I would vote for a marginal connector. LCD screens tend to use fiddly and annoying connectors. If there is an elastometric (aka zebra) connector involved I would be pointing the finger there instantly. Sadly they get used a lot in just this sort of application. Horrid things.
But also a fractured trace somewhere would do it.
That’s what I was thinking–and cold makes something contract JUST enough to close the gap…
There’s probably an intermittent discontinuity somewhere that is temperature dependent.
Best guess: at normal temperatures, there is an open circuit when there should be continuity, and the radio (or certain functions of the radio) will not work. Examples include a cracked solder joint, mated connector that has corrosion, or cracked PCB trace. When the temperature decreases, contraction due to CTE “fixes” the problem.
Of course, it could be a number of other things. It might be, for example, a tin whisker that is causing a short, and it temporarily opens when the temperature is low (due to CTE).
I do appreciate all the responses so far. I think the consensus would be, remove the radio from the console and check the connections?
I used to work in a TV repair shop. Back when such things existed. The techs would spray canned air (very cold) on electronic parts to shrink them to check for broken solder links. At least that’s what I think they where doing.
My main job was helping deliver and pick up TV’s to work on.
Back in the day a can of freeze was CFC. Those days are long gone. Some modern freeze sprays are propane or butane. This isn’t great. But they work. Or you can use compressed air and hope. Not nearly as good. You could freeze your fingers with a proper can of freeze spray. Fabulous for treating burns if you had a can to hand.
A freeze spray finds all manner of nasties. Bad joints, marginal components (especially resistors) and generally a great way of isolating degraded stuff.
Yeah, cool. At first I wasn’t quite sure if I was remembering correctly. This was ~1976. The shop is long gone today of course.
How difficult is it to partially disassemble a modern car stereo system? (It’s been decades since I’ve done it.) If it’s not super hard, I would probably disassemble it and do the following:
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Visual analysis. Does anything look obviously broken? Cracked solder joint? Loose or partially disconnected connector? Chafed wiring? Corrosion? Also look for failed electrolytic caps.
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Blast everything with a compressed air can.
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Disconnect connectors, and then reconnect them (de-mate/mate cycle).
Modern car systems are not terrible. They are much the same as other consumer electronics. Mostly they are remarkable in how little there is too them. But lots of fiddly connectors and stuff designed for manufacture rather than service. Rather like the insides of a laptop to work on.
Good to know.
Yea, I am guessing the weakest area in a car stereo system would be the internal connectors. Unlike the PCBs, you can’t apply a conformal coating to connector terminals, and hence they are vulnerable to moisture-induced corrosion and fretting corrosion. (And unlike a personal computer, everything in a car will be frequently subjected to condensation in cold weather climates.) The military solves this problem using gold plated pins & sockets, along with good environmental seals. I would assume a stereo manufacturer is not going to want to spend the extra money for such connectors.
I wouldn’t really think twice about messing around in my PC like this; in my mind a stereo is something else. I guess it is probably similar enough. And, I am not a stickler for what I listen to on the radio. Right now I can choose NPR or conservative talk radio. Much worse to not have anything at all to listen to if I mess it up.