At the beginning of November 2010 I dropped my Archos 32. Due to the impact the power switch was dislodged. As the warranty is usually only valid for hardware failure due to construction faults I decided to take it apart.
[Update, April 2011] It seems I am not the only one with this issue. If your Archos 32 does not switch on (and you did not drop it as I did) please contact Archos for your warrenty. It seems that my issue is not an isolated incident but a factory error. I added a step by step process to take the Archos 32 apart, based on memory if you want to do it yourself. Also drop a comment below so we build up a list.
[Continued] If you are a hardware hacker, I think you will like these pictures as a starting point.
Each photo has a resolution of roughly 1024 x 600 pixels, so feel free to click on them to see them “full size”. They were made with the Canon Ixus 210.
Related posts
Taking apart the Acer Travelmate – see the insides of the Acer Travelmate and some close-ups of the screen that will be my first Do It Yourself portable Touch Screen
Hacking away with Android: A series of articles to discover the possibilities of the Android hardware and software for productivity, hardware hacking and cluster-computing
Taking the Archos 32 apart
You will void your arrenty!
Everything falls or stands with your patience and your ability to solder if you want to do a DIY repair on your Archos 32:
– First to disconnect and re-connect the flatcable of your touch screen
– Second to re-attach the power switch.
I recommend you to contact Archos. If you did not drop it or damage it, but simply used it, it falls under your warrenty.
These are the steps if you do want to do it yourself (but it will probably break your warrenty):
- Slide open the metal casing on the back. It is very much like the back panel of a phone, but you need a bit more care and force.
- Disconnect the touch panel flat cable (see photos below) by using a soldering iron (I tore it / broke it)
- Carefully slide out the package consisting of the screen / battery / mother board
- Take care – As the Archos tablet is very compact this will require some care
- Solder the power switch to the mother board
- Pointy tip – You need a soldering iron with a pointy tip for this.
- Test your repairs before you put the package back in
- Use sticky tape to position the plastic part you use to switch the Arhcos on and off (see photos below)
- Slide the package (motherboard / battery / screen) back in
- Close the casing
- Test it again – It should work again
Archos 32
Archos 32 - beauty shot (by Archos)
Archos 32 specifications
From Archos:
Dimensions & weight :
- 105 x 55 x 9 mm – 4.1” x 2.1” x 0.3”
- 72 grams – 2.5 oz
Processor:
- ARM Cortex A8 at 800 MHz with DSP
- Graphic accelerator: 3D OpenGL ES 2.0
Interfaces:
- USB 2.0 Device
- USB 2.0 Host: Mass Storage Class (MSC) and Picture Transfer Protocol (PTP)
- Composite output5 (via headphoe jacket)
Now: let’s take it apart.
Archos 32 insides
Archos 32 - dislodged power switch
This photo shows you the dislodged power switch. It was not properly soldered to the mother board and the little kick it got when it hit the floor was enough to disconnect it. As the drop broke it by my fault and damage from the drop was visible on trhe casing, the factory warrenty is void. So, as there was nothing to lose and curious about the insides I took it apart.
Archos 32 - bottom cover, mother board and screen, power button, top side
This photo shows the three main parts when you take the Archos 32 apart. I forgot to disconnect the flat-cable of the Touch Screen and consequently it ripped.
Bottom side of the Archos 32 - headphone jacket, microphone and micro-USB
Archos 32 - angle shot showing bottom and power and volume switches on the side
Archos 32 - Bottom view on the mother board
This is where you really can see how tiny it all is. What I hold between my thumb and fingers is the entire processing unit including WiFi unit, the 800 MHz ARM Cortex A8, 8GB internal Flash memory, Bluetooth and (highly probable) the GPU. The objects on the photo are about 2x the real size.
Side of the Archos 32 - LCD display flat-cable and connector, repaired touch screen cable (4 wires)
Side of the Archos 32 - open connector clamp, disconnected touch screen flat cable
This image is about 4x the size of the real thing. The flat-cable of the LCD screen is held by a tiny white strip that presses the cable against the connectors on the bottom side. By opening it you can easily release the flat-cable.
