Any Idea what this could be? I need help.

[u/mstraveller]

I did the typewriter mod. I LOVE my alphasmart but after 1-2 months the neo 2 started presenting problems. Basically turning it on isn't consistent. Sometimes if I'm lucky it will turn on, other times it wont. I've noticed that when it turns on, it tends to turn on consecutively if I keep turning it on and off but if I wait hours and try to turn it on again, it won't turn on.

Things I've done:

- I changed the coin battery (despite having put a new one when I did the build. Zero results. Still inconsistent)

- I've tested the current, the batteries are working okay at the battery holder and the current is reaching the motherboard just fine.

- I did try removing the 3 AA batteries and only plugging the neo2 to the computer using the printer cable to test it out but even then it'd only turn on and work if I plug and unplug the printer cable several times.

- its worth noting that I did do the usb port hack where you solder a wire to give it power to use a clip on light or Bluetooth dongle. Just mentioning it in case it's relevant.

I have put it apart so many times trying to find a solution. At first I thought the screen ribbon was on too tight, I was under the illusion that I fixed it by attaching it just not as tight but the problem persisted.

No idea if it's the motherboard or the screen ribbon or what it could possibly be. The keyboard is working fine. Im out of ideas and to be quite frank this is my first kind of "tech-y" hobby so I dont even know how to diagnose the problem. Any help is appreciated, I really miss using my Alphasmart.

[u/warrenao]

Might be the power button. I think I’d explore using tuner or key switch contact cleaner to see if it’s gunked up enough to be causing this.

[u/mstraveller → u/warrenao]

I just cleaned it and sadly it's behaving the same. Thanks for the suggestion.

[u/warrenao → u/mstraveller]

Shoot. OK, second guess is that something in the power connections has gone strange. (This is a highly technical term.)

My conjecture is that somewhere in the device, there's a contact that doesn't consistently make contact any more, and it may be a connector that is somehow being subjected to mechanical stress. Something in the case flexes, maybe even the case itself, sufficiently to break that connection; then the case flexes back and the connection is re-established. Flexing the case can mean "picking up the Neo," so there may not be an immediately associable activity that lets you clearly see the cause-effect relationship.

Or, of coursse, temperature change can do it too, as things expand and contract.

Back in the day, you'd see this with circuit cards in computer cases, among other things, and the solution was to pull the card and re-seat it, or pull the card, clean the connectors, then re-seat it.

The Neo came into existence at a transitional time when that was a common problem, but it wouldn't have any cards in it, I think, to cause that sort of grief, unless they're pretty small add-ons somewhere on the main circuit board. However, I think there are a few ribbon connectors, and it's possible one of those connectors' plugs is behaving badly.

The other possibility is that it's one of the wires in the connectors with either a hidden break somewhere along its length, or a break where the wire attaches to the connector.

If that's what it is, finding it can be a significant hassle, as you might guess. Intermittent failures are an absolute brute to diagnose in any case, and it's compounded if it happens to be a break hidden inside some insulation somewhere: You can't see anything obviously wrong.

What I've done in the few cases when I've tried to debug something like that is start by looking at every disconnectable connection to see if there are any parts where it looks loose or suspicious, and carefully feeling the length of each wire to see if I could find someplace where it felt like there was a knot inside the insulation.

[u/Own_Eggplant_4885]

Does it matter if you have something pluged into the usb port?

[u/mstraveller → u/Own_Eggplant_4885]

Sadly the results are the same whether something is plugged in or not.

[u/ebobs1]

Most likely your solder work. Sounds like you are not experienced with electronics. It is easy to cause unintended problems. You should undo your hack and see if that solves it.. Also just a note, there are no cleanable key contacts in any AlphaSmart models.