disassemble polaroid pmid702c

[swampratbillybob]

Hi,

I need some help! My girl friend broke the micro usb / charging port off her new tablet's mother board. I have managed to get the cover off without damaging anything so far, I think. and will proceed with a re-soldering , I hope. However I do have a pressing question that really perplexes me. On one of the 2 ribbon cables that attach the screen to the mother board there was a piece of additional cellophane tape taping it down against the mother board. When I disassembled it this piece of tape untaped itself from the mother board. On it were 2 very tiny lightning bolt shaped wires, for lack of better terms. Are these needed? What do they go to. Was this a tamper proofing of some kind? Anyone know? Please enlighten someone in over his head. I don't mind a laptop but these are new territory for me. Also any advice on futher dis-assembly would be awesome! And re-soldering tips too! I warned her these are fragile connections and she was being careless and now it's a paper weight. Thank you in advanced!

Keep Smilin Bill

[root]

Can you take a macro picture with a decent camera of what you're talking about?

[sabercatpuck]

Not sure here

Thanks for reminding me that I never got my teardown pictures uploaded tough. Will try to do that tonight or in the morning.

If you could give me a bit more direction on where the wires were at I can try to look the pictures over more though. It sounded like they were on or under the tape which to the best of my knowledge is only there to help keep the ribbon cable in place.

[swampratbillybob]

ok here's a few pics

Ok guys here are a few pics.I'm not a good photographer but here is a pic of the tape spot with arrows about where the wire were hanging from the tape. a few poor pics of the said wires and since those suck I drew a rendition of about how those wires look. Any thoughts and futher tips or even links to other pics of the insides of this tablet. Thanks again!

[root]

Are you sure that's some type of wire and not hair or dust/trash? These factories aren't necessary dust free and white suits.

[sabercatpuck]

I am leaning this way too

Are you sure that's some type of wire and not hair or dust/trash? These factories aren't necessary dust free and white suits.

The shape you drew out looks like some kind of internal component to a connector. Could well have been parts laying around from another assembly even. I know in one of my 701c units I had one of the small motherboard hold down screws just floating around inside. I definitly can't see anything on my pictures (sorry didn't get them copied over to my PC so haven't gotten the teardown thread started) that looks like that, unless they were in the loop for the ribbon cable just to hold it's shape, but I have never seen anyone do that before.

I suppose it could be from the innards of the connector you said was broken perhaps

[swampratbillybob]

Ok then could those lil wires be piece out of the micro usb port she broke?They are approxamately 8mm in length from end to end. Both wires are exactly the same but on the tape they were laying polar opposite each other or um mirror image. this is why it made me think it wasn't just factory fodder they seemed too well placed onto that tape. So I also ruled out them being parts to the charge port because of placement as well. I was thinking that they had to touch in certain spots on the board in order for the board to work properly but who knows. I guess I'll just proceed with the rest of the repair and reassemble and just see if it works fine without them. Another theory I had on what they were was rocker springs for the volume button but I ruled that out because I couldn't figure out a way they would stay in place during assembly let alone how and where they would be place for such a use. I don't know.Stay tuned I will find out.


Keep Smilin Bill

[swampratbillybob]

unsuccessful. not charging. I think I'm going to Afro-engineer an auxiliary charging port. there's some room at that bottom of the battery to add it. It's not going to be pretty but I think it will solve the problem. She will not be able to transfer files onto it. I doubt she would have ever done that anyway. Besides there's always the micro sd card to do that with. Always the hard way!


Keep Smilin Bill

[swampratbillybob]

ok so I know I was not successful resoldering in the micro usb port back in. I decided to frankenstien an auxiliary charge port into it. Knowing she would just whine about if I did. I decided run off and get her a nextbook next7s just like the one I have. Then her and I would be on the same page. I can take the polaroid carcass back to the lab and make it come alive again. Maybe give it to her 3 year old grandson afterwards. I know he won't care as long as it works. Come Egor lets head to the lab! 'yessssss master' he hisses and limps on after me.

[jdareps]

I think those wires are for the usb - I boroke mine also.

The usb charging cord is pretty short and I plugged it in and set it on the nightstand and the cord pulled it onto the floor- of course on the usb port and broke it.

