iPad 2 Front Glass/Digitizer Touch Panel

My Problem

I broke the screen after dropping the ipad.

My Fix

I purchased a new screen and repair kit from iFixit. It was delivered on time, however at the end of the install, I determined that I must have cut through the flex wire that controls the on/off button. I contacted iFixit for some advice and Mike was so very nice and worked with me to ensure I had the correct parts to complete the fix. I also had to get a second new screen as I accidentally broke the new one while installing it (my fault). Again, iFixit did everything they could to help me. I will only work with iFixit in the future as the products are high quality and the customer service exceeded all expectations. Thank you to the iFixit team and specifically Mike.

My Advice

Be sure to follow the videos and the documentation. It working with both, you wont have any problems.

My Problem

Shattered my front panel 4 years ago and had it replaced at a local shop with a thick generic panel which decided to stop working late last year.

My Fix

Since the first repair used Norman double adhesive tape, panel was already popping off long before it stopped working which made replacement really easy and didn't have to go through the trouble of getting the screen off.

Together with the detailed guide, I had my iPad back up and running in less than 20 minutes!

My Advice

Make sure to clean all surfaces before installation, it's pretty annoying to see a couple specks of dust that must have been hiding from the corner after adhering it back to the body.

My Problem

cracked screen - spiderweb

My Fix

it was ok, however a cracked screen often means tiny bits.

My Advice

The fixit youtube video did not show how to replace the home button, it also didn't state that the touchscreen cable to the glass was a part that came with the glass. It also had conflicting information on the heat pad supplied - the video said 2 minutes, the heat pad said 30 seconds. mine exploded in the microwave. I found having access to a heat gun was invaluable - and highly recommended. I used a air compressor to blow out glass fragments, and resolvent to get rid of excess glue.

My Problem

Kids dropped the ipad and it hit the corner and cracked the touchpanel.

My Fix

Repair was easy with the I removal tool. It loosed the adhesive nicely. Used rubber gloves to prevent fingerprints and the finished repair was good. The bends in the corners were still there but it's not worth getting the tool as the ipad is worth less than that tool.

My Advice

All there is to know about this ipad is out there already. Tape applied over the cracked glass stops the tiny pieces from flying everywhere. Safety glasses are a must because glass in your eye is not something you want.

My Problem

The digitizer was highly fractured, and multiple corners of the frame were bent in.

My Fix

Straightforward repair, removal of the digitizer was tedious but that was expected. Fixing the frame was easy with a Recorner It Tool.

My Advice

After you have the digitizer removal started, get a spudger under the adhesive strip and while heating the area you want to move into, roll the spudger away from the heated area. The adhesive will stick to the top of the spudger, so you will really be rolling it toward the heated area. This will lift all the tiny fragments at once quickly and easily.

My Problem

Large fissure on from the upper left corner to the lower left corner, and broken glass.

My Fix

iOpener kit gives you what you need to open up a ipad for presumably most repairs.

The demonstration video works well because the glass itself is intact. If like mine it is in poor condition be prepared to spend a long time scraping off shards.

It's not that the glass is easy to shatter, it's the fact the glue is so strong if you don't loosen it up enough it's only going to get worse.

I only got cut once!

My Advice

During the prying off stages i managed to severe both the wifi antenna as well as the right GPS module. The guide here states to be careful around the wifi antenna. It doesn't communicate why though...

The cable conecting both the wifi and the right GPS are glued onto the front panel. In these two areas you want to approach from the edge of the iPad and push inwards pressing up against the inside of the glass. Sliding just outright cuts the cables.

My Problem

A friend offered me his iPad that had a badly broken screen for free. He knows that I'm pretty handy with woodworking, so he thought I might give a try with electronics. He had covered it with packing tape, and it was still functional, but it would make some errors recognizing touches, swipes, taps, and such. With a free iPad in my hands I figured it was worth investing a little money into it just to have the experience, even if I ended up ruining it.

I have an iPad supplied by my employer, and this was going to be for my wife and kids.

My Fix

I didn't want to buy a new front panel if I ended up destroying the iPad in the dis-assembly process. So I actually removed the broken glass before ordering the new parts. The fact that I am writing this now is proof that the removal went okay (it was a little harder than I expected) and while I had no way to be sure if it was still working, I had not done much visible damage.

