ntAs of this writing, FocalPrice lists the LY-706 tablet at $97.99 (US) with free shipping. The device has a 7-inch TFT-LCD (800×480 resolution) with resistive touchscreen, built-in speakers and microphone, and a 1.3MB front-facing camera. Inside the LY-706, you’ll find a VIA MW8505 CPU, 2GB of NAND flash storage, and 256MB system memory. It also supports Wi-Fi.

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ntThe LY-706 comes with Android 1.6 installed.
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ntPhoto by: Bill Detwiler / TechRepublic
ntCaption by: Bill Detwiler

Holding the LY-706

ntThe LY-706 is a bit thincker than the iPad, but still feels comfortable in the hand.

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ntPhoto by: Bill Detwiler / TechRepublic
ntCaption by: Bill Detwiler

Bottom - Ports

ntAlong the bottom of the LY-706 are the speaker grills, 3.5mm headphone jack, 30-pin connector, microSD card slot, and power connector.

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ntPhoto by: Bill Detwiler / TechRepublic
ntCaption by: Bill Detwiler

ntAlong the right side of the LY-706 are the power button, volume buttons, and hole that doubles as the mic and reset button.

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ntPhoto by: Bill Detwiler / TechRepublic
ntCaption by: Bill Detwiler

Product markings

ntOne of the strange things about the LY-706 tablet is the lack of identifying marks. Other than model number and input power voltage, there are no other markings that identify the device. And despite looking, I was never able to determine who actually assembled the LY-706.

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ntPhoto by: Bill Detwiler / TechRepublic
ntCaption by: Bill Detwiler

Second hidden screws

ntThe second external case screw is hidden behind a small white sticker with the markings QC.

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ntPhoto by: Bill Detwiler / TechRepublic
ntCaption by: Bill Detwiler

Display assembly popping up from back cover

ntOnce I removed the external screws, the display assembly immediately popped up from the back cover. This was one of several occurances that illustrated the LY-706’s poor assembly.

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ntPhoto by: Bill Detwiler / TechRepublic
ntCaption by: Bill Detwiler

Popping loose the back cover

ntUsing a thin metal blade, I was able to pop the back cover away from the display assembly.

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ntPhoto by: Bill Detwiler / TechRepublic
ntCaption by: Bill Detwiler

Plastic speaker grills coming loose

ntAs I popped off the back cover, the speaker grils (thin pieces of plastic) began to come loose from the display assembly.

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ntPhoto by: Bill Detwiler / TechRepublic
ntCaption by: Bill Detwiler

Plastic speaker grills

ntInstead of having metal or even plastic speaker grills attached to the back cover or integrated with the speakers, the LY-706 uses extremely thin pieces of pliable plastic. This was the second indication that the device’s construction wasn’t on the same level as the Apple iPad or Samsung Galaxy tab.

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ntPhoto by: Bill Detwiler / TechRepublic
ntCaption by: Bill Detwiler

Loose screw inside the case

ntAs I removed the LY-706’s back cover, I heard something rattling inside. The culprit was a small Phillips screw that should have been helping hold the main PCB in place.

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ntPhoto by: Bill Detwiler / TechRepublic
ntCaption by: Bill Detwiler

Inside the LY-706 tablet

ntInside the LY-706, we find the main PCB (right side), a small PCB the holds the camera (left side), a small PCB that holds the right side buttons and microphone, a small PCB that holds the wireless chip, battery pack, and display.

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ntUnfortunately, many of the internal components are soldered to the main PCB. We’ll need to remove them and the main PCB as a single unit.

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ntPhoto by: Bill Detwiler / TechRepublic
ntCaption by: Bill Detwiler

Removing the right-side button PCB screws

ntWe’ll start dissecting the LY-706’s internal components, by removing the small PCB that houses the right-side buttons and microphone. It is held to the front half of the plastic case with two Phillips screws.

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ntPhoto by: Bill Detwiler / TechRepublic
ntCaption by: Bill Detwiler

Removing the right-side button PCB

ntOnce the screws are removed, you can release the catch on the ribbon cable connector and lift the small PCB away from the LY-706 tablet.

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ntPhoto by: Bill Detwiler / TechRepublic
ntCaption by: Bill Detwiler

Right-side button PCB - Bottom

ntEach of the buttons on this small PCB are labled. From left to right are the reset, volume down, volume up, and power buttons.

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ntPhoto by: Bill Detwiler / TechRepublic
ntCaption by: Bill Detwiler

Right-side button PCB - Top

ntFlipping the right-side button PCB over, we see the actual buttons and the microphone.

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ntPhoto by: Bill Detwiler / TechRepublic
ntCaption by: Bill Detwiler

Camera PCB

ntAnother small PCB contains the LY-706’s front-facing 1.3MP camera. Unfortunately, the PCB is permanently attached to the front case. I could remove the board, but it would require breaking the connections that hold it to the case.

