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Before we were so rudely interrupted in the original thread, we were discussing the G1 hardware keyboard replacements. Please folks, if you must flame each other do it via PMs to avoid locking legitimate threads.
I've been able to find some inexpensive after market replacements on eBay, but still am not sure how difficult it is to actually do that. All the sites I've been able to find on the subject only provide time-lapse dis-assembly instructions of the entire phone. If anyone has done the replacement themselves, I'd greatly appreciate pointers on how to keep my phone operational after I put it back together.
I replaced the white keyboard in my Dream with a black one. It was a scary operation as it takes a bit of force to dismantle. I accidently pulled my antenna off and disconnected a flylead. ment my phone had no signal at all. later when i got home (did it in work ) i took it apart again and fixed it.
Take your time and have patience, alot of it is plastic and clipped together so requires a bit of force.
May I ask what is wrong with the keys on the bronze one? I did a quick skim of the old post and gather that you can't see the keys in daylight but I don't get why?
I'm just genuinely interested, I have a black G1 so never had such a problem.
brummiesteven said:
May I ask what is wrong with the keys on the bronze one? I did a quick skim of the old post and gather that you can't see the keys in daylight but I don't get why?
I'm just genuinely interested, I have a black G1 so never had such a problem.
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It's the combination of silver keys with light-silver backlight that make the lettering almost impossible to see in day light conditions. I'd take a picture if I had a camera with me today. Whoever came up with that color combination should be fired. Or at least made to stare at it every day for the next year. I have to tilt the keyboard at a weird angle just to distinguish the letters. From what I understand the white G1s suffer from the same problem.
The "Backlight Off" app definitely helps as it lets you toggle the backlight with a keyboard shortcut. I'm looking for a more hardware solution though.
I've been thinking about changing keyboards and housings too. But from what ppl are saying it seems to be pretty exhaustive. Do any of you guys have the service manual? I DL'ed it from somewhere and it goes through each step of disassembly and also shows assembly. I'm sure it would help out to give an idea of what you need. But like I said, even having read the service manual, it's still quite scary.
A full housing from my understanding is a bitc(....doing the KB I can see why. The LCD portions look ridiculously complex in comparison to other phones.
That said if you have the proper tools , good organization or memory , steady hands and patience really shouldnt be "that" tough to do the keyboard.
Heres the thing. Its really not that hard to unscrew things etc...but the piece you need to move in order to get proper access to the KB has 2 ribbons that are a PAIN IN THE ASS to take off and put back properly. Theres so little room for error.If youve never worked with ribbons before BE CAREFUL.
I will say G1 is pretty unique in how its put together , I swear they were determined to make it as complicated as possible
The really pain in the ass part is that the online manual/guide will merely tell you something like "remove part A" but no explanation how. Theres also 2 screws I swear it glossed over leading to frustration when I did the trackball/front keys.
Torx 5 and really good mini screw driver are mandatory.
Nice lil workstation is really helpful..(masking tape ,towel , table lamp or LED headlamp , vitamin/pill cases etc)
Im no mechanical engineer but Ive opened up damn near everything Ive ever owned at some point. Took me a solid 3 hours from start to finish. With major time spent on organizing the screws pieces and those damn ribbons.
I will say the black KB makes a HUGE difference. Black key on the front arent necessary but do look better and add much needed contrast.
KOF33 said:
I will say the black KB makes a HUGE difference. Black key on the front arent necessary but do look better and add much needed contrast.
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Pics, or it didn't happen
Thanks for the tips!
Chahk said:
Pics, or it didn't happen
Thanks for the tips!
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Click to collapse
As you can see I also replaced the trackball with a glowing white one.
lol at the trackball
doing a case swap is only bad the first time LMAO. I learned a lot, like for example the brass inserts that the screws go into...are not pre-installed. You must CUT Them out of the old housing and HAMMER them into the new oneBut in the end, it turned out very nice.
As far as just replacing the keyboard, it isnt too bad actually once you know what screws hold what down!
-Remove the 6 torx screws for the back housing
-GENTLY pry open the TOP of the casing with a plastic case tool, work your way down to the bottom of the housing. The bottom is a PITA to remove. I usually get it by rocking it gently back and forth
-remove the long and short coax leads from the motherboard side. swing them out of the way
-peel back the tape and GENTLY pull the bottom connector (mouthpiece module) from the motherboard.
-peel back more tape and lift the latch for the keyboard connector (the one on the side)
-Peel the camera module up SLOWLY (it is double side taped down) as well as the imei card. The cam cable is routed under it, lift it all as a unit. When you get to the motherboard, STOP
-Now, gently twist the whole camera and motherboard unit as a whole until it is free of the latch on the side. Gently lift the camera end exposing the 2 small ribbon connectors on the bottom.
-Peel back the tape and GENTLY lift the ribbon connectors out of the board. Place the motherboard/camera unit to the side for now.
-Remove all the black and silver screws for the metal piece. The lcd should stay in place as the mouthpiece plastics kinda hold it for you, but you should still support it to keep from hurting the connections.
