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As a whole, the iPad lineup has never been easy to repair. Since the second generation, all iPads have been sealed shut with copious amounts of glue, deterring many would-be repairs. Previously, the only way to open an iPad was to blast the perimeter of the tablet with a heat gun to melt the adhesive. While this method will indeed open an iPad, it is very difficult. Add that to the possible side effects of warping the LCD, melting exposed plastic components—such as the home button—and burning your fingers, and you have a recipe for a headache.
At iFixit, our goal is to make repair as easy as possible. We saw that the necessity for a heat gun was deterring many DIY enthusiasts from repairing iPads, so we searched long and hard for a better solution. We needed something that would make the repair not only easier, but faster, safer, and more convenient as well. We found the solution to our iPad opening problem in the iOpener.
The iOpener was designed to apply the same heat as a wily heat gun, but in a much easier, safer, and more sustainable way. By using a material with a high heat capacity, the iOpener can easily transfer heat from one place to another. The iOpener is heated in a microwave, and then laid across the surface of the iPad, applying heat only where it is necessary. In this way, the iOpener has a huge advantage over the heat gun method.
Tech Specs ¶
Weight: 10 ounces
Length: 13 inches
Height: 3 inches
Depth: 3 inches
Cover: Cotton
Stories
My Problem
Looking for an easier way to remove top glass
on an ipad without cracking it by using too much'
heat from a heatgun.
My Fix
iOpener concentrated heat evenly , still used
heatgun periodically along with guitar picks and
opening tools. Removed screen unbroken.
My Advice
iopener seems a little too stiff. Could be alot more
flexible.
My Problem
a friend had an iPad 4 with a cracked screen, i enjoy fixing apple products so i decided to give it a shot.
My Fix
the repair went well, the iOpener works a little slow but i may need to try it again and make sure i follow the steps carefully, i already had a heat gun so i used that for the repair. everything went well and the new screen fit perfectly.
My Advice
Loving the 54 bit Driver kit! the magnetizer/dema
My Problem
My best friend and I bought our iPad 3 4G's at the same time. My friend started dating a girl so I hadn't seen him in a couple of months. I ran into him one night and he let me know that he had dropped his iPad and was very upset about it. I was too after seeing the picture he took of it. He dropped it getting out of his car. It was in a padded slip case and it didn't drop far but hit right on the corner as you'll see in the picture. He didn't think it could be fixed by the likes of us but I reminded him that i'd taken plenty of (successful) risks with iPods, a MacBookPro and several other computers, but never an iPad. I told him about iFixit but he had doubts. I did some research and told him it would run about $150 to fix the front panel. Well worth it to quit cutting his fingers and having to relive the experience everyday. He agreed so I ordered the tools and display from iFixit.
My Fix
The repair was tedious and slow because the display was falling apart in tiny pieces. We finally hit a point where we got a good chunk so to make it heat up faster we used a hair dryer along with the iOpener. We didn't have any problems after that. We used an Xacto knife ,(very carefully) and iFixit tweezers to get off the remainder of adhesive and little bits of glass. We also used a small vacuum cleaner to keep the work area clean. Heat was the most important tool we had. We had to be careful though not to over heat the iPad and damage it. Its a fine line between not enough heat and too much. Before adhering the display we hooked it up and lined it up to make sure it worked. It didn't. We were about 5 hrs. in so we waited overnight to troubleshoot. I reached out to the help forum on iFixit and got some advice to hold down the lock button for about 15 seconds then plug in the iPad to power and it should boot up. It didn't boot so I thought maybe a hard reset by holding the lock button and the home button for about 15 seconds and then plug it in, that did it! I was so happy to see my friends eyes light up when the white apple showed up on the screen. We tested everything from a list we found on a video on YouTube. Everything worked fine so we stuck the display on, heated the tape a bit and put a couple big books on it overnight. It was well worth the time we put into it.
My Advice
We felt like the day we got our iPads in the mail, there is still a little chip on the aluminum housing but we filed it down very carefully with a very fine file. The beauty of that new display took our eyes away from it. The best advice I could give would be first and foremost heat! Then, patience and plenty of time. If we would have realized the importance of direct heat on the edges we could have cut our work time by quite a bit. 2 heads and 4 hands really helped! You may also want to replace the bevel depending on the severity of the break. It was a difficult task but the reward is well worth it! Thank you iFixit for saving my ) ) one more time!
