Acer Aspire One Solderless Touchscreen Mod
Several weeks back I purchased an ‘Easy and Fun TouchKit’ for my Acer Aspire One and finally got around to installing it two days ago. I purchased the kit off of ebay for $95 plus $25 shipping, but you could also purchase it directly from the FidoHub website.
The touchscreen kit features a solderless design, so installation was fairly uncomplicated (with exception to wire management). I video taped the install process, divided it up into three parts and uploaded them to YouTube. A link to each video is included below for anyone who would prefer a visual guide to work with as well.
Part 1: Dissassembly
I didn’t follow the instructions from the Touchscreen Kit exactly as they had them. Part of the issue was that this was my first time taking apart the Aspire One and I felt more comfortable going with my own instincts as opposed to their sparse outline. Although I’d never before done this level of customization to a laptop-style device, I’ve been building my own desktop systems for quite some time and understood, overall, what needed to happen. So I am outlining how I did it, which worked for me. This part of the install basically involves just stripping the Acer Aspire One down to the bare chassis.
Note:
Although I took video of the entire process, I didn’t use my camera to document more detailed aspects of the installation. Instead, I’ve just posted images that were part of the Install PDF that came with the TouchKit.
Step 1: Remove LCD Housing Caps and Screws
There are six screws on the LCD housing that need to be removed. Use your fingernail or a fine tip of some sort to pry off the screw caps. I highly recommend organizing all of the screws you remove into sections and then using post-its to label what part of the netbook each section goes to. I failed to do this and forgot which screws went where by the time I got around to putting things back together. Keep tabs on where you put those screw caps – I ended up losing one of them in the mess I inevitably made throughout the install process.
Step 2: Remove Battery and Chassis Screws
The photo below illustrates the screws you need to remove on the chassis. The instructions from the kit also specified to remove the back door for the controller fitting (where the black arrow points to in the photo) – but I didn’t bother with this. Instead, I just slid the TouchHub controller in from the left side of the chassis interior where it is to be installed and fed through the wires.
Step 3: Remove Keyboard
Ok – so this was a pain for me at first. The problem was that I didn’t realize from watching other videos just how hard I had to push in on the three little clips at the top of the keyboard. The credit card method didn’t seem to work as well for me as using a very small flat-tip screwdriver. The process took me awhile because I was nervous about scratching the chassis or breaking one of the clips. If you’ve never done it before, my advice would be to just keep in mind you need to use a fair bit of pressure to push in each clip. You push each clip upwards towards the top of the chassis. Once it has been pushed up enough, the lip of the keyboard should hopefully pop up a bit to keep that clip pushed back. After you get a corner up, it is helpful to slide in a credit card or similar to hold it there while you use your fingers to pry up the remaining edges. Be mindful not to just yank up the keyboard, as you still need to disconnect the the keyboard and touchpad in the next step.
Step 4: Disconnect Keyboard FPC Ribbon
After freeing the keyboard from the housing, tilt the top side up so you can reach underneath and disconnect the keyboard from the system board. Although the photo below illustrates it, I had not paid proper attention to the lip I needed to lift up (#2 below) in order to free the cable, though eventually figured it out after realizing the cable wouldn’t just pull free. You could also disconnect the touchpad cable (#1 below) in this step, though it doesn’t prevent removing the keyboard, so I did it in the next step.
Step 5: Disconnect TouchPad and Unscrew Keyboard Housing
If you didn’t already do it in the step above, disconnect the touchpad from the system board (the blue ribbon cable you see in #1 above). Next, unscrew the six keyboard housing screws as illustrated in the photo below.
Step 6: Remove Keyboard Housing
I found this a little tricky the first time. You essentially just use a combination of your fingers and credit card to pry up the edges of the keyboard housing. Use gentle, but firm pressure to ensure you don’t snap off any of the plastic around the hinges or the clips which secure the housing to the chassis. It took me awhile, but what worked best was first freeing the bottom three sides and then gently prying the housing away from the hinges.
Step 7: Remove LCD Housing
This was fairly simple with exception to it being a little tricky around the hinges. Again, just use a gentle but firm pressure to release the housing clips from the chassis. It worked better for me to start at the top and work my fingers down to the hinges.
Step 8: Unscrew LCD Panel
Remove the four screws on the LCD panel as shown in the photo below.
