Posted 30 January 2012 - 09:46 AM

Hello.This morning my Onda VX610w Black 5-point capacitive refused to wake from sleep. The power button was just rattling around in its socket, and it seemed unattached to anything inside the chassis. I could not wake it from sleep, and I could not turn it off.I had to use hard reset (button on the back), and download a root enabeled app to turn it completely off before opening the carcass. Good thing the firmware is rooted from manufacturer. I opened it up , and to my grand surprise the button rod was designed so it rested directly against the switch. No block or brake had stopped the rod from literally ripping up the switch from it's soldering on the motherboard and thus rendering the device without a power button.I'm not using heavy hands when pressing the button. I do however use the device all day long and press the powerbutton perhaps 50-75 times a day. I've had the slate for about a month. I put it down to material breakage due to minute movement of the switch, and eventually the tiny two-point solder gave up and one point got ripped away from the motherboard.It might have been a weak soldering, but the design is unmistakingly flawed.There are two support beam holding the rod in place. I used them as a basis for the modification.You will also see a ducttape covering the button. This is to get the maximum normal depth of a pressed button, and where to put the brakes.I used a random piece of hard plastic and cut it into small triangles that fit the + beam that is the power button rod. I used triangles as to minimize space taken and maximize support.To fasten the triangles I used super glue. I "sanded" the areas where the glue would go on both the plastic and rod as to maximize the hold. It's really fidgity work, and I had to use a pincher and a small screwdriver to get it in place. I also used a sharpened match to remove the excess glue to ensure there would be no residue to chafe and no glued-in-place rod.As planned, it also supports the movement made by the power button rod, ensuring that the minuscle force that is needed to actually press down and activate the switch does not move the switch itself.I used a "broad" piece of plastics to achieve stability. There is an area where there are no conductors, and this is the place where I chose to anchor the support.I first glued the piece to the switch, and then stretched the plastic as far as possible to achieve tension before securing it to the motherboard. I put glue on the plastic, not on the motherboard as to minimize glue spilling while adjusting the tension.I assume it would be easy to solder it. I do not have the equipment for that size, nor do I have the know-how to solder printboards without busting the other components. Glue is, to me, the easiest alternative if it works.I love my cheap slate. It is great value for money, surprisingly fast and versitile. Being a cheap slate, there is several shortcuts being taken. In my experience, the powerbutton is the most important one. For a gadgeteer like me, a small repair like this is just fun. The time and money that it would take to send it in to repair does not equal the value of the device itself. People who are afraid of a a bad buy or is not willing to open up the device should perhaps invest in a more expensive slate. However, there is a great gap between cheap and expensive slates, and for me it's not worth it.It is my entry-level android slate, and I would not trade it for the world. Well, I would trade - But not pay the differance.I tried to have a look at a disassembled Onda VX610w, but could not find any pictures of the innards online. So I provide the community and random googlers with a dump of all the pictures I took while picking it apart and repairing it. Note that one of the supporting "beams" were broken while opening it up, but after reassembeling it I could not notice the difference. After tightening the screws it was as good as new.I also took note of the battery being soldered to the motherboard and the "Flash 2" solderpoints and unused space.I did not remove the motherboard from the chassis to have a look at the processor and various components. I am a mid-level geek. I like to have a look at stuff if it's broken and then repair it. But if it's not broken, don't touch it.

Edited by JanseNor, 30 January 2012 - 05:05 PM.