbon from the connectorThe rear of the OLED plastic housing is detached by removing four small Philips screws.
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The four Philips screws (circled) are removed nextYour display is probably screened with adhesive copper foil stuck to it. The display is merely stuck with double sided tape around the edges of the display. It is easy to gently pry it off using a plastic spudger tool and it will come away.
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Carefully pry the display away off the adhesive border
I FOUND THE NEW DISPLAY NEEDS TO BE STUCK ON ‘UPSIDE DOWN’ COMPARED WITH THE OLD ONE, TO ALIGN THE 1-22 PINOUTS OF THE PCB CONNECTOR.
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On this new display, the ribbon sprouts from the TOP edge and needs folding back. Compare yours carefully!Clean the window if necessary with eg a little Isopropanol. Unpeel the clear protection poly film off the new display. The OLED can be applied and stuck down, aligning it in the radio's display window as best you can. Depending on the type that you purchase, the flat flexible ribbon might sprout out of the TOP instead, if so, fold it over downwards towards the controller PCB so the 1-22 pinout markings are visible on the ribbon as before. The old adhesive should still be strong enough but you'll be able to lift and reposition the display if necessary.
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My replacement display fitted in place. Yours might look different. Main thing is to ensure the pinouts 1 > 22 align the right way roundRe-assembly, as they famously say, is the reverse of the above. Pass the OLED ribbon through the slot in the black plastic housing and screw down with 4 Philips screws.
I obtained a small reel of 50mm adhesive copper tape from Ebay and stuck it over the black plastic housing. That's optional.
To re-connect the OLED to the PCB, you must ensure the black plastic latches are STILL OUT by a few millimetres then gently slide the connector ribbon in as far as it will go. You'll know it's right when the bare copper conductors on the end of the flexible ribbon disappear into the housing, after which it can't go any further. Gently but firmly slide the black plastic latches inwards again to clamp the ribbon evenly in place.
If necessary, re-insert the silver front panel ribbon, the right way round, into its own connector ensuring the flat ribbon is even and flush with the connector.
Reconnect the loudspeaker and close up the housing by 'swinging it back into' the case, starting at the left-hand (telescopic aerial) side, always taking care not to strain the blue SnoozeHandle wire, then screw the rear back onto the housing.
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Powered up and working again! [click to see]The radio can then be powered up and tested. Mine worked immediately, even after all this time it remembered the settings and found my LAN again. The remote control worked again too with new batteries (remember there is a 'Hardware Bind' button in the remote, to pair it that way if needed). Surprisingly, my radio then updated its firmware over Wi-fi to V5.1.The display active/ standby brightness can be dimmed via the Options menu if it is too bright.
LEGACY LINK : Replacement Evoke Flow OLED Display from AJSDyno
Alan W
Copper foil screening
Just to clarify about the copper foil stuck behind the display (used for shielding against interference) - mine was stuck down solidly and impossible to lift off. If you can re-use the old foil, it can only help.
In October I found some 50mm copper tape on Ebay which I stuck over the rear of the OLED, on the black plastic itself. Search for eg 'copper foil EMI tape' on eBay, there's plenty of choice for adhesive copper screening tape in every size. AW
Alan W
Can't win 'em all...
Sad to say, my replacement yellow display (as pictured) didn't last all that long - it faded and rows of pixels have failed altogether. I've replaced it with a second spare that I'd bought at the same time (for repairing for old time's sake 5-10 years from now). That too isn't as bright as it could be, but at least it works.
The original yellow OLEDs have all but disappeared from sale altogether now, so there is next to no chance of getting a new replacement. At the time of writing, a few WHITE ones are popping up on sale (Ebay etc.) , claiming to be brand new, so I'm trying one of those before they're all gone too.
