First of all. Hellollo everybody. This is my first post, as I registered today after receiving my OP yesterday.
The OP works perfectly. It's a really nice gadget to have. I think I'm going to love it. So far I just tested a couple of games and the Amstrad CPC emulator, connected to Internet (with no issues at all), listened music and tried to watch a video. I said tried, because the image was freezing constanly. I used VLC and a video in m4v format. I'll try to recode the video into something else and give another try.
And now, why I'm posting in this thread? Well, because I have the same problem reported here by others. My left shoulder button doesn't hace the click sound. It seems to work, as I tested it with the input tester software, but it seems to be stuck or something, and I have to press kind of hard to make it work.
I don't want to send back the unit, as everything else works perfect. I have read here that opening the unit and reseating the button could solve the problem, or something about the foam. Is there any official confirmation that opening the unit will not break the warranty?
Thanks a lot.
Here's what I did. Read it all before you begin.
First, I voiced a similar concern about opening my unit, but got the go-ahead from Craig - it's an easy fix, he says, and he's not wrong. Place your pandora upside down on a soft surface with the shoulder buttons facing away from you.
1. Remove the battery
2. Remove the five screws - two beneath the battery, two nearest you on the case and one furthest from you.
3. Gently lift the furthest edge up, and then angle upwards until the small clasps nearest you click open.
4. remove the case portion you've released.
Now go CAREFULLY.
5. The shoulder buttons are separate pieces of plastic, with foam pads. Only one of my buttons had a foam pad so I cut that in half and stuck the two parts to the shoulder buttons. Now, if you orientate the buttons so they attach in place, you'll notice that there is a small "bar" of plastic on their underside. This butts up against the case to prevent them from springing outwards. This bar is too long, and provides enough pressure that the squishy shoulder button presses the shoulder switch on the PCB far enough in to "click" but not enough to register a click electrically. This is why it's squishy - you can press it, but the "click" won't happen because the switch won't release far enough.
6. VERY CAREFULLY - take a sharp knife and trim 1mm off the end of the bar, taking care to ensure that you trim flush with the rest of the button.
7. Replace your shoulder buttons and re-assemble your Pandora. You might lose the slider portion of the power switch, so watch out for that. It reattaches easily, with the notch to the left of the PCB's power switch. Press the case back into position - nearest edge to you first, then lower the furthest edge down. The shoulder buttons may need a bit of wiggling to seat properly, and if in the correct place should be standing proud of the case a tiny amount towards the left/right edges of the Pandora.
8. Replace the screws, but be careful not to overtighten them, as this may cause stress and cracks to the case if you do.
9. Enjoy your new clicky shoulder buttons.
You may find that simply attaching the foam pads (or cutting and sharing the single pad if you have only one) is enough to fix it. You might not have to cut the shoulder buttons at all. And your warranty should be intact so long as the only part you mess with is the shoulder buttons - don't touch the PCB.
D.
