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520/540 AC adapter disassembly

How would one go about taking apart a PB 520/540 adapter to fix? I just got one today but it is in need of repair and can't find any guides for it online.
 

Franklinstein

Well-known member
It's kind of tricky. They're entirely bonded, no screws or anything, and the plastic is really brittle after so many years. I'm not sure if there's a particular solvent that can break the bond in the case or if it's heat bonded. The few times I've done it I pried the halves apart and just glued the various pieces back together after the fact. It's ugly but it gets the job done.
 
Is there a particular way you pried it apart? I've tried a bit with both metal and plastic pry tools and I seem to only be making little dents in the case, it even cracked on one side so far a bit. I'm a bit worried it may be too brittle to fix.
 

3lectr1cPPC

Well-known member
I’d also like to know the best way to pry these open, as it seems I’m not going to be able to do it without damage. Would using a vice work? I know it does for the 100 series bricks but I don’t have easy access to one. My 100 series OEM brick is dead, my 3A color 100 series brick could die any day, and my 500 series brick probably isn’t very far behind so I’d really like to get to recapping them, but opening them is the scary part. Same for my 5300 series brick. I have 2 of them and one is dead due to caps. I believe the 5300/190 bricks have a screw under the label, but that can’t be all.
 
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aladds

Well-known member
I got mine apart by crushing it in a vice until various bits cracked, then rotating. Eventually it came apart in slightly more pieces than I'd have liked but mostly along the seams. Obviously you have to be really careful not to tighten it too much as it could potentially crush the innards!
 

rickrob

Well-known member
The plastics are very brittle now. I dropped a 540 Adapter on a concrete floor from three feet and it basically exploded into multiple pieces.

I cut one open with a razor knife or X-Acto knife. (I think it was an X-Acto ) I followed the groove in the case, using the edge of the top cover as a guide and kept applying pressure / scoring / repeating until I worked the knife under the top and then I worked my way through the plastic. This resulted in an angled cut, and I was able to re-glue the top back on afterwards. I took my time and was also super careful with that knife , because I wanted to keep my fingers... 🙃
 
I'm resorting to using an Ifixit Jimmy and slowly breaking the plastic along the seam. I've given up at this point of trying to keep it looking factory since mine is completely dead and too brittle to try and cut. I'll just use tape or something to hold it back down. Maybe some day someone can 3d model a new case for these so we can 3d print them, especially with clips or screws?
 

3lectr1cPPC

Well-known member
Now that I think about it, these AC adapter cases are perfect candidates for 3D Printing. They are all going to need maintenance that requires opening them, they're unreliable, and impossible to open without destroying.

Edit: I just tried my iFixit jimmy tool on the 500 series adapter just to see if I could make a seem and BOOM, chip of plastic went flying. Yeah, I'm not messing with it anymore!
 
Yeah, maybe someone with CAD skills can whip something up one day. I wouldn't even mind paying a couple bucks for a model if it meant we could have something we could not only open but also re print if worst comes to worst. Considering there's no screw holes in the board I can't imagine it would be too difficult to do. I suspect it's only a matter of time until 'unbroken' 520/540 adapters (either electrically or repaired but the plastic is broken) are going to be a thing of the past. Perhaps time to ask around from those who have some sort of CAD skills? This post from last year shows that the case is not very complex inside as well.
 
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Franklinstein

Well-known member
I'm pretty sure I just used a large-ish flat screwdriver at the seams, pressing slightly inward and twisting. Also a little prying around the power socket to get it started.
 
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