Thread: 3m upgrades

Originally Posted by Homebrew

I'm obviously no authority, but if I'm reading the application guide correctly, here's how it goes. Looking at the backlight, the notch goes in the upper right hand corner. If using BEFII as well, then the BEFII goes on top of the backlight first, then the DBEF on top of the BEFII.

-Kevin

when you say this, do you mean put it on the actual back light or mount it on the metal frame so its like hovering over it?

Awesome, looking forward to the results in sunlight!

I still need my DBEF film shipped to me!

Nice post 2k1Toaster! Looking forward to seeing your pics

Updated Procedure 9-8-07

Ok guys, just got done with my Xenarc 700TSV. Actually, just got done putting it back together for a second time. Unfortunatly I won't be able to test it in car for a while as I've decided to make repairs to my bezel while it's out. However, I have tested it in the house using sunbeams coming through the windows and I don't seem to be getting the results changeip got. However, I do see (and read) that the orientation of the film affects viewing angles. So that may be part of whats going on. Once I get it back in the car, we'll have some more solid results. I used 2 sheets of BEF-II in alternating directions(per the instructions), topped off with DBEF-E 0 degree. From my preliminary testing, it doesn't seem to be doing much for sunlight viewing. Maybe the 45 degree DBEF-E was more appropriate after all. My results thus far should not be taken as any kind of definitive proof that the film works or doesn't work. This is the just my results with this particular combo. I'm sure I have the films oriented correctly, because I disassembled the screen and double checked. With that said, lets get into the process I used for this.


First let me say, this isn't for the faint of heart. Having the screen out of its case and separated from the touchscreen board is one thing. Disassembling the LCD is far more involved. Not trying to scare anyone out of it, but just be aware of what you're getting yourself into. With that said, I'm not responsible if you mess up your screen. This process worked for me(so far anyway), but may not necessarily work for you. My screen is a second gen(?) Xenarc with the 4-wire touchscreen. Therefore newer Xenarcs may be different.


I'm starting off from the LCD already being removed and separated from the touchscreen board.
Here you can see the various tabs that need to be pryed back in order to remove the LCD from the metal casing. You also need to pull the connector off that is stuck to the side of the metal casing.


Here are some more tabs that need to be pried back. Be very careful not to damage the ribbon cables. I suggest you use your fingernails rather than a screwdriver.


Once all the tabs have been pried back and you pull the connector off, you can now pull the screen from the metal casing and you should be left with just the LCD and backlight assembly. Next you need to remove the LCD ribbon cable so that you can rotate the LCD out of the way. Here's a close up of the ribbon cable, but it's also pictured in the first pic of this post.


Added 9-8-07: Here you see the screws you need to remove in order to separate the LCD from the backlight. You need to do this in order to get the metal shield around the backlight off. The ones noted with asterisks are ones that are not visible in the pic. They are there and if you look, you can't miss them. I forgot to take a pic when doing this part, so I used an old pic for illustrative purposes.

/9-8-07 Update

Here's a picture of the LCD face up after being removed from the metal casing. and the ribbon disconnected:


You next rotate the LCD up and out of the way, being very careful, not to damage these ribbon cables:



Her you can see the bottom of the LCD. I used my fingernails to gently pry it up and the edge(it is stuck with double sided tape, though the tape on mine was pretty weak).


Updated pic 9-8-07Here you see the LCD rotated out of the way:


Added 9-8-07 Start:
At this point, go ahead and separate the LCD and it's controller board from the backlight. Again, be very careful with the ribbon cables. No pic for this, sorry.

Next we need to remove the metal casing around the backlight. There are 2-3 clips on each edge of the screen that need to be pried away. In the following pics I've illustrated them.





Here the metal casing around the backlight has been removed and you see the top-most pre-installed film. I'm not sure what kind of film this is, but it's kind of opaque.


After removing the top-most film, you're greeted by another film. This film I suspect is BEF.


After removing that film, all thats left is the diffuser sheet.


I cut my pieces of film to 158mm by 97mm. However I did this the first time when I didn't fully disassemble the screen as I should. I recommend the films be cut to the following dimensions if your Xenarc looks like mine: 165mmx101mm. However, I still recommend you take your own measurements.
/ 9-8-07 Update

To cut them I used a piece of MDF as my cutting board along with a square and a VERY sharp X-acto knife.



As you can see I used a felt pen to mark what looks like V's on the film. This was so I knew where the notch in the film was. The notch is used for getting the correct orientation of the film. This is unfortunately where the pics end.


*Note: Others may want to try the steamy bathroom suggestion for a sudo clean room. I did this at my desk and as soon as I pulled off the protective sheets, dust clung to the films. I cleaned them with a slightly damp, eyeglass microfiber rag as best I could and just assembled it anyway. Didn't seem to show any dirt when I fired it up. Your mileage may very though. Definetly don't want any big debris getting there. I also recommend rubber gloves to avoid getting fingerprints on anything.


From here I laid down a piece of the BEF-II over the backlight diffuser with the now imaginary notch in the upper right corner.

Next another piece of BEF-II, cut so that it's rotated 90 degrees from the first piece when mounted. It's the equivalent of rotating the sheet so the notch faces out the side of the top left corner of the screen.

Next the DBEF-E 0 degree was placed on top of the second piece of BEF-II with the imaginary notch in the upper right corner.

After that, the LCD is reinstalled and the disassembly procedure is reversed for re-assembly. I left out the 2 pre-installed films when I re-assembled.


Things I may try differently to improve performance:
1. May remove the second piece of BEF-II and see what happens. Maybe I didn't cut the second piece right and it's oriented the same as first sheet effectively canceling the first sheet out.

2. Try to get some DBEF-E 45 degree. Maybe 45 degree was somehow more appropriate for this application.

3. Try the ESR film .

4. Try the ARMR-200 anti-glare film.

I'm still interested in hearing other people's experiences and seeing pics of what others have done.

It's entirely possible I did something wrong and if thats the case, hopefully someone will point it out. I've never disassembled an LCD before, so maybe I was incorrect about what I thought was the backlight and what was the LCD.

I was thinking of doing my PPC phone as well. As long as your oriented the BEFII with the notch in the upper right corner, you're fine. Thats how you know the right side is facing forward.