Replacing a PURE Evoke Flow Display
** UPDATE 17th January 2023 **
Dear visitors,
For the latest Evoke display news, please check through all the comments section (best start with newest/ last and work backwards) about replacing this display.
The current suggested source for displays is Shenzhen Liyuan Huida Technology Co who have a good history of offering individual displays for various PURE radios. See their web page and contact form (Jack Wan) at the bottom. You might also find displays on Ebay - see below.
The reader comments here contain a wealth of background, advice and experience from other PURE repairers and are well worth wading through.
Some radios (eg the Avanti Flow) can turn out to be complex with lots of scope for problems, so please consider whether you want to gamble on fitting a new display yourself. Please note I cannot provide any specific advice on repairing or fixing problems, all the information I have is published on my website.
Lastly, folks, I'm sorry if this has become a bit convoluted or messy. My blog wasn't designed for such heavy traffic or 'chat' and large numbers of comments, and I'm trying to keep things going as orderly and easy to use for everyone (myself included!). Please remember, I can't retain or display personal email addresses etc on this web site, though I have successfully put a few people in touch with each other.
PURE SSW-1817 Power Supply Repair
A reader has shared details of replacing the power transistor and capacitors on this common switched-mode power supply used in several PURE DAB radios, more details here
Other sources of suitable OLEDs for PURE Evoke / Flow / Avanti Flow etc
17th January 2023
New PURE Evoke 1S 2S D4 D6 etc Marshall Mio Display Screen
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/114638725086
NOT suitable for the Pure Evoke Flow, Avanti Flow, Oasis Flow, F4
Some repair notes for the Evoke 2S are in this PDF.
20th February 2020
On Alibaba - Shenzhen Liyuan Huida Technology Co (Jack Wan) had offered some new stocks of higher brightness OLEDs and are known to offer a good service to UK individuals. Several people said they have been very successful replacements recently. See https://www.alibaba.com/product-detail/22pin-yellow-white-3003319301002-Pure-Evoke_60671545961.html
PURE EVOKE 1s (early version)
I've received step by step guide notes on swapping these displays which are now here.
PURE Avanti Flow Display
Looking to replace a PURE Avanti display instead? I've written up instructions here.
PURE Evoke 1S Marshall Display
13/6/2019 - A reader has posted instructions on replacing the (same) OLED on an Evoke 1S Marshall in the reader comments, please scroll through them to the end.
PURE Sirocco 550
2/1/2020 - A reader has posted instructions on replacing the (same) OLED on a Pure Sirroco 550 in the reader comments, please scroll through them to the end. (Happy New Year by the way.)
In 2008 I received a PURE Evoke Flow DAB/ Internet radio as a birthday gift and this cherished radio receiver had been on duty ever since as a portable Internet tuner (thanks to a Chargepak rechargeable battery), doubling as a bedside radio with dual alarms and wireless remote control. The radio recharged overnight ready for a busy day ahead, seated on my desk. The PURE Evoke Flow opened up a new world of online streaming radio with integral services such as Pure Sounds (rainfall, babbling brooks, breaking waves etc.) and BBC Listen Again, both of which, sadly, have long since been discontinued and are greatly missed.
PURE was launched back in 2001 by the higher-end VideoLogic division of UK graphics chipmaker Imagination Technologies. This was at a time when DAB radio was emerging as an exciting new radio standard and PURE was being positioned as a premium consumer brand. Imagination hit hard times and the PURE brand itself was sold off in 2016. Imagination’s major customer Apple also pulled the plug, deciding to make its own graphics chips instead, and a bitter trade dispute followed. Imagination was snapped up by a Chinese/ US private equity firm in 2017. The PURE brand still lives on, thanks to Austrian financial backers.
A Display of PURE Genius
One of the PURE Evoke Flow’s finest features was its yellow OLED graphics display which needed no backlight and had much greater clarity, luminance and viewing angle than an ordinary LCD did. As every Evoke Flow owner doubtless knows by now, unfortunately the display would fade after a few years (say six or more) as its organic element deteriorated until the display blanked out altogether, rendering the radio nearly useless.
