1. Troggie's Avatar
    @BB.David
    I'm fairly positive that the 9630 & 9650 earpieces are the same, so that should work.

    @F2
    That really is the hardest part. If you get the plastic prying tools and remove the earpiece from the side closest to the screen then you will avoid breaking the tabs. One of mine partially broke, but the plastic was still hanging there so I used a little dab of superglue to fix it. Can't tell the difference once it's all back together.
    07-09-10 01:43 PM
  2. steveg_nh's Avatar
    I actually used a laminated business card to get the earpiece off. It was the perfect thickness to just slip it under the lip of the earpiece, and slowly pry it up so the tape let go.

    I'm really glad I did it, as the trackpad feels much more natural now.
    07-09-10 01:45 PM
  3. BB.David's Avatar
    Which tabs broke? If you can physically see the broken tab on the earpiece, I would think a new one would fix it. There are two clear tabs at the top (more like open hooks), and one on each side (locking tabs).

    Yes I broke the 2 top tabs. The ones on the side didn't break.

    So I ordered a Tour 9630 OEM Top Cover from eBay.

    BLACKBERRY TOUR 9630 OEM BLACK HOUSING TOP FRONT COVER - eBay (item 380245706528 end time Jul-24-10 10:13:16 PDT)

    Hopefully this works.
    07-09-10 02:21 PM
  4. steveg_nh's Avatar
    If it's OEM, it will be perfect when it's installed.
    07-09-10 02:30 PM
  5. FF22's Avatar
    @BB.David
    I'm fairly positive that the 9630 & 9650 earpieces are the same, so that should work.

    @F2
    That really is the hardest part. If you get the plastic prying tools and remove the earpiece from the side closest to the screen then you will avoid breaking the tabs. One of mine partially broke, but the plastic was still hanging there so I used a little dab of superglue to fix it. Can't tell the difference once it's all back together.
    So you start prying (no, no, I should not ask! ) just below the "BLACKBERRY" text/logo under the speaker but out toward the edges?

    The cnn.cn site has pictures but they are not the clearest:



    So where are the tabs that so easily break?
    07-09-10 02:31 PM
  6. Troggie's Avatar
    So you start prying (no, no, I should not ask! ) just below the "BLACKBERRY" text/logo under the speaker but out toward the edges?

    The cnn.cn site has pictures but they are not the clearest:



    So where are the tabs that so easily break?
    Why shouldn't you ask? Getting tempted?

    You have it right. That's what the videos posted early on in this thread showed. I went by an older Tour disassembly video where you would push in on the Mute and Lock buttons on the top and left the earpiece from there. Probably not the best way. If you don't want to order the tools, what steveg_nh did would be a good idea (using a laminated business card).
    07-09-10 04:34 PM
  7. RegE's Avatar
    ...So where are the tabs that so easily break?
    The earpiece actually has six tabs. Four of them are hook-like tabs and two of them are loop-like tabs. The two tabs mentioned above are the loop-like tabs. They are clear plastic and they are positioned at the very top edge of the earpiece, spaced approximately on the 'outboard' sides of the speaker grille. Two tabs are positioned inside the cover itself approximately next to the speaker grille; and the last two tabs are located on the outer edges of the cover at approximately the middle of the vertical height, or slightly below the grille axis.

    If you remove the cover from the bottom, you minimize the chances of breaking the top two tabs; especially, if you lift the bottom of the cover upwards.

    Also, new covers do not come with two-sided tape. The tape lends rigidity to the bottom of the earpiece cover and squelches squeaking. In lieu of tape you can consider using two dabs of silicon adhesive on the outboard edges of the cover at the bottom. I chose silicon because it's adhesive properties aren't as great as glue, and it remains pliable.
    07-09-10 04:59 PM
  8. RegE's Avatar
    Hey F2; ...go for it! Seriously, from my experience, the worst that can happen is that you break a tab. That's not a big deal! ...just $10. Once you're inside the phone, you'd have to be some kind of klutz with 10 thumbs to do any damage. I watched a video on YouTube where the guy took the phone apart like Magilla Gorilla and he didn't even break the tabs.
    Last edited by RegE; 07-09-10 at 05:21 PM.
    07-09-10 05:06 PM
  9. Troggie's Avatar
    Here are the 2 tabs that break easily.
    07-09-10 05:07 PM
  10. FF22's Avatar
    Thanks for the words of support and that last image shows the "clear" tabs really well. The ones I found were tiny jpgs on their site. I actually purchased the plastic tools about a week ago - always good to have tools (the guy who dies with the most toys/tools wins, no?)

