cracking the DR

kleykenb · 04-10-2009, 04:17 PM

Hi all,

It's about time we knew what the DR looks like from the inside.
I finally have some time on my hands and have done the deed and opened up the beast.
Unfortunately I don't have access to my digital camera right now so I just took the first pictures with my mobile but more will follow later.

As for opening it up : it ain't for the faint of heart as expected.
In fact, I wonder if anyone can dissect it without doing at the very least some minor aesthetic damage to the device.
Not a lot of screws, I've counted less than 15 but they're star-shaped, not cross and most may not have the right tools in house to unscrew them.
A few hints for those that want to venture my way :
At the back in the middle of the device there is a rubber knob : you need to remove it , underneat there is an important screw.

The plastic bits that are above and below the Capacative buttons have to be pushed up (or down) along the device (not sideways).
When they are gone you will find 2 screws that hold the piece of plastic that functions as the Capacative button itself, underneat it is what makes the Capacative button work and it is very fragile so be VERY carefull when you remove it.
Actually you do not need to unscrew these screws so just leave them be.

But even then you're not home free... to get the whole device apart I had to apply force at certain points which are hard to explain. Maybe I'll get to that later but frankly I don't even think iRex people bother to open it up : they probably just send a replacement device when something breaks. Seen the repair price I got for repairing a broken-off USB port (300Euro) I suspect that's about what it costs to make a DR (+ shipping ?). (as you can see on the front.jpg the USB port is missing - it should be next to the SD card and the Special Purpose Port but mine broke off .. hope to be able to solder it on but I'm not an expert when it comes to such things so it may very well go wrong

).

cheers and to be continued ... ,
Benny

myprecious · 04-10-2009, 04:30 PM

Thanks

So small a battery...

valkyriesound · 04-10-2009, 09:35 PM

oooh... cool... thanks!

KingDani · 04-11-2009, 03:20 AM

which one is the battery? the glowing silver colored down ?

myprecious · 04-11-2009, 07:09 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by KingDani

which one is the battery? the glowing silver colored down ?

No

In the first picture - in the upper right corner.

owl123 · 04-11-2009, 09:20 AM

Then it looks like there's an awful lot of space for additional batteries, right?

myprecious · 04-11-2009, 09:31 AM

If you look carefully you'll see, that because of the shape of the plastic frame, there's no space for additional batteries

owl123 · 04-11-2009, 09:42 AM

Ah, too bad.

BTW. Cześć ;-)

allovertheglobe · 04-11-2009, 05:43 PM

Wow, what an un-elegant design, to put it nicely... Did they really think it would never require maintenace? Or was it just a decision in an attempt to keep manufacturing cost low? (With the cost of the display and the lack of large-volume mass production?)

I guess that is also part of the reason for the battery choice: with a custom shape, a MUCH larger battery could have been fitted.

I still believe with some dremel action a space could be created on the same side as the original battery, but in the lower quadrant. Looks like the board is mounted asymmetrically, which might prevent a battery to fit on the left side.

Shaggy · 04-13-2009, 12:03 PM

You're very brave! I didn't think anybody would do this until warranties started expiring.

Thanks for the pics though.

Grimulkan · 05-07-2009, 05:32 AM

@kleykenb: Did you notice a trim pot like this one (on the PRS-500) that might control contrast?

Also, if you've got sharper and higher rez images, we'd appreciate them

Thanks.

Edit:

Quote:

Originally Posted by Grimulkan

There are also other possibilities with this option: it looks like new refresh waveforms can be loaded from files on disk, and a certain "vcom" voltage can also be varied. I don't have the courage to play with these last 2 options however, and I am not even certain if iRex has implemented them.

Actually, I'm pretty sure adjusting this Vcom voltage in software via an ioctl() call does exactly that (if iRex implemented this function). I'll try that out when I have the time. Linky: More on the PRS-500.

kleykenb · 05-08-2009, 08:12 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Grimulkan

Also, if you've got sharper and higher rez images, we'd appreciate them

Thanks.

Yes, I know I promised new pictures but the lack of time ... and the fact that the my DR1000S doesn't function anymore kinda made it a low priority to me.
I'm actually going to post them on http://dr1000s.blogspot.com but when I get around to it I will definately post something here. Maybe this weekend I'll get around to it but don't hold your breath. I'll post them before the end of Q2 (tongue in cheek) ;-)

Viacheslav · 05-19-2009, 02:26 AM

Do you see any way to install a bluetooth adapter inside?
That would allow GPS with live mapping and internet anywhere through mobile phones for DR1000S.

physics@war · 05-20-2009, 03:25 PM

So is your DR still useable?

Shaggy · 05-20-2009, 04:43 PM

I think he said above that it doesn't function anymore. I'm not sure what the original problem was though, or why he didn't get it repaired instead of cracking it open himself. I'm certainly grateful for the information he's provided, but it seems like an odd thing to do.

