Hardware Tutorial
Updated
Switch Lite Screw and Hardware Measurements
Hello Switch community, I am a crazy person from the DS Forum who measured all of the screws and hardware from the DS and 3DS family of consoles.
I recently picked up a Switch Lite for cheap, and in the process of disassembling the console for a deep clean, I felt I should measure the screws. Since the time that I measured the screws for the DS and 3DS, I have gotten calipers and a better understanding of screwdrivers, so I hope to deliver a fairly accurate base of measurements to work with. I do intend on going back to those posts to update them, but.... time.
I'll simplify these posts so they aren't as unwieldy as my other posts.
Using a custom chart that I made, I will be using this as a reference to measure each screw with my calipers.
Measurements done with Calipers will only be done on one screw per category, and will be subject to some amount of inaccuracies due to the size of the screws and the tools I have. Measurements like Thread Pitch, Shank Length, Thread Length, and Recess Width are done by eyeballing it with my calipers and a microscope. Measurements like Thread Diameter and Screw Length will be far more accurate as I can physically clamp them in my calipers.
I'll add links to an IFixIt Guide to match my terms to pictures (i.e., Motherboard Screw would point to the Motherboard removal step of an IFixIt guide). If there is no guide, I won't be able to link.
The IFixIt guide I will be referring to for the majority of this post is the LCD Replacement guide. There are some issues with the tools recommended in the guide. The "Parts" section recommends a "Phillips #00", but the steps in the guide recommend "JIS 000 driver or an official iFixit PH 000". Based on the measurements of the recess of the screws, and how my screwdrivers fit into the screws, these screws absolutely are Cross-recess 00.
Since it is not the focus of this post, though it is relevant, I won't go into why recommending both JIS and Phillips, suggesting they are interchangeable, flies in the face of of IFixIt's stance on why JIS is a thing and that the cross-recess measurements are in line with Hardware.Hacks guide for identifying screw type. I have been working on a paper on the topic, and what it really boils down to is to use a quality screwdriver from a reputable brand and continue on with your life.
I recently picked up a Switch Lite for cheap, and in the process of disassembling the console for a deep clean, I felt I should measure the screws. Since the time that I measured the screws for the DS and 3DS, I have gotten calipers and a better understanding of screwdrivers, so I hope to deliver a fairly accurate base of measurements to work with. I do intend on going back to those posts to update them, but.... time.
I'll simplify these posts so they aren't as unwieldy as my other posts.
How I Measure Screws.
Using a custom chart that I made, I will be using this as a reference to measure each screw with my calipers.
Measurements done with Calipers will only be done on one screw per category, and will be subject to some amount of inaccuracies due to the size of the screws and the tools I have. Measurements like Thread Pitch, Shank Length, Thread Length, and Recess Width are done by eyeballing it with my calipers and a microscope. Measurements like Thread Diameter and Screw Length will be far more accurate as I can physically clamp them in my calipers.
Resources, Set Up, and Drivers.
Screws will be sorted by size, going from shortest to longest, rounded to the nearest 0.5mm. In the cases where screws weren't rounded to the whole or half steps, I found their measurements consistent with other screws of the same category, thus, were labeled with their non-standard measurement.I'll add links to an IFixIt Guide to match my terms to pictures (i.e., Motherboard Screw would point to the Motherboard removal step of an IFixIt guide). If there is no guide, I won't be able to link.
The IFixIt guide I will be referring to for the majority of this post is the LCD Replacement guide. There are some issues with the tools recommended in the guide. The "Parts" section recommends a "Phillips #00", but the steps in the guide recommend "JIS 000 driver or an official iFixit PH 000". Based on the measurements of the recess of the screws, and how my screwdrivers fit into the screws, these screws absolutely are Cross-recess 00.
Since it is not the focus of this post, though it is relevant, I won't go into why recommending both JIS and Phillips, suggesting they are interchangeable, flies in the face of of IFixIt's stance on why JIS is a thing and that the cross-recess measurements are in line with Hardware.Hacks guide for identifying screw type. I have been working on a paper on the topic, and what it really boils down to is to use a quality screwdriver from a reputable brand and continue on with your life.
