The first BlackBerry 8800 Disassembly photos are now available at BlackBerryFAQ.com

8800 Disassembly - BlackBerryFAQ

It took me a while, but they're now up! 8300 is next :D

Where did you get that green pry tool.

Wouldn't you think that with two speakers in the back of that thing that it would ring louder?

The little green pry tool is quite cool.

I'm going to assume that the 8830 is very similar to the 8800 in both construction and disassembly. Not that I want to crack mine open...but a very cool photoblog indeed.

I got it with a BB case purchase.. Any sort of plastic pry tool will work though, most Electronic supply stores carry them.

That is a great set of photos. I have been trying for a while to confirm the actual location of the BB 8800 antenna for some time, and hoped I would be able to do that looking at your photos. However, there is enough difference between the step where you are disconnecting the antenna connector and where you remove the actual antenna in the photos, that I still can;t determine this. It looks like the antenna spans the entire bottom or top of the BB 8800 handset. Can you confirm its location?

Not sure how it could be more clear? Its at the bottom of the unit, its a plastic piece that sais EDGE on it.

Thanks for the awesome dissasembly instructions. It worked like a charm, but...

I am trying to replace the top half of the faceplate (the square piece with the Blackberry logo on it) and I can't figure out how to get the old one off. There are the two clips at the top, but I can't seem to budge them. I'd rather not put this back together until I fix this, so any quick help is most welcome. Thanks in advance!

What are the chances you destroy your BB during disassembly/reassembly? I'm thinking about picking up a black caseing but I'm deathly afraid of destroying my 650 dollar device.

Ever hear the old saying, "if it ain't broke, don't fix it? Or another "If you can't affort to replace it, don't break it."

Good luck.

Reassuring.

I buy mine from iFixit, an Apple DIY-Repair supply shop. They are the cheapest I've found, I pay about $5 USD shipped.

When I changed the keyboard on my 8830, I needed either a T-4 or T-5 for the screws. Home Depot has a nice, small multiple tip set that fits in the handle for under $10 bucks.

Regards,
Chris

I just used these instructions as a guide for changing my original dark blue Cingular housing for the all-black OEM housing from CNN. I also found that the T6 was too big to fit the screws in my 8800. Based on the post above, I went looking for the multi-size screwdriver at Home Depot and found it. It is AWESOME. In any case, the size that fit all six (6) of the screws in my BB 8800 was a T5, not a T6.

Thanks for the pictorial disassembly guide. It was a MAJOR help.

I concur on the T-5 screws instead of T-6 for the 8830.

I love this fix. The removal and replacement with the new covers was easy. My phone looks great. More importantly, I can see the keys at night. The white light is 100% better. Thank you!

Folks,
I just did this swap last week - very happy with the new look of my BB. Thanks for the great info and details -- very helpful!!!

I started with a stock silver 8830 W/E from Verizon. My goal was to convert the entire front side to black -- and keep the backside silver (similar to the color scheme of the iPhone). The white keys on the black buttons is MUCH better than the blue/silver.

Warranty:
Also, I was a tad concerned about voiding my warranty...but I couldn't find any seals that would be broken as a result of this process. After doing the swap, this could be easily reversed in the event that you needed to return your phone. Although, the lense replacement was a tad tricky (see below).

Some learnings:
Keep in mind, the side rails and the LCD lens are held on with double sided sticky tape (in addition to some clips etc). If I had it to do over again, I would have just purchased this black faceplate lense already attached. The double sided tape was a PITA to work with.

http://cnn.cn/shop/blackberry-880088...ns-p-1729.html

Tools:
This tool is worth the $$ for anyone who is doing this. It will keep you from gouging any of the plastic parts:
http://cnn.cn/shop/cellphone-opener-p-257.html

FYI - I had the small torx tools already...but you can order those from here:
Tools - Motorola, LG, 3G, Tools, BlackBerry, Acer, HTC, Alcatel, Apple, SonyEricsson, Pa

This is what I recommend if you want a black front:
If you want the entire front side and keys in black, I highly recommend ordering these parts (you might want a different bottom plate than the orange square that I have):
http://cnn.cn/shop/blackberry-880088...ns-p-1729.html
BlackBerry 8800/8830 OEM black keyboard- Sony, Panasonic, Dopod/O2, SonyEricsson, Alcatel, NEC, Accessories Store, Samsun
bb-8800-05 Blackberry 8800/8830 OEM chrome silver side rails- SonyEricsson, Tools, 3G, Nokia, NEC, Alcatel, Sony, Panasonic, Dopod/O2, Motorol
BlackBerry 8800/8830 OEM black front bottom cover - Orange brand- Tools, BenQ-Siemens, BlackBerry, Nokia, NEC, Apple, LG, 3G, Sony, SonyEricsson,

It took about 2 weeks for them to arrive from China etc...and about 45 minutes to do the entire swap.

Good luck!!
-Ted

Hi, I have Ordered a Black full housing for my VZ BB8830 with Keypad and tools, How long does it take to arrive after it is shipped? Mine was shipped on 10/10, does it take 2 weeks after that? much exiceted to do the swap, can't wait!!!
Thanks for info
NP

May seem like a simple question but...I am about to order the complete black housing for my VZ 8830 (silver). On several posts I have heard folks talk about the deadly double sided tape. Is this something the new parts come with or something I need to purchase? Can't wait to do the conversion!