Step 9: Disconnect Webcam and Microphone
Now you need to disconnect the webcam module and microphone. The webcam disconnected with minimal effort – but the microphone connector was really, really tight. It took me around 20 minutes to finally separate it. You can see how they look disconnected below. If you have problems with the microphone connection – my only advice is to firmly rock it back and forth until it separates a bit. From there you can pry it further with your fingers.
Disconnect Webcam and Microphone
Step 10: Disconnect and Unscrew System Board
Disconnect and unscrew everything on the system board as outlined in red below. There are five screws to remove and disconnection of the speaker and LCD cables.
Step 11: Remove System Board from Chassis
Once everything has been disconnected and unscrewed, pull out the system board and set it to the side. The top left corner is a little tricky, but if you pull the board down and then gently to the right, you should be able to free everything without much effort.
Step 12: Remove LCD Panel from Chassis
To remove the LCD panel, you’ll need to first unscrew the hinge towards the lower left hand side of the LCD. Once that is done, you can pull out the LCD connection cable that was tucked under it and then lift the LCD panel away.
Disassembly Complete!
That’s it. You now have the netbook completely stripped down so we can start installing the TouchKit components.
Part 2: Hardware Installation
Watch the Part 2 Video on YouTube
This part deals with installing the actual hardware from the Touchscreen kit and re-assembling the Acer Aspire One. Admittedly, if I were to do this again, I would perform the following steps in a slightly different sequence. The outline below will work, but aren’t as logical as they could be. For example, after positioning the touch panel on the lcd display, logically I should have applied the shock absorbers next. Instead, I went immediately to installing the controller board and then applied the shock absorbers after that.
However, because I wanted this installation outline to be a faithful recreation of the YouTube videos, I have written down the steps in the exact same order I did it on the video. It works just fine this way, but it could have been better.
Step 1: Connect and Position Camera Harness
In the video I kept referring to this harness as a ‘USB Harness’, but that was technically incorrect. The USB harnesses are the two in the kit that have the wider connector at the end and aren’t even needed to install the TouchKit.
Instead, I should have referred to this cable as the ‘Camera Harness’. There are two of these cables in the kit and they have a small connector at each end. The guide calls one a ‘Camera Harness’ and the other a ‘Hub Harness’, though they are essentially identical cables. Just something to keep in mind if you’ve come here from watching my YouTube videos and are confused about the verbiage.
So connect this camera harness to the webcam module (outlined in red below), then place it diagonally across the chassis cover so the other end is in the bottom right corner. Secure it with some tape. I used athletic tape, but anything should work. I’ve included a photo from the installation guide as well as a screenshot of my own system during this step.
Image From Installation Guide:
My Own Image:
Step 2: Reposition Camera Connector
Now turn over the LCD Panel and move the connector that used to go to the camera module from the top of the LCD to the left-hand side as shown in the photo below (the left of the LCD if it were facing you). This step is necessary because the Hub harness we will be attaching to it is not long enough to reach to the controller board. This hub harness will eventually be connected to the #1 USB input of the controller board. I’ve included the image from the installation guide as well as my own.
Image From Installation Guide (before and after)
My Own Image (after it had been moved)
Step 3: Attach Webcam Harness to Controller Board
Ok – so although this is the next thing I did in the video, you really don’t need to do it right now. As mentioned above, I would have done things in a different sequence if I were to ever install another touch screen. In this particular instance, it is somewhat of a wasted step, as you’ll just have to disconnect it again later when we install the controller board. So…seriously…don’t bother with this right now unless you just want to familiarize yourself where it eventually needs to go.
However, despite my statement above, I’ve included a screenshot from my video of how this looked. I basically just connected the other end of the Camera Harness that we positioned diagonally to the #3 USB input of the controller board – then set the controller board to the side.
Step 4: Return LCD Panel & Screw Down
Put the LCD panel back onto the chassis and screw it in place.
Step 5: Connect Hub Harness
Plug the hub harness from the kit into that connector we moved to the left hand side of the LCD screen. This harness looks just like the one we connected diagonally from the webcam module.
Step 6: Hub Harness Cable Management
Unscrew the hinge next to the LCD (if it isn’t already) and tuck the hub harness underneath. Go ahead and screw the hinge back in when you’re done, as we won’t need to do anything more with it.
