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TC5 Series: Disassembly 

Disassembly

It's not obvious how to get into the TC5D/TC5DW/TC5DX so I've described how I did it. It's not necessarily the correct way.

TC5DW disassembly step 1


On the side of the case carrying the label you will find a screw at the top of the cradle. Remove this screw.

This frees off the panel on the other side.

TC5DW disassembly step 2


Unfortunately you'll find that only the bottom corner can be lifted slightly. The panel is still held in place by a series of plastic clips along the front edge and along the top.

TC5DW disassembly step 3


Using a flat bladed screw driver I very carefully made my way up the left front edge of the housing releasing the clips along that edge. (Easier to write than do!). As I got close to the top the front panel fell off which made life easier.

Below you can see the lugs on the front panel that are keeping it in place.

TC5DW front panel

TC5DW disassembly top edge


At this point you can peer in and see the first of the clips that are holding the top edge of the case together. I freed it up with a flat bladed screw driver, but that still left two more inaccessible clips further down the case.

TC5DW disassembly top edge


After a little thought I decided to press down hard on the side of the case that I wasn't trying to remove whilst pushing up and wiggling the other half of the case.

I did manage to free it off but this stage is very much 'brute force and ignorance'. If anyone knows a better way of doing it please let me know.

TC5DW housing top edge


This shows the three lugs that the catches on the other panel click in to. You can see that at this point I've managed to damage the lug nearest the back.

Things aren't ideal with the middle lug as that has one of the wires that goes to the WiFi aerial routed underneath it, so preventing any attempt of ours to depress it.

TC5DW case off


After this it is very straight forward. There are four screws in the corners holding the screening cover on. You also need to remove the three black screws (arrowed) that pass through the cover as these fix into heatsinks below. If you don't take them off you'll pull the heatsinks off the chips when you remove the cover.

Reassembly is just a matter of reversing the process - and is a lot easier.

 


Any comments? email me. Added November 2016