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ntI’m going to leave this PCB in place, but disconnect it from the main PCB.

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ntPhoto by: Bill Detwiler / TechRepublic
ntCaption by: Bill Detwiler

Disconnecting the camera wires

ntLuckily the wires that connect the main PCB and camera PCB are not soldered to the small board.

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ntPhoto by: Bill Detwiler / TechRepublic
ntCaption by: Bill Detwiler

Disconnecting the right-side button pcb ribbon cable

ntNext, I’ll disconnect the other end of the thin ribbon cable the connects the right-side button PCB to the motherboard.

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ntWe’ve already removed the right-side button PCB, but this ribbon cable is also attached to the underside of the battery pack. Disconnecting this end may make it eaiser to remove the main PCB later.

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ntPhoto by: Bill Detwiler / TechRepublic
ntCaption by: Bill Detwiler

Disconnecting the LCD backlight wires

ntNext to the battery wires, which are soldered to the main PCB, is a connector with red and black wires that run to the LCD. There are likely wires for the backlight on the LCD.

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ntPhoto by: Bill Detwiler / TechRepublic
ntCaption by: Bill Detwiler

LCD backlight wires disconnected

ntPhoto by: Bill Detwiler / TechRepublic
ntCaption by: Bill Detwiler

LCD and touchscreen ribbon cables

ntThe last two cables to disconnect are for the LCD (wided, gray ribbon cable) and resistive touchscreen (narrower, yellow ribbon cable).

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ntPhoto by: Bill Detwiler / TechRepublic
ntCaption by: Bill Detwiler

LCD and touchscreen ribbon cables disconnected

ntPhoto by: Bill Detwiler / TechRepublic
ntCaption by: Bill Detwiler

Bending back the LCD and touchscreen ribbon cables

ntAfter disconnecting the ribbon cables, I bent them back slightly to make the main PCB easier to remove.

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ntPhoto by: Bill Detwiler / TechRepublic
ntCaption by: Bill Detwiler

Wires taped to batter pack

ntI’ll also need to remove the tape that holds the LCD backlight wires to the battery pack.

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ntPhoto by: Bill Detwiler / TechRepublic
ntCaption by: Bill Detwiler

Detaching the LCD backlight wire from the battery

ntPhoto by: Bill Detwiler / TechRepublic
ntCaption by: Bill Detwiler

Removing the speakers from the case

ntThe LY-706’s two internal speakers are soldered to the motherboard. We’ll need to separate them from the the plastic case before removing the main PCB.

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ntUsing a thin metal blade, you can gently pry them loose from the adhesive tape that holds them in place.

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ntPhoto by: Bill Detwiler / TechRepublic
ntCaption by: Bill Detwiler

Ready to lift out the LCD, main PCB, and attached components

ntWith all the internal cables, screws, and stuck components free, we can begin to lift the LCD, main PCB, and attached components away from the front half of the LY-706’s case.

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ntPhoto by: Bill Detwiler / TechRepublic
ntCaption by: Bill Detwiler

Removing the LCD, main PCB, and attached components

ntPhoto by: Bill Detwiler / TechRepublic
ntCaption by: Bill Detwiler

W-Fi PCB

ntA smaller, green PCB is attached to the front case panel and located under the main PCB. It’s wires are soldered to the main PCB, so we’ll need to remove it from the front case panel.

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ntPhoto by: Bill Detwiler / TechRepublic
ntCaption by: Bill Detwiler

Removing the Wi-Fi PCB

ntPhoto by: Bill Detwiler / TechRepublic
ntCaption by: Bill Detwiler

Main PCB, battery back, and attached components removed

ntPhoto by: Bill Detwiler / TechRepublic
ntCaption by: Bill Detwiler

Resistive touchscreen

ntWith most of the internal components removed, we can see the LY-706’s resistive touchscreen.

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ntPhoto by: Bill Detwiler / TechRepublic
ntCaption by: Bill Detwiler

Plastic touchscreen

ntUnlike nearly all the smartphones and tablets I’ve cracked open, the LY-706 use a touchscreen made from layers of thin, flexible plastic instead of glass. Here you can see me peeling a corner of the top layer away from the front case’s hard plastic edge.

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ntPhoto by: Bill Detwiler / TechRepublic
ntCaption by: Bill Detwiler

Mysterious wad of glue

ntI’m not really sure what this wad of glue was designed to hold in place.

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ntPhoto by: Bill Detwiler / TechRepublic
ntCaption by: Bill Detwiler

LCD, main PCB, and attached components

ntThe LY-706’s battery back is attached to the back of the LCD with adhesive. Next, we’ll need to separate the two.

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ntPhoto by: Bill Detwiler / TechRepublic
ntCaption by: Bill Detwiler

Removing the battery pack from the LCD

ntUsing a thin blade, I was able to slice through the adhesive that holds the battery pack to the back of the LCD.

