@Phaedrux & NeueKlasse
Well what do you know
Had decided to consider the board dead
Then got to thinking well is the LCD dead or the interface daughter board ?????? Which to order / replace?
While looking closely at the daughterboard i decided to re flow the USB socket pins . Nothing to loose as it was dead
( i remember reading that extreme care was needed on the earlier board(s) so as not to rip off the USB sockets)
I had some "PCB repair / reflow flux" and used the finest tip of my cheapo solder station
Reassembled the boards and it now works !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Thanks for your tips and advice . While im getting quite good at diagnosing things, it always great to hear from others and cross check my thinking process. Cheers