Re: [NTLK] Changing motherboard

On 9/5/06, Kate Case <kate.case@gmail.com> wrote:
> So I thought the best thing would be to just swap the screen, but it
> looks a tad dicey for someone with no experience. I'm a jeweller so
> I'm used to doing things carefully and precisely, i just don't have
> experience with the insides of electronic things!
> I don't want to pay someone to have it done and now that I've got the
> thing I don't want to send it back (it's too late to cure me of the
> Newton disease!)
> Any tips or advice gratefully accepted!

Well, as a jeweler, you shouldn't have any problems really. You are
used to paying attention to detail, and as long as you have clear
instructions, you should have no problem. I used the instructions on
the site that Woody mentioned, but I'll repeat it again here:
<http://www.pda-soft.de/2x00_disassemble.html>

I wrote this paragraph at the end, but I'm moving it up top, because I
think it's too important to miss. You will be taking apart two
Newtons. You really need to take apart the Newton that you will _not_
be using first. Use it for your "training" Newton. That way, if
something goes wrong, you didn't crack the case of, or tear a wire of,
or break the circuit board of your preferred Newton. So use your parts
newton to practice on first, and then take apart your good one. I say
that from experience. I cracked the inside of my good Newton, and had
to take apart both even further than I had intended so as to swap that
part too! ;-) So learn from my mistake, and practice on your parts
newton first.

Some things to consider.... Read carefully everything Frank says to do
on this page, and read everything first, before you even open your
Newton. Secondly, what he says about screws is very, very, _very_
true! I just had a screw from a watch disappear on me in a place where
it shouldn't be possible! But it did. I have often used egg cartons in
the past to hold my screws, but have also taped them to photos of the
item I was taking apart (whether my laptop or whatever).

Second bit of advice. Take is slow! Take your time, and don't get in a
hurry. If you are having a hard time "cracking" a case, just give it a
rest. I had a hard time separating the inner from the outer case at
one point, and went and got a cup of coffee. When I came back, a
couple gentle movements brought it right out. Don't force anything. It
will work its way loose if you give it time. However, some of those
plugs can use some help with a jeweler's screwdriver.

Third hint. When putting screws back in, don't just stick the screw
in, and start turning. Turn the screws backwards until you feel or
hear a "click" as the threads of the screw drop into the threads in
the hole that they previously dug out. This way, you will put the
screws right back in the same furrows, and not dig new ones, thus
weakening the whole bit. This, of course, applies to screws into
plastic, but I always do it just to keep in the habit. ;-)

I'll be honest. I had never taken apart a Newton before I did mine a
few months ago. I followed Frank's advice, and it went perfectly! So,
while his page is full of disclaimers and warnings--don't let that
scare you too much--enough to make you careful, but not too much to
stop you or paralyze you. :-) BTW, you will be repeating his
instructions twice--once for the 2100 and once for the 2000. Be
careful to keep the two apart. I used two separate spots on my bench,
and two sets of boxes for screws.

-- 
 -Jon Glass
Krakow, Poland
<jonglass@usa.net>
There is no such thing as public opinion. There is only published
opinion.   --Winston Churchill
-- 
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