Steam Deck Audio Board Replacement

Written By: Carsten Frauenheim

Comments: 97

Difficulty

Moderate

Steps

Time Required

30 minutes - 1 hour

Introduction

Use this guide to replace the audio board on your Steam Deck LCD.

Remember: follow general electrostatic discharge (ESD) safety procedures while repairing your device.

The audio board is home to the Steam Deck's headphone jack and volume buttons.

Note: Valve started shipping Steam Decks with refreshed internal designs in early 2023. Your Steam Deck may look different than the one depicted in the photos, but the procedure is the same. The Steam Deck's audio board design differs between versions. Remove the back cover of your Steam Deck to check what version you have. An original Steam Deck will have a metallic motherboard shield and a fan with square sides, as seen here. A refreshed Steam Deck will have a black motherboard shield and a fan with curved sides, as seen here.

Tools

Step 1

Turn on your Steam Deck and allow the battery to discharge below 25% before starting your repairs, as a charged lithium-ion polymer battery can be dangerous if accidentally punctured.
As an extra precaution, Valve recommends putting your Steam Deck into battery storage mode within the BIOS before starting any internal repairs. Read how to do that here.
Power down your Steam Deck and unplug any cables.
If you have a microSD card installed, make sure to remove it before opening the Steam Deck. If you attempt to remove the back cover with it still installed, it could snap right in half.
During your repair, it can be helpful at times to lay the Steam Deck face-down into its case to protect the thumbsticks and prevent wobble.

Step 2

Use a Phillips driver to remove the eight screws securing the back cover:
Four coarse thread 9.5 mm-long screws
Four fine thread 5.8 mm-long screws
Despite the standards, Phillips screwdrivers can vary in size and shape—two drivers labeled as the same size may fit differently in the same screw. Use the size that fits the snuggest into the screw head.
Throughout this repair, keep track of each screw and make sure it goes back exactly where it came from to avoid damaging your Steam Deck.

there should be a picture of the SD card slot at the start of every Steam Deck teardown. i know the note is there but i generally use the pictures to guide me and forgetting to remove the SD card is a very critical step

Nathan Barrow -

I agree, I just broke mine...

Camille B -

What is the the #1 philips used for? Only the #0 is mentioned in the instructions.

Christopher Martin -

I wish they would specify which size to use for which screws.

Mark D -

I found it easiest to use a PH1 for the red screws, and PH0 for the rest (including the internals.)

Chris Clawson -

Be careful you can strip the screws take your time

I use PH00 bit

jaybush74 -

I used the PH1 bit for this. You can use smaller bits but ideally there should be no play of the bit in the screw head.

Charles Semple -

are there playstation replacements (circle,square,cross,triangle)

Deór -

I used the ifixit tools and used the 00 size for the screws on the back.

Luis B - 10/01/23

I've completed the guide and found it very helpful!

I think somewhere in this part it would be helpful to name the size of the correct Phillips driver to use:

Use a Phillips driver to remove the eight screws securing the back cover:

Four 9.5 mm screws

Four 5.8 mm screws

Maynard -

I used the PH1 for the 9.5mm screws and PH00 for the 5.8mm screws. The PH0 wanted to strip one of the small ones.

Pol Llovet -

FYI - 512gb version has blue threadlocker on the Orange screws.

Kyle -

Just a point for knowledge sake, the Four 5.8mm screws on this step are factory installed with a version of locktite. Not sure why but there will be slight resistance when removing the first time.

Derek Schmidlin -

Stripped two of the 5.8mm screws, feel pretty dumb, now I'm stuck at step 2 of 43 :|

Yareyous -

The screw bit that came with my fix kit just stripped the screws of my steam deck. I guess I should've just sent it in...

Randy Jackson -

Step 3

Insert an opening pick into the thin gap between the back cover and the front shell, along the edge of the right grip.
If you're having trouble inserting your pick at the grip seam, try starting at either the top or bottom long edges first, then slide the pick towards the grip.
Pry up on the back cover to release it from the locking clips.

I found it easiest to start this process at the top of the device near the fan exit.