-Viola, keyboard access. Remember when you put it back together be sure to re-tape all the connections, else when you drop your phone one of them may pop loose.
Keeping the motherboard and camera/imea plate all as one module saves you from a very difficult connection and will help you keep everything aligned when reassembling it.
I guess the spacebar has 2 functioning buttons, (left and right) ... well my right side just konked on me, and i was wondering if a replacement keyboard off ebay will fix this, or are they just the button "covers"?
the "buttons" are just plastic nubs that make contact on a board behind it. That board would be what you need. I dont know if there are any on eBay, but I have a spare one if you want to PM me for details.
I dropped my G1 about 6 months ago and was devastated. After entirely too much research I finally got the guts to purchase a replacement digitizer and managed to install it successfully. However, in the process I managed to rip the LCD ribbon cable. I then had to order a replacement LCD screen. I've also damaged one of the black ribbon cables pretty severely causing the touchscreen to become unresponsive sporadically. I've just placed an order for one of those ribbon cables and will hopefully have that up and running soon. I've also purchased an entire new housing unit to rebuild the phone to make it look as new.
Now when I first took this thing apart I was by NO MEANS an expert or have ever done something like this before. I'm just an avid enthusiast who wanted to save a little money, feel a sense of accomplishment and to learn a few things along the way. I technically paid nearly the same amount of money it would have cost me to send the unit to HTC for repair, however i've learned everything there is to know about my phone's hardware. I know which board does what and are extremely confident about fixing ANY hardware problem in the future.
If you have the time, patience, and truly want to become confident about the workings of your phone, then I highly recommend fixing it yourself. I've bought my parts for VERY cheap off of reputable ebay buyers. You can find EVERY single piece for your phone on Ebay. My LCD has 1 dead pixel, but I guess that's the risk you take when you buy really cheap parts.
Hope this helps.
Hi all,
Ok, so i've had a small disaster. As you probably guessed already i've dropped my phone. I thought the story was quite amusing (or just plain unfortunate!) so i'll you tell that before I ask for some advice!!
I got myself a white Galaxy S2 on upgrade through Vodafone. Gorgeous piece of kit so I ordered myself a nice case and screen protector to keep it nice and tidy.
Unfortunately the case got 'lost in the post' and as such the phone was unprotected. So, with some foresight I ordered a plain white cheap one off eBay (£2 inc. postage) just to see me through the 3-5 days I needed before the case I wanted was resent.
However what was sent what not white at all - it was the most hideous case with a rather disgusting floral effect all over it. I was going out for a night in town and had no choice, I had to take it with me.
Unfortunately later that eve I was stood at the bar, and my phone went off. So to save any embarrassment I slid the phone out of it's hideous case, and proceeded to read the message. Then it happened. The slippery son of a ***** jumped out of my hand, bounced off my foot and hit the deck.
It only has a couple of dings in the chrome bezel (the chrome effect rubbed off in two places to reveal black (the plating is obviously really thin)) - everything else was ok. Phew. But i'm still gutted and annoyed with myself
So, lesson learnt. I should have left the disgusting garish floral case on and it would have saved my phone. It was only 'de-sheathed' for a second and I managed to drop it, classic.
As a temporary solution, I coloured in the affected areas of the bezel with a silver permanent marker, and used some clear nail varnish over the top to stop the pen coming off. It seems to work well actually, and it looks much better than the black marks.
So, to my question - how do I change the chrome bezel for a new one?
I have read many threads, and watched many videos, and it looks to me like a nightmare job (eg as well as taking off the back and all components, you have to prise off the screen which is glued on, disconnect digitiser, etc). Can anyone confirm this, or has anyone tried it?
I can't find any videos of changing the bezel - they all seem to only go as far as taking off the back.
I've found a couple of sellers which sell the housing in white for only £20-30, so if it's an easy-ish job i'd have a stab at it. However i'm thinking I might as well just forget it ever happened and not be so precious about keeping the phone in A1 condition - it's a phone after all and it's going to encounter some scrapes now and then, even with a case on. And I plan on keeping it for 18 months anyway.
Opinions, anyone?
Cheers!
Movisman said:
Hi all,
Ok, so i've had a small disaster. As you probably guessed already i've dropped my phone. I thought the story was quite amusing (or just plain unfortunate!) so i'll you tell that before I ask for some advice!!
I got myself a white Galaxy S2 on upgrade through Vodafone. Gorgeous piece of kit so I ordered myself a nice case and screen protector to keep it nice and tidy.
Unfortunately the case got 'lost in the post' and as such the phone was unprotected. So, with some foresight I ordered a plain white cheap one off eBay (£2 inc. postage) just to see me through the 3-5 days I needed before the case I wanted was resent.
However what was sent what not white at all - it was the most hideous case with a rather disgusting floral effect all over it. I was going out for a night in town and had no choice, I had to take it with me.
Unfortunately later that eve I was stood at the bar, and my phone went off. So to save any embarrassment I slid the phone out of it's hideous case, and proceeded to read the message. Then it happened. The slippery son of a ***** jumped out of my hand, bounced off my foot and hit the deck.
