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After Hours

Cracking open the Microsoft Zune (2nd generation)

By Mark W. Kaelin December 6, 2007, 4:23 AM PST

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Cracking open the Microsoft Zune (2nd generation)

By Mark Kaelin

By Mark Kaelin

The second generation Microsoft Zune media player is that company’s answer to the various iPods Apple has put on the market with at least video and MP3 capability. As a general purpose media player, the Zune is more than serviceable. It is not spectacular, but the Zune does just what you expect — play music and videos, display pictures, and manage your media library. But the question remains — what the heck is inside. In this TechRepublic Cracking Open Photo Gallery we examine what is actually in a Microsoft Zune.

Cracking open the Microsoft Zune (2nd generation)

The Microsoft Zune

The Microsoft Zune

Cracking open the Microsoft Zune (2nd generation)

It's red

It's red

Cracking open the Microsoft Zune (2nd generation)

The Zune experience

The Zune experience

The Zune ships with the standard stuff for a media player: the power/USB cable, headphones (ear buds), and really lame documentation. (Can’t anyone write just a little documentation for us?)

Microsoft has about 10 pages of warranty and other legal mumbo jumbo, but very little about how to actually use the darn thing.

Cracking open the Microsoft Zune (2nd generation)

Almost a click wheel

Almost a click wheel

The Zune has a familiar look with a wheel style controller, but it doesn’t operate the same way an iPod does. The wheel is really a north, south, east, west button, with a center OK button.

Cracking open the Microsoft Zune (2nd generation)

4GB

4GB

No engraving on our Zune.

Cracking open the Microsoft Zune (2nd generation)

Interface

Interface

The graphical interface is efficient, but not very eye-catching.

Cracking open the Microsoft Zune (2nd generation)

Album art

Album art

The Zune will display downloaded album artwork so you can know what you are listening to.

Cracking open the Microsoft Zune (2nd generation)

Connections

Connections

Not many connections in our Zune — one hole for a USB/power cable and one audio jack for headphones.

Cracking open the Microsoft Zune (2nd generation)

Tricky

Tricky

I approached the Cracking Open like I approached it for the various iPods. I made the assumption that the Zune case was merely clipped together. But, alas, I was wrong. There were some screws lurking under this clip-on shiny plate.

Cracking open the Microsoft Zune (2nd generation)

Security screws

Security screws

And they weren’t just any screws either. They were tri-wing security screws, which were made famous during our Cracking Open of the Nintendo Wii.

Cracking open the Microsoft Zune (2nd generation)

We have clips

We have clips

Of course, there are still plenty of clips to pry apart.

Cracking open the Microsoft Zune (2nd generation)

Small problems

Small problems

The shiny clip looks odd on the Zune — now we know why — hiding screws, shame on you Microsoft.

Cracking open the Microsoft Zune (2nd generation)

Back plate

Back plate

The back plate is similar to the iPods — sturdy lightweight metal.

Cracking open the Microsoft Zune (2nd generation)

A first look at the guts

A first look at the guts

One of the first things you’ll notice about the inside of the Zune is that there are three more tri-wing security screws holding the housing in place.

Cracking open the Microsoft Zune (2nd generation)

A typical battery

A typical battery

The battery is similar to almost all of the small devices we have cracked open. If they are all made by the same manufacturer, that company must be really busy.

Cracking open the Microsoft Zune (2nd generation)

The infamous ribbon cable

The infamous ribbon cable

The manufacturer of ribbon cables must be busy too. Like the iPods, the Zune uses them for internal connections.

Cracking open the Microsoft Zune (2nd generation)

Lots of chips

Lots of chips

Most of the chips in the Zune lie within this circuit board sandwich.

Cracking open the Microsoft Zune (2nd generation)

Ribbon cable gates

Ribbon cable gates

Boy I hate these things — ribbon cables are often connection with these gates. There are difficult to get separated and darn near impossible to get back together. This is where we lost the iPod Nano.

Cracking open the Microsoft Zune (2nd generation)

More to see

More to see

We need to get a closer look at the chips, which means the whole housing has to come out. There are two clips that need to be separated and the rest should follow suit.

Cracking open the Microsoft Zune (2nd generation)

Black wire

Black wire

The black wire has a clip, but I have never seen one like it before. I’ll hold off on that for the moment, maybe it won’t be necessary to remove it.

Cracking open the Microsoft Zune (2nd generation)

We have separation

We have separation

The clips were the key. We are not looking at the LCD side of the Zune insides.

Cracking open the Microsoft Zune (2nd generation)

Through the looking glass

Through the looking glass

I was careful not to leave any fingerprints on the underside of the glass.

Cracking open the Microsoft Zune (2nd generation)

A Hynix chip

A Hynix chip

That’s a Hynix chip – we have seen these chips in iPods — another busy manufacturer.

Cracking open the Microsoft Zune (2nd generation)

Fuzzy

Fuzzy

The focus is off a bit, but you can see it does indeed say Hynix.

Cracking open the Microsoft Zune (2nd generation)

Silicon on display

Silicon on display

Here we have another Hynix chip. I think can assume that the previous Hynix chip was the 4GB of storage. This one is most likely the operating RAM.

The big chip from China looks to be the CPU.

Cracking open the Microsoft Zune (2nd generation)

More chips

More chips

The rest of the Zune’s chips. I am guessing the chip with the wavy lines is for sound reproduction.

Cracking open the Microsoft Zune (2nd generation)

Another angle

Another angle

The chips located under the silver cover marked 7921 handle the wireless remote interaction with some Zune accessories.

Cracking open the Microsoft Zune (2nd generation)

The LCD

The LCD

The LCD screens in the Zune looks similar to other devices we have looked at — another busy manufacturer.

Cracking open the Microsoft Zune (2nd generation)

Reflection

Reflection

I can see myself.

Cracking open the Microsoft Zune (2nd generation)

Controller

Controller

A closer look at the underside of the circular controller.

Cracking open the Microsoft Zune (2nd generation)

All the pieces

All the pieces

The Zune is remarkably similar to the iPod Nano. Many of the parts are exactly the same. The difference is that the interface chips and software in an iPod are made by Apple.

I know some die hard fans will protest, but the insides don’t lie. The Microsoft Zune is just a few Apple chips from being an iPod. If I get a Zune for a Christmas gift, I will not be disappointed.

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By Mark W. Kaelin
Mark W. Kaelin has been writing and editing stories about the information technology industry, gadgets, finance, accounting, and tech-life for more than 25 years. Most recently, he has been a regular contributor to BreakingModern.com, aNewDomain.net,
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