Can Suzy cause a faded/dim image?

Turbo-Torch · February 4, 2023

About 10 years ago eBay had an endless supply of AS IS Lynx II systems being sold for next to nothing. Many different sellers, so I don't know what the story was. I picked one up for about $5 for spare parts. Great physical shape and it sort of worked, but the screen seemed damaged.

If you adjust the brightness just right and keep the Lynx at an angle you can see the image and it had lines in it.

I disassembled it and someone wrote LINES on the back of the display and GOOD ONE on the circuit board. I put it in the parts bin and forgot about it.

I recently installed the BennVenn IPS kit in my original Lynx II (incredibly awesome btw!). I remembered I had that old Lynx and decided to put the removed screen in that unit and bring it back to life.

Same problem with very faded/dark screen, but no lines this time.

The contrast seems to react as it should with the pot, yet there's only a small sweet spot where I can see the image and the screen must be tilted at an extreme angle.

All original caps were spot on but I replaced them since they were already removed. Q12 and D13 tested good, but I also replace them.

Removed the brightness pot and it tested ok.

Voltages seem correct at locations that I can get off the available schematic.

Is there a list of TP voltages, similar to this one but for the original screen?

https://atarigamer.com/pages/atari-lynx-model-2-voltage-test-point-measurements

Also, can the Suzy get weak and cause this issue? I assumed it would either work or not work at all?

+Stephen Moss · February 6, 2023

On 2/4/2023 at 10:07 PM, Turbo-Torch said:

Also, can the Suzy get weak and cause this issue?

I don't know for certain but if it can I am not sure how as the video data to the LCD comes from Mikey/Hayato, it may be passing corrupted data but I would think that the screen would then be random clutter rather than dim.