Sad to say, the same fate befell my own radio and I have searched in vain for a replacement display for several years. Spares became unobtainable once RS Components discontinued the Bolymin 128 x 64 pixel BL12864KERNH$ (Stock No. 668-6124). I failed to find any foreign source that would ship a single replacement display (but read on).
New OLED Display for PURE Evoke Flow, Avanti, Evoke-1S.
The search for a new display having defeated me (and I don’t give up easily), in 2018 I was really delighted to learn that an enterprising individual has managed to source and import replacement yellow OLED displays that fit the PURE Evoke Flow, Avanti Flow and Evoke-1S Marshall, PURE's guitar amp style DAB radio.
I feared it might be too good to be true but, sure enough, after placing an order online with the UK seller AJSDyno a small carton soon arrived containing a new display for my ten year old radio. Perfect! They have since run out of stock so you will have to source one yourself from eg China (read the comments section later for guidance).
Next was a learning curve to figure out how to fit the new part, so here’s my photo sequence and instructions to help those wanting to replace their displays with minimum fuss.
Only basic tools are needed but a lot of ‘sympathy’ and some dexterity when handling delicate parts is also required: allow yourself half an hour of quality time and work carefully, don’t rush things and you should be fine.
DIY Instructions to replace a PURE Evoke Flow OLED
Unplug the radio from its a.c. adaptor and if a Chargepak battery pack is fitted, remove it. The display is accessed from the rear of the radio, which is secured by six Philips screws, so start by removing them.
;)
Remove 6 x Philips screws holding in the rear panel [click to see];)
... and swing the panel out, as if it's hinged on the left hand sideThe rear panel can be gently prised out with a plastic spudger or similar tool, swinging it gently out from the right and allow it to rest on the worktop. It carries the main board and some interwiring. Note how some wires and ribbons hook the mainboard to the SnoozeHandle, loudspeaker, front panel controls and the Imagination Technologies display controller.
;)
The rear panel resting on the workbench. Take care not to strain the taut blue wire (SnoozeHandle PCB)A word of warning,
THE SINGLE WIRE (ARROWED) CONNECTING THE SNOOZEHANDLE IS QUITE TAUT. IT IS SOLDERED AT BOTH ENDS AND CANNOT BE DISCONNECTED WITHOUT DESOLDERING IT. TAKE CARE NOT TO TUG OR STRAIN THIS WIRE OR THE TINY PCB CONNECTING THE SNOOZE HANDLE MAY BE DAMAGED!
So ensure you don’t strain this wire. You can easily pull the two-pin loudspeaker wire connection off the main board. This frees up things to give more access to the innards.
The main front panel connection cable (a silver ribbon, 15mm wide) is quite sturdy and simply slides out of its PCB connector embedded in the front panel on the left, so note which way round the blue ‘pull tab’ goes and pull the ribbon wire gently out. (You can choose to leave this connected if you have the dexterity to work around it, but you may find it slips out accidentally anyway.)
;)
Main board resting on the worktop, display PCB arrowed;)
The OLED display ribbon in situ, note pins 1-22 markedThe OLED display connects using a flexible printed circuit board ribbon. The connector is probably hidden under some masking tape which can be removed.
;)
Showing how the connector latches must be disengaged before disconnecting the ribbonDO NOT PULL THE RIBBON OUT! It’s numbered 1 and 22 to show the polarity of the flexible cable. Look closely at how the OLED ribbon is seated in the connector, which has a black plastic clamp to secure it in place.
;)
Use a pointed tool or maybe a fingernail to slide out the retaining latch at both endsA pointed plastic tool (or your fingernails) must be used to slide the black plastic clamp outwards to the edge of the PCB. It’s effectively just one latch with two handles on the end that pop out evenly about 2mm, and then gently slide out the display’s flexible ribbon.
;)
Then remove the flexible ribbon from the connectorThe rear of the OLED plastic housing is detached by removing four small Philips screws.
