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Repair information and guides for the Apple iPhone 5c that was announced on September 10, 2013. Model: A1532, A1456

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Removing non-original/3rd party LOCA

Does anybody have any tips on removing LOCA? I have a bunch of LCDs I want to refurbish, the originals are simple because they use OCA which is just a sheet that peels off but LOCA is a lot harder and removing it is just a pain. Does anybody have any tips on what to use?

Answer this question I have this problem too

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3 Answers

I've refurbished more than a handful of LCD's and I use a special "LOCA Remover" and a plastic razor blade that you can pick up on eBay. The remover works quite well, but unfortunately it's only useful after glass has been cut off using a "hot plate/separator tool". In my opinion, this is where the most risk is, especially on the previously refurbished LCD's, which were bonded with LOCA.

I'm sorry to report my success rate on these LOCA units are abysmal. You've got to get your hot plate up quite hot (100C max) to soften up the LOCA enough to cut thru it. And it will not soften up anything like the dry sheet adhesive. When you have an LCD with a spider web of long shards of broken glass, it can be a nightmare releasing the glass from the LOCA, without cracking the digitizer underneath. I hope you have better luck than me!

The new LCD's or LCD's which were bonded with the dry sheet adhesive you mentioned (the RIGHT WAY to do it), are by comparison a cinch! ***When the dry OCA sheets are used, you also side-step problems, such as LOCA seepage that typically ruins the backlight panel. So, be prepared to solder on new backlights when refurbishing with LOCA. And please share any discovery of yours to safely get these LCD's separated and cleaned!

*If you're interested in refurbishing with less headache using the sheet adhesive, you will need a machine that is capable of applying vacuum, heat, and pressure simultaneously to re-bond the glass! You can get one of these machines direct from China. Unfortunately it will set you back a couple $$Grand.

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Yeah i've looked into them machines.

I refurbed an iPhone 5 and it looks fine. had a nightmare as well as the mould was really cheap and didn't seat the lcd properly but it still turned out fine with no bubbles.

just a lot of scratches after i've cleaned it, although you can't see them i know they are there and i just don't like it done that way

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I don't know any but i'm very curious to get to know about it.

Especially considering that I read that even the cryogenic separators work well only with the original glue.

On refurbished screens/glue they would be a lot less efficient.

Has anyone any feedback on that point?

Thx!

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David F will be eternally grateful.
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