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GSM iPad 2 with 16, 32, or 64 GB of storage, and a Dual Core A5 Processor. Model Number A1396. Repair is complicated and requires heat and prying.

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Replacement Digitizer, wifi antenna, and volume/power assembly

I opened my ipad2 in order to replace the wifi antenna. I made sure to keep the digitizer/screen intact when removing. Success. However, I clipped the ribbon for the volume/power buttons. I made the wifi antenna replacement, reinstalled the lcd and the digitizer and plugged the device in to the wall to make sure the iPad powers and everything works well as I wait for another volume/power assembly to arrive in the mail. Now the digitizer doesn't seem to be responding to finger swipes. Is this a simple digitizer replacement problem now or did I do something else to damage the device? Can I replace the digitizer (I have a replacement on hand) while the device is powered or do I have to wait until the battery dies as I can't power down the device with a broken power button? Thanks for the help- I'm obviously a novice.

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Its always best to power down a device before working on it, so I wouldn't suggest trying to replace the digitizer with the device still on to prevent any further damage.

It does sounds like the digitizer got damaged, worse case scenario the FPC connectors on the logic board where the digitizer cable plugs into got damaged. But you won't know till you try the new digitizer. There is 1 single screw holding the logic board down on the battery contacts. Simply remove this screw and with a plastic thin pry tool gently lift the logic board up slightly so its not touching the battery contacts anymore (there is a little adhesive holding the logic board to the frame so it will require a little force but not too much), this will power down the device. Ive attached a pic below showing the single screws that needs to be removed. Ignore the 2 screws on the right of the pic.

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https://d3nevzfk7ii3be.cloudfront.net/ig...

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If I did this process without shutting down the device with the power button would that be okay? Or do I need the battery run out thereby eliminating power from the device?

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Like I stated above its always best to power down the device. I would never recommend to someone to leave the device powered on, I have seen lots of people work on iPads with it powered on and have no issues. So its up to you, the above process I mentioned is extremely easy to do. Waiting for an iPad battery to die could take a while especially if its fully charged. Those things stay charged for a long time.

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in regards to the digitizer, make sure the cable is inserted all the way into the FPC connectors and that the little black tabs are pressed down. Also make sure the digi cable is not being pinched between the glass and the aluminum chassis. Since you've already replaced the wifi antenna I'm assuming that you lifted the logic board to plug the wire in. If that is the case just undo all the logic board screws again and lift it away from the battery terminals and that will shut down the ipad. The logic board should lift pretty easily since you've already loosened the adhesive.

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Replacing the wifi antenna does not require you to remove the logic board. I know that iFixit guides only shows this as the way to do it and its actually a lot of extra work that is needed, they really should update the repair guide showing the easier more effective way of replacing the antenna. Ive attached a video if you are interested in seeing how it really should be done.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iiFtIvab...

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Hmmm, learn something new everyday. Though I never thought of lifting the logic board as that big a deal. Thanks for the link.

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No problem & you're welcome. I learn new things everyday, one reason I love working on electronics. I will agree, I don't find removing the logic board a big deal either but for someone that is new to iPad repairs it can be a lot of extra work and they take the chance of damaging more things. Like the connector for the speaker, I see a lot of techs pull that connector on the logic board right off when they unplug the speaker. So I try to recommend things that could prevent further mishaps.

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