Removing a Cracked Front Panel

Geschrieben von: Andrew Optimus Goldheart
  • Kommentare: 67
Removing a Cracked Front Panel

Schwierigkeitsgrad

Moderate

Schritte

9

Zeitaufwand

Keine Schätzung

Einleitung

This procedure is not for the faint of heart. It is very difficult, and can be dangerous if you are not careful and properly equipped. Read the entire procedure before you begin to be sure you're up to the task.

This guide is intended as a generic supplement guide, and should be followed alongside the standard front panel replacement guide for any iPad or iPad Mini.

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    • If your display glass is cracked, keep further breakage contained and prevent bodily harm during your repair by taping the glass.

    • Lay overlapping strips of clear packing tape over the iPad's display until the whole face is covered. For particularly bad breaks, you may need to lay down two layers.

    • This will keep glass shards contained and provide structural integrity when prying and lifting the display.

    • Do your best to follow the rest of the guide as described. However, once the glass is broken, it will likely continue to crack as you work, and you may need to use a metal prying tool to scoop the glass out.

    • Protect your eyes! This procedure will cause small pieces of glass to fly directly toward your face. Do not attempt without safety glasses.

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    • We recommend that you clean your microwave before proceeding, as any nasty gunk on the bottom may end up stuck to the iOpener.

    • Place the iOpener in the center of the microwave.

    • For carousel microwaves: Make sure the plate spins freely. If your iOpener gets stuck, it may overheat and burn.

    I didn't find this to be as hard as I had built it up in my mind to be; HOWEVER, saying that I need to say years ago I was the local Nokia service center in my town. But many years ago right after they got rid of analog times. Yeah. A classic installer/repairer mistake when starting something they haven't fixed or installed before is picking up the instructions, flipping through them; maybe even reading a section that is new-then tossing the instructions over the shoulder. "I got this." This usually comes right before something major gets broke. And I can tell you when you try to do it yourself and then mess it up horribly then take it to the repair shop. Well we called that "I can do it myself" syndrome and charged extra to put back together what they brought in in the box. Now knowing all this - I can't stress this enough because I am stupid, stupid, stupid. COVER YOUR SCREEN IN CLEAR BOXING TAPE AND READ ALL THE INSTRUCTION BELOW THROUGH TO THE END BEFORE EVEN ATTEMPTING THIS FIX. Take my advise.

    windizy -

    I didn't have an iOpener, so I used a wheat type heat bag. If you do this though, make sure you put a layer of plastic between your Mac and the bag, or you'll get condensation in places you don't want it.

    Martin Gray -

    I started out using the iOpener but switched to my wife's hairdryer. A heat gun or hair dryer proved to be much more convenient and is a time saviour. You can heat more and the glue becomes more fluid make the next steps with the opening picks much easier

    Jan Van Puymbroeck -

    I know this is obvious, but backup your iPad with iTunes before you start. I'd also turn off your passcode if you have one.

    Laurie Higgins -

    Ther first time you heat up the iOpener for this repair when its room temperature I had to heat it up for more than 30 seconds. I remember I had to heat it up for around 45 seconds. However, after that when you need to reheat it again during the repair 30 seconds will be enough.

    Yousef Ghalib -

    I used the wheat bag in a sensor microwave heating up to 65-70 deg C (155 def F).

    ian cheong -

    Get yourself a cherry pit bean bag the size of your iPad. Heat it, put the iPad on it for 3 to 5 minutes or so, reheat the cherry pit bean bag, again put your iPad on it. Then heat the iOpener and start working. The cherry pit bean bag will have to be reheated several times, but it will soften the adhesive so you have less problems with the iOpener

    Tim Feyaerts -

    The heating can be done very effectively (and quickly) with 3d printer heated bed. Make sure the bed is clean. Set the temperature to 60c, (130f ) and put the ipad face down for +/- 10 minutes. Repeat as needed throughout the “gentle prying” stages.

    polleyphony -

    The iOpener did not work at all for me.