Unless a stash of displays is unearthed from somewhere, it will soon become impossible to get another display once those white ones have been snapped up, so make the most of your Pure Evoke radio while you can. Consider unplugging and switching off altogether when it's not in use, to preserve those OLEDs as long as possible. AW
Alan W
Alibaba Yellow OLED
Well it's on the way - I've ordered one of these from China for about $27.00, also as suggested by other buyers so I'll see what they look like. I was pleasantly surprised to source one-offs via Alibaba, though the ordering system is a bit convoluted.
https://www.alibaba.com/product-detail/2-7-inch-128x64-12864-SSD1305_60671545961.html
More news as it happens! AW
Alan W
Fitting a Yellow OLED sourced via AliExpress
I fitted a Yellow OLED sourced from Shenzhen Liyuan Huida Technology Co., Ltd via Alibaba – a convoluted ordering process but everything arrived intact within ten days with no problems experienced.
I’m happy to say this is working perfectly, a nice bright yellow display just like the original and it dims as required.
Unfortunately the black plastic ribbon clamp somehow ‘pinged’ out from the board altogether. It has two tiny plastic spigots that align into each end of the PCB connector shown in my photos, the clamp being underneath the ribbon cable. When it’s pushed fully home, it sandwiches the ribbon firmly in place. Sadly, one of these spigots jammed and broke off (not surprised after all the hammer it’s had). However the other spigot is still intact, so I carefully re-inserted it underneath the OLED display ribbon, and pushed it home again. This seems to have held together so far. It can’t be repaired so let’s hope it stays that way.
It's best to use eg a plastic spudger or similar to ensure the clamp is only pushed out by a millimeter or so, and do not use excessive force.
Only time will tell whether the latest display will last or fade or drop some pixels, but it's looking great so far. I'll report findings back here. AW
ED 
Reader Comments (239)
Thanks Alan for this great resource.
I ordered a cheaper Dim display from Jack @ Alibaba
I got the email from him about the new supply of full brightness ones before I got around to installing the dim one.
The new display arrived today (12th Dec), is installed and so far it works perfectly !
Great thread here. I can confirm that using this article I have successfully replaced the screen of my Evoke Pure Flow. I purchased this from alibaba in December and it arrived 2 weeks later. It is perfect. Brightness is as bright as it was when the radio was first bought (Very bright). A new lease of life for my radio and I have now changed the settings so that the screen switches off after 7 seconds to prolong the life of the screen.
[the Alibaba URL is at the top of Page 1 - AW]
Hi Alan
I looked on your website to see if I could see the following issue on there, but could not find it. I have been following this thread for a while as I also have the blank display issue and I wanted to see results from various suppliers once the displays were available again. However, just after the last positive outcome was posted, my radio (Pure Evoke Flow) developed a different fault and I wonder if you have come across that before. I was listening to it one day when I head a loud "poof" noise and the radio went off together with all the "buttons" which light up but are not part of the display.
I have tried it every day since then (~7 days?) after leaving it unplugged in between. On each occasion it has repeated the behaviour of working for approx. 1 second before going dead again.
I decided to leave it unplugged for a couple of days after checking that the power supply itself delivers a constant 6 volts when disconnected (I don't know how to test it if connected).
Anyway - I have just plugged it back in about an hour ago, and it has been working OK since.
If it had not worked, I was about to cut my losses and buy a replacement radio as it is about 9-10 years old (the original display lasted until 6 months or a year ago).
So... Any thoughts or ideas? I know there is a factory reset procedure but I think it would only be feasible with a working display. It is probably not the solution here, anyway.
If this belongs in a different thread, please redirect me.
If you don't have any experience of this, please tell me that too!
If you have any thoughts - I would appreciate them.
Thanks, Richard
Hi Alan
Further to my post of yesterday - my Pure Evoke Flow now seems to be completely dead - Sometimes the On-off switch light is on, sometimes it is off, I have tried to switch it on using the switch but it has no effect - but it worked yesterday. I await your thoughts with interest.
Thanks for the comprehensive and informative display repair instructions - I am wondering whether I will ever get to use them!
Thanks - Richard
Second followup to my own post: RE Pure Sirocco 550.
