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Corsair Obsidian 750D Airflow front panel latch/catch broken replacement guide


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Recently purchased a used Obsidian 750D Airflow for a build and after a few days one of the front latches stopped working. Viewing the forums the only solution was to replace the entire front panel as the latches are built into the panel.

 

I've got no grounds for warranty replacement so decided to see if there was a way to repair them.

 

Luckily managed to find a replacement for the latches on eBay at £5 for two so took a punt.

 

This is a link for the replacement part on eBay. The retractable grips are formed slightly differently but they still work as intended.

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/2x-Compatible-Door-Latch-for-WFCO-Converters-WF87-8900-DL/133096296274?ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT&_trksid=p2057872.m2749.l2649

 

Below is the repair procedure I used to replace the latches.

 

These are the latches which fail.

IMG-9832.jpg

 

Video of the front panel not working

https://streamable.com/pob5b

 

Remove the detachable front panel and both side panels. Spin the case round so you can see behind the sides of the optical drive caddy.

Push inwards to release the clips for the optical drive caddy shroud. Repeat this on the other side.

IMG-9834.jpg

 

Spin the case around to the front and pull the optical drive caddy shroud out and behind you will see 6 screws which have to be removed.

IMG-9835.jpg

 

After removing the screws pull the front i/o panel forward. You may have to loosen the cabling for the i/o to allow it to move forwards

IMG-9836.jpg

 

Tuck the i/o inside the case.

IMG-9837.jpg

 

Depending on what front fans you have installed these will also have to be removed.

IMG-9838.jpg

 

Also tuck these inside the case. You may want to secure them in place as the case will be placed on its side soon.

IMG-9839.jpg

 

These to latches (in combination with 6 clips) are holding the whole front panel in place.

IMG-9840.jpg

 

They can bend forward like this. Be careful not to snap them. They only need to be pulled forward a few mm.

IMG-9841.jpg

 

Apply pressure to the top of the front panel and pull each latch forward so the clips behind are no longer engaged. Once there is a gap between the chassis body at the top and the front panel it will slide down and allow you to remove it. (this step might be easier with the case on its back or side)

IMG-9842.jpg

 

Remove the front facia panel.

IMG-9843.jpg

 

Flip the front facia over and you will see the rear of the broken latches. The arrow points to the clips which will have to be released.

IMG-9844.jpg

 

Remove the faulty latches

https://streamable.com/1ti0u

 

Flip the facia over and replace the front latch

https://streamable.com/jlawl

 

Test the detachable front panel mechanism before replacing the front facia.

https://streamable.com/yxgqq

 

Redo the above steps to replace the front facia, fans, optical drive caddy and test the detachable front panel mechanism again.

https://streamable.com/vrzok

 

Here is the part of the latch mechanism which fails. A small nylon peg sticking out of an actuating arm. This shows the mechanism working correctly.

https://streamable.com/4pmbe

 

Latch mechanism disassembled.

IMG-9855.jpg

 

Sizing. The nylon peg is less than a millimetre in diameter. This shows the peg missing.

IMG-9856.jpg

 

This shows the peg rendered in place. My opinion is that the nylon peg in the latch is prone to failure and has a low mtbf. It should have been manufactured from a more resilient longer lasting material or its dimensions increased to improve robustness.

IMG-9857.jpg

 

hope this helps someone

Edited by Derberuf
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  • 3 months later...

I registered for this forum just so I could thank you for your excellent instructions. I have an Obsidian 450D with a broken latch and was scratching my head.

 

I found another post with a broken link to the part, so no help.

 

In case your links die, folks can do a Google search for Door Latch for WFCO Converters (WF87/8900-DL)

 

I found one on Amazon for under $5 with Prime shipping. They are also available on Ebay and elsewhere.

 

Not sure if I have the patience to dismantle the front panel, I may try the forceful-tug-from-the-front method to pull out the broken one.

 

I find the latches not very intuitive. It wasn't obvious to me from just looking at the case that the panels have push-to-release latches. What we call push-push at work.

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  • 4 months later...

Thank you so much for this post.

It really helped me.

 

I actually managed to break my latches whilst setting up the case for the first time. I should have removed the panel before doing the build!

 

Your guide was spot on and I managed to source some replacement latches on eBay for £4.

 

Cheers bud!

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  • 5 months later...

After the wfco latches failed I snapped off the latches on the front panel while trying to remove them with pliers. Thankfully I found these instructions and was eventually able to replace them with spares.

 

I'm wondering if there's a way to free the old latches from the panel without removing the front panel as I was unable to do so with just pliers. I am beyond grateful for these instructions as they were easy to follow and I was able to remove the latches and replace them.

 

Is there a way to simply force the latches out with another type of tool going forward should this happen again in the future? Thanks for any suggestions.

Edited by Pallandius
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  • 3 months later...

My 750D had broken latches from shipping so Corsair sent me a replacement. Took me a hour or so to do the work but now the machine seems to be working as expected. For example the front grill now clips in place properly.

 

The pin clips were busted bad so it was not possible to fix them lacking parts. At least now the grill clips in place easily.

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  • 5 months later...

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