(Go on, void that warranty. Yeah, feels good.) You’ll need a small Phillips screwdriver, and a small slot screwdriver. I use a #0 Phillips and a 5/64″ slot screwdriver, from a Radio Shack precision screwdriver set.

Step One: Do a Hot-sync! And better still, use the Backup springboard. I can’t say enough good things about the Backup springboard. When I used to take apart my old Palm Personal, a hot-sync only restored the standard data files, all my apps I had to re-install each and every time… You don’t even have to worry about the hot-sync if you have the backup-module. A few minutes to do a backup, a few minutes to do a restore, and the Visor is right back to normal. In fact, if your Visor is lost or stolen, buy a new one, pop the backup-module into it, restore, and your Visor is back! No fuss, no muss.

Step Two: Remove the stylus, anything in the springboard slot, the battery cover, and the batteries. With the Phillips screwdriver, remove the four screws (two in the springboard bay, two at the corners to either side of the hot-sync port). With the slot screwdriver, very carefuly pry open the Visor along one side. I tend to use the stylus side, so that there is quick access to step three. If you have an Ice or transpearant colour Visor, you can see where the four plastic catches are. Gently pry at each of these four to pop the case open without marking the plastic. If you can’t see them, starting at the top of the seam by the silo, they are at: 15mm, 40mm, 64mm and 88mm – to the centres of each catch.

Step Three: The front-half of the Visor is attached to the back-half, by a thin and slightly fragile ribbon cable. You will see it fixed to the back-half, at a beige and brown connector. Using your slot screwdriver, carefully lift upwards, the edge of the brown part of the connector nearest you. This brown part swings up and out about 45 degrees. This action unlocks the ribbon cable. You can then carefully pull the ribbon cable upwards and it will slide out of the beige connector. Set the face of the Visor aside somewhere safe.

Step Four: The button board is held in place by friction. The rubber microphone-boot fits into a plastic ‘hole’ in the casing. Use the slot screwdriver to gently pry this up and free. Be cautious, as the microphone’s wires are thin and fragile. With the microphone loose, you may gently remove the button board by pulling slowly at the right side. You may rock it forward and backward slightly, to help work it loose of the electrical plug. Be careful though not to stress either the button board, or the mother-board beneath. Set it aside when it is free.

Step Five: Using your Phillips screwdriver, locate and remove the two remaining screws. They are located at about the middle of the device, one on each side. With the screws gone, you may gently lift out the mother board. Or carefully turn the Visor over, and the mother board should drop out into your free hand.

Step Six: The memory board is held onto the back of the mother board by some two-way tape and an electrical plug. You may remove it by carefully pulling the board free at the plug side, then gently pull it free of the tape. Gently rocking it a bit may help loosen it from the plug. Again, be careful not to stress it, or the mother board.

That’s it. Your Visor should now be reduced to it’s component parts. 

Here’s a view of the three boards, from the ‘bottom’. These three are part of the lower half of the Visor assembly.

This is the same 3 boards but from the ‘top’. Note the beige and brown connector for the screen’s ribbon cable.

Re-Assembly

Putting it all back together is just the reverse of taking it apart. The bottom line is, be careful when taking it apart, take it slow and easy, know what you are doing. When putting the screws back in, be careful not to over-tighten them or strip the plastic holes. When it’s all intact, stick the batteries back in. It will behave as if a hard-reset was done, or more accurately, it will behave as though it had just been put together. You will have to go through the routine of setting up the digitizer, setting the country and time and date and all. Now just pop in that backup module, hit restore, and feel glad you spent the $$ for that module.

Please note: I have only had experience with Handspring’s Visor Deluxe. I have never used, handled, touched, or seen in person, any other Visor, and cannot answer questions about them.