Two weeks ago, I accidentally drop my Wacom Pen. It happened several times before but this time, the pen stop working 🙁 The tablet could not detect the pen tip but the eraser tip was still working.
It’s an old model which I bought on 2002 (Wacom Graphire 2) and the replacement pen cost around 40 Euro 😯
Now I am using a mouse.
Three years ago, I decided to stop using computer mouse and rely 100% on my Tablet. Actually, I was training my eye-hand coordination using the tablet. I found it’s more natural to use a pen so since then, I stick with it. It’s also good for your wrist since I read somewhere that you could reduce the risk of getting Carpal Tunnel.
I plan to buy a new tablet later (maybe the Wacom Bamboo) so it’s worth it to try repairing the pen 😛
Click more to see my step-by-step instruction (with photos) how to fix a broken Wacom Pen 🙄
Disassembling the Pen
Just pull the part which has erase tip on it. Do not twist it coz the pen will break. If your hand is sweating you can try to use rubber glove for a better grip.
In order to pull out the electronic board, you have to take off the pen buttons. Just carefully use a screwdriver to peel off the button.
Now pull the board slowly and put it on a safe place. The electronic part looks fragile so you might have to handle it with care.
Fixing the Broken Black-Iron-Thingy
As you can see from the photo below, the black iron near the pen tip is broken. This fragile part is easily broken if you drop the pen. Luckily, I found on the Internet that someone has successfully super-glued that part and the pen works 🙂
Super Glue Saves the Day
Unplug the pen tip (the pointy white plastic part) before you superglue the iron part. Just put a few drops on the crack and push the iron thing with your thumb so the crack is close together. Hold that position for 40 seconds until the glue is dry. (Note: Please be careful with the glue. Later in this post, you will know that I’ve messed up the glue)
Is It Working?
After I put all parts together, I tested my Wacom Tablet. It worked :)) !!! The cursor moved responding to my pen tip position.
However, when the pen tip touch the tablet surface, the tablet failed to detect a mouse click.
There was still a problem with the pen tip 😕
When I unassembled the pen, I realized that the pen tip plastic part was accidentally glued to the iron part. I think, the glue wasn’t dry enough when I put the pen tip back. The result, the pen tip was glued to the iron part and get stuck. The pen tip cannot detect the pen pressure since it cannot move anymore 🙁
Lessons of the Day
- Be careful when gluing the broken part. Make sure you are not gluing unnecessary parts 🙄
- If you rarely use the erase tip (like me), have a lot of time and soldering skills, you might try to unsolder the erase tip part (including the black iron part) and solder it back to the pen tip side. It seems that the iron parts from pen and eraser tip are the same. Maybe they’re interchangeable?
- Never drop your Wacom pen 😛
Update (May 2009): I add a new post about soldering the erase part to the front , replacing the pen part.
I have the same problem and the same pen, but I can’t even get the pen apart, were you like the incredible hulk or something when you did it?? Anyways I’ll probably figure it out, but thanks for the instructions. I didn’t want to buy a new pen. *i drop my pen on a daily basis.* X.x
Just pull the pen and don’t twist it. Actually, it took me 3 days to pull it apart 😛
It’s really hard and I am not neither the incredible Hulk nor Super Saiyan. So be patient and be strong 😉
* Try to wrap the pen with a rubber band so you have a better grip.
My pen tip broke and I am following this guide. I actually got the pen to open just now.
The problem with mine is exactly like yours, the black iron part is broke!!
Just need to glue that without getting the white part stuck w/ it… ok here goes!
Thanks for the help btw!
Ok, I broke it on the pen side!!!!! the exact same deal. I pulled it apart with the help of 8 friends. 😀 and used epoxy on the sucker. IDK if it’ll work or not but i’m waiting i’ll respond if it does.
Wow thanks for the help, 2 days ago i drop mi pen (not first time) and just like you, only the pen tip stop working, i follow ur instructions and found the black part perfect, only need to weld one of the filaments of copper to green card.
=)
the sensors are the same for nib and eraser, I’ve just swapped them since I didn’t have any super glue at the time and it worked like a charm. It’s good to know that i can superglue the eraser sensor later on THANkS!
also a note: All graphire and bamboo 450 stylus pens are interchangable. we have a graphire3 pen on backup just incase this happens again.
