Odd glitch with instrument cluster

RCinNC

Well-Known Member
Joined
Aug 30, 2014
Messages
2,816
Location
North Carolina
I have a 2014 S10 (non ES version) that I've had for a year now. About a week ago, on a sunny day in the 80's, I parked the bike in the sun at a restaurant. About 45 minutes later I came back out, switched the bike on, and saw that the right side of the instrument cluster (the side that contains the tripmeter info, mpg, etc) was clouded over with a black cloud. It wasn't condensation; it appeared to be in the LCD display itself. I could still see the numbers around the edges of this "cloud". Gradually the cloud shrunk towards the center of the display (it took about 20 minutes total) until it was clear again. It seems fine now, though my perception is that the display isn't quite as bright and sharp as it was before, though I can't be certain of this.

Has anyone experienced this? I know some guys with V-Stroms have experienced melting of their dashboards when they parked their bikes at just the right angle to the sun and the sunlight got magnified through the shield til it was hot enough to melt plastic; could something similar have happened here?
 

Juan

Well-Known Member
2014 Site Supporter
Joined
Nov 13, 2012
Messages
1,302
Location
Malta
I've seen posts in the past saying that the instrument panel was damaged by direct sunlight shining through the windscreen and acting like heat converging onto the panel. You may wish to search this.
 

Shovelhead

Member
Joined
Feb 2, 2015
Messages
181
Location
TEXAS
RCinNC said:
and saw that the right side of the instrument cluster (the side that contains the tripmeter info, mpg, etc) was clouded over with a black cloud. It wasn't condensation; it appeared to be in the LCD display itself. I could still see the numbers around the edges of this "cloud". Gradually the cloud shrunk towards the center of the display (it took about 20 minutes total) until it was clear again.
word for word, the exact same thing happened to mine last week. I've not noticed if it appears to have harmed it though. Now ya got me wondering, I'll have to investigate further.
 

RCinNC

Well-Known Member
Joined
Aug 30, 2014
Messages
2,816
Location
North Carolina
Hi Shovelhead...I just rode mine after being out of state for a week, and everything seems to be back to normal. I found a few photos on line of the S10 instrument cluster, and even in those photos it looks like the right side display is just a shade different than the left side display. I am going to make a windshield cover though (probably out of one of those reflective space blankets) for those bright sunny days. I read that it takes about 178 degrees to compromise an LCD display, so just the sun itself couldn't have been the issue. If it happens again with the sun shield, at least I'll know that magnified sunlight wasn't the problem.
 

Rasher

Active Member
2012 Site Supporter
2013 Site Supporter
Joined
Sep 25, 2011
Messages
1,955
Location
UK
Moving over here would solve your problem ::008::
 

RCinNC

Well-Known Member
Joined
Aug 30, 2014
Messages
2,816
Location
North Carolina
LOL, Rasher, I think the sunshield would be cheaper (and 300 days of clouds would rob me of whatever sanity I have left). I wouldn't mind visiting, though; I got to see Germany when I lived overseas, but never got to the UK.
 

WJBertrand

Ventura Highway
Joined
Jun 20, 2015
Messages
4,516
Location
Ventura, CA
Mine has never suffered that problem but the left and right panels do look different in shade, right from day one, so I don't think you damaged anything. I've had this problem before with other LCD displays including a cheap wrist watch that was so sensitive it was virtually useless out doors. I thought they had eliminated that problem in modern LCDs? Based on your comments, I think I'll make a point to throw my gloves on top of the display whenever I park in direct sun.
 
Top