SanDisk Sansa Clip Disassembled
Cracking open the Sansa Clip may not be for the faint hearted since getting into it may render it useless. Although not impossible since the Clip is snapped together and not glued. Regardless, I broke mine so you wouldn’t have to. =)
So what makes that Sansa Clip sound good? Well, I’m not an electronics engineer, nor am I well versed in chip design, but I did find something interesting. Sound quality has some to do with the SOC (system on chip) and / or the DAC (digital audio processor), but it also has to do with the sum of the components, how they are laid out on the main board, and also how they interfere with each other. Then unusually, but smart thing I found inside the clip was a metal plate shielding the circuitry from interference. This is the first time I have seen this out of the many players I have disassembled that did not have wireless functions.
Below there are a few pictures for your browsing. Also be sure to check out the Clip review if you with thinking about purchasing one for the holidays.
Comments
dfkt on November 12, 2007 9:42 AM
Very interesting, Sandisk obviously using a special "homebrew" SOC. Seems they got it right with their own part, contrary to their other players using Sigmatel chips and other popular cheap ones.
Frodo on November 12, 2007 12:06 PM
now that you have it dissembled you could paint it some color that is not pink
omgodlike on November 12, 2007 1:23 PM
Very good work.
Could you please dissasemble the new ZEN 4GB/8GB/16GB for us!
I got that player, but haven't found a way to open it without doing damage.
That yould be very nice.
Thank you.
pencho on November 12, 2007 7:53 PM
No SDRAM chip? Interesting, must be integrated in the SOC...
Very clean board, looks like the shuffle. Much better looking than the Express. The SOC is probably a Samsung or Nvidia branded as Sandisk...
pencho on November 12, 2007 7:54 PM
No SDRAM chip? Interesting, must be integrated in the SOC...
Very clean board, looks like the shuffle. Much better looking than the Express. The SOC is probably a Samsung or Nvidia branded as Sandisk...
Ok on November 13, 2007 9:36 AM
So if it is so hard to open without damage, does it mean that when it needs repair or when the battery dies, you are supposed to throw your player away and get a new one?
Chris on November 13, 2007 9:51 PM
FYI: Best Buy is advertising the Clip for $39 as their 'Door Buster' for Black Friday (11/23).
xnamkcor on November 23, 2007 11:47 AM
@Chris
Got mine one this morning, it's 35usd for the 2GB at my store and it's not selling too fast, so there is still a good chance to get one, even if you don't get there early.
I already have a 8GB Zen MicroPhoto, so this one is being shipped to my brother.
Tim Elliott on November 24, 2007 2:42 AM
Got mine at Best Buy's Black Friday sale too. The more I use it, the more I like it. I seem to be collecting mp3 players but this is the only one I have that has a radio.
I payed less for it than I payed for my Zen Stone. This has a screen and twice the storage (and a tuner).
My only wish is that the center button was play/pause so it would be easier to pause while in my pocket instead of having to feel for the top of the player to pause it. I play podcasts at work.
amkaos on November 26, 2007 1:51 PM
what is the flash type, how hard is it to upgrade ?
bee on November 26, 2007 2:52 PM
BEWARE!!! Bought mine last week also. Couldn't read the fine print till I got home with a magnifier. You can't change the battery! I called the support line and the tech had to go ask. Non-replacible! He said the battery lasts between 2-5 years. I am not paying for something to last about 2 years.
Anyone have a better solution to the Sansa Clip at a low cost? I am disabled.
Thanks
amkaos on November 26, 2007 5:54 PM
bee youre rite..an awesome player like this for 35$--the battery should last forever.. solar powered even..not just for daily use for only at least 2 yrs..what will they have by then to take its place for 35$?.. youve never had a dap before have you..youre cell phone battery last that long at full charge? not likely..use it during the holidays and think about it..read up on it.
Gerri on December 17, 2007 1:01 AM
I have found that a lot of the newer MP3 players, no matter what brand, are going towards the integrated battery route. With a unit that is this cheap, it is just easier for the companies to replace the whole unit rather than send out a battery. 'Sides, in two years, you're going to want a new toy anyways.
Job Chithalan on January 20, 2008 5:16 PM
'Click' at Sansa forum found out that SOC in the Clip (and v2 e200, c200, Express, may be some others) is the Austrian Microsystems AS3525.
http://www.austriamicrosystems.com/03products/products_detail/AS3525/description_AS3525.htm
Click on January 20, 2008 5:50 PM
Well, I found that info on the RockBox forums...and if I had a disassembler for the Clip FW binary (5MB! Man it's HUGE!), I'd be doing some hacking.
Joe OC on February 10, 2008 5:21 PM
Many thanks for the pictures! They helped me to successfully disassemble and dry out my Sansa Clip. Without them, I might have irreversibly damaged the case.
I found the SansaClip laying face-down in a shallow puddle of water on a table. It showed no signs of life, and I could see water drops in the display face.
I knew I had to take it apart to dry it completely and your photos showed me the best places to insert a razor knife to separate the case. Then the photos confirmed the subsequent steps to disassemble.
After disassembly, I put the parts in a shallow bowl along with rice to help absorb moisture and let it sit for three days. I just reassembled and, voila!, it works fine. The case even clips together. Many thanks again!
Arce on March 27, 2008 1:32 PM
Aight, so I got mine...But I left it in my pocket for a few weeks. It went through he washer and dryer atleast 4 times since then, and didn't work.
Thanks to you, I was able to open it and reconnect a single disattached wire without doing damage. Now it works beautifully, with no damage what-so-ever.
Needless to say, I think these things are built pretty well if after all that all I had to do was reconnect the black wire to the battery pack.
This is a kewl site, btw. =P
Oh, yeah, and mine clipped together rather nicely. There's one section where the casing broke from forcing it open, but the result is barely noticable.