    I had to use a heat gun and bring the edges of the case up to ~200 degrees (used an infrared thermometer to measure) before the glue would weaken. This obviously superheated the metal frame, so I also had to wear gloves to handle the phone while prying the back off with the included picks.

    Mike Jeanette -

    Repair instructions worked like a charm. Had to be patient with the iOpener and getting the screen off. I tried repeatedly without success until shifting the suction cup a bit to the left side where perhaps the glue had loosened up a bit more.

    Kyle -

    The iOpener, in my opinion, is of no help. Many warnings to say “don’t warm it too much”, but the glue doesn’t melt if not warm enough. As a result, a complete waste of time and energy. In addition, too much liquid in it, so it doesn’t lay on the device on a sufficient surface. I took a hairdryer and it worked much much better.

    laurentvidu -

    I used an immersion bath to heat this to 180F and applied it to the device until the outside temperature of the opener read 150F with an IR thermometer. Removing the screen took very little force with this method.

    breadandbits -

    My experience. I was replacing the screen which had been cracked and a little shattered in some places. The iopener is pretty much useless, so was the suction cup. The suction cup would probably be more useful if I was doing something besides the screen. Also you probably want the clean the screen before using it so it can get good suction. I used a hair dryer on high for a couple of minutes at a time (someone on this tread suggested that). I used my exacto knife and a razor blade to get into the adhesive. First the exacto to get the initial cut, then the razor blade to go a little deeper. Could have probably just used the razor blade, but the exacto has a little more finesse. I got the razor blade in and a little under the glass then I used the picks to wedge in. I didn’t want to risk anything using the razor blade too much. Used tape to keep the shattered glass together.

    trebor65 -

    My experience pt2

    Fortunately the shattering was mostly on the edges and most of it had adhesive on the back so it stuck together. Just take your time and work your way around following the guide to get the screen off. Have some goof off or goo be gone to clean the frame when putting the new glass on or putting the existing one back. (someone suggested that also, very good idea). Be careful of the LCD (you should know that). The cable on my LCD was pretty tight, so I propped it up while taking the cable cover off and when I put it back on I did the same thing. I just put a bottle on the battery and leaned the back of the LCD on that while attaching the cables and putting the screws back on the cover. Also be careful with the home button and the bracket on the back of it. I had enough old adhesive on left on the bracket that it stuck back to the new glass fine. So far only 12 hours in, so we will see how that holds up when the kids get at it.

    trebor65 -

    Another alternative if you do not have the iopener is to use a bed time hotwater bottle. Do not over fill it though. Just put enough hot water in to support the phone while you work around the adhesive.

    I use both the hot water bottle and iopener together on Samsung's. It makes life easier

    gazza667 -

    I followed the directions and heated my iOpener for 30 seconds in a 1000 watt microwave, and it came out at 160 degrees F, as verified by a infrared thermometer. This allowed me to separate the last bit of the back of my Samsung S8, which was already coming off due to a swollen battery (hence the reason for the repair).

    Dennis -

    Hallo,habe den Akku erfolgreich getauscht.Doch seitdem gibt es bei Telefonaten eine Rückkopplung für den anrufenden.Bei mir ist alles normal.Woran liegt das?Mfg

    Manu R -

    If you follow these instructions, you will crack your screen like I did. Heating the iOpener for 30 seconds, using it to melt glue, then waiting 10 minutes to reheat is useless. The iOpener can be used to maybe warm the glue on whatever side you aren’t working on. You need a hairdryer and/or a heat gun to melt the glue and separate the glass from the iPad.

    Anyone want to buy an old iPad with broken glass and a dead battery?

    mpulliam -

    Not everybody has a microwave. You should provide a target temperature for the iOpener and instructions for a conventional oven, or pot of warm water, or whatever. Although I will probably use a heat gun …

    Esmond Pitt -

    Three times heating opener and no luck. Tried pressing down gently on opener with a towel, and the opener broke. Wondering if I now replace table mats, fancy table cloth, etc. or will this stuff wash out.

