Disassembly

Disassembly of B1 or B2 systems. Warning: this may break your system. The procedure is needed only rarely, such as for hardware debugging by experienced people, such as installation of diagnostic serial ports, or replacement of antennae.

Cautions

Eye damage. There is a risk of damage to your eyes due to small pieces of metal or plastic releasing due to force stored during manufacturing or structural stress. Protect your eyes.

Anti-static discharge. There is a risk of damage to the system if you touch electronic components. You will not necessarily feel the discharge for it to do damage. The damage is not necessarily immediate, the system can fail some months later. The damage can be cumulative.

Remove power. There is low risk of electric shock, since low voltages are used inside the system. There is a risk of accidental shorting with tools or screws. It is best to remove the main battery and the power cable. There will remain a clock battery on the main circuit board. Avoid dropping metal objects.

Tools

• anti-static mat,
• anti-static wrist strap,
• philips head #0 screwdriver,

Procedure

Remove Power

• remove the power cable,
• remove any USB or audio cables,
• remove the main battery,

Front

• set the brick at 90 degrees to the base, as if you are moving to e-book mode,
• close the antennae,
• rotate the brick 90 degrees to the left,
• examine the brick base,
• unscrew the two screws that are revealed (philips head #0),
• rotate the brick 180 degrees to the right,
• remove the other two screws revealed.
• open the antennae,
• apply upward finger force to the short green bumpers, and they should slide up and be removed,
• remove the plastic face plate over the LCD,

Back

• remove four (4) screws holding down LCD panel,
• carefully lift the bottom end of the LCD, leaving the top in place, to gain access to the two (2) screws underneath that hold on the back,
• remove the four (4) screws that hold on the back, (two covered by the LCD, two not covered by the LCD),
• if you are only changing the antennae, you can temporarily screw down the LCD with a couple of screws,
• slide the back panel down a bit before it will pop off,

Top

• the green top piece is held on by four (4) screws that are behind the back panel,

Antennae

• pull the antenna connector off the radio module, (in the absence of a proper extraction tool, a pair of pliers held lightly will do, but take care not to crush the connector),
• remove the two (2) screws holding down the antenna hinge structure, (on a B1 this structure is black plastic),
• remove the antenna and hinge structure from the system, threading the cable out through the access hole,
• remove the hinge structure and affix it to the replacement antenna, with identical orientation,
• thread the cable in through the access hole,
• screw down the hinge structure,
• push the antenna connector onto the radio module socket, (something with a flat end is useful here, the idea is to get the insertion force vertical, and leave no accidental sideways force ... it is very easy for the connector to role sideways).

Note: before re-assembly, the antennae may seem to deviate from alignment when in the stowed position. This will change once the bumpers are put back on. The tops of the antennae meet the green bumpers in a way that brings them closer to the case.

References

• ticket 495
• Mitch Bradley on #olpc
• Manual/Insides

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