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How to Create a Teardown

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  1. How to Create a Teardown, How to Create a Teardown: crwdns2935265:01crwdnd2935265:01crwdnd2935265:03crwdne2935265:0 How to Create a Teardown, How to Create a Teardown: crwdns2935265:01crwdnd2935265:02crwdnd2935265:03crwdne2935265:0 How to Create a Teardown, How to Create a Teardown: crwdns2935265:01crwdnd2935265:03crwdnd2935265:03crwdne2935265:0
    • To begin, decide what you want to take apart. Some examples of things not to take apart include:

    • Your pet poodle.

    • Grandpa's pacemaker.

    • Any device containing plutonium.

    • Optimus Prime.

    • Next, make your way to the store to pick up your new device. We prefer eco-friendly leg power, but to each their own.

    • Enter the store to find what you are looking for. If necessary, camp outside the store to be the first in line.

  2. How to Create a Teardown: crwdns2935265:02crwdnd2935265:01crwdnd2935265:03crwdne2935265:0 How to Create a Teardown: crwdns2935265:02crwdnd2935265:02crwdnd2935265:03crwdne2935265:0 How to Create a Teardown: crwdns2935265:02crwdnd2935265:03crwdnd2935265:03crwdne2935265:0
    • Next, find your device of choice in the store. Try not to tackle the 70 year-old woman who just took the last one off the shelf.

    • Don't forget to pay for the product. Contrary to popular belief, Jedi mind tricks do not work on security guards.

    • Politely decline the extended warranty.

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    • Now that you're safely home, unbox your new beauty and bask in its technological superiority. If you watch closely enough, you can witness your device depreciating.

    • Don't forget to pretend to read the instruction manual before throwing it away.

    • With your new device up and running, its time to actually enjoy your new purchase. Remember: water + electronics = shattered dreams.

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    • Make sure to keep track of all the appropriate tools.

    • Use extreme caution when disassembling the device, unless your intention is to show the destruction of a device. In that case, proceed as planned.

    • Most important of all, make sure to have fun!

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    • It's now time to setup the photo room environment.

    • Lighting is essential for good photographs. Set up lamps and focus the light near your work area.

    • We recommend attaching a portable lamp to a tripod to aid in precisely focusing light.

    An example of my own lighting setup can be found here: An example of a lighting setup

    Aiden - crwdns2934203:0crwdne2934203:0

    I find that clear, hi-res PCB images are best achieved with a CCD scanner (not CIS).

    There are numerous examples here:

    http://www.hddoracle.com/viewforum.php?f...

    I use a Canon MP370 multifunction printer/scanner/copier.

    Franc Zabkar - crwdns2934203:0crwdne2934203:0

    Hm. How might I write a how to. I kinda have other thoughts. Been doing this for a long time. Perhaps the first, a PDP-11, the mainframe of the day. Now days I take photos for myself with an EOS, Use a custom built bench. Start with the chip data sheets and manufacturer claims and test them. I will send a pic of my workbench if you would like. ; ) Thanks

    Ronny L Gonzales - crwdns2934203:0crwdne2934203:0

  6. How to Create a Teardown: crwdns2935265:06crwdnd2935265:01crwdnd2935265:03crwdne2935265:0 How to Create a Teardown: crwdns2935265:06crwdnd2935265:02crwdnd2935265:03crwdne2935265:0 How to Create a Teardown: crwdns2935265:06crwdnd2935265:03crwdnd2935265:03crwdne2935265:0
    • With all the proper equipment set up, you can now move on to the actual disassembly of the device.

    • During disassembly, document all your steps with notes and pictures to share your knowledge with the iFixit community.

    • You can place a sheet of white paper beneath your workspace for better pictures.

    • Included is a teardown shot taken under our professional lighting setup. Actual results may vary.

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    • Now it's time to share your knowledge with the world by indulging in one of the most honored traditions of all time: writing.

    • Invoke your imagination and unleash your writing ability upon the iFixit community.

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    • Now that your work is published on iFixit, it's time to sit back and relax and enjoy the sweet satisfaction of having created a teardown guide.

    • This calls for an iPod dance party!

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Great job! You made a teardown! But why stop there?

Help answer questions!