    Not impressed so far. Maybe the hair dryer next.

    doug -

    I support the comments about the iOpener. Everyone has a hair drier, FHS, so get a cheap IR thermometer (£18) and blow heat until the area is 60+ deg C. Still takes w while, and getting the screen off is v scary, but just add more heat if you feel resistance.

    The rest of the kit is good, esp the magnetic screwdrivers.

    Richard O'Brien -

    No, everyone does not have a hairdryer. Some of us don’t even have hair. Thank goodness I already had an IR thermometer, though.

    nin10doh -

    #### WARNUNG WENN MINIMALSTER SPRUNG IM DISPLAY IST FUNKTIONERT DAS NICHT!!! ######

    Hatte einen winzigen, minimalen Sprung im Display. Ich dachte es könnte gehen, weil der Sprung “abgeschlossen” war. Er hat in einer Ecke ein winzige Glasteil rausgeschnitten. NEIN! Geht nicht. Habe alles mit viel Geduld dem iOpener und einem Föhn erhitzt. Es ist trotzdem sofort über das komplette Display zersprungen…

    T z -

    I’ve started with iOpener but changed very quickly to a heatgun. That was more efficient.

    Mizzoo, s.r.o. -

    I could not get the iOpener hot enough to melt the glue on my ipad 6. I heated for 45 seconds once and it was boiling and it still never worked. Thank goodness contributors mentioned using a hair dryer. Using an 1700w hair dryer on high did the trick to get the screen off. Still took some time and the case got pretty hot but be patient. It took twice as long and a lot more patience to get the battery out.

    Randal Haufler -

    I have an Ipad with touch screen issue, if i replace this part it should be Ok?

    janderson martin -

    WARNING - DO NOT MICROWAVE ON A METAL MICROWAVE RACK

    The metal microwave rack can heat up and melt through the iOpener cover letting the contents leak out.

    Not a big issue for me as I have a heat gun and used that instead.

    Run Up A Tree -

    I opened my iPad with the iOpener. Be patient! It may take quite a bit longer to it the iOpener in the microwave than it says in the guide. My microwave can only do 800W and I had to put the iOpener in several times (maybe a total of 90-120 seconds). I recommend that you have the transparent side up an watch the bag carefully. As long a the bag doesn't bloat up and the liquid doesn't start bubbling you should be fine. But I recommend to take the iO out from time to time to check it. (More comments in Step 6.)

    marcelflueeler -

    I gave upon the I opener and used a hairdryer. (Fixed an iPad 6)

    Tom Weber -

    iPad mini gen5. I used the iOpener. My microwave is 1200w with carousel. 30 sec got the iOpener to 155ºF. For the 2nd heating, after 10 minutes sitting, the temp was still around 125º so I only cooked it for 15 sec. Not enough increase so +5 sec more which me to 165-170ºF. This should be considered ballpark info because who knows the real output of the various microwaves and the quality of the IR tool used to determine temp.

    To successfully open my iPad mini I applied the iOpener twice to the left edge and twice to bottom. & once to R edge. Using the suction cup was difficult for me (I'm in my 70's so my hands don't work too well anymore). I had trouble holding the guitar pick and slipping them in (at an downward angle). In the end, sliding my thumbnail along the edge opened it very slightly and allowed the pick to get into the gap. I marked the ends of all my picks with a sharpie pen for the recommended 2mm insertion to avoid going in too deep. To get the screen open it took me approx 1 hour.

    jharrison -

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    • Heat the iOpener for thirty seconds.

    • Throughout the repair procedure, as the iOpener cools, reheat it in the microwave for an additional thirty seconds at a time.

    • Be careful not to overheat the iOpener during the repair. Overheating may cause the iOpener to burst.

    • Never touch the iOpener if it appears swollen.

    • If the iOpener is still too hot in the middle to touch, continue using it while waiting for it to cool down some more before reheating. A properly heated iOpener should stay warm for up to 10 minutes.

