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E.M.P - Eee Mobile Platform

V

visionviper

[H]ard|Gawd
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Joined
Jul 24, 2007
Messages
1,226
So I finally got my Eee PC I have been wanting to grab. Now it's time to tear it apart. The [H]ard way... :D

Parts:
Eee PC 4G Surf (This thing is freakin TINY)
Cirago Micro Bluetooth Adapter (This thing is freakin TINY :D)
GlobalTop G66 (This thing is freakin TI... well you know)
7" Touch Panel (ordered from Kiddshop on eBay - on its way)
USB Hub (Yet another tiny part)
Kapton tape, wiring, solder and all that jazz...

The modifications I am doing are to make this Eee PC a mobile platform for anything. I want to be able to take this anywhere including on the road in my car (GPS nav).


Installing Windows XP
eee.jpg

I don't have an external cd-rom drive (it's killing me) so I had to install Windows XP via flash drive. Its. So. SLOW. Take my advice - get a damn external cd-rom drive :D

Taking apart the GPS device
gps.jpg

gps_close.jpg

gps_close2.jpg

This device is PERFECT for the Eee PC. The only complication is that it uses a touch sensor to turn on and off (hence its called the "G66 Touch"). Touching the pad for 1 second turns it off and touching it for 3 seconds turns it off. The easy part is finding a way to turn it on and off when it is inside the Eee. The difficult part is making it look clean.

The bluetooth adapter from Cirago is only a tab bit bigger than the USB connector it is attached to.
bluetooth.jpg

Bought this from Newegg.

Here are some closer shots to show how tiny the GPS unit is:
blu_gps.jpg

blu_gps_comp.jpg

This thing is very thin. It is thin enough in fact that I will be mounting it under the palmrest.

The USB hub I bought is simple and small. On eBay it is called a "USB Smart Hub."
hub.jpg

hub_comp.jpg

Nice, small PCB makes it perfect for the Eee.

Updates to come this weekend or sooner.
 
off to a good start with all the parts.

i wish i had some spare cash to rig up a nice EEE for whatever.
 
No additional storage space? I'm going to be doing a lot of the same mods to my EEE when I finally get one... I'm hoping to do the same to a 901 once they are readily available, but no touch screens are out yet (otherwise I'd just skip the 701)

I'm not sure if you've seen this (but I'm guessing you have), this wiki is a good resource if you're looking for placement ideas
http://beta.ivancover.com/wiki/index.php/Eee_PC_Internal_Upgrades

The touch GPS looks pretty awesome, though.

Tagged cause i'm going to be checking this thread ;D
 
I have seen that Wiki - the touchscreen stuff is what I am most interested in on it.

Currently I have no plans for extra storage because, well, I don't need it. With the nLite'd install of Windows XP and the fact that I do not plan on installing that much stuff, I will have plenty of storage.
 
Here is a little update - not the larger update I was thinking I was going to be able to make, but it is an update none the less.

mini_usb.jpg

Here you can see I took apart a mini USB cable so that I could mark the pins with what goes where. I mainly just wanted to not get the ground wire and power wire mixed up - that would be BAD.

kaptop.jpg

This is the Kapton tape and double-sided sticky foam I bought. It may or may not end up being too thick - we shall see!
 
UPDATE!!!

On Saturday I got this in the mail:
hk_express.jpg

My touch panel! (and extra bits)

Time to get crackin!
innards.jpg


One of the first things I did was removed the metal and padding on the left side of the touch pad.
shield_removed.jpg

This is going to give me more space for the GPS and better signal strength.

I then moved onto stripping the USB hub.
hub_stripped.jpg

There is not enough room where I am putting the hub to leave those things on. I am going to re-wire them and have them off to the side.

I then moved onto starting to wire up the bluetooth.
bluetooth_wired.jpg


After the bluetooth I went onto preparing the GPS board.
gps_cut.jpg

I removed the mini-usb connector and I will be wiring up straight to the board.

Once I finished preparing things to be placed into the Eee I started wiring everything up.
getting_there.jpg

I put Kapton tape onto the motherboard to protect it from the double-sided foam I am using to attach things. This way if something breaks or I want to replace something I am not left with foam stuck to the motherboard. I also put Kapton tape around the bluetooth module and one side of the GPS module that was basically touching the audio ports. Another thing you might notice is that the hub is missing a capacitor. Umm... whoops. I accidentally broke it and so now I have to get a new one. I have replacements coming in the mail... from Hong Kong :(

My next mission? Remove the LCD screen so that I can take off the anti-glare filter as well as make room for the touch panel.
lcd_gone.jpg

I removed the LCD and everything behind it.

