Alien Palmtopsy
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01/13/99 During my efforts to gain some assistance to fix a stuck button on my Palm III the earthlings at 3Com were less than helpful. My only option was to put my Pilot under the knife and perform the necessary surgery myself. My efforts were successful and my Pilot is now healthy and leading a normal life. To assist future explorers who may endeavor to take the journey inside, or for the curious and the gawkers, I have captured images of the inner workings of this device. The pictures below are actual images of the Palm III's guts and have not been tampered with. Younger viewers and those with heart problems should shield their eyes or leave the room now. Opening the Palm III is a simple matter, just use a good screwdriver with a lot of force to remove the four (4) corner screws. Separating the case requires a little force, don't worry, everything is held in with little plastic tabs. See Autopsy Photo # 1. If you are in the same stuck-button predicament I was you will now need to remove the circuit board and display from the front portion of the case. This requires a little more effort. Carefully push the plastic tabs on the right over until you can lift the circuit board on that side. Now work the plastic tabs on the left while pushing the circuit board up and to the right. When it comes loose be careful of the display as it is loosely attached to the back of the circuit board. Let's try and keep it that way! See Autopsy Photo # 2. Don't worry about the buttons, they are all attached together on a strip of rubber. Carefully lift the circuit board together with the display out of the case. If you have a stuck button, fixing it should be easy at this point. Pull the offending button off of it's rubber spring, clean away any crap, replace the button and test it's springiness. Re-assemble the unit and all will now be well in your world.
The Pilot is powered by the MC68328 DragonBall Integrated Processor from Motorola.
© 1999 CYBØRG/ASM |
