I have two Dell DARs, both of which used to work fine. Now, when I try to power one of them up, all I get is a blank but illuminated LCD. Is this a symptom that the unit needs to be "re-flashed" or whatever, and if so how do I do that? The green internal power light comes on steady, so I guess the power supply is ok.

There isn't any re-flashing of those units, as far as I know. They are supposed to get their software from a server.

Please try the following, if you haven't already:

- Unplug all cables from the back of one of the units, including the power cable.
- Plug back in the power cable (and only the power cable).
- Press the power button once.

Do you get the same result?

Yeah, same result. The LCD lights up but is completely blank and stays that way.

I know there are people on these boards who make all kinds of mods to their DARs. I'm willing to try just about anything. Since there's no way I'm going to get any support out of Dell or Rio, I have nothing to lose.

Please help!

Thanks, wanted to rule out some obvious software/network things first.

Yeah, definitely a hardware failure of some kind. With only the power connected, a fresh reboot should at least get you the logo and the "searching for server" screen.

Don't know what kind of repair is available for this kind of failure. Anyone else seen this before?

Ok, thanks. I looked at that page, and there's too much information left out for a novice like me to be able to accomplish anything.

I would've thought someone had experienced the same symptoms (powering on but stalling on an illuminated blank screen). I guess I'll just keep an eye on this thread to see if anyone else responds.

Are there any other good troubleshooting resources for these devices? I'm not going to pay Rio $20 so they can just tell me it's dead and give me a coupon for something I don't want.

(digging up an old thread). The only thing I can think of is that the LCM flex is damaged or unplugged. The backlight is a separate connection, so if the LCM flex pops out or has been damaged (this happens quite easily) then you get a black backlit screen...

Disassembling the front panel is also a sure-fire way to break the flex too. I've no idea how they put them together in the first place!

Hugo

Just posting a follow up to this thread in the off chance that someone has discovered a solution to this problem. I have the same problem with one of my Dell DARs. Just started happening.
I have tried to open the unit but can't figure out how to get the back off. It seems to require that the front panel come off first