04-10-2009, 04:17 PM	#1
kleykenb Groupie Posts: 156 Karma: 99 Join Date: Jul 2007 Device: DR1kS/Cy3	cracking the DR Hi all, It's about time we knew what the DR looks like from the inside. I finally have some time on my hands and have done the deed and opened up the beast. Unfortunately I don't have access to my digital camera right now so I just took the first pictures with my mobile but more will follow later. As for opening it up : it ain't for the faint of heart as expected. In fact, I wonder if anyone can dissect it without doing at the very least some minor aesthetic damage to the device. Not a lot of screws, I've counted less than 15 but they're star-shaped, not cross and most may not have the right tools in house to unscrew them. A few hints for those that want to venture my way : At the back in the middle of the device there is a rubber knob : you need to remove it , underneat there is an important screw. The plastic bits that are above and below the Capacative buttons have to be pushed up (or down) along the device (not sideways). When they are gone you will find 2 screws that hold the piece of plastic that functions as the Capacative button itself, underneat it is what makes the Capacative button work and it is very fragile so be VERY carefull when you remove it. Actually you do not need to unscrew these screws so just leave them be. But even then you're not home free... to get the whole device apart I had to apply force at certain points which are hard to explain. Maybe I'll get to that later but frankly I don't even think iRex people bother to open it up : they probably just send a replacement device when something breaks. Seen the repair price I got for repairing a broken-off USB port (300Euro) I suspect that's about what it costs to make a DR (+ shipping ?). (as you can see on the front.jpg the USB port is missing - it should be next to the SD card and the Special Purpose Port but mine broke off .. hope to be able to solder it on but I'm not an expert when it comes to such things so it may very well go wrong ). cheers and to be continued ... , Benny Attached Thumbnails Last edited by kleykenb; 04-10-2009 at 05:15 PM.

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04-10-2009, 04:30 PM	#2
myprecious Zealot Posts: 100 Karma: 28 Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: Nowy Targ, Poland Device: DR1000S	Thanks So small a battery...

04-10-2009, 09:35 PM	#3
valkyriesound Connoisseur Posts: 61 Karma: 108 Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: LA,CA	oooh... cool... thanks!

04-11-2009, 03:20 AM	#4
KingDani Zealot Posts: 114 Karma: 10 Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: Philly, PA Device: iRex DR1000s,Gigabyte U60 UMPC, SmartQ v7,EKEN M001	which one is the battery? the glowing silver colored down ?

04-11-2009, 09:20 AM	#6
owl123 Addict Posts: 234 Karma: 214 Join Date: Nov 2008 Device: Galaxy Note 3, Galaxy NotePro 12.2, InkBook	Then it looks like there's an awful lot of space for additional batteries, right?

04-11-2009, 09:31 AM	#7
myprecious Zealot Posts: 100 Karma: 28 Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: Nowy Targ, Poland Device: DR1000S	If you look carefully you'll see, that because of the shape of the plastic frame, there's no space for additional batteries

04-11-2009, 09:42 AM	#8
owl123 Addict Posts: 234 Karma: 214 Join Date: Nov 2008 Device: Galaxy Note 3, Galaxy NotePro 12.2, InkBook	Ah, too bad. BTW. Cześć ;-)

04-11-2009, 05:43 PM	#9
allovertheglobe Grumpy Old Man Posts: 267 Karma: 30194 Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: L.A., Euro ex-pat Device: Kobo, Nook Classic,Color,ST/Glow, iRex DR1000, Sony 505, REB1100&1200	Wow, what an un-elegant design, to put it nicely... Did they really think it would never require maintenace? Or was it just a decision in an attempt to keep manufacturing cost low? (With the cost of the display and the lack of large-volume mass production?) I guess that is also part of the reason for the battery choice: with a custom shape, a MUCH larger battery could have been fitted. I still believe with some dremel action a space could be created on the same side as the original battery, but in the lower quadrant. Looks like the board is mounted asymmetrically, which might prevent a battery to fit on the left side.

04-13-2009, 12:03 PM	#10
Shaggy Wizard Posts: 4,293 Karma: 529619 Join Date: May 2007 Device: iRex iLiad, DR800SG	You're very brave! I didn't think anybody would do this until warranties started expiring. Thanks for the pics though.

05-19-2009, 02:26 AM	#13
Viacheslav Connoisseur Posts: 59 Karma: 136 Join Date: Dec 2008 Device: iRex DR1000	Do you see any way to install a bluetooth adapter inside? That would allow GPS with live mapping and internet anywhere through mobile phones for DR1000S.

05-20-2009, 03:25 PM	#14
physics@war Connoisseur Posts: 63 Karma: 10 Join Date: Apr 2009 Device: none	So is your DR still useable?

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05-20-2009, 04:43 PM	#15
Shaggy Wizard Posts: 4,293 Karma: 529619 Join Date: May 2007 Device: iRex iLiad, DR800SG	I think he said above that it doesn't function anymore. I'm not sure what the original problem was though, or why he didn't get it repaired instead of cracking it open himself. I'm certainly grateful for the information he's provided, but it seems like an odd thing to do.