Google Home Mini Teardown

Written By: Norman Schleicher

Published: 13/01/18

Comments: 31

Google Home Mini Teardown

Published: 13/01/18

Teardown

Introduction

This guide will show you how to open the Google Home Mini and disassemble the individual components.

Tools

Step 1

The Google Home Mini opens from the bottom There is an orange plastic disc with a piece of orange rubber attached to it. The piece of orange plastic is glued to the device.

Step 2

Use the metal spudger and place it between the housing and the rubberized plastic disc.
NOTE: You need to set the spudger to go under the plastic disk, not between the rubber and the plastic disk. The Google Home Mini opens from the bottom. This is a rubberized plastic disc glued to the device.

Your Note information seems contradictory to your bulleted instruction. Recommend removing the note text and updating the step itself to say, “Use the medal spudger and place it between the housing and the adhered plastic base of the rubberized disc.“

_TT_ -

Recommended to use a heat gun to soften the adhesive a bit. Using the spudger alone didn't work for me. Heat gun on lower power was good enough to get spudger underneath the plastic/rubber disk.

JCPhoenix32 -

Step 3

Now move around with the spudger under the plastic plate until the adhesive has dissolved on the entire surfacem
Next, carefully peel the plate off.

Step 4

Now remove the 4 screws.
4 x 6mm T6 screws
If there is still glue over the screw heads you can easily pierce with the screwdriver. Do not remove glue, as the bottom will not hold otherwise later.

If you don't want to reattach the rubber ‘foot’ or if you would prefer to use your own double-sided tape for easier future access you can carefully roll over just enough of one edge of the glue sticker to grab it and then carefully peel it and it should come off in one piece.

dragon788 - 26/01/19

Can I cut around the screw holes in the base with an xacto knife/dremel/drill so I don’t have to peel off the plasticized rubber base? Does anyone have the dimensions and locations of the screw holes relative to the other base features so I can locate the screw holes and try cutting holes in the base in just those spots?

Krishna Sethuraman - 13/12/19

Hmmmmm.....

Bet that turned out a holy mess lol (Inside The Mind of a glue sniffer) let's drill electronics after size mic testing.. and ps the screw head is recessed if u were missing you'd be threw to the main board before u knew it. e fact that it's designed to sound best with all equipment intact.. why don't you spin some more majic Chrystal and grab a bunch of paint markers and put gang symbols of gangs you were or never be in and snap some selfys with you graffiti speaker with holes in it sitting off set cuz the rubber foots all tore up and ya you'll be a gangster as much as you think you are some kinda tech engineer on the cutting edge of electronics and your IQ test said it you don't need to try to be special princess you already are, cuz the tear down is shown like this because some special outside of the box forward thinker like YOU already Tried, Failed and became a FB Gangster and it was decided that this teardown is one of or the best method. So spooge it on the MINI bottom G.. DanKelly

lonewolfkelly1978 -

Step 5

After turning the device over, you can gently lift the fabric-covered top.
While keeping the device close to the device as in the picture, first disconnect the ribbon cable from the connector with a spudger.

Suggested revision: “While keeping the top close to the base as in the picture, disconnect the ribbon cable from the connector with a spudger.”

David Spalding - 23/01/19

Ware to buy it

Babu Vlogs - 29/03/19

My USB connector broke. Can I buy another one ?

Nicolas Huray - 10/06/19

I’m looking for a USB connection replacement.

Edmundo Guajardo - 17/07/20

the ribbon cable pulls straight back from the socket. I tried to pry up the cover/lock but this was not necessary (or apparently possible)

Andrew Cooper -

Step 6

Now loosen 4 more screws on the top of the unit
4 x 8mm T9 screws

Step 7

Now remove the speaker cable with a spudger.
Next, loosen 4 more screws
4x 9mm T6 screws

Step 8

Now remove the metal insert and carefully lift the board with a spudger
The board is glued to 2 locations lightly, but can still be removed easily.

Step 9

Motherboard
Microphones
Status LEDs

Author

Norman Schleicher

Member since: 13/01/18

375 Reputation

21 comments

Sehr gute Anleitung. Fachlich korrekt(habe es selbst ausprobiert) und passende Bilder. Vielen Dank.

Regionaut - 18/01/18

Do you know the resistance (ohm) of the speaker?

Bennet Heidekorn - 04/02/18

Did you ever find this out? I know the home is 4ohm, presuming this is the same?

Barry Craig - 19/07/18

For anyone coming to this late, it is a 4ohm speaker.

Barry Craig - 19/07/18

Is it a 4 Ohm 3 Watt driver?

NÖME Technologys and Designs - 24/07/18

Uses a Texas Instruments TAS5720LRSMT amplifier IC which is rated at 20W @ 4 Ohm

Ed Reagan - 28/12/20

any known chips?

Pug Studios Tech - 19/11/18

Thanks a lot !

Do you know if the mic on/off button cut directly the microphones or is it just an input for the chip ? (In that second case any software hack will be sufficient to listen the microphones even with the button on the off position… )

Agathe PINEL - 07/01/19

Excellent first teardown guide, bravo!

David Spalding - 23/01/19

Well not sure how but my Home Mini stopped working so I dismantled it completely as per the instructions, put it back together and my god it’s working perfectly. Thanks Ifixit and Norman.

Rod Hepburn - 05/05/19

did you manage to know the specs of the hardwares plugged onto the motherboard?

erbern_0212 - 26/05/19

Do you know the sound output? I guess it may has 2-5 watts amplifier, is it right?

ok100ho - 28/08/19

I’ve seen youtube videos using a heatgun to soften the glue before using the spudger, which isn’t mentioned here. You say “move around with the spudger under the plastic plate until the adhesive has dissolved on the entire surface”, but how does a spudger dissolve the adhesive? Is this description missing application of a heat gun, or is the spudger heated?

Curious to know if heat is not needed to safely remove the rubber base.

Donovan Baarda - 17/12/19

Is the fabric thermoformed over the top part?

Dylan Wiener - 28/07/20

fix my google home mini because is broken with water or something

Gabriel's Vlog - 16/10/20

What is the name (reference) of the small white connector (Step 7) used to connect the speaker to the board ?

UsulPaulMuad'Dib - 20/10/20

Is there any way to replace the speaker part into google nest mini which more clarity sound and double bass ..

Amerta Dewata - 19/08/21

Is it possible to somehow use an arduino or a raspberry pi to make the leds rgb?

Inara Hockert -

my google mini is different i dont have the orange part to take off to expose the screws. i ddo see orange but its under the hard outer layer. perhaps i have another model or? its exactly the same except the screws are under the hard outer shell. help

Andrea Baker -

Just had my speaker start saying the mic was muted when I hadn't touched the switch and it is set to ON. Flipping the switch back and forth only very temporarily helped. Took the bottom off per this guide to get access to the switch. Found even with the switch set to mic ON, there was ~1kΩ between the two pins that should be open circuit. Popped the metal cover of the switch itself off and found dendrite growth between the two terminals. Cleaned with isopropyl alcohol (rubbing alcohol) to remove build-up, added a small dab of dielectric grease (not necessary), and now 100% back to normal (full open circuit as expected). Thanks again iFixit!

Caleb Kelsay -

I ripped the tip of the ribbon. How can I fix it?

Abdullah Collins -