Disassembling ProtoArc EM01 NL
Terrance and one other contributor
Last updated on Feb 26, 2026
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Community-Contributed Guide
An awesome member of our community made this guide. It was not created by iFixit staff.
What you need
Tools
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Desoldering SuckerOptional
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Push the pins inward, ONE side at a time, then lift the side from the bottom of the main body, to free it from socket. Then take care of the other side.
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The pins
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The socket
Ask FixBot
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Remove the track ball (THE ball itself)
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Remove 6 self-tap screws. The one pointed by an arrow needs a long thin philip head screw driver
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Apply a little bit prying force bear the ball socket, to open the bottom.
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Unlatch the FPC connector by:
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Push the black plastic latch up. Using tweezers.
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Pull out the top cover FPC.
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Remove 1 self-tap screw
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Lift the tiny PCB witth 2 buttons
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Same type FPC connector. Handle it as before. But, there's a drop of glue, removing it might damage the connector and/or the cable. Skip this if not intent to replace the tracking sensor.
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To remove battery, remove 2 screws. (optional)
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Remove 4 screws for the PCB
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Remove 2 screws for the sensor
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Lift main PCB and the sensor module (ball socket) off the bottom case.
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Noticed the 4-pin socket? There is a 4-pin pinheader under main PCB mating with it. should plug them back together while reassembling. Sorry for the shallow DOF, shot really close up and under poor lighting.
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Remove 2 screws. Then remove the type-C module.
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Original switch is silent 2-pin square type. It's totally interchangable with common 3-pin mouse switches (Omron D2F type).
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To reassemble your device, follow these instructions in reverse order.
1 Guide Comment
Nice guide! I wish we had more information about the encoder so we could replace it. Do you know the exact size to buy?
