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mykroft77 avatar image
mykroft77 asked

Cerbo GX + Touch 70 Screen Issues

I've been struggling with my newly installed Cerbo GX and Touch 70 setup. I had this all working initially and it lasted for the first day on the road with my 5th wheel camper, but I had to disconnect the Cerbo GX at some point and when I reconnected the power I am unable to get the Touch 70 screen to work with the Cerbo.


I HAD an HDMI extension cable in use because my initial install had the Cerbo near the front of my camper to tie a relay to the generator start/stop wiring. The Touch 70 is installed farther into the camper and the included cable on the Touch was WAY too short for that.

The Touch was powered by a 12v to 5v USB converter that was wired in very close to the Touch screen. The HDMI extension cable ran the length of the camper to connect to the Cerbo GX.

This all worked great, until it didn't.


So being the technical person I am I started to run tests to diagnose which piece of the setup was at fault.

I removed the HDMI extension cable and 12v-5v USB converter and connected the touch directly to the Cerbo GX (after relocating). No luck.

I connected one of my TV streaming sticks to the Touch 70 to test the screen. It lit up and worked great, so I ruled out the Touch 70 as the issue.

Then I connected the Cerbo GX HDMI port to an available TV... got an image pretty much right away!


So what's left? Software issue on the Cerbo GX? I tried to do a factory reset but it seems the Cerbo doesn't truly have any kind of factory reset. Just a reinstall firmware procedure that doesn't modify user settings. (That I have been able to find anyways)


I do have root access to the Cerbo and have been trying to find anything in logs that may help. I did find this in the boot log that was a bit concerning:


1683052760679.png


I am not sure what else to check to get this working and am considering just doing a return (on Amazon) of both units and getting replacements.


Is there a better way to truly do a factory reset on these units so that I have to setup from scratch to rule out any software issues that may have occurred?


Anyone have this exact same issue?

cerbo gxtouchscreen
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4 Answers
sablt194 avatar image
sablt194 answered ·

"I removed the HDMI extension cable and 12v-5v USB converter and connected the touch directly to the Cerbo GX (after relocating). No luck."

I agree, your touch 70 seems generally functional, and your Cerbo seems generally functional. But the comm between the two is jacked up. I'll assume since you're technical, you have removed all power from both for a few seconds and then see what gives. Also, are you able to see Cerbo on your VRM remote app - phone or laptop??

Regards,

Steve

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mykroft77 avatar image mykroft77 commented ·

Yes, everything was power cycled, several times. I did forget to add I was originally running this right off the 48v battery bank for the inverters, but I did switch to 12v when it was relocated closer to the display. I also checked on the 48v issue with the Cerbo GX and confirmed my serial # is NOT affected - accoding to their SB.


Everything else works as it should. I can see the Cerbo GX via bluetooth and access it via VRM, as well as the remote console.


One additional note, the touch screen DOES still work. If I am in the remote console and tap on the blank Touch 70 display, the remote console reacts to my touch commands. I just can't SEE anything on the display.

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l81ker avatar image
l81ker answered ·

I don't use the Victron touch - you can run any touch screen with USB for touch and HDMI for the graphics, and power it where you need. I noticed that the best way for the cerbo to "find" the display - I even tried it with my 40" samsung TV - is to have the hdmi connected prior to powering on the Cerbo.


Try direct connecting the Touch 70, and - with it all hooked up, remove and reapply power to the Cerbo, or using SSH command a reboot. Once it's back up and running you should be good to go, unplug the touch and restore the extension and it should be ok.

Let us know what works.

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mykroft77 avatar image mykroft77 commented ·
Yep tried all of what you mentioned, several times. No luck.
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derrick thomas avatar image derrick thomas commented ·
The USB is for providing power only. The touch input is through the HDMI.
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mykroft77 avatar image mykroft77 derrick thomas commented ·
Yep I am aware of that, hence why I originally installed the 12v to 5v USB power adapter for the Touch 70 when I had the Cerbo installed on the other end of the camper and using an HDMI extension cable.
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kevgermany answered ·

It's not clear if you updated the Cerbo firmware or not.

Assuming you did, it appears that you've exhausted all options.

Units from Amazon are sold by third parties, not by Amazon. You can either find the seller's details from Amazon and contact them direct, or use the returns process.

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mykroft77 avatar image mykroft77 commented ·
Yes the firmware was up to date before the issues started. I am probably going to return the Cerbo as I can’t find fault with anything and the Cerbo is the more complex item in this situation.


I am just really concerned this is going to be a recurring issue if it’s not figured out.

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mykroft77 avatar image
mykroft77 answered ·

Just a quick update on this. I ended up getting this unit replaced and the new one works fine, so the issue was with the Cerbo GX, which seems to be VERY sensitive to voltage spikes. All that was really being done when this happened was plugging in the power leads. At the time it was onto my 48v bus bar (Lynx) but it would seem even some of these newer units have issues still with the 48v problem.


Anyways thank you everyone for your assistance.

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Related Resources

Cerbo GX product page

GX family product range

Cerbo GX & GX Touch datasheet

Cerbo GX Manual

Venus root access document

Additional resources still need to be added for this topic