    I had to heat mine up for more than 30 seconds. After 30 seconds on high it was only warm. It had to keep trying different times and checking it until it got hot. I think the initial time that I put it in for was over a minute.

    whale13 -

    DO NOT USE IN NON ROTATING MICROWAVE! It will pop a hole. I had it in for 45 seconds the first time. It wasn't very hot inside and I saw it started to leak on the paper towel I put under it. Just a fair bit of advice. I think I will just stick with the heat gun. Loud but useful.

    Alex Jackson -

    I heated mine up for 30 seconds, tested, then again for 30 seconds. It felt adequately hot. Leaving it on the left side, per the instruction, for a minute did not loosen the adhesive. I ended up pulling the suction cup hard enough to shadder the old screen. Moral of the story, I don't think it gets hot enough safely to have an affect.

    Travis Dixon -

    There is a clear problem here with the heating part using the iopener things....no details are given. Whoever is testing them needs to make it clear - What temperature does it need to be? And for which phone models, because they differ in what's needed. It's only £10-15 for a laser guided temp sensor unit, and the designers/repairers should have one of those already for doing these kinds of repairs. Explaining half a repair, is worse than not explaining at all :-(

    assortedrubbish -

    All phones/devices differ it’s unrealistic and unsafe to put a exact time/temperature needed to soften the adhesive. It’s really quite simple you warm the device evenly and in a controlled manner just enough to enable pry tools and picks to begin separating. Best tool in my opinion but again this is because I have experience is a hot plate and heat gun both of which are used at nearly the lowest settings and I can handle flat palming the plate for almost 10 seconds I leave the device to conduct heat until approx it’s about 110 at most 120 ish this will be plenty to soften all the adhesive if any problem areas I use heat gun while prying. Again you need go slowly and learn with a throw away phone

    Greg Latta -

    I used a hot water bottle, works well as it covers the whole screen and stays hot for longer.

    dave -

    If I may suggest include your microwave wattage so people can get an idea on time for there own

    Patrick Storey -

    I agree with this.

    Jarl Friis -

    I ended up using a hair dryer. That iOpener thing took forever.

    mark fitzgerald -

    30 seconds sure isn’t cutting it… 45 didn’t get the screen of my iPad air 2 to budge either… even after resting on the ipad for 4 minutes.

    60 seconds in the microwave, the iOpener burst.

    I’ll get a new one and try once more with heating it 45 seconds and repeat that for 30 minutes like others have said here. If that doesn’t work it’ll have to be the heat gun.

    K

    Karl Marble -

    I can’t recommend the microwave. If the the iOpener becomes too hot, it bursts. Better put the opener in cooking water. Dry it and use it. Instead of an iOpener you can use hot/cool packs as well.

    Bernhard Keim -

    Great idea with using the heat packs. I will try that next time. Thank you

    Collins -

    Trust the directions! I forgot and left it in the Microwave too long and after 1 minute I had Mt Vesuvius - the iOpener burst and spewed the goodies out. The problem is, the Digitizer can be damaged by a hot air gun, so I had to tough out and remove the glue the hard way. I made it … with lots of patience! Tough lesson.

    Larry Bennett -

    I also used a hairdryer. I used it on the low setting and I cut a piece of carboard to protect the rest of the screen. The iFixit tool and method is vert tedious and very time consuming in comparison. With the hairdryer method you can literally have the display apart in a few minutes. Using your other hand nearby the area you are heating it should be very hot but not enough to burn your hand. You only have to heat metal part of case near glass edge. If you have a cellular model then you need to be very careful because the black antenna area is plastic. So less heat and work your way up in adding heat just enough to separate around the area but not so much you melt the plastic!