;)
The four Philips screws (circled) are removed nextYour display is probably screened with adhesive copper foil stuck to it. The display is merely stuck with double sided tape around the edges of the display. It is easy to gently pry it off using a plastic spudger tool and it will come away.
;)
Carefully pry the display away off the adhesive border
I FOUND THE NEW DISPLAY NEEDS TO BE STUCK ON ‘UPSIDE DOWN’ COMPARED WITH THE OLD ONE, TO ALIGN THE 1-22 PINOUTS OF THE PCB CONNECTOR.
;)
On this new display, the ribbon sprouts from the TOP edge and needs folding back. Compare yours carefully!Clean the window if necessary with eg a little Isopropanol. Unpeel the clear protection poly film off the new display. The OLED can be applied and stuck down, aligning it in the radio's display window as best you can. Depending on the type that you purchase, the flat flexible ribbon might sprout out of the TOP instead, if so, fold it over downwards towards the controller PCB so the 1-22 pinout markings are visible on the ribbon as before. The old adhesive should still be strong enough but you'll be able to lift and reposition the display if necessary.
;)
My replacement display fitted in place. Yours might look different. Main thing is to ensure the pinouts 1 > 22 align the right way roundRe-assembly, as they famously say, is the reverse of the above. Pass the OLED ribbon through the slot in the black plastic housing and screw down with 4 Philips screws.
I obtained a small reel of 50mm adhesive copper tape from Ebay and stuck it over the black plastic housing. That's optional.
To re-connect the OLED to the PCB, you must ensure the black plastic latches are STILL OUT by a few millimetres then gently slide the connector ribbon in as far as it will go. You'll know it's right when the bare copper conductors on the end of the flexible ribbon disappear into the housing, after which it can't go any further. Gently but firmly slide the black plastic latches inwards again to clamp the ribbon evenly in place.
If necessary, re-insert the silver front panel ribbon, the right way round, into its own connector ensuring the flat ribbon is even and flush with the connector.
Reconnect the loudspeaker and close up the housing by 'swinging it back into' the case, starting at the left-hand (telescopic aerial) side, always taking care not to strain the blue SnoozeHandle wire, then screw the rear back onto the housing.
;)
Powered up and working again! [click to see]The radio can then be powered up and tested. Mine worked immediately, even after all this time it remembered the settings and found my LAN again. The remote control worked again too with new batteries (remember there is a 'Hardware Bind' button in the remote, to pair it that way if needed). Surprisingly, my radio then updated its firmware over Wi-fi to V5.1.The display active/ standby brightness can be dimmed via the Options menu if it is too bright.
LEGACY LINK : Replacement Evoke Flow OLED Display from AJSDyno
Alan W
Copper foil screening
Just to clarify about the copper foil stuck behind the display (used for shielding against interference) - mine was stuck down solidly and impossible to lift off. If you can re-use the old foil, it can only help.
In October I found some 50mm copper tape on Ebay which I stuck over the rear of the OLED, on the black plastic itself. Search for eg 'copper foil EMI tape' on eBay, there's plenty of choice for adhesive copper screening tape in every size. AW
Alan W
Can't win 'em all...
Sad to say, my replacement yellow display (as pictured) didn't last all that long - it faded and rows of pixels have failed altogether. I've replaced it with a second spare that I'd bought at the same time (for repairing for old time's sake 5-10 years from now). That too isn't as bright as it could be, but at least it works.
The original yellow OLEDs have all but disappeared from sale altogether now, so there is next to no chance of getting a new replacement. At the time of writing, a few WHITE ones are popping up on sale (Ebay etc.) , claiming to be brand new, so I'm trying one of those before they're all gone too.
Unless a stash of displays is unearthed from somewhere, it will soon become impossible to get another display once those white ones have been snapped up, so make the most of your Pure Evoke radio while you can. Consider unplugging and switching off altogether when it's not in use, to preserve those OLEDs as long as possible. AW
Alan W
Alibaba Yellow OLED
Well it's on the way - I've ordered one of these from China for about $27.00, also as suggested by other buyers so I'll see what they look like. I was pleasantly surprised to source one-offs via Alibaba, though the ordering system is a bit convoluted.
https://www.alibaba.com/product-detail/2-7-inch-128x64-12864-SSD1305_60671545961.html
More news as it happens! AW
Alan W
Fitting a Yellow OLED sourced via AliExpress
I fitted a Yellow OLED sourced from Shenzhen Liyuan Huida Technology Co., Ltd via Alibaba – a convoluted ordering process but everything arrived intact within ten days with no problems experienced.