For some reason they did not use this for the Touch Screen and I accidentally broke the cable. The previous photo shows that cable in repaired state.
On the left hand side, the three wires are visible connecting the battery to the motherboard.
Archos 32 - battery, bottom side of the mother board, camera
Again you can see how small the processing-area is. It is the area covered by the silver block: that very likely shields the processing unit(s) from radiating and receiving electromagnetic-waves. (Due to radio-sources around and the signals moving through the CPU). Visible as well is the camera and the connectors of the camera to the mother board.
The real thing is about half-size of this photo.
Archos 32 - working again
Right after I re-attached the power switch I tested the Archos to see if I did not kill it entirely. It still worked.
I had plans with the hardware, in case I could not repair it to be returned to its original state: repackaging it. Then again: the housing given by Archos is quite efficient and compact.
When making this photo I noticed the moire-effect on my camera display, leading to a next set of photos.
Photos of LCD screens
Archos 32 - detail of screen
Archos 32 - same photo, detail
As this made me curious, I made screen shots of the Samsung Galaxy, the iPod Touch (G3) and the LG 540.
Samsung Galaxy - close up of LCD screen
The Samsung Galaxy uses the same type of display, with a higher resolution.
iPhone Touch (G3) Screen
The pixels look square.
Finally I took pictures of my LG.
LG 540 - close up of screen
The “moire-effect” is actually the pattern they show on the home-page.
Peter Kaptein is an ICT professional, building things in Flash, .NET and involved in the Roomware Project. Next to this blog he also writes about Flash in his 
Beyond the keyboard 
android fan...
December 26, 2010
Can you upgrade the memory to 16g or 32g. Is there a micro SD card ?
Peter Kaptein
December 29, 2010
You can put a micro-SD card in the Archos, at least up to 8 GB and 16 to 32GB should be possible too – but cost more than the device itself. It serves you mainly for the media-files (music / movies) as the apps will be installed on the 2GB or 8GB that come with your Archos. If you refer to the RAM, I do not think you can extend that without using a soldering iron and knowing exactly what you are doing. It would be nice to have something like 1 GB of RAM to work with, but that is the limitation of this generation of devices I guess.
Grimpen
December 29, 2010
Same thing just happened to me last night. I’d bought an Archos 32 in November, and last night it took (another) spill. The pictures were a big help, and I managed to avoid breaking the touchscreen cable!
Thanks!
The Archos 32 is pretty handy, but it’s small size and light weight seems to make it easy to fumble. I’ve never had a problem with my PDAs in the past (last time I remember dropping a PDA was my old Palm m505 about 6 years ago), but this Archos 32 has had 3 drops in the last month. Go figure.
Peter Kaptein
December 29, 2010
Cool. Happy it worked for you.
Thilakan
January 7, 2011
Hi Peter, I did see your postings. I got a little idea of the parts inside of the Archos32. The touchscreen of my Arhos 32 is not working as it is slightly broken. Without touch screen it cannot operate anyway. How can I replace the touch digitalizer,is it available or not? Expecting for your response. Thank you.
Peter Kaptein
January 7, 2011
I do not know. And it is sad it is broken. Touch screens are available on the market. Problem with the Archos 32 is that it is very much glued to the casing. Try approach Archos directly. They might have something for you. Otherwise, try google more.
mule5
January 27, 2011
Awesome work. I have an archos 32 and was interested in the emmc module, wondering exactly the same as a previous commenter, if it was possible to upgrade it. I wonder why they made the design decision to go with the NAND memory module instead of an accessible and upgradable microSD card and slot. :( Thanks for the very awesome photos and tear down. :)
Peter Kaptein
January 28, 2011
@Mule5: I think mainly for size and secondly for price reasons.
The Archos32 is aimed at the lower pricing-end of the market. Each euro counts. Also – and very likely more importantly – looking at the size of the 32 (and 28) (very compact and literally no room to spare) and the effect adding a micro-SD slot to the form factor of the device, I can imagine they decided not to.