Peter Lindberg -

second that and inserting the pick in the bottom middle and sliding the pick to each side

Sub -

I also found the top near the fan exit to be easier

Travis Patton -

Thank you for this tip, it definitely was easy starting at the top instead of by the bumper/triggers. After I opened the top I did the bottom and then it was way easier to gently open the sides. be very careful and go slowly to make sure that none of the clips are damaged

Luis B -

this as suggested above:

1. open the top

2. open the bottom

3.gently open the sides

austrasier - 17/04/23

same; i pried from the top of the screen area. I was unable to find an opening on the side

Dennis Wu -

I also started from the middle of the deck and worked my way out since I couldn't get a grip with the pick on the deck's side grips. Since this is a common step for pretty much all guides for opening the deck I think it's also worth noting that you should be careful not to bend the trims/seams where the front and back covers meet with the pick. When I first opened my deck you can definitely see where I nudged the pick in between the covers since I was probably using too much force on the pick itself.

Kaleb McKone -

It would be useful to note here that if you want to insert the little blue triangular iFixit opening picks into the right side along the edge, there isn't actually a gap as the directions say, at least not on newer Decks. You'll be making the initial gap using the pick. Brace it on something because you will need to use enough downward force that you're flexing the pick a bit and it'll probably be digging into the skin of a bare hand. With enough force suddenly it will make a click and go in just a bit, and then you're in business.

CaptFrost -

plastic picks didnt work for me but finger males did the job on prying this open

jacobbagsic -

I found it easiest to open starting with R1 or L1 buttons and proceeding to the center of the top edge

Karol Gro -

This step was the hardest by far. First I didn't find an opening at the sides, and it did take a really long time until I finally got it open... Then, when I had the one side opening open it didn't just pop out, I needed to slide all the way to the other side with the pick and open everything. I guess they made it even more drop resistant.

Dollique -

Step 4

Once the clips are disconnected from one edge, the rest disconnect easily.
Grip the back cover at the opening you just created and pull it up and away from the device to unclip the long edges.
Remove the back cover.

If you have an SD card, you will want to take it out. I followed the guide and didn't think about the SD card I had inside. When I went to snap the case back on it clapped shut on the exposed SD card, shearing it in half and leaving the bottom half stuck in the SD card slot. I am still endeavoring to get it out.

Novice -

you can use the case that comes with the steam deck to support it once the lid is removed

Luis Barbosa (Armored Saint) -

You can get the pry pick inserted easier if you start in the gap for the shoulder buttons. A lego brick separator works well here

Andrew Borsje -

Step 5

If you have a refreshed Steam Deck version with the black motherboard cover, skip this step.
Use a pair of tweezers to remove the piece of foil tape covering the hidden screw on the board shield.
If possible, try not to rip or tear this tape so it can be reused. If necessary, you can fashion a replacement by cutting a piece of aluminum foil tape to fit.

Use some heat here from a hairdryer to make this part easier.

If you screw up here you can replace the little aluminium square with some aluminium tape from Amazon. No less than 50 microns thick, slightly thicker is fine. and the square is 13mm both ways.

Matt S -

Thanks for that Matt, i destroyed the original tape and i had no solution since i read your comment.

Cihan Kocaman -

there are other new version of board shield from 2023.

Gorf Woo -

Is it alright to use the deck without the tape?

Jake -

You should not. This is EM shielding to protect your processor and ram from radio waves in the air

Andrew Borsje -

I found out my 3 Weeks new Steam Deck is a old Version... gg. Valve...

Miller Schiffer -

wenn ich aluminium foile benutze, womit soll ich sie dann verkleben?

Christian Dud -

If we have the new version with the black shield, how do we access the SSD?

James Bennett -

I need this part, does anyone know where to get it?

rolando norica -

PSA: The only purpose of steps 5–8 is to enable you to disconnect the battery, which is not essential. I skipped steps 5–8 and did not have any trouble with the repair.

David H -

Step 6

Use a Phillips driver to remove the three screws securing the board shield:
One 3.4 mm screw
Two 3.7 mm screws
Only the two 3.7 mm screws along the left edge are present in refreshed Steam Decks.

