GC2 Suddenly poor screen contrast

Support
,
1

Hi,

I noticed this morning that the screen on my GC2 panel looks “washed out” (i.e. has very poor contrast). The panel works/touch screen is responsive, just the contrast is very low (see attached).

In oder to remedy the problem I’ve tried

  • Changing the screen brightness setting. -- The screen gets dimmer/brighter as I adjust the setting, but the contrast remains poor.
  • Doing a dummy configuration change to force the panel to reboot. -- No change either.

I’ve attached pictures of the GC2 panel that has the problem and (for comparison) another picture of my TS1, which is fine.

I installed the system about 15 months ago. The panel is running firmware version 1.14.0.2_PRODUCTION_EN_US.

My suspicion at this point is that this is some kind of hardware failure and I either might have to live with it or replace the panel, but if someone has any ideas on how to remedy the situation, any hints would be appreciated.

 thanks,

 red_smurf

GC2-WashedOut.jpg
GC2-WashedOut.jpg1305×979 154 KB

TS1-OK.jpg
TS1-OK.jpg1305×979 113 KB

2

That does look like a hardware cause. Something to try would be to power down the panel completely, transformer first, then battery, and leave the panel powered down for two minutes. Then power back up, battery first, then transformer.

Any change?

3

Jason,

By “power down completely” you mean unplug the panel and disconnect battery? – Or is there some kind of procedure for a “clean shutdown” that I should follow?

thanks,

red_smurf
4

You’ll want to unplug the power transformer (the plug-in wall transformer) and then unplug the internal battery. Leave it powered down for a full two minutes. Then power back up. Plug in the battery first, then the transformer.

5

Jason,

Thanks. Just went through that procedure. Unfortunately no change, so I guess it is a hardware issue.

Should I decide to replace the panel, I presume the best procedure is to get in touch with Surety support before doing so, to get a backup of the configuration and get it restored afterwards?

 thanks,

 red_smurf
6

One more thing, I believe the display ribbon is near the center of the GC2 model there. Do you notice any visible damage? If you open and power down the 2GIG Panel again, try applying a little pressure to the display ribbon connection. Press for a short bit, then power back up. Any luck?

You may also want to try a firmware update since you do not have the latest version, as a hail mary. If the display ribbon pressure doesn’t work, we can initiate an OTA firmware update (looks like this account has a Go!Bridge, so the update is free)

If no luck, yes, you’ll want to contact customerservice@suretyDIY.com to begin a back-up restore process when you have a new panel. To ensure the best chance of success see the steps below:

  1. Request a backup of the current settings either through secure message or email to customerservice@suretyDIY.com. (Z-wave, Image Sensors, TS1s are not able to be backed up and must be manually programmed into new panel)
  2. Our team will notify you when the backup is run.
  3. Power down old panel, remove communication module.
  4. Install module into new panel but do not power it on yet.
  5. Let us know you are ready for the settings to be pushed.
  6. Our team will notify you and provide instructions to complete the process.
7

Jason,

Thanks! – I already checked the ribbon cable and made sure it is seated well when I had the panel open and disconnected the battery, so I think we can cross that one off the list.

Yes, there’s a GoBridge connected to the account. – I also have a TS1 (and a FW update cable if needed).

Please push the panel update and let me know if I have to manually update the TS1 (which is currently on 1.14_PRODUCTION_EN_US).

 thanks,

 red_smurf
8

Alright, we’ve started the update for you via broadband. It may take a few hours to start and complete, but this is the 1.17 update for the main panel. TS1 will be 1.16 (there is no 1.17 TS1.)

9

Jason,

Just to close the loop on this:

The panel just completed the update to 1.17. TS1 still seems to be updating. – While it was worth giving it a shot, the screen still looks washed out. :frowning:

The plan right now is to replace the panel. Looks like there is a steady stream of folks upgrading to GC3 and there’s a chance for me to source a GC2 panel…

Once more, thanks for your great support! – I’ll get in touch with your team via secure messaging once I have a replacement panel.

 regards,

 red_smurf