At the time I attempted this mod (early 2022) the only 2GB modules I could find were sold by Mem-Store on eBay for the HTC Switch. $90 later I had a memory module that *might* fit into an irreplaceably rare OQO, if I modified it. What was there to lose?
Size comparison of the 1GB OQO proprietary module on the left and the HTC Switch 2GB module on the right.
2GB module overhangs the heat pipe
Tried to gently use a Dremel to file down the corner of the heat pipe just enough to get the clearance needed.
There's enough clearance (fucking barely) to let the module rest on the heat pipe. I ground the pipe down a little too much and compromised the interior. I'll be honest, I just kind of assumed it was a simple solid copper pipe and not an actual hollow heat pipe with a vapor chamber. Oops. I filled what I could with solder in the hopes of helping the thermal transfer a bit. Added some Kapton tape to the memory module to help provide some protection.
Notice how the protective panel (which the display slides up and down) bulges now? There is a crease that causes the panel to raise about 1.5mm because it now rests on top of one of the ICs on the RAM.
Yellow indicates the crease. Red indicates where I cut the panel, dividing it and allowing the panel to sit mostly flush and the screen glides normally as a result.
I was pretty worried about the compromised vapor chamber on the heat pipe causing thermal issues, which would have been a proper pain to repair. But under 100% CPU load running Windows 10, CoreTemp is reporting a max of 33C on the CPU, so I'm cool with that.
The original 02 with the VIA C7-M had a TPD of 7.5W versus the 2W of the Atom Z520, and very similar thermal management setups (actually better on the 02+). So I think that even with the compromised vapor chamber the 02+ isn't bothered because of the 350% increase in efficiency.
