Database Develop

DIY Keyboard?

Hi
Having seen the hardware article on using an ipac keyboard on the XDA by simply re-wiring the connector, I have found that ipac keyboards go for about £25 off ebay.
Just wondering if anyone knows how to connect a PS2 keyboard to an XDA? perhaps via PS2 to ipac converter board???
I have searched the net for help and found nothing, what a great little project it is..... being able to use any pc keyboard would be fantasic (and cheap)
And ideas folks?

On keyboards:
The bigger problem is usually the driver. So you want to be closely compatible with the iPaq keyboard so you can use their driver.
The iPaq keyboard basically takes power from the XDA, and supllies one serial data wire, sending two bytes at 9600 (I believe it was), for every key pressed and two bytes for every key released.
The PS2 spec is a synchonous one, sending data with a clock and a data wire. So your project would involve a small microcontroller, such as one from the Atmel series. Some Atmel family members are small enough to fit inside the XDA connector that plugs into the bottom of the device.
2-3 days for someone with all the right expertise.

Thanks for the starter for ten.
Will start researching the topic

I have found some commerical ps2 adapters for ipaqs selling for about $30!!! then found a related website that almost shows how to build one.
http://www.iptel-now.de/HOWTO/PIC/pic.html
So i'm going to have a go at building it then adapting the connector for XDA use.
Any thoughts anyone?

Seems like a lot of effort for little reward! But whatever floats your boat I guess.
If you wanted you could make the wearable computer and then get sponsorship to actually use it!-
http://www.iptel-now.de/PROJECTS/WEARABLE/IPAQ_WEARABLE/ipaq_wearable.html
You would obviously need someone else to help you carry it around...

HTC quality control issue?

So i am the owner of a MDA (wizard), 8525 (hermes) and now 2 tilts (8925).. and im notcing a trend.. HTC has some serious quality control issues.. now i know not everything can be perfect on a phone so thats no issue, however.. here are my issues.. first we'll start with the famous MDA (htc wizard).. i had about 10 of them over a 1yr period.. everytime at least one of the keys on the keyboard would be pushed in slightly so that it wasnt level with the surface.. i found this VERY annoying.. also the slider seemed different on each phone no matter how many different ones i had the slider was different everytime! then we move onto the 8525.. same issue with the keyboard.. even the backlight was dim on some of the phones.. me and my buddies have 8525s and each one is different.. ones screen might be slightly brighter then the other and so on.. but its all the same model # and so on.. then this brings me to the tilt.. ive had 3 so far.. first one had to be replaced because half the keyboard backlight went out.. but i LOVED the slider on it.. it really clicked into place when closing the phone a very loud firm snap.. but then the screen tilted sort of weird.. it was off angle.. so now i get the replacement and the screen tilts higher then my previous one however when sliding it shut its not as firm i dont hear the loud snap anymore its more of a soft snap..which makes me feel its not so firm..so then after closer examination i notice my keyboard is a bit flakey too the G and H keys are off centered from the rest.. and the H key is pushed into the keypad slighty in the top left corner.. for a better example.. the Y U I H J K B N M 0 keys are white.. the rest are black.. well the G key is black and the H key is white.. u can clearly see the the G is slightly over into the white area.. i am VERY picky on this type of stuff when these phones cost hundreds of dollars.. and i hate calling to have my phone constantly replaced.. am i the only one whos experiencing these problems? i highly doubt it.. htc does have a serious quality control issue in my eyes..

ummm, Yes?

Are you just looking for a reason to complain? HTC from my experience, Dash, 8125, Kaiser, SDA, etc, etc are great phones. Nothing ever wrong with the hardware. I have only had to send my back due to WM5/6 errors. If your keys on the keypad a busted, try not killing the keys, they didn't do anything to you.

ive had same issues with the 8125, and 8525....

lol im not looking for a reason to complain i am a SUPER picky person tho. i absoutley LOVE my tilt but i just want to see if any one else is having the same issues and apprently im not alone!

