Hello!
Do you have a lot of electronics at home? How often did it break?
Electronics are dropped, stepped on, hit, on purpose or by accident. In most cases, this very electronics does not withstand such treatment and breaks down. The first to surrender is the screen, which with modern diagonals is very difficult to make strong enough.
Statistics confirm this – since the appearance of touch phones / tablets, one of the most common reasons for contacting service centers has been the replacement of the display (touch glass) of a smartphone.
If such a nuisance happens to the device, then the most obvious, and in most cases, the right decision is to visit the service center.
A broken display is almost always not a warranty case, which means that the repair will be at the expense of the client. How much the service center asks depends on many factors, the most frequent of which is the greed of this very service center. I'm not talking about difficult cases when it is necessary to intervene in the electronic components of the device, soldering and testing – in such cases the price turns out to be justified, since repair requires special skills and knowledge, as well as equipment. In other cases, replacing the same display or case turns out to be a fairly simple operation that almost everyone can handle after watching a couple of instructions on Youtube – there would be spare parts, tools and perseverance.
These two points are also solvable. At the moment, in our age of the Internet, you can buy anything, since our “Chinese friends” are trying their best, releasing a huge amount of spare parts and selling them on public Internet sites at very reasonable prices.
When I first started doing repairs, I had an inexpensive set of Chinese screwdrivers from tools, and … that's it. This was enough for a simple modular renovation. Yes, later, of course, other tools appeared, ranging from a soldering iron to a microscope, but that was later.
Before continuing, I would like to make a few points.
- I am not an employee of the service center and repairing gadgets for me is primarily a hobby. I got to everything I can by myself, by trial and error, by looking at and reading instructions on various sites.
- the purpose of this article is not to paint detailed instructions (there are a huge number of such instructions on youtube), but only to mark important, non-obvious points that are usually not shown in video instructions, but knowing which will help you avoid annoying mistakes and will save your nerves and money if you decide to repair yourself.
- the second goal of the article is to help those who wanted, but did not dare to take the first step in mastering such a hobby as self-repairing electronics.
Today we will try to learn how to repair our devices on our own and we will start with not the most simple repair, namely, with a frequent guest of service centers, a tablet iPad mini, which has a broken touch glass.
Design features
Our today's experimental iPad mini has a modular design, in which it is possible to replace the touch glass and display separately. What does it mean?
There are two main types of display for the service center master:
the first type – the display and the touch glass are two separate components and can be replaced independently of each other.
the second type – the display and the touch glass are a single whole (glued with a special gel) and are replaced by a module assembly.
In the first case, replacing one of the components will be a fairly simple operation, in the second, a separate replacement is also possible, but requires some experience, dexterity and additional skills.
You can determine which display is in your device by reading the detailed description of the device. A display in which glass is part of a module is usually denoted by the abbreviation OGS (one glass solution), or in Russian – without an air gap.
So, what tools will come in handy during the repair process.
Tool
To replace the display glass iPad mini, we need a 'philips' screwdriver, popularly called a 'Phillips' screwdriver, various plastic connectors (in my case, these are plastic cards, a guitar pick, and special ones that often come with spare parts), as well as a regular household hair dryer (not pictured, stayed in the bathroom). ? You don't have to worry about the availability of special connectors if you order spare parts in online stores, most likely you will soon have a decent amount of such a tool, since it is very often put in the kit for spare parts (there are a lot of them in the photo, and they are blue ).
I strongly recommend stocking up on a silicone mat, on which it is convenient to lay out bolts and small parts, which are usually abundant in devices Apple. I use a magnet for these purposes, since I already know from memory which screw is screwed in where (do not repeat after me). ?
Also, double-sided tape is often required. It is believed that the best tape is '3M'. However, the original is not cheap, and the copy is often not very good quality. How to choose a more or less good one? Don't buy the cheapest one. Good scotch tape usually costs no less than 400 rubles per skein. Also pay attention to its width and thickness – it can be different. Which one you need, decide depending on which device you plan to repair.
If this is a tablet, then it makes sense to buy 5-7 mm wide. If the phone is, then it is better narrower, 4-3 mm.
Some craftsmen use special glue (B7000 or B6000) instead of scotch tape and consider it better than scotch tape. Here everyone has their own opinion. I don't like glue. It needs to be dried, and it is not always possible to calculate the required amount so that later not to clean off the excess that has crawled out of the joints and cracks.