My new display arrived today and is now successfully working in the Pure Sirocco 550 :-)
It's a pretty complex job to pull it apart - I had about 50 screws out as well as about 6 ribbon cables disconnected. There's a very tight soldered cable from the front board to controls which make access to the the display panel very difficult (to the extent I deliberately didn't put one of the 4 screws holding the display in place back in.)
As others have noted, the new alibaba displays have the ribbon mounted at the bottom, so you've got to take that into account. Also, the display is about 2mm larger than the old one, but the plastic mould which holds the display had 2 sets of corners, so I cut out the inside corners, and that made it fit perfectly.
Thanks Alan for having this site up, without the information I'd definitely be looking for a new stereo!
Just fitted new display from alibaba. Had to go in upside down but works perfectly :)
Just used this to replace the screen of my Evoke F4. Slightly different layout but it worked like a charm. I was a bit brutal in removing the black clip that holds the screen ribbon connected to the board, so one of the end tags broke - but then I inserted it before reinserting the ribbon to keep it in place and everything works. Thank you so much for the write-up !
Just a note to report another successful display replacement of a Pure Evoke Flow DAB radio (vintage 2008) and give my thoughts on the ordering process and carrying out the job.
First Components did not have any parts available so I placed an order on Alibaba. A few days went by and then I received a further email from Alibaba asking for payment for the same display part but under a different order number. I contacted Alibaba through webchat and was told that my original order was still valid but there seemed to be an issue with delivery and advised I contact the supplier. I sent an email to Jack Wan (contact details on the Alibaba web page) and he responded to say that my original order was not going to be processed and I should seek a refund on this order. He sent me a link to place another order, which was slightly cheaper than my first order and said he would send the part out by courier at no extra cost. I requested the refund on my first order and received notification from Alibaba that this was being processed so I placed the second order sent by JW. To my amazement I took delivery of the part 4 days later. However, in view of my experience, I would advise anyone considering ordering through Alibaba to contact Jack Wan first.
Then it was a case of actually carrying out the job. This was simply a matter of setting up my workbench with all the tools to hand and diligently following Alan’s instructions. After removing the rear cover and appraising the extent of the job I lost all my apprehension; from then on it was fairly plain sailing. Similar to other ‘Reader comments’ my replacement display was also slightly wider than the original which meant that the new display did not sit snugly within the tiny corner brackets of the display housing. However these brackets were in the shape of an F so I chiselled off the (elongated) lower bar of the F on all 4 corners which now allowed the display to sit snugly within.
My replacement display also required the ribbon cable to be fed from the top (ie upside down compared with the original) through the hole in the display housing to enable the 1 – 22 pins to correctly align with the PCB socket. Then re-assembly; reconnect silver ribbon cable, speaker connector and fit rear panel.
Re-connect power supply and voilà; it all worked splendidly. Like a new radio and what a feeling of achievement. I’ve now followed the advice of other ‘Readers comments’ and configured my radio display to switch off after 7 seconds to try and preserve the longevity of this part.
Finally, I must say a HUGE thank you to Alan Winstanley for creating this web page; I simply would not have had the confidence to carry out this operation without this resource. Also a thank you to all the readers who posted their comments as it helped to know that a good many of you have successfully replaced your displays.
Many thanks for your advice on replacing the screen on the Pure Evoke flow. I did get what you indicate was one of the last parts from First Components. Your instructions were really helpful and in case of the part, I did hit a problem. The cable came from the top and after installing it I did get a bright screen but without the detail. I had to remove the plastic housing to ensure that the ribbon fitted properly.
Using a combination of blu tack and electrical tape , I powered the unit up and got all the info on the screen including my wifi setting. There is still a slight distortion on a small section of the screen (bottom right looking at the front). When I put the plastic housing cover back then I got total distortion. So I have had to keep it off for now but I have used the copper tape. So a word of warning is that the ribbon is too tight with the upside down screen even moving it as you advised. In any case, it is now 99% operational and so it is now useable. I've got my digital radio back.
So please accept my thanks for sharing your knowledge and advice. In exchange, I will make a donation to a charity of your choice.
Jim E.
