prologue: touchscreen mod take one

So I have my Belkin 55-piece computer tool set via recommendation of mrshamill (I can feel her panicking from here; I didn't set myself on fire, promise) and today the touch screen mod kit and an organizer box for my things that are related to computers came as well as a soldering iron stand that has an attached magnifying glass and two alligator clips, all adjustable. Basically, I give the appearance of organization and competence and coolness. It is all a lie.

You might think this is to give an actual progress report; there's not one. I disassembled the mini into all it's component parts, sat down with the motherboard, and tried to figure out what I was doing.

As it turns out, I do not, but I am learning. Things I learned today.

1.) My board's internal usb connectors are four pin; the touchscreen's are five.

2.) Pin does not always mean the same thing in relation to usb ports when googling.

3.) I can cut wires very neatly.

The plan is as follows.

There are a total of four internal usb cables, plus the internal usb cable between the touchscreen and the touchscreen usb hub. Two of the connectors are useless, since they have very large connector ends, so I sacrificed one and cut it, thus now having one with one five-pin connector to the touchscreen hub on one side and wild crazy wires on the other. The idea, such as it is, is to tin them and then find a head that is four pin, then in some way make these two come together. I am going to guess this may not work well, but cables are cheap and I have time, so I may try anyway.

My second possibility is more complicated but highly interesting; get a pci-e usb hub, cut the connectors on the board, solder the tinned wires to that, and I have liftoff. It is very simple, which means I will doubtless set myself on fire. I mean, I am kind of due for it. It also is soldering, which is new and exciting, and that is why I hunted up my long-dead and sad motherboard from Brian to practice on first.

Currently, everything is still in it's component parts, organized by type, with padding, in various neat boxes for storage, since I'm not putting it together again until I figure out how to make this work or die trying.

Basically, this could end in a lot of terrifying ways. I'm rather excited.

Comments

[jamethiel]

Just. Please try not to set yourself on fire. Or anything else. Setting things on fire is bad.

Have fun!

[seperis]

Thank you! I am going to try very hard.

[concinnity]

I just panicked a little on your behalf. Your mini! BUT- it will be awesome when its done! BUT- fire! *hands*

And now I'm just waiting for pictures of the whole process. :) Home mechanics ftw!

[seperis]

*glee* I am very excited.

[mrshamill]

OhsweetBuddhainafryingpan I AM enabling you.

Just... don't let Your Child touch it, mmmkay? I had to hide the soldering gun from My Child until she got old enough to outgrow the desire to play with those kinds of things. (And she did, thank Buddha, I'm not sure what I would have done if she hadn't. I can handle her writing slash at eleven but taking apart computers at eleven would have been... difficult.)

sigh

[seperis]

My middle sister actually was trained in this when she was a tech at Freescale and Motorola, so she promised to teach Child if he didn't touch it otherwise or play with it without supervision, which actually works since he likes the idea of a pro teaching him.

Be comforted. I have a very cool soldering iron stand that came with a magnifying glass and clips to hold the wire on. I also have an old motherboard for practice. It looks like what I'm doing--tinning wires and then joining them to the usb connectors--isn't too complicated, so I'm pulling some old wires to practice connecting them to the old motherboard first.

If it's any consolation, I spent most of last night reading through the reference guides I could find for the letter-number combinations of electrical components on the motherboard, though now I'd kill for the book of IEEE compliance, because man. And reading about how the chipset traces work and the pins for a usb connection. I do not know precisely what I am doing, per se, but I know what to avoid.

*crosses fingers*

[harpers_child]

i have mad envy for anyone who can take apart their computer and put it back together after making modifications. good luck.

[aubergineautumn.livejournal.com]

*yawns* and POUNCES! Post pictures so we can follow the enthralling process.

[seperis.livejournal.com]

*glee*

[brihana25.livejournal.com]

You have my absolute, unending respect for this. I'll build you any computer you want, I can run wiring and attach hardware all day long, as long as I've got the schematics I need (and sometimes even if I don't). I'll swap out boards on harddrives. I don't care.

But soldering? Oh, hell no. That's scary. :}

[seperis.livejournal.com]

I can't wait. I've been carefully reading and watching youtube vids. My sister and both her ex and current husband can all do this, so I've watched it before, but it doesn't hurt to, you know, procrastinate and refresh my knowledge!

God I hope this works. *crosses fingers*

[spasticat.livejournal.com]

And there will be pictures? Because there must be recorded proof. Yes.

[seperis.livejournal.com]

I will take pictures! If I am not on fire.

[drunkoffthestars]

OMG. This all sounds so thrilling!! *surreptitiously adds soldering iron to wishlist*

[lurkerlynne.livejournal.com]

Get one of them thar new-fangled cold heat ones. It short-circuits certain temptations involving heat producing devices and various surfaces and/or substances.

BTW, soldering irons are so-so for wood burning.

[drunkoffthestars]

oh, that is extra-good to know! not that that would ever be a problem for me or anything...

[seperis.livejournal.com]

*GLEE* IT IS. I AM TRYING TO STAY CALM SO AS NOT OT SOLDER MYSELF BY ACCIDENT.

[lurkerlynne.livejournal.com]

I used to be good at soldering. Kinda wanna do it again now.

[seperis.livejournal.com]

We could have an LJ support group. *nods*