I've noticed the same types of issues on numerous 8525's, and two Tilts. I've had SE, Samsung, and Moto phones, and never had to make an exchange until I got an HTC. Unfortunately, none of those manufacturers make a worthy PPC for the U.S. The best suggestion, unfortunately, is to try not to pay too much attention to the quality details, or go with another phone type/manufacturer. You could exchange the Tilt another 10 times and find something wrong with each device if you look too closely.

kgbeezr1 said:
You could exchange the Tilt another 10 times and find something wrong with each device if you look too closely.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
me and my buddy just said the same exact line..

What's the model for the Tilt (under the battery cover)? KAIS130, 120, 110, or 100?
Also, where is it made?

I myself am not a picky person but I am having an issue also. My D-pad/phone end call assembly ( the buttons on the front of the phone) is loose. it wiggles around. Is anyone else having this problem? I really don't want to return the phone because of all of the work don't to get the phone to where it is now. But I do not want the buttons to stop working in the future because of it. Does anyone know if ATT repairs the phones or replaces them. Also will my cooked ROM void the warinty (sp) for a hardware problem or will they not care?

yup, i'd have to agree with you, quality control is not their strong area

jakontil said:
yup, i'd have to agree with you, quality control is not their strong area
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Click to collapse
I have to Disagree.
I have a nearly 2 year old Wizard which has been heavily used and abused on a daily basis, rarely in a case, usually in a pocket with coins, pens etc or rattling around in a cup holder in the car. All the buttons, keys, volume slider and sliding keyboard work as well today as they did when new. No rattles or sticking buttons. Mini USB has never let me down for sync or charge. On only Two occasions the 2.5mm audio socket wouldn't recognise when the headset had been removed but this was solved by blowing into the socket and reinserting/withdrawing the headset plug.
My Vario III, while still in its youth, is showing no signs of being any different.
I've had countless Nokia, Sony Ericsson, Motorola phones over the years and everyone of them was physically ready for replacing before they were out of 12 month contract. Sticking buttons, non functioning joysicks, loose sliders, creaking hinges, failure to charge etc. The only exception being Nokia 6210, which I'm sure if I found it after all these years would still have a charge on its battery . The battery life on that phone was unbelievable.

So far my only gripe with the tilt has been software issues! Video recording with the tilt is horrible, even in daylight! and tcpmp played my movies much smoother with the 8525 than the tilt! Otherwise the phone is definitely a solid build!

scwilson8382 said:
I myself am not a picky person but I am having an issue also. My D-pad/phone end call assembly ( the buttons on the front of the phone) is loose. it wiggles around. Is anyone else having this problem? I really don't want to return the phone because of all of the work don't to get the phone to where it is now. But I do not want the buttons to stop working in the future because of it. Does anyone know if ATT repairs the phones or replaces them. Also will my cooked ROM void the warinty (sp) for a hardware problem or will they not care?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
There is a slight wiggle, that because the D-Pad is a rubber pad without any support from the panel like in usual phones, so theres got to be that little bit play. Dont worry the worst that could happen is a bit of dust can get under it
I have a bit of a question myself . has anybody noticed the center portion of the touch screen is "softer" than the bottom. You can notice this if you hold thescreen at an angle and sloly press it with the stylus, it sort of goes in an mm or so. It was the same with my M600i but my Moto ROKR E6 is hard like a normal hard screen, I assume dthe TyTyn should be like that.
I bought my phone in SIngapore and I live in India, no service for the TyTyn2 here cause it has'nt been released, I'm just praying nothing happens to it. If you require parts you can always try www.cnn.cn, they have'nt got the TyTyn2 parts yet but will shortly. A cooked rom does void the warranty. Your phone can be replaced 15 days within your purchase date after which they will only repair it. I dont trust service centers, they throw in any damn used part(I know this cause I've worked in one ) I prefer doing it myself

