omro,
I don’t know your level of electronic expertise, but there are some precautions that need to be taken if you go forward and do the repair yourself. I think it’s time that these be mentioned, anyway, so please don’t be offended.
General Precautions:
ESD (Electro Static Discharge, or static electricity) can destroy the components on the circuit board. At the
very least, do the work on a non-conductive surface (but a grounded ESD work mat would be best), and, using a grounded soldering iron, while wearing a ground strap (these can be had cheaply from vendors of computer memory chips, or electronic supply outlets). Once you get inside, be careful not to touch any circuit traces or pads. ESD damage is not apparent to the eye or nose, the only indication will be that the device will function improperly, or not at all. Be careful. If you choose to make up your own grounding equipment, route your ground wires through a 1 meg ohm resister, to earth ground, and not directly to ground--the idea is to dissipate the charge slowly, without ‘shocking’ the components.
DR1000 Specific Precautions:
Disassembling the case will
likely cause damage, cosmetic or worse. I suggest patatan’s solution (see my earlier post, above), as it allows you to choose the level of damage, and greatly reduces the chance of ESD, screen, or other damage. Accidents happen, and this minimizes risk.
After grounding yourself, as above, before you start working on the case, using a piece of bare wire, or something metallic, in your bare fingers, touch the metal shell of the Function Extension Slot--this will equalize the ground potentials of you and the board, and reduce the risk of ESD damage.
The four corner pieces and the case back are the only parts that need to be removed. Don’t force the four corner pieces off, see the homemade tool I made for this (attached below). Forcing these pieces off bends the hidden retaining latches on the DR’s frame (I bent one, and figured it out). There is only one screw that needs to be removed to remove the back cover, it’s under the center rubber foot; the other feet can be left alone. You will need something like a jeweler's screwdriver (flat tip) to pry out the rubber foot, and a #7 Torx screwdriver bit (T-7) to remove the screw (and the screws holding the circuit board). The case needs to be literally pried apart (avoid metal tools for this, they’ll cause scarring to the case. I used two credit cards for most of it, and the jeweler's screwdriver in places).
Start prying at one corner, and work your way around. To keep flexing to a minimum, plan to separate the back only a little at a time, going around two or three times (too much flexing might stress crack the screen). Take your time.
Once you have the cover removed, gently unplug the battery from the circuit board (pull the wires straight away from the board, in the direction they are pointing); do this without touching the board; hold the DR’s light grey plastic frame. Next, notice that there is a large square metallic area on the board, diagonally opposite the battery connector; touch this square, with your bare fingertip, for a few moments. This, and the metal shells of the sockets and SD card cage (also ground), should be the only metal you touch on the board, AT ALL.
There are 6 screws holding the board in place; 2 in the top corners; 2 at the sides, halfway up; and 2 more, one on each side of the Function Extension Slot. Remove these, being careful not to lose any--I had one run off to live with the dust bunnies, and it took a while to coax it back to its comrades.
The flexible ribbons, containing circuit traces, connected to both sides of the board, need to be removed next (leave the two at top
alone). The sockets for these have small levers to hold the ribbons in place; the lift-to-unlock side is on the rear of the socket, opposite the ribbon. Gently lift these, using a jeweler’s screwdriver or something, until they stand straight up, no force should be necessary to remove the ribbons. Note that it is the back
edge that lifts, not an
end.
There is another plug (with wires going into the plug) next to the battery. Lifting the end of the board slightly, grab the wires and gently unplug this, in the same direction that the battery was unplugged.
Now, gently flip the board over, pivoting on the top ribbon cables, and being careful not to stress those cables. The board is now in position to replace the USB socket. Be
sure to use a grounded soldering iron.
To reassemble, reverse the above, being careful to fully and squarely replace the ribbons and plugs.
If you have any questions, I’ll be happy to answer.
Kent Walters