Here is the LCD and the LCD parts after I removed them from the Eee.
lcd.jpg


I them took the frame holding the LCD apart and separated the LCD and the backlight.
lcd_and_backlight.jpg


I decided to use distilled water to remove the anti-glare filter from the LCD.
lets_hope.jpg

Let's hope it works and I remove the anti-glare filter and not the polarization film.

There will be another update later tonight!
 
I broke my LCD. If you have one and are willing to sell it please send me a PM.
 
what possessed you to douse a new lcd panel in water? even distilled... what?
 
For someone that good with the soldering gun, what gave you the idea of distilled water?
 
haha, looks like i'm not the only one that finds that insane.
 
None that I saw on a quick look, but I stumbled across this forum on a whim:
http://forum.eeeuser.com/viewforum.php?id=41

To others: It is common to use distilled water on the virgin LCD panel to remove the anti glare, supposedly it softens the glue, but I think all that really happens is that it softens the edges. It's more sane than the other methods i've seen (sanding, really?). It's a bit touchy, though.

visionviper: what exactly happened? Did you peel the polarizer back?
 
This is what happened.

I was peeling back the anti-glare filter and after I started getting to half way it was getting a bit more difficult to keep the LCD from starting to bend. I was trying to hold it down but it cracked. What I should have done was start from the other end. I probably could have let it soak for 4 hours too instead of three. Oh well, I can't change it now. Really sucks I have to buy a new LCD, but like I said - I can't do anything to change that.

I am most likely going to buy a used 2G and then re-sell it minus the LCD. I figure I can buy a used one for $260 or less and sell it again (minus LCD) for around $100. Really wish I didn't have to, but whatever.
 
visionviper said:
This is what happened.

I was peeling back the anti-glare filter and after I started getting to half way it was getting a bit more difficult to keep the LCD from starting to bend. I was trying to hold it down but it cracked. What I should have done was start from the other end. I probably could have let it soak for 4 hours too instead of three. Oh well, I can't change it now. Really sucks I have to buy a new LCD, but like I said - I can't do anything to change that.

I am most likely going to buy a used 2G and then re-sell it minus the LCD. I figure I can buy a used one for $260 or less and sell it again (minus LCD) for around $100. Really wish I didn't have to, but whatever.
Click to expand...

Damn, I'm sorry for what happened to you.

Hope things work out for you man, sucks. I feel your pain since I've gone through my share of hardware shit.
 
Distilled water wont cause any issues. You could wash a circuit board if you desired (mobo makers use large dishwasher machines to clean the motherboards before shipment), as long as you let it completley dry you should not have any issues. People are so freaked when they see water near circuitry.
 
Anyone with kids will tell you circuit boards aren't THAT sensitive as long as they aren't powered up. I've got 4 remotes that have seen the toilet more than once and still work after years!
 
Wait, touch screen. How do you turn this into a touch screen? I am interested in a mod similar to this too.
 
urgh, i hate it when i stuble across work logs and get intrested in them only to come to the last page.

Page 2 only had ONE post... comon man, we need updates, this is pretty hardcore.
 
Funcoot said:
Wait, touch screen. How do you turn this into a touch screen? I am interested in a mod similar to this too.
Click to expand...

There is documentation online, you basically buy a kit, and then place the film on top of your screen and place a hub on the inside of your EEE (unless you want to disable your webcam).

MrWizard6600 said:
urgh, i hate it when i stuble across work logs and get intrested in them only to come to the last page.

Page 2 only had ONE post... comon man, we need updates, this is pretty hardcore.
Click to expand...
You should check out the wiki of the first guy to add all the mods, it's pretty well done. I am planning on starting my EEE modding soon, my 7" just came in yesterday!

(I recently sold my 9, just after the touch screens for the 9s came out:rolleyes:)


Hey viper, were you able to source an LCD?
 
For those watching - this mod is not dead! I will be updating soon with the work I have completed since my last update.
 
As a fellow eeePC modder I'll be watching this with great interest.

