Stretch-O-Vision (R): iPhone repair fun!
Before you laugh, realize that taking things apart and putting back together has always been a way of life for me. Sometimes I even end up without parts left over.
My iPhone 3G has had this distracting crack across the top half of the screen for the longest time. Nothing to impair functionality, just annoying. Well, lucky me, I have found something even more annoying than that.
I found on ebay the replacement glass/digitizer panel and a toolset for around $15 bucks. I thought, hey, why not give that a try. I also found a video on the Internet that shows just how easy it is to do your own repairs.
By following the video instructions meticulously, I ended up with brand-new uncracked, unscratched glass on the front panel... and a big black blotch on the LCD panel where the Safari icon lives, and a crack all the way from there to the top edge. Oh no! The video plainly shows using the plastic tool to gently lift the LCD panel away from the front assembly. What it doesn't show you is that you also need to flex the little clips on each side, so that it will freely come out when lifted. As soon as I lifted it the first time I heard two distinct sounds: the "crack" of the LCD panel and at that same instant the gurgling in my stomach as the realization hit me.
I put it all back together, amazingly the thing still works, though the colors are wacky and some stuff I just can't see.
Well the same ebay seller also has the LCD panels for around $30 bucks, plus I now have the complete knowledge of how to do this type of repair. Official Apple-sanctioned training classes would probably run me more than $45 so I guess it will be ok. And maybe I can recoup my costs by doing the same repair for friends and associates. I've just got to live with this nasty looking screen until the part gets here. What fun!
Before you laugh, realize that taking things apart and putting back together has always been a way of life for me. Sometimes I even end up without parts left over.
My iPhone 3G has had this distracting crack across the top half of the screen for the longest time. Nothing to impair functionality, just annoying. Well, lucky me, I have found something even more annoying than that.
I found on ebay the replacement glass/digitizer panel and a toolset for around $15 bucks. I thought, hey, why not give that a try. I also found a video on the Internet that shows just how easy it is to do your own repairs.
By following the video instructions meticulously, I ended up with brand-new uncracked, unscratched glass on the front panel... and a big black blotch on the LCD panel where the Safari icon lives, and a crack all the way from there to the top edge. Oh no! The video plainly shows using the plastic tool to gently lift the LCD panel away from the front assembly. What it doesn't show you is that you also need to flex the little clips on each side, so that it will freely come out when lifted. As soon as I lifted it the first time I heard two distinct sounds: the "crack" of the LCD panel and at that same instant the gurgling in my stomach as the realization hit me.
I put it all back together, amazingly the thing still works, though the colors are wacky and some stuff I just can't see.
Well the same ebay seller also has the LCD panels for around $30 bucks, plus I now have the complete knowledge of how to do this type of repair. Official Apple-sanctioned training classes would probably run me more than $45 so I guess it will be ok. And maybe I can recoup my costs by doing the same repair for friends and associates. I've just got to live with this nasty looking screen until the part gets here. What fun!