I’m happy to say this is working perfectly, a nice bright yellow display just like the original and it dims as required.
Unfortunately the black plastic ribbon clamp somehow ‘pinged’ out from the board altogether. It has two tiny plastic spigots that align into each end of the PCB connector shown in my photos, the clamp being underneath the ribbon cable. When it’s pushed fully home, it sandwiches the ribbon firmly in place. Sadly, one of these spigots jammed and broke off (not surprised after all the hammer it’s had). However the other spigot is still intact, so I carefully re-inserted it underneath the OLED display ribbon, and pushed it home again. This seems to have held together so far. It can’t be repaired so let’s hope it stays that way.
It's best to use eg a plastic spudger or similar to ensure the clamp is only pushed out by a millimeter or so, and do not use excessive force.
Only time will tell whether the latest display will last or fade or drop some pixels, but it's looking great so far. I'll report findings back here. AW
ED 
Reader Comments (239)
Hi (mainly John!),
I will find and repost the schematic including the pinout of the FFC cable tomorrow. (It is on an earlier post of mine in this thread if you want it before then!)
I think your idea probably won't work as-is for two reasons:
1) the LCDs I have been using ( https://www.buydisplay.com/blue-2-6-inch-128x64-cog-lcd-module-display-with-touch-panel-serial-spi ) require a whole bunch of init commands (which are completely different to the oled ones) in order to even display anything.
2) even if yours doesn't, the radio regularly sends a huge block of commands to ensure the display registers aren't corrupted, which are almost guaranteed to confuse your new display.
But I would be delighted to be proved wrong :-)
Hence my way round this was an stm32f103 microcontroller that sits in the middle, interpreting the data and commands and translating then accordingly. If the LCD design works properly it should be able to adjust the backlight for the led via pwm as it can catch and understand the oled backlight adjust levels.
David
Hi,
Here's a link
http://www.davidmpye.com/files/pure.png
Bottom right is the connector pinout you're after.
The rest of the circuitry is the Pure driver stuff that's on that board. I am not entirely 100% sure if the tiny buffer IC is inverting or not though. Rest seems ok....
David
@Alan W : thank you for your quick answer
@ David Pye : impressive job you made on your board. I'm also interested in buying one when you're ready to sell !
Hi,
In case anyone is interested in telling First Components why their display doesn't work, the answer is here in the datasheets:
From the original RS data sheet (from here): https://uk.rs-online.com/web/p/oled-displays/6686124/,
you can see that the segments (from left to right) are back to front, hence the display is mirrored in the horizontal plane.
On the working RS display (from RS, but discontinued) , from left to right, the segments are numbered 0->127
On the non-working FC display (from the spec image on their page, you can see theirs are numbered 127->0 from left to right.
That's the cause of the problem....
David
Hi all,
Thanks to David for the schematic of the display interface board. A great help. Of course, the LCD screen I have may not work; the idea was based on the fact that the common and segment layout was the same as the original OLED display and that I was hoping that the SSD1305 OLED driver would copy much of the instruction set of the LCD drivers in use at the time of its introduction. (My LCD module uses an ST7565R driver.) From what you say, that is probably a false hope!
To Thom, I can confirm that the display that he found on ebay is a Densitron display which does give the mirrored image like many other new displays. (Although it has a 24 pin ribbon cable, the contacts at each end are screen earths, and I trimmed them off (carefully!) to fit it into the front panel 22 way socket.)
John
Hi again.
To update my story, the display I ordered from Jack Wan on March 24th arrived yesterday and it works perfectly. I now have two mirror image displays from First Components I plan to return. If only the original order hadn't taken 3 months to turn up!