Step 7: Apply Double-Sided Tape to LCD Panel
My kit didn’t come with double-sided tape, so I just used some cut-up carpet tape, which worked fine. Initially I just taped the left and right side, but then had problems with the touch panel slipping down while I was installing the controller board. So I went back and added a 3rd strip at the top. I didn’t use any on the bottom and had no problems with this. The touch panel can’t really move around after you install the shock absorber strips and re-attach the lcd housing. The strips don’t need to be very long (I used about two inches) and should be applied onto the metal frame around the LCD.
Step 8: Position Touch Panel on LCD
Before you do this, make sure your lcd screen is perfectly clean. Put it under bright light and check for dust, finger prints, hair, whatever. Seriously. This is your last chance and you will be insanely annoyed if you end up looking at crap you can’t wipe off once the everything has been put back together. If you use a liquid cleaner, make sure the screen is completely dry before placing the Touch panel on top.
Once you’ve cleaned your LCD, peel the plastic off the back side of your touch panel and place it as perfectly center as you can on the lcd. The touch panel should have the cable coming off the bottom towards the right hand side. The idea is to have an even amount of metal frame showing around the perimiter, as this is where you’ll be applying the shock absorber strips from the kit.
Step 9: Install Controller Board & Attach Harnesses
As mentioned earlier, if doing this install again – I’d do this step after the next one below. However, this is where I did this step in the video. First, take the adhesive rubber installation from the kit and apply it to the bottom of the controller board. Peel the paper off the underside as well.
If you connected the camera harness to the Touch Hub Controller Board earlier, disconnect it now (I warned you). Now feed that camera harness in through the right side of the controller board slot so it comes out the left side. Once you’ve fed it through, feel free to reattach it back to the controller board. Next, take the soldered wire coming off the controller board and feed it through that same slot, but from the left side to the right.
After you have the camera harness and the soldered touch panel wire from the hub fed through the slot correctly, go ahead and connect the hub harness from the left-side of the lcd. This is the one we attached to the connector that was moved to the left side of the LCD.
Now you can go ahead and slide the controller board into the slot. Be very careful if you are tugging on the right-side wires to assist pulling it through. You don’t want to pull off one of those soldered wires for the touch panel connection. Be gentle or try to pull more on the camera harness wire if you can. Better yet, try to guide it in more with your left hand. Once it is positioned in the slot to your satisfaction, press down a bit to secure the adhesive more firmly to the chassis. It should look something like what you see below:
Step 10: Apply Shock Absorber Strips
The kit includes four, thin rubber strips that need to be placed on each side of the touch panel. These are shock absorbers that will help secure and protect the touch panel from impact to the lcd housing. They don’t go on top of the touch panel, but rather, just to the side so it is on top of the LCD metal frame. If you positioned your touch panel perfectly center earlier, you should have just enough space to place each strip.
Step 11: Tape Wires and Secure Under Hinge
Ok – so honestly – this is the part of the project which gave me the most grief. It is important to secure the wires tightly enough so you can eventually replace the LCD housing without any kind of visible seam. I can’t even remember the number of times I had to redo this. I’m outlining below what eventually worked for me, with the hope that it saves someone time in having to do it over and over again.
First off, take the two wires coming out of the right side of the controller board and tape them together with electrical tape. The kit guide does not tell you to do this – but I promise it will save you the hassle of trying to keep those wires in place later. I also think it adds additional protection so the wires are in less danger of being cut or crimped by the housing or chassis when the netbook is being opened and closed. Initially I had taped the camera harness and soldered wire individually, but then couldn’t get them to fit properly where you need to tuck them under the LCD hinge. So I removed the tape and then did again, but this time, with both wires together. The photo below shows how it looked when I was done. I’d recommend taping at least to where they just come out the other side of the hinge.
Next you need to unscrew the hinge next to the LCD and tuck those wires underneath. Try to push them down on the interior side of the hinge. There’s already a cable there, so it is a tight fit. You just need to use your fingernail or a blunt tip to squeeze the wires in next to the other wire until you can put the hinge back in place properly. Once the hinge is back on, go ahead and screw it back down right away The photo below is the same one from above, but with the hinge area highlighted to show how it should look.
Tuck Wires Under Hinge
Step 12: Connect Touch Panel to Controller
Now that your wires are secured properly under the hinge, go ahead and connect that wire coming from the bottom of the touch panel to the soldered one from the board (which we taped off with the camera harness). Just slide the ribbon into the end. I don’t believe it matters which direction it is connected.
