How to replace bezel, buttons and keyboard on Blackberry Bold

This is a guest post from Harry Scanlan, and it’s quite different from what we normally post on BBGeeks. This is a comprehensive guide, and as Harry notes (and I’ll say too), this will void your warranty, so make sure you’re confident with these tools before messing with your Berry. If you dig this, you can check out vHoist – Car Enthusiast Images and Pictures, Harry’s most recent project.

Install Time:
45 mins – 1 Hour

Difficulty:
Medium

Tools Needed:
- Torx T5 Screwdriver or Small Flathead Jewlers Screwdriver

Optional Tools (but will make life easier):
- Credit Card or some sort of Hard Plastic Card
- Jewlers
- Tweezers, TIME, and PATIENCE

WARNING/DISCLAIMER: Warranty will be voided upon doing any of this because there is a tamper-proof sticker on one of the screws.

This is an expanded how-to based on procter256′s how-to:

1. Remove battery cover, battery, and sim card

2. Use torx screwdriver, or a small Jewlers Flathead screwdriver to remove the 6 screws located on the sides of the phone. *NOTE* There is a white sticker placed on one of the screws. If this white sticker is removed or broken, your warranty will be void. I was able to peel mine off with tweaser and later replace it, I suggest you do the same. Continue at your own risk.

3. Pop out the black plate starting from the left side (phone turned over). Mine came out by hand, but you can use a Credit Card or Screw Driver.

4. Pop out motherboard by starting from the bottom (where battery latch is) and work your way slowly to the top, making sure the headphone port & charging port is securely out of place. You have to “push” outwords by these ports so the casing clears them. Be careful here, you could crack the motherboard. If it is difficult to remove, then the USB/Headphone ports are probably stopping it.

You should now have something like this laying on your desk / counter / work benech / whatever.

5. Remove keyboard by holding the keyboard as if you were typing. Push the lower keys and it will pop out.

6. Remove buttons from original bezel and (or if you ordered them) place them on black bezel. I used tape to hold the buttons in place so they didn’t fall out when reinserting the motherboard. This will save you a lot of aggrivation.

7. Remove charging contacts from side of device towards the bottom (yellow-gold looking things) and also the battery latch at the bottom for the battery cover. Replace this on the new bezel. If you “ruin” the orange stickers that cover the charging contacts, make sure you put a piece of tape over the contacts so you don’t short anything out.

8. Near the mic, you will see a rubber stopper type of object, remove this (it pops out) and place it at same location of the new bezel.

9. Remove mesh at top hole of bezel from original. I “pushed” the mesh out using a flathead screwdriver so I wouldn’t ripped it, and used tweezers to grab it from the other side.

10. Replace the motherboard and the black plate and the 6 screws. There are two “tabs” on the motherboard that slide into the bezel. If you don’t seat these properly, your bezel won’t be flush.

11. Enjoy!

About the Author

Joe Pawlikowski is the Senior Editor at MobileMoo.com and has been covering the mobile industry full time since 2007. When he's not writing about the tech scene, he can be found discussing his personal love - baseball (and more specifically the New York Yankees) as well as writing on his personal blog.