Michael
February 1, 2011
what did you use to reconnect the power button? i dont have the proper equipment. But i did have the same problem (except it’s barely notiable at all) and managed to open it up w/o disconnecting the touch screen cable
Peter Kaptein
February 1, 2011
I uses a soldering iron with a thin tip. You can buy one for about 15 euro in a hardware shop (Chinese manufacturing). The soldering tin I used is the thinnest you can buy.
Thilakan
February 1, 2011
Hi all,
I am looking for a touch screen for my Archos 32, as it has been broken. I kept it for a long time waiting someone will help me to find a replacement. Still it can show the screen but no chance to operate. Anyone can help me for that,will be appreciated. Thanks.
chris-31
April 12, 2011
Bonjour à tous,
Même demande que Thilakan : je suis également à la recherche d’un écran tactile pour mon archos 32. Archos a refusé de prendre en charge la réparation en garantie. Pourtant pas de trace de chute ou de choc sur l’appareil. J’essaierai donc de le réparer moi-même en suivant les photos de démontage si je trouve un écran tactile. J’ai l’impression que c’est l’écran intérieur qui est cassé. Donc si quelqu’un a une adresse où trouver, je suis preneur.
Merci.
Thilakan
January 27, 2012
Hi Chris,
Did you get a replacement for the touch screen of Archos 32. Still I am trying for that. Archos support is very bad. So if you find any source for the part, please leave a reply. Thanks.
Mike
February 23, 2011
Hi, will the touchscreen work at all with the ribbon cable cut? I was thinking it may only be for the 4 controll and volume buttons on the front, or is it for the whole screen?
Peter Kaptein
February 23, 2011
The ribbon cable is for the entire touch-screen. So it will not work when cut.
I think the “buttons” are also on the Touch screen and recognized that way by the device.
roger
March 11, 2011
Hi
Great pictures. how did you manage to disassemble the back of your archos? (I have some water inside the screen I would like to take away)?
Did you use a tool?
Thanks in beforehand
fghre54567
May 29, 2011
the back is designed to come off without tools.
if you simply apply a LOT of sliding force, you will unlock the back (then you can just lift it off), but you will probably break one of two non-critical little bits in the process. specifically, at the center of the curved line beneath the camera lens, where the body meets the back cover, there is a hidden tooth attached to the inside of the back cover plate. if you use your fingernail or something like paper under the back of the casing and lift a little BEFORE sliding the backing off it should not break the tooth (or the slot it normally sits in). you can see the tooth and the slot in the image with all three segments side-by-side. the plastic that forms the slot is more likely to break since the tooth (and back) is actually made of metal.
i managed to break the plastic that forms the slot, and now the back freely slides off of mine. i don’t mind it actually, but if you manage to get it off without breaking the tooth or the slot, you should be able to file the tooth down to a nub so it is difficult to slide off unintentionally, but easier to get it off when you need to…
Alan Davis
May 5, 2011
Thanks for the instructions and insight. I’ve found that my daughter’s Archos 28 has exactly the same problem. I’ll be taking it to a local shop that specializes in circuit board repair tomorrow to get it fixed.
The ribbon cable stumped me for a bit, then I figured out that if I slid the mainboard assembly sideways away from it at a slight angle I could get the mainboard out of the case w/o damaging anything in the process.
Thanks!
kyle caribou
July 7, 2011
I live in a very isolated, northern, reserve, and solder is hard to come across. Is there anything else that can be used to re-place the power button? I have the exact same problem, I have taken it apart like in the Pics ( thank you very helpful ) and manage to not rip the touch screen cable. It’s all taken apart ,but I don’t have solder to make the power button stick to the motherboard. Good news is, it turns on already if I push the little White power button. Is it absolutley necessary to re-solder the button back down? or is it to prevent future problems? I don’t plan to re-use the little plastic tab that connects to the power button.
Peter Kaptein
August 26, 2011
It is the onlu way I am afraid. If you can find someone with the appropriate gears you can ask him/her to fix it?
Oscar
March 6, 2012
Thank you very much for the post. My switch is slightly less broken than yours. It makes it trickier. I ill try to make some extra pressure with something before soldering. And yes, it is amazing how sensitive are those devices.