I've previously done repairs on this kind of ribbon cable before - when
fixing a sparcbook pointer.. it's a huge pain in the ass to do it, but
it's possible. You can check out www.sunder.net/sparcbook for the
pictures of the sparcbook stuff, etc...
Basically, if the break is inside the cable, the connectors will look fine
on both ends. In this case, you can cut the cable at both ends, leaving a
couple of inches on each side, then using an xacto knife (for those that
have never seen one, it's a very sharp razor blade at an angle attached to
a pen handle.)
You can then very carefully shave the plastic off the cut ends until you
expose the conductor. I have to stress carefully, and "leave a couple of
inches" again here. Once the conductor is exposed, you can solder it back
to a thin wire, but you should cover it with something to isolate
it. i.e. scotch tape, or hot melt glue, etc. I opted for hot melt glue
because it's solid and less likely to break, but the Newton has much less
room than a sparcbook, so YMMV.
Keep in mind, these flex cables are very fragile, so handle them gently.
If an end connector looks cracked, this is due to flexing stress, so you
might be able to fix it by reflowing solder, but watch the temperature,
because you can easily melt the plastic, and then it won't fit in the slot
anymore... maybe you can just drop a bit of solder on the crack and smooth
it out with a light touch...
----------------------Kaos-Keraunos-Kybernetos---------------------------
+ ^ + :NSA got $20Bil/year |Passwords are like underwear. You don't /|\
\|/ :and didn't stop 9-11|share them, you don't hang them on your/\|/\
<--*-->:Instead of rewarding|monitor, or under your keyboard, you \/|\/
/|\ :their failures, we |don't email them, or put them on a web \|/
+ v + :should get refunds! |site, and you must change them very often.
--------_sunder_@_sunder_._net_------- http://www.sunder.net ------------
On Mon, 11 Nov 2002, Stephanie Maks wrote:
>
> Actually just a couple rows below that. The 'screen assembly' on the line
> you indicate, includes a large plastic component that the LCD assembly is
> in. Two lines below where it says "More tilting and the LCD is free. Just
> remember to guide the flex cable through the frame without snagging it." the
> picture illustrates the 'LCD assembly' being removed. That's the bit I
> replaced. But I think we're basically talking about the same thing. I kept
> the 'original' plastic part as I broke the plastic part on the 'new' newton
> while taking it apart. Not a serious problem, I was able to put it back
> together by just holding the two bits in place durring assembly.
>
> One other thing I noticed. If I'm not mistaken, the touch-screen is
> connected to the motherboard via a ribbon-cable with four conductors. It's
> only visible when lifting the motherboard out. The bit where the connection
> is made, is held together by the motherboard being firmly screwed down to
> the plastic. This keeps pressure between four copper contacts on the
> motherboard, and the four conductors on the ribbon-cable. Anyhow, of the
> four conductors, one looked to be, possibly, cracked or at least,
> 'wrinkled'. Since this was the smashed screen I wasn't too worried and did
> not bother to look closely at it. I suspect if it was actually broken, it
> wouldn't work at all, but maybe a crack or an intermittent failure could
> cause the jaggies. If that's true, then perhaps it's only the ribbon cable
> at fault, and nothing else.
>
> Just a thought, anyhow. I haven't researched it too deeply.
>
> -Stephanie
>
> > Very interesting! When you say "screen assembly", are you referring to the
> > item depicted on http://members.tripod.com/mrpcbman/Backlight.htm in the
> > row next to the phrase "The LCD assembly is held by a clip and a tiny gold
> > screw. Remove the screw and turn over"?
> >
> >
> > I have 3 Newties -- a worn one with no jaggies and two pristine ones with
> > jaggies. Your post may inspire me to try to do a screen transplant, but I
> > want to make sure I swap the right component.
> >
> > Jaggies are the scourge of Newtondom IMO! If someone could find a
> > permanent, surefire, and repeatable cure that person would be Newtie of the
> > Year in my book.
> >
> > Thanks,
> >
> > -Jeremy
>
>
>
> --
> This is the NewtonTalk list - http://www.newtontalk.net/ for all inquiries
> List FAQ/Etiquette/Terms: http://www.newtontalk.net/faq.html
> Official Newton FAQ: http://www.chuma.org/newton/faq/
>
>
-- This is the NewtonTalk list - http://www.newtontalk.net/ for all inquiries List FAQ/Etiquette/Terms: http://www.newtontalk.net/faq.html Official Newton FAQ: http://www.chuma.org/newton/faq/
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