TC1x00: possible fix for nonfunctional pen

[t0fukrunch]

Summary/spoiler (highlight to see): put nonconducting washers under the lcd controller mounting screws

I purchased a TC1100 recently which worked fine except for the pen, which didn't work at all. The first problem was that my TC1100 had come with a incompatible TC1000 pen for some reason =)

Unfortunately, after getting a new pen the problem mostly persisted, and I was only able to get the pen working for about an hour -- not an hour per each boot, but an hour total in the week or so I spent tinkering with it. I tried all kinds of software fixes, including trying a bunch of drivers and operating systems (Bios, XP, Vista, Linux) and concluded it must be a hardware problem. My guess was that a cable was loose, since it had worked the one time.

I finally got around to opening the unit ( http://www.tabletpctalk.com/faqs/self-repair.shtml ) and even managed to scratch/chip the case while trying: I didn't realize the top/LCD housing slips over the audio connectors. I disconnected and reconnected both the digitizer/backlight and LCD cable (the latter runs under the HDD) but no dice.

I decided that I should try and isolate each cable, and I used an external monitor while the LCD cable was disconnected. The pen worked! I tried flattening and securely connecting the cable, but this didn't fix the problem. My guess was that there might be a grounding issue, so I unscrewed the LCD controller, and sure enough it worked even with the LCD cable plugged in. I tried figuring out the exact issue by testing for conductivity where there shouldn't be, but in the end just settled for a working tablet. Putting nonconducting washers under the screw closer to the wacom digitizer module fixed the problem.

I hope this helps someone.

[WNewquay]

Wow t0fukrunch,

I don't think I've ever read of anyone 'fixing' a digitizer issue on a TC1100. Thanks for sharing that.