It only has a couple of dings in the chrome bezel (the chrome effect rubbed off in two places to reveal black (the plating is obviously really thin)) - everything else was ok. Phew. But i'm still gutted and annoyed with myself
So, lesson learnt. I should have left the disgusting garish floral case on and it would have saved my phone. It was only 'de-sheathed' for a second and I managed to drop it, classic.
As a temporary solution, I coloured in the affected areas of the bezel with a silver permanent marker, and used some clear nail varnish over the top to stop the pen coming off. It seems to work well actually, and it looks much better than the black marks.
So, to my question - how do I change the chrome bezel for a new one?
I have read many threads, and watched many videos, and it looks to me like a nightmare job (eg as well as taking off the back and all components, you have to prise off the screen which is glued on, disconnect digitiser, etc). Can anyone confirm this, or has anyone tried it?
I can't find any videos of changing the bezel - they all seem to only go as far as taking off the back.
I've found a couple of sellers which sell the housing in white for only £20-30, so if it's an easy-ish job i'd have a stab at it. However i'm thinking I might as well just forget it ever happened and not be so precious about keeping the phone in A1 condition - it's a phone after all and it's going to encounter some scrapes now and then, even with a case on. And I plan on keeping it for 18 months anyway.
Opinions, anyone?
Cheers!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sorry to hear...similar happened to my HTC Desire...however this should help...if you buy the kit off Ebay...
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1253969
0semaj0 said:
Sorry to hear...similar happened to my HTC Desire...however this should help...if you buy the kit off Ebay...
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1253969
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Click to collapse
Hi,
Thanks for the information - I had a look at this tutorial yesterday, and although it's very good, it looks like this person has replaced the entire led panel/digitiser/housing in one go, rather than just the housing?
My screen is just fine, so I only need to replace the housing part.
The hardest bit looks like separating the screen from the housing from what i've read, and this is what I can't find a tutorial for, only some images on youtube suggesting to use a hairdryer to help with the proceedings!!
Thanks
Movisman said:
Hi,
Thanks for the information - I had a look at this tutorial yesterday, and although it's very good, it looks like this person has replaced the entire led panel/digitiser/housing in one go, rather than just the housing?
My screen is just fine, so I only need to replace the housing part.
The hardest bit looks like separating the screen from the housing from what i've read, and this is what I can't find a tutorial for, only some images on youtube suggesting to use a hairdryer to help with the proceedings!!
Thanks
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yea, the link is for the whole unit, but would give you some pointers. I am not as familar with the Samsung build, but with the HTC I know that between the LCD housing and the LCD/digitiser itself is applied through adhesive (most phones are) that is put into a temperature oven for 10 minutes to soften the adhesive. This is based on the HTC Official Service videos. I am not sure if the same will apply to Samsung phones.
But then again, as it is an expensive phone, it may be ideal for you to also get a quote from your local SSC or mobile phone repair agent to consider.
0semaj0 said:
Yea, the link is for the whole unit, but would give you some pointers. I am not as familar with the Samsung build, but with the HTC I know that between the LCD housing and the LCD/digitiser itself is applied through adhesive (most phones are) that is put into a temperature oven for 10 minutes to soften the adhesive. This is based on the HTC Official Service videos. I am not sure if the same will apply to Samsung phones.
But then again, as it is an expensive phone, it may be ideal for you to also get a quote from your local SSC or mobile phone repair agent to consider.
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Click to collapse
Yep, good point. I'd be interested to hear actually what the cost would be to replace the front bezel only. It's only £30 on eBay for the front and rear housing, but i'd be willing to pay more on top for an authorised repairer to carry out the job.
That tutorial is definitely one of the more detailed ones I have seen so far though. Doesn't look like many people have tackled changing the bezel only...
Thanks
Movisman said:
Yep, good point. I'd be interested to hear actually what the cost would be to replace the front bezel only. It's only £30 on eBay for the front and rear housing, but i'd be willing to pay more on top for an authorised repairer to carry out the job.
That tutorial is definitely one of the more detailed ones I have seen so far though. Doesn't look like many people have tackled changing the bezel only...
Thanks
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Click to collapse
Hey Movis,
What did you end up doing for your dropped phone?
I too have dropped my phone on its corner and the chrome along with the plastic is now dented.
Another one with the same problem here. I managed to create a bump on the chrome bezel.
Can I bump this post as I've also just noticed a ding in the corner of the chrome bezel was wondering if anyone had found a solution to this yet.? short of replacing the LCD/digitiser which like OPs phone are working fine. It's just cosmetic damage.
I once was in a bad mood and snapped a screen and backing/housing in half.I can't remember exactly,but I'm thinking the chrome bit may be part of the thin metal casing/housing that is glue taped onto the screen.
You separate the screen from the housing by using a hot air gun sparingly.
If you look back at a motherboard thread I was involved in,a person on here called Roger put up a great video tutorial link that may answer all your questions...