Hi,
Still waiting on a few bits from China before I'll have some OLED boards and displays ready to sell for those interested.
Been having a play with my LCD conversion option - there's a video here showing the brightness levels of the backlight being altered by intercepting the commands addressed to the old OLED and using them to PWM dim the backlight - it looks quite cool.
The only issues are that the viewing angle isn't as good as the OLED, and the scrolling text doesn't look perfect because the LCD can't quite update fast enough, so it tears slightly. But it's actually very usable :-)
http://www.davidmpye.com/files/backlight_video.mp4
David
Hi David,
I've already a display from First Components with the annoying mirror effect.
Is there a chance to buy a patchboard or similar from you which solves this issue?
at the end if I understand right, it is "only" a segment order problem.......
Wolfgang
Hi All,
Well my attempt at using an LCD display has not been successful, as David Pye predicted. But David's clearly demonstrated that it is possible, with a bit more detail than just connecting up the wires as I did.
I suspect that the new OLED from First Components is like the ones I got from Forfuture Technology of Alibaba - they have the same difference in Common and Segment layout, but also a 128x64 pixel array, rather than the 132x65 pixel layout of the original display. That creates the slight horizontal offset in the image displayed, but not a major problem, certainly better than learning to read backwards! I'd be interested in either of David's approaches.
John
I have just noticed that Jack Wan on Alibaba is readvertising the RiTdisplay OLED, but at a higher price than the old Winstar from Frontier Components. Not sure if this the "replacement" display that he said he was working on, but at £39 (including postage) it might interest some people. Too much for me, I'm afraid.
John
Hi everyone,
I've now got a small number (well, 2 at the moment pending the arrival of more OLED screens) of OLED upgrade kits available for the Evoke Flow (Please note, I doubt these work on the Avanti flow, so please don't go there!) They are fully tested and working, with brand new yellow original SPEC OLEDs, and once installed, it looks like 'new'.
These are available from my Tindie page (first come first served) here if anyone is interested in purchasing: (Please note, these are my design etc, and not endorsed by Alan etc)
https://www.tindie.com/products/dhpltd/display-replacement-kit-for-pure-evoke-flow-radio/
The instructions are viewable here:
http://www.davidmpye.com/files/OLEDInstructions.pdf
Any feedback etc is of course very welcome!
Kind regards
David
I just want to thank David and Alan - I came across this blog when trying to work out if my trusty old Pure Evoke was repairable at all. It had been a great radio so I didn’t like the thought of binning it because of one faulty part.
I bought David’s upgrade kit to have one bash at fixing it. Despite not being tech minded at all, the instructions were so clear about what needed to be done that it was easy to follow. It seems to have worked perfectly - the display looks as good as new!
Thank you so much for the work you have done on this!
Hi Anna,
Thanks for the kind comments - I'm really pleased it was fixable - it's a great feeling when you've saved a valued piece of equipment from landfill!
Alas I am out of stock of fresh displays and boards at the moment - more are on the way, so I'll be repopulating the tindie store shortly, as well as listing some on ebay. Thanks everyone for your interest!
David
Hi,
The upgrade kit from David arrived today, fitted it straight away. No issues whatsoever, my good old Pure Evoke Flow (with me since June 2009) is now a happy radio. Yes, I know I could have bought Elan IR3 for the same price...but...I already have IR3 and I really like the shiny look of Evoke Flow on my bedside table.
Thanks so much David ...and Alan for allowing us to communicate via your site/discussion board.
Hi all,
Thanks for your interest and kind messages.
Boards are back in stock at tindie - if they run out, it will be a gap of a fortnight or so before more appear. They shouldn't run out permanently....
Thanks
David
I can also add my « congrats » to Alan and David for the work. As Anna and Nomad, my old Evoke flow is yellow-shinning again !!
Clear guidelines made the fixing really easy.
BRAVO
I have a Pure Oasis Flow from 2012. A bit of a self-indulgent purchase (it wasn’t cheap) but my previous bathroom radio had succumbed to the damp and rusted to oblivion, so the fact there was a DAB designed for bathrooms / outside ticked the box.