The only thing I damaged was the wi-fi/bluetooth antenna, but it looked like it was only damage to the part that holds it in place--I thought it would not impair the function. So I ordered the front panel, and waited for it to arrive. It came faster than expected! (Well played, iFixit. Well played.)

In case you are seeing that I ordered the home button assembly--the button bent a little when I peeled it off the old glass, and probably would have been okay after a touch of flattening. But I tought it might be weakened and, therefore, fail sooner rather than later. I decided to order a new home button assembly just for good measure, because I don't want to have to open up this iPad again.)

When the front panel and home button arrived the assembly on that part was really easy. When I got it back in place enough to test, it turns out that the wi-fi antenna needed some help. It was working, but clearly getting a weak signal (only 1 bar, standing 3 feet away from my Time Machine tells me there was a problem.) So I ordered a new wifi antenna, and my wife and the kids got frustrated that they were going to have to wait for another delivery. But it also came faster then expected! (Bravo, iFixit.)

Putting the wifi antenna in required removing more internal parts, which was a little nerve-wracking, but I got it in, and went to test - Success!!!

My Advice

Wear eye protection when removing broken glass. Covering the whole glass front with tape would probably be a good idea. I had tape on part, but not all, of the screen--it made a noticeable difference.

Take seriously the warnings about the location of the wifi antenna.

The tools that come withe the front panel assembly kit seem like they would have really helped the removal process. I would have been better off ordering the part in advance.

My Problem

My dad dropped his iPad while he was on a metro and cracked the screen into a small, intense spiderweb right where the guide said to try to gain access with a larger crack extending from the web to the bottom left of the display.

My Fix

Overall, not as cleanly and the guide showed because of the location of the crack. The initial entry point wound up creating more cracks which continued to happen as I went around the front panel, but eventually I was able to get all the now-small pieces off and removed the screen.

I wasn't able to use the plastic tools in the repair kit to fit between the bezel and the panel or, one I had removed a chunk of the spider web, under the panel and the body beneath. A small metal screwdriver sharpened on a whetstone for about 15 second gave a nice small chisel that was perfectly willing to get under the panel (glass) and lift up so I could insert the guitar picks.

Through a combination of not being sure where exactly the wifi antenna was (10%) and being impatient and not paying full attention (90%) I ripped the antenna, but I was able to order a new one and have it arrive much much sooner than I thought I would. Installing this was part was ridiculously easy since the glass panel was already off and everything under that is just philips head screws.

Putting the adhesives on the new front panel was rather difficult because the only guide I had for the placement of the strips was the pictures, but I managed to more or less get it save for a spot at the top where it'll sort of click in and out if you press on it. I'm not sure why the adhesives need to be put on the clean new front panel that doesn't have any guides on it. If you could put the adhesives on the inside of the iPad where you can apply it directly to the structures that you want the front panel to adhere to, it would be a whole lot easier.

I didn't time how long it took me to get the front panel off because I got frustrated and took a couple of breaks, but reassembling took about 4 hours because I put it all together without any of the adhesives to make sure everything worked before it got sealed up, then stripped it again down to the wifi antenna (which has its own adhesives front and back) to do it for real.

My Advice

DO A TEST FIT before you seal it all up in case something isn't working. I didn't have any problems and it took me quite a bit longer because I did the test fit, but if something had been wrong and I'd sealed it up, I would be quite irritated with myself. Also, the ribbon connoting the new front panel to the logic board is flat and it needs to be bent in order for it to fit as close to flush as possible, so if you seal it up without doing this, you're gonna have a bad time.

WEAR GLOVES WHEN HANDLING THE NEW FRONT PANEL. I didn't and tried my best to clean off my finger smudges on the inside/back of the new panel but there are three small ones that I missed. You have to look closely to see them, but they're still there and that annoys me.

BE AWARE OF WHERE THE WIFI ANTENNA IS. It's stuck to the front panel with an adhesive and it's about as thin as a piece of tin foil and just as easily ripped.

and of course, IF THE GLASS IS CRACKED, DO THE SURGERY SOMEWHERE YOU CAN VACUUM UP ALL THE SMALL PIECES OF GLASS THAT WILL FLY OFF WITHOUT PERMISSION. This will happen and it will not please you. Also beware small glass splinters. They hurt but can be pulled without problem with some tweezers or a well placed thumb and pointer finger. Use tape to pick up the small bits of glass that fall down inside the iPad.