The procedure ended here for me, used an ifixit PH 00 bit on the screw behind the aluminium tape, bit wouldnt bite too great, one wrong twist and the screw was stripped. Not sure who or what initially screwed in that particular screw as the rest of the screws on the shield were fine, but boy is it in there tight. So now i have a stripped screw and a botched ssd replacement, don't think valve will let me RMA for this, but i'll give it a try and update accordingly.

Y. van S -

Any updates? Did they let you RMA?

Emanuel Gjoni -

I found one screw to be ridiculously tight too, managed to undo it without stripping thanks to reading your comment beforehand and going extra careful. Not going to lie, it was a tense moment :D

Andy HL -

I'm stuck in the same place. I haven't fully stripped it, but I can tell you that if I try and make it budge it will strip. The thing is massively overtightened. The driver fit fine, the metal just gives way before the screw will budge.

Robert Boswell Johnson -

I think the tendency is to go too small on the screwdriver bits because you're working on small electronics.

I used the PH1 bit on the screw under the foil and the PH0 bit for the two remaining screws without any problems.

Charles Semple -

What does this shield actually do? Some kind of magnetic protection?

Corey Cleric -

if I had to replace the key (R2) and that's it, can I directly remove it or do I have to act here on the motherboard too?

pujattidanny -

have you gotten an answer yet? trying to change mines as well but dont wanna do too much to the deck

briaNN -

button Not key, i’m sorry

pujattidanny -

I used the ifixit tools and used the 00 PH for these screws with no issue

Luis B -

If only swapping the SSD, it is not necessary to remove the top left 3.7mm screw. The heat shield is flexible enough that you can move it out of the way to access the SSD screw. For me this was necessary as the 3.7mm screw was completely unmovable and quickly stripped.

Scott A -

FYI there is a little pin on the cover that slots into the board. It is located near the top screw. I needed that to be inserted for the cover to go back down properly.

Seth Robinson -

For anyone who may have stripped a 3.7mm screw, Steam Support states it's M1.6 diameter with a 0.35 thread pitch and a 3mm length. Hopefully that'll help anyone trying to locate a replacement screw. Hoping iFixIt can make an internal screws kit as they're kinda hard to find the right one online.

Michael Dyer -

Did valve change the shield recently as my new 64gb deck has a black shield with no hidden screw.

David Alexander Hubbard -

Yes there's a new hardware revision out there that some people are getting. Consider stopping at this point and putting your deck back together if you have one of these new hardware revisions (the fan is quite different as well to the pictures) until iFixit has an updated repair guide.

Simon Meacham -

There are only 2 screws now, but be careful taking the shield off, because there are still thermal pads under it sticking it to a heat pipe.

Rudolfs Skurulis -

Are they m2 3.7mm screws? I am looking to replace mine because they instantly stripped and I had to remove them with needle nose pliers because they were over tightened.

Nick -

I need this piece, can someone help me where can I find it please?

rolando norica -

Hi, is it possible to buy these shields somewhere? I am extremely interested in buying a replacement.

Yannick B. -

Step 7

Remove the board shield.
Depending on the age of your Steam Deck, this shield may stick to the thermal pads underneath.
During reassembly, ensure that the fan cable lays on the side of the board shield and isn't pinched underneath.

When putting back on, run a pick along the edge of the shield between the wires to make sure nothing is pinching and the wires are clear of the shield before screwing down.

Matt S -

During reassembly, ensure that the fan cable lays on the side of the board shield and isn't pinched underneath.

Are you saying that the fan cable should be positioned above the board shield instead of being pressed down by it? Just like the image shows, where it 'lays on the side of the board shield'?

James -

Necesito esta pieza la mía no la traía se ve que se la quitaro

rolando norica -

Step 8

Grip the battery cable by its pull tab and pull it directly away from the motherboard to disconnect it.
Alternatively, use the flat end of a spudger or a clean fingernail to gently push the connector out of its socket, then disconnect it completely by hand.

After fully reassembling my device I found that my battery was not showing any stats anymore. I couldn't start the device without being plugged in, however if I restarted it would stay on even if my power cable was detached. Battery showed 0%. It turns out I had not fully reinserted the battery cable at this stage during reassembly. MAKE SURE YOU PUSH IT ALL THE WAY BACK IN!