Thanks for the info. I'm over the 15 days now and your right I don't wan't the service center to touch my phone. We'll see how it fares after a couple of months

I think all the people who say that they've never had a problem with their phone don't quite understand the original post. When you compare one Tilt to another, one 8125 to another, etc. the level of variation that HTC allows to roll off the assembly line is in general much greater than other phone makers. If you've never had a problem and only have had one device of a particular type, you don't really have anything to judge that variation by, unless you compare it to friends' phones.
As for myself, I had 2 8525's. I noticed that when I threw them against a wall, one continued to work and the other one shattered. Very poor quality control as far as I'm concerned. j/k
Seriously, I noticed that the sliding mechanism wobbled a lot more on the first one than it did on the second.

well after countless complaining att has agreed to replace my tilt which i have problems with.. they are sending me a brand new kit.. i hope that this will be a good kit because im sick of having problems with the tilt.. i love the phone but damn the quality isnt as strong as the 8525.. Blowfish64.. you are correct people arent quite understanding the orginal post.. because of these quality control issues id NEVER order a htc device off ebay because u cant return it... luckly with att/tmobile/sprint/altell/verizon you can call in to exchange dept and complain and usually they will send you a replacement model which is nice.. i understand htc is a HUGE company and probaly doesnt care about some tiny issues with their phones but i as a consumer who is spending hundreds of dollars DOES CARE and i have every right to be picky.. you guys mean to tell me if u spent 700$ on the tytnII and the keyboard buttons werent straight or evenly lit you wouldnt complain? i seriously find that hard to believe..

jakeypoo said:
lol im not looking for a reason to complain i am a SUPER picky person tho. i absoutley LOVE my tilt but i just want to see if any one else is having the same issues and apprently im not alone!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I guess nothing can satisfy you ??

Quality Issues
I agree with the quality control issues. I recently had my original tilt stolen, unfortunately, and purchased another one. There are several differences in the feel of the same phone from one to another. The slide mechanism, D-pad, and keyboard all feel noticeably different.
Unfortunately, this second one has a distinct looseness in the sliding mechanism which when put under vibrate makes a distinct sound of cheapness. I will be calling ATT tomorrow to see if they will exchange for a new one.
Don't get me wrong, I love the phone, but given how much I had to pay a second, I want it to be good.

HTC QC = C+
scwilson8382 said:
I myself am not a picky person but I am having an issue also. My D-pad/phone end call assembly ( the buttons on the front of the phone) is loose. it wiggles around. Is anyone else having this problem? I really don't want to return the phone because of all of the work don't to get the phone to where it is now. But I do not want the buttons to stop working in the future because of it. Does anyone know if ATT repairs the phones or replaces them. Also will my cooked ROM void the warinty (sp) for a hardware problem or will they not care?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I just noticed that my 2nd tilt (first one had a USB port problem) has a loose d-pad. I am going to call the store today and see if they have a 3rd one to replace this 2nd one...
Film at 11...

Broke Tilt in half

So one of my friends at work had an att tilt. However his son dropped it out of his pants pocket and the screen popped off. Screen is still in one piece however completly seperated from the tilt mechanism and the ribbon cable is missing. So I told him instead of throwing it away (cause att does not offer insurance) to give it to me and I'd see what I can do (Gonna unlock it and use it as an upgrade for my wing ).
I've read some of the hardware manuals and can already see I'll need parts to fix it. But I have no ideas what ones. Or if it's even worth it to fix. I mean its basically a free tilt minus any repair costs. Any help?

wshader said:
So one of my friends at work had an att tilt. However his son dropped it out of his pants pocket and the screen popped off. Screen is still in one piece however completly seperated from the tilt mechanism and the ribbon cable is missing. So I told him instead of throwing it away (cause att does not offer insurance) to give it to me and I'd see what I can do (Gonna unlock it and use it as an upgrade for my wing ).
I've read some of the hardware manuals and can already see I'll need parts to fix it. But I have no ideas what ones. Or if it's even worth it to fix. I mean its basically a free tilt minus any repair costs. Any help?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Check thi site, there is a manual how to dismantle kaiser. Could be helpful:
http://michael-channon.spaces.live....smantling+%2f+Disassembling+Guides+HTC%2fETEN

