Dell Inspiron L400 Service Guide

							support.dell.com Dell Latitude L400 Service Manual 7
The following subsections provide instructions for removing and replacing 
field-replaceable parts and assemblies.
Hard-Disk Drive Assembly
Figure 6.  Hard-Disk Drive Assembly Removal 
NOTICE: To avoid damaging the system board, you must remove the 
main battery before you service the computer.
NOTICE: The hard-disk drive is very sensitive to shock. Handle the 
assembly by its edges (do not squeeze the top of the hard-disk drive 
case), and avoid dropping it.
NOTICE: Make sure that the work surface is clean to prevent    
scratching the computer cover.
1. Turn the computer over, and remove the two M3 x 3-mm screws from the 
bottom of the hard-disk drive door (see Figure 6).
The hard-disk drive is located on the right side of the computer.
2. Pull the drive out of the computer.
bottom of computerhard-disk drive M3 x 3-mm screws (2) 
						

							8 Dell Latitude L400 Service Manual
Keyboard Bezel
Figure 7.  Keyboard Bezel Removal
NOTICE: To avoid damaging the system board, you must remove the 
main battery before you service the computer.
NOTICE: To avoid damaging the microphone, do not put any objects 
into the microphone hole (see Figure 7).
1. Place the point of a paper clip or a tool of similar size in the keyboard bezel 
hole and carefully push down (see Figure 7).
2. While pushing down, slide the keyboard bezel to the left until it releases.
3. Lift the keyboard bezel.
keyboard bezel release hole keyboard bezel
microphone hole 
						

							support.dell.com Dell Latitude L400 Service Manual 9
Display Assembly 
Figure 8.  Display Assembly Removal
NOTICE: To avoid damaging the system board, you must remove the 
battery before you service the computer.
1. Remove the keyboard bezel.
2. Close the display.
3. Remove the two silver M2 x 4-mm screws at the back of the computer that 
secure the display assembly to the bottom case (see Figure 8).
4. Turn the computer upside down on a flat work surface.
5. Remove the two M2 x 4.5-mm screws at the bottom of the computer that 
secure the display assembly to the bottom case (see Figure 8).
LCD flex-cable 
hold-down clip
M2 x 9.5-mm screw
right hinge
cover LCD
flex cable
M2 x 4-mm screws (2)
display assembly
left hinge 
cover
M2 x 4.5-mm screws (2) 
						

							10 Dell Latitude L400 Service Manual
6. Turn the computer right-side up.
7. Open the display.
8. Remove the left and right hinge covers.
NOTE: When replacing the display assembly, the left hinge cover must go 
over the left hinge and the right hinge cover must go over the right hinge. 
They are not interchangeable. An L is stamped on the bottom of the left 
hinge cover and an R is stamped on the bottom of the right hinge cover.
9. Remove the M2 x 9.5-mm screw that secures the LCD flex-cable          
hold-down clip and the LCD flex-cable connector to the system board 
assembly (see Figure 8).
The M2 x 9.5-mm screw also secures the left side of the modem retainer 
bracket to the system board assembly.
10. Carefully disconnect the LCD flex-cable connector from the system board.
11. Lift the display assembly from the bottom assembly.
To replace the display assembly, perform the following steps: 
1. Place the display assembly on the bottom assembly.
Insert the left and right hinge posts into the holes at the top of the 
palmrest.
2. Carefully connect the  LCD flex cable to the connector on the system 
board.
3. Place the LCD flex-cable hold-down clip over the LCD flex-cable connector 
(see Figure 8).
The tab at the left of the clip should go under the palm rest, and the screw 
hole on the right side of the clip should line up with the holes in the 
connector ground strip and the threaded hole in the system board. 
4. Reinstall the M2 x 9.5-mm screw that secures the LCD flex-cable           
hold-down clip to the system board.
5. Close the display.
You may have to press down on the back end of the display (above the 
hinges) while closing the display to get the display to close completely.
6. Reinstall the two M2 x 4.5-mm screws that secure the display assembly to 
the bottom case.
You may have to squeeze the display assembly and the bottom assembly 
together, so the screw holes align in the base assembly and the hinge 
posts.
Do not completely tighten the screws. 
						

