I bit off more than I was expecting when I told someone I could fix their iPad 5. The screen was in a very shattered condition, but after working it on my hot plate, I managed to remove most of the glass without much hassle. However, picking out the residual glass from the display's edges was an arduous task that seemed to take forever. I started this project in September, and after spending so much time picking glass off, I just left the screen on the workbench for over 3 weeks.
Over the few weeks of looking at this project with guilt, I decided to finally finish the project. I turned on my current background show, Adventure Time, and watched through season 8 during the repair process. Once enough glass was removed from the edges of the frame, I could remove the LCD, which was still in great condition. The first thing you need to do once you have the chance is to wedge the battery in order to make sure that the device doesn't power on at all during the operation.
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| Me and Annie quote this all the time |
Peep the blue opening pick used to keep the battery unplugged. This is a specialty pick created by iFixit for exactly this use-case.
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| Don't mind the Windows watermark, I just got this computer... |
Midway through the battery replacement, I went out to dinner with my wife. The situation with the battery is stressful enough while it's in front of me, let alone when I can't see it. For all I know, the battery could have exploded while I was out. To fix this, I downloaded Synology LiveCam on my Red Hydrogen One so I could watch the iPad while out. This really helped me not stress about what's going on at my workbench.
This is my first time replacing this particular model's battery, so I revisited the iFixit guide- Holy mackerel, it consists of 90 steps, and the steps simply covering the battery removal took up more than half of it! iFixit guides often time engage in tiny, meticulous tasks that aren't always strictly necessary. So I decided to read through the guide and figure out a quicker way. I used isopropyl alcohol to carefully dislodge the battery while the logic board, cameras, and antennas were still in the chassis. After removing the adhesive, I managed to use the battery pick to wedge the board up just enough to extract the battery.
Careful maneuvering had to be used since there's a small pin that secures the battery beneath the logic board. And, although typically inaccessible, my board managed to bend enough to remove the battery without detaching all the small components the guide suggested. The guide claims this is unsafe and I agree with them there.
With the old battery out, I installed the new one without any issues, though I had to bend the board up again, which was nerve-wracking. But fortunately, it worked.
Reassembly began, and not a minute after closing it up, I noticed a part of the frame was bent. After a drop on its corner, the metal put too much pressure on the glass and ultimately shattered the iPad in the first place. I knew applying the usual pressure to secure the display would shatter it again, but I was tired and itching to have this hell project finished, so I considered skipping this step. But that approach doesn't align with my ethos— I aim for service that doesn't cut corners and ensures that the customer won't have to return soon. In the end, I reopened the iPad and used some pliers to scrape off the obstruction. It didn't even take long! Can't believe I considered submitting shoddy work!!
Back on the hot plate and then the screen vices applied!
After a few minutes of direct pressure, I was left with this pristine iPad to give to my customer!
In the end, the kinds of repairs are not profitable for me because of the time needed to do them. But even still, I like doing them because it keeps another device out of a landfill or recycling center and let's their owner use them for longer!
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