Hi! I'm new to the forums but I've been reading for a while now. I've been looking all over, with little luck, for some help or advice for a problem I'm having. If we get it solved here, then hopefully if someone else googles it, it will be around to find. And unlike a lot of people out there, I promise that if I find the fix somewhere else in the meantime, I will follow back up for the sake of anyone else that gets this problem in the future! So frustrating when someone has your exact same problem but never posts what they did or if they fixed it!
Anyhow!
I have a Dell Axim x50v, and it's running Windows Mobile 5.0 (the version that Dell sent out install CD's for). I've had it running custom WM6 before, and I know how to perform an SD install. I had good luck the first time doing it, but for some stupid reason, I downgraded back to the default OS and then over to WM5 again via USB install. Now I'm stuck with it because....
My Action Button doesn't work! I can live without it of course, except for being unable to perform an SD Card ROM update. I can even live with WM5, it's not bad at all in my opinion, but since I've downgraded, my 8 GB Transcend SDHC cards are no longer recognized.
So, two problems.
Can't upgrade ROM with SD Flash, and can't recognize 4+GB SDHC cards.
I've tried the HTC SDHC update and it did seem to work. My Axim did recognize the card, but limited it to 3.6GB or so. I thought I'd be slick and try to partition the card into two 3.6 GB partitions. It half-worked but that was trouble because you can't partition an SD card in Windows. And I still wouldn't be getting the full usage anyway, and transferring files over to the SD card would have to be done through ActiveSync. Too much of a pain, but halfway-possible if you can partition your card with the Axim via software.
Anyhow, the only possible solutions I can figure out to get above WM5 since my action button doesn't work are... (and if anyone knows if these options are possible or could point me in the right direction to try it, that would be awesome)
1. Find some way to re-map the Action Button to another button that does work. The D-Pad and Action button don't work, but any other button would do in my case. I'm just not sure where/how to find the setting or alter it because it would have to be remapped in the ROM, right?
2. Figure out how the SD Update for WM5 compares to the USB update for WM5, and see if there's some way to make a USB update package from a custom WM6 ROM. I would think that should be somewhat possible but I don't know where to start. I can follow instructions well though, if anyone knows the right direction to go in. (Unless it's incredibly complicated...)
3. Some other way I haven't thought of like actually opening the Axim and finding out if something is obviously wrong or needs cleaning. I'm trying to avoid this route though because with my luck, I'll destroy it or something. Plus I checked, and the screw heads on the back (which I still am not sure what the hell kind of screwdriver those things take) look pretty worn down. Someone must have tried to get into it once or something and had no luck.
It sounds like you should be checking the hardware.
The connection to the dpad may just be loose.
The Screws are called Torx 5 and are fairly readily available.
You will find a very good video here showing how to disassemble your Ax.
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Hmm... well I've tried just about everything else I could think of, so I'll give it a shot. Thank you for the video link and the name of the screw types, that will help a lot! Maybe I'll get lucky, stop by Walmart on the way home, grab a cheap Torx 5 driver and have some luck with it this afternoon.
I know some of you out there might have issues with me wanting to do this because of the WM6 debate, whether it's right to use it or not, etc. And no one asked for it, but my opinion is that if Dell released WM6 and charged for it, I'd pay. It seems unfair that with the advance in SD technology, we'd have to be obsolete on that. I mean, Windows releases new versions of Windows for all kinds of different computers... I wish that it were so simple for PDAs. I'd happily go buy a WM6 CD if it would work for me. All I really care about is the high capacity SD access!
Anyhow, I'll give this suggestion a try and followup afterwards, later this afternoon! Thanks again!
Take it apart and disconnect the wire going to the buttons (it's a small square connector with a ribbon cable that goes into the front of the board at the bottom left corner). Make sure the port and plug are clean and then plug it back in. If the button is smashed in you may be able to unbend it or replace the button contacts.
The good news - taking it apart was pretty easy once I had the Torx 5 screwdriver (great call on that, Box, I owe ya one! it was a hard thing to find though, I tried Ace Hardware, Radio Shack, and then finally found it hidden away at Lowe's). Took it apart, was amazed at how much crud was inside, especially caked around the edges of the screen underneath the front cover. Cleaned everything well with a Q tip lightly coated in rubbing alcohol, and completely disassembled it. I removed the button unit, all the way down to the circular magnetic thing that seems to sense when you push a button. I put it all back together and the buttons work perfectly. The screen looks a lot better too, and I feel better knowing it's dust free and clean inside.
