Hello!
Today, the tablet is being repaired again. But this time from Asus.
I decided to write about the repair of this particular model due to the presence of a large number of nuances that a master may encounter.
With a gorgeous FHD display, a very powerful processor, 32GB internal storage and a cellular module in its arsenal, the me302kl quickly became a very popular model, despite the rather high cost at the start of sales.
With all the advantages listed, the tablet has a very fragile protective glass, which is also a touchscreen with a very thin grid of contacts, which in case of damage to the glass, in almost 100% of cases means the failure of this very touchscreen.
It would seem, buy a touchscreen and change it, but it was not there. More recently, when trying to find a spare part, we would have encountered several problems:
- An inhumane price tag of 4500-6000 rubles, only for the touchscreen, and this is for the Chinese.
- The presence of different revisions of the touchscreen, which are incompatible with each other, or partially compatible, but require subsequent calibration.
- Design features. The touchscreen, not only is glued to the body with very strong tape, but it is also glued with a strip of the same tape to the matrix along its perimeter. Because of this, when disassembling the tablet, it is very easy to damage the matrix, replacing which will make repairs impractical.
That is why, in small towns, such tablets often wandered from master to master, until they found their refuge on the shelf of some workshop, where a desperate client sold it for spare parts. I was lucky to buy one of these tablets too. And I, too, postponed it until better times, because every time I took it off the shelf with the intention of fixing it, I remembered how much trouble I would have with it, after which I returned the sufferer back to the shelf.
Of these problems, only the price has lost its relevance at the moment.
But enthusiasm and curiosity, once again defeated fears and laziness, and we start!
Repairs
Let's start by overcoming the first problem – we need the right part. We'll have to figure out the description of the touchscreen options and their compatibility with each other.
The me302kl uses a touchscreen of revision 5425n, which is very difficult to find not only in Russia, but also in China.
But you can pick up analogs, the most optimal of which is the 5280n from the TF301 model, which has exactly the same cable and fits without any modifications. But in this case, you need to be careful, because under the guise of this revision, Chinese sellers like to sell the cheaper 69.10I21.G01 / G03, which will not suit us, since it has a different loop geometry.
Another option, which I just have —5235n, the only difference from the original, in a longer and curved train. With a certain skill, this train can be easily folded in the desired way.
And finally, the fourth, the cheapest option is 69.10I27.T01, which can also be used (I do not recommend it because of the complexity). A feature of this revision is the need to install a modified firmware, without which the touchscreen will work in a mirror image (clicks will be inverted).
Why Asus produced such a zoo of spare parts for related models, I can only guess. Perhaps the reason is in the presence of a large number of different factories where orders for production were placed, perhaps something else. The fact is that it exists and we will have to take it into account.
Broken glass removal
For this procedure, we need an adhesive tape, a set of separators, a spatula with a thin, flat end and an irreplaceable hair dryer. The spatula can be replaced with a thin clerical knife, just be careful not to cut the die.
We start by gluing the broken glass outside with ordinary tape so that when removed, glass crumbs do not fly in different directions. Then we remove the back cover, wielding a connector at the junction with the frame, after pulling out the tray for the SIM card.
After that, carefully warm up the edge from which we will begin to remove the glass.
Then, we pry the glass from the heated side, and slowly begin to separate it from the frame. Be careful, glass is very fragile and will crack and crumble. Do not be alarmed, cracks will be reflected on the matrix, and it will seem that the display has burst too. And one more thing – do not insert the connector too deep, and do not bend too much at once, so as not to damage the matrix. A design feature is that the touchscreen is glued not only to the frame of the case, but also additionally glued with an inner strip of tape around the perimeter of the matrix, which is why you should not bend the touchscreen too much – you risk breaking the screen.
And then, the most tedious process – we warm up, peel off, again warm up and peel off. Once again, pay attention to the internal gluing of the touchscreen with a matrix. I recommend peeling it off or cutting it with a blade, after peeling off the glass from the frame around the perimeter.
To do this, we again heat the gluing place and slowly disconnect it. Centimeter by centimeter.
I repeat once again – take your time.
Finally, the separation process is over!
We turn on the tablet and check if it makes sense to move on.
We connect the touchscreen 'on snot' and check. Hooray, everything works! Moving on.
After that, our task is to clear the frame from the remaining adhesive tape. It is convenient to do this by peeling off a piece of scotch tape from the broken touchscreen, and using it, as if blotting, to clean the frame.
In the same way, the perimeter of the matrix can be cleaned of scotch residues. To do this, slowly remove the remnants of the adhesive tape, and then, blotting, we go along the perimeter with old tape, cleaning the edges from the remnants of glue.
We should get it like this:
Now, our task is to prepare a tablet for installing a new touchscreen.
To do this, we use foam tape 0.3 or 0.5 mm thick, of a convenient width for you. We glue the frame around the perimeter.
After that, our task is to glue the edges of the matrix around the perimeter in order to exclude its contact with the touch skin.
To do this, I recommend using black foam tape 0.3mm thick and 3mm wide.
Gently glue around the perimeter, making sure that the edge of the tape does not go beyond the edges of the black film, which is pasted over the ends of the matrix.
After everything is ready, you need to clean the matrix surface from fingerprints and dust, if any. For this, we will need all the same remnants of the old scotch tape. We roll it into a convenient lump and …, yes, we blot the display with it. ? This method eliminates the appearance of streaks, and perfectly removes dust and grease from the surface of the matrix without damaging it.
After we have prepared the matrix and the touchscreen, remove the protective tape of the tape, then, by tilting the touchscreen over the display, remove the inner transport film from it, without touching the display and making sure that no dust gets inside, glue the touchscreen onto the frame.
But that's not all.
In my case, the touchscreen of a compatible revision has a different loop geometry. Our task is to bend it in the right way so that the connectors of the ribbon line up with the connectors on the board.
We bend it so that no sharp bends appear (do not iron the places of the bends). Also, I strongly recommend isolating the contact points of the plume layers, for example, with a Kapton tape, to exclude interference and phantom clicks, for which the tablets of this line were so famous Asus.
After the cable is prepared and connected, the final touch remains – close the lid and check the result of our work.
Everything works, we are great!
During the replacement process, the display was not covered with anything. Just blew off the dust before gluing and removed the debris that had flown. If your place is dusty, then it makes sense to buy a special film, and cover the display with it until gluing.
Conclusion
Repairing this tablet model is not easy for several reasons. This is the complexity of the design with several layers of adhesive tape, and rare parts, and leapfrog with versions of touchscreens. However, in my case, the repair was justified both from the point of view of gaining invaluable experience and from an economic point of view.
At one time, on specialized forums, and just on ad sites, one could meet many people who wanted to sell such a tablet with a broken touchscreen. Considering its characteristics and capabilities, such a purchase 'for the future' was justified, since now the cost of spare parts has dropped significantly (my touchscreen was bought for 1950 rubles), and the tablet has not lost its relevance. As a result, taking into account the fact that I got the tablet for a ridiculous 500 rubles (for spare parts), the total cost for me is 2500 rubles plus time and effort for repairs. Not bad. Literally for a song, I became the owner of a nimble tablet with a good battery and an excellent FHD screen.
Whether the game is worth the candle is up to you. For me, this tablet has taken its place on the bedside table, and pleases with the opportunity to comfortably read a mobile-review before going to bed, play something and watch a video.
All easy repairs!