Step 13: Tape Down Loose Wires
Now we’re going to secure those lose wires above the hinge with some electrical tape as shown below. Technically this step could be done after the next step (which deals with securing the touch panel connector, but this is where I did it in the video. You’ll probably have to readjust the wires and tape again a little later.
Tape down loose wires above hinge
Step 14: Secure Touch Panel Connector
And finally, we need to tape down and secure the touch panel connector on the bottom. This was really tricky for me. Eventually it required bending and squishing that ribbon cable down far more than I was comfortable with. I thought for sure I had kinked it too much – but everything worked fine when the system was all back together. Also, even more difficult in this step is placing that black connector where the touch panel and controller board wire meet so that the LCD housing will snap close properly. If it isn’t placed just right, the housing won’t snap or will end up with a visible seam. In the end, it required placing the long side of the black connector perpendicular to the LCD chassis. The black connector itself was about 1/2 – 1 inch from the right corner of the LCD. The photo below is awful quality, but it shows the position that ended up working for me:
Positioning the touch panel connector
Once you get the touch panel connector in place, I recommend taping it down to keep it in place. I used athletic tape because I wanted something loose and not too sticky (since I had ended up re-doing it so many times) – but electrical should be ok if you’re sure you have it placed right. Also, whatever loose wires are remaining from the touch panel connector, wrap around the perimeter of the lcd and tuck under the black tape we applied on the right earlier. In the end, it should all look something like this:
The final result should look something like this
Step 13: Put LCD Housing Back On
I probably don’t need to say this – but before you put the housing on, make sure you peel the remaining plastic from the touch panel if you hadn’t already at some point. If your wires are tucked in properly, the LCD housing should snap back on without any visible seams. The bottom side is the most difficult. Even with the instructions above, you may need to go back and tweak some of your wires. However, as long as the housing snaps all around, having a slight seam showing isn’t that big of a deal. I guess it just depends on how anal you are. Personally, it bothered me to have a visible seam, so I spent an obnoxious amount of time re-doing it until there was none.
When the LCD housing is in place, go ahead and screw it back on. DO NOT OVER-TIGHTEN. The guide explicitly states that over-overtightening can crack the touch panel. Just screw until you meet resistance and then perhaps just a nudge more.
To not over-tighten screws!
Step 14: Reassemble Netbook
Using the reverse of steps outlined in part one, put your netbook back together. I’m not going to outline this in detail, but instead – just highlight a couple of points to remember.
- As you return the keyboard chassis, you may need to readjust the wires going over the chassis hinge. Just take care not to pinch your wires in between where the chassis and housing meet.
- Don’t forget to position and seat your wi-fi properly during reassembly. After replacing the keyboard housing, slide the wi-fi lever over to ensure it is working properly.
Step 15: Boot Up to Confirm Working
After your Aspire One has been put back together, quickly power it up to ensure everything is working. If everything looks good, then move on to part 3, which deals with installing the touchscreen drivers and testing to ensure the touch panel is working.
Part 3: Driver Install & Test
I never got around to documenting this part of the install. However, you can watch a simple walk-through on my Part 3 YouTube Video.
DRIVER UPDATE 02/16/2010:
After recently doing a clean install of Windows 7, I downloaded and installed a newer version of the touchscreen drivers directly from the EETI.com website. I noticed a definite improvement in smoothness when using the browser scrollbar in Firefox with my finger. Everything else seems about the same.
Troubleshooting
Webcam Not Working
I didn’t have this problem initially, but after upgrading RAM and installing Windows 7 a few months later – my webcam no longer worked and was listed as an unrecognized device in Device Manager (despite attempts to manually install drivers and disable/enable device). I was able to resolve the issue by doing the following:
- Uninstalled unrecognized usb device from device manager
- Removed all webcam drivers & software I tried installing
- Shut down netbook
- Unscrew & pop off lcd bezel
- Disconnect and reconnect usb harness from webcam module at top of LCD
- Boot Up and Check Device Manager
After doing the above, my webcam showed up under Imaging Devices as ‘Acer Crystal Eye webcam’. It worked fine (in Windows 7) without installing the LiteOn drivers from Acer’s website.
June 9th, 2010 at 8:51 am
Hi there!!!:
Nice tutorial.
How long it takes to do the whole replacement?
Do have any idea if this would work for an Acer Aspire D250 (larger screen)?
Thank and kudos!!!