Screws
2.50 mm Silver Screw. Coarse Thread. Cross Recess #00
- (1x) Gamecard Slot Cover Screw
- (1x) SD Card Slot Cover Screw
- (3x) Midframe Screw Red (Step 52)
- (3x) Left Speaker Module Housing Screw Red
- (3x) Right Speaker Module Housing Screw Red
Caliper Measurements
- A: 2.56 mm
- B: 1.69 mm
- C: 0.52 mm
- D: 0.44 mm
- E: 1.46 mm
- F: 0.23 mm
- G: 2.42 mm
- Cross Recess: 1.49 mm (#00)
3.00 mm Silver Screw. Machine Thread. Cross Recess #00
- (3x) Shielding Short Red (Step 9)
- (3x) Heat Sink (Step 15)
- (7x) Gamecard Slot and Headphone Jack (Step 18)
- (3x) Motherboard Short Red (Step 32)
Caliper Measurements
- A: 3.06 mm
- B: 1.96 mm
- C: 0.38 mm
- D: 0.17 mm
- E: 1.36 mm
- F: 0.51 mm
- G: 2.48 mm
- Cross Recess: 1.30 mm (#00)
3.50 mm Silver Screw. Coarse Thread. Cross Recess #00
Caliper Measurements
- A: 3.58 mm
- B: 2.75 mm
- C: 0.61 mm
- D: 0.53 mm
- E: 1.39 mm
- F: 0.17 mm
- G: 2.46 mm
- Cross Recess: 1.43 mm (#00)
3.50 mm Black Screw. Coarse Thread. Cross Recess #00
Caliper Measurements
- A: 3.61 mm
- B: 2.03 mm
- C: 1.26 mm
- D: 0.42 mm
- E: 1.34 mm
- F: 0.24 mm
- G: 2.37 mm
- Cross Recess: 1.32 mm (#00)
4.50 mm Gold Screw. Coarse Thread. Cross Recess #00
- (1x) Shielding Long Orange (Step 9)
- (2x) Right Shoulder Button (Step 20)
- (3x) Motherboard Long Orange (Step 32)
- (1x) Left Speaker Module Mounting Screw (Step 37)
- (2x) Left Shoulder Button (Step 46)
- (2x) Daughter Board Small Red (Step 48)
Caliper Measurements
- A: 4.54 mm
- B: 3.79 mm
- C: 0.63 mm
- D: 0.41 mm
- E: 1.39 mm
- F: 0.26 mm
- G: 2.46 mm
- Cross Recess: 1.47 mm (#00)
4.80 mm Black Screw. Fine thread. Cross Recess #00
- (3x) Fan mounting screw
Caliper Measurements
- A: 4.83 mm
- B: 1.52 mm
- C: 2.67 mm
- D: 0.24 mm
- E: 1.34 mm
- Shank Diameter: 2.47 mm
- F: 0.41 mm
- G: 3.77 mm
- Cross Recess: 1.55 mm (#00)
6.00 mm Silver Screw. Coarse Thread. Cross Recess #00
Caliper Measurements
- A: 6.12 mm
- B: 4.83 mm
- C: 0.46 mm
- D: 0.40 mm
- E: 1.39 mm
- F: 0.25 mm
- G: 2.45 mm
- Cross Recess: 1.47 mm (#00)
6.50 mm Black Screw. Coarse Thread. Y-Type 00/2.0
Caliper Measurements
- A: 6.45 mm
- B: 5.15 mm
- C: 0.68 mm
- D: 0.37 mm
- E: 1.40 mm
- F: 0.57 mm
- G: 2.46 mm
- Y Recess: 1.31mm
Shoulder Button Springs.
Caliper Measurements
- Length: 7.13 mm
- Diameter: 2.18 mm
Last edited by KIlly728,
