Reverse Engineering the iPod Nano 6 LCD

 

mikeselectricstuff gives us a one hour video describing how he goes about reverse engineering.  He was trying to see how easy it would be to use the tiny LCD displays which are normally used in the iPod Nano 6. It is often good to look to see what very popular components are used in mass produced electronics since they are often available inexpensively as a repair item. Mike suggests pouring thorough data sheets to see what interface standards are used but ran into a wall with the MIPI Alliance only releasing some of it’s information to members (membership costs $8000 per year). Luckily he found a testing document that provided some information on the signal and packet information. To probe the data lines the resist was carefully scraped off the copper traces, I was actually surprised that this was possible since the traces are very small and fragile. At 12:06 you can see the fine wires that were soldered directly onto the board! A great test platform sure makes a difference. Mike builds a platform that can be handled without worry of breaking a wire or having something come loose.