The bigger the screen on your phone or tablet, the more likely it is to break.

The bigger the screen on your phone or tablet, the more expensive it was to buy.

The more expensive the phone, the more likely you will keep using it, even if it's very broken.

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Lucky for us, cellphones, tablets, and MP3 players are all assembled by very low skilled workers.

We, being pinball techs, are rather highly skilled repair men.

Often the manufacturer says that the screens are unreplaceable or that the battery is unserviceable or even that the water resistance will be ruined.

If you find a "cellphone medic" store, they will gladly charge you $300 for a screen and $150 for a new battery.

If you have been putting up with a broken screen or a battery that no longer last even a single day.....read on.

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^ And yes, this phone still works, but probably does not have very good water resistance ^

Before you start, power down the phone. Remove the SIM Card & MicroSD Card - just to be safe.

Most modern phones and tablets are just glued together with double sided tape.

Often its 3M 300LSE - yep the same adhesive used on those playfield Hardtops.

We need heat to soften the glue up so we can get inside.

Here I'm using a Hot Air Wand used for SMD, but you can even use a hair dryer. I set the wand for 100*C. You don't want it too hot, keep the heat moving along the outside edge.

Also note how I've put packing tape over all the broken glass - much safer than loose glass shards cutting me. You should wear safety goggles.

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Once the glass is a little too hot to touch, start running a flexible blade along the bottom edge.

If the blade is not sliding under, give it some more heat.

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Here I've wedged a credit card and some guitar picks to keep the screen from getting re-adhered to the frame again.

I'm heating, and working along the edge, until the entire screen is free of the frame.
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The broken glass is sharp and brittle (you know that Gorilla Glass III quality), so take your time.

Once I got the whole screen free, I used a little heat and poked the finger print reader back through the glass.

Shes almost done.

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Most screens have 2 connectors.

One for the LCD and one for the Digitizer that reads where your fingers are touching.

GENTLY lift these from their sockets, and the screen is completely free of the frame.

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"Cellphone Rescue" told my niece that it cost $230 to replace her screen & that she should also get the battery replaced "while they were in there" for an extra $100.

I'm not joking, a brand new screen and digitizer combo was $19 shipped to my door.

(never order just the Digitizer or just the LCD Screen - I've tried taking them apart and it's almost impossible. For $19 for the combo unit, your time is worth more than a hour of dicking around (there is an exception to this general rule in post #39 below))

A new battery would have been $9 shipped to my door, but her phone was only 2 months old - way too soon to need a battery. I put a picture of the battery so you guys know what a "non replaceable battery" looks like when you order a replacement.
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Before we go any further, we need to test the replacement Screen and Digitizer.

You don't want to glue it together and find you have dead pixels or the touch does not work.

Plug in the 2 connectors and power up the phone.

If it all works, power it down and disconnect the connectors.
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Put a piece of tape over the 2 connectors, so you don't get glue crumbs in them.

Then roll the rope of adhesive over itself, making a ball of glue.

Keep rolling until you have all the glue off the frame.

Use a razor if any glue is stuck in the corners.

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There are 2 ways to glue the screen back on.

1. Get a sheet of die-cut adhesive made for your specific phone ($4 if it does not come with your replacement screen).

This is the easiest way.

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2. If you have an unpopular phone (or a tablet), you might not find a die-cut sheet available.

In that case we use a roll of 3M 300LSE double sided tape. It comes in different widths, this is 2mm - good for most phones.

$6 for 50 yards of the stuff - enough for dozens of repairs.

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You want the adhesive to be only a single layer thick.

Go along the outside of the frame.

Make sure the ends of the glue touch, so you keep your water resistance.

It's easier to put the adhesive for the fingerprint reader on the screen, than it is to put it on the reader itself.

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Putting the screen in is easy.

Attach the 2 connectors

Attach the fingerprint reader (if present on your phone).

CAREFULLY center the screen, and GENTLY press it back into the frame.

Using a soft cloth, gently go along the edge to make sure the screen is fully seated.

Some phone repair guys warm the screen with a hair dryer as they press it down. The glue is crazy sticky already, but it probably can't hurt.

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Power her back up and admire your savings $$$$$

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Every device is a little different, but everything made in the last few years is pretty much as above.

