rwilkins

Wanting desparately to have a pen in my X50 stylus, I purchased a 3-in-1 one from Brando Workshops, but was disappointed--the tip was much bulkier than the Dell original and the quality was most unimpressive.

So I bought the Cross MicroPen--not the single-tip older one, but the new 3-tip one, from Staples (Bureau en Gros here in Quebec), for 20 bucks CAD plus tax. After some modification (and 2 tries--I had to return the first one because the pen mechanism didn't work properly) it works quite well. I installed the tip slated for the Sony Clié (with the thinnest fin), but had use a tiny drop of silicone sealant/glue to make sure the end result wasn't too wobbly. I also had to file away a good portion of the fin so that the stylus tip doesn't stick out too far from the top of my X50V. It currently projects out 1/10 of an inch (.100), which presents no problem at all inside my Sena case.

So if you're handy with small files and your eyesight is good--it's a little tedious to actually remove the required portion of the fin properly, and you can stand the fact that the stylus is stored upside down (BTW, be careful if you lend your X50 to anyone, even for a minute--they might not get it right and scratch up your screen) and the fact that in the Sena case you can't use the MicroPen stylus to reach the reset button, I would recommend this solution--I'm quite happy with it. As a bonus, the resulting fin sticks out from the X50 much farther than the original.

Don't Panic!

Good work! The more inexpensive styli options the better. I did something similar myself.

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Don't Panic!
Bobby
42
Soft-reset is our Friend :

rwilkins

The Cross MicroPen pen is an excellent-quality writing tool, if you can scrub around the super-thin pen part. Also, the non-slip finish on the barrel provides an excellent grip. Lastly, I like the general weight and balance of the tool.

bohica

I ended up buying a 'proper' pen that has both a stylus tip and ink. It's a very nice solid metal unit. Can't remember where I bought it from though. Only cost £10.

It also has a built-in LED torch and laser pointer.

Sounds like it should be a big unit, but in fact, while it's slightly fatter than a biro, it's still thinner than a Mont Blanc.

Mark.