hi nice to see theres possible help at hand. I quiet enjoy working with tech things but I'm pretty clueless, so really need some sound advice. I have had this problem b4 and used to take my media centre to a local guy to fix, but as per usual he is getting too pricey. if I knew how to fix anything I would always opt for fixing it myself. to get to the point: I have a archos gmini 402 camcorder which wont charge, even with new battery, so I'm guessing I have done the same as I have on 2 other occasions? used the wrong chargwih my media centre which does something to the dc input, I think? but I have no way of knowing until I learn how to test the equipment, find where the fault is. so how does one go about this, can someon fill me in on the correct procedures to follow and what sort of equipment I need for testing, I am on a shoestring budget, might I add. will try to upload a decent photo of battery connection as it did cross my mind that I may have shorted the circuit by bridging as my soldering are fairly poor as is eyesight so if anyone spots anything wrong please elaborate and let me know asap
thanks in advance

 

Throw the cheap thing away and buy a better one.

 

Hi, actually I want to revive this one as it has a very clever recording feature which if you are obsessed with collecting new music such as myself is very handy. I already have plenty of other media centres but they cannot record like this one can. all i'm asking for is a little advice on how to safely proceed as I am almost positive I have knacked the (and i think this is the correct word >>) "transponder" which i believe(and correct me if I am wrong) is a little component that protects the entire circuit as a sort of bridge between the dc input and the rest of the circuit. anyway I have in the mean time taken it down to the local guy but he has a 3 week wait on repairs. guess my obsession may have to wait. I would still appreciate any tutorials on unsoldering and soldering correctly with all the necessary gear as I do enjoy fixing things myself. The local guy does testing and assessments before repairs for like a fiver so if he tells me what i need to do and gets me the replacement part I would like to try and fix it myself. if it is this transponder thingy that needs replacing is it a fairly straightforward process that doesn't require a degree in electronic engineering, just a steady hand? thanks in advance for any useful help