Thank you, however thats actually the repair manual I looked at. However while looking for parts I have yet to find the ribbon cable that connects to the display.
This is basically what I have except the ribbon cable is missing. And alot of steps missing to get it this way.

wshader said:
Thank you, however thats actually the repair manual I looked at. However while looking for parts I have yet to find the ribbon cable that connects to the display.
This is basically what I have except the ribbon cable is missing.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
OMG, that had to hurt.

Yeah, kid was playing basketball and fell out of his pocket. I guess the kid has broke 4 phones this month... curve, tilt, 2 pantec duos. Told my friend to get him a $20 go-phone now lol. And use the savings to get me a tilt
I dont know what kind of damage besides the physical the drop may have caused. Phone was not on at the time so that may have helped it (I hope)

wshader said:
Yeah, and I dont know what kind of damage besides the physical the drop may have caused. Phone was not on at the time so that may have helped it (I hope)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I hope u repair it. Wish u luck.

Without actually looking at it, its hard to say what exactly you need. But you for sure need a new flex cable. Unfortunately that is the hardest part to find. At least here in the US. I usually buy broken phones from people who don't want to pay for a repair. Then I use the parts from them. You can get a new housing easily enough if you need it but the flex cable will be your biggest hurdle.
I suggest trying to find one broken on ebay and using the 2 you have to make one working phone. Even a broken Tilt can run for $200 on ebay though.

Anyone notice that case has already been replaced at some stage as it has a camera hole (not standard for Tilts) a keyboard without the white part and no logo. Perhaps the replacement was weaker than the original one. If the O/P searches the forum here for LCD Screen replacements there's loads of links to different companies supplying parts for Kaiser variants. I have no experience using any of them though so cant suggest which ones are best.

@Planet Neo
Yeah I was thinking that but was hoping it wouldn't come to that. Would suck to spend $200 for parts just to find the motherboard is broke or something to that effect. Was hoping someone knew of a place to buy a new cable or had one to sell. Also was hoping someone with some experience could let me know if they think I'd need a new tilt assembly.
@Flying Kiwi
Lol, I used a picture from kaiser disassembly guide to show what i was referring to. It has the standard tilt case. I'll be taking pictures of what I have as soon as I have the phone in my possession.

Okay I assume that its going to be very hard to get the ribbon and you're going to need housing. I believe that it will be the same as making a new tilt, because the screen is as good as dead without the ribbon so all you could do is get new housing and a new screen and it should rack up about $150-200. Which in my opinion is much easier and faster and better than frustrating on getting a ribbon.
Just my 2 cents.
Kraize

Planetneo said:
Without actually looking at it, its hard to say what exactly you need. But you for sure need a new flex cable. Unfortunately that is the hardest part to find. At least here in the US. I usually buy broken phones from people who don't want to pay for a repair. Then I use the parts from them. You can get a new housing easily enough if you need it but the flex cable will be your biggest hurdle.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm sure you'll think I'm busting your balls / stalking you but hard to find? Hell no! Expensive, maybe ( $100) but hard to find? I think not. Good job you're not charging people for you expert advice else they'd be wanting refunds....how long did you say you'd been doing this for?
http://search.ebay.com/search/search.dll?from=R40&_trksid=m37&satitle=tytn+flex&category0=
You need a TYTN II flex. There are many other suppliers and if you go direct they may be a bit cheaper. google is your friend....
To check the board - connect to a windoze computer with a mini USB cable and power up or press the soft reset button to boot it - it should ident and install then try to sync. It should boot fine even with no LCD if it's OK assuming the battery still holds some charge.
A full housing will run you about $60. Some sellers have just front panels for about $40 though I'm unsure if these have the pivot.
M.S