Sent from my GT-I9100
Ah cheers for the reply. Had a look at the mobo post you were involved in followed it to the link and coincidentally that's the exact video I watched last night. Very good video good detail and instructions. But its the black one he is stripping down so he makes no reference to the bezel which afaik is only used on the white ones.
Sent from my GT-I9100 using xda premium
I've not seen the chrome bit listed separately,so I guess its part of the metal top housing that the LCD is glued to.I've got a white one and its got a ding on it too.
You could email Samsung to see if you can get the part,but I think its not worth risking cracking the screen and you probably couldn't resuse / would get that stupid gluey tape stuff.
Sent from my GT-I9100
Appreciate it's been a while, but this seems to be the only post that matches what happened to me, so figured I'd update with my experience.
As above, dropped and dented the bezel, screen was perfectly intact, but the dent was so severe, it actually lifted a corner of my screen up. I have intentions to sell on so I wanted to fix this and pass on.
I followed this disassembly , apart from the bit about not worrying about damaging the screen as you prise it away. The housing I ordered off ebay came with a little kit, so I warmed the screen with hairdryer for a couple of minutes, then slowly prised it away, from top to bottom, inserting the tool right down the middle as the video mentions there is a large adhesive right down the middle.
Following the vid all the way to the removal of all components, this is where I ditched my current bezel/housing and reassembled into the newly ordered one. Judging by the assembly, there is no way that a bezel could be replaced without replacing the housing, it's one whole unit, and I very much doubt the build would be that drastically different for the white SGS2.
Some things to note:
Be very careful removing the vibrate motor, the connector and natural pivot point is the weakest part (new module ordered from ebay
If you are transplanting the screen like me, have some adhesive pads in your kit as most tutorials are for new screens, and as can be seen on the vid, these come with pads intact, ready to apply
Try do it in daylight
Hope that helps anyone in a similar situation.
vyks10 said:
Appreciate it's been a while, but this seems to be the only post that matches what happened to me, so figured I'd update with my experience.
As above, dropped and dented the bezel, screen was perfectly intact, but the dent was so severe, it actually lifted a corner of my screen up. I have intentions to sell on so I wanted to fix this and pass on.
I followed this disassembly , apart from the bit about not worrying about damaging the screen as you prise it away. The housing I ordered off ebay came with a little kit, so I warmed the screen with hairdryer for a couple of minutes, then slowly prised it away, from top to bottom, inserting the tool right down the middle as the video mentions there is a large adhesive right down the middle.
Following the vid all the way to the removal of all components, this is where I ditched my current bezel/housing and reassembled into the newly ordered one. Judging by the assembly, there is no way that a bezel could be replaced without replacing the housing, it's one whole unit, and I very much doubt the build would be that drastically different for the white SGS2.
Some things to note:
Be very careful removing the vibrate motor, the connector and natural pivot point is the weakest part (new module ordered from ebay
If you are transplanting the screen like me, have some adhesive pads in your kit as most tutorials are for new screens, and as can be seen on the vid, these come with pads intact, ready to apply
Try do it in daylight
Hope that helps anyone in a similar situation.
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Click to collapse
Hi, will the heat actually damage the screen? I saw some posts mentioning about putting it into the oven and such. It sounded very intense but if it works without damaging the screen, i might give it a try. Facing the same situation as yours. Scratches and dents all over my front chrome bezel.
Do anyone has video or pdf or wtever guide to give the instruction how to disassemble the flyer?(i am thinking to repair the flyer myself) Thank you
Here you go:
www.techrepublic.com/photos/crackin...3?seq=2&tag=content;siu-container#photo-frame
thx, but i have 1 more question, do u know how to remove the digitizer? is it the same way as other smartphone?(use hot gun and remove the digitizer?)
athris said:
thx, but i have 1 more question, do u know how to remove the digitizer? is it the same way as other smartphone?(use hot gun and remove the digitizer?)
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Click to collapse
Yes, there is a note in the techrepublic teardown about it being bonded like a smartphone. You should however be vary careful given the size of the screen more heat (not temperature) is required, and the risk of thermally cracking the underlying LCD panel is correspondingly higher.
Beware! Learn from my adventures.
So, I took apart my wife's HTC Flyer this past week to replace the screen. While the Techrepublic teardown shots are helpful, it's missing about ten steps at the end that involve actually removing the screen. I've messed around with tabletpc's and laptops before but not cell phones so wasn't really prepared for the fact that you have to pretty much take the whole Flyer apart in order to be able to get the screen off. As far as I can tell, no one else has documented taking one of these apart to replace the screen. I will write up something more involved when I get a chance but here's a couple things that I found out about the screen.
1. The part of the screen that you touch with your finger and stylus is not glass! It is a heavy plastic layer that is adhered to the glass digitizer. It is clear with the black around the edge and cutout for the HTC logo. This was the part of my screen that had chips in it. I tried to use a screen repair kit to repair the chips (which I did) but it took off the outer, darker finish in the process. So I moved to the next step, replacing the screen. I didn't know about the outer layer, otherwise that would have been much easier to replace. But, I don't think you can get that part unless you have connections with HTC.