Hi Fransisco and Walker. I am glad I can help 🙂
had the exact same problem here (though it’s for my bamboo fun) but still, they’re very similar. great thanks for the guide 😉 (but yeah, it was REALLY hard to disassemble the pen. took the risk of breaking it apart but i guess it was worth the risk)
Wow I’m working on my pen as I write…and I can’t wait for the results!!!!! Thanks!!!! =D
Wow, thanks man! My local PC repair service actually lost the buttons (but they repaired the tabled itself so I wasn’t too upset). I’m gonna remake the buttons out of wood but want to put them inside for the pen to hold them in place. But I wondered if I had to twist the pen cause it wouldn’t budge. Now I’ll not be afraid anymore to pull with full force 🙂 Thx alot! 🙂
Great, Abiyasa, I actually dissassemble a Graphire4 Pen, opening it was even harder since it has this rubber-comfort thing, had to remove it and the eraser part is bigger, so it needed extra strenght/care but it worked fine, I didn’t imagined myself opening this thing. Thanks a lot.
I almost gave up opening the top part when i read comments on the effort involved. I had to wrap it around a piece of cloth and pull it with all my might to get it off.
I own the latest wacom bamboo tablet but it looks exactly the same, except that I have a black tip and the outer cover is black.
I, now, have to go out to buy superglue 😀
Honestly, I wouldnt have attempted this if it werent for this site. THANK YOU !!!
Ciao !
I found dental floss to be a great way to force-disassemble the pen. Just twirl it around the small “crack” and tighten, and do this a few times. I gained the first important millimeters this way ..:)
i did all the gluing part (thanks for the tip btw)
but i didnt read the bottom and now it’s stuck. how do i make them unstuck??
i have the stylus pen that you have to actually cut open but once inside i found there was no breakage -basically the pen works when you move it around on the tablet (wacom a3 size) but when i go to draw etc there is no line very annoying and now ive cut it open!!! and cant see to do anything to help – any ideas?? much appreciated
oh and sorry i should say thanks for your advice nice little blog abiamy some how i stumbled upon it hope the immigration thing works out. I too am a budding concept artist type chap still out of work though!!! all the best
to viny:
I am sorry to hear that. There was nothing that I can do once the tip gets stuck 🙁
Really a great tip. This was the only site that I found about disassembly of wacom pens. It really comes apart when you pull strong enough. Gloves worked for me.
hello abiyasa! my bamboo tablet pen has the same problem now. but my pen’s structure is different from your pen (as the photos shown above). i have pulled off the eraser part and also pen buttons, but the electronic board couldn’t be pulled off. do you have any solution for this please? T_T
Hi Val! I wish I could help you but I don’t have any experience unassembling the Bamboo pen 🙁
Which Bamboo do you use, Bamboo Fun or One? Some people have succeded opening the Bamboo Fun pen (see several comments above).
Great blog entry. Thanks for the pics, explanation, and inspiration. I ordered a wacom tablet from ebay with the same problem. I was able to do the crazy glue fix, but the effective range of the pen was drastically reduced (you couldn’t hold the pen higher than one or two millimeters above the tablet).
If I had a soldering iron, I would have used the ferrite core from the eraser end and put it on the pen end, since they seem to be identical.
I still ordered another pen and am keeping this one as a back up.
Thanks!
Hi!
Thanks a lot!
My pen is fixed and works very well!
This blog saved my hard-earned 40 Bucks!
Jimmy
The electronic part was jammed when I attempted to pull it out, they whole thing came apart.
Hey abiyasa! My model of Waacom tablet is Bamboo Fun CTE-450… do you have a clue?
🙁
My best friend lent me her Graphire, and after a few months the eraser stopped working (probably from dropping it too much? :$). She wasn’t upset at all, but I still felt I should attempt a repair. 😛
I cracked the pen open by “strangling” it with some nylon wire, and after using some additional force it came apart beautifully. The problem became apparent immediately: the eraser’s exciter coil (that’s what that black-iron-thingy is called) had come off entirely. I soldered it back in place, after burning off the insulation at the ends of the wire and cleaning it with some denatured alcohol.
The eraser now works fine, and I can’t wait to return the tablet and pen to my friend and see her face when she discovers that it is in fully working order.
If you want to see the inside of a Wacom tablet itself as well, there are some pictures of it at:
http://zack-sr.deviantart.com/art/What-s-inside-a-WACOM-tablet-84470923
Hi,
thanks for all the information!
I have a Graphire2 pen and something is not working because the tablet feel movement but also the click always pressed on both sides (stylus+rubber). I have opened it as you have described and both my exciter coils (the black parts) move also. Should I glue them to the plastic base on the green electronic circuit?
Thanks in advance
Hi Lambo,
You’re welcome 😉
I think you should not glue the black part to the plastic base. The black part should be able to move a little bit. Just make sure that the small cables from the black part are still attached to the circuit.
It didnt work for me, as the “black part” is kinda magnetic the glue didnt work, it the tablet recognizes the pen but without the plastic cover at a very short distance, anyway, thanks!
