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What you need

This teardown is not a repair guide. To repair your Altec Lansing iM7, use our service manual.

  1. Altec Lansing iM7 Teardown, Altec Lansing iM7 Teardown: step 1, image 1 of 2 Altec Lansing iM7 Teardown, Altec Lansing iM7 Teardown: step 1, image 2 of 2
    • Remove the rubber surround from the outside of the carry handle.

    • Unscrew the two Phillips screws from the inside of the carry handle area.

  2. Altec Lansing iM7 Teardown: step 2, image 1 of 3 Altec Lansing iM7 Teardown: step 2, image 2 of 3 Altec Lansing iM7 Teardown: step 2, image 3 of 3
    • Remove the two battery doors. Remove the 8 Phillips screws from the bottom of the device. This is easiest with a magnetic Phillips screwdriver.

    • Lift the bottom plate off of the device.

  3. Altec Lansing iM7 Teardown: step 3, image 1 of 3 Altec Lansing iM7 Teardown: step 3, image 2 of 3 Altec Lansing iM7 Teardown: step 3, image 3 of 3
    • Twist the side subwoofer grill counter-clockwise to release it from the case.

    • You can then remove the grill by tugging a bit on it. There is adhesive keeping it stuck to the main body, so pull slowly.

    • You now have access to the side-firing subwoofer (and the passive driver on the other side). You can remove the four Phillips screws and replace these speakers, if you're stopping here.

  4. Altec Lansing iM7 Teardown: step 4, image 1 of 3 Altec Lansing iM7 Teardown: step 4, image 2 of 3 Altec Lansing iM7 Teardown: step 4, image 3 of 3
    • Remove the two Phillips screws in the remote control bay.

    • Pull the rear cover off of the main body. The top will still be attached to a "clip-in" connection, so don't pull too hard just yet.

    • You can also remove the rubber lining from the carry handle for cleaning now.

  5. Altec Lansing iM7 Teardown: step 5, image 1 of 3 Altec Lansing iM7 Teardown: step 5, image 2 of 3 Altec Lansing iM7 Teardown: step 5, image 3 of 3
    • You can now remove the two rear mesh aluminum grills. They simply clip on to the top and bottom, so you only have to pull them off. The top has adhesive applied to it.

    • Do this on both sides, and you can now clean the rear plastic of the device.

  6. Altec Lansing iM7 Teardown: step 6, image 1 of 1
    • Remove the rear white plastic area by slowly prying it up with a flat head screwdriver. Be sure to only pry at the top (near the power button), since that's where the piece clips in.

    • The unit clips in almost parallel with the surface the iM7 is sitting on, when upright.

  7. Altec Lansing iM7 Teardown: step 7, image 1 of 2 Altec Lansing iM7 Teardown: step 7, image 2 of 2
    • You can now pull off the back half of the device to expose the amplifier an internal circuitry.

    • This is a good opportunity to clean the amplifier's circuitry with electronic contact cleaner.

  8. Altec Lansing iM7 Teardown: step 8, image 1 of 3 Altec Lansing iM7 Teardown: step 8, image 2 of 3 Altec Lansing iM7 Teardown: step 8, image 3 of 3
    • The dock piece is connected to the circuit board via wires that you can see move while you pull it forward.

    • I chose to not remove the dock portion because I didn't want to disconnect any wires from the board, but if you're doing a repair, feel free to take this even further. You should have made it far enough through the teardown to get as far as you need from here.

    • To replace the door latch, you actually don't have to take the unit apart at all. Just request a sample of part DL-1X from Richco Components, and they'll send you two for free! Pull the old one out with pliers (little black clip), and push the new one in until it 'snaps' into place.

Casey Friday

Member since: 02/21/13

205 Reputation

1 Guide authored

39 Comments

As i can see it's the same D class amps used in my Altec IMT-800.

These devices are very powerfull and the sound quality is present for D class.

If someone have some schematic i would be very happy to have a look!

Altec construction is quite complicated but the case (for my IMT800) is VERY resistant.

I don't regret my 240Euro spent on it at all

Thanks

Nico - Reply

Yeah I had to have a go at mine when I started having speakers go out one by one and it took forever but like nico said about his, ITS WORTH IT! I've never been more impressed by any stereo as much as this model particularly. And mine was not a living room fixture by any means at all, I dragged it from job site to job site beatin on it (and out it) day after day loud as it could go and it's STILL going! I'll be MOST grateful for ANY more info you come across, thx.

-BeniBacon

Benjamin Thompson - Reply

The only thing I don't like about mine is that sometimes when I turn it on, it emits an insanely loud whistle noise that feels like it's going to pierce my ear drums. I thought cleaning it with contact cleaner would fix that, but it didn't. I wish I knew what was causing it, because it makes me afraid to turn it on!

When it doesn't do that whistling noise though, man this is the best sounding iPod stereo I've ever heard!

Casey Friday - Reply

SMD capacitor problem, somewhere on that board

DONALD DiNaro -

Well, I haven't been able to figure out why I get the loud feedback noise when I turn this on occasionally, so I went ahead and upgraded to a Kicker iK501. Very similar to the iM7, and although I'll always have a soft spot in my heart for the iM7, the Kicker is a very, very nice 30-pin iPod dock.

Casey Friday - Reply

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