Introduction
Go to step 1We got our hands on Microsoft's new Surface, and to its credit, it lasted a good twenty minutes before we decided to tear it open.
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Is that the display assembly from a PC laptop? Nope, it's the new Microsoft Surface with Windows RT.
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Notable tech specs:
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10.6" ClearType HD Display (resolution of 1366x768 pixels)
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Quad-core NVIDIA Tegra 3 processor
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2 GB RAM
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32 or 64 GB flash storage
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Wi-Fi (802.11a/b/g/n) + Bluetooth 4.0
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720p HD Front and Rear facing LifeCams
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To give the Surface laptop-like connectivity, nearly every edge includes ports and buttons. They are (from left to right):
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Magnetic charging, USB 2.0, and Micro-HDMI out on the right side
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Magnetic connection for the Touch Cover or Type Cover on the bottom
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Headphone jack and volume rocker on the left side
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We begin our expedition by removing the kickstand.
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Sans kickstand, we can easily view the markings on the back of the Surface's rear case. The Surface with Windows RT has a model number of 1516.
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Small bezels tend to hide screws, so the first place we look to open the Surface is its long plastic camera cover.
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Chalk it up to inexperience. This step should take less than ten minutes once we create guides for it.
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Not only did we find the screws we were searching for, but there is also what appears to be a tamper-evident seal that simply reads "Surface."
I used a very small Screwdriver and began at the side furthest from the power switch and gently pry it up. As you move along you will see where it clips and can gently nudge the clips to release and the camera cover area comes right off. Before you remove the screws under the camera cover, check Microsoft to make sure your surface isn't under warranty, because a screw is under that seal and will have to be removed. To replace it start at the power switch side and gently snap into place all the way across.
I used a cutter knife and slid it right underneath the camera in the gap, pushing it away from the camera towoards the flipstand gave just enough space to put a pry tool in between the cameracover and the backcover. Moving that tool towards the right and the left side you will se the clips you need to pull out. For the clips nearest to the screen start at the right side (viewed from the back) an make your way to the left.
Needed about 5 min removing this part (including the time finding the best way to get in that gap)
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After removing a total of 17 T5 Torx screws, (10 under the kickstand and 7 under the camera cover), the rear case comes right off—almost.
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A lone ribbon cable still tethers the battery to a ZIF connector on the Surface's motherboard, which we make quick work of with the ever-trusty spudger.
Great explanation of the RT. I recently took mine apart as I was having problems with it charging. In the process the ZIF battery connector came off so right now I can only get power thru the charger instead of any battery power. I am trying to locate a zif connector for the RT, would you know a part number or specs. Appreciate any help you can provide. thanks
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The big question of the day: is the battery easily removed?
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Answer: Yes. It's glued in, but it's way easier to remove than on the iPad. A couple of minutes of spudging around, and it's out.
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We get our first look at the battery. As is the norm, the dual battery cell is adhered to the VaporMg rear case.
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The 7.4 V, 31.5 Wh battery is manufactured by Samsung. It fits right in between the iPad 2's 25 Wh battery, and the iPad 3's 42.5 Wh unit.
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Next we find a large orange ribbon cable leading to the "Apple-esque" magnetic charging port. The microSDXC card slot that hides underneath the kickstand is also attached to this ribbon cable. And not a single bother was given that day, so we proceeded to dismantle the speakers.
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We love modular components inside tablets and smartphones, and these speakers fit that bill. A little bit of spudgering, and our Surface has gone silent.
Would you have any info on a part number for the charging port, or suggestions of where to track one down? I'm pretty sure I need to replace one for a family member, which should be pretty easy (thanks to you guys), but I still need the part to do the job.
X868156-002 - Power Adapter Port Assembly
Your comments are a1. I love it lmao keep it up
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The headphone jack and volume buttons aren't holding on to their real estate too tightly, and they easily come out next.
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We still count this as a modular component, even though it's two things on the same ribbon cable. We have certainly seen worse lately as far as modularity goes.
