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OK folks,
I know this forum really isn't for this type of item, but there are so many other non-tech sites, that I wouldn't know which one to post it on!
This is a digital recorder that has been discontinued. It apparently has some features that the newer versions do that makes it valuable. This one apparently sold for over 1K when it was new.
I was asked to replace the battery in this one. It turns out that the screen must be replaced, before you can get the thing apart. I guess Kern no longer offers this service and the owner could not find anyone online that offered the service. I also visited a few cellphone repair joints, and they all refused to touch it. I can see why.
I was unable to remove the screen even with an appropriate suction cup designed for cell phones while applying heat from a hair dryer. You can see in the pix that one end of the screen has what appears to be internal cracks. I'm not sure that's what it is, as it appeared after I added some solvent alcohol to aid in softening the double stick tape holding the screen in. Also, I've seen YouTube videos where guys use one of those major heat guns, but that just seemed a bit radical as well as fear it would just fry things.
See the pix attached:
I'm sharing my failed experience attempting to remove the screen, so anyone else might know the foibles to avoid the issues I ran into.
1) WARNING: Before you attempt to disassemble the unit, know once you get the 2 screws on either side of the unit and the end caps removed, you ABSOLUTEY CANNOT ATTEMPT TO SLIDE THE INNARDS FROM SIDE TO SIDE EVEN A FEW MILLIMETERS TO REMOVE THEM. This will damage the tiny flex cable that connects the function button circuit board to the main board. Guess how I know that (;- ).
2) The bottom line is that the screen MUST be removed first before any attempt is made to remove the innards.
3) To gain a little bit of access to the screen, you can remove the end cap at the function button end of the recorder. That requires a T5 Torx driver. It's hooked under the edge nearest the screen side of the recorder, so you just carefully pry it up.
4) Push the two retaining tabs that hold the Stop/Play button rocker knob in place and remove the button.
5) Remove the 2 screws that hold the Fwd & Rev buttons in place. Be SUPER careful when removing the function button pcb, as it's double sticky taped down in the middle and the tiny flex pcb on the right side can be easily damaged. The one I worked on was damaged when I very gingerly slid the innards side to side to determine if that's the way the innards come out. That was before I realized the function board could be removed.
a. NOTE: You still have to remove the screen before you attempt to slide the guts out or you will for sure damage the power switch flex pcb,. I still never figured out where the flex pcb is that connects to the screen, as I never got that far.
7) At this point, you can at least see how the screen is attached to the body of the unit. It is as expected a strip of flexible double sticky tape.
8) Since the flex pcb to the function pcb was already torn, I stopped at this point.
9) Hopefully this will help if anyone attempt this in the future.
BTW, I used suction cup from Amazon for like $9 bucks, so no big loss there. They did fit the screen perfectly, I just could not get the tape to let go at all. I didn't break the screen in the attempt, only that weirdness that the alcohol caused on the one end of the screen near the function buttons.
Ya can’t win em all! Glen
I know this forum really isn't for this type of item, but there are so many other non-tech sites, that I wouldn't know which one to post it on!
This is a digital recorder that has been discontinued. It apparently has some features that the newer versions do that makes it valuable. This one apparently sold for over 1K when it was new.
I was asked to replace the battery in this one. It turns out that the screen must be replaced, before you can get the thing apart. I guess Kern no longer offers this service and the owner could not find anyone online that offered the service. I also visited a few cellphone repair joints, and they all refused to touch it. I can see why.
I was unable to remove the screen even with an appropriate suction cup designed for cell phones while applying heat from a hair dryer. You can see in the pix that one end of the screen has what appears to be internal cracks. I'm not sure that's what it is, as it appeared after I added some solvent alcohol to aid in softening the double stick tape holding the screen in. Also, I've seen YouTube videos where guys use one of those major heat guns, but that just seemed a bit radical as well as fear it would just fry things.
See the pix attached:
I'm sharing my failed experience attempting to remove the screen, so anyone else might know the foibles to avoid the issues I ran into.
1) WARNING: Before you attempt to disassemble the unit, know once you get the 2 screws on either side of the unit and the end caps removed, you ABSOLUTEY CANNOT ATTEMPT TO SLIDE THE INNARDS FROM SIDE TO SIDE EVEN A FEW MILLIMETERS TO REMOVE THEM. This will damage the tiny flex cable that connects the function button circuit board to the main board. Guess how I know that (;- ).
2) The bottom line is that the screen MUST be removed first before any attempt is made to remove the innards.
3) To gain a little bit of access to the screen, you can remove the end cap at the function button end of the recorder. That requires a T5 Torx driver. It's hooked under the edge nearest the screen side of the recorder, so you just carefully pry it up.
4) Push the two retaining tabs that hold the Stop/Play button rocker knob in place and remove the button.
5) Remove the 2 screws that hold the Fwd & Rev buttons in place. Be SUPER careful when removing the function button pcb, as it's double sticky taped down in the middle and the tiny flex pcb on the right side can be easily damaged. The one I worked on was damaged when I very gingerly slid the innards side to side to determine if that's the way the innards come out. That was before I realized the function board could be removed.
a. NOTE: You still have to remove the screen before you attempt to slide the guts out or you will for sure damage the power switch flex pcb,. I still never figured out where the flex pcb is that connects to the screen, as I never got that far.
7) At this point, you can at least see how the screen is attached to the body of the unit. It is as expected a strip of flexible double sticky tape.
8) Since the flex pcb to the function pcb was already torn, I stopped at this point.
9) Hopefully this will help if anyone attempt this in the future.
BTW, I used suction cup from Amazon for like $9 bucks, so no big loss there. They did fit the screen perfectly, I just could not get the tape to let go at all. I didn't break the screen in the attempt, only that weirdness that the alcohol caused on the one end of the screen near the function buttons.
Ya can’t win em all! Glen
Attached Files