How to disassemble your 505

Since Sony has discontinued our beloved 505 series some time ago, all of our machines are three years old or even older. And the features that seemed sufficient in 1998 are certainly no longer state of the art. However, Sony never intended for these little machines to be really upgradable. Maybe there was a user accessible memory slot, but that was it then.

But does this mean we're stuck with the cards Sony dealt us? Not at all. If Sony had not wanted us to poke around in their machines, they would have filled the case with epoxy. And since that is not the case, I think the time is right to open up these tiny machines and see how we can get some more useful service life out of them.

The easiest upgrade is to install a new harddrive. This has been documented years ago. But it is also possible to squeeze a few more MHz out of the CPU, and even install more RAM than Sony had intended.

No matter what upgrade you plan to perform, you first have to open up your 505, hopefully without permanently damaging it in the process. There's enough opportunity to do that later when the case is open ;-) And when you work with sensitive electronics, do I need to mention that you should ground yourself through the whole process to prevent zapping irreplacable parts? I thought so.

This procedure is meant as a guideline. It is based on the European PCG-505FX I own, and other models may vary. Anything you break or damage you do at your own risk!

Removing the hinge end caps

First you need to remove the battery to gain access to the purple hinge caps. You really need to get these off, and I remember how scared I was to break them in the process. DO NOT use sharp objects, like a knife, to pry them off! All you need are your fingernails, really. Start prying on one end, then go around the perimeter, and pry all around, while pulling on that sucker. It will come off. Once you have had it off, it gets easier to remove, since the little tabs that hold it wear off. You can see two of the tabs in the image, there are three tabs total each holding these to the hinges.

Separating top and bottom

Now, turn your 505 bottom up, and remove the eight screws (four small, four larger) around the bottom. These hold the top and bottom halves together. Now open the screen and fold it out to the 180 degree position. Be careful not to break the left hinge! This is where the screen is attached to the main (bottom) unit.

Carefully lift up the top half of the case (the one with the keyboard) about one inch. You will see a tiny flat cable running from the trackpad to the mainboard. This cable ends in a small connector (see image to the left). This connector has a latch that you need to pry up with a fingernail or small screwdriver. Pry up both sides and the trackpad cable will almost slide out by itself. DO NOT USE FORCE!

By the way, there is no need to remove the keyboard connectors, unless you want to remove the motherboard from the case. Just flip the top case half to the screen, which will also protect the screen from damage. A soft cloth between screen and keyboard will help to prevent scratches.

Removing the harddrive

Now you have a great view of the motherboard. If you want to remove the harddrive, you're almost there. Remove the two screws that hold it to the bottom half (see arrows in image to the right), and separate the IDE-connector from the drive by inserting a pocket knife between harddrive and connector, and carefully wiggle the knife. Do NOT pull on the connector, or even the flat cable, they're very delicate. And although you can replace the cable, I'm sure Sony will charge more than a new laptop costs.

Removing the mainboard

If you want to continue the disassembly and remove the motherboard, remove the speaker connector (lower right corner) and microphone connector (top left corner). Unplug the keyboard connectors by releasing the latches on them similarly to the one on the trackpad connector. The cables should just slide out. Also, disconnect the display connector near the keyboard connectors. There is no latch on these, but do not pull on the wires! Also remove the little plastic finger and screw holding it near the right hinge.

Next, unscrew the two screws at the left hinge, note where which one went! Also, find the remaining screws on the mainboard that you need to remove. They will have an arrow next to them. Now the mainboard should be free to remove.

Reassembly tips

When reassembling, make sure not to force anything back together. Put the screws back into the right holes where they came from. If you do everything right, things should easily go together. The wires going to the display are tiny and like to get caught between the case halves. Prevent this by shoving the wires where they can't get in the way.

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