Ruben
June 7th, 2010 at 2:25 am
I have an Acer Aspire One and I’m interested in doing this. I have Windows 7 OS now and I would like to know if this would support the multi-touch characteristic of Windows 7 (I would also like to know, do I have to install a different version of Windows 7 to use it with touch screen?). One more thing: I’m from Europe and the power voltage here is 220V. Would that make any difference in using the touch kit? I would appreciate if you could answer all of this. Thank you in advance. Many Regards, Michelangelo.
April 6th, 2010 at 8:42 am
I ordered my TouchPanel at fidoHub – a distributor who comes from Taiwan. I payed with PayPal and got my package after 4 days only (shipping to europe). Sorry for my english.
April 5th, 2010 at 7:14 am
@Robert: I haven’t tried Linux, but I know the kit came with Linux drivers – so I’m thinking yes. My model is the AOA150-1068.
@lx: I didn’t notice a significant change in charge time after installing the touch panel, though I rarely run it completely out. Fully charged, I usually get around 6 hours with casual use. This goes down if I play video or am multitasking a lot.
@lance: I purchased it from a seller on ebay called ‘fidohub’. They don’t appear to be on there anymore – but I’ve seen the same kit sold by other sellers. They’ll list which models are compatible, but yours would be
@Mark I: Thanks for sharing your experience and the additional info. I’m sorry it didn’t work out for you.
April 2nd, 2010 at 7:37 am
Thank you for your great video. Do yoy know if it is working with Linux ? and what about linux drivers?
It is not clear wich is your pc model. My pc is aspire one ZG5 (A110 L) with SSD.
Thank you
February 25th, 2010 at 10:38 am
Hi,
nice Tutorial. Now I’m very interested in modding my own AAO 150X.
But i have a quaestion. After you had install the TouchPanel, did you notice any reducing of power runtime ?
thx for your answer
February 7th, 2010 at 9:58 am
Hello I am of equator and have a notebook acer one AOA 150-1450 with windows 7 and want you know if it is possible to turn her in touch with this operating system also I want to know where you bought it(he,she) divides(departs) them please I am grateful for it to you in advance
February 7th, 2010 at 9:55 am
Hello I am of equator and have a notebook maple tree one AOA 150-1450 with windows 7 and want you know if it is possible to turn her in touch with this operating system also I want to know where you bought it(he,she) divides(departs) them please I am grateful for it to you in advance
December 24th, 2009 at 11:58 am
Hello again.. I ended up buying a kit on ebay for around $100 + shipping after my post, so here are my comments on trying to install it only my Acer D250 netbook:
-as everything Brandon pointed out, you CAN put the controller board where the 3G adapter would have gone (bottom left)
-because it’s not in the same place, you will need to buy longer cables
-i couldn’t find these cables at any local electronics or hardware store (including Fry’s)… you will probably need to know how to extend wires yourself and/or solder
one thing he didn’t point out:
-the cable plug ends are slightly different size and don’t fit–you will probably have to solder them together
I bought this specifically because it was “solderless” and because I thought I could somehow make it work on the D250 despite the lack of guides/youtube videos. If anyone with an Acer D150 (or a D250 if you’ve got skill) wants to buy it, I’m selling my 10.1″ kit cheaper than ebay!!!
http://inlandempire.craigslist.org/ele/1523815753.html despite what I said in the ad, I am willing to deliver (free priority w/tracking).
December 9th, 2009 at 1:39 am
I think ultra portable laptop will replace all the netbook soon enough. Just take a look at the new Dell Adamo XPS.
November 29th, 2009 at 10:15 pm
@Brandon: I have the D250 model and was wondering about your comment that you could put the controller board “where you would have the wireless G adapter toward the bottom left side.” Does this mean that there will be no room for the wireless G adapter if you install this instead?
November 10th, 2009 at 11:32 am
Hey this is the best and only way to do this and with you vid and your explanation it made this alot easier than actually watching the other vids. They didn’t talk and explain the “problems” they had which in the long run we would come up against so it actually helped that you had talked about them. Great work thanks again
October 30th, 2009 at 7:35 pm
I was a bit hesitant to do this mod, but your video gave me a realistic idea of what to expect. It is quite the task to do on your own, never mind documenting it for others…thank you. The “baby”, as my coworkers call my netbook, is in pieces, and soon to be finished with a shiny new touch panel…it’s going great, and I’m sure it will be well worth the effort. Keep up the great work!
