46 MA XIMUMPC APRIL 2006
Step 1: Prep for Takeoff
Remove the battery before you begin, to
avoid damaging your components. Our
notebook came with a plastic sheet cov-
ering the LCD, to prevent damage during
shipping. We recommend that you leave
this protective shield in place while you
build the notebook.Step 2: Access RAM and GPU
Flip the notebook so you can access its
bottom and unscrew the four screws that
hold the large access plate shut (image a).
Slide the plate to remove it (image b).Step 3: Turn Your Screw
Remove two of the screws located at the
rear of the notebook underside, below
the access plate. These attach to a panelon the notebook’s face that contains the
speakers, the power button, and the CD
control buttons, and which also prevents
the keyboard from moving (see image 5).
AOpen calls this the “middle panel.”Step 4: Pry It Off
Flip the notebook upright and open the
screen so that it’s fl ush with the tabletop.
Using a slotted or fl at-head screwdriver,
begin carefully prying the middle panel
from the notebook starting from the right-
hand side. This is one of the only steps
where you can easily break something if
you’re too rough. Also keep in mind that
the panel is wired to the motherboard so
don’t lift the panel more than an inch while
removing it. Once you have the right side
of the panel up, you can slowly work your
way to the left hand side.Step 5: Lift and Tuck
You can unplug the CD player controls,
the LCD display, and power, if you must,
but for our purposes, you can just lift the
entire panel and tuck it out of the way.Step 6: Don’t Tear the Ribbon
You can now lift out the keyboard. Start
from the top of the keyboard and slowly
tilt the keyboard out. You’ll need to apply
gentle pressure to get the keyboard clear
of the set of plastic tabs along the side of
the case. The keyboard is also attached to
the rig by a ribbon cable at the bottom, so
be gentle. Once it is clear of the chassis,
you can fl ip the keyboard forward to give
you full access to the CPU and Mini PCI
card. You do not have to remove the rib-
bon cable from the keyboard.Step 7: Call Me Centrino
You won’t fi nd Mini PCI Wi-Fi cards at most
PC stores, so we turned to Newegg.com,
where we found an Intel 2915ABG card for
a mere $32. Mini PCI cards install like SO-
DIMM memory cards, so you’ll need to alignthe card with the slot (image a). Then attach
the two antenna leads. The black lead
should snap into the antenna connector on
the left, while the gray lead goes on the right
(image b). Lock the card into place by put-
ting it into the Mini PCI slot at an angle. You2a
2b
3
4
5
6
Continued on page 48 ËSTEP -BY-STEP: ASSEMBLING YOUR RIG
Follow our guide—carefully—and you’ll have your new laptop up and running in no
time. Before you do anything, make sure you read (and understand) every stepLAPTOP
BUILD
YOUR OWN7 a