vB Easy Archive - GD55 Change Case How-to (With Pics)

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GD55 Change Case How-to (With Pics)
(Click here to view the original thread with full colors/images)

Posted by: electronspeeder

So my original GD55 case was getting beat to hell, and the battery clip snapped off, so I opted to buy a cheap case off of eBay. I got a full case with front, back, and battery for about $4. It was a very easy process and the whole thing took less than 30 minutes.

Here are some pics comparing the cases.

First I decided to swap the battery. Getting the old battery out was not an easy task. I basically had to rip apart the casing, as it was all glued together.

I noticed that the battery concacts DO NOT line up with the hole correctly. This is a problem with the fit/finish of the case. Here is an example.

So I made some minor modifications of the battery case to make everything line up correctly. The yellow circles represent the areas I had to remove. (The "L" shape I had to modify it to a "_" shape, though it is not shown correctly in the picture)

Mount the battery. (again, the "L" bracket must be modified to "_" shape or the battery will be misaligned)

Use a bit of glue to seal the battery casing.

Here's the battery mounted on the back of the empty case.

I also noticed that the tip of the antenna is not included with the case. So I will have to paint the tip black to make it match the case.

Here's a pic of the insdie of the new phone case.

Notice they have nice metal threaded sleeves inside, just like the original case.

Now on to taking apart the phone. It's actually *very* easy. There are 2 screws holding the case together. Shown here (the holes are still covered with the "void" sticker)

You will need a Torx T-5 screwdriver.

Here is the case taken apart with the 2 screws removed.

There is only one other screw in the phone, it holds the inside together to the back of the phone.

Here is the inside removed.

Here's a picture of the back the unit with the 3 screws removed (they are identical).

Pay attention to how the speaker, vibrator and antenna are installed, remember the orientation. Notice you need to squeeze the bottom of the antenna clips to remove it. Needle nose pliers do the trick.

Here is it removed.

I noticed that the electrical contacts on the back of the PC board were not in contact with the speaker. This is another fit issue with this case. So I just cut a little spacer out of thick paper to stick underneath the left side under the contacts to wedge everything in there tighter.

I didn't like the keypad that came with the new phone, they were soft rubber and had no colors, so I kept the stock keypad. I liked how it's hard rubber, the talk and hangup keys are green and red and the silver up/down key matches the silver outlines of the holes.

Here's the back, everything looks good.

All done!

Posted by: Ghostrider

I've been meaning to reply to this....great job on upgrading the housing. Only thing, you worked too hard w/ the battery, you should have just used the silver battery casing, IMO.

I've had my housing on mine changed out as well. Firstly done at a cell shop, where they know how to change out the housings. I didn't know how to do, so I watched this guy.

I now know how to the housing change, I am waiting for an OEM red housing w/ battery, red keypad & antenna too boot. I'll have a very fresh, new looking GD55.