Phatbox Dead - Phatnoise support no help

[kramsnilloc]

Found this site out of desperation.  I have a VW Phatbox with a 20GB DMS.  Unit worked fine for almost two years.  Now it appears to be dead; no lights lite up, head unit does recognize it is there.  Started a couple of months ago, began getting the 'no magazine' error which was solved by ejecting and re-inserting the DMS.  I finally got around to call Phatnoise VW support yesterday.  Pretty much told me I was SOL; unit is not made any more and there are no spare parts; and it is most likely the board in the unit (the DMS works fine in the dock).  I read in a related post here that there is a ribbon cable inside that could come loose.  Does anyone know how to open the unit up.  The VW unit is in a large 'heat sink'.  I tried to open it once but chickened out for fear of breaking tabs that hold it together after removing the screws.
The following is a topic I posted on VWVORTEX:
My Phatbox is dead; like there is no power to it.
Is there a specific fuse I can look for?
Has anyone had a similar situation?
It's been installed for almost two years with no problem other than the occasional "NO MAGAZINE" error, which would go away by taking out the DMS cartridge and re-inserting it.
Then, a few weeks ago it did it again, but this time it didn't reset and no lights lit up when it was inserted.
Since I create my own connector as per a thread on the TDIClub forum (to get it to fit in the changer bracket without cutting the access panel) I pulled the unit out and plugged the interface wire directly into the Phatbox. This is where the red and green lights should turn on; nothing.
I went to the knowledge base on phatnoise.com, but it appears that the site is not being supported, although on the VW portion of the site I was able to download the install PDF which gave me the obvious solution to my problem.
Problem Cause/Solution
No lights come on at all. The PhatBox connector cable and/or head unit wiring harness is connected incorrectly. Reconnect the PhatBox connector cable and/or head unit wiring harness correctly. Make sure each connection is firmly connected.
OR
The DMS cartridge is not fully inserted. Fully insert the DMS cartridge.
OR
A fuse in the car has blown. After checking for short circuits in the wires, replace the fuse with one with the same rating.

Any ideas would be welcome…

Thanks,

Mark

[S80_UK]

Hi,

Opening up the VW box is best described as a bit of an art 

You need to take of the plastic end cover to gain access to some more screws.  The end covers are best removed by starting on the underside of the Phatbox and inserting a thin screwdriver blade or similar to lift the plastic away from the base.  It is latched at each end and you need to lift it by about a millimeter.  Then the underside of the plastic cover can slide forward, the front will then tilt, and the two lugs that secure it to the front of the Phatbox will  just slide out of their slots.  Then you can remove the two screws behind it.  With those and the two at the rear , and the four smaller screw on the underside, the large piece of aluminium can be lifted away.  This allows access to the cable. 

On some units at least, Phatnoise have secured one end of the cable with silicone (or some white glue of some kind) and at the other they may have locked the eject tabs of the connector with a varnish.  If the cable has moved it should be fairly obvious I think.  If it has, then put it back in place and secure with a small amount of adhesive (applied after the cable is seated).  This is also a good time to check the other screws in case they have become loose from vibration, although they are normally locked in place.

You may also want to check the small switch that is next to the DMS connector.  Make sure that it operates correctly when the DMS is inserted (switch is normally open, but close when pressed).

Good luck with the fault finding.