Apple iPod Classic – Disassembling procedure – How to remove the case – How to replace the battery

Apple iPod Classic: disassembling procedure 

Apple designed their iPods to be very difficult to take apart without destroying major components. Because of the metal faceplate, the metal backing, and the 13 (yes, 13) metal clips holding the case together, this is one of the toughest Pods to disassemble. Proceed with caution and the warning that you may significantly damage your iPod beyond its present condition. Also, you may want a few extra pairs of plastic
opening tools during installation, as they are easy to ruin when opening the iPod. Have fun! Before opening your iPod, ensure that the hold switch is in the locked position.

Opening this iPod is challenging. Don't get discouraged if it takes you a few tries before the iPod is opened. One thing to notice is the angle of the plastic opening tool's tip while inserting it into the iPod. Ideally, the angle should be as vertical as possible while still clearing the edge of the rear panel. Insert a plastic opening tool into the seam between the front and back of the iPod.

Insert another plastic opening tool into the seam between the front and back of the iPod, leaving at least 1.5 inches of space between the two tools.

At an angle, carefully insert a putty knife about 1/8 inch into the seam between the two opening tools. There are thin metal rails running along the inside of the rear panel, so take great care when inserting the putty knife.

Once the putty knife has cleared the lip of the rear panel, pivot the putty knife so that it is vertical, and carefully (but firmly) wiggle it straight down into the gap between the opening tools.

Push with your fingers on the rear panel behind the putty knife to minimize bending. Slowly flex the putty knife, as shown in the picture, to ensure that most of the metal tabs on this side of the iPod are disengaged. The theory behind this method is, rather than attempting to not bend the rear panel at all, to bend it in a favorable manner that allows you to easily restore it later. Therefore, any bend in the sides of the rear panel should be drawing the lip of the rear panel away from the iPod, rather than pushing out on the curved surface. This method also disengages as many of the side clips as possible.

Remove the putty knife from the iPod and reinsert it closer to the corner of the iPod, using the same wiggle method as before.

If at all possible, do not bend the corner of the rear panel.

Between the lock slider and headphone jack, insert a plastic opening tool into the seam between the front and back of the iPod. You may find it easier to carefully flex the putty knife downward in order to create more of a gap for the opening tool, but be sure not to bend the corner of the rear panel!

Near the center of the display, carefully insert a metal spudger into the gap created by the plastic opening tool. It is easy to create a noticeable bump in the rear panel here that is difficult to repair. When prying the tab free, try to have the metal spudger pivot on the edge of the rear panel rather than bending the rear panel outward.

Using the metal spudger, disengage the single clip on the top of the iPod.

Near the other top corner, insert an opening tool into the seam between he front and back of the iPod

On the other side, insert an opening tool into the seam between the front and back of the iPod. You may find it easier to angle the opening tool stuck in the top corner in order to create a sufficient gap.

Remove the plastic opening tool from the top corner and insert it into the seam between the front and back of the iPod, leaving at least 1.5 inches of space between the two tools (as done on the other side).At an angle, carefully insert a putty knife about 1/8 inch into the seam between the two opening tools. Again, there are thin metal rails running along the inside of the rear panel, so take great care when inserting the putty knife. Once the putty knife has cleared the lip of the rear panel, angle the putty knife so that it is vertical, and carefully (but firmly) wiggle it straight down into the iPod via the gap between the plastic opening tools. Push with your fingers on the rear panel behind the putty knife to minimize bending. Ever so slightly flex the putty knife to ensure that most of the metal tabs on this side of the iPod are disengaged.

The metal clips near the corners are notorious for tenaciously gripping the front panel. It is necessary to disengage these clips in order to open the iPod. Carefully insert a metal spudger into the area near the stubborn metal clip.

Gently wiggle the metal spudger down so that it is all the way in the rear panel.

Gently begin to disengage the clip from the front panel. It is easy to create a noticeable bump in the rear panel here that is difficult to repair. When prying the tab free, try to have the metal spudger pivot on the edge of the rear panel rather than bending the rear panel outward.

Continue to push up on the front panel with the metal spudger until the metal clip releases.

There are two ribbon cables connecting the rear panel to the rest of the iPod. In the following step, be careful not to damage these ribbon cables. Grasp the front panel assembly with one hand and the rear panel with the other. Take a deep breath! Gently (GENTLY) disengage the remaining clips on the rear panel by pulling the tops of the front and rear panels away from each other (think of the bottom of the iPod as a hinge), taking great care not to damage the ribbon cables holding the two halves together.

Use a spudger to slide up the connector holding the orange battery ribbon in place. You only need to lift the locking bar up about 2 mm to free the cable. Slide the orange battery ribbon out of its connector.

Place the rear panel next to the iPod, being careful not to strain the orange headphone jack cable.

Lift the hard drive up with one hand so you can access the headphone jack ribbon beneath. Use a spudger to flip up the plastic tab holding the headphone jack ribbon in place. The tab will rotate up 90 degrees, releasing the ribbon cable. Slide the orange headphone jack ribbon out of its connector. The rear panel is now free from the iPod.

Now to repair the damage caused by liberating the internal parts of the iPod Classic! It is highly likely that at least one of the metal clips in the lower case has been bent upward. These clips must all be pointing downward in order to reinstall the rear panel.

Take the broad, flat side of the metal spudger and push the clip down, taking care not to tear the thin metal rail from the rear panel. Alternatively a pair of flat pin nosed pliers can be used to reduce risk of slipping and damaging the headphone jack. Be careful not to damage any of the headphone jack parts while shaping these clips!