I noticed in taking it apart there were 4 "lightning" shaped wires inside the case. Upon closer inspection, there is no solder on the usb port to the motherboard on the ends, only the sides (grounds or attachment solders?) and now there are no pins inside the port itself - no contact point(s) where the usb plugs in now.

Funny thing is, there is tape on the port and it appears these connections may have been taped on or at least taped to help hold it in place! Wires are too small for me to work with(need bifocals lol) and I've never soldered anything smaller than 18 gauge wire, so at this time I am trying to find someone to frankenstein a usb port that can be sodered on (think I found one on ****).

If you have any luck, let me know how much you would charge to do the same to my 702c - my 9 yr old daughter is bummed and I cant afford another one at this time(going through divorce, bankruptcy & forclosure & closing up my business & looking for new career).

Good luck with your project. (sorry I spelled broke wrong, cant edit title after it is posted!)

[swampratbillybob]

Yes that is what i've seen as well soldered the side, 1 side anyway, and had the same tape. The other 2 'wires' of 4 must have fallen out and was just dumb luck the 2 got caught by by the ribbon cables tape. As for the frankenstiening I'm going with a whole new port and new location. I'm planning a hard wire right at the battery leads to the mother board and over to below the battery pack where there is room to take a port out the back. I've cut my wire that used to be my charging /usb wire and found 4 shielded wires inside red and black as standard are my power. These will be soldered onto my new plug-in male side. and the new port will be my female side and unless I find a better solution marine epoxy with mount it onto the back cover. I still have to run to radio shack for my plug-in and port. If all goes well either I or a 3 year old have a tablet to do what ever with. If it winds up mine then I might try some of the many advanced things the tech guru's on here chat about and will not cry when I 'brick' it. I will let you know if this all works out after I'm done. Maybe even take a few pics. As for trouble seeing yes I too already have those bi focals. Yet I've bought a jeweler's lupe that mounts to the arm on my glasses and swings down into place with as many as 3 lenses. It helps with fine details but it doesn't make my hands anymore nimble.

Keep Smilin Bill

[sabercatpuck]

Cant be sure yet

I have not seen it again yet, but I heard from my niece the other day that my great nephews PMID702C has now got a broken charging port. Starting to wonder if there is a common problem with this floating around. Whenever I can get up to look at it to get it fixed up I will report back if it looks like the same kind of damage that was reported here, or if it was just in the rough care of a 4 year old that did it.

[swampratbillybob]

Ok guys it's my weekend of and I had some time to run to radio shack.What I decided on was size K coaxial dc power plug part number 274-1567 and it's corresponding size K coaxial dc power jack part number 274-1565. This was about the lowest profile jack they seemed to have and it came with screws to hold it in place so I didn't need that marine epoxy after all. I cut my hole over by the speaker on the back with my dremmel of coarse while guts were removed. Filed it to the square I needed and marked my screw holes once mounted then removed it again then since I had no drill that small but had lots of allen wrenches that and other sizes I used the end heated up to burn the screw holes in. Then mounted it and soldered my wires onto it then decided how I was going to route it. I was going with all the way around the battery then under the charging part ribbon cable to solder it to the board where the bat hooks on. While putting it back together the possitive wire gave me grief bulging the camera so I pushed the wire over the top of the battery . It works now but you do not really see the charging part on the bat symbol but I know it is because it was dead. Now while on it's been sitting at 39% I'll do more testing and know more later and even have a few more of my bad pics of the job.........Just walked away to explain what I did to the girl friend. She don't understand anyway. I shut it down and unplugged it and restarted it now it has 75% charge so it is working but no real feedback thru the charging/battery symbol and have to be careful not over charge it.

Keep Smilin Bill

[swampratbillybob]

So i finally had a chance to upload those pics of what I've done. I guess I should have taken at least 1 or 2 more shots showing my routing of wire and where I soldered them to but I thought I described where well enough and besides It's already be giving to the lil ones to play with and i'd hate to take it back just to shoot a few more shots.Anyway if someone has questions which I doubt feel free to ask.


Keep Smilin Bill

[elektrik]

Aww you shoulda made an induction charger-THAT woulda been super cool!