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Off comes another 720p camera from the motherboard. It feels like we've done this before…
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The exclusion of a 1080p rear-facing camera either means cost was a big concern, or that Microsoft's designers don't expect you to use the Surface as your main camera.
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Perhaps they too realized how goofy you might look when taking pictures with a tablet.
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Prominent ICs on the bottom of the motherboard:
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NVIDIA 1.4 GHz Tegra 3 Processor
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Samsung KLMBG4GE4A 32 GB NAND Flash (left) and Atmel UC3L microprocessor (top right).
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Micron 2RE22 D9QBJ 2 GB DDR3 SDRAM
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Texas Instruments TPS659110 power management IC
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Marvell 88W8797-BMP2 wireless MIMO SoC
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Wolfson 8962E low power audio codec
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Cypress Semiconductor CY8C20466A CapSense® Controller with SmartSenseTM Auto-tuning
I am pretty sure that the CY8C20466A is not driving the touchscreen or touch keyboard. The 5 Atmel devices are doing that. The maximum 4MIPS M8C cpu in the CY8C20466A is great for Button slider and wheel type ccap touch applications, but not powerfull enough for a screen. My guess is that they are either using it for some cap touch buttons along the edges of the Surface or they are using the switch cap functionality in the Cap sense block as an audio filter. The latter makes most sense when you consider the other devices on the module
Merhaba benim cihazımı açmaya çalıştığımda hiçbir tepki vermiyor. İçini açtım ve turuncu bölümün üzerinde küçük, kırmızı bir ışık yanıyor bunun anlamı nedir? Sorun ne olabilir?
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The backside of the motherboard doesn't have any chips, but it does have two Wi-Fi antennas, the ambient light sensor, a couple microphones, and a precarious wire running most of its length.
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Ambient light sensor
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Wolfson WM7220 Microphones
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Precarious wire
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The Wi-Fi antennas are labeled:
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Antenova A10416-WIFI-A2
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Antenova A10416-WIFI-A1
The precarious wire is a wifi antenna cable. If you look where it goes, it comes from right underneath the wifi section of the board and goes to near the far away wifi antenna is. You can see where it comes through the board on the side far away form the wifi section, and that it goes to an antenna connection and other passives.
It's not precarious at all, it's soldered in many places to the board to hold it in place (I wouldn't be surprised if all of those connections were connecting the shield of the cable to ground on the board.) That's a really which quality job for the wifi antenna.
That "precarious wire" does look like a piece of micro coaxial cable. I believe the technical term would be semi-rigid cable. They used that stuff on many handsets throughout the 1990's. If you have to traverse relatively long distances, it is hard to beat - you don't have the dispersion of the signal like you do with printed line.
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The back side of the daughterboard contains only a few prominent ICs:
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Atmel MXT1386 touchscreen controller
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TI MSP430G2402 Microcontroller
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1600P E284A Crystal Oscillator
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We tried to remove the keyboard connector, but were disappointed to find it's wedged firmly under the LCD. Replacing the connector will require either bending the magnesium frame or separating the display.
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We were on a teardown roll, so we pressed on and pulled the display from the VaporMG frame, which required a heat gun, some guitar picks, and plenty of patience.
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The display's LTL106AL01-002 label indicates Samsung as the manufacturer. Its sister panel, the LTL106AL01-001, appears to be 1280 x 800 resolution. We didn't test the Surface's display before taking it apart, and we trust Microsoft not to lie…
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But maybe someone can do a quicky double-check on the display resolution, just for giggles?
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Microsoft Surface Repairability: 4 out of 10 (10 is easiest to repair).
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Several components are modular and replaceable without requiring desoldering.
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You can remove the battery pretty easily—once you've suffered through the opening procedure.
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It's pretty difficult to remove the rear panel and gain access to the device.
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It is impossible to remove the keyboard connector without first removing the display from the frame.
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LCD and glass are fused together and strongly adhered to the case, increasing cost of replacement.
