Cracking Open a portable DVD player

The Magnavox Portable DVD Player

Electronic gadgets are all the rage. Few are more popular than portable DVD players, which have proven their value on countless road trips (which any parent with young children knows).

Explore this photo gallery to learn how one popular model is put together.

Magnavox model number MPD845. Made in China and sold by Wal-Mart. Marketed by Magnavox, this model was manufactured by Initial Technology, Inc.

Side view Of The Magnavox MPD845

Here's a side view of the Magnavox MPD845 portable DVD player.

Bottom View Of Magnavox MPD845

The view of the bottom of the Magnavox MPD845 portable DVD player.

Magnavox MPD845: LCD Open

The Magnavox MPD845 presents a handsome exterior. Simple, easily accessed controls (from power and play buttons on the front to menu controls on the top face) make using the device easy.

The Magnavox Battery

While the Magnavox MPD845 ships with both AC and DC chargers, often a battery is required. Here's the battery pack that ships with the unit.

The Magnavox battery pack cracked open

Here's a view inside the Magnavox battery pack. The rechargeable batteries are connected to the main DVD unit via the green circuit board.

Inside The Magnavox MPD845

Removing approximately a half-dozen Phillips-head screws from the bottom of the DVD unit enables separating the base into two pieces. Once separated, you can see the circuit boards, wiring and protective shields that help the player serve as an entertainment device.

Opening the Magnavox MPD845

Once the power and data cables that connect the menu and player controls with the main base are removed, the device easily separates into two pieces.

On top is the top half of the player, which is composed of the top lid and LCD. The green circuit board you see in the top right corner is actually the backside of the PCB that manages the player's menu controls. On the bottom you can see laser that reads DVDs, the assembly that grabs and spins the DVDs (the round black circle toward the middle left) and the circuit boards that manage the device's play controls (on the bottom) and headphone ports and master power switch (on the left).

Inside the main base

Here's a glimpse of the circuit boards inside the main base of the Magnavox MPD845.

The top half

Here's a closer look at the top half of the Magnavox MPD845. The assembly you see on the bottom shields the upper circuit board, which manages the menu controls among others, from the rest of the device's electronics.

Removing the LCD

To remove the LCD from the DVD player, numerous Philips-head screws must be removed.

The LCD removed

Once the Philips-head screws are removed that secure the LCD casing, the LCD can be removed from the player. Here you can see the backside of the LCD (with the decorative and protective cover on top).

The Magnavox MPD845 LCD

Here's the Magnavox MPD845's LCD once it's been removed from the DVD player casing. You can see power and data cables leading from the LCD's left and bottom edges, respectively.

The LCD - Rear view

Here's a view of the LCD's rear, with the cable responsible for transmitting video information to the screen now on the bottom.

The menu controls

Here's a view of the DVD player's menu controls.

Circuit Board

Here's a close-up of the circuit board that helps power the DVD's LCD screen.

Side view of the main PCB

Here's a side view of the main printed circuit board that powers the Magnavox MPD845's operations. In addition to numerous capacitors, you can make out the drive's motor assemblhy and laser toward the top.

The main circuit board

This is another view of the Magnavox MPD845's main circuit board. Here you can see the data cable that connects the unit's drive head (the laser) to the circuit board in the upper left corner.

Headphone and power circuit board

This circuit board manages the DVD player's main power switch and headphone jacks.

The drive head and motor unit

In addition to the motor unit (center), you can see the DVD player's optical lens to the left.

Optical lens close up

Here's a close up of the optical lens. To the left you can make out the data ribbon cable that transmits the data information the lens reads to the DVD player.

The circuit board connections

Here are two circuit board connections that help power the optical lens. Also visible here are several of the board's many capacitors.

The remote control receiver

The infrared remote control receiver is visible here in the middle of the photo.

The main circuit board removed

Here's a close up view of the main circuit board once it's been removed from the DVD player.

The main base, PCB removed

Here's a view of the DVD player's main base with the circuit board removed.

The main base, shield removed

Once the second protective shield (and shock absorbing material) is removed, the main base's plastic exterior is clearly visible.

The bottom side shield and padding

The protective shield (top) and padding material (bottom) help protect the DVD device's electronics and player mechanism to operate properly.

Both of these items were removed from beneath the DVD player's main circuit board.

Motor assembly and optical lens

This is the motor assembly (complete with optical lens) that forms the heart of the Magnavox MPD845.

The main base

Once the motor unit, main board and protective shields and padding are removed from the main base, this is all that's left.

The two remaining circuit boards power the player's front playback controls and headphone jacks.