Nicely done. Thank you for sharing.

I damaged this connector while trying to remove by pulling on the wires as suggested. The plastic over the wires broke out. I was able to “repair” it by carefully placing the pins in place without shorting, covering the top (only) of the connector with a little super glue. After curing I placed it over the receptacle as closely as possible with tweezers, and gently pressed in with a pencil eraser tip.

I like the narrower spudger idea, but have never seen one.

I found it easier to remove the rubber cover over the joystick before changing it, and to remove it on the replacement before installing it. So that would be step 1 for me next time.

Why use a slotted driver? The screws are phillips. Both #1 and #2 work for me.

I'm still dumbfounded that changing the keyboard is such an ordeal. That being said... EXCELLENT JOB on the guide! Thank you very much.

I wasn't careful enough here, and didn't realize that the silver metal piece around the connector is actually a locking clip. No wonder disconnecting the cable required more than a gentle pull. The clip popped out of the cable-side connector in the process, and was bent; fortunately I was able to very carefully bend the clip out just enough to get it re-seated in the connector; there are tiny slots on the sides of the connector that the clip fits into.