Dell mini 12 dissected

2009-01-31T13:35:00.000-08:00

There has been a lot of interest in the some of the Dell mini forums on what the internals of a Dell mini 12 look like.

One can use the service manual on Dell's web site to get the detailed instructions on how to open it up.
Here is the first picture with the hinge removed.

Keyboard is off

Here is the spot for a WLAN and WWAN card. Unfortunately just like the mini 9, if you did not order WWAN with your Dell mini 12, you will recieve a mini with no WWAN slot. So there is no easy way to install a WWAN card after the fact. However, if you are comfortable with a soldering iron, you could add the socket yourself. There is a similar mod for mini 9 on JKKmobile blog.

Also, WWAN antennas are not pre-installed.

Here is the the other side of the palm rest. You can see the bluetooth module to the bottom left and the touchpad in the middle.

Here is the mini 12 in all its internal glory. The CPU and memory and together on some type of proprietary module. That module is attached to the motherboard via some kind of 240 pin socket. Lot of empty space around the motherboard.

Here is close up of the CPU memory module. You can also see the empty space (bottom left) where the SIM slot would have been in a WWAN version.

Lot of empty space again for modding.

Here is the close up of the CPU/Memory module. This one has 1.33 GHz Atom z520 CPU and 1GB of memory.

Back of the module

1.8" HDD.

Here is a high resolution shot of the unpopulated sim card slot and the WWAN card slot.

Ravic's Blog

Dell mini 12 dissected