How To Take Apart Griffin Powermate?

grandimperial · 03-29-2008, 01:15 PM

Hi everyone,

I have searached the boards and found a few mentions of people taking their powermates apart but from what ive read ive only got as far as removing the knob at the top and the clear base.

Ive seen it mentioned that the center is press fit and you have to push it out.

Can anyone confirm that u press this out from the bottom out the top?
And also what can you use to push it out? Is it safe to put fingers on top of the sodler points and other stuff on the circuit board.

Ive tried pushing on it quite hard with the closed end of needle nose pliers on the parts of the board that have spaces where there are no components.

Any help would be appreciated.

greatwhite · 03-29-2008, 01:28 PM

I pulled the knob off the top of my first one and it ruined the rheostat (or potentiometer).

Cut the knob off the second with a dremel

Anyways:

1. remove knob (pull it or cut it, proceed at your own risk!), you'll see a plastic knob on a shaft under it.

2. remove plastic knob (pull or cut)

3. remove glass bottom. Slip an exacto knife in between it and the aluminum body and go all the way around. It's only held on with silicon. Be careful not to slip and rip yourself open!

4. desoldier usb wire or cut aluminum housing. Desolder is easier, don't forget which wire goes where. Take pic or make a drawing.

6. unscrew nut around potentiometer shaft.

7. slide the guts out.

Easy as pie.

grandimperial · 03-29-2008, 07:05 PM

Thanks! Thats great help

But do you know if its possible to take it apart and be able to put together again without noticing the difference?

I only ask because im trying to relocate the powermate to where my cig lighter is and if it doesnt go to plan id like to put it back together back to where i previously had it.

greatwhite · 03-30-2008, 07:54 AM

if you're careful- maybe, maybe not...

But when I pulled the knob off it ruined the potentiometer, so I cut the second one off.

there's only one way to find out.

grandimperial · 03-30-2008, 10:18 AM

Which bit is the potentionometer?

Cos ihave pulled of the knob and the clear bottom and put them back together and it still works fine.
Its getting the cylinder shaped circuit board out of the lower angled piece of the housing.

Does the circuit board push out the bottomor top of this part?

parksgm · 03-30-2008, 04:25 PM

Quote: Originally Posted by grandimperial

Which bit is the potentionometer?

Cos ihave pulled of the knob and the clear bottom and put them back together and it still works fine.
Its getting the cylinder shaped circuit board out of the lower angled piece of the housing.

Does the circuit board push out the bottomor top of this part?

IIRC, the beveled aluminum ring at the base of the unit is a separate piece from the barrel-shaped main body of the Powermate. I believe that those two pieces are also press fit, and perhaps held in place by a bit of silicon as well. You have to separate the barrel from the beveled base because the USB cable is soldered to the mainboard, and the USB cable runs between those two pieces.

rgarjr · 03-30-2008, 04:39 PM

Does the knob spin forever to a direction or does it stop like a volume knob?

WuNgUn · 03-30-2008, 04:41 PM

Why do you want to take it apart?

parksgm · 03-30-2008, 04:45 PM

Quote: Originally Posted by rgarjr

Does the knob spin forever to a direction or does it stop like a volume knob?

Spins forever in a either direction. You could take it apart and add a stop internally, if you wanted. Wouldn't be hard...

grandimperial · 03-30-2008, 05:18 PM

I want to take it apart because im hoping to mold it into the cig lighter slot, its perfect diameter but it wont fit behind witht he whole thing in tact.

Since i wond be able to see anything behind the actual knob itself i want to just have the circuit board barrel/cylinder there.

However i want to try and keep the powermate intact so if it doesnt go to plan and look as good or function as good as i want it to, then i could put it back together.

rgarjr · 03-30-2008, 06:36 PM

Well, careful with it since those little suckers are 45 dollars a pop.. haha