Quote:
Originally Posted by suddgummi
Hi,
I recently aquired a PW2 where the device hangs on the boot-up screen. Having read a bit here about serial console and the possibility to unbrick it I thought that I'd have a go. Unfortunately there seem to have been someone else trying the same thing as both RX and TX pads are ripped off the PCB in the P800 serial debug square.
My question is thus; do anyone know if the test pads on the back is connected to the serial interface or is it just as good to leave the PW2 to the recycling centre?
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I have my PW2 apart. I just examined it. The TTL serial pads have surface traces (hidden under the green solder mask) that run under the edge of the nearby metal can (RF shield). They are probably available to solder to under
that shield. You could either find something like a resistor that they attach to (earlier kindles had series resistors on the TTL serial connections). Or you could carefully scrape off some solder mask (green paint) to expose a short segment of the copper traces (serial TxD and RxD) and solder tiny wires to those. I salvaged my tiny wires for my K4 with ripped off serial pads from the coil inside a dead CFL (compact fluorescent lamp). Tape down those soldered wires, fold them over the tape, and tape again. Then solder flexible (multi-strand) wires to those. And tape over the connections so they are held down (and apart) on the other tape. This makes it all insulated and physically secure. That is what I did anyway.
So yes, it looks like the PW2 can be salvaged like I did with my K4 (when TTL serial was the only known way to debrick it), before we discovered the "magic keys" and USB downloader mode (on the kindles with that feature).