Disassembly

IMPORTANT! Read This First!

Before you disassemble your XO laptop, there are some things you should know about staying safe around electricity and small parts. In brief:

• Protect your eyes. Watch out for small pieces of plastic or metal. If you have glasses or safety goggles, wear them.
• Watch out for electric shock. Always unplug your XO and take out the battery before you disassemble.
• Be careful. Use a clear workspace so you can see what you are doing, and keep small parts in bowls so they don't fall off the table. Use common sense - if you find yourself yanking really hard on a part, it's probably not supposed to come off that way!
• Follow the Motherboard Handling Procedures

Read the Disassembly safety section for more information on how to stay safe. The laptop is designed to be easy and safe to take apart, but caution is always a good idea.

Here's what you'll need to take apart your XO laptop:

• A clean, flat surface to work on, with adequate light. Choose a workspace where wind will not blow dust inside the XO and where curious animals will not disrupt your work.
• Phillips head #1 screwdriver Magnetizing your screwdriver will make it easier to work with screws.
• A clean container (or several) to hold screws and other small parts. Bowls and cups work fine.
• Optional: A small flat blade screwdriver or flat piece of wood/plastic (coffee stirrer) for gently prying up the display and camera connectors. Do not twist tool, you will damage the cable. Gently rotate tool upwards instead.
• Optional: anti-static mat or anti-static wrist strap. Connect these to an earth ground.

A longer list is available.

A guide to screws used in the XO is available.

You should go through the Disassembly top instructions if you need to access:

• The screen
• The game buttons
• The power button
• The microphone, camera, or speakers
• The motherboard
• The wireless card

Related disassembly instructions exist for:

• The backlight in the display
• The "rabbit ear" wireless antennae (B4 version)
• The colored "XO Person" on the back

OLPC Australia Help Videos

Disassemble XO-1.5 instructions:
XO 1.5 Disassembly Top (33-page PDF, 4.7MB)

You should go through the Disassembly bottom instructions if you need to access:

• The spare screws in the handle
• The keyboard
• The touchpad
• The mouse buttons
• The battery
• The "latches" that hold in the "rabbit ear" wifi antennae
• The rubber feet

OLPC Australia Help Videos

Disassemble XO-1.5 instructions:
XO 1.5 Disassembly Bottom (20-page PDF, 1.7MB)