Mysterious Stranger said:
I'm sure you'll think I'm busting your balls / stalking you but hard to find? Hell no! Expensive, maybe ( $100) but hard to find? I think not. Good job you're not charging people for you expert advice else they'd be wanting refunds....how long did you say you'd been doing this for?
http://search.ebay.com/search/search.dll?from=R40&_trksid=m37&satitle=tytn+flex&category0=
You need a TYTN II flex. There are many other suppliers and if you go direct they may be a bit cheaper. google is your friend....
To check the board - connect to a windoze computer with a mini USB cable and power up or press the soft reset button to boot it - it should ident and install then try to sync. It should boot fine even with no LCD if it's OK assuming the battery still holds some charge.
A full housing will run you about $60. Some sellers have just front panels for about $40 though I'm unsure if these have the pivot.
M.S
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Man, MS you really need to get off my nuts. It's getting creepy. I said in my post hard to find at least in the US. And the link you gave was for a seller in China. One more word of advice for the OP, Make sure this part actually works for the AT&T Tilt variant. I had a customer buy a Flex cable for the HTC Herald thinking it would work for the T-Mobile Wing but due to the modified button layout of the Wing it did not fit correctly. Much like this person HERE experienced.

Planetneo said:
Man, MS you really need to get off my nuts. It's getting creepy. I said in my post hard to find at least in the US. And the link you gave was for a seller in China. One more word of advice for the OP, Make sure this part actually works for the AT&T Tilt variant. I had a customer buy a Flex cable for the HTC Herald thinking it would work for the T-Mobile Wing but due to the modified button layout of the Wing it did not fit correctly. Much like this person HERE experienced.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
These things are made in Shenzhen so where you think the parts come from?
Stop talking &*%(* and I'll stop correcting your posts Instead of saying something is a fact say it's your opinion. It's not a 'rare' part - and they ship WORLDWIDE. It's not as if he'll get one from a local mom and pop store - it's gonna be mail order wherever you get it from and looking at the seller's feedback is a good judge - all my parts come from China - so why pay a middleman such as yourself extra $ just so it has a US stamp on the package?
Someone needs to act as quality control on your posts and it looks like it's gonna have to be me if you keep posting [email protected]
M.S

This a good deal?

Hey, my eternal search for a new phone has finally brought me here. Anyway, i've got an offer of a (used, unlocked) HTC Diamond for £115 delivered. Should i go for it? Seems in reasonably good nick:
http://i291.photobucket.com/albums/ll298/v88p/DSCF1089.jpg
http://i291.photobucket.com/albums/ll298/v88p/DSCF1092.jpg
http://i291.photobucket.com/albums/ll298/v88p/DSCF1094.jpg
and it comes with Tomtom Europe. Although a new T-Mobile Pulse (3.5" Android phone, a few 'corners cut' if you know what i mean) is only £150 and a TG01 (4.1" WinMo Snapdragon device) is £160. Then you start getting onto stuff like a used Magic or a new HTC Tattoo or Touch2 but they're not really the best value for money.
So what do you think, Diamond or other? Cheers.

help
there are a few things to be careful of with the diamond problems that you may not notice until you have used it for a while
1. camera often breaks just don't load sometimes
2. they develop battery problems drains way to fast
3. wifi connection problems
if you can use the phone for a day or 2 before buying it would help
ps. has it got the original charger???????

It's on Amazon marketplace so i can't really use it before hand... the actual product description is:
Unlocked, boxed, general wear and tear, phone in good working order. Comes with tomtom europe pre-installed, original charger, in car charger, car windscreen mount, 3.5 headphones adaptor, usb battery charger.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
What would you suggest?

im on my 3rd diamond love the phone so mabye just go for it if it does have problems sell it on

Repair or replace N1? Need help concerning hardware details.