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You'll have to use a heat gun and lots of patience to gain access to the glass and LCD.
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28 Comments
This site says the display LTL106AL01-002 has the 1280 x 800 resolution also...
This site states the proper resolution: http://xingkong.en.alibaba.com/product/6...
Life's the same, except for the shoes...
What's the keyboard connector pinout?
This is cool. Eagerly waiting for a teardown of the touch and type covers as well...
Can the Samsung 32 GB flash drive be replaced? My Surface wont boot anymore and ive been told that is a Hard Disk problem.
Hi my drive has gone after only 14 months of use.Did you find a solution & how easy is it to replace?
My RT got a cracked screen, and I'm ordering a new LCD as well as a separate digitizer bezel.
Anyone have any ideas on reattaching the LCD and the digitizer WITHOUT gluing them back together? I would like a solution that would make future repair easier with out breaking out the heat gun, and if I'm fortunate enough to once again NOT damage the LCD, but only the digitizer, NOT having it glued together would be great.
Last night i pluged it in for charging and slept . When i checked in the morning the display is not working. But under careful observation i found display working 5n but the backlight is not.
What is the solution to my problem?
Hi Chaithanaya,
I have the same problem with my Surtface RT, went to sleep once and since then backlight isn't working.
Did you manage to get it to work?
Thanks
Karol -
Hi Chaithanya, I found the answer on other laptops to be a very small fuse connecting power from the motherboard to the LCD, its usually in the first or last place on the ribbon connector circuit. I haven't done that repair on a surface yet.
Dan Apted
CustomCPU
Anchorage, Alaska
danapted -
I have a big problem with my surface .not charging anymore.can you tell me how could i check the charger, the pin from the device. it is another way to check if the batery is good.
clean the connection's with alcohol pads
I was given a couple of "dead" surface RTs with chargers. none of the little lights on charger plugs lit up when attached to any of the tablets. I found that by very slowly "rolling" the the plug on/in to the connector pins (and some times slowly up and down the length of the plug) that suddenly the light on the magnetic plug comes on. my theory (probably wrong) is the battery is so flat that simply connecting up the power charger won't start it. the battery needs a "spark" i.e. the gentle rolling of the plug in the magnetic socket. All of the 4 units I was given appeared dead initially. they hadn't been touched for months. All 4 units starting working (power light come on on the plug) by slowly rolling the plug in to the tablets magnetic power socket.
altomic -
i am replacing the digitizer and screen (right terms?) on this surface, and found this site very helpful, thanx!! Im new at this and cant get the zif connectors to release the old screen. Ive looked at dozens of videos on zifs and have carefully pried, pushed, pulled in every direction and cant get them to budge, any help?
nick
where is the ribbon cable? Is it under the LCD? I am trying to repair my Surface rt. It fell on the floor and stopped showing anything except the back light.
Anyone in here know how to start a MS RT that just get black after show the "SURFACE"?
Goran Eklund
Great explanation of the RT. I recently took mine apart as I was having problems with it charging. In the process the ZIF battery connector came off so right now I can only get power thru the charger instead of any battery power. I am trying to locate a zif connector for the RT, would you know a part number or specs. Appreciate any help you can provide. thanks
Tore mine down. Totally none upgradable flash drive.
Mines 64gb. Data lost.
Just went on black screen Surface pro......
Any guide I've been able to find online shows a number of screws visible under the kickstand once you remove it. The RT I have has no visible screws under the kickstand? I can remove the kickstand. The two screws to do so are located as annotated. Those are the only screws visible. There are no Torx screws around outside edge of surface rt under the kickstand. Furthermore, there are no Torx screws under the plastic cover around camera. Any guidance on how to get to the battery on this unit?
Didi 02/05/2017
Hi there,
This is a Tailor-made LCD Module, Customized LCDs manufacturer-RJOYTEK.
This site is 0.38"-24" TFT LCD display shop: https://rjoytek.com/
Is this tuto valid for a surface go ? This one has a very bad reputation for repair.
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