You will notice that everything is modular (good for unskilled workers).

If the finger print reader was broken (try reseating the connector first), you can buy a new one for $11.

If the power button was broken, the control cluster is $9.

The entire rear camera module is $26

There really is nothing you won't be able to fix, unless you kill the processor board itself.

If you like getting into all these devices, there is a kit of tools that makes life easy.

At the Frys near my house, these go on sale for $39 every now and then.

Lifetime warranty, if a tool wears out or breaks, they send you another without a hassle.

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and it has every micro driver bit for all those strange Asian fasteners.

No more stripping out heads by using a bit that you though was "close enough"

Nice anodized driver handle and flex shaft.

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https://www.ifixit.com/Store/Tools/Pro-Tech-Toolkit/IF145-307

That time I got the screen from Ebay.

You can get parts from Amazon & IFIXIT too

Sometimes you see that a Samsung, Moto or Apple Tracfone is on clearance for $20 at the local CVS. Those are really hard to hack/unlock, so you normally are stuck using them on the Tracfone network.

But, you can buy it and take it apart for the parts - everything is useable except the processor board (that's locked to Tracfone)

No, that's where you glue a new Digitizer to the top of the LCD display.

Don't do that, it takes so long to get the old ones apart that you will be instantly sorry you did not spend the $20 for the entire screen/digitizer combo.

Trust me on this.

Excellent example of how modular most of these devices are.

You knew deep down when you bought it that you were going to get raped with any exotic nonsense like curved screens & curved glass backs.

The phone repair stores put liquid nitrogen ($1.50 a gallon at the welding shop) on the cracked front glass, and that makes it separate from the glue (like removing Mylar). It literally pops right off.

Then they glue on new $20 curved glass with UV cure glue.

If your wife won't let you have liquid nitrogen (tell her you are making ice cream with the leftovers), some mom & pop phone repair stores will pop your glass for $40 - then you can do the rest.

I'm totally ready.

Reporter: Isn't it true that you've had sex with over a hundred porn stars???

Vid: Yes. But remember, I was paid to have sex with them - not the other way around.

iPhone 6 is not even glued together - 2 screws on the side of the USB port, and she's open.

I think 8 is when they started using tape as above (but still remember there are 2 screws at the USB).

Screens are $15-25

The good thing about buying a popular phone is that parts are plentiful.

....and there are probably Youtube videos of a handsome guy from India showing you how to open the phone.

I'm saying that **normally** you don't want to just buy the digitizer, because the combo is cheaper than your time.

Of course, there are thousands of models of phones, and yours is a crazy expensive exception.

Every welding shop sells liquid nitrogen, most grocery stores sell dry ice.

My brothers are using a super cold freezer to pop the curved glass:

I'm half tempted to do it, just to have the experience that I've repaired the world's most difficult phone; but I've got so many playfields on deck, it would pull me away from my real work.

If you lived next door we'd probably be doing it right now, and making ice cream with the leftover nitrogen.

Great show at parties:

My niece has an Otterbox, but of course won't use it.

"Why would I buy the thinnest phone ever made and hide it inside a brick????" - that's a real quote.

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Here is the Pioneer XDP music player guts when you break off the headphone jack. So you can see it's built just like a phone.

It's double sided taped together:

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And here is the battery pack under the processor board:

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Batteries get more power density every year, so it's likely that you can find a higher miliamp hour battery than your original.

I'm with you, I always have my phone in a case (Ballistic Hardcore brand), but if I'm wearing tight jeans, there is no way that case will fit in my pocket.

It's a nice case, but my phone did crack once in a 10m fall, so it's not totally bulletproof, no matter what the box says.

Looks like it's still $99

https://support.apple.com/ipad/repair/battery-power

Another tool you want (and probably already have) is the HF Magnetic Bowl

It's free (coupon in this week's Valpak), it won't spill all those tiny #00 size screws if you bump it, and it keeps everything under control.

If you are stopping work FOR ANY REASON, put all those tiny parts in a pill bottle and cap it.

Otherwise, something will happen, and a week latter when you get back to the phone, one of the screws will be somehow lost.
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https://www.harborfreight.com/4-in-magnetic-parts-holder-62535.html

^ Excellent, well documented repair!