Hi! I'm Anthony Kouttron. I'm an electrical engineer, tinkerer, camera aficionado, scooter-man and an alumnus of RPI. This is an extension of my endeavors on www.salvagedcircuitry.com, my personal project site.
What's in store?
More tech teardowns & contributions to current guides in need of some love :D
Best in tinkering. Keep on digging,
-Anthony
Hi John. While I used a heatgun to open up this keyboard in this teardown, it’s very easy to deform the plastic permanently if you use too much heat. I had a lot better success in later teardowns with using a 115v medical blanket heater. You can find them at your local drug store like riteaid and walgreens. The heaters are designed to wrap around a body part, like an arm. In this case, you literally just wrap the keyboard and it softens up the glue. After an hour or so, take the keyboard out of the blanket heater and torque it a bit either way. You should hear popping sounds, the sounds of the edges yielding. At this point, take a plastic spudger, insert it near the edge and pry a bit. The keyboard should give in and you should be able to disassemble the keyboard in a very clean manner. I did this with the microsoft modern keyboard and it worked great. It even fit right back together. I will be making a guide soon on the process.
Hi Bas! Unfortunately, I did not attempt to repair the broken aluminum key tabs that hold the key in place. However, I can point you in the right direction if you want to get creative and try a DIY fix. Carefully pop another key off your keyboard with something wood or plastic (like a plastic spudger) and analyze the metal locking tab design Microsoft implemented. Find another piece of aluminum of the same thickness and carefully cut out that tab shape. Try adhering your designed tab to the location where the broken aluminum key tab is situated. Epoxy or titanium putty should bond aluminum to aluminum. I would use a toothpick or sewing pin as an adhesive applicator. I think you will have success if you take your time and be patient. Good luck!
Thanks for your kind words Amarjit! This camera was tricky, but once you get around the surprises it’s not too bad :D
Do you think the Surface go 128gb uses a different motherboard? This 64gb model has the eMMC ssd chip, but I don’t know if there are any pin compatible nvme ssd single-chips packages that feature the same pcb footprint and signaling as an eMMC part. I’m pretty sure an NVME ssd has to have a separate controller and nand at this point in time. I have not seen any one-chip packages yet. Even the new MacBook Pro 15" Touch Bar 2018 teardown revealed a multi-package configuration (controller + 2 nand packages) for the integrated nvme ssd. It doesn’t look like there’s room for a m.2 nvme drive in the surface go either, so I think the 128gb/256gb model uses a different motherboard. Let me know what you think! :D
That “foam rubber” you are referring to is most likely silicone rubber. Silicone rubber is a type of potting compound that forms a gel-like substance once set. This substance serves as a non-conductive material that helps fix electronic components on a circuit board in place and has the added benefit of impact resistance and moisture resistance. Silicone rubber compounds can also be rated to various levels of fire retardant properties as well. This compound is commonly found in power supplies and can be referred to as “silastic” compound, which is a trademark held by Dow Corning.
more info here:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Potting_%2...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1xpcHgDP...
I no longer have the Fuji x100T, but it may be possible to disassemble the lens from the front. Many modern cameras have a glued-on beauty ring / lens nameplate ring on the front of the lens. The ring I am specifically referring to is the “Fujinon Aspherical Lens Super EBC f23mm 1:2.” Nameplate rings are traditionally used to hide screws or a circular threaded ring which holds the lens together. Here is an example, specifically at 9:46min mark http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yRPwEsAYz...
I would suggest watching more of mikeno62’s lens repair videos to get familiar with lens disassembly. I don’t have a service manual for this camera, but there may be screws hidden behind the nameplate ring.
Make sure to take your time with the lens disassembly. Be careful of the hardness of the tool you use. Plastic (mohs hardness of 2) wont scratch glass (mohs hardness of 5.5) and neither will rubber. Make sure to document the disassembly so you don’t reassemble the lens wrong. Work on a large empty table, you’ll need it! Good luck!
Excellent teardown. Thanks!
If I discover anything interesting from probing that 10 pin unpopulated header I’ll be sure to provide an update.
No problem! I’m glad you enjoyed the teardown. I sure wish they used screws instead of adhesive. It would make retrofitting a backlight far easier.
Yes. The keys reattach like most laptop keys. Align the key up as best as possible and then put a little downwards force, from bottom to top of the key. The key than latches into place and you will hear a “clicking sound.”