There is a way around the backlight issue on the m505

Re: Backlit Fitaly Stamp on m505? -- John-Mark Stensvaag
Posted by terry chay ^® , Fri, May 18, 2001, 18:14:32		Top	Forum

As a previous author noted, the lighting appears through the "silkscreened" areas of the m505 which is enough to light the Fitaly Stamp for use in pitch dark, though annoying. (Note: the first time I installed Fitaly Stamp it didn't work when enabled through XMaster, I reinstalled it and it did just fine).

In any case, the unit is sidelit, not backlit on inspection. There are three white LEDs on top and two on the bottom. I believe it's the nature of the lighting that gives the whole unit a slightly bluish cast with indoor lighting.

It isn't hard to make FitalyStamp work so tthat the stamp is fully lit up. Doing this will void your warrantee!

Here is a list of what you need

A MultiMediaCard or SecureDigital card. I think right now a 32MB MMC card is the the best value and most practical given the support of memory cards in 3rd party applications and the OS. I used a Viking 64MB MMC.
McFile or BackupBuddy:VFS (both free) installed on your MMC.
A Torx T-5 screwdriver and a flathead screwdriver or exacto knife.
Lint free cloth. If you use reglular tissue paper, you will get lint trapped under your display which will glow when your side light is on; If you use lens paper, you will have streaking
Compressed air or some sort of (photographic) blower to remove dust. Note that prefer something without so much pressure as you don't want parts being blown away.
Fitaly Stamp. :-)

Here is what I did. Note that you can click on the thumbnails for a large image (50% actual size)..

Backup the Palm using one or both programs. I used both as well as used BackupAll to back up everything in Palm Desktop's Backup folder. (That's my "universal remote control" on the side.)

Unscrew the back of the Palm using the screwdriver. Use a flathead screwdriver or your finger nails to pry the case apart.

Pull out the battery connector—that's where the black and red while attaches to the motherboard. The motherboard will also pop out of the front part of the case (ti's snapped in at the top so be careful). The plastic buttons will come out also. Set the buttons and the front case to the side.

Note that the assembly you have left still has the motherboard attached to the digitizer, glass, and daughterboard. You don't want to remove it, so be careful here as you have the motherboard dangling whenever you’re working on the digitizer.

What you want to remove is the orange tape on the right side. Pry it apart from the glass side first and move it off the glass. There is no need to remove the tape as it’s still sticky. (Note that in the picture, the glass is stacked against a bunch of CD cases).

The glass and silkscreen are glued to the digitizer with tape. You can separate them easily if you work at it and don’t force anything. You’ll notice that the silkscreen is still stuck to the glass.

If you wanted to, you could slip in the stamp from the top between the glass and the silkscreen. I wouldn’t do this because the screen is still opaque and blocks the sidelight (which is just below the glass but above the digitizer.

The same sticky stuff attaches the silkscreen to the glass. You should remove it (it stretches all around the glass). In the picture you can see that it is right of the digitizer and the glass is the left of it.

Attach the Fitaly stamp to the plastic protector on the digitizer. There is a nice alignment guide about wher eyou need to place the stamp. Note that if you are using half cells, you’ll need to place it slightly higher up. After you place it, look at the other side of the plastic and you’ll see a bunch of air pockets. If you don’t remove these, you’ll see the discoloration caused by the backlight shinking through them so slowly remove all the air pockets by pressing down the stamp side.

Use thge air to clean the dirt. Make sure there are no fingerprints or smudges anywhere (use diluted glass cleaning fluid and lint free cloth to wipe clean. Put it all back together. Remember to reconnect the battery before closing. Turn on the machine and set the time and redigitize the tablet. Restore from backup. Wipe the front of the screen clean and install any screen protectors if necessary. Go into the dark and admire your handywork.

(Note that the streak on the screen in the picture is due to the fact that I used lens paper by accident on the digitizer and streaked it. I also missed a speck on the right side which you can see. The blurryness is because I couldn’t find my tripod when I took the picture.)

You’ll notice that the bottom of the stamp is brighter than the top—that’s because the location of the sidelight LEDs as mentioned in the beginning.

---
terry chay
www.QIXO.com /kick.so/- Taking Travel Everywhere
“Righteous travel deals in record time!”
Palm Vx LE
Related link: Disassembling the Palm m505 to install Fitaly Stamp

	Backup the Palm using one or both programs. I used both as well as used BackupAll to back up everything in Palm Desktop's Backup folder. (That's my "universal remote control" on the side.)
	Unscrew the back of the Palm using the screwdriver. Use a flathead screwdriver or your finger nails to pry the case apart.
	Pull out the battery connector—that's where the black and red while attaches to the motherboard. The motherboard will also pop out of the front part of the case (ti's snapped in at the top so be careful). The plastic buttons will come out also. Set the buttons and the front case to the side.
	Note that the assembly you have left still has the motherboard attached to the digitizer, glass, and daughterboard. You don't want to remove it, so be careful here as you have the motherboard dangling whenever you’re working on the digitizer.
	What you want to remove is the orange tape on the right side. Pry it apart from the glass side first and move it off the glass. There is no need to remove the tape as it’s still sticky. (Note that in the picture, the glass is stacked against a bunch of CD cases).
	The glass and silkscreen are glued to the digitizer with tape. You can separate them easily if you work at it and don’t force anything. You’ll notice that the silkscreen is still stuck to the glass. If you wanted to, you could slip in the stamp from the top between the glass and the silkscreen. I wouldn’t do this because the screen is still opaque and blocks the sidelight (which is just below the glass but above the digitizer.
	The same sticky stuff attaches the silkscreen to the glass. You should remove it (it stretches all around the glass). In the picture you can see that it is right of the digitizer and the glass is the left of it. Attach the Fitaly stamp to the plastic protector on the digitizer. There is a nice alignment guide about wher eyou need to place the stamp. Note that if you are using half cells, you’ll need to place it slightly higher up. After you place it, look at the other side of the plastic and you’ll see a bunch of air pockets. If you don’t remove these, you’ll see the discoloration caused by the backlight shinking through them so slowly remove all the air pockets by pressing down the stamp side.
	Use thge air to clean the dirt. Make sure there are no fingerprints or smudges anywhere (use diluted glass cleaning fluid and lint free cloth to wipe clean. Put it all back together. Remember to reconnect the battery before closing. Turn on the machine and set the time and redigitize the tablet. Restore from backup. Wipe the front of the screen clean and install any screen protectors if necessary. Go into the dark and admire your handywork. (Note that the streak on the screen in the picture is due to the fact that I used lens paper by accident on the digitizer and streaked it. I also missed a speck on the right side which you can see. The blurryness is because I couldn’t find my tripod when I took the picture.) You’ll notice that the bottom of the stamp is brighter than the top—that’s because the location of the sidelight LEDs as mentioned in the beginning.