iPod 4G Front Panel

My Problem

iPhone 6 screen glass was shattered.

My Fix

Repair went fairly smoothly. Some of the ribbon cables were a bit stressful to pull off their adhesive.

My Advice

Go very slowly on those ribbon cables. Using the spudger helps a lot. Project tray was an absolute life saver. Those screws are tiny and want to roll around. The tray provides a nice way to separate the steps as there are more boxes than there are steps with parts being removed. some of the screws in a single step were very similar in size 3mm vs 2.7mm so I put these in separate containers so when reversing the steps I don't have to even look at them. Just pick em up knowing it's the right screw.

Also, I chose a black screen replacement on my previously white phone. This resulted in a multi color front which is actually pretty sweet.

My Problem

Over the past several months, I started noticing a significant decrease in battery life on my iPhone 6. It used to go two or even three days without a charge, but it got to the point where it wouldn't even get through one day and started just shutting off even with 26% or so remaining.

My Fix

Overall, compared to the other repairs I've done, this was very easy. The display was very easy to open up, and the old battery came out without a problem.

My Advice

I did run into a couple of minor issues, one of which I think should be noted in the instructions (or perhaps it was and I missed it). When installing the new battery, I did not realize that the connector and cable needed to be bent a certain way to match the original one BEFORE setting the battery in place. Because of this, when I initially placed the battery, part of the cable was sticking out in such a way that I wouldn't have been able to install the display back into place properly. Luckily I had enough room to bend the connector to match the original one and was able to make it work, though it was more difficult doing this with the battery already stuck to the phone. The second issue I had was after putting everything back together, there was one small vertical section of the digitizer that did not work. The solution to this was to simply re-seat the display connectors. After that everything worked perfectly, and my battery now lasts two full days again!

My Problem

My iPhone's Lightning connector was difficult to plug in successfully. I tried cleaning it out, thinking it might be dusty or grimy inside, but it made no difference. I've had the iPhone SE for almost 2 years and have also noticed that the battery performance was getting worse and worse. It turned out to be cheaper to purchase iFixit's Battery Replacement kit and the Lightning Connector replacement than to buy all the parts required to replace the Lightning Connector separately. The battery kit had all the tools I needed for both repairs, so I got the kit (with battery) and the Lightning Connector replacement, and I threw in a Anti-Static Project Tray for good measure.

My Fix

It went well! It did require some prep work to figure out how to combine both repairs. I compared the repairs side-by-side and discovered they forked at Step 23, after removing the front panel assembly. I removed and replaced the battery first, then the Lightning connector. It was tricky at some points, but the repair instructions were often reassuring. I wish there had been more details about installing the new Lightning connector, especially highlighting the bracket for the Touch ID cable connector in Step 32. It took me several minutes to figure out just how that plug had been situated onto the component right above the microphone.

Putting it all back together was pretty fun, actually. However, I ended up with a single cat hair jutting into the headphone jack that no tugging would remove. I decided I didn't care to open everything up again, and I left it as a reminder of my kitty hanging out with me during the repair. Checking now, it looks like the hair may have broken off.

My Advice

Read each step closely _before_ doing anything! Have a glass of water nearby to force yourself to slow down and rest between each step.

If you've got furry animals nearby, watch out for floating hairs that may end up in the device!

Also, use the Project Tray, or something similar, and make your own system for organizing the screws you've removed. It gave me peace of mind to know where each individual screw was kept and in which order to replace them. I organized them in order of removal, left to right, and top-down as they were written in the instructions. Then, to replace them, I went right to left and bottom-up in the instructions. No mix-ups or mistakes!

My Problem

Device was out of warranty and I had the spare parts from another similar device.

My Fix

I made myself a chart to put underneath it while I work. It's paired with my step by step instructions I make for myself while I disassemble something. As I take something apart I put the screws/parts in the tray. Then I can go back in reverse order when I assemble the machine and grab the parts/screws from each tray that correspond to whatever step I am on during assembly. It's very handy for a neat freak like myself.

My Advice

If you think about getting one project tray, get two instead. Very helpful!

My Problem

The iPhone was alerting me that my battery might need replacement

My Fix

The instructions didn't adequately explain what happens to the adhesive strip that seals the case perimeter. Some adhesive stayed with the back panel, some stayed with the front panel, and a lot of it stretched out between the two. Leaving it, as Step 2 seemed to suggest, would have prevented the phone from closing. So I spent more time than expected cleaning it up. After that, though, it was smooth sailing.

My Advice

Take your time! Make a mental note of everything you do, and every part. It's a great help when putting everything back together.

My Problem

I'm pretty sure there was salt water damage to my phone. It was in my side pocket when I hauled my boat out of the water after a 21 day trip in Barkley Sound. I'd kept the phone in a waterproof pouch all that time, then had it out at the end while I was unloading and I guess my legs were deeper in the water than I'd realized. After hauling the boat the phone wouldn't power on.

My Fix

I got the phone in rice the next day and a few days later ordered the battery replacement kit. When it arrived, I took the phone apart & cleaned everything with isopropyl alcohol then put it back together. It powered on!! Miraculous. Except that the charging port wasn't working. The phone wouldn't charge or allow me to download image to my computer. I spent a few hours trying to send myself images, one at a time, by text or email. Then the phone died again. So now, I'm going to try it all again and take the charging port out & clean all that and maybe replace that if I have to. I'd really love to have the images of my trip.

My Advice

Now I know to wash the phone with fresh water and then with alcohol straight away and to not power it on and to take the battery asap. If you've got water damage, esp salt water, it makes sense to disassemble it completely, including the charging port, while it's open and you're deep into it.

My Problem

The display on my Iphone 4s broke from skateboarding. I tried to upload some before and after photos but the page keeps timing out.

My Fix

The repair went great. I love IFIXIT! I utilized the pro tech toolkit. Unfortunately I fell again though guys so I will be doing this repair again, and the back as well. I'm even repairing some music equipment with this toolkit. Thanks IFIXIT!

My Advice

Roll with IFIXIT!

Wear protection

Nigel

My Problem

I was working at Starbucks when my friend Carlos saw me and came over to give me a hug. I knocked a whole bottle of Soylent on my keyboard. Eek.

My Fix

It took about two hours total. I was going extra slowly because I had not worked on a Macbook before. If I should need to do it again, god forbid, it could be an hour or less.

My Advice

The difficulty level is listed as moderate, but I would say it is low if you have built computers in the past. Memories of untangling SATA cables in mini towers and puzzling over new circuit boards that are DOA (Plush carpeting? I admit nothing!) made this feel easy in comparison. I made a point to buy the anti-static wrist strap anyway. Even though my current place has hardwood floors.

There is little agreement on the Internet about the correct method of grounding anti-static wrist straps. This is what I did. Imitate at your own risk:

Macbook adapter is not grounded. So I plugged it into a grounded power strip and plugged that into the wall. I turned the power strip off. Plugged the adapter into the laptop. Clipped the wrist strap to whatever metal laptop component presented itself (not an easy task--had to reposition multiple times).

Everyone made it through ok. Happily using new keyboard.