I need to dismantle my TH 55, please help

[omo]

Hi all, I need to dismantle my TH 55, so that I can swap the screen of a working with a bad camera with one with a cracked screen and good camera. A google search and a search here have not revealed any take apart instructions.
thanks
omo

[edupaschoa]

would you seel to me some spare part of it??? i need the battery cover lid. and some screws...

[psau3]

A google search and a search here have not revealed any take apart instructions.

Out of interest, do you have a cracked screen, digitiser, or both?


Briefly, get yourself small Philips and tri-blade (or small flat-blade if not possible) screwdrivers and work in this sequence.

First, backup to MS (if required) and remove the cell bay door and the cell itself. Then;

1. Remove 2x top, 2x bottom, 1x IR screws.

2. Unclip aluminium bezel (screen surround) and top plastic and carefully work free.

3. Remove IR filter plastic.

3. Remove 2x top, 1x bottom display stack (all in steel frame) screws.

4. Unclip ffcs (ribbon cables) and remove sub assemblies. Pay attention to placement of voice rec and power/hold switches for reassembly.

5. Unclip MS, jogdial, camera, audio ffcs. Unclip speaker connector.

6. Unclip and remove the mainboard. This will allow you to swap out the camera assembly.

Reverse the order to reassemble. Be careful with the alignment and placement of the ffcs from the data connector / switches / mic subassembly, and also when replacing the cell. It can be tricky the first time. ;)

Oh, and it's a good idea to draw a picture of your '55 and tape the screws to it as you remove them - there are many different lengths used.

Ask if you have any questions. Good luck. :)

[edupaschoa]

I need some spare parts, I am looking for a battery cover lid, the stylus and some screws. please anyone can help me??

[jdog1188]

Hey,
Idk how much this question is "OT", but i was just curious. My WIFI radio hasn't worked for a few months now and I was just curious when Psau3 posted those instructions. How difficult would it be to locate the WIFI radio and maybe "press on it" or something like the UX users were doing when the "Intializing" problem first appeared?? One main reason that I asked this also, is that I know of a few people that had posted in the past about this problem too and was just wondering if this might be a possible solution. Thanks,
Jdog

[psau3]

How difficult would it be to locate the WIFI radio and maybe "press on it" or something like the UX users were doing when the "Intializing" problem first appeared??

The WiFi (and BT) circuitry occupy areas towards the top right-hand corner of the device, with components populating both sides of the mainboard. There is no 'pressable' element, as what looks like the combined WiFi / BT aerial is a surface-mount unit, with no tuneable discretes. :(

[jdog1188]

ok, thanks for the reply. So basically, if there's a problem w/ the WIFI radio then it wouldn't be that a connector came loose, but that it is probably fried or something?

[psau3]

ok, thanks for the reply. So basically, if there's a problem w/ the WIFI radio then it wouldn't be that a connector came loose, but that it is probably fried or something?

Correct. There's nothing to come loose. There is an open-core choke (think coil of wire for tuning purposes) on the board, but that's the only exposed wiring that I can see. By 'hasn't worked' do you mean can't connect or can't 'see' WAPs, or both? LED still light?

[jdog1188]

yeah, i can't connect and it freezes when I try to scan... resulting in a soft reset. I've tried most of the obvious "problem solvers". Although the LED will light, thats all that will do.. oh, and the WIFI icon on the status bar at the bottom will turn all blue like it does when you would have a perfect or near perfect connection. Thanks for the help so far...
-Jdog

[dragonsgames]

Has it always not worked or did you open it and swap a battery or something? :)

[jdog1188]

umm... well, i first noticed it after I installed the YIM and right after noticed that the YIM stated that it was intended for PPC. I dont know if this might be just a coincidence when it happened b/c when u said "swap a battery" i do remember a few times when I first got it. I thought that it mighta died and so I took the battery out and left it out for about 30 minutes at a time and then stuck it back in... but as far as actually puttin' a new battery- no. Also, I posted a thread w/ the things that I noticed back when it first happened and what I tried on it to try and fix it. Its on 1src.com and i believe that its called "Scanning Problems". Thanks again,
-Jdog

[psau3]

I don't see how you could have run a non-POS app in the first place, but hard resets, pulling the cell for extended periods, etc. should have cleared a software issue. Try another hard reset, but don't sync or restore from backup. Does the WiFi work now?

