My Problem

The kids iPod has been dropped so many times that the screen finally gave up.

My Fix

Replacing these screens are not very easy to do, due in part to the size of the components you are dealing with. The guide provided with the iFixit app was great in showing me how to remove the display. It failed in providing me with instructions on how to put it back together. I had to look at other websites to figure out the best approach in trying to reconnect the lcd display to the ic board.

My Advice

If your going to provide instructions, make sure the are complete with instructions on how to put the device back together after you have dismantled your device.

My Problem

Replacing the cracked screen was cheaper than buying a new ipod AND it saved a lot of photos that would have been lost.

My Fix

The repair went very well, as usual. Took less than an hour because I like to take my time.

My Advice

Read the guides if it is your first time doing a repair! Some repairs are complex while others are not. Make sure you have all the right tools, iFixit has them and you cannot do it with out them!

My Problem

My 11 year old daughter dropped her ipod in the driveway and shattered the screen. She had purchased this ipod with her own money and i couldn't bear to see her so upset about it. I searched and found the parts and detailed guide for the repair on ifixit and decided to give it a try.

My Fix

As this was my first attempt at repairing such a device, I took my time and followed the guide. The whole process took about 3 hours, with a couple of hitches along the way. Because the screen was shattered, when i started to pry it up it came out in pieces. Once i got under the LCD then it got easier. The rest of the dis-assembly went pretty smooth but slow. Re-assembly was a little more tricky as plugging in the ribbon cables was challenging. There was not enough room to get my finger under the board to plug in the first cable, so using the pry tool took a couple tries. I also had to use the pry tool to hold the second cable in place as i positioned the screen to push it back down for the final step as this cable was very short. It was very gratifying to get the screen back in place, turn the ipod on and see it run through the start up logo.

My Advice

Putting a piece of clear tape over the screen before i started the dis-assembly seemed to help hold the broken glass together(except the first couple of chunks). There also seemed to be a generous amount of adhesive between the mid plate and speaker, so be sure to heat this area well before prying the mid plate up. Oh, and hold your hand over the plate for the rear facing camera when prying it off. Mine went flying over my shoulder when it popped loose.

My Problem

I own a small computer repair shop and business is a little slow these days. I'm always looking for ways to bring in more revenue and when an opportunity comes up I usually jumped on it.

My wife saw a post in FaceBook from one of her friends that asked if anybody knew where to get a shattered screen replaced on an iPod. There were, of course, several replies telling her where to take it and what it would cost. My wife asked if I would be interested. I did a quick Google search which brought me to ifixit.com. A general search on the site took me right to an overview of the repair and the general cost of a replacement screen. I immediately knew it was something I could do, so I told my wife to reply back and give the person a quote $40 below the highest shown in the replies and have her give me a call if she was interested. She called within half an hour.

While I was on the phone with the customer, I was going through the ifixit website. Based on the information I was learning from the site, I was able to explain to the customer how to get the model number from her iPod and when she gave me that, I immediately found the replacement screen. I was literally learning on the fly, searching the site, answering her questions and sounding like I've been doing this for years. I ended the call and prepared to finish the order. Going through the instructions, I found out I needed a heat gun and special tools to disassemble the iPod. In the end, I was relieved when I figured out I wouldn't be losing any money on this deal.

So, I ordered the iPod Touch screen, a heat gun, and the tools needed to make the repair. The price I quoted the customer covered the cost of the parts, tools, and shipping with $20 left over. I guess I get to keep the tools and my wife gets the 20 bucks. Anyway, now I just had to hope that I can do the repair when the part comes in.

My Fix

The repair went great! The ifixit.com instructions were perfect and very precise.

The iPod screen was shattered on the bottom left side corner next to the Home button. That actually made it a little easier to get started with the disassembly since it gave me a small opening to pry on. The first few steps went without a hitch. However, to my dismay, in step five I learned that I didn't have the right size screwdrivers. I had the same micro driver set for years and very rarely did I ever use the 2 smallest drivers. At this point it was too late in the evening to go out and purchase a set and I was too impatient to wait until the next day. So I improvised by fashioning some flat tip screwdrivers from exacto knife blades. I ground the tips to fit snuggly in the screw slots. These were a little awkward to use, but it got the job done. I won't do it that way again . . .