2. The outer layer/digitizer glass comes as one part (along with the n-trig connector). I ordered mine for around $50 on ebay.
3. You will need to take the back off and much of the motherboard to be able to disconnect the n-trig connector.
4. Taking the screen off will take heat. I used a hair dryer but more heat could be better although you have to be careful of the lcd underneath. My digitizer broke while removing and ending up putting a small gouge in the lcd. I was able to fix the lcd well enough, just be careful.
5. HTC used a buttload of sticky tape to secure the glass to the lcd and case. My cheap blue pry tool quickly broke so I ended up using a plastic butter knife to separate digitizer from the case. Once off, I used Goo Be Gone to get rid of all the sticky tape from it. I'm ready to put new tape on but I'm not sure exactly what they used. Anyone have any ideas? It's a black, closed cell sticky tape that is really stringy when it comes to taking off. Most of the stuff I see for sale online seems to be really thin stuff. I picked up some Scotch Outdoor Mounting Tape by 3M that looks to be similar that I am going to experiment with. Anyone know for sure what they used?
6. I put the new digitizer on temporarily to check to see if it worked and it did (yay)! But I still need need to cut all of the tape and put it in the right spot. There are also these little plastic tabs that go on the backside of the screen. They are used to refract light from the led's to light up the outside navigation buttons. Be careful not to lose these. I did, and had to make one. We'll see how I did once I get it back together.
7. I found that there's not a lot of parts out there for these things. At least not compared to cell phones. Now that they're being discontinued, I don't know if that is going to help.
Anyway, I took a few pics along the way and will try to write something up when I get more time. I just wanted to give folks a heads-up on the screen and how it's put together. I can't imagine the View's screen is any different. So whatever they're using for the outer layer isn't Gorilla Glass. Or is it?
UPDATE:
Here are the promised photos of this disaster. I'll add the commentary tomorrow (I'm tired).
Two more comments and I can finally upload my photos.
I need to replace my LCD and Glass...anyone know where I can order these parts...I cant find them anywhere.
Hard to find parts for the Flyer/View which could be a problem. Looks like some is selling an LCD, though on eBay.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/PH-LCD-HT-2...360?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item27bf8f0390 from my PG41200 using Tapatalk
I purchased mine here and it works great.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/260906551668?ssPageName=STRK:MEWNX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1439.l2649
Much better price. What kind of tape did you use? Also did you have to replace any of the light reflacting plastic tabs that are used to light the buttons around the outside of the digitizer?
Sent from my PG41200 using Tapatalk
Will a replacement screen for the Flyer work well on a View?
I don't see why not. Except for some of the internals, they are pretty much identical hardware wise.
UPDATE: So, the digitizer I bought developed a massive dead zone. I already contacted the amazon store I bought it from, they're replacing it for me. Why does this matter? Because now I get to update this post with pictures/video! So, yeah, I guess this guide should get a lot more helpful soon.
Update 2: Ok, so, I don't even know how to express my anger and frustration. This girl at work shoved my phone out of my hands and into the leg of a table, completely destroying my phone. So, yeah, sorry, I guess I won't be updating with pictures/video, because the amazon store isn't going to take the screen back now.
Yo, guys. If anyone noticed that I was gone, I'm flattered, since I don't post a lot. But yeah, I havent had my Optimus G in about a month, so I havent been on this forum. In that time, I went through my Second Motorola Atrix HD, a broken Galaxy S3, and even lived through Google Voice on my computer. It's an extremely long story, and kind of ridiculous, so I'll spare the details.
HOWEVER, I did finally just buy a replacement Digitizer and LCD screen, and successfully installed it, and I want to share tips for anyone doing it themselves.
When removing the back, after you've removed torx screws, start prying the back off from in between where the Sim card and MicroSD go. Where the back of the phone and the chassis of the phone are separate is much more obvious in that cavity, PLUS dents/dings from jamming a screwdriver in there wont be noticeable when you put the bay cover back on.
Don't force anything off. Make sure you've removed every screw, unclipped every clip, and removed ribbons from everything you're trying to take off.
Removing the battery is tricky. Be careful not to deform it too much, cause that's dangerous. But there are 2 strips of double sided tape running horizontally beneath the battery. Try to get something between the top one and the battery, then carefully pull the battery off the second strip with your hands. sticking too much stuff beneath it to pry it up is going to cause some trouble, so lifting it with your fingers might be better.
Remove the motherboard. detatch all the ribbons, antennae, everything, then pull up from the left, then slide left and out. This is how I got it out with the least resistance, but there is no science to it. If you've gotten this far, you can figure out how to pull it out without breaking it in half.
Components that need to be removed before LCD+Digitizer removal:
Motherboard
Battery
Camera
Just put them off to the side, you don't want them damaged during the next part.
WARNING! If you plan on saving your LCD screen, DO NOT DO THIS. The high heat will cook your screen and make it unusable. Only do this to remove a broken or unsavable Digitizer+LCD.