On a clean, hard surface, lay the rear panel on its side. Carefully but firmly push down on it, rolling the entire lip side back into its proper spot. It may be necessary to do this multiple times in order to achieve optimal straightness on the sides. It is better to have the edges of the case pushed in slightly too far rather than not far enough, because the reseating of the front panel will bend the rear panel into its correct alignment. Now that the rear panel is back to a beautiful condition, you can move on to repairing the iPod!

The battery is attached to the rear panel with adhesive. Be careful not to tear the orange headphone jack or hold button ribbon cables when removing the battery. Use a spudger to lift the battery and the attached orange cable out of the iPod. If you have a 160 GB iPod, the battery will be thicker than the one pictured.

Apple MacBook - Key replacement procedure – How to replace the Key of apple macBook – macBook pro – MacBook air – iBook

There are several types of Apple laptops and therefore a lot of different keycaps. Luckily, most of the keys work the same way across all of the Powerbook, iBook, and Macbook models.

Keys get a lot of punishment, and sooner or later they are destined to have problems. The letter or symbol can get rubbed off, they can get sticky from a spill, and even get lost. Most companies will tell you you need a new keyboard, but in most cases, you just need to replace the single key and this can save you a lot of money. Powerbookmedic.com offers keys for this very purpose.

Key Components
There are two parts to every key. The keycap itself and the scissor mechanism

Changing out a key

There are two parts to a keyboard key on an Apple keyboard. The first piece is the keycap which is the part that actually has the print on it. The second piece is the scissor mechanism. Technically, the scissor mechanism is two parts connected together, but if ordered from our, store they should already be together. There are some abnormal keys which will be discussed in the following section. The first step is going to be to remove the old key if it is still there. To remove the key, simply lift the keycap from one of the corners and gently pull up until it pops off. Depending how well it comes off, it may take the scissor mechanism with the key, or you may need to remove the scissors from the keyboard afterwards. As you can see in the pictures to the left, the keycap has been removed and we have the scissor mechanism remaining. The scissors are held on by two prongs. You can either squeeze the scissor together or use a flat tool as pictured to the right to release each prong. Once each prong is released, the key should be free as pictured in the second picture to the right. It is now only held in by the small silver hook. You can just move the key towards yourself to get it out from underneath the hook. You are now ready to replace the key. To accomplish this, simply repeat the procedure in reverse. You will need to get the scissors separated from the keycap if they are not already. This can be done by flipping the keycap over and pulling off the scissors. Then, slide the scissors underneath the hook. Note: The best way to judge which side of the scissors faces upwards is to see which way the inner scissor swings. It needs to swing down. Once the scissors are under the hook, squeeze the key from the sides and slide the pegs into the holes to lock it in place. Once the scissor is in properly, get the keycap and simply place it directly on top of the scissors and press down. It should snap in place. Once snapped in, test it to make sure it is springing back up properly. If it is not, then try again and make sure everything is where it is supposed to be. Note: The rubber nub underneath the key is what does the spring action, so make sure it is present on the keyboard and sticking straight up. If the nub is not present, a new keyboard will be required.

Metal Scissor Keys

Some model laptops had two different keyboards produced during their product line. One type was the normal plastic scissor type that is more commonly found on Apple keyboards. The other type used metal scissor mechanisms instead of plastic ones. These work a little differently, so an explanation on installing these is necessary. As pictured to the left, you can see the keycap with the metal scissor in the top picture. There are two parts to the scissor. One part is the larger outer scissor that goes around the edge of the keycap and the second is seen in the second image to the left which will be the smaller inner scissor. To remove the old scissor (if needed, but usually not) just use your fingers or a flat tool and slightly bend the metal scissor on the keyboard to release it from the hole as seen in the second picture to the left. Note: The outer scissor should remain on the keycap.

Once the old keycap and scissor mechanism are removed you can install the new one. Install the inner scissor first. Install it with the hooks pointing to the right and slightly bend the scissor in order to fit the hooks into the holes. Get the keycap and make sure the outer scissor is properly installed on the keycap as pictured in the first image to the left. The scissor should just snap in to the grooves on the bottom side of the keycap. You can then slide the hooks on the outer scissor into their respective holes on the keyboard. Next, sit the keycap straight up on the keyboard and press
down to snap it in place. After installing the key, test the key to make sure it is working properly. If not, check to make sure the scissors are installed properly and the rubber nub is working normally.

Replacing Longer Keys

Some of the longer keys on a keyboard have a slightly different design than the other keys we have discussed so far. Those keys have a metal stabilizer bar on the keycap and a different plastic mechanism for the keyboard. As seen in the first picture to the right, the metal bar attaches to the bottom of the key by lining it up with the grooves in the keycap. The scissor mechanism is the large plastic piece shown in the middle picture. This piece has several plastic pegs that need to be snapped in correctly, similar to the way a normal plastic mechanism would snap into place. One side should have two pegs for each side. This will be for the top of the scissor. Note: The inner scissor mechanism should swing downward if you have it upright. Place the mechanism without the keycap on the keyboard and slightly bend it to get it snapped into the appropriate holes for the pegs on the top of the scissors. Once in, you will need to take the keycap with the metal bar and insert that bar into the holes on the sides of the key area. Once in place, you can flip the key upright and snap it into place. This key can be tricky, so it may take a few attempts before you get the hang of it.
Once it is installed, test it to make sure it works properly and is getting the right spring action. If it isn’t working properly, pull the keycap back off and make sure all of the pegs are correctly locked in place on the keyboard