You will definitely need screwdrivers.
One of my screwdriver sets, which I use all the time (yellow with a black cap in the photo), cost me 200 rubles. Agree. it's not expensive at all.
As connectors, I most often use unnecessary plastic cards and guitar picks. It's both budgetary and convenient.
I also recommend getting a suction cup, which will help you when you separate the halves of the device case, or remove the display.
Repairs
The device came to me after an unsuccessful repair, and it was almost disassembled, with a non-working sensor and a 'home' button.
The most important thing to pay attention to when parsing iPad mini is that it is best to start disassembling from the upper edge of the device, since on the lower edge there is a sensor layer cable and antennas of wireless modules, which are very easy to damage .
The device must be switched off before disassembly.
To begin with, it is best to warm up the edges of the glass with a hairdryer and only after that, pull off the touchscreen with a suction cup, and gently pry the glass with a plastic connector and slowly, without haste, push the edge of the pick under the glass so that you can slip a plastic card or pick under it.
Then, moving around the perimeter, slowly and carefully peel off the glass, slightly lifting it above the body.
The first important tip is to take your time. Do everything slowly and thoughtfully.
If you hurry, the broken glass can break off and bend inward, and thus the matrix can be damaged by fragments of the broken glass. After that, at best, you'll have to be content with scratches on the display. In the worst case, the display will also have to be changed.
After walking along the top and two sides, the glass will open slightly, and the antennas of the wireless modules will be visible at the bottom, which are better to peel off carefully, otherwise you will have to change them separately (these antennas are shown in the photo with a screwdriver).
After you carefully separate the glass from the case, a cable will remain at the bottom, which will go under the display. If the meaning of the repair is to replace the touch glass, then this loop can be safely cut off, but only straight into the grinding to the glass, since it will be useful to you later.
If you change the display, then the sensor must be very carefully bent, placing it as shown in the photo (slightly overlapping), and it is advisable to cover it with something, for example, cling film, so as not to stick to dust. I also recommend immediately covering the display matrix with foil.
After you open the tablet, you will see the display matrix. In the corners of the display on the right edge under the fabric stickers are magnets, which are necessary for the tablet to respond to Smart Covers. You need to peel them off (they are on double-sided tape). Please note that it is better to peel off only after covering the matrix with a film, since any touch to the matrix will leave fingerprints on it, which will then be very problematic to wipe off.
The second important tip – do not touch the outer surface of the display matrix with your hands. At all.
After peeling off the magnets, pay attention to their shape, it is different. More rounded should be at the top, and with an acute angle at the bottom. Do not confuse them, otherwise after assembly, locking / unlocking with a cover may not work correctly, or not work at all.
After unscrewing the four screws at the corners of the display, pay attention to their size. There are only four such screws in the device.
It is best to get the matrix by prying it from one of the upper corners, and then lifting it up and placing it on the touch glass.
When raising the matrix, you may find that it will go with effort. The thing is that in its lower part the matrix is glued to the body with a cloth. You can safely cut it off, just do it very carefully and slowly so as not to inadvertently hook the train that is on the side (the first time it is scary to do this – it seems that you will cut off something unnecessary).
After the matrix and sensor are open, under the matrix you will see a metal plate that acts as a protective screen for the battery and connectors, fastened with a large number of small screws, two of which (in the upper right corner) are larger than the rest.
We unscrew them all, and then, sliding the protective screen to the left edge, we pry it off the right edge and take it out of the case. The main thing is, when prying, combine the projections for the screws on the edges of the protective screen with the cutouts on the case, and everything will go easily.
And then the most important thing.
Unscrew three more screws on the metal cover that protects the touchscreen and display connectors.
After that, we have access to these same connectors. It is very important to act very carefully here.
The third important tip is that all manipulations on the board should be performed with a plastic tool.
Otherwise, you risk damaging the elements on the board, after which the cost and complexity of repairs will increase dramatically.
Slowly, evenly prying and lifting from different sides, unfasten the display connector, and put the display aside, on a flat surface where you cannot accidentally hook it.
A touchscreen connector is found under the display connector. Very, very carefully, gradually, little by little, disconnect the touchscreen connector. The touchscreen connector of iPad mini is a weak point, so if you don't disconnect it carefully, there is a risk of damaging the connector (the contact brackets will fall out of the connector). If you damage the connector, you will have to change the entire connector, which is a rarity in itself, and the complexity of its repair is quite high due to the presence of a large number of small elements around.
