Oxidation of the circuit board and cable connectors is a problem that can occur in old electronics, and may also affect older Elektron devices. This can make communication between the various internal circuit boards and external connections a bit unstable and cause several problems. Typically, this occurs in devices that are several years old but can in some rare cases occur sooner in devices that have been exposed to humid environments, or more exotic elements (sea breezes, near-freezing temperatures, dust or sand, etc.)

PLEASE NOTE: For devices still within the warranty period, it is highly unlikely that oxidation has occurred. If any of the issues below are occurring in a device under warranty, please open a support ticket and let the technician know that this is occurring in a relatively young device.


COMMON SYMPTOMS

While oxidation is not the only cause of the following symptoms, it often is. Some common symptoms of oxidation are:

  • Freezing and crashing: occasional freezing or exemption errors during startup and/or during use

  • Glyphing: strange “characters” appear on the screen


    Fig. A: Example of Glyphing

  • Screen blackout: all pixels are black upon startup or during use

  • Display backlight dimming/flickering: The backlight of the display appears dim or flickers slightly during use.

  • Erratic LED behavior: LEDs are permanently lit or flicker when lit.

SOLUTIONS

For out-of-warranty devices, you can try the following methods to try and solve the issue.

  • Open up the device and disconnect all internal cable connectors and reconnect them.

  • Use compressed air to clean out any dust from your machine.

  • Check the DC power connector of your device. If it is particularly dirty or oxidized it may be best to have it cleaned.

If the problem persists or for a more permanent solution, you should get the cable connectors deoxidized. While we don’t recommend you attempt this at home. If you are attempting to clean it yourself, make sure you are using a deoxidizer specifically made for electronic connections, as many general use ones can be harmful to electronics. We recommend that you contact a professional electronics repair specialist to help you with this.