Alright, now pull out the heat gun. Alternatively, you can do what I did, and use a hair dryer. Not even kidding, this will work fine, and will be hilarious when you tell your friends about it.
On a high heat, start heating the screen. If you're using a heat gun, just do your thing, you know how it works. Hair dryer folks, keep the dryer very low to the phone, low enough to feel the dryer being pushed up by the air, holding it just high enough so it sort of hovers. (You'll know what I mean when you try it. If you don't, just keep it about half an inch off the phone.) Move the dryer along the edges of the screen, all the way around, thats where the glue is. It should heat up pretty fast.
Using your pry tool, start at the speaker grill and pry all the way around the phone. lifting just slightly upwards. If it's not extremely easy, apply more heat. Work all the way around, then pull the screen off. Be careful, it's likely you'll shatter the screen even more at this part if you're not careful. User Bozwell had an excellent suggestion (post 4), cover your screen in tape, then begin separating the screen to keep from getting glass everywhere. Great idea, Boz!
Alright, so from here on out, it's just reassembling your phone correctly. Piece o cake.
Firstly, put your new screen in. If it came with adhesive, it's up to you if you want to apply it now. I'd think you probably have to, but up to you.
If you're like me, and no adhesive was provided, hold off on doing anything for now. Just put the screen in the hole, and thread the ribbons through.
The motherboard lines up with some contacts on the chassis in a few places, but most importantly, there is a connection on the top left corner of the body, and the UNDERSIDE of the motherboard that needs to be made. I believe it's proximity sensor, but not sure. It's very difficult to tell if its attached, but look at what I'm describing, and try your best to mate them.
Don't forget ANY cables. Like, that's pretty obvious, but even when you're sure you didnt forget any, check again. The camera's ribbon is underneath the screen's, don't forget that one. I reassebled the whole thing, everything was working perfectly, except I no longer had any mobile connection. I couldn't imagine what I'd broken, since that's a whole different area, but going to phone status and checking my signal strength revealed I forgot to reconnect the white antennae (status showed my signal at -200,000 dbm). So, double check, because the more often you have to reopen your phone, the more flimsy it's going to get.
Alright, screw the plastic shielding back on, reconnect your battery, then flip the phone to be face up. Power it on, test the screen to make sure it's functional. If all is well, power off and glue the screen in. What I did, and I welcome anyone to tell me a better glue type or method, is plain ol Super glue along all the edges where the old glue was. Press it in, flip it over, and while it's drying, finish reassembling the phone (should just be make sure everything is screwed in inside, then put back glass back on.
If your screen wasn't functional, I guess try to get it replaced by whoever you bought it from, and leave your phone disassembled for when it gets to your house.
Alright, that's pretty much the thick and thin of it, it genuinely isn't that hard of a replacement. I've done a number of digitizer/lcd replacements, not bad at all. I hope this helped anyone stuck or wondering about anything. This video can be used as a rough example, but it goes really fast.
Good Luck!
replacement of lcd/digitzer
the removal was a nightmare for me. It was hilarious when the glass cracked it was exploding into a million little bitty pieces. I didnt use much heat, and there lied my problem. But yeah mine cracked in a way that it was completely unresponsive.
gruiz3 said:
the removal was a nightmare for me. It was hilarious when the glass cracked it was exploding into a million little bitty pieces. I didnt use much heat, and there lied my problem. But yeah mine cracked in a way that it was completely unresponsive.
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Haha that's crazy, it bothers me how fragile this phone seems to be.
To keep the glass shards from going everywhere try covering the screen in tape before you start.
bozwell said:
To keep the glass shards from going everywhere try covering the screen in tape before you start.
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Great idea, OP updated!
So, what would I do if the screen itself is ok and it's just the glass (and digitizer) that is broken?
MoFoQ said:
So, what would I do if the screen itself is ok and it's just the glass (and digitizer) that is broken?
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You'll need a real heat gun, I think. You'll have to find a heat just hot enough to soften the glue, but not cook your lcd. Hair dryer method might work if you are extremely careful and very quick, but not sure exactly what the best method would be. Sorry
ripin150 said:
You'll need a real heat gun, I think. You'll have to find a heat just hot enough to soften the glue, but not cook your lcd. Hair dryer method might work if you are extremely careful and very quick, but not sure exactly what the best method would be. Sorry
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I figured...though I've been eye-ing using the screen+digitizer+front housing if and when they get back into stock.
(digitizer only is also out-of-stock)
Okay guys. As you all know, you can't paint aluminum. Spending a bit of time on Oakley forum, it dawned on me that you can duracoat or cerakote a phone. I have a gold a 2017u that is begging for a refinish. I hate gold, but love this phone. Just curious whether anyone has attempted such or if I will be the first monkey launched into space. Just had my X metal XX refinished and would love the gold to be gone. If we had a hardware modding section, I'd post there. Lol.
