DIY Microsoft Surface Laptop 5 13.5-inch Speaker Replacement
Duration: 45 minutes
Steps: 19 Steps
Get ready to swap out the left speaker in your Microsoft Surface Laptop 5 (13.5-inch)! If your battery is looking a bit puffy, make sure to take the right safety measures. Some of the photos in this guide might be from a different model, so they could look a tad different, but don’t worry—they won’t mess with the steps you need to follow.
Step 1
Make sure to let your laptop’s battery dip below 25% before diving into this repair. A battery that’s still charged might throw a fiery tantrum if it gets damaged!
– First things first, let’s give your laptop a little break! Go ahead and unplug all those cables and power it down completely.
Step 2
– Gently close the screen and flip your laptop over so the back case is facing up, giving you easy access to those four rubber feet waiting for some attention.
Step 3
Each foot has a handy little groove to help you pop it off the laptop—easy peasy!
– The recesses for the back feet are hanging out near the back edge of the laptop.
– The recesses for the front feet are cozying up close to the front edge of the laptop.
Step 4
The feet pop out super fast—keep an eye on them so they don’t wander off!
– Slide one arm of your tweezers into the little nook of one of the feet.
– Give your tweezers a twist and gently pry upwards to break the adhesive seal and pop that foot off the laptop.
– Say goodbye to the foot and set it aside.
– Now, just rinse and repeat this process for the other feet!
Tools Used
Step 5
– This laptop sports two unique types of feet. When putting it back together, be sure to place each foot in its designated spot.
– Gently press the feet into their spots to secure them to the frame.
– The rear feet come with a single center clip, keeping things simple.
– The front feet, on the other hand, have three clips and can only fit back in one specific way—no guesswork here!
– If the old feet aren’t sticking to the frame anymore, just peel off the old adhesive and stick on a little Tesa Tape where the old stuff used to be.
Step 6
– Got some wobbly feet? No worries! Grab those 8 mm rubber furniture pads:
– Peel one off its backing like a pro.
– Line it up over the foot cavity and give it a good press to lock it in place.
Step 7
These screws are prone to stripping. Keep steady downward pressure and stay focused to avoid any mishaps!
As you tackle this repair, keep an eye on each screw and make sure it finds its way back home to the exact spot it came from.
– Grab your trusty T5 Torx driver and get ready to pop off the upper case by removing those four 3 mm screws. You’ve got this!
Step 8
– Turn your laptop upside down and swing that screen wide open!
Step 9
Hey there! Just a friendly reminder: don’t go all out trying to yank off the upper case—it’s still hanging on by a cable, and we don’t want any drama there.
Make sure the upper case is snug all around the edges. If you spot any gaps between the upper and lower case near the screen, it could lead to some screen-squishing trouble when it closes. Let’s keep that screen safe!
The top casing is held in place by magnets.
– Grab the top edge of the upper case, right above that keyboard, and give it a gentle lift straight up to set it free.
– Now, lift the bottom edge of the upper case up and away from the laptop, but be careful not to put any stress on that ribbon cable hiding underneath.
– When you’re putting it all back together, gently lower the upper case onto the lower case until those magnets click into place and it settles down nicely.
Step 10
The keyboard and touchpad cable is the trusty link that connects the upper case to your laptop. Keep it in mind while you tackle your repair journey!
– Gently slide the pointy end of your trusty spudger under one side of the magnet connector and give it a little nudge to detach it. You’re doing great!
– When it’s time to reconnect, just line up the magnet connector above its socket, making sure the cable is facing the bottom of the laptop. A little press down will secure it nicely. Keep up the awesome work!
Tools Used
Step 11
– Gently lift off the upper case and place it keyboard-side down on a tidy surface. You’ve got this!
Step 12
Your SSD is cozying up with some thermal paste that sticks to the upper case like a champ.
If you’re feeling adventurous, you can also put a little dollop of thermal paste right on the SSD’s label. Just use the dot method and make that bead a smidge bigger than the screw head holding the SSD in place.
– Alright, time for reassembly! Start by grabbing your trusty spudger and using the flat end to carefully remove any old thermal paste from the top of the SSD and the underside of the upper case.
– Next, get a few drops of highly-concentrated isopropyl alcohol (over 90%) and gently apply it to the SSD and the upper case. Wipe off the residue with a lint-free or microfiber cloth for a clean finish.
– Now, it’s time to swap out the thermal pad. Make sure the new one matches the size of the SSD sticker for a snug fit.
Tools Used
Step 13
Now that the screw is out of the way, the SSD will lift up at a slight angle, ready for its next move!
– Grab your trusty T5 Torx driver and unscrew that 2.7 mm screw holding down the SSD like a champ.
Step 14
Avoid yanking it up at a crazy angle, as that could spell trouble for the SSD and its cozy little socket.
Taking out the SSD is like giving your battery a little vacation!
– Gently slide the SSD out of its socket and set it aside like a pro.
– When putting it back together, slide the SSD in at a slight angle. Easy peasy!
Step 15
– Grab your trusty T3 Torx driver and get ready to tackle that 3 mm screw holding down the left side of the heatsink, right by the left speaker connector. You’ve got this!
Step 16
– Grab your trusty tweezers or just use your fingers and gently lift up the left side of the heatsink where that screw just came out. Easy does it!
Tools Used
Step 17
– Hold that heat sink up like a pro, and use the pointed end of a spudger to gently pop the left speaker wire out of its connector on the motherboard. Precision is key here—channel your inner repair artist!
– Now, ease the heat sink back into place like you’re tucking in a cozy blanket. Nice work!
Tools Used
Step 18
These screws are prone to stripping, so keep steady pressure and stay cool to get the job done right.
– Grab your trusty T3 Torx driver and tackle those three 2.6 mm screws holding the left speaker in place. You’ve got this!
Step 19
– Take a moment to compare your shiny new replacement part with the original—you might need to swap over some components or peel off sticky backings from the new piece before you dive into installation.
– To put your device back together, just follow these steps in reverse and voilà!
– Got some old tech laying around? Don’t let it gather dust—take it to an R2 or e-Stewards certified recycler.
– Things didn’t go exactly as planned? No worries! Give some basic troubleshooting a shot, or check in with our Answers community for a helping hand.
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Success!
