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Teardown of the Acer / Microsoft “Mixed Reality” VR headset

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August 4, 2017

I wanted to see whats inside the new Acer VR headset that my company (Packet39) received a few days ago. So I took it apart and documented the process.

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Velcro comes off, then 6 small screws. Then the plastic “face cover” detaches, and the headband with it.

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The two lens holders (or maybe protectors, as they don’t actually hold anything) pop off. Four more screws and then another plastic cover comes off (not easily though).

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Now the IR proximity sensor and audio jack are exposed.

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One more screw and the audio jack comes out.

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Four additional screws and the LCD+lenses module comes off. I didn’t open that one, because they are usually hermetically sealed and I don’t have a clean room to put it back together. The LCD module is connected to the main board by two ribbon cables, and the IR sensor is the third.

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Back side of the main board, and the QR code / serial number.

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The two cameras, each have their own ribbon cable and a fancy cable protector. I peel off the shielding but there is no label on the camera itself. Sadly, I still have no idea what kind of cameras these are. Each camera has a flat and flexible heatsink glued to the back, that extends to the sides of the headset.

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There is nothing else in the headset, no additional sensors or emitters.

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Here is the front side of the main board, with some closeups on the chip numbers. I haven’t looked these up yet, if you know what they do please comment on this blog post.

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Everything was put back together in reverse order without much difficulty. Headset still works, so great success. I hope you find this useful.