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Custom M17-r3 Inap Edition.


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$0.77 so yeah it's really cheap. :) I am only worried about the cabling, it will have to be extremely fine, not sure yet what to use there.

Great, maybe you can see what the normal LEDs use...

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Well, if I can make the connection from the written "Alienware" logo on the bottom of the screen, there will be no problem but if for some reason I have to connect it to an LED on the chassis then it might be a problem to have cabling going through the hinges. At this point I am speculating since I have not tried it yet and it may just work out fine.

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I will make a video of the mod and post all the material but it's a 5050 RGB LED, just type that in google and click images and you will get a pic of it.

When I have time, I'll make a detail explanation of what I am planning to do.

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Hi guys, I need help, I took apart the computer, took the display off the PC but I am having issues going into the display. There are only 2 screws and I am not sure where to go from there to go into the display. Dell's service manual does not offer anything but how to take the display away from the PC. I am wondering if they made this one unit as screen, lcd, etc...

When looking at the M17X R2 service manual it's clearly in the guide how to actually take the display apart.

Any thoughts?

The good news is I found the 6 cables to solder the 5050 LED to, the bad news is the display above and the fact that I don't think I am capable of making such small solder.

Thanks for the help.

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after taking the 2 screws off, just slide the panel down and left it up. super easy. yup only 2 screws holding panel in place. just did this earlier when i was checking for the widi leads.

Edited by iloveb00bs
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after taking the 2 screws off, just slide the panel down and left it up. super easy. yup only 2 screws holding panel in place. just did this earlier when i was checking for the widi leads.

So it slides down just like the back panel?

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I'm gonna scour dells website... but the tech that broke my R2 was using a guide off dell's site that had pictorial tear down of all the systems the guy said it was publicly available just didn't catch where...

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I'm gonna scour dells website... but the tech that broke my R2 was using a guide off dell's site that had pictorial tear down of all the systems the guy said it was publicly available just didn't catch where...

I guess you mean the page with all the service manuals... here's the one for the M17x R3: Alienware: Online Documentation

But it won't really help as they only describe to exchange the whole lid assembly, I checked.

And if someone's interested.. here you'll find all manuals and stuff.... for Alienware search for "alw":

support.dell.com - /support/edocs/systems/

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Ok guys, I have some good news and some bad news. The good news is that it's doable, I found the 6 connections needed for RGB LED to work. The bad news is that with my current soldering iron, there is no way I can make such a small solder to connect. These are miniature solders and if I mess up, I will end up connection one or two cables all together which will short out the LED. I need to buy a high tech soldering iron and until I get that the project is on hold.

If anyone here is able to help me in finding what kind of soldering iron will be able to make miniature solders such as made by the Dell machines, please reply so we can take this project one step further.

I may have another solution which might not involve such small solder but I need to confirm that it works before I pursue this idea also.

I'll keep everyone updated.

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You need a soldering station / soldering iron which allows you to exchange the tips. I'm soldering SMD parts from time to time and it works fine, but it needs a little practice and a steady hand. I'm using this soldering station... I have tips that are 0.4mm diameter, but that's really small, usually 1mm is sufficient, even for SMDs, but it reall depends on the size of the solder joint.

When you have a soldering iron that can do the job I recommend getting some SMD resistors and wire and practice a bit first.

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Is it possible to just tape them on to test it? I'm not very familiar with soldering so I can't help ya there :(

I am 100% sure it will work as the cable has 6 wires and it's labeled LED. All RGB LED use 6 connections from what I've seen so far therefore I can only assume it will work.

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SVl7 that's a great find there for that soldering station, how much did it cost you...? Is there a way to ship one of those to the US?

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I got it as a gift.. I guess about $300, it's a high quality solder station even though it's not a professional version... and a great variety of tips and spare parts are available for it. But I have no idea whether this one is available in the US. Shipping won't be worth the money imo, this thing is pretty heavy, maybe 3kg...

I'm sure there are other manufacturers which sell similar solder stations in the US if this one isn't available. I recommend making sure that you can easily change the tip and that you'll be able to buy spare parts/tips for several years if you invest in such a tool. (That's usually the case with a quality brand... ERSA, the manufacturer of my solder station mainly produces professional stations, the one I have is the only "hobby" version they sell afaik... the great thing about this is that it's really easy to get new tips and accesoires since they have all the stuff for the professional tools anyway)

If you regularly use a solder station it's great having a reliable tool which is easy and quickly adjustable and doesn't just heat up like a $20 solder and burns all the flux.

But back to the topic, I hope this works out fine with this LED mod, it sounds really easy in theory, but in the end you need the time, the tools, etc... Unfortunately things often get more complicated when you think you're almost done.

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Well it sounds like a nice tool, I have to basic ones, may consider buying something like that when I have extra $. The one other thing you need is patience... and a steady hand.

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