OEM gps transplant

On a scale of 1-10, "10" being the most difficult, what be the difficulty on transplanting the OEM gps kit from one CF-29H to another CF-29L. My skill level working with the hardware of Toughbooks is very limited. I have replaced touchscreens, memory, hardrives, keyboards and those plastic covers. I do see many threads covering how to install aftermarket kits but I do not want to go that route.

 

5 or 6, and most of that is knowing the software portion (setting up BIOS, loading correct drivers, etc)

 

I want to know if it is hard to pull out the gps from one laptop and to put into another assuming that I take out all the required hardware from the donor laptop? would it be like just three part consisting of IE:antenna, gps reciever, copper antenna wire or is it much more involved than that. I guess what I am looking for is for someone to lay it out with pictures and crayons for me..

 

The complexity of the job is directly dependent on the compatibility of the two laptops that you have. The OEM GPS for the 29 is mounted inside a removable sled unit that can easily be removed and inserted in another 29 provided that both units have the internal sled hardware. The GPS unit and antenna is all inclusive to the sled. If the 29 you are wanting to add the GPS to does not have the internal sled hardware, it can be installed fairly simply from the other unit if you are handy with a screwdriver (simply uninstall the sled hardware from the old 29 and ribbon cable, and insert it to the new one).

This file I put together should help point you in the right direction:

http://www.toughbooktalk.com/public_downloads/NR Contributing Members/Doobi/Simple Sled Install.pdf

This is really for installing the WWAN modem, but the GPS installs in the same sled unit, sometimes together with the WWAN modem. If you look at the long PCB board on the top-right of page 6, it is under that that the GPS engine is normally installed. You can see the mounting space for it in the first picture on page 1 (the large circled metal piece) and the bump out for the antenna on the black plastic piece showing in the bottom two pictures of page 7.

Hope this helps...

 

so how does the gps connect to the sled? or do you need a magic gps sled with extra connetors and stuff???

 

Holy EFFING crap Doobi, that was exactly in kindergarten terms what I was looking for. thank you very very much for putting forth the effort in helping me with this problem. If I could give you 100 REP I would, sometime the simplest things need to be put it even simpler terms for some of us to really understand them.

 

If you have the one to take it from... It is self explanitory.... It should take you around 30 minutes.

But you need Wiha or better tools or you will strip the screw heads. If you do not have the precision tools... Do not attempt the job.

 

I bought a set of Stanley Precision screwdrivers from Target today. and what is "Wiha"? the reason I asked is because while I was surfing the internetsweb I stumbled across a picture of the OEM GPS kit from Heartland and saw a lot of small parts in there and was wondering if I was going to have like 50 tiny screws to keep track of and remember where they go. That picture came with a description that someone had and it said, "ships without install in instructions".

 

If you look on ebay for "Wiha" screwdrivers (At least a 00 and 000 type phillips head) you will find them to be easy to obtain. Stanley may do it... But I doubt it. Just remember to put pressure on it to break it lose... Then whatever pressure you need to apply to keep it from stripping. If you cannot do that... Then your screwdrivers will not work. My stanleys and radio shack variety were crap tools and I threw them out after much frustration dealing with Toughbooks almost 4 years ago. I have had a double set of Wiha since then and haven't stripped a screw yet!

 

I personally have a laptop screwdriver bucket that consists of about 70 screw drivers... To this day I have NEVER stripped a single screw on a Toughbook or those stupid "Apple" computers...

 

thanks TB, I will hunt these down...