    Fixrights -

    iOpener was the worst part of the kit. Followed directions for :30 in microwave and took 4 trips to the microwave to loosen adhesive on left side of home button. I thought I was figuring it out and it was working well… even set a timer to wait 10 minutes between heating it up. Was on the right side and was on my 12th heat up when it exploded in the microwave. My only tip is that if you set it clear side up, as soon as you see any bubbles or boiling in the liquid, STOP! If you put a pot holder over the iOpener and press slightly to make good surface contact, that seemed to help. I finished heating with a “Corn Sack” that held heat better than the provided iOpener.

    digital_only -

    Mon iopener n'a pas tenu une réparation. Je ne vous conseille pas ce produit

    Berard Romain -

    Bonjour,

    Nous sommes désolés que votre réparation ne se soit pas déroulée comme prévu. Il se peut que le produit était défectueux. Veuillez contacter notre service client support@ifixit.com (boutique américaine) ou eustore@ifixit.com (boutique européenne) en décrivant ce qui s’est passé.

    Claire Miesch -

    Readers looking for temperature advice might check the comments of the previous instruction, as there are more there. I used an immersion bath to heat this to 180F and applied it to the device until the outside temperature of the opener read 150F with an IR thermometer. Removing the screen took very little force with this method.

    breadandbits -

    Thank you for posting some actual temperatures. I have a heat gun with a very fine self-temperature regulation setting capability.

    I will set it for 150-180 F, and use that to soften the adhesive.

    G Trieste -

    Get a heat gun.

    alesha adamson -

    I followed the directions and heated my iOpener for 30 seconds in a 1000 watt microwave, and it came out at 160 degrees F, as verified by a infrared thermometer. A second heating about 15 minutes later in the micro and it came out at 190 degrees F. Plenty hot enough to soften the adhesive for removing the back on my S8. Based on the comments above I think people just need to use more patience.

    Dennis -

    I used various time settings. It got very hot. It would soften the glue but not a whole lot. If my screen had been intact and I was replacing something that was not a digitizer, it may have worked. A broken screen makes the process significantly more difficult. I ended up breaking the home button cable. Good bye TouchID…

    cvela90 -

    After reading previous comments I didn't even use the i-opener. Used the heatgun ( hairdryer ) which works great for me. Maybe I was lucky as this is my first attempt at replacing a cellphone battery. Motoz 3

    Collins -

    It appeared 30 seconds were not enough, so I heated it more, by 5 seconds at a time until I got the right temperature about 70 degrees Celsius (measured with infrared pistol) to get the screen heated up to 60 C, the best for softening the glue. But the heat was quickly dissipating by the big aluminum back cover, so the best I got in 2 minutes of applying iOpener was around 45 C, which made the procedure difficult and having risk of breaking the screen. So I eventually abandoned iOpener and user a hot air gun with precise temperature setup. I set it to 90 C, which allowed me to open my iPad quickly and safely.

    Sergey Kofanov -

    I, too, ended up using a hot air gun. I’ve done earlier versions of iPad before but the adhesive used on this IPad 5 A1822 was particularly difficult to remove.

    Also, while the suction cup worked great when the glass is in tact, any cracks in the glass make the suction cup useless.

    manningrl -

    You need to remember here are different sizes of microwaves. I had the same issue.

    Heating on a smaller unit I used 45-60 seconds. That worked but was time comsuming

    William Draheim -

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    • Remove the iOpener from the microwave, holding it by one of the two flat ends to avoid the hot center.

    • The iOpener will be very hot, so be careful when handling it. Use an oven mitt if necessary.

    I did this repair. I used a hair dryer, I think it works better: gets very hot fast.

    Cobus de Beer -

    I did too, you get far more control and no expense on fancy equipment.

    Billinski -

    Readers looking for temperature advice might check the comments of the previous instruction, as there are more there. I used an immersion bath to heat this to 180F and applied it to the device until the outside temperature of the opener read 150F with an IR thermometer. Removing the screen took very little force with this method. I don’t know how much microwaves vary in heating consistency with these pads, but knowing how inconsistent the temperature of a bowl of plain rice gets in my microwave, I wasn’t interested in even trying to use it for this.

    breadandbits -

    I used an electric griddle set to the lowest setting. It seemed to work very well.

