Parking lot football fun, demise of iphone

Mi Problema

Loose pockets and concrete surface for a broken iphone make.

My iphone has been a great tool over the years, but it sure takes a beating, this last slip from my pocket while playing football in the parking lot smashed the screen. Being an mechanical engineer, I figured it would be fun to see the inside of this incredibly well engineered device and get back in action bypassing any sort of apple service call/replacement phone p.i.t.a. I decided to replace my battery (life had started to go downhill) as well as the speaker at the same time. After reviewing the ifixit tutorials, I found that the front touchscreen replacement is the most invasive, requiring almost complete disassembly, so replacing the battery and speaker would be no extra work.

Mi Solución

The repair went smoothly and was successful. I spend a couple of hours doing this, but it was my first time running through the process. On top of that I took my time to not make any mistakes or damage any components, ribbon cables, etc. I prefer to take my time and do it right the first time. The ifixit guide is good.

Mi Consejo

Definitely find a nice tray to keep track the tiny screws and parts. I organized them by dis-assembly step and re-assembly was a cinch. Magnetize your screw driver so that you don't actually have to hold onto a 1.2mm long screw! (just drag it one-way across any old magnet to give it some temporary magnetism). I used 99% isopropol alcohol and some cotton swabs to clean all the contact surfaces before re-assembly. The plastic opening tools got chewed up removing the screen, but I consider them disposable anyway. Unlike my automotive repair projects, I did not have any parts left over when it was back together.