From: Mike Ryan <mryan_at_itol.com>
Date: Wed, 29 Oct 2003 21:40:25 -0600

Well, I tried some surgery today. First, I found that it is MUCH easier to
remove the smallest PCB by cutting the two metal tabs instead of unsoldering
a BUNCH of places. Nice tip in the disassembly instructions! I found the
little switches to be a LOT smaller than I expected them to be. I assumed
that perhaps there was just a cold solder joint on the particular switch.
However, I was not expecting them to be surface mounted. Looks like they
would have had enough room to use a rubber-like button on a contact on the
PCB like they do in all recent TV remotes. I wish that they had. TV remotes
seem to last forever, even when I constantly use the up/down channel
buttons.

As you stated below, the problem is the switch itself, not the mounting /
soldering. I'm thinking that perhaps the easiest thing to do is to remove
the unused LINE-IN port and install a small pushbutton switch jumped to the
appropriate lines. Of course, I'll have to be even more creative if another
button stops working... If anybody knows where the same switches could be
purchased from I'd bet they could sell a bunch. I'd replace all six at the
same time as long as I had the case open. I'd buy a few spares as well,
knowing how unreliable they are.

Thanks for all the suggestions and help!!!!

Mike

-----Original Message-----
From: owner-rockbox_at_cool.haxx.se [mailto:owner-rockbox_at_cool.haxx.se]On
Behalf Of perterm
Sent: Wednesday, October 29, 2003 3:10 AM
To: rockbox_at_cool.haxx.se
Subject: AW: dead "play" button on Jukebox 20

Von: Mike Ryan
> Suddenly the PLAY button is not working most of the time it is pressed.
> ...
> I'm pretty sure that the switches used are similar to the metal "disks"
> on an IC that were used, for example, in the old Atari 2600 joysticks.

I've had the same problems with nearly all the switches in my JBR. I haven't
found any distributor for suitable replacements switches (they're
extraordinarily flat) thus I unsoldered the switches and opened their
housings. In all these switches the little contact metal "disks" (the things
that were supposed to go 'click') were cracked. I managed to rebend these
thingies so that the switches worked - for a short while. Unusual high
pressure was necessary to operate some of these repaired switches. This
pressure bent the pcb slightly - to much in the long run. Some wire on the
pcb seems to have suffered a hariline crack. Now the unit crashes at random.
Resoldering each single solder point didn't help and I can't find which wire
is broken. -> The unit is beyond repair. :(

Phil
Received on 2003-10-30