Pygamer Screen Adhesion Issues

Microsoft's MakeCode platform for easy blocks-style programming

Moderators: adafruit_support_bill, adafruit

Please be positive and constructive with your questions and comments.
Locked
User avatar
Lanth
 
Posts: 4
Joined: Mon Apr 10, 2023 5:14 pm

Pygamer Screen Adhesion Issues

Post by Lanth »

I recently bought two Adafruit Pygamers from a brick and mortar store.

Both had the screen hanging loose from the white backing. I followed the Screen Adhesive Fix instructions from the Troubleshooting article (https://learn.adafruit.com/adafruit-pyg ... shooting-2): I used the same double sided tape as in the article, cut strips in halves, and applied to the top and bottom of the white backing.

Unfortunately when I checked them the next day (yesterday) the screens came loose again. The adhesive worked (too?) well and some clear plastic plate (for diffusing the two leds backlighting the screen?) was stuck to the white backing while the rest of the screen was detached from that.

How I can fix this?

User avatar
adafruit_support_carter
 
Posts: 29168
Joined: Tue Nov 29, 2016 2:45 pm

Re: Pygamer Screen Adhesion Issues

Post by adafruit_support_carter »

That is sounding like maybe it won't be fixable, since the TFT assembly itself has come apart.

Can you post a photo of the current condition of the TFT. We can take a look to see if maybe there is a possible way for it to be re-assembled.

User avatar
Lanth
 
Posts: 4
Joined: Mon Apr 10, 2023 5:14 pm

Re: Pygamer Screen Adhesion Issues

Post by Lanth »

pygamer_screen_lifting.jpg
pygamer_screen_lifting.jpg (450.72 KiB) Viewed 1145 times
This is what the separation looks like. You can see the plastic plate and the tape adhering it to the white backing.

User avatar
adafruit_support_carter
 
Posts: 29168
Joined: Tue Nov 29, 2016 2:45 pm

Re: Pygamer Screen Adhesion Issues

Post by adafruit_support_carter »

Thanks for the photos. Does look like the TFT assembly itself has separated.

Just to check current state - does the TFT still work OK if the parts are put backed together? If so, may be possible to do something like this:
https://learn.adafruit.com/adafruit-hal ... shooting-2
to help both hold the TFT to the Pygamer as well as the keep the assembly itself together.

User avatar
Lanth
 
Posts: 4
Joined: Mon Apr 10, 2023 5:14 pm

Re: Pygamer Screen Adhesion Issues

Post by Lanth »

The screens on both of the two Pygamers with this issue appear to work: when powered and turned on they both show the boot loader screen. With that clear plastic part of the assembly separated the effect is the screen backlighting grows progressively more terrible the further the part of the screen is from the two backlighting LEDs.

Before attempting any of the things suggested by the Hallowing troubleshooting page you linked I want to make sure it's clear that the initial issue was that the whole assembly was separated from the white backing. I followed the double sided tape suggestion from the Screen Adhesive Fix portion of the Pygamer troubleshooting page (https://learn.adafruit.com/adafruit-pygamer/troubleshooting-2) which apparently successfully adhered the clear plastic part of the assembly to the white backing and caused it to separate from the rest of the assembly.

The Hallowing troubleshooting page's guidance appears identical (though it goes over two additional adhesives in addition to the double sided tape). I would appreciate more input on what parts I'm now trying to adhere to what? The white frame part of the assembly to the backing? The separated clear plastic part of the assembly back into the assembly? If the latter that seems more a job for glue than tape but I've read super glue fogs clear plastic.

I appreciate your input.

User avatar
adafruit_support_carter
 
Posts: 29168
Joined: Tue Nov 29, 2016 2:45 pm

Re: Pygamer Screen Adhesion Issues

Post by adafruit_support_carter »

Flip the screen back down onto the diffuser layer and then, similar to what is shown for the Hallowing, add some adhesive around the edge to hold the screen (white frame) to the PyGamer PCB (black surface).
screen.png
screen.png (539.61 KiB) Viewed 1124 times
It probably doesn't need to be all the way around. A few blobs spaced around the edges should be fine. The general idea is to have the white frame adhere to the PyGamer PCB, which should help hold the entire assembly back together.

User avatar
johnpark
 
Posts: 985
Joined: Wed Mar 25, 2009 2:15 pm

Re: Pygamer Screen Adhesion Issues

Post by johnpark »

I've fixed this issue with tape and glue before: https://learn.adafruit.com/adafruit-hal ... shooting-2

User avatar
Lanth
 
Posts: 4
Joined: Mon Apr 10, 2023 5:14 pm

Re: Pygamer Screen Adhesion Issues

Post by Lanth »

I applied E6000 adhesive around the plastic frame of the LCD assembly and re-aligned it with the separated plastic piece on both Pygamers. It did a decent job adhering where it touched something else.

I wouldn't say it's fantastic as there are gaps pretty much all the way around where it didn't touch the PCB, but I'll take some light leaking out as an improvement over the screens flapping loose.

Locked
Please be positive and constructive with your questions and comments.

Return to “MakeCode”