My Problem
My dad was handing hid new iPad 2 to my nephew, something, possibly a green rat ran by, and the exchange was intercepted by the ground. (Also, was facetiously taken out of the will at 9 years old for giving my dad the number for hair club for men...)
My Fix
The removal of the cracked screen was more difficult than I had anticipated, what with the tiny shards flying about. But the iOpener really saved the day! I was able to loosen that industrial strength tape and get the glass off! I had bought spare wifi antennas, so was not devastated when that snapped. I had seen that coming due to the location of the crack(right over the bottom corner where it is glued in place) I was able to get everything hooked up and working (Hurrah!!) but then I noticed a hairline fracture inside the LCD. Sad... But I will have that in on Saturday!
My Advice
Seriously, wear protective glasses! I removed the majority of the glass to get the LCD out so it wouldn't get scratched (oh irony) and then removed the shards still glued down- little tiny sand sized glass kept pinging off my glasses! Also- patience is key and have really really good lighting!
My Problem
A student broke their iPad and I was contracted to do the repair. This is a common occurrence with young students it seems.
My Fix
It went really well. The iOpener worked better than I thought it would've and I used one of the suction cups to pry it open once I loosened the adhesive. With the small suction cups they seem to give away a lot, the heavy duty ones don't.
My Advice
I used the iSesamo opening tool extensively and I ended up squashing a lot of the bezel down. Next time, I'll use the iSesamo tool to get a starting point, but try to use the guitar picks a little more.
My Problem
Screen cracked.
My Fix
Perfect.
My Advice
Be patient. Don't forget the little clips for the camera and button.
My Problem
There are spots on the LCD surface and visible through the LCD glass.
My Fix
Open the LCD glass using the iOpener tools with suction cups, then clean the other of the LCD glass and LCD surface, put back the LCD glass.
My Advice
Check the repair guide from ifixit if open LCD glass the first time, otherwise, very easy to break the glass which cost at lease US$50 from ebay.
My Problem
The iPad was dropped on concrete and the glass shattered. Luckily the rest of the iPad was completely functional.
My Fix
It took quite a bit of time to remove the smaller pieces of glass before I was able to get enough solid glass surface(s) to get the guitar picks under. But the time was definitely worth it as my iPad is back up and running for a third of the cost of sending to Apple for out-of-warranty repair.
My Advice
The iOpener has to be hot! Mine smelled a bit like popcorn when heated fully. Also note that the iOpener will release moisture as it is heated. Since the glass was already cracked, this moisture can make it's way into the hardware. I used an Xacto knife and tweezers to remove the smaller pieces of glass and used the iOpener to warm the larger pieces which were easily seperated from the case with the guitar picks.
The pictures make it seem as if the WiFi antenna is attached to the glass. It's more of a foam-rubber seal and wasn't attached. It may actually be better to treat that area like the touchscreen ribbon and avoid it entirely. Or at most, only insert the guitar pick about 1/8" in.
The guide doesn't show it but the button and camera fixtures must be removed from the existing glass and attached to the new. This is another spot where the Xacto knife comes in handy as once the old glass is off you can slide the blade under the fixtures to easily remove them. The adhesive that comes with the glass includes pieces for the button but not the camera so cut some from the waste material.
My Problem
We are an authorized servicer for Apple and we found this tool to come in very handy.
My Fix
The tool saved hours in our speed of service performance goals.
My Advice
If you are looking for hassel free repair for your Apple display device, I recommend iFixit!
My Problem
Ipod battery
Iphone 5 screen
Ipad 2 screen
POV Mobii Battery
and on and on and on......
My Fix
This complete toolset and the Apple repairset are the tools i was searching for. For many years i used screwdrivers and self made plungers, mostly inaffective.
Now with my new toolset it is easy and works nice and fast.
My Advice
YES, only one advice for al the costumers on youre site.
Spend good time searching for the right tools, you find them all on the site of ifixit.com. Search - klik - order. Before you know the packaged will be delivered worldwide.
The best service i ever met is on this website!
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