Disassembly and reassembly
Description
Disassembly
Before you start make sure that all power is off and all leads and interfaces are removed.
Please take ESD anti-static precautions to prevent damage when working on the motherboard.
You will need the following:
- A medium cross head screwdriver
- A flat, stable surface to work on
- A pot to put screws in
Look at the back of your SAM - if there is a 26 way IDC connection for a printer then you have a SAM élite - remove the screws from this let it go back inside the case.
Turn your SAM over, if you have Citizen floppy drives then unscrew the two retaining M3 bolts behind them and slide the drives out. If you have full size drives, leave the screws in for the moment.
Remove the base screws from around the sides but do not let the two halves of the casing come apart yet. Also, take care as these screws are not very robust and can easily be damaged.
With the screws removed and holding the top and base together place your SAM the right way up with the drives bays facing you.
Gently lift the front of the case about 30mm and look in - you will see a ribbon cable at the front and (if your eyesight is good) one behind it on the right. Get your hand in and gently detach the front cable with a side-to-side motion - you may find it helpful to remove the 2nd drive bay blanking plate if you have large hands.
With the front cable detached, lift the lid up and detach the back cable in the same way.
If you have full-size drives, you can now remove the M3 bolts from the base of these and remove the drive and interface card.
The T-shaped motherboard is attached to the metal base with M3 bolts which can be removed.
Reassembly
Like any good car maintenance manual it is the reverse of the disassembly ;-)
If you have full size drives, refit these with M3 bolts and reattach the interface card.
If you have a SAM élite and need to refit the IDC then place the top on the base and refit the screws for the connector first.
The only tricky bit here is the ribbon cable, when placing the top back on attach the rear cable first and then drop it down low to allow you to plug in the front cable, this can be tricky so slow and steady is the key.
Before screwing the base back in make sure that you haven't lost any feet and that the metal base is aligned correctly in the grooves at the edges.
Take care when screwing the base in, then refit the drives (if Citizen slim types) and screw in M3 bolts through the base and you should be done.
Plug back in and test.