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Offline berserkfan

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How do I take this apart?
« on: Sun, 17 May 2015, 13:40:35 »
The geekcloud has spoken, and the advice was good. Now my speaker control is featuring a beautiful colour changing LED. The gist is, the Logitech Speaker control is bolted together by a couple of nuts under the volume and bass control knobs respectively.

You must use brute force to pull off the knobs, which I didn't think of doing.

Then you need a needle nose pliers to turn the nuts, which again I didn't think of doing.

The rest is simple.

Gutz goes from level 1 to 2 in mechanical engineering.

Thread locked and kept for future level 1 noobs.


This is a logitech speaker control. Nothing much about it except that I'm bored with the LED colour, so I want to change the LED.

Simply can't take it apart. All screws have been removed.

if anyone has suggestions I'll be glad to hear them. I dare not use too much force. Am sure that those with more modding experience have good insights. I can't see any holding tabs or glue or tangled wires from peeking through the gap.

« Last Edit: Mon, 25 May 2015, 10:15:20 by berserkfan »
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Offline absyrd

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Re: How do I take this apart?
« Reply #1 on: Sun, 17 May 2015, 13:47:33 »
You SURE there are no tabs? Run a thin screwdriver or knife around that whole edge in pic 4 ie a filco or cm case?
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Quote from: specw4r on Sun, 06 March 2016, 05:30:12
My wife I a also push her button . But now she have her button push by a different men. So I buy a keyboard a mechanicale, she a reliable like a Fiat.

Offline trizkut

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Re: How do I take this apart?
« Reply #2 on: Sun, 17 May 2015, 13:50:44 »
Can you pop off the volume knob?  It must be connected to something internally.
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Offline absyrd

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Re: How do I take this apart?
« Reply #3 on: Sun, 17 May 2015, 13:52:06 »
Quote from: trizkut on Sun, 17 May 2015, 13:50:44
Can you pop off the volume knob?  It must be connected to something internally.

That might do it. Just like an old school dimmable light switch.

You may have to yank the old knob.
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Quote from: specw4r on Sun, 06 March 2016, 05:30:12
My wife I a also push her button . But now she have her button push by a different men. So I buy a keyboard a mechanicale, she a reliable like a Fiat.

Offline berserkfan

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Re: How do I take this apart?
« Reply #4 on: Sun, 17 May 2015, 15:16:55 »
Nope, there are no tabs of the CM QFR casing type. This controller has me stymied. The part that is attached is the lower part, with the two headphone jacks as seen in the pictures. The knob is on the higher part and not causing any problems.
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Offline radish

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Re: How do I take this apart?
« Reply #5 on: Tue, 19 May 2015, 10:25:48 »
this might be a silly question... but if there are no tabs is there maybe a hidden screw under those QC stickers?
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Offline Seranite

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Re: How do I take this apart?
« Reply #6 on: Tue, 19 May 2015, 10:40:47 »
Quote from: berserkfan on Sun, 17 May 2015, 15:16:55
Nope, there are no tabs of the CM QFR casing type. This controller has me stymied. The part that is attached is the lower part, with the two headphone jacks as seen in the pictures. The knob is on the higher part and not causing any problems.

I'm sure you have but just in case have you tried pulling over then down like so:
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Offline VoteForDavid

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Re: How do I take this apart?
« Reply #7 on: Tue, 19 May 2015, 23:40:18 »
I JUST pulled one of these out of scrap at work today.  Thanks Jesus if it works out to be the same model, but I'll try to remember to destroy it for you during a break tomorrow and report back tomorrow night.

For SCIENCE!
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Offline berserkfan

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Re: How do I take this apart?
« Reply #8 on: Wed, 20 May 2015, 01:46:35 »
Quote from: VoteForDavid on Tue, 19 May 2015, 23:40:18
I JUST pulled one of these out of scrap at work today.  Thanks Jesus if it works out to be the same model, but I'll try to remember to destroy it for you during a break tomorrow and report back tomorrow night.

For SCIENCE!

OOOH Awesome!

I really appreciate this. Yes, as Seranite suggested I did try sliding and tweaking and digging for tabs and what not. Failed at every step. Even brute force did not work. It's bizarre how hard something so simple looking can be.