Michael Hoffmann -

Awesome thanks for this tip!

petergeranio -

It is helpful to lift up gently with a the tapered end of a spudger underneath the tucked-in portion of the battery cable, creating a bit of flex in the cable before pulling on the pull tab. I found that without doing so, the fabric pull-tab simply tore off of the cable under light-to-moderate force (the fabric itself ripped cleanly across, like a paper towel). Careful, gentle pressure with a spudger can be used to remove the plug by prying gently on the rear ridge of the plastic plug (not the wire!) if this happens.

Gene Eckser - 08/08/22

This is exactly what happened to me. Maybe it was a pull tab previously, mine was a ribbon cable that tore - captured the image here: https://www.ianwootten.co.uk/2022/11/22/...

Ian Wootten -

This was the best approach (and I feel safest for the wiring) for me. Mostly push pressure on the plastic ridge with some minor pull tension on the fabric.

Victor -

I found it less scary and easier to remove the battery connection by using a fingernail on the ridge and pushing it off the connector. I felt like pulling on the battery cable was too harsh.

montgomery mchargue -

Yeah, pulling cables like these is usually ill advice. They might be fine if it's a new device, but for old devices that have been sitting there for years, there's a good chance the connector has grown brittle and the cable might just come off separately (something I learnt the hard way).

skzm -

I second this approach. For me, the cable felt way to flimsy and the connector wouldn't budge even under moderate force. Except I used the flat end of a spudger to "scrape" it out.

Misza -

Upon plugging the battery back in, I found it easy to use two spudgers- one on each side- to pull/push the connector back into it's port. Be careful to not put any pressure on the battery wires themselves.

montgomery mchargue -

When reconnecting the battery cable, you'll know when it's inserted and power is restored, because the white LED will illuminate at the top of the Deck near the power button. You should be able to see it while you're reconnecting the battery cable

Michael Davis -

This is only true if you haven't put the deck into battery storage mode as directed.

Ean Manley -

Why not just let the battery discharge completely and then not have to disconnect it?

Jeffrey Martin -

Completely discharging a battery reduces its lifespan. It's completely unnecessary.

Stefan Camporese (CENTER) - 12/11/22

Because no lipo battery is ever completely discharged -- you would not be able to recharge it if it was. There will always be enough power left in it to cause damage if shorted even if it isn't charged enough to power up the device it's connected to.

David Cameron -

I would personally not recommend pulling the tab. It doesn’t apply force at the correct angle. You should revise these instructions to advise using a combination of pulling on the tab, and careful pressure on the connector towards the right of the mainboard to carefully work it out.

Using the pull tab alone could cause problems if not done extremely carefully.

William Winborne - 09/01/23

This part was wayyyyy easier than I anticipated and I worried for nothing because I used the ifixit spudger to push it out a bit and then I literally used my finger nail and was able to slide it right off. Dont be afraid, its not that difficult and its not that delicate to break if you do it patiently

Luis B - 10/01/23

I inserted the cable very firmly with a spunger, being careful not to press down too hard on the cables, and even tried redoing it, but I don't see any LED illumination. I am now unable to boot the deck into the boot manager. Any additional tips?

junefish -

What is the risk of not unplugging the battery? Just curious!

Nick Hight -

Once I was changing termal paste on my Windows based expensive tablet PC... And I was so scared to disconnect any cables (there was many of them), so I did it all with battery connected (I didn't even knew where is battery cable). When I tried to put board shield back... it didn't go right into needed place... and short circuit some small component. It flashed. That was the end of my repair. Dudies from repair service later told me that multiple components fried including CPU, so repairing is too hard. That's what can happen if you don't disconnect battery.

bugwarlabs - 02/06/23

To pull the battery out I used my spunger, but the batter had actually not space to be pulled out completely. I needed to lift the cable up with the spunger to get the cable fully out. When plugging it in again I had to press the battery down kinda hard so it would fit again. This was really scary and I recommand using two spunger as someone said above.

Dollique -

Does it have to be a clean fingernail?

Steven Murphy -

I disagree with the order here: I think the battery should be disconnected right after step 4. You can do that before touching anything else by gently pulling the pull tab to the right.

