System76 Thelio User manual






System76
Thelio (thelio-b1)
Service Manual
 

Revision history


Author
Date
Version
Remarks
Alex Gerber
2019-03-01
Initial
First Outline/Draft
Aaron Honeycutt
2020-01-07
2nd Draft
Expansion/Revision
Nathaniel
Warburton
2020-01-07
2nd Draft
Expansion/Revision
/Photography
Thomas
Zimmerman
2020-01-07
2nd Draft
Teardown/
Modeling/Consultation/
Proofreading
Jacob Kauffmann
2020-01-23
2nd Draft
Proofreading/Editing

 
System76 Thelio (thelio-b1)
2

Contents
Thelio B1 BIOS Overview:
●BIOS
○M.I.T.
○System
○BIOS
○Peripherals
○Chipset
○Power
○Save & Exit
Thelio B1 Hardware Overview:
●External Overview
○Ports Overview
○Power Switch Connections Overview
●Internal Overview
○Power Switch Connections Overview
○Thelio Io board
User Serviceable Parts and Repairs:
●Top Case (Remove or replace)
○Removing the Top Case
○Replacing the Top Case
●Shroud (Remove or replace)
○Removing the Shroud
○Replacing the Shroud
●RAM (Remove or replace)
○Removing the RAM
○Replacing the RAM
●Drives (Remove or replace)
○Replacing a 2.5” Drive
○Replacing an M.2/NVMe drive
●CPU Thermal Paste (Remove or replace)
●Specifications
System76 Thelio (thelio-b1)
3

BIOS
Hardware Keyboard Shortcuts:
- F12 : Boot Menu
- F9 : System Information
- ESC : BIOS
- END : Q-Flash
M.I.T.
Fig. 1: The M.I.T. page allows tweaking the frequency of some system components.
System76 Thelio (thelio-b1)
4

System
Fig. 2: System summary in BIOS.
System76 Thelio (thelio-b1)
5

BIOS
Fig. 3: BIOS boot summary.
System76 Thelio (thelio-b1)
6

Peripherals
Fig. 4: BIOS section for Peripheral setup.
Chipset
Fig. 5: Chipset information in Thelio BIOS.
System76 Thelio (thelio-b1)
7

Power
Fig. 6: Power Management settings.
Save & Exit
Fig. 7: Exit the BIOS saving changes to settings.
System76 Thelio (thelio-b1)
8

External Overview
Ports Overview
The Thelio B1 has several
ports accessible from the rear
of the machine.
4 USB 3.0 Ports
2 HDMI Ports
1 Displayport
1 USB 3.1 Gen 1 Type-C
2 Ethernet (1Gb)
Audio In/Out ports (3.44mm).
1 Standard 3-prong AC wall
adapter port connected to the
power supply (with power
switch).
As well as an additional
expansion port available via
the PCI slot on the board.
Fig. 8: External Thelio Ports Overview.
System76 Thelio (thelio-b1)
9

Top Case (Remove or replace)
Removing the Top Case
Before servicing your Thelio, be sure to power off and unplug all cords from the
computer.
Top Case removal is simple and requires, at most, a cross-head (Phillips) screwdriver.

Tools required: Fingers or Cross-head (Phillips) screwdriver
Time estimate: 2 minutes
Difficulty: Easy
Screws: 4 total
- 4 Thumbscrews (Phillips/Crosshead).
Fig. 9: Thelio Outer Case views, front (left), back (middle), Top Case partial removal (right).
Removing the lid will give you easy access to all components inside.
To remove the lid, you’ll need to unscrew the 4 thumbscrews from the back of the Thelio.
These thumbscrews will be on the top left and right, and bottom left and right of the back of the
case.
Do not unscrew any screws in the center of the panel here, as those screws correspond with
parts inside; removing them will not assist you in removing the lid.
System76 Thelio (thelio-b1)
10

All of Thelio’s thumbscrews are the same size, so don’t worry about mixing them up. And while
a screwdriver is recommended for this procedure, it is not required. Once you have removed all
4 thumb-screws from the back of the lid, lift the lid up and off of the chassis. Now you can
proceed with servicing your machine.
Fig. 10: Thelio internals with Top Case completely removed.
Replacing the Top Case
Top Case replacement is simple and requires, at most, a cross-head (Phillips)
screwdriver.

Tools required: Fingers or Cross-head (Phillips) screwdriver
Time estimate: 2 minutes
Difficulty: Easy
Screws: 4 total
- 4 Thumbscrews (Phillips/Crosshead).
This guide explains how to easily replace the Thelio’s Top Case after performing maintenance.

