Sidekick II/Hiptop 2 Disassembly Guide

By: Kyle Coury

Photos Taken With a Sidekick II

DISCLAIMER:

I’m not responsible for any damage that may occur when disassembling your device. In most cases taking apart your device will void your warranty and any mistakes you make could make your device unusable. If you follow the steps carefully you should have no problems. In order to disassemble the device you will need a T-6 Torx screwdriver along with a small Phillips head screwdriver.

Step 1: Removing The Four Main Buttons

The best way to remove the four buttons is to stick your fingernail into the edge of the button closest to the screen and then slowly pry it up.

Step 2: Remove SIM Card and Bumpers

In order to take the device apart you must remove the bumpers so that the unit can separate later on. Remove your SIM card also.

Step 3: Remove Screen Screws

In order to detach the screen from the unit flip the screen up halfway so that you can access the two T-6 Torx screws that hold it down. Remove both screws and put them somewhere that you won’t lose them.

Step 4: Remove Screws Under Buttons

Locate the four T-6 Torx screws under the main buttons and carefully remove them.

Step 5: Separate the Bottom Housing from the Top Housing

Once all six T-6 Torx screws are removed you can carefully pull the bottom and top housings apart. The top bumper side comes off no problem but the bottom bumper side requires a little bit of force.

Step 6: Separating Circuit Board from Bottom Housing

To separate the circuit board from the bottom housing locate the three small Phillips head screws shown above and remove them.

Step 7: Removing Vibrator and Speaker

The speaker and vibrator are located on the bottom housing and can be removed by prying them off of the bottom housing.

Step 8: Separating Screen from the Top Housing

To remove the screen from the top housing I suggest flipping the screen up and then slowly pulling the screen mechanism out of the slot in the top housing. Make sure that you don’t damage the ribbon cable.

Step 9: Disassembling the Screen

To take apart the screen locate the four small Phillips head screws on the back of the screen and remove them.

Step 9: (Continued)

Once the four screws are removed from the back you can pry the screen housing off of the screen assembly.

Step 10: Removing the D-pad

If you ever need to replace your D-pad like I did it’s very simple to do. The D-pad is attached to the same ribbon cable as the volume up/down buttons and attached to the circuit board by a small clip. To remove the ribbon, stick your nail under the clip and pull up lightly. The left side of the ribbon should be loose but part of the ribbon is held down by adhesive so you have to gently pull up on the ribbon cable, trying not to bend it as you do this. The D-pad should come up along with the up/down volume buttons, to replace the D-pad just seat the left side of the ribbon cable under the clip and push down on the clip. Then gently push down on the ribbon so that the adhesive sticks to the circuit board again.