If all you want to do is to disconnect and reconnect your battery (because your Steam Deck is not booting up... again...) then with a bit of finesse, luck and a flat plastic tool you can even push it back in without removing the shield. Make sure it went all the way back in.

Fozi -

Be very careful with this tab, it rips easily!

Tom Sid -

Step 9

Refreshed Steam Decks don't have this audio cable. If you have a refreshed version, skip the next two steps.
Use the pointed end of a spudger to lift up the small locking flap on the audio cable's ZIF connector.

Step 10

Use a pair of tweezers to slide the cable out of its connector.
Grip the cable by its pull tab, not by the cable itself.

Step 11

Use a spudger to lift up on the mic cable's white locking tab.
You should feel a small tactile bump once the connector unlocks.
Use a pair of tweezers to pull the mic cable up and out of its connector.
With the connector properly unlocked, the mic cable should slide out with little to no resistance. If it doesn't immediately slide out, check that the white tab is fully unlocked.
During reassembly, ensure that the locking tab is in its unlocked, lifted position before reinserting the mic cable. Press down on the tab to lock the cable in place.

Step 12

Use a Phillips driver to remove the two 3.7 mm screws securing the audio board.

Step 13

Use a pair of tweezers to grip the audio board by the headphone jack.
Pivot the board up and out of its recess to remove it.

Where can I buy an audio board?

Mark Perdue -

I need an Aufio board my Type c is too loose. Why have this sponsored company that's directly connected t

From Steams Customer support this is the website it transfer you too. But yet I cannot buy the part too fix the gawd dam thing what's up with that?!?!?!

That was one of the BIGGEST SELLING POINTS IS THAT STEAM WOULD LET US FUX THESE THINGS OURSELVES IF, the individual was up to it, if not they also offer send in RMA repairs. But now these vital parts aren't accessible by the common buyer, how unbelievablely RUUUUUDE! >_<

sgtkickazzttv - 10/06/23

Any luck finding the board? I need to repair my decks audio and I can't find this part anywhere.

Roc Soriano -

Ich brauche ein neues Audiokabel kann ich das bei Ihnen kaufen ?

Mick Mack -

Is there an easier way to pull it out? I just been pulling and pulling exactly as shown on the instructions and it wo not so much as wiggle. The board is already bent and I been pulling for so long the audio Jack's back handed is scratched up from my tweezers pulling on it.

Agent Nibbles -

Conclusion

To reassemble your device, follow these instructions in reverse order.

Take your e-waste to an R2 or e-Stewards certified recycler.

Repair didn’t go as planned? Try some basic troubleshooting, or ask our Steam Deck answers community for help.

Author

Carsten Frauenheim

Member since: 10/03/20

130781 Reputation

8 comments

When will the audio board be available? Currently the part isn't even listed.

Bónitz András -

So glad that Steam made it easy for user to buy individual parts from a 3rd party, much more to iFix it. Can't wait to get my hands on this beast.

Sarah kai -

Any chance of a photo of the underside of the audio board, I need to replace the headphone socket for a friend and can't tell which version to order so that i only have to take it apart once.

Erik Carlson -

請問，音頻小板什麼時候有零件可以購買

rickwang1978 -

Steam just emailed me back saying they wont fix my volume down button because it had water damage? I don't remember getting my SD wet but if this part was made available I'd be able to fix my SD myself why isn't this a thing yet? I'd happily buy the replacement part =(

Roc Soriano -

have this audio board to sell?

Douglas Bender -

this board differs on the new OLED deck (that board is model F7G), though the location is the same.

Many OLED users are noticing that there is intolerable EMF noise and screeching/hiss coming from their headphone jack. I personally had my OLED deck replaced under RMA since it was horrible (my LCD deck was silent) and the replacement is identically unacceptable. The issue appears to be a ground loop caused by the screws holding the audio jack PCB to the chassis.

The current fix until/if valve redesigns the board is opening the board up, removing the two black screws holding the PCB in place, and adding a layer of capton or electrical tape to the screw hole, then returning the screws to electrically isolate them from the board. This fixes the issue almost entirely, but the amplifier can still be heard clicking on and hissing a tiny bit, though the jack does become usable again.

Colin Martin -

Make the LCD Audio Board available and I'll gladly buy one.

Rogan Albert - 19/06/24