M1400 <- LE1600, usable parts?

rta04 · 10-13-2009, 02:39 AM

Hey folks. A few years back I got my hands on an LE1600. A great machine, I loved it...then I dropped it. On hardwood floors. Needless to say, it didn't hold up all that well. The screen stopped functioning. The backlight, I think, because if I placed a bright light on the screen I could just barely make out what was on it. The case was also two kinds of screwed afterwards. Sadly, without money to repair it, it went into a drawer and I eventually moved on to bigger and better things.

Now, I recently got my hands on an M1400 in a trade (got shafted...but that's how it goes sometimes) with a bad battery in it. Otherwise, it seems to work great, and playing with it I'm starting to remember why I loved the LE1600 so much, even if I am tethered to a power cable. For those of you who have taken your systems apart, are they any parts I should try to salvage from the LE1600? Does anyone know if it would be possible to replace the LE1600's screen with the M1400's? Any little bits of sage advice you guys might have would be much appreciated.

rta04 · 10-16-2009, 03:24 AM

Just for any curious souls out there, I ended up taking my M1400 apart. The LE1600's screen had been scratched up (forgot I had used it as a CarPC for a time), so I just swapped the screens out completely. It was a chore, and the LE1600's screen was a lot more beveled around the edges, so the m1400's doesn't fit in there perfectly, but hopefully well enough to work. I've got it booted up and Windows 7 is installed and running great. The m1400 is now sitting in a box in a few pieces, just in case.

rta04 · 10-19-2009, 12:43 PM

And from the 'If ain't broke, don't fix it' corner...the way the screen didn't fit properly in the case started to bother me. Fine, I'm handy with a dremel, no sweat. I carefully disable the LE1600, take the screen out and set it on a cleaning cloth. Spend all morning carefully sanding out the bevels inside the case. Carefully fit the screen back inside. All is good. Re-assemble it. Everything fits like a charm. Flip it on....only to find...somehow...at some point, I've scratched up the previously perfect display. FML.

rta04 · 10-24-2009, 05:31 AM

And one more, because I'm not really bumping if my thread is already the top of the list, right?

Just as a tip for anyone out there with scratched screens: Pencil erasers. Yes. The big, pink rubbery pencil erasers that you used in school work wonders for LCD scratches. You of course have to be careful not to press too hard, and be a little wary of heat from friction, but I managed to use one to buff out all the scratches on my screen. Then a quick swipe from an alcohol swab, and it was good as new. Literally. I've used it on LCD scratches before, but I was afraid of using them on a tablet...needless to say, the pen glides over the area, no problem and no loss of function.