Intempo Mode DAB radio problem
 

Bit of a long shot we have a DAB radio which has recently started playing up and I'm wondering if it could be a simply problem to fix. What happens is that it will randomly cycle through the various modes (e.g. DAB - FM - Audio in etc.) for no apparent reason. The main controls are accessed via an illuminated membrane type panel (see images in post below) as opposed to individual buttons so it's impossible to feel if the mode button seems sticky or odd. Sometimes the problem happens immediately the set is turned on whilst on other occasions it'll play fine for an hour or so then start playing up.

It's not really usable as it is so I'd be happy to open it up and see what I can find but don't have much idea what to look for. Obviously if it's some sort of microprocessor fault or the control panel is a sealed unit I can't do anything about that but I'm wondering if it might be something simple that I can try to fix.

http://www.cableforum.co.uk/board/sh...hlight=intempo

TIA as always. :tu:

Re: Intempo Mode DAB radio problem
 

As a guess, I'd say the switch has become sticky or loose and whether or not it plays up has something to do with the unit's temperature, which would cause gaps to expand or contract.

You have nothing to lose by taking it to bits.

Re: Intempo Mode DAB radio problem
 

As a guess, I'd say the switch has become sticky or loose and whether or not it plays up has something to do with the unit's temperature, which would cause gaps to expand or contract.

You have nothing to lose by taking it to bits.

Re: Intempo Mode DAB radio problem
 

Yes nothing to lose so I had a look at it and and finally managed to work out how to open it up in the absence of any visible screws on the exterior. It turns out that the entire flat panel on the front is simply glued in place onto a foam gasket so has to be prised off in order to get inside. I didn't remove the whole panel but did enough that I could see sufficiently and found a ribbon connector running into a circuit board which is fixed to the rear of the controls section of the panel. Before doing anything else I decided to push the ribbon connector in a little to see if a loose contact there could be causing the problem. The front panel forms the actual speaker and is vibrating constantly so I'm hoping the ribbon connector had just worked itself a little loose. So far it seems to have worked but it's very early days yet so I'm going to leave it on all day and see what happens. Will report back.

Re: Intempo Mode DAB radio problem
 

Well it's been on all morning an so far no problems. Fingers crossed... :)

Re: Intempo Mode DAB radio problem
 

Still going strong all day... Dare I claim a 'fix'? :)

Re: Intempo Mode DAB radio problem
 

Don't temp fate.

Re: Intempo Mode DAB radio problem
 

Is that a vote of confidence in my technical prowess?... ;)

Something's definitely improved - the control touch panel is much more responsive than I remember it being for a very long time. It often used to take several attempts to select a new function and now it's all working first time.

Re: Intempo Mode DAB radio problem
 

That is why you often see ribbon cables secured with a blob of silicone.

Re: Intempo Mode DAB radio problem
 

No silicone evident here so maybe that was the cause of the problem. Anyway I'm officially declaring a fix because the radio hasn't missed a beat since I opened it up. :)