							support.dell.com Dell Latitude L400 Service Manual 11
7. Reinstall the two M2 x 4-mm screws in the back of the computer that 
secure the display assembly to the back of the bottom case.
8. Tighten the two screws that you installed in step 6.
9. Open the display and reinstall the left and right hinge covers.
An L is stamped on the bottom of the left hinge cover and an R is stamped 
on the bottom of the right hinge cover.
Display Assembly Bezel
l
Figure 9.  Display Assembly Bezel Removal
LCD panel
display-assembly top cover
inverter
display assembly bezellarge rubber screw covers (6)
M2 x 3.5-mm screws (6)
latch
left hinge
right hingeM2.6 x 4-mm screws (4)
M2 x 3.5-mm screw
back light plug
EMI sponges (2)
LCD flex cable
EMI shield 
						

							12 Dell Latitude L400 Service Manual
NOTICE: To avoid damaging the system board, you must remove the 
main battery before you service the computer.
1. Use a scribe to carefully pry the six rubber screw covers out of the six 
screw holes located along the top and bottom of the bezel on the front of 
the display assembly (see Figure 9).
2. Remove the six M2 x 3.5-mm screws located at the top and bottom of the 
bezel on the front of the display assembly (see Figure 9).
3. Separate the bezel from the display-assembly top cover.
The bezel is secured by slot openings that snap into the display-assembly 
top cover. Carefully lift the inside edge of the bezel, working your way 
around the inside perimeter, to unsnap and remove the bezel from the 
display assembly.
Display Assembly Latch
Figure 10.  Display Assembly Latch Removal
NOTICE: To avoid damaging the system board, you must remove the 
main battery before you service the computer.
1. Remove the display assembly bezel.
2. Lift the display assembly latch off of the display-assembly top cover       
(see Figure 10).
3. Slide the latch spring off of the post on the display-assembly top cover  
(see Figure 10).
You may need to use a small flat-blade screwdriver to separate the latch 
spring from the post.
display assembly latch
latch spring
post
display assembly 
top cover 
						

							support.dell.com Dell Latitude L400 Service Manual 13
To replace the display-assembly latch, perform the following steps:
1. Carefully place the latch spring over the post on the display-assembly top 
cover.
You may need to use a small flat-blade screwdriver to place the spring over 
the post. Hold the spring on the post with the screwdriver while 
performing the next step.
2. Holding the latch, stretch the spring slightly and set the display-assembly 
latch in place in the display assembly top cover.
3. Reinstall the bezel.
LCD Panel   
Figure 11.  LCD Panel Removal
NOTICE: To avoid damaging the system board, you must remove the 
main battery before you service the computer.
1. Ground yourself by touching the unpainted metal surface of the I/O panel 
on the back of the computer.
LCD panel
wide flex 
cable
LCD flex
cable
back light
plug
M2 x 3.5-mm screws (4)
back light
plug
inverterinverter
narrow flex 
cable
ZIF 
connector
M2 x 3.5-mm 
screw 
EMI 
sponges (2)
narrow flex
cable
EMI shield 
						