I have a Pure Evoke 1s DAB radio. The display had faded to the point where it was black. I ordered a new display from Shenzhen Liyuan Huida Technology Co using Alibaba. It cost a mere $7 + extra for postage. I've replaced the original and now have a perfect bright display. Ok, it's white and not yellow but hey, i've got a radio that i can carry on using. It was relatively straightforward to do. There are lots of screws to take out mostly around the edges both outside and inside, and most are the same size. However, to make sure i didn't get them mixed up, i sellotaped each removed screw back in its original hole where i could for ease of replacement.
My first attempt to get it to work failed; but this is because i think i inserted the black clip which holds the ribbon in place from the top; i've done a 'second repair' where i inserted the black clip from underneath the ribbon, and hey presto, it works.
I'm tempted to order a spare display as it's so cheap and to keep it for future use!
Thanks to Alan for this web page - it gave me the confidence to have a go at fixing the problem. I'm very happy with the outcome.
Hi Alan
I have a Pure Evoke Flow which the oled screen has gone dim. I have looked on First Components web site and the WEX012864DWPP3N00000 is out of production but they an compatible product BL12864KERNH$. Have you heard any reports on this product ?
That is the original Bolymin (manufacturer) part number for the original OLED which I understood has long been out of production. I referred to it in my blog. If they guarantee it and the price isn't too bad then it's worth a gamble. Some OLED displays were sub-standard, usually poor or very dim displays, so hopefully these ones are full spec. If you go ahead with it please report back and share the news.
Originally it was listed by RS Components here
The price for the First Components Bolymin OLED is 64Euros with delivery (£54) a bit pricey I will have to think about it.
I have recently purchased a new screen from Jack from Shenzhen Liyuan Huida Technology Co., Ltd. It arrived within 2 weeks and I fitted to my Sirocco 550 and am very pleased to now be back at maximum brightness and able to use the Sirocco again. The installation was very similar to the Evoke shown above. To dismantle the Sirocco, remove 5 screws on rear panel & 5 screws on bottom and separate the 2 halves. Slowly disconnect all the cables except 1 that is soldered at both ends. Remove 4 screws securing wooden housing to front face section, 3 screws at bottom of front edge securing front grey trim. 2 x 4 sets screws in grey trim fixing to bottom of lid and 2 x 3 concealed screws under the thin black self adhesive trims on the sides of the grey trim. The wooden lid section and the grey trim can now be removed from the front face exposing the front PCB for disassemble as per above instructions for Evoke
Another successfull repair to report. Ordered from Alibaba (Shenzhen Liyuan Huida Technology Co., Ltd., Jack Wan). Display is 1:1 replacement, the flexible cable was mounted exactly like the original. Some minor issues I had to work around:
- as mentioned earlier the display is a little bit wider than the original, so I had to cut away the "inner edges" of the mounting frame.
- on my device there was a black cloth-like adhesive tape where the display cable is put through on the mounting frame. Was a beast to remove and sticked very well to the original cable (which I broke off when fiddling around).
- I also moved the copper (EMC) foil to the new display. It's a little hard to remove it at the place where the ferrite (the rectangular black part) is glued onto. Best to use a cutter knife and push carefully below it.
- The connector for the display's flexible cable gave me some headache until it clamped the cable. You have to move the cable in as far as it goes, hold it there and then close the connector. The cable must sit firmly in the connector, it does not move then. If it moves the cable is not connected and the display won't work.
A big shoutout to Alan for preparing this instruction page. My Pure Radio is now good for more years to come (and I switch the display off completely now in standby mode :-))
Hello,
Thank for your information. Succeeded with this display through Alibaba.
Best regards. Thomas, Netherlands.
I can only repeat what the others have written:
Thank you so much for writing this instruction and for giving a source!