The bad news - In taking the thing apart, I accidentally broke off the little black end of the ribbon cable from the screen (not the touch screen, but the actual screen unit). It's so tiny that I couldn't get the black ribbon end back onto the pins on the mobo. I was able to slide the flat part of the screen ribbon back in, but in trying to get the black thing back into the pins, I bent some of the pins. I tried to push the pins back with a flathead, but I just couldn't get that black thing back on to save my life. I eventually sort of crammed it back on, but not very well, and I am not sure that all of the pins are connected to the black thing. The Axim does work, but now the display isn't lit up at all. I can see the display fine, but there's zero brightness. I'm going to give the ribbon tip another try tonight when I get home and see if I have better luck, but I'm afraid I might have to buy another screen. Unless anyone has an idea on how to get that ribbon tip right...
So, the action button and D pad will work if you disassemble the Axim. But if anyone else out there googling this problem finds my post and tries it yourself, DO WHATEVER YOU CAN TO AVOID REMOVING THE SCREEN UNIT RIBBON CABLES FROM THE MOTHERBOARD! I didn't realize til afterwards that you don't have to take it out if it's just the front buttons giving you a problem, so just avoid the screen ribbons if you can. They're tough to get out of the pins, and even tougher to get back on to the pins, and the ribbon tips/connectors are extremely delicate, so if you try to put pressure on them in removing them, you'll probably break something. Haha, as usual like I say when working on my car, if it's this tough to get off, how tough is it going to be to get it back on??
And last thing, if it's ok, I'd like to put a few keywords here so that hopefully if anyone else has this problem, it will be easy to find with google...
Axim x50v D Pad D-pad Action Button Front Button Doesn't work won't work no response broken fix why how
Ah, I also wanted to say, that video that Box posted was very helpful. The guy in that video made an excellent point that bears repeating for anyone else with a similar problem...
Just disassembling it, disconnecting the problem area, cleaning it a bit, and reconnecting it really does seem to fix problems.
The only thing I'd add to that statement is - don't break anything else in the process of fixing the original problem! Haha
Oh, one more thing, if anyone out there isn't afraid to at least take off the front cover, it's well worth the effort to do so and clean the edges of your screen. If you've never done it, there's bound to be all kinds of crud caked around the edges from accumulated dirt/dust/moisture over the last 4 years or however old these things are.
Instant reward - It used to take me anywhere from 25-40+ tries to realign my screen. It just hit me to try this, and it only took me 5 tries to do it now.
I removed the button unit, all the way down to the circular magnetic thing that seems to sense when you push a button.
The circular magnetic thing is the speaker. It makes sounds, the buttons are just the little round circles on the ribbon. The speaker is behind the D-pad.
As for the screen, did you flip up the holding clip before removing the ribbon cable? Once you flip up the holding clip (I just used my fingernail) the cable just slides right out and back in.
ah, no I didn't. the one I messed up was the one with a thin little black end that plugs into some pins. the black part came off of the ribbon. it's a pain because I can get the ribbon back in but I can't get the black part back into the pins no matter how hard I try or how many different ways I try to put it back on. plus, now that I've bent some of the pins and tried to bend them back, I might have made it ten times as difficult to get it back in. it's not connected very solidly right now, but I crammed it on as best as I could.
tonight when I go home I'll look for a clip like you mentioned. maybe that was why I couldn't get the black piece back onto the pins. I doubt I'm that lucky though. to make it worse, it's so small, it's nearly impossible to see and the black piece is tiny so I have to try and line it up perfectly while hoping that I don't let it accidentally slip out of my fingers! keep your fingers crossed for me! and let's hope I don't totally screw it up this time! lol
If you mean the plastic piece that makes the end of the ribbon cable strong I think it's just glued to the cable. You could put a bit of glue to hold the plastic to the cord. Alternatively, use a piece of paper or thin cardboard to put behind the cable to press it against the connections in the plug. Ribbon cables aren't designed for a lot of removing, they're designed to be removable but mostly permanent, so they can be weak or poorly designed.
I think it's done for. I can't get the ribbon back on the right way and the pins are too sensitive for any slight problem with the ribbon. I'm going to try again this evening, but as of now, it won't even turn on anymore. (Or if it does, I can't tell because no display) Shame too, because I know the screen is good.
ARG! I should have never messed with that stuff, I should have only removed the buttons! (Kicks self)
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