iFixit

The further inside Kinect we go, the more connected we feel to it.

Et tu, Johnny 5?

Here we discovered three of the four microphones inside of the Kinect.

There are a total of four downward facing microphones: three on the right side and one on the left side.

Microsoft determined that the best orientation for optimal sound gathering would be downward facing.

In order to properly recognize voice commands, the Kinect must perform an audio calibration for the room that its in. However, if you alter the arrangement of the furniture in your room, you must re-calibrate.

This board is held in place by four standoffs. We used needle-nosed pliers, but a 5 mm nut driver would be the right tool for the job.

Our friends at Adafruit have posted a $2,000 bounty for the first team to write an open source driver for Kinect. The Wiimote has been tremendously useful for our hobby robotics projects, and the Kinect's advanced sensors could really jump-start robotics research.

Finally! We're able to remove the power/data cord from the shell of the Kinect.

• Microsoft is using a USB-like connector for the Kinect. The Kinect uses 12 watts, which is quite a bit more than 2.5 watts of power provided by a standard USB port.

In the midst of an array of complex sensors and transducers, we remove the status indicator LED.

After removing several more screws, the two cameras and the IR transmitter easily lift off the metal backing bar.

Another component is sandwiched between the IR Projector and the metal backing bar. This is likely a Peltier Device used for cooling the IR projector.

The two cameras and the IR Projector, side by side.

• By having the depth-of-field camera and the RGB camera a calculated distance apart, the Kinect is able to perform immediate, 3D incorporation of real objects into on-screen images.

Having no form of user input other than voice commands and gestures, the crux of the Kinect's input system is the sensor system, comprised of the microphones and cameras.

Our Kinect is now fully disassembled.

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Microsoft Kinect Repairability: 6 out of 10 (10 is easiest to repair).

• The design is very modular, and replacing individual components (like the motor) when they fail shouldn't be a problem.
• No soldering required to disassemble.
• Microsoft used four kinds of screws, including some hated security bits: T6, T10, T10 security, and Phillips #0.
• Without a service manual, repair will be quite a challenge. Microsoft has not made a service manual available. If we get enough demand, we'll do their work for them and publish one.