And the worst thing is, I only wanted to change one LED because I'm bored with that blue LED...
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Offline Snowdog993

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Re: How do I take this apart?
« Reply #9 on: Wed, 20 May 2015, 02:12:45 »
Quote from: berserkfan on Wed, 20 May 2015, 01:46:35
Quote from: VoteForDavid on Tue, 19 May 2015, 23:40:18
I JUST pulled one of these out of scrap at work today.  Thanks Jesus if it works out to be the same model, but I'll try to remember to destroy it for you during a break tomorrow and report back tomorrow night.

For SCIENCE!

OOOH Awesome!

I really appreciate this. Yes, as Seranite suggested I did try sliding and tweaking and digging for tabs and what not. Failed at every step. Even brute force did not work. It's bizarre how hard something so simple looking can be.

And the worst thing is, I only wanted to change one LED because I'm bored with that blue LED...

I don't know if this helps or not, but I did find this on YouTube:
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Offline TalkingTree

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Re: How do I take this apart?
« Reply #10 on: Wed, 20 May 2015, 05:27:04 »
I have this very same controller, Logitech Z4 and I hated the LED as much as you do.
It's easy to open it. Just pull both (volume and bass) handles. You'll find a stopper on each potentiometer, remove those, unscrew the screws on the bottom and it will come out easily.
You can desolder the LED or even cut it off. Just make sure the prongs don't touch each other.
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Offline berserkfan

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Re: How do I take this apart?
« Reply #11 on: Wed, 20 May 2015, 06:32:49 »
Quote from: TalkingTree on Wed, 20 May 2015, 05:27:04
I have this very same controller, Logitech Z4 and I hated the LED as much as you do.
It's easy to open it. Just pull both (volume and bass) handles. You'll find a stopper on each potentiometer, remove those, unscrew the screws on the bottom and it will come out easily.
You can desolder the LED or even cut it off. Just make sure the prongs don't touch each other.

I did get to pulling off both knobs but still couldn't take it out. Did you unscrew the nuts on the bases of the volume and bass handles? I did not unscrew these nuts.
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Offline TalkingTree

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Re: How do I take this apart?
« Reply #12 on: Wed, 20 May 2015, 07:35:15 »
Quote from: berserkfan on Wed, 20 May 2015, 06:32:49
Did you unscrew the nuts on the bases of the volume and bass handles?
Yes, you have to.
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Offline VoteForDavid

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Re: How do I take this apart?
« Reply #13 on: Wed, 20 May 2015, 13:44:58 »
Carefully pry off the self-adhesive feet.  If you are not terrible at this, they can be reused.  Unscrew the 4 bottom screws



pull off both knobs.  A needlenose pliers comes in VERY handy for the nut on the shaft of the smaller knob.



It falls apart at the slightest provocation after that!



The voices tell me you may need to lower the value of R68 or R67 on bottom of the board to increase brightness (not sure which resistor, didn't look too close) or add a resistor in series with the LED to lower brightness.  If you are slick and have the parts handy, a potentiometer in one leg of the LED would give you adjustable (dimmable) brightness within a certain range.
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Offline berserkfan

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Re: How do I take this apart?
« Reply #14 on: Thu, 21 May 2015, 02:28:40 »
Thanks to VoteForDavid, I managed to change the LED colour of this annoying Logitech speaker control! Unfortunately Logitech's PCB is kinda crap, and I partially lifted a pad. So I'll probably have to do a gutzfix on it using hot glue... (it turned out that the nuts were the most crucial to removing.)
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Offline Seranite

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Re: How do I take this apart?
« Reply #15 on: Thu, 21 May 2015, 07:55:38 »
Quote from: berserkfan on Thu, 21 May 2015, 02:28:40
Thanks to VoteForDavid, I managed to change the LED colour of this annoying Logitech speaker control! Unfortunately Logitech's PCB is kinda crap, and I partially lifted a pad. So I'll probably have to do a gutzfix on it using hot glue... (it turned out that the nuts were the most crucial to removing.)

HUZZAH!
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Offline VoteForDavid

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Re: How do I take this apart?
« Reply #16 on: Thu, 21 May 2015, 13:50:34 »
Use blobs of solder, they are more conductive than glue :D  Scrape the coating off the un-lifted portion of adjacent circuitry on the trace where you lifted a pad, and tin that, and connect it with a blob of solder to the joint of LED and trace where the trace is lifted.  It'll hold forever with no glue.  Unless you decide to change the LED again, when the trace will likely break off.

You're welcome!
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