Any advice on breainig into an Archos 101

[Swould333]

Bought a 101 from a fella on craigslist... speakers gave out in 3 day's..
he can't lay hands on the reciept to be able to send it in under waranty..
Being pretty handy i thought i'd give it a go before i send it to archos they said it'd be about $100 to fix...

Best to build on the eperiences of others in these matters... tips and trix greatly appreciated....

found a vid on Youtube showing the tear down of a A-70... should be similar though.. right?

 

[kierandill]

There is a crudely-Google-translated teardown here, originally in French. Seems like he found alot of loose screws inside. Yikes!
Google Translate

 

[Swould333]

Sweet!!! Thanks man...

 

[gurgle]

There are 8 screws, 6 visible, 2 under the rubber bumps
The hardest parts are:
Finding the correct bit. They are not micro-Torx T-3/4 or slot/phillips screws. They are a very small hex. (Well that is what works for me.)
The other is the limited range of motion with the Ribbon cables. It is very similar to the A70 disassembly as the pics appear to me.
Finally reinstalling is a pain. Take LOTS of pictures is all I can say.

 

[Kahoolie]

@Gurgle: What did you find wrong? How did the quality look inside?

 

[gurgle]

I found no loose screws. The one thing I did notice was a ribbon cable just inserted, not locked. That would have been an oxidation/vibration connection problem long term. The Battery is not going to be easy to replace is my other comment. The closest compatible battery I have seen is made for the Archos Netbook A9. They both are 6000mHAmp 3.7 volt.
Everything appears to be wave and digitally soldered. Otherwise it is a sandwich of ribbon connected boards.
The back "comes off once you have removed the screws. then you have something that you need Anti-stat wedges and holders to inspect. Tight and well designed. BUT,
The ROM is obvious, As is the Storage Flash, The OMAP processor board contains the Ram chip and CPU and the other chips.
I have been inside Archos since I opened my 504/80. This is by far the most complex and simplest design I have seen.
The difference is how many chips and pots no longer needed. They are down to just a few chips in comparison.

 

[Kahoolie]

Gurgle,
Thanks for the info.

BTW, I looked at the screws w/ a microscope (30X). they are definitely a Torx, but were so mangled that a hex (Allen) wrench would probably fit better.