Fellow peaceful geek,
-Phill
October 20th, 2009 at 5:31 pm
will this work on aspire one ZG5 model
October 14th, 2009 at 4:57 pm
hello, i am on the fence about this mod. i would absolutely adore my netbook if it had a touchscreen. but, there are a few problems i am encountering on my decision. If i install this will it void my warranty?
if not, is the touchscreen reliable?
i would greatly appreciate any input from someone who has used this mod for an extended period of time
P.S i have an Acer Aspire One D150
September 30th, 2009 at 6:27 pm
You can do this on the Acer Aspire D250, just have to put the controller board where you would have the wireless G adapter toward the bottom left side, fits pretty snugly in there, but wire that come with the kit aren’t long enough to make it, so expect to get more wires or doing some soldering.
September 26th, 2009 at 10:21 am
Is there enough room to put another screen to replace the keyboard? (like a nintendo DS)?
September 10th, 2009 at 4:56 pm
Any one know where i can get this installed if i pay
September 8th, 2009 at 1:41 pm
I got this same touchscreen and bought an Acer Aspire One D250 instead of the D150, only to find out that the slimmer profile of the D250 means that there is no room ANYWHERE inside the chassis for the controller board. If you want to mod your Acer Aspire One with this touchscreen, it MUST be a D150 model. This mod will not work on a D250.
September 6th, 2009 at 3:31 pm
Hi – thanks for the guide, it was easier to follow than most, so I used it as my main step-thru.
You’re right about the right hinge cable routing – it’s a nightmare. I carefully taped them together, but ended up untaping them so that the individual wires would be flatter. The camera cable is too tight, and I really had to carefully slip the individual wires over the edge of the hinge cover as I replaced the casing.
Some things worth mentioning:
- Really test the cable routing before finalising everything – not just in putting the screen casing back on, but also the daughterboard on the right (the memory card reader will pinch cables underneath), and the keyboard casing (which also inserts into the hinge).
- I didn’t realise the keyboard, pad, and SSD sockets were ZIF (Zero Insertion Force) connectors either – before I had actually slid the clamps all the way off the socket! Luckily not broken – they slide back into place.
- I ended up putting the touchscreen plug flat underneath the screen (between the screen and the lid) – it was a fraction too thick, but I couldn’t get it to fit any other way
- I had no double-sided tape, so just used electrical tape around the edges, over the top of the the screen padding. Only a few mm over the edge, but it’s not visible once the screen casing is back on
But once it’s together, it works really well.
August 13th, 2009 at 2:41 am
droopie, I am having the same problem with my kit. I lost my camera on the install which was not a big deal to me. My touch screen worked great for about a day. Then it started going to the left corner and would work like a rubber band. I disabled the auto right click and that helped for a few hours and then it started returning to the left corner again. If you figure this out let me know!
July 29th, 2009 at 10:37 pm
Hello,
I am very impressed with what you did. Please, I am getting an acer aspire one d250. Is it possible for me to pay for you to install the touchscreen device on my aspire one d250? Hope to hear from you and thanks so much!
Bella
July 25th, 2009 at 9:25 pm
Trial and Error works all the time…After emailing droopie a few times I went back into the AOA and found that where my Camera Harness was placed was in the way of the touch pad making it move to the Left. did some cable mtg and now it works.
Any one with a 3g model will need to place the control board of the Touch Panel on to the HD or some where it will be out of the way and you can still close the machine. Remember Cable mtg in this project is the most important aspect to making your Mod a sucess or failure….
Thanks to all that helped…
July 25th, 2009 at 9:02 am
Well every this is in and tried to install the software however I am getting the same problem that “droopie” is having with the the mouse staying in the left hand corner. It is acting like a rubber band and will not work…will be invesgating today….
July 23rd, 2009 at 3:37 pm
Hey, Great instructions for the Mod on the Acer one, however with the new 3G Models the place for the controler has be taken. I was leary about attaching it to the HD because of heat. I looged a support email and they suggested the same thing as long as the box closes…so am getting ready to try will inform as to results…
July 23rd, 2009 at 7:32 am
[...] Bueno mirando Youtube encontré unos videotutoriales que nos enseñan como montar o ponerle pantalla táctil (touchscreen) a nuestro netbook Acer Aspire One, y para llevar a cabo esta capricho hazaña, primero se debe comprar un ‘Easy and Fun Touchkit’ para Acer Aspire One, ya hay disponibles tanto para 8” como para las de 10.1” y las venden en eBay y FidoHub, tal como nos cuentan en el articulo completo. [...]