This is what happened with the device that came to me for repair. The previous master in the process of repairing inaccurately disconnected the sensor, which ultimately led to damage to the connector, and I had to change it (this process is omitted in this article, as it requires special equipment, experience and skills). Therefore, there are traces of soldering on the connector, and the connector itself is not standard, since it was taken from another device.
After unfastening both connectors, it is necessary to prepare the case for the installation of a new touchscreen. To do this, check the corners of the cabinet for jams. If there are any, they must be straightened, or the internal bulge cut off. It is very important to clean the body of any glue residues. If this is not done, the new touchscreen will not lie flat and will not fit snugly, which will eventually lead to the fact that it will come off from the case.
I recommend buying parts marked 'AAA'. This marking means high quality 'as original'. Usually, such sensors come with double-sided tape glued around the perimeter of the glass.
I also highly recommend buying a touchscreen immediately with the 'Home' button. It's worth it. Such a part will cost more than a part without a button, but if you do not have experience in soldering small elements, then it will be extremely problematic to re-solder the button cable from the old touchscreen (in the photo below, the junction of the button cable with the touchscreen cable). Even experienced craftsmen prefer to take a part right away with a button, since it is not much more expensive, and saves a lot of time.
Remember, I said that the old touchscreen cable is still useful to us? His time has come! Our task is to bend the flex cable of the new touchscreen in the same way as the old flex cable.
If this is not done, or done incorrectly, there is a risk that the new touchscreen will not close. Either it closes and squeezes the cable, which can ultimately lead to such an unpleasant phenomenon as 'phantom clicks' – the touchscreen will spontaneously work out pressing, and it will be impossible to use such a device.
If you did everything correctly, then we begin by carefully connecting the correctly bent touchscreen cable to the connector, paying attention to the fact that it is evenly pressed over the entire connection area. In this case, it is better to put the touchscreen with a small margin on the edge of the case.
The fourth important advice – remove all protective films from the display or touchscreen at the very last moment before the final installation.
After connecting the touchscreen, connect the display and place it on top of the touchscreen.
As a result, we should get the following construction:
Replace the small protective plate over the connectors by tightening it with three small screws.
After that we put in place the large plate and fasten it with the remaining small screws. Remember that in the upper right corner there are two screws larger than the others.
After that, you need to carefully rotate the display and put it in its place. Then screw the display with four screws at the corners. Glue the magnets back.
After that, on the touchscreen, remove only the protective film that protects the adhesive layer (do not remove the film from the touchscreen yet).
We tilt the touchscreen so that it hangs over the display at an angle, and then we lay the touchscreen cable so that it fits into the groove on the lower edge.
Holding in this position, remove the film from the display, after which we make sure that no dust and debris appear on the display. If, nevertheless, insidious specks of dust have made their way onto the display, then we remove them either with a cotton swab, or, ideally, with a special brush. If you clean it with a cotton swab, then remove it by slightly touching the display, without pressing, otherwise you risk dusting even more.
Fifth important tip – don't blow on the display or touchscreen to remove dust.
If you blow, you can blow micro-droplets of saliva onto the surface, which will then be extremely difficult to wipe off so that no traces remain.
After you have made sure that there is no dust on the display, gently pick up the edge of the touchscreen protective film with tweezers, and slowly remove it without changing the position of the elements.
Once again, make sure that the touchscreen cable fits into the groove provided for it.
Well, as a final chord, close the touchscreen, remembering to check its position above the body in the process.
After that, making sure that there are no unnecessary debris, bolts, etc. on the table, you can turn the tablet upside down and gently press it along the edges so that the adhesive layer better grabs the case.
Well, then, we check what we got.
If you did everything correctly, then the tablet should turn on and work.
Do not be alarmed if the sensor does not respond immediately after switching on. Turn the display off / on and try again.
In such a simple way, you can save money and learn a new hobby.
Conclusion
Since my immersion in the world of repair, I have reworked a huge variety of hardware, and I keep learning something new all the time, and the complexity of the faults that I can fix is growing.
Whether it's worth it or not, it's up to you. For me, in addition to saving money, such a hobby perfectly calms the nerves and allows you to relax the brain on weekends.
I invite you to write in the comments. are you interested in a similar topic, and if so, what else would you like to know. And if you are an experienced master, and saw in my actions something that, in your opinion, needs to be done differently, then I will be glad to constructive criticism.