Hey guys,
I've been struggling with my N1 power button for a while now until in August it finally failed and my device wouldn't turn on anymore.
Since I bought my phone in Germany I hesitated to send it in. Not HTC is responsible for the warranty, but the seller himself. Anyway, I mailed them, sent it in, but they denied to repair it. They said some bull***t about me braking the camera. So I talked to legal protection insurance and they asked me whether I'd prefere to sue the trader or if I want to get 220 Euro back from them instead (because obviously suing would be much more cost intensiv for the insurance then paying 220 Euro). So I decided to take the money and either buy a new phone or try to fix the power button myself. And that's what I did.
I dissembled the phone and tried to solder the broken connections following this (http://youtu.be/k74D4dGGf4U) awesome guide myself. I do not have a lot of experience with stuff like this but I thought since I had already gotten the money "back" and the phone was not working I could at least try.
I did try and I did break the rest of the power button. So know I am not sure what to do. I see two options and very much would like other users comments on what I should do.
Try to sell the other components (screen, battery, logic board) and buy a new phone.
Replace the entire board with the camera, the led and the power button.
Ad 1.) Where would you sell the components? Ebay? Any other specific website?
And also, can you suggest phones to consider. I haven't followed the "android market" for a couple of months since it was not clear what would happen to my N1. I could buy a new N1 for about 210 Euro. Or a Nexus S for about 200. Are there any new phones that can compete with the nexus one in terms of openness, processing power, battery life & built quality? Or is the N1 still the best deal (especially for that price, I don't want to spend much more then the 220 Euro, I just got back).
Ad 2.) I've looked online, there are plenty of sources to replace the board with the flex cable ribbon. They range from 17 to about 70 Dollar. The difference seems to be that the ones are without camera, while the others come with a new camera.
Since my camera was working just fine I was wondering if it's possible to use my camera on another motherboard (I think that's the adequate name of the board I am talking about, right?). I couldn't find any reports online, but there is a spare part, which indicates, that it is very possible. Has anyone tried to replace a camera? Did it work? Is there a tutorial online?
Over all, I would very much prefere the second option. I have used my N1 only for roughly a year. I got the N1 dock. And over all, it would only cost about 30 bucks and a couple of hours. Also I would not have to buy a new phone and produce unnecessary technical waste.
So I'm very much looking forward to all your comments and help. For me that's a huge project. I haven't done hardware "hacking" before, so I will need all the help I can get.
Cheers, Armin

repair it.
Replacing the flex cable is not extremely difficult (medium diff.), and the chinese sellers in ebay will often bundle the tools required to open the N1's case.
By the way, the flex cable is not the mainboard, it's the cable that connects different modules (camera, led) and buttons (volume, power) to the mainboard, replace it, plug your camera and led modules to the new flex cable, make sure all connections are tight and your N1 will be as good as new!
I just repaired my N1, and I cannot tell you how awesome it felt when this little beast came back to life after months!

hey trschober,
thanx a lot for your reply. could you elaborate on how to switch the camera? it seems like it's only held in place by the bent metal. but i don't want to "force it out" since i dont want to break the camera (expensive).
does it come off easily?
also i didn't even know i could take off the led module. but now that i had a look at it it seems like i can just "pop off" the white rectangle.
awesome, i'm really excited right now!
well, i'll just order the part. we'll see how it goes.

I've never had to replace the camera, but from ifixit's pictures it is held in place by some sort of metal clip. There must be a place that you can push to get the camera module out without forcing it.
I can open my N1 on monday to check the proper way to unmount the camera module, but I doubt that you have to force it out, these electronic things don't work that way.
Yes, the led module just pops off, just be careful no to scratch the led itself, or the light will get blueish.
The hardest part of replacing the flex cable is popping off the bottom part of your N1, just use the proper _plastic_ tools to open it, or you will scratch the case. once you disconnect the connectors, the flex cable just slides upwards and out.