Question regarding nubs

[Vitel]

Is it safe to remove one nub? I want to remove the right nub, but I don't want to burn the board.

 

[ProfChaos]

If you want to remove it because its not working properly ie making the cursor go way out into the sunset I would think you wouldn't need to do anything that drastic perhaps just disabling it in the software? Perhaps we could say more if we new what the problem, was we might be able to tell you if its worth it.

 

[SNESFAN]

that... or answer the question he asked, it seemed like a pretty direct question to me

 

[WizardStan]

that... or answer the question he asked, it seemed like a pretty direct question to me

Sometimes the things people want are not what they need.


To answer the question: you can, but it isn't extremely easy. It's been done before, but not recommended for an amateur.


Back to the other question: why do you want to do this? Depending on what it is you're hoping to accomplish, there may be a better way.

 

[DaMummy]

use a bigger hammer is always an option

 

[Vitel]

To answer the question: you can, but it isn't extremely easy. It's been done before, but not recommended for an amateur.

I'm not asking about replacing. I've done this before (I have one nubber and swapped my nubs to make the left one work).


I want to be sure that the board won't burn if I start it with one nub.

Back to the other question: why do you want to do this? Depending on what it is you're hoping to accomplish, there may be a better way.

I don't use the right nub, because 1 - it's broken, 2 - i don't need it. I want to remove it to improve heat dissipation.

 

[WizardStan]

I don't use the right nub, because 1 - it's broken, 2 - i don't need it. I want to remove it to improve heat dissipation.

What heat? Is your Pandora getting noticeably warm? It shouldn't do that and may be a sign of other problems. The battery is the biggest source of heat, from my experience, and even that didn't exceed 34C when in use

 

[Vitel]

What heat? Is your Pandora getting noticeably warm?

Yep

from my experience, and even that didn't exceed 34C when in use

Try to recompile glibc and gcc at 1Ghz.

 

[froggyman]

Try to recompile glibc and gcc at 1Ghz.

Wouldn't that be a job done more efficiently (and faster) on a desktop computer?

 

[Vitel]

Wouldn't that be a job done more efficiently (and faster) on a desktop computer?

1. It depends on parameters of your desktop computer. It definitely would if you have P4-based desktop or later.


2. I prefer not to "sacrifice capabilities" of my Pandora. I want to be able to fix/update everything right on Pandora. And I think compilation time is quite acceptable.


Anyway, this is offtopic and I still would like to get answer to my question.

 

[WizardStan]

Try to recompile glibc and gcc at 1Ghz.

I do a lot of things at 1Ghz. It doesn't get noticeably warm for me. The only time I notice any heat is when I've plugged it in to charge, and that comes out of the bottom.


Or perhaps our definitions of "warm" are different.

Anyway, this is offtopic and I still would like to get answer to my question.

I thought I did answer your question? Nubs have been removed and even resoldered by others with no permanent damage. It's not especially difficult but probably not recommended for just average Joe with a soldering iron.

 

[Vitel]

I thought I did answer your question? Nubs have been removed and even resoldered by others with no permanent damage. It's not especially difficult but probably not recommended for just average Joe with a soldering iron.

I also have resoldered my nubs. But that does not mean that my board will not burn if I start it with one nub. The question is whether it's safe to power the board up with one nub.

 

[MWeston]

I also have resoldered my nubs. But that does not mean that my board will not burn if I start it with one nub. The question is whether it's safe to power the board up with one nub.

Sure, it's perfectly safe to run without a nub. The analogs are pulled down and without a nub there just won't ever be a value read other than zero. The controller will never toggle an interrupt to the CPU as it never reads any movement.

 

[Vitel]

Sure, it's perfectly safe to run without a nub. The analogs are pulled down and without a nub there just won't ever be a value read other than zero. The controller will never toggle an interrupt to the CPU as it never reads any movement.

Thanks a lot for the clarification.

 

[ToastBucket]

Sorry for the threadjack :/ but is there a trick to desoldering the nubs? I have a one nubber and I plan on eventually replacing them myself because it's cheaper than sending it in. I've tried to desolder them using desolder braid. While I didn't try very hard, they didn't seem to want to come out. Do I only have to desolder the 6 pads surrounding nub's PCB?

 

[darfgarf]

shim blade (thin metal on a reel) to get under the nub/into the solder joint


a decent surface mount rework station, so a nice small low power iron, a heat gun would be good for desoldering, but you'd have to be careful you don't melt the plastic the nub is made from, and some sort of solder removal, preferably not a solder sucker as the sudden rush of air can damage electrostatic sensitive components (like the cpu for a start )