Archive for Disassembly

Use Your MP3 Player to Steal Credit Card Info

mp3 player credit card skimmer Use Your MP3 Player to Steal Credit Card InfoThiefs are using cheap MP3 players in a credit card scam called “skimming”. The thief installs faux facades on cash machine terminals with a magnetic reader built into it. When you insert your card the magnetic strip gets read twice, once by the machine and once by the electronics in the false card slot. Its rather low tech in that the fake card reader simply records the sound of the magnetic strip on to an MP3 player. That audio data is then retrieved from the player and later deciphered by software. As you can see below each digital 1 and 0 are represented by a long audio wave verses a short one.

If you are unfamiliar with this scam you should read up on it and check out the photos of various skimming devices so you know what to look out for.

[KrebsonSecurtiy via Engadget]

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Zune HD Disassembly

zune hd apart main Zune HD Disassembly

You didn’t think we would leave this one unscathed did you? For the last few days the Zune HD sat particularly close to the tool set. After passing by it a few times eying them both, I could not longer resist and started tearing it apart.

You will need: Tri-wing screw driver. #0, T-4 & T-5 Screw driver, Tweezers. Tri-Wing screw drivers can be found on Amazon or if you need to search elsewhere it is the same screw type that Nintendo uses on their Wii and DS Lite

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SanDisk Sansa Clip+ Plus Disassembly

sansa clip plus disassembly SanDisk Sansa Clip+ Plus Disassembly

Everyone loves to peek inside and see what makes these players tick and its always helpful to see them pulled apart for future repair or swapping out parts for customization.

The Clip+ resembles the original clip insides but with some upgraded silicone. Disassembling was easier than the original and fairly straight forward with the right tools. All you will need is a slim piece of plastic to pry the two half apart and a small screw driver. You can take apart and put back together the Clip+ without damaging the plastic housing if you are careful. Before your start, take a look at the pictures and mind where the latches are that hold the two pieces together. Then carefully pry at those locations. Good luck!

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Cowon S9 Disassembled

cowon s9 diss main Cowon S9 Disassembled

You know we’re big fans of taking a look at the chips, circuit boards, and inner workings of our cherished mp3 players- so we love to see that interest has spread to our forum members as well. Trikon000 did us the honor of posting a guide to the Cowon S9 tear down with lots of pics.

I’ve taken my S9 apart as well so I will mention that it’s not for the faint hearted. It’s not an easy disassembly and it will void you warranty. So unless your S9 is broken / out of warranty or you have done this before, I recommend just checking out these cool pics in the S9 forum.

SanDisk Sansa slotMusic Player Review

sandisk slotmusic main SanDisk Sansa slotMusic Player Review

Earlier this year SanDisk introduced a new format to deliver music called slotMusic. This is simply a 1GB microSD card with DRM-free digital files on it. This format is backed by some of the major record labels such as EMI, Sony BMG, Universal, and Warner.

To go along with this new format SanDisk has introduced the slotMusic player. This memory-less and screen-less player relies solely on microSD for music playback. The idea is that non-tech savvy users will be able to swap out their purchased slot music albums.

I don’t believe that slotMusic will revolutionize the music industry, but may do well in certain niche markets. Aside from the new music format, the player itself is an interesting story.

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Zune Disassembled: Inside The Zune Pad

zunepad main Zune Disassembled: Inside The Zune Pad

Ever wanted to know what is inside the Zune Pad? You are in luck- my compulsion to take things apart kicked in the other day after a bout of boredom. The pics may not be for the feint hearted, but I can assure you that no functional Zunes were harmed in the making of this disassembly. This one was already on its death bed. I would also like to mention that opening up the Zune Pad will render it useless.

Please read on for some great pics and a bit about the tech behind the touchpad.

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Cowon iAudio 7 Disassembled

iaudio7 dis main Cowon iAudio 7 Disassembled

I got an email from abi reader Reece saying “i couldnt be bothered sending my iAudio 7 to korea to repair, as i had broken the menu button off inside the player. i decided to give it a crack myself, and i fixed it fine.”. Massive props to Reece for taking matters into his own hands with a little bit DIY and many thanks to him for sharing his slide show of this endeavor.

If you need instructions on you probably shouldn’t be taking it apart. Cracking this bad boy open requires a small screw driver and a little bit of patience. If you forget how to put it back together perhaps these photos will help. Thanks again Reece!

The iAudio 7 review, if you missed it. Also in related news, just yesterday Rockbox dev Daniel posted a photo of the i7 with custom code running on its way to getting Rockboxed.

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Creative Zen X-Fi Disassembled

creative zen x fi teardown main Creative Zen X Fi Disassembled

For those who were wondering what’s inside the new Creative Zen X-Fi, here is your chance for a peek. The Zen X-Fi opened up similarly as the Zen did with clips around the edges holding the face to the back. However, this time the face separates from the backing with the circuit boards and such attached to the back plastic plate. Also this time around there is a little bit of glue applied to each clip holding it together; this likely the reason the Zen X-Fi feels a little sturdier than the Zen.

I would only recommend opening your Zen X-Fi for repair and not just for fun since you may not get it back together with the same tight feel it had before. If you are planning on surgery I would recommend checking out the Zen teardown video for some pointers on getting the case cracked. Otherwise below are lots of pics of the wireless player splayed for your viewing pleasure.

Also be sure to check out the Zen X-Fi review.

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SanDisk Sansa Fuze Disassembly

sansa fuze disassembled main SanDisk Sansa Fuze Disassembly

Here is a teardown of SanDisk’s latest. The disassembly was straight forward being that the housing was held together by plastic clips on each side. Once inside, the removal of the LCD is just a matter of releasing it from a set of clips.

This may not be something you want to do for fun since it may not go back together as tight as it once was. So I would urge you to only use this guide as a repair reference if you are going to take the Fuze apart. Otherwise please enjoy this journey into the depths of the Sansa Fuze’s internals.

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Creative Zen Disassembly

zen disassembly main Creative Zen Disassembly

If your Zen is in need of repair or you just feel like looking at its guts, take a look at this simple guide. The method of opening the Zen is non destructive and can be opened with a few simple tools. You will need a #0 Phillips head screw driver, a slim pocket knife and/or a set of plastic pry tools. A credit card or driver’s license will work in place of the plastic tools.

The difficulty of this disassembly is moderate with nothing overly difficult, but it’s more getting the guts to dig into your fully functional Zen.

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