I followed the rest of the procedures and had the iPod back together in a little over an hour. That does not include the time it took for fabricating the screwdrivers and uh, looking for a screw that fell on the floor (that alone blew 45 minutes).

This wasn't part of the procedures and I'm not sure how dangerous for the iPod it was, but before applying the glue, I put everything together and fired up the device to make sure everything worked. It did just fine!

To my surprise, reapplying the glue wasn't as difficult as I thought it would be. Using a razor blade, I cut to glue strips apart and lined them up the way they would go into the iPod. Using small tweezers and an exacto knife I put the small strips in place and used my smallest (too big) micro flat tip screwdriver to press the adhesive into the appropriate areas. I let it sit for a while before pulling the backing off.

After making a last check, I lined up the screen and pushed it down and it fell right in place. I was very excited that it fit perfectly and looked like the original screen all the way around the edges. After that, a final test to determine that everything worked and I was done!

The customer was very happy and I'm sure she'll recommend me to others. I know for sure that she updated status in FaceBook about getting her iPod fixed at a really good price.

My Advice

Don't over estimate your tools. I thought I had everything I needed but my smallest micro-screwdriver was too big for the job.

A small low-strength magnet will help hold small screws while you're working on the device.

My Problem

The device had been dropped, breaking the display/digitizer. The iPod has sentimental value so the owner asked me to attempt to repair it.

My Fix

I broke the first digitizer because I hadn't thoroughly cleaned the area where the glass sits. The second attempt was better and I got it together without too much problem.

My Advice

Make sure the digitizer cable is correctly folded back on itself otherwise it will interfere with the display seating correctly. Use enough stickum on the edges where the display assembly sits. Be very careful and don't force anything.

My Problem

iPod was unusable due to the glass shards that was constantly removing

My Fix

Flawless following the guide online

My Advice

Be sure to remove all the original adhesive before apply the new one or at the end screen and frame will be not perfectly aligned

My Problem

This iPod had a cracked screen. One of my students asked me to give it a shot

My Fix

This repair is best for somebody with thinner fingers than me- or better finesse. I'm over fifty, so need magnifiers to see all the little bits. Somewhere in China there's a cadre of assemblers who could field strip this thing in 28 seconds or less, but not here.

My Advice

1) Don't forget to transfer the home button!

2) Read the whole step before starting it- "don't rip the copper strip, oh dang too late).

3) It will get better with experience; the first time sucks.

My Problem

Screen shattered.

My Fix

Repair went well using the guides. Keep the screws in order! The ribbon cable you connect on the underside of the logic board is tricky but it WILL snap into place, be patient. The adhesive templates can be ambiguous; note that the small square cut outs are removed to make holes to avoid covering screws and components.

My Advice

When pressing the screen back into the unit, do not press too hard. You run the risk of damaging a portion of the screen. If you are lined up and you press firmly, the adhesive will do the rest, so be sure to scrape off the old stuff and install the new adhesive properly.

My Problem

This was a simple fix of the glass being broken.

My Fix

I bought the replacement glass. I thought it was strange that the adhesive didn't come with it. Anyway, after replacing the glass, the digitizer didn't work. It appeared that the cables didn't come with the pads that keep them in place. So I was attempting to solve that when I apparently clobbered the LCD. Now the screen was blank white with a few streaks of red and blue. So, I ordered the display assembly with glass, LCD, and digitizer. Now the screen is black. When I tried the original parts, the screen is black also. I've purchased a used iPhone (from Ebay. Still waiting) to test the parts against.

My Advice

For a quick fix that I've done a few time before, this one turned sour. But, my motto is "never say die". I will follow up when I get the used iPhone.

My Problem

15 year old boy, iPod touch gets a shattered screen. Depression & devastation ensues.

My Fix

I gave the boy the screen and the URL to ifixit instructions and waited anxiously. Watching his face when it came back to life was priceless.

My Advice

Seriously, just breath and follow the directions. Slow & steady.