Nintendo Switch Lite Speaker Replacement Guide
Duration: 45 minutes
Steps: 17 Steps
Ready to swap out that left speaker on your Nintendo Switch Lite? Let’s do this! The Switch Lite uses these JIS screws, and while they sound fancy, a Phillips screwdriver can handle the job if needed—just don’t go Hulk on them or you might strip the screws. Salvation Repair recommends Phillips bits that groove well with JIS-style screws. Heads up: you’ll need to disconnect the battery for safety. To get there, the shield plate has to come off, but it’s snugly bonded to the heat sink with thermal paste. No biggie—you’ll just need to clean it up and reapply the paste before snapping it back together like a pro.
Step 1
Before kicking off the repair party, make sure your device is totally powered down. Safety first, repair hero!
As you work through this repair, keep a close eye on every screw and make sure it finds its way back to its original spot—trust us, your device will thank you!
– Grab your trusty Y00 screwdriver and whip out those four 6.3 mm screws holding the back panel in place. You’ve got this—time to make those screws history!
Step 2
To avoid those pesky screws from stripping, give a good, firm push downwards, take your time, and if those screws are feeling stubborn, try swapping in a different screwdriver. You’ve got this!
– Grab a JIS 000 or the Salvation Repair PH 000 driver and take out the following screws holding the back panel in place:
– Two 3.6 mm screws at the top of the device
– Two 3.6 mm screws at the bottom of the device
Step 3
Be careful not to push the opening tool in too deep; we want to keep that speaker module safe and sound!
– Gently slide an opening tool into the left speaker grille at the bottom of your device.
– Give that opening tool a little twist to pop the clips that are holding the back panel in place.
Step 4
– Gently glide the opening tool along the bottom-left corner to pop the clips loose on the left side of the device. Keep it smooth and steady—you’re doing great!
Step 5
Be careful not to push the opening tool in too deep; we want to keep that speaker module safe and sound!
– Gently slide an opening tool into the right speaker grille located at the bottom of your device.
– Give the opening tool a little twist to pop those clips loose and set the stage for the next steps!
Step 6
– Gently slide and wiggle the opening tool around the bottom-right corner to pop those clips on the right side of the device loose.
Step 7
– Keep sliding and gently wiggling your opening tool along the top edge of the device to pop those clips free—take it easy, you’re doing great!
Step 8
– Gently lift the bottom edge of the back panel, just like you’re opening a book to your favorite chapter.
– Carefully take off the back panel and set it aside.
Step 9
– Grab your trusty JIS 000 driver or the PH 000 driver from your toolkit, and get ready to unscrew the following:
– Three screws measuring 3.1 mm each
– One screw measuring 4.5 mm
Step 10
You might notice a little pushback here, and that’s totally cool! The shield plate is just a bit snug against the heat sink thanks to some thermal paste bonding them together.
– Grab a spudger or use your fingers to lift and pop the shield plate out of the device.
– Gently remove that shield plate.
– Wipe off the old thermal paste from the shield plate and heat sink using isopropyl alcohol and a microfiber cloth. Apply fresh thermal paste to the heat sink before putting everything back together.
Tools Used
Step 11
– Let’s get started! Use an opening tool or your trusty fingernail to carefully flip up the tiny, hinged locking flap on the motherboard interconnect cable’s ZIF connector. It’s like opening a little door – gentle and easy does it!
Step 12
No Metal Tweezers, Please! Metal tweezers can short out the ribbon cable or connector. Play it safe with nylon-tipped or ceramic-tipped tweezers.
– Grab your trusty tweezers and gently wiggle that interconnect cable out of its snug spot on the motherboard. Nice and easy does it!
Tools Used
Step 13
– Time to get that battery connector out! Use the point of a spudger to carefully pry it straight up and out of its socket on the motherboard.
Tools Used
Step 14
Avoid yanking the wires—unless you’re into turning your connector into a science project. Gently does it!
– Time to get a little handy! Use a pair of tweezers or your fingers to gently pull the left speaker cable straight up and out of its socket on the daughterboard. It’s like a little puzzle piece, and it should come out easily!
Tools Used
Step 15
– Grab a JIS 000 driver or a Salvation Repair-approved PH 000 driver and pop out these four screws like a pro:
– Three 2.5 mm screws
– One 4.5 mm screw
Step 16
– Gently use your fingers to pop off the left speaker module cover like a pro!
Step 17
Be gentle and keep those speaker wires safe while sliding the spudger into the gap—slow and steady wins the race!
The speaker is held in place with some light adhesive inside the speaker module, so you’ll need a bit of oomph to pop it out.
– To put your device back together, just follow these steps in reverse.
– Recycle your e-waste responsibly at an R2 or e-Stewards certified location.
– Did things go a bit haywire? Try some basic troubleshooting, or reach out to our Nintendo Switch Lite Answers community for help.
– If you need help, you can always schedule a repair
Tools Used
Success!