I must warn you about the GPS though, I've completed 5GPS mods in various eeePC's and the signal strength varies drastically depending on the installation location. I'm going to highly recommend the location of the antenna in the picture below, this has been hands down the most successful location for me. Mounting it under the palm rest will likely not work due to the shielding on the case, and interference from the motherboard.

click for big


I'll also suggest the Holux GPSlim 240 Bluetooth GPS Receiver, it's the smallest adapter I've found on the web; I've used it in 3 of my GPS mods and it's been the most successful doe to the face that it can be fitted in the LCD bezel. (here is another eee mod I did using this adaptor mounted in the bezel).

click for big

antenna measurements:


Goodluck!
 
Thanks for the tips. I currently have the GPS mounted between the palmrest and the motherboard with the metal shielding under the palmrest removed. I have been unable to test the GPS as of yet (I still have to wire up the USB hub) but I am confident it will work. The reason I went with this route is I am hoping to be able to have the GPS antenna mounted properly (facing the sky) instead of facing outwards from however the LCD is angled. I am hoping this will give me better signal but I won't know until everything is all hooked up. If it doesn't work I will certainly look into the method you have taken as it appears to have worked well for you.
 
Hey VV, did you get a new monitor? I might have one at work that may be of use. I haven't seen it yet, though. I'm at Intel,and we have a guy here who basically chops up laptops. I asked him for you, but you'd have to send me your EEE, which I'm guessing you're not in the position to do right now...

LMK.
 
I am still on the hunt for a replacement LCD as of now. I talked to the folks at Asus and they said they will replace mine for $100 and ship it back to me. I have been monitoring the Eee PC Forums for one but they are few and far between.

Thanks for asking that guy at Intel. Is it possible I could just get the LCD sent over to me? I have no problem putting it in myself.
 
visionviper said:
I am still on the hunt for a replacement LCD as of now. I talked to the folks at Asus and they said they will replace mine for $100 and ship it back to me. I have been monitoring the Eee PC Forums for one but they are few and far between.

Thanks for asking that guy at Intel. Is it possible I could just get the LCD sent over to me? I have no problem putting it in myself.
Click to expand...

I am pretty sure he wants to swap it with your machine present for whatever reason (that way he isn't liable for parts "going missing" (they're pretty picky about it here, for obvious reasons).

He mentioned that some film looks like it is loose on the LCD as well, maybe he picked this machine up from someone who had the same idea as you? :eek:

I've got a 701 as well. Let me see if I can get some alone time with the replacement LCD we have here, and if it works I'll arrange a cross ship? I've got a few weeks left here (internship), so shoot me a PM and I'll get some updates.
 
Here is my latest update. I have been finishing up some of the last bits of work. I still need to solder wires from the camera connector to the USB hub and I need to finish connecting the wires for the touch panel controller.

bare_wire.jpg

Here you can see the little bit of bare wire that I have exposed. This allows me to turn the GPS on and off.

battery.jpg

I also wired up the battery for the GPS. Those wires run under the motherboard and come up right around the edge of the motherboard where the GPS is.

I don't really have that much farther to go. I am contacting Asus tomorrow about a replacement LCD for the Eee. I basically just have one more update to go! :D
 
nice project, but it think the name would've been better as M.E.E.E.P. (mobile eeepc platform :p
 
Does your GPS work in its wrist-pad location?
Click to expand...

Quite well actually. I am in the basement of my house with two floors above me and I was still able to pick up 7 sats. I am very glad I put the GPS where I did.


nice project, but it think the name would've been better as M.E.E.E.P. (mobile eeepc platform :p
Click to expand...

Haha! I like that. It's even better because we have Time Warner out here so we have Road Runner internet :D
 
So I sent in my Eee for repair - and it has not gone well.

I received a laptop, but its not the one I sent in. It's a completely different laptop.
 
eh how did it break?
Click to expand...

LCD broke when I was trying to remove the anti-glare filter. I sent it in for a non-warranty repair. I have called into Asus and left a message for the person who is supposed to be able to help me. Not quite sure what I am going to do. It will cost me about the same amount of money to just keep this one and redo everything as it would to get my old laptop back and pay for the LCD repair.
 
That's a big bummer man.

Did you loose all your 'extra' hardware? I'd assume that you removed your mods before sending it in.

If that's the case then contact Asus for compensation of the value of the additions.

If not, then whats the problem? New eee to play with, and experience with past modding... mod it again.



I vote you do it over... it's much easier the 2nd time. I've torn so many of these apart I could probably do it blind now.
 
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