Touch screen issues

[itsonelouder]

The touch-screen of my Tom Tom One isn't operating properly. The screen is responsive but only in certain areas where I touch. I can't even connect to windows to restore from backup. Is there anything I can do?

 

[canderson]

When you say "I can't even connect to windows", is that because you are unable to get the unit to respond to the "Yes" button with regard to connecting to your computer?

It's possible that your touch screen has failed. There are replacement touchscreen/LCD assemblies available for sale (Google will bring up dozens of companies, mostly Chinese, that will sell you one), but the $40 or so that it will cost may be a larger investment than a ONE 3rd is worth at this point in time.

 

[itsonelouder]

When you say "I can't even connect to windows", is that because you are unable to get the unit to respond to the "Yes" button with regard to connecting to your computer?
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Yes. What about a hard reset? When I press the reset button and it has rebooted there is still some info about recent destination etc. Is there any way to reset it to factory defaults that I don't know of?

 

[canderson]

Resetting the unit to 'factory defaults' will only erase your personal content (map corrections, favorites, recent destinations, etc.). It should not have any impact on the ability of the touch screen to accept input. That is done from a menu item on the face of the unit - which isn't responding well to your touches to begin with.

A "hard reset" on a ONE 3rd is accomplished by holding down the power button for 20 seconds or so until you hear the drums, and it sounds like you have already done that.

 

[itsonelouder]

Yes, I have heard the drums so I guess I've done the full reset even though it's still showing my recent destinations. I thought that would all be wiped. I have a recent backup so I'm not worried about losing anything in the way of favourites etc. The reason I think it might be software related is because the problem has corrected itself in the past if I've left it off for several minutes.

 

[canderson]

No, the power button reset does not kill off any of your personal data. It's the same as rebooting your PC, nothing more. The "Factory Reset" option that you can execute from the device itself will do that, however. That reinitializes files like mapsettings.cfg that contain much of this data.

I'm curious - when you turned the unit off for a bit and the problem seemed to have self-corrected, how long did that fix last before the screen began to misbehave again? Minutes? Days?

 

[itsonelouder]

It's taken several weeks of continuous usage since it last malfunctioned in this way, that's the strange thing and makes me think it may be software related. I'm a multi-drop delivery driver so I use it 40 -50 hours a week, literally! The irony is, I wasn't using it all of today until about 2pm, switched it on and there was the problem again

 

[canderson]

I doubt the problem is in any way software related, but ... The trick in doing any sort of software restoration is that we need a reliable connection to your PC to even begin. Is the unit refusing to cooperate at all at this point (YES button is not recognized)?

 

[itsonelouder]

That's correct, I cannot press YES

 

[itsonelouder]

It's now working, go figure

 

[canderson]

I'm beginning to wonder if you have a problem with the ribbon connector that attaches the touchscreen/LCD assembly to the circuit board.

 

[itsonelouder]

Is that easy and cheap to replace?

 

[canderson]

The connector is a soldered-in SMT device, and is NOT a job for anyone without serious surface mount soldering skills -- assuming that.s the problem.

The touchscreen/LCD assembly is easy to replace, but as I think I noted earlier, it will run you about US$40 (likely around 26 sterling) for a new one. But that doesn't solve the connector problem if that's where the problem is occurring.

You might try releasing the connector and reclamping it to see if you get more stable operation... but that requires opening the unit. The flex cable is retained by a small bar clamp on the connector. The clamp must not be moved to more than about a 30 degree angle from flat else you'll break it off. After releasing the clamp by gently lifting the tabs on both ends, you can pull the flex cable out of the connector, perhaps give the contacts on the cable a swipe with some isopropyl alcohol, reinserting the flex cable and clamping it down again. I've seen some units with a bit of tape over the connector to assure the clamp doesn't get loose.

If that provides no relief, you'll have to decide whether or not you want to take a chance on the purchase of a new assembly. It's also possible to get JUST the digitizer assembly (without the LCD) for less money, but it's a bit of a trick to separate and replace it from the LCD assembly.

 

[itsonelouder]

I'll give it some thought.

Thank you very much for you help, very speedy and comprehensive replies.