[DanT]

...Oh, and it's a good idea to draw a picture of your '55 and tape the screws to it as you remove them - there are many different lengths used....

Like this, below. ;)

BTW, there are plenty of TH55 spareparts pix in this forum. Check this thread (http://www.1src.com/forums/showthread.php?t=83569&page=6&pp=15&highlight=th55+spareparts) for example.

http://www.1src.com/gallery/data/500/2949TH55_screws1.jpg

[wellsjs]

DanT,

He'll need your calibrated eyeballs and micrometer too! :D

[DanT]

Practise makes prefect, my man. I have 3 TH55s to play with. ;)

[jdog1188]

Psau3,
Yeah, I don't really know how it happened either, but it opened after I installed it... unless it WAS for Palm and it had a severe bug or something... I dont know, but umm... i tried what you said and I tried to connect/scan through the preference menu and through the actual Netfront program. When I tried to scan- it froze; and when I tried to connect in Netfront- the dialog box just "disappeared" and it went back to the white screen on the Netfront app. I made sure that I didn't have anything installed either. But thanks for the help so far...
-Jdog

[JAmerican]

Practise makes prefect, my man. I have 3 TH55s to play with. ;)

Wow, we are like the same. I have 3 UXs. :) I pull parts from the others. Like my current UX's speaker cable broke so I took the cable from another UX's mike and repaired it :) . I swaped my screen cover from my UX40 on my UX50 since my WiFi stopped working. I took the batteries from the other UXs and got my TH55 battery I bought and modded my EB40 :). So fun to mess around.

JAmerican

[dragonsgames]

I break anything I open. :(
Even when I try to be careful... ;)

[JAmerican]

I do as well. Why do you think I don't use my UX40 anymore ;) LOL. Practice makes perfect. But that doesn't mean just to open your device for the sake of it.

[psau3]

When I tried to scan- it froze; and when I tried to connect in Netfront- the dialog box just "disappeared" and it went back to the white screen on the Netfront app.

It almost looks like a timeout (I'm not a POS coder) issue - the app requests connectivity from the networking driver / layer, which then 'hangs' until timeout, as no response is obtained from the actual hardware. Similar to the irritating timeout pause on a failed hotsync attempt.

No more ideas, sorry. Send it in for repair? :(

[jdog1188]

Well,
I WOULD, but i can't b/c i bought it from another person off this site... and he didn't send the original reciept. Then- when I went to see if i could send it in for repair and the cost be covered by warranty- they said that I didn't have a warranty under my name so that it was obviously under the previous owners' name still... well, I contacted him and he doesnt have the orginal reciept anymore. So i'm screwed! That is one of the original reasons that I posted on here to see if there was ANY possible way to fix it myself or something. But thanks for your help... On the other hand, you had said that the connection wasn't being made b/c it was timing out or something? Well, maybe when i opened the TH to disconnect the battery- i mighta knonked the WIFI radio loose enough to where it was not functional. Do u think i should open it and try to see if I could locate and possibly push on it or something?? B/c I seriously believe now that there is no way of getting the warranty now. Thanks again,
-Jdog

[dragonsgames]

If it is under his name could he call Sony and have them look up the details?

[psau3]

Well, maybe when i opened the TH to disconnect the battery- i mighta knonked the WIFI radio loose enough to where it was not functional. Do u think i should open it and try to see if I could locate and possibly push on it or something?? B/c I seriously believe now that there is no way of getting the warranty now.

The WiFi system components are mounted directly onto the mainboard, and should be impossible to damage unless you stab at it with a screwdriver or zap it with a static discharge. Playing around with the cell via the cell bay door would not let you do either - it's at the other end of the board. Did you take the entire rear plastic off? If so, then you voided the warranty.

