How's your D-Pad?

[larrysw]

What model do you have and how's your D-Pad? I keep hearing bad things about it and I will be using this for gaming sometimes as well...

[homerundoggy]

I just got it today and am trying to give it some time. I'm somewhat disappointed in the dpad. I don't think they've done any fixing. The directions that do work (E,W,S) don't give firm enough feedback. Its okay to a certain extent but not good enough. North (ie Up) requires pressing extra hard. When you press it normally, it clicks but doesn't do anything. It seems to be blocked or unaligned causing less than ideal contact. I want to try to get use to it, but you really shouldn't have to. I never have before. I'm tempted to open it up and see what kind of problem it may be, but it's probably just better to get a replacement. I may just return it and try something else or try again in a month if it seems the problems have been resolved.

Also in some games, you can get stuck going in one direction. It's not a hardware thing (as in physical) because the pad doesn't stick or anything like that. To get out of going in the same direction, you have to go back in that direction and release. I've never had problems with these games on other devices. Nevertheless it seems to be software related.

Jog dial/slider is pretty poor. People have described it pretty accurately. The record button is useless and nearly unpressable.

I only care about the dpad and I guess I will have to see if Dell is any good on replacements.

[homerundoggy]

Well, I fixed my dpad. It works really good now. I was right in that something was blocking the up direction. There is a small piece of foam afixed to the mainboard. It is too thick(1/8") and partially blocks contact with the 5-way switch. The only reason I can think of as to why it is there is that perhaps the up direction droops and the foam makes it look even on the outside. Or it protects the mainboard from shorting out or getting bumped due to the metal attachments under the pad. I just removed the foam and covered the board with electrical tape.

So after looking at the insides, I kind of understand why this has been a problem. I'm sure Dell can fix this issue in future builds. It seems that was what I should have gotten this week already.

I don't think I want to post instructions on how to open this thing up. It's somewhat secured in a not so obvious way--but I was curious and so I went for broke. Also there's alot to mess up if you don't know how to handle electronics. Just get a replacement from Dell and make em pay for it.

[imported_Covert]

Well it's good to know that it's fixable. I was planning on calling Dell earlier this week but haven't gotten around to it yet. I'm curious - if the new unit one receives is actually worse than the unit he had originally, could he keep the original, send back the replacement, and ask for another one? Because my d-pad doesn't seem as bad as some people have described theirs as being, but I still want a better one...

[Xyress]

Good question, Covert - I was wondering the same thing. Because my D-pad is not perfect, but I can live with it for the time being because the up direction is the faulty one on mine and it isn't *terrible*.

[rbg08]

Xyress, my Axim 400 has the same issue with the up button. I would like to eventually get it replaced, but want to wait untill Dell is consistently producing better ones. Can I wait until anytime during the first-year warranty to get it replaced or should I be aware of any time table by which I have to report a faulty unit?

[imported_welwyngc]

Originally posted by Covert
...- if the new unit one receives is actually worse than the unit he/she had originally, could he keep the original, send back the replacement ...

That is what I did.

I plan to wait now

[Yuta]

Originally posted by homerundoggy
I don't think I want to post instructions on how to open this thing up. It's somewhat secured in a not so obvious way

My Axim is beeing shipped to my country, now. I know how to handle electronics and I've been waiting for someone to open it up and have this issue fixed himself as this is what I'll have to do if the D-pad doesn't work well.
So, please talk a bit more about those not so obvious ways of opening it, if I'm not so clever as you I might get some plastic latch broken.
BTW, have you got some scrapes on the unit because of opening it?
Thanks.

[homerundoggy]

I think I know what the foam is for now. It helps support the north part of the dpad where it is too soft. It's okay to hold the PPC when you're sitting up...but when you're lying down reading an ebook, your thumb presses into that part of the pad because it is not firm at all. I can understand how it is hard to get right. You'll probably do better with Dell's own fix. I don't think I want to contribute anymore to the opening of Pandora's box.

[Yuta]

Originally posted by homerundoggy
I don't think I want to contribute anymore to the opening of Pandora's box.

:( Woooohooooo!:(
I understand your position but I won't have any other option that opening it for fixing it myself. So I really look forward for having info, specially if it's tricky to do it.
We all know we are on our own we do things like this, noones to blame you for giving innacurate/wrong suggestions. Though, If you don't want it to be public, how about a PM?.

[AeroMoose]

[ When you press it normally, it clicks but doesn't do anything. ]

It does do one thing. When I'm reading, paging down with the Dpad, and the screen "times out" and goes dim, I can press the pad down in the middle and it lights up again without having to page down or touch the screen.

Not a spectacular functionality, but useful for someone like me who reads a lot on the device. I can't imagine that is all it does? Maybe it is somehow programmable?

:)

[garf]

Disassembling the axim is pretty straight forward.
There are 6 philips screws; 2 under the battery and the other 4 under the rubber pads, open from the top down, as there are 2 "hooks" at the bottom. The Axim is really nice compared to the ipaq36xx once inside.
I pulled it apart to see if there wasn't a mechanical way to help the dpad, I wound up adding some shims between the actuator and the button... no noticeable difference.
Good Luck

[homerundoggy]

You missed a step that I was referring to earlier. I wasn't talking about those screws or tabs. Did you pull too hard like I could have? I'm crazy but not that crazy. Mine may have been "secured" more.

It's difficult to use shims because it makes it unbalanced or stick up. You should go with the foam. It may have been improperly placed. Also it may be too dense or not dense enough depending on your situation. It seems like I've been playing around with mine, but I only opened it one time and I'm going to leave it at that.

[thebigshow]

just got my axim today, tried playing a spaceship game with the D-pad...

yuck

[imported_Covert]

Originally posted by thebigshow
just got my axim today, tried playing a spaceship game with the D-pad...

yuck
Then send it in for a replacement so you can make a happier sound than "yuck." ;)

[Takotchi]

Just wondering, what revision does everybody have? It says on the side of the box. Mine is A04. I'm not sure if everybody has the same revision or not... (note, this isn't the ROM revision, which should always be A00 until they release an update).

I have A04, and the pad is... eh, okay. The up is a little hard to push, but I think overall it's the way the pad is designed, because if I hold it horizontally to play Tomb Raider, then left becomes hard to push (in other words, whichever direction is facing up is difficult because the pad is mushy).

[paqInator]

I tried the Axim today with the "Interstellar Flames" game. Mushy is a good word to describe the action of the pad, but I did not experience any problems with it.

[dorelse]

Mine is A04 as well, but is going back tomorrow b/c it will only go North if I crank on it. Plus West sticks down occassionally...not the d-pad but on the board I guess.

[gte643q]

A04.
D-pad on mine works good for LEFT and DOWN, but needs to be pushed hard for UP. No tactile feedback at all for RIGHT. In excel, it either shifts down or does nothing when I press right.
I'm sending back this one and got an ipaq h3950 instead for $50 more. The axim D-pad has some minor mechanical problems and a serious design flaw IMO. I would have kept it otherwise.

[Veedubb]

I was thinking about upgrading in january and I was thinking about the dell, untill I read this thread. I don't htink I'm interested in a PPC where the best solution the engineers could think of to fix a sloppy D-pad was a piece of foam...