July 12th, 2009 at 6:19 am
Thank you for the excellent video. I think that these projects are great and very rewarding! I especially like seeing more ladies publish these technical videos
Thanks again.
Tim – IP Telephony Archetect, St. Louis, MO
truecallinternational.com VOIP Service in St. Louis.
June 25th, 2009 at 1:12 am
Hi! I’ve been looking for these TS kits on ebay and I found three of them that seem to be the most used. Does anyone know wich is the best? Differences between them? Any comparative done? The one that Tara bought is quite more expensive that the others (about 30 EUR) and I’d like to know WHY. Thanks 4 this nice HOWTO and regards from Spain.
June 20th, 2009 at 12:55 am
Sweet! I will try it
June 18th, 2009 at 3:20 am
GREAT tutorial, big thanks
I thinking about soldering the usb hub connection right onto the mainboard instead of having the cam/microphone hassle…
Therefore Im looking for an easy-to-connect/solder USB point on the mainboard.
There is an USB connection used by many people on pin 36/38 on the miniPCIe slot (wireless card slot) BUT it is REALLY tiny and needs skills and tools to be done right.
I have just discovered a project that uses this connection that looks MUCH EASIER to solder, http://docs.google.com/File?id=ddkx8qmd_17hrp6cfg5_b
(Also found on http://www.qrpcw.com/)
Anyone tried this? Working?
Would be nice if that one doesnt interfer with any of the external ports on the netbook….
Help on this would really be appreciated…..
Greets from a rainy Berlin
June 15th, 2009 at 1:14 am
Hy, I`ve got the same kit, and installed it quite easily. Some importent hints on installation:
1. You really have the rewire the 2 original wires from Webcam and Mic, You will have it 100 times easier to install the wires, because they really are to short.
2. Ducktape and secure every wire (I didn´t in first case and 2 wires just got squeezed in the henge after 60times opening and closing the deck, i didn´t had a shortcut but the touchscreen didn´t work anymore because of broken wires…
3. If you invest more time, and can solder a little, cut those connectors out of the Power-Usb Port as well as the Touchscreen connector… Those connectors are little to big, I broke 2 Noses of my case when reassembling, because the leap was to big. So get those “solderless” Connectors out and solder them, It´s fitting perfect then.
4. If AAO is in front of you, allways put the wires from inside to outside ( left henge, wires go from the inside to the left, right side to the right) otherwise your wires are going to get “cut” from opening an closign AAO…..
Well these were my errors I made, but I could fix it. And now it works like a charm…
Only thing I have to complain, is that the controller-hub is Usb 1.0 or 1.1. it always shows up that the installed unit could be faster….
If somebody needs help feel free to get in touch with me, I´m from Germany and could explain it to you in German to…
See ya, and thanks for the tutorial !!
Servas !!
May 18th, 2009 at 11:51 am
Thanks for your great instructions and videos! They helped a lot more than what was included in my kit. Though, mine still doesn’t work. I have troubleshot it back to the controller board being bad, you wouldn’t by chance know where I can pick one up by chance?
Thanks again!
May 17th, 2009 at 10:22 am
@John Silver: It’s interesting to note the variation in some of these kits. Mine had the stabilizer/shock absorbing strips to go around the touch panel…but they didn’t provide any kind of adhesive for the panel itself (the instructions just outlined to use some kind of double-sided tape). Your lead to the webcam being too short seems to also indicate your kit was a little different, as mine was plenty long enough.
May 17th, 2009 at 10:18 am
@matthijs: Wow. Smoke? Really? That’s insane. I had taped off all of those wires going over the hinge before reassembly, so I never experienced anything like that. I’m not sure about the webcam. As you said, perhaps it’s related to voltage on the controller board as John Silver suggested – though mine worked straight off (I used the top-right input on the board).
May 9th, 2009 at 12:32 am
hey lonely tech-girl, great blog. I used your advices greatfully yesterday evening when installing the touchscreen.
Little disappointment is the milky look and shimmer of the touchscreen – but okay, apparently, one advantage includes another disadvantage.
After install, the camera didn’t work. Could it be, you think, the voltage problem described by John SIlver?
Also funny detail: I arranged one of the wires againt the hot wire of the power input (left hinge) and after 5 minutes or so, after succesfully installing and turning on the aao, smoke came out of my little netbook
i really was shocked but the problem was easily solved, be rearanging the wire….