Depending on where it was originally purchased, it might have come with a 'transferrable warranty' package. You're caught between Sonys EULA / warranty, terms of sale from the original retailer, and US state law, which varies, it seems. No idea which takes precedence, I'm afraid, but what you need to do is get whoever might be responsible for repair to accept that the device now belongs to you. Any US consumer law experts reading? ;)

If it is under his name could he call Sony and have them look up the details?

And ask them to transfer ownership. :)

[jdog1188]

ok, thanks... well, according to Sony- the only way(but maybe not from what you mentioned) to transfer the warranty, was to send a copy (or original) of the reciept that the original buyer got when he/she first purchased it to Sony via a fax # that they provide. That is considered "1st party".... anything else like a statement written out by the original owner to the 2nd owner is considered a "2nd party" proof of purchase... and they won't accept it if it's 2nd party. So, thats all I have "discovered" so far on my case... hopefully someone else out there has had better luck w/ a warranty transfer... or maybe could tell of another way to get around this or something. Thanks so far,
Jdog

[psau3]

send a copy (or original) of the reciept that the original buyer got when he/she first purchased it to Sony via a fax # that they provide.

Here in the UK, 'proof of purchase' does not necessarily require a printed receipt from the retailer. A credit card statement showing purchase details would normally be sufficient, for instance. I imagine it might be different elsewhere, though...

[jdog1188]

Yeah, maybe i could call Sony and see what "variations" of the proof of purchase, if any, would they accept. Hopefully there is another way for them to transfer the warranty...

[inkbm]

Briefly, get yourself small Philips and tri-blade (or small flat-blade if not possible) screwdrivers and work in this sequence.

First, backup to MS (if required) and remove the cell bay door and the cell itself. Then;

1. Remove 2x top, 2x bottom, 1x IR screws.

2. Unclip aluminium bezel (screen surround) and top plastic and carefully work free.

3. Remove IR filter plastic.

3. Remove 2x top, 1x bottom display stack (all in steel frame) screws.

4. Unclip ffcs (ribbon cables) and remove sub assemblies. Pay attention to placement of voice rec and power/hold switches for reassembly.

5. Unclip MS, jogdial, camera, audio ffcs. Unclip speaker connector.

6. Unclip and remove the mainboard. This will allow you to swap out the camera assembly.

Reverse the order to reassemble. Be careful with the alignment and placement of the ffcs from the data connector / switches / mic subassembly, and also when replacing the cell. It can be tricky the first time. ;)

Oh, and it's a good idea to draw a picture of your '55 and tape the screws to it as you remove them - there are many different lengths used.

Ask if you have any questions. Good luck. :)

I've got that dreaded Multimedia error trying to use my camera - since I had an error on my Sony camera that turned out to be nothing more than a loose ribbon cable (and Sony support is sooooo cr4p), I thought I'd have a look see if that was the problem here. I completed no 3 above and got too scared to go any further. I'll have the rest of my '55 working rather than nothing at all :)

[DanT]

Don't be scared. After no.3, you just flip the screen down and you'll see the guts, below. Then just start checking on the ribbon cable connections to make sure that they are securely connected. If not, slide back the clips, remove ribbon cables, refit them back into the connectors, and slide the clips back in.

That was how I fix my blank screen, due to bad connection. The 4-conductor ribbon cable next to the battery got stuck with the old and swelled up battery. When I removed the old battery, the ribbon cable must have got pulled out of the connector.

http://www.1src.com/gallery/data/500/2949TH55_Motherboard.jpg

[psau3]

I completed no 3 above and got too scared to go any further. I'll have the rest of my '55 working rather than nothing at all :)

As DanT says, don't be scared. Just take things slowly. If the suggested 1src Wiki ever gets off the ground I'll do a proper illustrated strip & rebuild. It's not possible to stop an engineer from taking things apart. Again. ;)