By the beginning of 2020, the display had dimmed so far it was unreadable. I contacted Pure customer service who used to be most helpful (we have 5 Pure DABs of various sorts) but under the new regime, the opposite is true. I’m never buying one of their products ever again.
So I searched and found both this excellent site & thread (thanks) and the AVForums thread https://www.avforums.com/threads/pure-evoke-flow-radio-dim-display.2103336/page-2#post-27488784 . The UK source seemed to have dried out as with the Italian one. I was referred to this Ali Baba listing https://www.alibaba.com/product-detail/22pin-yellow-Pure-Evoke-F4-Oasis_60671545961.html?spm=a2756.order-detail-ta-bn-b.0.0.492b2fc22eaRKB so took a punt and ordered. It arrived after a week or so.
Having re-read Alan W’s instructions, I decided it was too much for me. Luckily I was referred to The Radio Shop (great shop, by the way) https://radioshop.org.uk/index.html so sent helpful Chris the links, radio and new display. It wasn’t a straightforward swop – he had to “do stuff” as noted by others on these threads but got it working and sent it back.
Now the display is good as new and it all works fine. Couldn’t be happier and that should give a few more years before it goes to the great recycler in the sky. I’d probably have bought one of those UK kits from DH Pye as on the AVForums thread had it been available when I was looking.
Thanks to Alan Winstanley and his readers for the how-tos and their experiences – ditto to the AVForums users for their tips and possible buying sources. It is all worth persevering with.
Hi there
So happy to found your site. I have the same problem with my endlessly beloved PURE Oasis Flow. The radio still works and - thank god - wifi is still connected as is my favourite radio station.
Would give a display change a try. Do you think, the display could be the same one as for the Evoke which you've worked on?
Cheers from Switzerland
@ Sam,
According to the post just before yours, they seem to use the same 22 pin OLED. The poster sent it to a UK radio shop for repair. A google Image search shows the displays operating and they are identical to the PURE Evoke Flow. The Oasis seems very rare (and expensive) on Ebay so I haven't managed to get hold of one. But you still face the same problem as others, obtaining the OLED is currently tricky. I would keep trying, Jack Wan's firm seems the best bet. Or we must wait and see if David Pye (see above) manages anything. Don't write it off yet. AW
Hi,
I'm really keen to get my hands on an Oasis Flow - I've made an offer on a faulty one on ebay to see if they'll part with it. If I can, I can see if my conversion kit will fit or not, and then I can advertise as appropriate.
I don't think it's worth Sam sending theirs from Switzerland, but if someone in the UK has one that needs a new display, if you send it to me, I'll have a look. If the display will fit, I'll let you have it for free :-)
(PS: the boards and displays will be back in stock at tindie/ebay this week - waiting on a shipment :-) )
David
Hi,
I ordered a replacement display: 22pin yellow Pure Evoke F4 Oasis Avanti Flow radio 9919301000 RiTdisplay 3121193010-03 full brightness oled lcd display screen back at the beginning of July. It hasn't turned up and I've emailed them several times (zero response) and tracking looks as though it hasn't got anywhere. So, it looks as though I am in the market for a replacement screen for a Pure Evoke F4. I see that there is one for the Flow but nothing that I can find for the F4. Any of you kind people got suggestions for a replacement OLED screen (radio used in battery mode)?
Cheers,
Colin
Hi Colin,
My OLED replacement kit works with the evoke F4 (the facelift update version of the flow). The link is further up in this thread to the tindie store.
Cheers
David
Many thanks David. That is a great help, I'll order one post haste.
Also, it was rude of me not to thank Alan for this great resource and to David for invaluable input and providing replacement screens as well as other contributors. I now hope to bring back to life a much loved Evoke F4.
Thank you all,
Colin
Hi Colin,
Thank you :-)
I have just ended up out of stock again, but new connectors (the missing ingredient!) are on their way so should be back up and running in a week or so...
Cheers
David
Hi David, how do I contact you about getting a repair for an Pure evoke flow with a bad screen, do you have a website with an email?
Cheers Robi