Need some help with problem: LCD ghosting/flashing

[brumanchu]

Hi all,
I recently made a change on my 2011 'busa and have a problem with the LCD ghosting/flashing.

Here is the sequence of events:
1. disassembled front end
2. desoldered LCD from IC board
3. soldered new red LED's behind LCD & tested, looked good
4. Soldered in LCD, reassembled and installed IC
5. Added resistors to HID lighting (wasn't as bright as should be)
6. Tested lighting, is signficantly brighter now
7. Noticed LCD had ghosting of characters with ghost characters flashing (expected charaters stayed solid)
8. Deconstructed and resoldered LCD 2nd time, tested w/ same outcome
9. Bought damaged IC cluster from board member (thanks Bondo)
10. Tested prior to disassembly, worked fine
11. Desoldered LCD from damaged IC and installed in original IC
12. Tested on bike, worked perfect, no ghosting
13. Reinstalled front end w/ HID lighting, looked good
14. A few minutes later, LCD started ghosting same as before
15. Disconnected IC and HID connections, waiting period
16. Reconnected IC only, LCD was ghosting as before

Anyone experience a similar problem with their LCD, or have any suggestions for a path forward on diagnosis?

I appreciate any and all help!
-Bruce

 

[FlatlandBusa]

Is you battery getting low?

Was the ghosting happening with the engine running or off?

 

[IG.]

Ghosting is caused by drop in voltage on the LCD, and most likely by the HID setup. I would first confirm this with a V-meter, and if this is the case I would look into how much HID's draw. Remember, stock headlights draw something around 5A, and the entire circuitry including the gage of wiring is designed for that.

Also, what is the voltage on the battery when the bike idles with and without HID's? Normal voltage at idle should be anywhere between 13.5V-15V. If it's lower than that with HID's, but is OK without them, the bike's charging system simply cannot handle your HID's. Actually, this is the easiest test to do, and you should do this first.

Also, the fact that in your tests ghosting starts after a few minutes suggest to me that something is getting hot in your HID or other circuitry, the heat changes electrical properties, and this in turn may cause the change in voltage. This is a long shot, but still a consideration.

I would go as far as powering HID straight from the battery via a relay, which in turn is controlled by your original headlight circuit. This way, you completely eliminate influence of HID on any circuitry. It's like you would never connect a powerful air horn straight into a stock horn circuit.

Another consideration, is there a way that HID ballast emits electromagnetic field messing up the nearby low current circuitry? If this is the case, it just needs to be wrapped into something metallic.