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Walter Galan

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crwdns2944067:018crwdne2944067:0

I will try to make a Teardown Guide of an old Toshiba Satellite 1400, thanks for the inspiration!

jonasbits - crwdns2934203:0crwdne2934203:0

Why do I ALWAYS have one screw that strips and won't loosen or tighten, one that is obviously lost in a interdimensional black hole, and weird extra parts when I finish. Or the most vital, irreplaceable, Jesus part breaks, shorts out or disappears? LOL

borg3371 - crwdns2934203:0crwdne2934203:0

Because lots of machines have more parts than they need. It was suggested by Japanese motor cycle designers and manufactures that the British motor bike industry failed because they just put too many parts in their products and when copiers start they take apart the item and try to reduce the total number and reduce the costs increasing the profits

Mark Fort Te Teko NZ

nashi -

Is a teardown of an old, broken device OK? (I have an LG Optimus L7II with a busted LCD)

niccotaglia - crwdns2934203:0crwdne2934203:0

Totally! A broken device is a safe pick, you don't need to worry too much about breaking it more, and you might figure out how to replace the broken components!

Sam Goldheart -

Absolutely! Tearing down broken devices is how we learn what makes it tick. Even if you will never never ever get the device working again, the exploration is so worthwhile! Just always be careful with sharp and/or pointy tools. Sometimes tools slip when applying force, so I wear mechanic’s gloves for a little extra protection for my hands, especially when glass or displays are being removed.

Paul Kenyon -

I have a evolve 2 one touch alcatel with only 4 screws to teardown.

dennisp1964 - crwdns2934203:0crwdne2934203:0

While working on devices and prop replicas, I've found the following useful, even if NOT creating an iFixit teardown:

* Take pics of your steps and the screws, so that when you're faced with reassembly, you have a photo record of which screws went in which hole.

* Keep screws in separate containers, or little Ziploc parts bags (available at hobby and crafts stores, super cheap).

* Mark the individual parts containers or parts bags with a Sharpie, for what the screws are for (e.g. kybd, motherboard, palm rest).

David Spalding - crwdns2934203:0crwdne2934203:0

As with dismantling anything, it's best to set them out as you taken them off in some sort of reference grid. Or at the very least a photo of what you took off so when you come to that last weird screw that doesn't seem to belong anywhere, all you need do is back track your photos or look at where it came from and where it was left on your reference grid when you took it off.

It pays to prepare, I have a drawer full of "extra" screws, left over prior to finally slowing down and noting where I was putting things and from where they had just been removed.

Colm - crwdns2934203:0crwdne2934203:0

This is made of win. :D

Quick, cheap and easy tip: Take a fresh sheet off a lint roller, tape it tacky-side up to your work space or a clipboard. Now you have an easy place to put your screws! And they won't roll away! Group them and write the step number with a sharpie for reference.

Jefferson Malone - crwdns2934203:0crwdne2934203:0

A better use for the pill organizers you can get for a buck will work perfect for placing those tiny screws and keeps them separated, you can label the lids 1, 2, 3, etc. When ready for them open lid 1 when you need the screws for step 1 and so on.

Robert Vantine -

Is there a teardown video for the samsung ativ smart pc 500t. I have one that has a broken earbud port and the internal speakers don't work. I'm thinking there is a relationship with the earbud port and the speakers. When I opened it up I saw what was wrong but not a clear way to disassemble it further. If some has a video I would really appreciate emailing the link to me at eccentric_daughter@yahoo.ca

Eccentric Daughter - crwdns2934203:0crwdne2934203:0

por que meus parafusos parecem ser uma sujeirinha num piso extremamente branco

villaspark - crwdns2934203:0crwdne2934203:0

I think a video tear down of various devices would be better. I don’t mind doing a tear down video of a toshiba laptop and uploading it here if possible

Samuel - crwdns2934203:0crwdne2934203:0

Hey shemzy20, you’re more than welcome to post a video teardown! The same photo and procedure guides still apply, you’ll just upload a video to the introduction of the guide instead of individual steps. Best of luck and happy fixing!

Sam Goldheart -

another solution for those pesky screws that tend to get lost is to use all those refrigerator magnets that your appliance repair men left behind from their last visit, you could glue several of them to a piece of cardboard, cloth, wood etc, or just buy the iFixit protech kit, it comes with a magnet plate

Luis Portilla - crwdns2934203:0crwdne2934203:0

Do I have this right? The purpose of a teardown is to discover how to take a product apart and get inside without destroying it —and so you can put it back together. So the purpose of a teardown is not to troubleshoot a specific defect. That is what a repair guide is for. I’m seeing this as Part 1: Teardown. Part 2: Write a repair guide. What do you think?

John Wackman - crwdns2934203:0crwdne2934203:0

Hey John, that’s about right!

We consider teardowns to be an exploration of the device—its design, repairability, and the procedures needed to get in. After a teardown you’ve got more experience to make guides to address hardware problems. Troubleshooting should start with software things (have you tried turning it off and on again) and then move into hardware replacements using the guides the teardown helped create!

Sam Goldheart -

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