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ntPhoto by: Bill Detwiler / TechRepublic
ntCaption by: Bill Detwiler

LCD ribbon cable markings

ntThere are no markings on the LCD that indicate who made it. (At least none that I could find.) But, there are a few markings on the ribbon cable and a sticker attached to the cable.

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ntPhoto by: Bill Detwiler / TechRepublic
ntCaption by: Bill Detwiler

LCD sticker

ntA sticker on the back of the LCD unit reads:

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ntEB

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ntHSD7.0-LED12

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ntD043-16-101029-0023311

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ntPhoto by: Bill Detwiler / TechRepublic
ntCaption by: Bill Detwiler

Main PCB and attached components - Top

ntThe wireless PCB, battery pack, and speakers are soldered to the main PCB.

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ntPhoto by: Bill Detwiler / TechRepublic
ntCaption by: Bill Detwiler

Main PCB and attached components - Back

ntPhoto by: Bill Detwiler / TechRepublic
ntCaption by: Bill Detwiler

Battery pack

ntThe LY-706 has a battery pack with two 3.7V 5.55Wh batteries. I’ve read several complaints about the device having extremely poor battery life. And, TechRepublic’s own Mark Kaelin reported getting only two hours of battery life under normal use.

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ntFor the record, neither the FocalPrice site nor the documentation included with the LY-706 lists an average battery life.

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ntPhoto by: Bill Detwiler / TechRepublic
ntCaption by: Bill Detwiler

Ralink RT2070L 802.11n Wireless LAN USB Adapter - Top

ntThe LY-706 provides Wi-Fi support through a Ralink RT2070L 802.11n Wireless LAN USB Adapter. The RT2070L appears to be one of Ralink’s older, discontinued chips.

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ntOddly enough, the small PCB to which the IC is mounted has the markings for the Ralink RT3070–one of the company’s newer Wi-Fi ICs.

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ntPhoto by: Bill Detwiler / TechRepublic
ntCaption by: Bill Detwiler

Ralink RT2070L 802.11n Wireless LAN USB Adapter - Back

ntThere don’t appear to be any antenna wires mounted inside the LY-706.

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ntPhoto by: Bill Detwiler / TechRepublic
ntCaption by: Bill Detwiler

Samsung 2GB NAND Flash chip (K9GAG08U0M)

ntThe LY-706 has a single Samsung 2GB NAND Flash chip (K9GAG08U0M) for storage.

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ntPhoto by: Bill Detwiler / TechRepublic
ntCaption by: Bill Detwiler

VIA WonderMedia WM8505 ARM-based CPU

ntThe LY-706 is powered by VIA Technolgoy’s WonderMedia WM8505 ARM-based CPU. Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to find a clock speed for the specific chip used in this device. I’ve read reports of number ranging between 300MHz and 600MHz.

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ntPhoto by: Bill Detwiler / TechRepublic
ntCaption by: Bill Detwiler

Hynix DDR SDRAM modules (HY5PS1G831C)

ntThe LY-706 has two Hynix DDR SDRAM modules (HY5PS1G831C). According to the product specs, the device has 256MB of system memory. But according to Hynix’s online documentation, these modules only come in 1GB and 2GB configurations.

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ntPhoto by: Bill Detwiler / TechRepublic
ntCaption by: Bill Detwiler

25040T chip

ntChips with markings:

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nt25040T

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ntE40911

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ntAE1036

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ntPhoto by: Bill Detwiler / TechRepublic
ntCaption by: Bill Detwiler

Genesys Logic GL850G USB hub controller

ntGenesys Logic GL850G USB hub controller

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ntPhoto by: Bill Detwiler / TechRepublic
ntCaption by: Bill Detwiler

S16011G chip

ntChip with markings:

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ntS16011G

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nt1036

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ntPhoto by: Bill Detwiler / TechRepublic
ntCaption by: Bill Detwiler

Wolfson Micro WM9715 CODEC with touchpanel controller

ntWolfson Micro WM9715 CODEC with touchpanel controller 

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ntPhoto by: Bill Detwiler / TechRepublic
ntCaption by: Bill Detwiler

VIA VT6113 10/100 Ethernet controller

ntVIA VT6113 10/100 Ethernet controller

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ntPhoto by: Bill Detwiler / TechRepublic
ntCaption by: Bill Detwiler

LY-706(IO) motherboard markings

ntI looked all over the PCB for a marking that would indicate who assembled the LY-706, or at least manufactured the motherboard, but I only found two markings of note.

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ntThe one show in this photo is the device’s model number: LY-706(IO)

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ntPhoto by: Bill Detwiler / TechRepublic
ntCaption by: Bill Detwiler

WMS8096A1 motherboard markings

ntSecond main PCB markings: WMS8096A1

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ntPhoto by: Bill Detwiler / TechRepublic
ntCaption by: Bill Detwiler