Spare parts (2010-10-21)

[tsh]

You managed to drift out the hinge?


Wow! Would love to know how to do that! Didn't think it's possible. Anything I need to be careful of?

:grin:


I actually failed to see how you take them apart any other way! All I did was prise open the lid and insert my small screwdriver (which has like a 10cm long 4mm hex bar, and a 2mm diameter end) in through the inside of the hinge. As I remember, it fitted in through the plastic in the hinge and contacted with the metal insert. Tap-tap, and it drops out - doesn't need a lot of force.

 

[EvilDragon]

:grin:


I actually failed to see how you take them apart any other way! All I did was prise open the lid and insert my small screwdriver (which has like a 10cm long 4mm hex bar, and a 2mm diameter end) in through the inside of the hinge. As I remember, it fitted in through the plastic in the hinge and contacted with the metal insert. Tap-tap, and it drops out - doesn't need a lot of force.

Did you push from inside the case (where the lightpipe is) or from the other side where the LCD is?

 

[WizardStan]

:grin:


I actually failed to see how you take them apart any other way! All I did was prise open the lid and insert my small screwdriver (which has like a 10cm long 4mm hex bar, and a 2mm diameter end) in through the inside of the hinge. As I remember, it fitted in through the plastic in the hinge and contacted with the metal insert. Tap-tap, and it drops out - doesn't need a lot of force.

Hmm... I'm going to have to take a closer look at it then, because if I can just do that I could have a fully working Pandora again by tomorrow, and that would make me very happy.


Maybe a video of you disassembling and reassembling? If you have time, that'd be awesome.

 

[tsh]

Did you push from inside the case (where the lightpipe is) or from the other side where the LCD is?

Pushed from the LCD side, and it drops out into the space where the lightpipe and mic housing were. So I'm pushing almost along the axis of the hinge, between the two parts of the lid (which might be at risk of breaking, but it was OK for me). It won't go the other way...

 

[emcee]

:grin:


I actually failed to see how you take them apart any other way! All I did was prise open the lid and insert my small screwdriver (which has like a 10cm long 4mm hex bar, and a 2mm diameter end) in through the inside of the hinge. As I remember, it fitted in through the plastic in the hinge and contacted with the metal insert. Tap-tap, and it drops out - doesn't need a lot of force.

When my LCD cable failed I had a friend help me get it out. He managed to get the cable out (and put it back in) without taking the hinge apart. But, he wanted to take the hinge apart, and the way he said he would do it is exactly how you describe. I wouldn't let him do it though, because Craig had insisted that the hinge wouldn't go back together after being taken apart.


On a related note, I asked three times in this thread about the design of the cable setting tool necessary to avoid a PTOD relapse, and never did get an answer.

 

[WizardStan]

ok, I'm having difficulty getting the LCD part of the case apart. Any tips? I can get the hinge corner up a bit, enough to see the hinge that I think I could knock it out with some force, but if I don't actually have to do that, that'd be great too.


*Achievement unlocked: Void Warranty*

 

[emcee]

As long as you can take the hinge apart without breaking it, you probably should. It would probably be a lot easier to set it accurately. And there's just a very thin slit that you have to feed the cable through if you don't take the hinge apart, it would probably be very easy to fray the end of the new cable pushing it through.

 

[WizardStan]

Well I'll be horsewhipped. I knife, screwdriver, and hammer, three well placed "taps" and the hinge popped free and clear, seemingly none the worse for wear. I don't recommend doing this regularly, as I had to pry the LCD part open in dangerous ways (almost stabbed myself trying to hold onto two sharp and one blunt object at once)


But it worked. Now to replace the cable and put it all back together. Fingers crossed.

 

[EvilDragon]

Well I'll be horsewhipped. I knife, screwdriver, and hammer, three well placed "taps" and the hinge popped free and clear, seemingly none the worse for wear. I don't recommend doing this regularly, as I had to pry the LCD part open in dangerous ways (almost stabbed myself trying to hold onto two sharp and one blunt object at once)


But it worked. Now to replace the cable and put it all back together. Fingers crossed.

The most important thing about the cable is that the roll is perfect without any kink, and that the part with the connector is absolutely perfectly horizontally placed when you put the tape down.


I wanted to make you some pictures tomorrow... when I try to remove the hinge

 

[WizardStan]

Well, I found the break in the original cable. Quite obvious, a very stiff bend. Got everything back together, and uh oh... backlight turns on, but no image on the screen. I'm hoping the connection just isn't solid and not that I somehow broke the LCD

 

[WizardStan]

So I disassembled the whole thing again, reseated the cable, started putting everything back together, sat the battery, and the image came in crystal clear! Hooray! Now just to put all the buttons and everything back in. Careful, lift the board *click*... "click"? More like snap That's the socket on the board which holds the LCD cable in place. And I've broken it.


So good news is that my image is once again bright and vibrant! Bad news is that if I squeeze the case in just the right (or wrong) way, the image disappears completely. Maybe I can use some tape...