Found your article a while ago and contacted Jack. Had some very good correspondence with him! But he only had very dim displays left. And when I wanted to open an account on Alibaba, I was asked for a company name. So I thought it's only for business partners and gave up. A few weeks ago a friend asked me if I had any success with the display. That reminded me and I tried again. Hey presto! Contacted Jack again to give him my details and he informed me that he got a delivery of brand new displays! That's was lucky. Display arrived last week (took a bit longer due to Corona virus). Installed it today (incl. removal of inner edges). Copper foil was reusable. Result: Absolutely brilliant! Now I need to find out how to dim the display and have it shut off in stand-by.
Cheers Dirk, Germany
Glad you managed to get a new (bright) screen. I've uploaded the PDF Owner's manual (see blog) for the Evoke Flow showing (page 40) how to adjust the screen brightness. AW
Thanks for the advice Alan. I’ve just replaced my display which I received from Jack Wan. All went per instructions, however, I couldn’t get the copper foil off the back of the original display so I just installed the new one without any. I hope this won’t affect the radio going forward. The display looks great and seems even better than the original one. Hopefully I’ll get a few more out of the radio. Thanks again - John
Howdy, Alan. Congratulations first for your website. Found it while searching a solution for my Evoke screen as EE on this page, and I found a lot of other interesting articles so keep up this great work of yours.
Also thanks for sourcing the spare screen. Although a user of Aliexpress already, I had to setup an account on Alibaba to order from Mr Wan but this worked out perfectly well. Screen is now installed and all is well.
I did not recycle the copper layer either as it got torn into pieces when trying to remove it. Didn't seem to impact the operations on the radio, but I'd be curious to understand its purpose.
All in all - a big, Covid-free THANK YOU!
Manny, glad you found a fix and your radio is working once again.
The copper screen tape is usually to screen out RFI or noise, as well as keeping connectors or ribbons stuck in place, often seen in eg laptops or mobile phones. It sticks like crazy but I removed mine initially and it made no difference. Bought some on ebay later.
I'm hoping for a Covid-free time too but am entering a lockdown phase which may involve survival by cannibalism... Keep your fingers crossed.
Cheers AW
I have taken my Sirocco 550 apart like Gary Lane and Andrew above, but the wire that is soldered at both ends has become detached from the front circuit board and I can't see where it was attached! Before it came off it seemed to be behind the wooden frame at the top right, but there is no solder pad there on the board. Has anyone taken a photo of this that you could share please?
Thanks, Chris.
Thanks Alan for perfect advice making the change of screen relatively straightforward.
I purchased from Jack at Alibaba, which was reasonably easy with great communication from Jack himself (even at 3.00am local time!). The new screen was slightly wider so had to knock off the inner set of location tabs as I saw described somewhere on your thread! I can now see the time when I wake up in the middle of the night :-)
Currently doing a little bit of work reverse engineering the circuitry on the display interface board.
The 8 pin cable from the 'main board' arrives on the board which has the 2 rotary encoders on (The one labelled VIVALDI SHAFT ENCODER PCB). From there, is a little bit of interface circuitry between that and the 22 pin connector for the LCD.
The screen is configured using Serial (SPI) mode, and a lot of the other lines are grounded. There is a logic inverter (I think) to invert the clock line (SCLK).
The reason I've done this is that I want to make some PCBs which will take the 8pin signal, and then allow a different display to connect (allowing you to use some alternative displays with different cable pinouts). Hopefully, some of the other displays (in particular the 2.4 inch ones, like https://cpc.farnell.com/winstar/weo012864gwpp3n00000/oled-display-module-128x64-white/dp/SC15039) might work if the pinouts can be adapted. I am not sure yet whether there will be issues with screen offset or mirroring etc. If this is the case, there are a couple of other solutions I might explore. One would involve putting a small microcontroller in between, acting as an SPI slave receiving the data, making changes to it as necssary, and then pushing it to the display. This might also allow the use of other (ie non OLED) displays, such as an LCD. Hopefully I can avoid that though, as it's more work than I want to do!
PS The schematic as I have reverse engineered it so far is here
David
Great write up, it's so helpful to see the inside before you start to pull the back off the things. and I'm happy to confirm that your Alibaba supplier still delivers a lovely new yellow display in March 2020.