What about the antenna bands? Fingerprint reader? What about the plastic speaker covers? Most people, including me, are going to tell you that it's just not worth it. This is especially true if it's just for a color change and not to cover scratches. I actually just bought a gold A7 because I think they look nicer in a case than the grey ones do. I'm normally one for subdued colors but in this case the color of the phone is just an accent color. If you do it, pick a color that isn't offered to make it interesting and post the pictures here.
kitcostantino said:
Okay guys. As you all know, you can't paint aluminum. Spending a bit of time on Oakley forum, it dawned on me that you can duracoat or cerakote a phone. I have a gold a 2017u that is begging for a refinish. I hate gold, but love this phone. Just curious whether anyone has attempted such or if I will be the first monkey launched into space. Just had my X metal XX refinished and would love the gold to be gone. If we had a hardware modding section, I'd post there. Lol.
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Lol I can't count how many times I've been tempted to take a piece of sandpaper and at least get rid of the gold finish...
The good thing about the construction of this thing is that once you take it apart, only the FP reader and the camera lens remain there. I guess you can get the lens out with a little bit of pressure and take that gold ring off. The reader has a piece of what seems to be tape upon it, but you may as well leave it there. and having the two antenna lines of another color may even look nice
I really want to see the final product...
I'm torn between durabake and duracoat aerosol. I'm fairly confident that powered off, the 200 degrees f would not melt anything plastic on the phone. I wish I knew more about temperature tolerances. Also. I'm torn between primary red and nwu blue. The aerosol kit doesn't require baking, so likely that is a safer option.
Update: duracoat aerosol ordered.
kitcostantino said:
I'm torn between durabake and duracoat aerosol. I'm fairly confident that powered off, the 200 degrees f would not melt anything plastic on the phone. I wish I knew more about temperature tolerances. Also. I'm torn between primary red and nwu blue. The aerosol kit doesn't require baking, so likely that is a safer option.
Update: duracoat aerosol ordered.
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Wait, you are dissembling the phone right? I vote blue but it's too late.
lol. yes. and i ordered the nwu blue.
honestly, i think it will be a great project. if it works, it will be the motivation to acquire a 64/128. (not too motivated on that presently bc of the hideous gold.) NWU blue should be worlds better than ghetto gold.
i plan to take the phone apart.
i plan to duracoat the speaker grills the same color. same thing on sim tray and the parts where the plastic antennae lines are. i honestly could pull off doing it w/o pulling it apart and taping/masking well considering it doesnt have to bake. but i feel like the pita of full disassembly may be worthwhile.
ive taken many many phones apart. so i am not squeamish there. i just am not certain that the fingerprint sensor and the sapphire glass on the camera are that hard to mask off. (eyes crappy slickwraps extras. lol)
edit: after watching this video:
, i *definitely* am disassembling. i am so stoked for a blue axon. i wish i could make a red decal to replace the logos.
kitcostantino said:
honestly, i think it will be a great project. if it works, it will be the motivation to acquire a 64/128. (not too motivated on that presently bc of the hideous gold.) NWU blue should be worlds better than ghetto gold.
i plan to take the phone apart.
i plan to duracoat the speaker grills the same color. same thing on sim tray and the parts where the plastic antennae lines are. i honestly could pull off doing it w/o pulling it apart and taping/masking well considering it doesnt have to bake. but i feel like the pita of full disassembly may be worthwhile.
ive taken many many phones apart. so i am not squeamish there. i just am not certain that the fingerprint sensor and the sapphire glass on the camera are that hard to mask off. (eyes crappy slickwraps extras. lol)
edit: after watching this video:
, i *definitely* am disassembling. i am so stoked for a blue axon. i wish i could make a red decal to replace the logos.
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Well, I took apart my Moto G 2 and while these 2 phones are worlds apart in terms of build quality, all it took was a soft piece of wood and some force to get the camera lens to pop off. was riddled with scratches. Shouldn't be too hard to get this one off too, maybe with some heat.
You could use one of those crappy skins (only the camera one, anyways) to put on the backside lens if you can see the PCB through once you get the gold ring off, assuming you can't just paint it and put it again. I'm sure one of those brands can ship you only what you want, don't remember the name though
I guess you'll have to sand the whole body for the paint to stick to the aluminum and stay there with all the handling? If you can take some pictures of the sanded backside I'd be grateful, cause I think i'll just sand it, paint whatever's left and let it be
The FP sensor should be easy to modify, JerryRigEverything always scratches fp sensors with a blade (like you'd ever get to that point lol) abd they always keep working, so if you need to sand it so that the paint gets stuck to the plastic, you can. I don't even know what those paints are, they probably don't even import them here in Argentina. But from what I'm deducing they won't stick to plastic will they?
Also, I'd advise you to be real careful with the fabric thingy that covers the speakers. I broke one and lost the other one, so I have to clean the speakers with a magnet every once in a while... (workshop fills them up with iron dust). and something JerryRigEverything didn't mention on the disassemble video was that the power button is free-floating once you take it apart (it can't fall off though) and when I was putting the phone together the chassis somehow bent a little bit. Nothing critical but sure looks bad
Choose an username... said:
Well, I took apart my Moto G 2 and while these 2 phones are worlds apart in terms of build quality, all it took was a soft piece of wood and some force to get the camera lens to pop off. was riddled with scratches. Shouldn't be too hard to get this one off too, maybe with some heat.
