Registered: Jul 2000
Location: Jersey City, NJ
Posts: 170

Bent Pins in Springboard Slot

I have a VDx that is in good working order except for some bent pins in the Springboard slot, making the slot completely unusable.

Is there anywhere I can take/send the unit for repair at a reasonable cost?

Registered: Aug 2000
Location:
Posts: 60

How bad are they bent? Completely flat, or just at an angle? If they're not too bad, you might be able to get a wirewrap tool (granted, not everyone has one laying around) onto the pins and straighten them out. Or a pair of super-thin needle-nose pliers.

If nothing else, I've got a parted-out VDx (no screen) that you could maybe swap parts with.

- Dwayne

Registered: Jul 2000
Location: Jersey City, NJ
Posts: 170

quote:

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Originally posted by dtrego
How bad are they bent? Completely flat, or just at an angle? If they're not too bad, you might be able to get a wirewrap tool (granted, not everyone has one laying around) onto the pins and straighten them out. Or a pair of super-thin needle-nose pliers.

If nothing else, I've got a parted-out VDx (no screen) that you could maybe swap parts with.

- Dwayne

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Are we the last two VDx owners out there?

Thanks for the suggestion -- it never occurred to me that there might be pliers narrow enough to get down in there, but I don't know that I'd have the dexterity to get them all sufficiently straightened out anyway. The worst of the pins are probably bent only about 45 degrees, but since there are so many pins and corresponding slots, they really all have to be perfectly straight for the springboard module to fit -- no room for error. Not to mention the fact that the pins seem so delicate that it's more than likely at least one of them will break off when I attempt to straighten it. Unfortunate design, really.

I actually have TWO other VDx's that have broken screens, but that as far as I know are otherwise in good shape. If I knew what I was doing, I'd try to swap parts out. But since the one with the broken pins at least is a working unit, I don't know that it's worth it for me to attempt a repair that's beyond my skill and risk ending up with three completely non-functioning units, yknow?

Registered: Aug 2000
Location:
Posts: 60

quote:

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Originally posted by leojbramble
Are we the last two VDx owners out there?

...snip...

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Sure does seem like it. Even with the TX, I'm still hauling around my Prism - still worried about compatibility issues with various bits of software.... Good luck with converting a video to the TX!

In any case, a screen swap (or motherboard swap) isn't that hard. www.gethightech.com has some instructions and a video on taking a Visor apart. I've done a couple with no problems - folks at work would give me broken ones and I've mixed & matched parts until I've got two working VDx's. Just go slow & be careful.

You could always try to straighten the pins - probably wouldn't be any worse off than being bent. Seems like the pin holes in the Springboard cartridges are slightly cone shaped. If the pins are pretty close, it might work. Now that I look at it again, though, I'd still take the case apart before attempting to straightening them, just for the room. With any luck, they'll be pins that aren't used for anything!