Two tiny springs of differnt sizes, fell out when I finally pulled it apart. Does anyone know where they came from? The two tips? The buttons?
Thanks for this page. My pen is from the first generation Wacom and you can’t even buy replacements anymore. I hate tossing out perfectly good hardware just because of a little problem.
Will this also work for the Bamboo Fun stylus? Mine has the exact same problem, but everyone in my family has tried (and failed) to open it.
To open BAMBOO FUN pen you have to remove this blue strip above buttons (it looks like button, but is not). Because it holds all thing together.
Hi Abiyasa. Great initiative on your part. Yes, I am regularly dropping my pen too. My problem happens after drawing a line or shape in Photoshop. the line continues to draw after I’ve lifted my pen. To prevent this, I have to work at a snails pace by lifting my pen carefully after each action.
I`ve been having the same problem. I own a Wacom Bamboo Fun tablet for about a month now and dropped the pen several times and it still works. Yesterday, i accidentally dropped it again and it stopped working.
I changed the tip but it still doesn’t work. My family and I tried pulling the eraser off but it also did`nt work. Do you have any other way to dismantle a Bamboo Fun pen? && will this also work for my pen?
@Ira: I am sorry I don’t have Bamboo Fun. But have a look at some comments above, especially Theopij’s.
Cheers
I can`t get the blue strip removed D:
i have the bamboo fun pen. i have the same exact problem idk what to do anymore, my pen is barely 1 week old. i dont want to break it cus then it will ruin my chances of getting a new one from wacom. any suggestions?
Thanks, Abiyasa
You are the man! Had exact same problem, now solved. My pen works perfectly now.
Thanks so much! Same problem here, and this fixed it. ‘Cept some rings fell off of the eraser, pressing down on the little rubber part. Whenever i put the pen near the tablet it would click. So I just took the rubber thing off. So, the eraser doesn’t click but at least the pen works! Thanks for saving me $30 🙂
To open the Bamboo Fun pen, you first have to remove the blue thingy that is above the buttons, I used a screwdriver, but be careful as it may break if you are not careful. After you remove the blue thing remove the buttons, then you have to separate the pen into two parts, you can follow the guide normally after this.
I wasn’t too lucky so when I glued the coil back, it wasn’t working properly, so I decided to replace the pen coil with the eraser coil, they are exactly the same it seems, I removed the broken coil and replaced it with the working eraser coil, fortunately my pen now works perfectly, well, that is if you ignore the fact that the eraser in my pen is now just for decoration!
anyone have experience with opening up a intuos 3 pen? the nib snapped off inside the pen body and i can’t get it out.
how do you remove buttons on bamboo pen?
Hello. I have a Bamboo Fun tablet and my pen broke about 5 months ago. I have the same problem as Robert, my pen pressure sensitivity is off… Is this caused by the same problem as the pen just not working? I will take the pen apart and look at the coil… But a positive answer would be amazing!! =]
Um… I have this same problem, only thing is my pen’s a different doesn’t unscrew at the eraser.
(Probably the same model as Ira)
I didn’t even drop mine, it just stopped working after a week or two. It used to be every once in awhile, then it just totally stopped working and within four inches acted like I was drawing (or holding the click button) and now, it doesn’t even draw at all! (I tried what the Wacom support said, and that was all it did.)
I actually disassembled it quite easy… here’s the trick: take a piece of cloth and wrap it around the eraser part… bite the cloth so you don’t hurt the pen as much… pull with both hands with all your might…hehe. Hope this helps the weaker individuals like me.
Great! you saved me € 40,-! Love people who just solve their problems, instead of carrying lots of money to big companies. Thanks!
i dropped my bamboo fun pen and the eraser wont work.
Wow!
Great help.
Just fixed my almost new Bamboo Fun pen. Same problem – didnt even know I dropped/damaged it, it just stopped working.
My experience: remove the blue tag using a sharp flatbladed penknife, it slides in under the plastic very easily. There are two tags on each end holding it down, th smaller one is at the eraser end, do that first. The plastic is quite soft, and will easily bend (and bend back again) to clip out the bottom tag. The switch itself clips into a little groove in the middle, both ends dangle free. So WEdge the penknife under it near the middle and lift. You could do same from one of the tips, but you’ll place quite a wedge pressure on the microswitch.
Thanks a lot!
Thanks a lot for information. Tonight I repair my bamboo Fun Pen – I’ts hard but working ; D Yo from Poland
Thanks a lot for this step-by-step guide. The procedure worked perfectly! Now I’m just having trouble squeezing the eraser back on…
I’ve seen a reply that said this method also works for a graphire4. However i can’t get the damn pen disassembled. Anyone got some tips for this specific model?