Anyone tried resoldering the power/USB port?

[ifb]

The USB port on my G9/90 is loose rest the lead on something like a book to gently force it upwards in order to maintain contact and enable charging. It's definitely not the lead as I have tried several others with exactly the same results. The port doesn't look loose or damaged. I guess there is a dry joint where it fixes to the motherboard.

I was wondering if anyone has done this and has any advice?

Alas my unit is 4 months over the warranty so I don't think it's worth sending to Archos.

Ian

[Mandopicker101]

Hi

As this is a known design flaw (OK, they haven't coughed to it but how many G9s have come back with this problem?), there's nothing to lose by contacting Archos and laying it out to them. I'd stress how carefully you've used your tablet. Are you in Europe? EC regulations stipulate electronic goods have a 2 year warranty. Sellers should uphold this. Even Archos.

By way of example, my MacBook was 2 months out of warranty but was displaying signs of a well-known design flaw (well known in the sense that most Apple forums , official or otherwise, had threads on it). I took it to my local Apple Store, politely asked them to look at it and the Genius decided 2 months was nothing to worry about. £200 worth of repairs later, I walked away with my Mac, repaired for free (or rather Apple shifted my warranty to an extra 75 days).
Subsequently I read of people in the same situation as myself storming into Apple stores and calling down the wrath of the Gods etc...to which Apple merely pointed out the warranty had expired...

Good luck!

[ifb]

OK, I will give it a try. This is the second unit I have had as the original never worked properly and had the infamous screen pressure effect problem. Carphone Warehouse, where I bought it from, were extremely helpful that time.

I will report back!

Ian

[ifb]

OK, it seems that once the year's warranty is up, Carphone Warehouse can't really help, so I have contacted Archos and they have advised me to send the unit to their service centre in Southampton (I will have to pay the shipping cost) and they will then evaluate the unit. If they decided to repair or replace it free of charge then all and well but at least whatever happens they will return the unit without any further charge.

Although we have only had the unit for almost exactly a year, it's a replacement for one we bought 16 months ago and Archos maintain that the warranty starts with the original unit. The potential bone of contention is whether they are obliged by UK and European consumer law to repair my unit free of charge.

More updates when I get them!

Ian

[Mandopicker101]

Ian

See http://ec.europa.eu/consumers/rights/gen_rights_en.htm

Sellers of consumer goods within the EU are obliged to guarantee the conformity of the goods with the contract for a period of two years after the delivery of the goods.

That's an EC directive.

Gareth

[tscott]

No one has answered the question yet. Has anyone tried resoldering the USB port?

[Cyberpunk]

Archos isn't going to repair dick. They will just send back someone else's working cleaned up return. I would at least first pop the cover and check if you can reach the usb to examine and possibly repair, before sending back. Getting back a refurb is a total crap shoot.

[Cyclope]

Usually this problem can be traced back to a cracked flexible flat cable. I had to fix mine as well. An explanation on how to do it is given somewhere on the forum. It's not that hard to do, but you need to find the right cable. I found a replacement cable in an old laptop, but it's also sold online (sites like aliexpress have them).
Good luck!

[Nigel]

Usually this problem can be traced back to a cracked flexible flat cable. I had to fix mine as well. An explanation on how to do it is given somewhere on the forum. It's not that hard to do, but you need to find the right cable. I found a replacement cable in an old laptop, but it's also sold online (sites like aliexpress have them).

Cyclope, I think you are referring to the problem many have had with the full-sized, sliding USB socket (where the flexible cable connecting it to the motherboard is not the right type to cope with regular movement of the USB socket). I think the OP is referring to the micro-USB data socket that is soldered to the motherboard (and which, for the flash-based G9 models, is also used for charging).

[Cyberpunk]

Usually this problem can be traced back to a cracked flexible flat cable. I had to fix mine as well. An explanation on how to do it is given somewhere on the forum. It's not that hard to do, but you need to find the right cable. I found a replacement cable in an old laptop, but it's also sold online (sites like aliexpress have them).

Cyclope, I think you are referring to the problem many have had with the full-sized, sliding USB socket (where the flexible cable connecting it to the motherboard is not the right type to cope with regular movement of the USB socket). I think the OP is referring to the micro-USB data socket that is soldered to the motherboard (and which, for the flash-based G9 models, is also used for charging).

Bro, I just got my 80 G9 and I noticed when trying a thumb drive on the back "G" spot the usb port sliding in and out. Scared the crap out of me. Is it supposed to do that?

[Nigel]

Bro, I just got my 80 G9 and I noticed when trying a thumb drive on the back "G" spot the usb port sliding in and out. Scared the crap out of me. Is it supposed to do that?

Yes, it's meant to slide, the idea is that it can improve the reception if you have a 3G stick in there. (A more sensible solution, though, would have been to make the 3G stick have a flip-out aerial... or to have supplied a short USB extension cable.)

The problem is, the ribbon cable connecting the USB socket to the motherboard has given many people problems: they chose a part that is not up to the job of repeated flexing. Some people have carefully applied a little bit of glue to the slider, so that it stays fixed (as so reduces the risk of the cable being damaged).

[parkair]

The contacts on the micro USB port are just about inaccessible for rework. There is a plastic component behind it which appears to be part of the camera lens, and the space between that and the body of the port is only 1.25mm, not nearly adequate to do a re-solder job. There are five soldered contacts, with a total spacing of only about 3.4mm between the first and last pin, and they are so closely spaced that if one could solder them it is likely that the solder would bridge the contacts. This product was designed for surface mount components with no attention being paid to the requirements for servicing, a very poor concept in view of the use of such a fragile connector.

If you do open your unit to take a look, be careful of the connector for the ribbon cable going to the display. Another bad component choice, it is likely to pop open and is a PITA to replace as both halves of the enclosure have to be placed together, separated by only a couple of inches in order to make the reconnection and close the small "lid" on the connector that holds the cable in place. There is also a piece of tape over the cable, presumably intended to hold things in place. It doesn't work very well!.