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Sony Service and Repair Manuals

post #1 of 10
11/24/06 at 3:08pm
Thread Starter 
To my fellow Sony notebook owners: we need to get our hands on the Sony Service and Repair Manuals so that we can mod our machines.

In my own case, I'd like to disassemble my VGN-A600 to remove the palmrest / wristrest. It needs to be repainted because the paint has worn off the plastic wherever my hands or bracelet touch the chassis. A common problem, I have heard.

Disassembly of these machines is not a trivial task. Disassembling a Sony like this requires the removal of over 20 screws from the back, then a hidden screw or two under the keypad, then little hidden clips, then delicate ribbon cables. In short, if you don't know what you are doing with a teardown, you're toast!

My Dell is no problem. Dell at least have detailed online instructions for tearing down their machines.

As usual, Sony score zero in comparison.

If anyone has a service manual or repair manual for any modern Sony notebooks, or knows where they can reliably be obtained, PLEASE SHARE!
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post #2 of 10
11/25/06 at 3:12am
Thread Starter 
And even if you can get a Sony Repair manual, this is all they give you to help you disassemble your notebook (this diagram is for another VGN model, not mine).

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post #3 of 10
11/25/06 at 3:21am
Thread Starter 
Interesting exchange found on Usenet:
Quote:
Originally Posted by Q
Could someone tell me how to open the case of a Sony VGN-A600? I've tried prying off the hinge covers, but they seem to be attached to the strip that covers the speakers, and I didn't see a way to remove that, even when I removed all the screws that had arrows pointing to them.
Quote:
Originally Posted by A
Laptops tend to be constructed from the bottom to the top and are typically opened from the top as a consequence (at least newer laptops that are assembled by machine). Look carefully at the strip with the speakers and power button, it might slide to the left, fixed in place by one screw on the left margin, typical for recent Vaio laptops. Slide that to the left 1/2 inch (~1cm) and lift out, exposing the keyboard retaining screw(s).
Quote:
Originally Posted by Q
Thanks for the response. I've succeeded in getting the hinge covers off and the keyboard out, but now I've run into something else. I still can't lift the case off because of one screw that attaches the case to the motherboard. This screw isn't normal. Rather than having a regular or phillip's head, it has a 3-slot head, like a Y or a peace symbol. All I want to do is swap the CD drive, but it appears that Sony didn't want anyone without special tools to get inside the computer. Does that mean that they want me to take it to a certified repair center if the hard drive crashes? Why are they trying so hard to keep me out of my computer? Am I missing something, or am I going to have to pay someone to swap my CD drive?
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post #4 of 10
11/25/06 at 3:28am
Thread Starter 
A few months later, this same poor fellow posted:
Quote:
Originally Posted by Q
Sony, in their never-ending quest to drive away customers, has put a tamper-proof tri-wing screw in their VAIO VGN-A600 laptop. It seems you have to remove this screw to do anything inside the case, like swap the CD drive. My question is, does anyone know if the tri-wing screwdrivers advertized on eBay to open the GameBoy Advanced also work on the tri-wing screw in this VAIO laptop? I've looked around and found a few places selling a size #1 tri-wing screwdriver, but that looks too big. I think I would need a size #0 or size #00.
A tri-wing screw is (g) below. Tri-Wing head has a triangular slotted configuration. They were used by Nintendo on its Game Boys to discourage home repair.
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post #5 of 10
11/25/06 at 4:28am
Thread Starter 
It gets worse, people. Sony have a history of using their own make of tri-wing screws for which you cannot buy the right screwdriver:
http://www.1src.com/forums/showthread.php?t=61484

Wow, this is the last Sony I buy.
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post #6 of 10
11/25/06 at 4:43am
Thread Starter 
However, someone on the net reports this triwing #00 microdriver will work on another Sony notebook, so maybe this will work:



from http://www.mcminone.com/product.asp?...uct_id=22-9036
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post #7 of 10
11/27/06 at 4:03pm
Thread Starter 
Long story short, I called Sony and they will sell me the Service Manual, which is actually just a few pages of disassembly blow up diagrams with no instructions about how to disassemble the pc, for about $7, with $3 postage fee. They would not mail it free (after all, the error is with the machine's finish and construction, so they should send it to me gratis) or provide me with an email link to what would be a small pdf document.

I said no thanks.

I've decide to fix my particular problem (paint rubbing off palmrest in several places) by getting some sort of opaque laminate to make it look nice again. Cheaper than a new palm rest at $110 + shipping.

Anyone have any ideas about a very tough and sticky laminate?
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post #8 of 10
11/27/06 at 4:38pm
Thread Starter 
Something like this could help protect the hand rest area. This is from marware.com for the Mac. Any ideas? Am I the only one having these problems?

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post #9 of 10
11/27/06 at 8:27pm
Thread Starter 
I ended up using this mod
http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=54808

Bought the carbon fiber vinyl sheets on eBay. Total costs should be around $15.
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post #10 of 10
9/29/07 at 12:04am
Thread Starter 
Just to follow up, my new lappy is a HP with a shiny finish that looks like it will not rub off; no more Sonys for me, ever.
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