1. Align the grooves inside the case with the front of the Thelio frame (the side where the
power-button is located).
2. Once aligned, the case should easily slide down over the chassis.
3. Press down on the Top Case to make sure it is firmly seated, and the power button is
connected internally.
4. To ensure the case is seated correctly, plug the Thelio back into power, turn on the
power-supply switch and examine the front of the unit: the power button LED should light
up if you press it, and the system fans should spin to life.
System76 Thelio (thelio-b1)
11

Fig. 11: Aligning the Thelio Top Case for replacing (left, top and bottom). Detailed view of Thelio
internal switch (right, top and bottom).
System76 Thelio (thelio-b1)
12

Internal Overview
Power Switch Connections Overview
The Thelio power button is wired as in the diagram and photo.
Fig. 12: Close up of Thelio power switch wiring (left). Thelio power switch Wiring Diagram (right).
System76 Thelio (thelio-b1)
13

Thelio IO Board
USB IO
The USB connector has a row of 5 and a row of 4 holes
for pins. You want to use the row of 4 holes with the red
wire to the left. For reference, this is the
pinout:
5V
D-
D+
GND
None
IO Power button Fig. 13: Thelio IO Board Pinout.
The button is connected on the left side and the
motherboard on the right. Both are connected with the
solid plastic side facing the edge. This is the pinout:
Button
LED+
LED-
BTN+
BTN-
Board
LED+
LED-
BTN+
BTN-
Fig. 14: Power Button and Motherboard power connectors attached to Thelio IO board.
System76 Thelio (thelio-b1)
14

Fig. 15: Thelio internal power switch (underside of the Thelio IO board).
The Thelio IO power button can be used to power on the Thelio when the top case is removed.
The button is located on the underside of the Thelio IO Board (Fig. 15, above).
Motherboard Power button
The motherboard power button is connected on the part
of the front panel header missing a pin. Due to a design
oddity of motherboards used for Thelio, the positive and
negative power button lines must be flipped. This is the
pinout:
Fig. 16: Motherboard power button and Thelio Power Button connections.
LED-
LED+
BTN+
BTN-
None
System76 Thelio (thelio-b1)
15

External Displays
Fig. 17: Thelio external display ports overview.
If your Thelio does not have a GPU, then connect external monitors to the ports at the top,
which are connected directly to the motherboard. If the Thelio has a GPU installed, then the top
video out ports are disabled automatically.
System76 Thelio (thelio-b1)
16

Shroud (Remove or replace)
Removing the Shroud
CPU Cooler Shroud removal is simple and requires, at most, a cross-head (Phillips)
screwdriver.

Tools required: Fingers or Cross-head (Phillips) screwdriver
Time estimate: 2 minutes
Difficulty: Easy
Screws: 4 total
- 4 Thumbscrews (Phillips/Crosshead).
Fig. 18: Removing CPU Cooler Shroud thumbscrews (left). Internal view of the CPU Cooler Shroud (right).
1. Follow the steps in Removing the Top Case
2. Next unfasten the Shroud. To do this, unscrew the 4 thumbscrews near the top of your
chassis. They frame the planet themed air-vent (see fig 18 above).
3. Slide the Cooler Shroud horizontally off of the CPU Cooling fan, and set aside.
4. You are now free to perform work on the CPU Cooler fan, or access other components
that may have been obstructed by the shroud.
System76 Thelio (thelio-b1)
17

Replacing the Shroud
CPU Cooler Shroud replacement is simple and requires, at most, a cross-head (Phillips)
screwdriver.

Tools required: Fingers or Cross-head (Phillips) screwdriver
Time estimate: 2 minutes
Difficulty: Easy
Screws: 4 total
- 4 Thumbscrews (Phillips/Crosshead).

Fig. 19: CPU Cooler with Shroud removed side view (left) and top (right).
Fig. 20: Replacing the CPU Cooler Shroud and thumbscrews.
System76 Thelio (thelio-b1)
18

1. Slide the Cooler Shroud horizontally over the CPU cooling fan, encasing it.
2. Align the holes of the Shroud with the holes framing the air-vent on the back of the
chassis.
3. Replace the four thumbscrews on the back of the case, fastening the shroud to the outer
frame.
4. Follow the steps in Replacing the Top Case.
RAM (Remove or replace)
Removing RAM Sticks
RAM stick removal is simple and requires only removing the Top Case and releasing internal
clips. A cross-head (Phillips) screwdriver may be helpful.

Tools required: Fingers or Cross-head (Phillips) screwdriver (for Top Case)
Time estimate: 5 minutes
Difficulty: Easy
Screws: 4 total
- 4 Thumbscrews (Phillips/Crosshead).
This guide covers how to upgrade or replace your memory sticks, or RAM in your Thelio. Before
you remove the lid, be sure to power off and unplug all cords from the computer.
















Fig. 21: Accessing the RAM release clips (left). Placement of the RAM notch on the
motherboard (middle) and on the RAM stick (right).
System76 Thelio (thelio-b1)
19



1. Follow the steps in Removing the Top Case.
2. It may be helpful, but is not necessary, to Remove the CPU Cooler Shroud.
3. Press simultaneously on each clip on either side of the RAM stick (fig 21 above). These
clips will release the RAM stick and lever it out of it’s slot on the board.
4. Gently, but firmly pull the RAM straight out of the slot, and set aside.
Replacing RAM Sticks
RAM stick replacement is simple and requires only access to the RAM slots on the board, and
replacing the Top Case. A cross-head (Phillips) screwdriver may be helpful.

Tools required: Fingers or Cross-head (Phillips) screwdriver (for Top Case)
Time estimate: 5 minutes
Difficulty: Easy
Screws: 4 total
- 4 Thumbscrews (Phillips/Crosshead).
Fig. 22: Indicating the RAM notch on the motherboard (left), and on the RAM stick (middle).
Pressing the RAM stick down into place (right).
System76 Thelio (thelio-b1)
20