You could use one of those crappy skins (only the camera one, anyways) to put on the backside lens if you can see the PCB through once you get the gold ring off, assuming you can't just paint it and put it again. I'm sure one of those brands can ship you only what you want, don't remember the name though
I guess you'll have to sand the whole body for the paint to stick to the aluminum and stay there with all the handling? If you can take some pictures of the sanded backside I'd be grateful, cause I think i'll just sand it, paint whatever's left and let it be
The FP sensor should be easy to modify, JerryRigEverything always scratches fp sensors with a blade (like you'd ever get to that point lol) abd they always keep working, so if you need to sand it so that the paint gets stuck to the plastic, you can. I don't even know what those paints are, they probably don't even import them here in Argentina. But from what I'm deducing they won't stick to plastic will they?
Also, I'd advise you to be real careful with the fabric thingy that covers the speakers. I broke one and lost the other one, so I have to clean the speakers with a magnet every once in a while... (workshop fills them up with iron dust). and something JerryRigEverything didn't mention on the disassemble video was that the power button is free-floating once you take it apart (it can't fall off though) and when I was putting the phone together the chassis somehow bent a little bit. Nothing critical but sure looks bad
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From what i understand, Duracoat will bond to any material, so long as it is degreased and prepped (sanded in this scenario) . So plastic is in. (yay)
i plan to spray the buttons but i do not plan to remove them unless i have to. even the full disassembly is not that hard.
I dont necessarily plan to paint the fp sensor unless i know the finish will not impede functionality. Duracoat may break the functionality, so i might have to be creative. its funny you mention jerryrigeverything's video bc that was my proof of concept for being able to sand the sensor down to not gold color.
on my Droid Turbo, i used to cover the capacitive buttons with clear self adhesive vinyl before i covered the screen with a Skinomi Tech skin. I may just sand the sensor enough for it to no longer be gold and grab some clear self adhesive vinyl to color match, provided that does not break functionality.
as far as sanding/prepping, i plan to emulate the process used in the video here:
and i also plan to take pics and make instructions for the whole process.
The Axon 7 forums dont have any physical mod posts, so it will be nice to put one out there as it is the best device i have owned so far. I used to be a Moto man. but they lost me with the novelty of "mods" and Verizon making boot loaders permanently locked.
My Duracoat should be here by the 30th. i really wish i could buy another color midframe that isnt gold, but ZTE parts are a pain to find.
kitcostantino said:
My Duracoat should be here by the 30th. i really wish i could buy another color midframe that isnt gold, but ZTE parts are a pain to find.
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Any news? I really wanna see that phone
lol. im watching a couple of 128/6 atm bc one can should do two. depending on how that pans out, i may be able to start on it this weekend.
no news yet. i missed out on the 128gb i was watching. honestly, the hardest part is gonna be having to use my Droid Turbo for a week while the Duracoat cures. fortunately, Turbo has some awesome devs. im still paranoid the midframe will chip easily on the sides, but even after i duracoat it, i will still use a case.
i also have to decide by what means to prep the surfaces. i figure a fine sandpaper, then the truestrip that came with the duracoat. masking the round parts is going to be a pita.
so in essence, its close, but im still deciding my plan of attack. after the holiday, i should be ready to start.
well, i have the turbo updated and im about to go pick up my sandpaper. the camera ring (if i cant find how to remove it) i am leaving gold. i had initially thought id sand the gold off of the camera, but its under the glass. ordered dbrand skins for the camera. if all works as planned, that is a compromise im willing to accept.
the plan as it stands: (commencing this evening)
1) Sand finish of back, sides, mid-frame after disassembly.
2) clean all with Tru Strip (included with Duracoat Aerosol kit).
3) duracoat 5 layers, heat flashing in between coats.
4) (hardest step) leave alone for a week and allow to cure.
I will add pics or a vid when and if time allows while im in the process.
Im using 3m Sandpaper and a sanding block i picked up from Walmart. totally forgot painters tape. back to the store i go. camera on Turbo pales in comparison to Axon 7, so bear with me in this process.
gold finish is thicker than anticipated. i cant get down to bare metal. might say screw it and go with what i got.
400 grit takes forever. camera flash is dead. i tore the black material under the fingerprint sensor. totally pulled the trigger too soon. gonna paint as is. eying broken ones on ebay. if all else goes well (prepped to duracoat atm) either i will live w/o flash and fingerprint sensor (bc of my own haste) or ill buy a grey A7. either way, this back will look great on another axon 7.
also, the gold on the camera lens is a sticker on the bottom side. popped out, and when i went to grab it, thats when the flash fell out.
its probably doomed to look like crap, but progress.
more
verdict: bad ideas ruined a great project. axon is dead. at least, locked in a boot loop. buttons are stuck. buying grey now. lol. lessons learned.
Try using a razor blade to scrape the inside edges of the button holes.