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Repair information and guides for the Apple iPhone 5s that was announced on September 10, 2013. Model: A1533, A1453, A1457, A1528, A1530, A1518

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Rear camera broken because of broken copper tape?

Hi everybody. Recently I opened up my iPhone 5s because I eperienced some ghost clicking and I read on this forum it could be because of some bad connected connectors.

Well, I accidentally broke the copper tape in the process. I completely removed the copper tape, closed the device and started using it to see if everything was ok.

Unfortunately, while I fixed the ghost clicking issue, I realized there were problems with the rear camera.

I could access the rear camera app, can switch to the perfectly working front camera and swipe to video/time lapse/1:1/etc., but all I see is a solid black screen, like I am taking a pic in the complete darkness.

Could it be that the broken copper tape caused some damage to the rear camera? What should I do to fix this problem?

Answered! View the answer I have this problem too

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Update: the front camera is working bad, can access only to video and photo, can't do timelapse, slowmo etc., plus sometimes it freezes.

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If you are referring to a very thin copper colored plastic with possibly little lines running through it, this is not tape. This is a data cable, and if that is the case, yes that needs to be replaced.

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Thanks, but I am referring to a little squared piece of electric tape-looking adhesive that was attached on the metal plate behind the LCD. What else could cause the problems I described?

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It is more likely that you unseated the rear camera or damaged a component that is part of the camera circuit. This is a very common DYI mistake.

I'd open it back, and reseat the back camera connector on the board. That copper tape you mention won't prevent the cameras from working.

Next, if the above does not solve it, I'd remove (ever gently) the black perforated insulation sticker that covers the components around the connectors, and examine underneath them using a magnifying glass. You may spot something missing. And at this level you'd probably need someone experienced with microsoldering/iPhone board level repair to fix it for you.

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Thanks a lot. I did everything you said and I'm still having problems with the cameras.

I noticed there's a microscopic piece of metal missing from the digitizer cable... could it be the reason of the malfunctioning?

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I doubt. Disconnect the front cam cable altogether, reconnect battery, the restart the phone and test the back battery. Any change? Make sure you are lifting it from the table to see anything through the lens :)

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Problem solved! It was a hardware issue: the rear camera simply died. I replaced it and now everything works!

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ignitus will be eternally grateful.
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