    My 8830 still have the new keypad I put in it (also ordered from cnn.cn) since that blue backlighting of the original Verizon was awful). But that one was easy even if my secretary shrieked when she saw (it was still in pieces) what I did to my new phone.

    I will think about it............... (you people are enablers - "hey, kid, want some candy? How 'bout a dissected Bold?")
    07-09-10 05:56 PM
  11. aerophage's Avatar
    Go for it! I'm 95% positive I'm going to do it as soon as I have the parts/equipment. Which means after my month-long vacation.

    Posted from my CrackBerry at wapforums.crackberry.com
    07-10-10 09:48 PM
  12. Betmen's Avatar
    --------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    My opinion is that i'm a skilled tinker as good as anyone here.
    But u have to be nuts to take a phone appart to fix a slant in a trackpad
    with some bull**** work around. i understand OCD and anal behavior
    and 50% of these thread are people that need to get a life no offence
    To some extent i feel sorry for the carriers. NOTHING IS PERFECT
    07-11-10 08:07 AM
  13. RegE's Avatar
    ...But u have to be nuts to take a phone appart to fix a slant in a trackpad with some bull**** work around. i understand OCD and anal behavior and 50% of these thread are people that need to get a life no offence To some extent i feel sorry for the carriers. NOTHING IS PERFECT
    If you had a trackpad that provided inadequate tactile feedback and diminished functionality, you'd be singing a different tune.

    And my response to, "To some extent i feel sorry for the carriers. NOTHING IS PERFECT", is: "Electing to address a problem yourself rather than complain to the service provider should speak volumes. And further, what needs to be said about the state-of-mind of an individual who's content with substandard workmanship in a product that they worked nearly a week to acquire (based on MSRP)? Does your boss, or would your boss ignore your substandard performance / workmanship? On what grounds do you articulate and justify ignoring the substandard workmanship of a manufacturer?"
    07-11-10 02:26 PM
  14. Betmen's Avatar
    If you had a trackpad that provided inadequate tactile feedback and diminished functionality, you'd be singing a different tune.

    And my response to, "To some extent i feel sorry for the carriers. NOTHING IS PERFECT", is: "Electing to address a problem yourself rather than complain to the service provider should speak volumes. And further, what needs to be said about the state-of-mind of an individual who's content with substandard workmanship in a product that they worked nearly a week to acquire (based on MSRP)? Does your boss, or would your boss ignore your substandard performance / workmanship? On what grounds do you articulate and justify ignoring the substandard workmanship of a manufacturer?"
    I hear you loud and clear but this is obsesive behavior... send the phone back, don't do some ridiculous workaround thats not approved by RIM. I'm a medical surgeon and I respect pride in workmanship but these fixes sounds absurd. Being a surgeon requires some creativity when a procedure fails to go as anticipated. You don't have the right to tinker with the phone that you have no training on and then when it blows up send the device back playing the innocent customer. I have to take responsibilities for my actions and make sound decisions. You guys are not qualified to undertake this type of repair.
    07-11-10 11:17 PM
  15. waterfrontmgmt's Avatar
    a surgeon? seriously? i hope i don't end up on your table. if you buy something, you have EVERY right to take it apart and do whatever you wish.

    i don't think these people are renting their blackberries...they own them.
    07-11-10 11:48 PM
  16. RegE's Avatar
    If anybody in this world needs to have OCD, it should be a physician / surgeon. I would be rather alarmed and turned-off if my surgeon told me "nothing's perfect". I'd go find a new surgeon with a desire to be perfect and bordered on OCD. While it is true that nothing or no one is perfect, kudos goes to the one who wants and strives for perfection. Anything less is sheer lackadaisicalness! It's no wonder why the bottom of the food chain is over-populated!

