In any case, last I checked it seemed like the problem was due to the pool, so your advice to open up the the rig may be, to put it politely, another wild goose chase, aka useless afterall! (EDIT: Or should I have said, if you're not sure then let someone else help.)
Pool shows alive, a difficulty set and 1000s of discarded shares. He's connected to the pool.
So, if you're not sure then let someone else help.