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Dock Mod for right angle VGA input
| I am getting ready to make a portable office for my UX280P. I will be using a #1400 Pelican Case for the UX and added extras (more on that in another article) The first thing I needed was a Right Angle VGA Adaptor or Right Angle VGA cable, neither was available locally and I was too impatient to order one and wait. So I decided to add a second (TOP MOUNT) VGA port to the UX's dock |  Dissembling the Dock (Port Replicator) is easy check other article here and on the MicroPCtalk.com forums for more info .. once the screws and circuit board were out I measured for clearances and was ready to get started |
 I put the circuit board in the holder and used a straight pin and continuity tester to carefully check the pin out configuration | The row of soldiered pins is where I have to connect my second VGP port wires. Determining the pin out configuration was complicated by the fact many pins have a common connection when the unit is not powered and one pin out can equal several of the soldiered pins when using the continuity tester. After some trial and error and hesitant dry run testing I finally found the pattern of the pin out .... the VGA plug itself is numbered on the face (look closely and you can see it on yours) but the pin out did not seem to have a pattern until I was almost done .. here is the results tested and confirmed. Can you see the pattern (top is the same as the picture to the left BTW). NOTE! ... I have no way of knowing if every UX Dock is wired the same use this as a guide only and test your own carefully.  |
 Here's a picture of my work sheet, I wore down the eraser and I sharpened the pencil a few times doing this :) |  Here's a shot of the wires soldiered in place it's very pain staking work if (like me) you are not accustom to it. Some wires get touched by accident with the hot iron and have to be re-soldiered several times |
 In this picture I had hooked up the external monitor to test the wiring. Very scary as I assume a incorrectly connected wire could damage the Dock or even the UX itself?? :( |  Here you can see I applied a liberal coat of low temperature hot melt glue in and around all the pins and wires to stabilize and insulate them. |
 All the internal stock wiring is reconnected and all back together ... the dock base and metal shielding plate had to be cut to make room for the wire bundle ... it cuts easily with snips for the steel and side cutters for the plastic .. also the existing VGA anchoring plate (it's a fairly heavy steel bracket) had to be left out for clearance. From the outside and bottom of the dock none of the cut out plastic is visable. The new VGA plug was threaded through 3/4" hole drilled in the dock and pop riveted in place.. and the open gap filled with some hot melt glue .. not pretty but it will keep loose bits from rolling into the dock and shorting something out :) After the pictures I painted the glue filler with black marker and it looks a bit better. TECH NOTE: I had a question and to answer all the pictures in this article were taken with a Sony Ericsson W810i Camera Phone set on Macro with additional lighting when needed provided by a Mini-Mag Flashlight |  One more to keep the balance :) here it is in use works great and offers more clearance than a Right Angle adaptor and cost was effectively zero , the VGA plug I used BTW was from my parts bin .. an old connector from a computer that used an on board video card. Just a note for anyone who decides to but a right Angle Adaptor instead of cutting up their Dock :) Make sure you get the correct type .. the more popular one points DOWN on the UX Dock (and cannot be used of course) and a right angle CABLE typically points to the left blocking use of the USB ports. Lastly be very careful if you try this Mod at home!!! like all hardware mods this can be dangerous. Myself I had a spare dock to work with ... but even so I assume an incorrectly wired VGA port can permanently damage the UX computer itself, so be very careful and be prepared to take the risks involvled. |
Latest page update: made by Yeggster
, Dec 17 2007, 10:40 PM EST
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Edited by Yeggster
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Edited by Yeggster
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Keyword tags:
Dock mod Right Angle VGA
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