So, anyone, any ideas on the webcam? I really want it to work.
A strange effect that happened:
I use ‘debut’ as webcam recording software. So, after startup, testing the webcam (which wasn’t there anymore) it was like an infinite loop of always the desktop (like you have when putting two mirrors opposite to each other) really freaky. Anyone an idea?
thx all, thx tech-girl,
M
May 6th, 2009 at 9:11 am
Great video’s! Like you say routing the wires is a pain. I found that the lead that you connect to the unused webcam was quite short and so I had to separate the webcam & Mic cables (this took ages as the wires are thin and fragile). In hind sight it would have been easier to cut off the plug on the USB lead (that normally goes to the webcam lead) and solder the free ends to the unused USB header (C11?) under the motherboard). then you won’t have to fart about with the webcam etc and just feed the touchscreen cable through the hinge. Also, the webcam voltage feed is only 3.3V so if you use the other spare ports on the controller board, the connected USB device may not work? It’s interesting that this touchscreen is in direct contact with the LCD as it appears on some other Aspire 1 touchscreens, that they are separated by some rubber strips?? My kit had a reel of sticky back (both sides) foam that I stuck around the touchscreen when in position.
May 5th, 2009 at 4:35 pm
@Kuhnster and droopie: I’d suggest trying to boot up and troubleshoot while your AAO is still partly disassembled and the wire harnessing is loose. See if your system functions normally while in this open configuration.
My AAO began behaving like droopie’s after a week or so. I found that everything worked fine while I had it apart with wires loose. To fix my TS problem, I had to rearrange the harnessing and widen the hinge space with a dremel tool so the wires weren’t so tightly bound and had some play. It’s been working fine ever since.
April 26th, 2009 at 4:08 am
Did anyone’s webcam stop working after the mod? I installed the kits on two AAO’s and both webcams were lost after the mod. The touch-screens work flawlessly. If anyone knows of a fix, I’d appreciate it greatly.
Tara, thanks for the tutorial. You made it easy to follow.
April 23rd, 2009 at 12:28 pm
cool mod and a wonderful job, it is a pleasure to meet a non male computer geek on the net…
April 22nd, 2009 at 5:23 pm
Found your videos about this mod and I am tempted to try it out myself! Thanks for Posting!
April 8th, 2009 at 4:02 pm
BTW, I was able to install a mini USB Bluetooth dongle to one of the extra usb harnesses on the Touch Hub Controller board. It works okay so far and I was able to send a file from my phone to the AAO. I was able to fit it underneath, right next to the Touch Screen controller board.
This is the BT dongle I used:
http://www.dealextreme.com/details.dx/sku.12696
Send me an email if you’d like pics of how it looks.
Cheers!
-Quo
April 8th, 2009 at 1:41 pm
As suggested, I took apart my AAO again and also wrapped those hinge wires in electrical tape. I think this will work to give the wires enough protection against wear and tear. It looks better now too, since I don’t see the colored wires between the gap anymore.
Thanks again,
-Quo
April 8th, 2009 at 12:41 pm
@droopie: Were you ever able to get this resolved? Since your native touchpad works again after disconnecting the Touchpanel Hub – my guess would be that you got a bad touchscreen kit – which really blows. I feel for you.
@Quo: That’s awesome. I’m glad the walk-through made things easier for you. And yeah – I was nervous about the wires going over the hinge as well. It’s the primary reason I opted to wrap them in electrical tape (even though their guide never instructed to) – as I figured it would offer a bit more protection over the hinge. I haven’t had any problems yet. I think as long as it isn’t being pinched by the hinge or housing, you should be ok.
April 8th, 2009 at 12:27 pm
Many thanks for posting these instructions. It made my mod MUCH easier. The touchscreen initialized and worked just fine on first bootup.
I don’t know about you, but my only concern is the wear and tear on the wiring in the right hinge. I can see the wires between the hinge gap move a little every time I open and close it. Any suggestions?
Cheers,
-Quo
April 4th, 2009 at 1:14 pm
my shit still isnt working. read and reread everything word for word ant it all looks exactly like you and the guide say. the mouse still goes to the bottom left of the screen. i did a half top screen mode and yea i can see the mouse slide to the right when i touch the screen then when i let go it moves to the left by itself. it never goes up. tried the settings to see if its being limited or something but nothing worked. grr! give me ur kit!!!