    John -

    I vote for the hair dryer. The other methods work too but if you aren’t having any luck, switch to the hair dryer. While holding the iPad in my hand, I found that I am aiming the dryer at my finger at the same time and it gauges how hot it is. I stop when my finger can’t take it - maybe five seconds up close. Repeat as needed like I did.

    Robin -

    This thing melts when placed up side down in the microwave…

    Mark -

    If the maximum temperature for this iOpener is lower than the gadget glue minimum temperature, this device does not make sense.
    I think the maximum temperature for this iOpener is below 100⁰C and most gadget glue minimum temperature is higher than 100⁰C. So the iOpener is useless for many opening steps in repair guides. But who knows because temperature range is not specified for this iOpener.

    Jarl Friis -

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    • If you don't have a microwave, follow this step to heat your iOpener in boiling water.

    • Fill a pot or pan with enough water to fully submerge an iOpener.

    • Heat the water to a boil. Turn off the heat.

    • Place an iOpener into the hot water for 2-3 minutes. Make sure the iOpener is fully submerged in the water.

    • Use tongs to extract the heated iOpener from the hot water.

    • Thoroughly dry the iOpener with a towel.

    • The iOpener will be very hot, so be careful to hold it only by the end tabs.

    • Your iOpener is ready for use! If you need to reheat the iOpener, heat the water to a boil, turn off the heat, and place the iOpener in the water for 2-3 minutes.

    What do I do if I don’t have a iopener?

    alexdelarge103@gmail.com -

    Use a hair dryer

    Edited To the max -

    2 or 3 cups Rice in a sock, heat for about 2 minutes. But, I recommend the iopener.

    Robert Garcia -

    When boiling in water you can put the iopener in a ziplock to keep it dry.

    Robert Garcia -

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    • Use your hot iOpener to heat up all four edges of the front panel. Let the iOpener rest on each edge for at least 90 seconds, microwaving for 30 seconds at a time as needed.

    • Take your time and ensure the entire bezel is warm. The more time you spend on this, the less time you'll spend picking out glass shards in the next steps.

    • Once all of the adhesive is warmed, pick out the edge with the largest uncracked section of glass.

    • Try using a suction up to pull up on this section, and then wedge a guitar pick beneath the glass.

    • If the glass is too badly cracked for the suction cup to grab, apply more heat and force the pick in, careful not to damage the LCD.

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    • Work your way around the entire perimeter of the front panel with an opening pick.

    • Much of the glass around the bezel will break off from the rest of the panel, and will stay adhered to the rear case of the iPad. Work your way past these pieces to free as much of the glass panel as possible.

    • When you get to the digitizer and (on iPad 4) home button cables, you may find it helpful to cut these cables, rather than risk ripping them out of their sockets and damaging the logic board.

    • Remove the taped-together glass panel from the iPad. Be careful as this will have sharp edges and may drop pieces of glass. Dispose of safely.

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    • For the next step, you'll need to apply your iOpener directly to the broken glass left adhered to the iPad.

    • To protect your iOpener from the glass and keep it from filling with glass dust, stick some masking tape to one side.

    • Heat the iOpener and apply it to one edge of the iPad, directly on top of the pieces of glass that are still adhered to the rear case of the iPad.

    • Leave the iOpener there for at least 90 seconds, to soften the adhesive holding these small pieces in place.

    • Be careful not to touch or otherwise disturb the LCD.

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    • Did you take off your safety glasses? If so, put them back on now. Seriously.

    • Grab your favorite plastic tool and start prying out the remaining pieces of glass from the iPad frame.

    • This is a slow and tedious process, but benefits greatly from heating the adhesive.

    • There is a serious risk of cutting yourself while working with this glass. Work slowly and with controlled force. You may wish to wear thin leather gloves.

    • Remove all of the glass and residual adhesive and continue your repair.

Abschluss

To reassemble your device, follow these instructions in reverse order.

Tinte & Feder

Andrew Optimus Goldheart

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