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DIY CF Kit.

Product: Do-it-yourself slim CF Kit.

Price: Black or Silver $35, Transparent $50 plus shipping. ($14.50). May not be available in the US (check conclusion).

Availability: August 1st.

Company: DIYCFCase Company (http://www.geocities.com/diycfcase/index.htm)

Many iPAQ users already know about the popular Silver Slider by George Mosquera. Well, as of today this was the only solution to reduce the size of the bulky factory CF Expansion Pack. Also the transformation required you to send your CF sleeve, wait patiently for a few days, and finally pay the $55.00 modification fee. I personally decided to modify my CF sleeve, saving me the time and the price of the Silver Slider. I wouldn't lie to you by saying that this mod took me a couple of days, and quite a lot of work (sanding, priming, waiting, painting, more waiting....).

Enter the DIY slim CF kit! It is a do-it-yourself kit that will literally install in minutes, allowing you the benefit of reduced size and weight of the CF Expansion Pack.
Let's get it on!

The Kit:
The kit includes everything needed to properly modify the CF sleeve:

The back plastic cover

The front plastic cover

The little release pin

Though the instructions were missing, I didn't find this to be a big problem since I only had to remove a couple of screws! Also you can find the full install instructions on the website, just in case!
The specs are listed on the site, http://www.geocities.com/diycfcase/index.htm where you'll find all the necessary information. The only info that was not included was the production process. From what I've seen, I'm assuming that the case was created by injection-molding (but I might be wrong!)....

The installation:
The installation of the DIY Slim CF kit takes no time. Anyone can do this at home in less than 5 minutes. I'm not kidding! The only thing you will need for this is a small size Phillips screwdriver, and a Torx 6 wrench (these can be found at any hardware store for $1 or $2, though you might even be able to do without it!).

The first step is to remove the board from your original CF sleeve. In order to do this, simply remove the 4 Torx screws located at each corner (inside) of the CF Pack. Once this is done, pry out the top part of the CF sleeve (you'll noticed a small gap on each side around the middle where the top cover meets the lower portion. Insert a small screwdriver in it and pry the cover out.... be gentle!!!).
Next step is to remove the board from the bottom cover of the CF sleeve. In order to do this, simply remove the top 3 screws, as well as the one on the very bottom. The two additional screws that are located right above the iPAQ connector doesn't need to be removed (but for the purpose of the review, I did remove them as well; it doesn't make the installation any easier, so just leave them on!).
Note: you want to make sure to remember where each screw goes (since some are slightly longer than others). That really shouldn't be a problem since you only have 4 screws inside and 4 for the outside!

Now simply reassemble the board onto the DIY lower cover. Use the screws from the original cover. Make sure you do not over tighten them since the new cover does not have metal threads like the factory CF sleeve.

We're almost there. You now need to insert the little pin piece in place (it is located at the bottom of the CF sleeve, near the connector). One thing that wasn't included in the kit was the little spring located behind the pin. Not a problem. Take the one from the original kit (remove the pin from the inside of the cover by pushing it with a small screwdriver). Replace the new pin/spring in the DIY cover (make sure you check the orientation of the pin on the original CF sleeve.... It isn't a big hassle, but you might as well do it right!).
The final step is reassembling the top cover. Use the screws from the original kit, and don't over tighten them!

That is it, about 5 minutes of work, and an absolutely beautiful CF Expansion Pack.

Testing the DIY Slim CF kit:
For this part, I simply compared the DIY kit to my modified CF as well as an original CF Expansion Pack.

The DIY Slim CF kit deserves its name! It is even thinner than my modified CF Pack, but slightly bigger than the popular Silver Slider. It will significantly shave the size of your iPAQ with the Expansion Pack.

Also, my main concern was the weight. My modified CF sleeve was about the same weight as the factory Expansion Pack: the smaller size did come with the extra weight from the Bondo. Well, the DIY Slim CF kit sure fixed this problem! It is incredibly light! When I mean incredibly, you can trust me! The DIY kit will barely weigh more than the bare board!!!! I was very pleased! Also, I had the opportunity to hold a Silver Slider, and I can almost guarantee that the unit from DIYCFCase is lighter (though I will get back to that shortly with a Silver Slider review!)! You can barely feel that you have an extra board attached to your precious PocketPC!!!!
Check out the differences in size between the DIY kit and the original Expansion Pack! Unreal!

Wow, that's called shaving!!!!!

Final product and conclusion:
The pictures speak for themselves:

The kit fits absolutely perfectly on the iPAQ, making it one of the slimmest and sleekest PocketPC on the market!!!! The Slim CF Pack also fit perfectly in my Vaja case.

I can't tell you how much I like this new product. Not only can anyone install this kit (if you know how to use a screwdriver then you're done) in 5 minutes, but the major plus of the DIY CF kit is that it's very light weight and also the fact that you will not void the warranty! You can uninstall it and put it back in it's original case in the event of malfunction! Also priced at $35, you really can't go wrong!!! Now the shipping has been announced at $14.50 for the US, bringing the total price a little higher $44.50.
One negative note that I should add is the construction. The case is indeed pretty thin, and will definitely not sustain the same abuse as the original CF or even the much stronger Silver Slider!!!!

I just wanted to add that after the recent accusations of stolen work, DIY might not be able to sell their DIY case in the US (or anywhere else)! George Mosquera came out with the design that has a patent-pending, so go figure what will happen but if you have any doubts, George is now selling his Silver Sliders for $55, barely more than the DIY with shipping! You'll have to wait for about a week without your CF pack but the results might be worth it!!!

Finally, I want to thank Joe Lam, DIYCFCase Manager for sending me a test unit!!!

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