Peter van Hardenberg's excellent "repair your LCD" guide, pretty rough

<pre> version of his mail, but still...


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+#define _PAGE_ Repair Your LCD
+#include "head.t"
+
+<pre>
+Author: Peter van Hardenberg
+
+My LCD screen broke, I know I'm not alone, so at dwihno's suggestion, I'm 
+typing up this information so everyone else can benefit too.
+
+Okay, your LCD is broken, but the 'box still works. Now what?
+
+PART 1: Getting a new screen.
+
+You're going to need a new LCD, but odds are you don't have a clue where 
+to get one.
+
+Part number: G112064-30
+Manufacturer: Shing Yih Technologies, Taiwan
+
+Unless you're buying a few hundred, I don't think Shing Yih is going to 
+listen to you. Instead, I recommend you shop at:
+
+http://www.newmp3technology.com/
+
+For me, a replacement LCD was $24USD with shipping. (Archos wants $60 
+minimum just to look at it.)
+
+PART 2: Disassembling the Frame
+
+This is written up well on the rockbox site, but you will need a #10 Torx 
+bit (check your hardware store) and a small Phillip's head screwdriver to 
+take the box apart.
+
+http://rockbox.haxx.se/mods/disassemble.html
+
+PART 3: Desoldering
+
+There are a total of eight points you will need to desolder. They are 
+three on each side of the metal frame holding the electronics, and two at 
+the top end. The side points are structural, but the top two (which are on 
+either side of the microphone) supply power to the hard drive. I am not 
+going to tell you how to desolder a joint. That is up to you. I found it 
+helpful to use a small tool to lift up the joints as I worked, seperating 
+the side ones individually and then gradually working out the top ones. I 
+certainly hope you are more competant at desoldering than I.
+
+The two electronics boards inside the Archos are connected by a paralell 
+connector, much like the one you find on the back of your hard drives, 
+though without the cable. This is why even desoldered the boards will 
+stick together. Carefully seperate the two boards. They are connected by 
+several wires. Don't break them.
+
+NOTE: The two connections at the top (by the microphone) have wires 
+embedded in them. This won't make your life any easier.
+
+NOTE: If you remove the tape in the battery compartment while you work, 
+make sure you replace it with something afterwards! (A couple strips of 
+simple scotch tape worked for me.)
+
+BE CAREFUL not to break the end boards off while you work!
+
+Again, the rockbox site has some handy pictures, though this section is 
+for the non-recorder model and is a bit uninformative.
+
+http://rockbox.haxx.se/mods/disassemble2.html
+
+PART 3: The New LCD
+
+Remove the old LCD cable. There are two little clips (one on each side of 
+the connector) that can be gently pushed out to free the strip connector. 
+When you put the new LCD in, make sure you have the right orientation 
+(duh) and also make sure the connection is tight before you clip it back 
+down. This part is probably the easiest of the whole affair. Be careful 
+with the plastic frame under the LCD, as it seems a bit fragile.
+
+PART 4: Test!
+
+Don't solder it all back together yet. Re-seat the top electronics board 
+so the parallel connector is snug. (Watch out for those pins by the 
+microphone! Now you can plug the unit into the AC adapter to see if the 
+LCD works. You should get a message on the LCD saying "ATA Error" or 
+something to that effect. This means the LCD is sitting correctly and you 
+can proceed to reassemble. If not, go back to part 3.
+
+PART 5: Resolder
+
+UNPLUG the archos. (Just thought I'd better reiterate.)
+
+Resolder the two top connections (the ones by the mic).
+
+PLUG the archos back in. The hard drive should spin up. Nothing much more 
+will happen until you put the batteries in though. (I think, I can't quite 
+remember.)
+
+Okay, good. Unplug the Archos again.
+
+IMPORTANT: When you resolder the frame points, make sure you don't leave 
+any pointy bits of solder poking into where the batteries run. I did, and 
+they scraped the plastic off my batteries, shorted out against the frame, 
+melted the inside of one of the bumpers a bit (smoking and smelling 
+awfully) and just about scared me to death. This is also why you need to 
+put the tape back on if you removed it.
+
+PART 6: Reassemble the Archos!
+
+Put the archos back together, taking care not to bend anything. The rubber 
+bumpers are tricky, but I think there are some notes on the rockbox site 
+about how to put them on the right way.
+
+Victory at last! You're done! Now go to the rockbox site and update your 
+firmware, I bet it's out of date!
+
+CONCLUSION
+
+In the end, this cost me much less than sending it in to someone 
+qualified, but was also a hell of a lot scarier. I think I learned a few 
+things about my Archos though, and I look forward to trying some of the 
+other mods.
+
+I'm sure there are people out there (real pros) who are horrified at what 
+I have written. Please, correct any mistakes I have made in this document 
+so future 'boxers don't have to go through the hours of stress and strain 
+I did.
+
+</pre>
+#include "foot.t"