    Come on! ...let's be pragmatic. Who gains the highest level of respect in this world? Who's the innovators that make this world go around? I'd say it's the individual who has a strong work ethic; who takes an enormous amount of pride in their person and their work; who strives to be perfect in everything they do, despite knowing attaining perfection is improbable; who takes risks knowing there's only a 51% chance of a favorable outcome; who pushes the limits in favor of betterment; who feels everything can stand improving upon. People like this is why you're NOT talking on a phone the size of a red brick - circa 1976.
    07-12-10 12:58 AM
  17. dirt619's Avatar
    --------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    My opinion is that i'm a skilled tinker as good as anyone here.
    But u have to be nuts to take a phone appart to fix a slant in a trackpad
    with some bull**** work around. i understand OCD and anal behavior
    and 50% of these thread are people that need to get a life no offence
    To some extent i feel sorry for the carriers. NOTHING IS PERFECT
    Can I just ask why you even care if someone takes apart and FIXES a phone he BOUGHT?
    07-12-10 01:14 AM
  18. Troggie's Avatar
    @Betmen

    Did you only comment in this thread to try and belittle or offend us? Nothing you have posted in here is of any value.

    If you're a skilled tinkerer, then why do you think it's nuts for someone to take apart his/her own phone?

    "Bull*** work around"? It's just placing a shim under the trackpad to even it out. What would be a legitimate workaround? Keep sending the phone back to the carrier to replace it with another that, more than likely, has the same problem? That would make me feel sorry for the carriers.

    We're "not qualified to undertake this type of repair"? This isn't a complicated hack-job. No re-soldering, no replacing or modified electronics, no software modifications that could possibly brick your phone. There's really not much skill needed to do this.

    BTW, I work with cardiac surgeons on a daily basis. I work on desktops, laptops, and Blackberries within the practice every day. They even trust me with their home computers, as I've replaced a good number of laptop components that require a lot of disassembly. They highly value the amount of OCD behavior that makes a person strive for perfection and organization.

    That being said, there's no doubt in my mind that you're not a surgeon. Your grammar is appalling and logic is nonexistent. Also, no surgeon qualifies themselves as the generic "medical surgeon".
    07-12-10 10:45 AM
  19. SenorLoco's Avatar
    FYI the earpiece on the Bold is the same as the Tour. I just swapped the earpiece between the 2 phones without any problems.
    07-12-10 02:37 PM
  20. Betmen's Avatar
    To the last 4 posters, I would not lower my self to respond to your
    jibberish, you know nothing about the profession or the correct mind set of a doctor. OCD is the last thing you want working on you and that is not the point of this post.
    This a open forum and I feel this type of advise is not in the average owners
    best interest. As far as the personal atttacks go the old saying still applys

    YOU CANT FIX STUPID

    Please forgive all typos and poor grammar
    Last edited by Betmen; 07-12-10 at 06:52 PM.
    07-12-10 06:49 PM
  21. WSFrazier's Avatar
    FYI the earpiece on the Bold is the same as the Tour. I just swapped the earpiece between the 2 phones without any problems.
    Was curious myself.
    07-12-10 06:54 PM
  22. steveg_nh's Avatar
    While may trackpad is nice and level, unfortunately, the finish is already wearing off on the right side. I'm wondering if this had already occurred before I fixed it, from the right side rubbing on the Esc/back button because it wasn't level....
    07-12-10 06:57 PM
  23. SenorLoco's Avatar
    YOU CANT FIX STUPID

    Please forgive all typos and poor grammar
    I can't help but laugh at this


    Back on the the original topic...I just finished putting my phone back together and everything works great and my trackpad is nice and level!
    07-12-10 07:48 PM
  24. latingeo's Avatar
    YOu think their will be another new batch of BOLDs, like the TOUR
    07-12-10 08:03 PM
  25. parked's Avatar
    @Betmen
    That being said, there's no doubt in my mind that you're not a surgeon. Your grammar is appalling and logic is nonexistent. Also, no surgeon qualifies themselves as the generic "medical surgeon".
    Yep. My dad is an orthopedic surgeon and he never refers to himself as a "medical surgeon." If people want more explanation than "I'm a surgeon," they will tack on their specialty. Cardiothoracic, general, etc. My dad is pretty OCD.

    Kudos to the DIYers in this thread.
    07-12-10 09:47 PM
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