Razer BlackWidow Elite Volume Knob Replacement

Introduction

This guide shows the disassembly of the volume knob of a Razer BlackWidow Elite keyboard. The volume knob of this particular model is notorious for being iffy. Many hacks on the internet have been proposed to fix the problem, but they're usually ineffective. Hopefully, this guide helps with diagnosing the problem with it.

What you need

Step 1 The Volume Knob

Razer BlackWidow Elite Volume Knob Replacement, The Volume Knob: step 1, image 1 of 2

Razer BlackWidow Elite Volume Knob Replacement, The Volume Knob: step 1, image 2 of 2

Before disassembling, make sure that the keyboard is unplugged.
Turn the keyboard over so the backside is exposed.
Remove the top rubber feet to reveal the hidden screws.

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Step 2

Using a Phillips #0 screwdriver, remove the two crews.
The two screws differ in size (10 mm & 6 mm), so keep track of which hole they go.

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Step 3

Razer BlackWidow Elite Volume Knob Replacement: step 3, image 3 of 3

Turn the keyboard back so that the keys are facing up.
Using a keycap remover, remove the keys hiding the screws.
The keycaps removed are shown in the 3rd picture.
The bigger keys, such as the spacebar or shift, have stabilizers. To remove them, carefully loosen the stabilizer until the keycap unhooks.

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Step 4

Using Phillips #0 screwdriver, remove the 14 (8 mm) screws exposed after removing the keycaps.

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Step 5

After the screws are removed, carefully lift the keyboard to open it up.

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Step 6

Razer BlackWidow Elite Volume Knob Replacement: step 6, image 3 of 3

Detach the cable from the circuit board

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Step 7

Razer BlackWidow Elite Volume Knob Replacement: step 7, image 3 of 3

Use a tool to remove the latch from the flex cable and carefully pull out the flex cable.

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Step 8

Use a Phillips #0 screwdriver to remove the two (6 mm) screws securing the volume knob.
After removing the screws, you can now easily pull out the volume knob.

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Step 9

Using a Phillips #0 screwdriver, unscrew the 6 mm screws securing the knob to the bracket.

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Step 10

After unscrewing the bracket, the button of the volume knob should come right off.
On the main component of the volume knob, the circuit board should be rotatable. Rotate the circuit board so that the cutout aligns with the hidden screw.
There should be 2 (3mm) screws. Use a Phillips #000 screwdriver to remove them.

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Step 11

The circuit board should be attached to a ring component. Using your fingers, carefully separate them.

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Step 12

Razer BlackWidow Elite Volume Knob Replacement: step 12, image 3 of 3

After detaching the ring from the volume knob's circuit board, you can screw the ring component to the volume knob casing for easier re-assembly.
Align the screw holes between the two components. Using the 2 (3mm) screws from step 10, screw them together, as shown in the 2nd picture.
Simply align the snap-fit joints back together to reassemble the main volume knob component.
The snap-fit joints are highlighted in the 3rd picture.