							14 Dell Latitude L400 Service Manual
2. Remove the keyboard bezel.
3. Remove the display assembly.
4. Remove the display assembly bezel.
5. Remove the four M2 x 3.5-mm screws on the left and right sides of         
the display assembly that secure the LCD panel to the top cover             
(see Figure 11).
6. Remove the M2 x 3.5-mm screw that secures the inverter to the top cover. 
7. Lift and roll the inverter over (toward you), so the bezel side is down and 
the connector side is up (see Figure 11).
8. Disconnect the narrow flex cable from the ZIF connector on the left side of 
the inverter.
9. Disconnect the two-wire back-light plug from the connector on the right 
side of the inverter (see Figure 11).
10. Remove the inverter. 
11. Lift the LCD panel from the bottom edge, giving enough room to fit your 
hand between the LCD panel and the top cover.
12. Carefully peel the LCD flex cable away from the top cover.
13. Lift the LCD panel out of the top cover.
14. Lift up on the tape that is covering the wide flex-cable connector on the 
back of the LCD panel.
NOTE: Keep the tape for when you replace the LCD panel.
15. Disconnect the wide flex cable from the connector on the back of the LCD 
panel.
To replace the LCD panel, perform the following steps: 
1. Connect the LCD flex cable to the connector on the back of the LCD panel.
2. Reinstall the tape that covers the LCD flex-cable connector on the back of 
the LCD panel.
3. If you are installing a new LCD flex cable, peel off the backing tapes that 
are on the LCD flex-cable EMI sponges. 
4. Reinstall the LCD panel in the top cover.
a. Holding the LCD flex cable against the back of the LCD panel, insert 
the right edge of the LCD panel into the right end of the top cover.
The right edge of the LCD panel should press against the EMI sponge 
on the right side of the top cover. The LCD panel should not rest on top 
of the EMI sponge.  
						

							support.dell.com Dell Latitude L400 Service Manual 15
b. Lower the bottom end of the LCD panel into the top cover, making sure 
the LCD flex cable lines up with the opening that is to the right of the 
left hinge.  
c. Make sure the narrow part of the flex cable that goes to the inverter is 
visible at the bottom edge of the LCD panel. 
d. Press the LCD panel into the top cover.
5. Connect the narrow flex cable to the ZIF connector on the left side of the 
inverter.
6. With the connector side of the inverter facing up, connect the two-wire 
back-light plug to the connector on the right end of the inverter.
When the plug is all the way in the connector, the key slot in the center of 
the plug should not be visible. If you can see the key slot, the plug is not in 
the connector correctly. Pull the plug out, turn the plug over, and reinsert it 
into the connector. 
7. Roll the inverter over (away from you), so the connector side of the inverter 
is up.
8. Place the inverter into the top cover, aligning the posts in the top cover 
with the alignment holes in the inverter.
9. Holding the inverter in place, reinstall the M2 x 3.5-mm screw that secures 
the inverter to the top cover.
10. Reinstall the four M2 x 3.5-mm screws, in the left and right ends of the top 
cover, that secure the LCD panel to the top cover.
11. Reinstall the display assembly latch.
12. Reinstall the display assembly bezel.
Display Assembly Hinges
1. Remove the keyboard bezel.
2. Remove the display assembly.
3. Remove the display bezel.
4. Remove the two M2.6 x 4-mm screws that secure the left hinge to the top 
cover (see Figure 9).
5. Remove the two M2.6 x 4-mm screws that secure the right hinge to the 
top cover.
When replacing the left and right hinges, make sure they are installed 
correctly. An L is stamped on the left hinge and an R is stamped on the right 
hinge. 
						

							16 Dell Latitude L400 Service Manual
Keyboard Assembly
 
Figure 12.  Keyboard Assembly Removal
To remove the keyboard assembly, perform the following steps.
NOTICE: To avoid damaging the system board, you must remove    
the main battery before you service the computer.
NOTICE: Make sure that the work surface is clean to prevent          
scratching the computer cover.
1. Remove the keyboard bezel.
2. Remove the four M2 x 4-mm screws located across the top of the 
keyboard assembly (see Figure 9).
NOTE: Five metal tabs retain the bottom of the keyboard in the palmrest 
assembly.
3. Release the keyboard assembly from the palmrest assembly by lifting the 
top edge of the keyboard assembly up and sliding it toward the back of the 
computer.
4. Rotate the keyboard up so it is perpendicular to the computer. 
5. Carefully disconnect the keyboard cable from the connector on the system 
board.
M2 x 4-mm screws (4)
keyboard
assembly
keyboard
cable