ASUS Eee PC model 4G disassembly Written by David Savery

Tuesday, 19 February 2008 22:19

Now this is a nice little gadget - and proof that Linux can be packaged for the masses without them having to get to grips with a command line (unless they want to). I think there will be a few articles based around this 4GB fellow but before I start seeing what I can do with the software, let’s take a peek at what lurks inside that white casing... Now, these instructions are based on my own experience of disassembling the Eee PC and I make no guarantees that the steps below will work for anyone else. Be warned that if you are dismantling an Eee PC, these steps will void your warranty. You follow the instructions below at your own risk! 1. Flip the unit over and remove the battery. Remove the Eee PC tamper label that covers one screw on the memory access slot and then remove the two screws that hold the slot cover in place.

2. With the slot cover removed, access is gained to the memory - one DDR667 SoDIMM (labelled 'A' below). I haven't tried it, but I imagine if you wanted to increase the memory from 512MB you could do so by fitting a suitable DIMM in place of the factory fitted module. Above the memory slot is another slot which has connector points on the motherboard but no connector fitted. It looks like it was designed to be a MiniPCI Express slot but for whatever reason it was removed leaving just the cavity. To proceed, undo the six screws (arrowed). All the screws in this disassembly procedure are identical so don't worry about identifying which screw went where.

3. Now flip the unit the right way up. We need to remove the keyboard next and you'll find three spring loaded tabs on the top edge of the keyboard. Push these inwards (towards the

screen) and lever the keyboard upwards from its top side (you may need a blade to lever it).

4. Lift the keyboard up and unplug its ribbon cable by pushing the locking connector sides up towards the screen using a small flat blade screwdriver. You can now remove the keyboard fully.

5. Remove the nine arrowed screws. Notice that one of them is covered by a warranty label. Bye bye warranty! Do not attempt to switch the unit on with these screws removed. The metalwork you see in this picture acts as a heatsink for the CPU and its effectiveness is compromised with the screws removed.

6. Unplug the trackpad ribbon by pushing the locking sides of the connector towards the right side of the unit and then removing the cable.

7. Using a small flat blade screwdriver, prise up the leading edge of the unit starting from under the trackpad buttons. Make sure your screwdriver is under the lip of the case and not the actual button! Move the screwdriver around towards the right side of the unit unclipping the case as you go. Ensure the tip of the screwdriver never protrudes too far into the casing (we don't want to damage the motherboard or anything).

8. Continue to unclip the right hand side. When you get to the right-hand hinge, use the screwdriver to unclip each side around the hinge.

9. Once the right hinge is unclipped, continue working your way around the rear of the unit towards the left hinge. Unclip the left hinge in the same way as the right hinge.

10. Unclip the left side of the unit. The case catches around the audio jacks but you should be able to lift the upper case from the right-hand side and gently twist it clear of the jack sockets to remove it completely.

11. The underside of the upper case (left) and the exposed motherboard.

12. A closer look at that mobo...

13. To remove the motherboard fully, first gently unplug the LCD connector on the upper right. It isn't a locking connector and should unplug without too much fuss.

14. Unplug the speaker, camera and fan connectors on the upper left.

15. Gently lever up the front of the motherboard over the retaining tags using a flat blade screwdriver

16. The motherboard can now be lifted from the case. It will be caught around the video-out connector so lift it out from the right hand side by bending the case plastic to allow the video socket to slide past the casing. The motherboard will still be attached on the underside by the WiFi antenna wires. These can be unplugged from the MiniPCI Express wireless card (arrowed) allowing complete removal of the motherboard. When reassembling, be careful of the antenna wires as they run into the screen casing via the right hand hinge. They can get in the way of the hinge or power button if not run correctly.

17. To gain access to the screen, you must first have disassembled the casing up to and including step 10. Use a knife to remove the four black and two white adhesive screw covers (arrowed)

18. Beginning at the top centre, use a small flat blade screwdriver to start prising open the case.

19. Work around the casing releasing the clips. There is an inner clip on the centre sides of the case below the speakers (near the actual LCD panel). You will need to release this by pushing in your screwdriver - but don't slip and scratch the screen! A close up of this is in the picture below this one...

20. ... a close up of that pesky inner clip (arrowed) being pushed inwards by my screwdriver allowing it to be released.

21. Some gentle prising should release the clips immediately below the LCD. I was able to use my fingernails for this. The whole screen surround should now lift away.

22. And here she is - fully exposed!

Reassembly is the reversal of disassembly!