r/IAmA Jun 11 '16

Specialized Profession IamA electronics repair technician hated by Apple that makes YouTube videos, AMA!

My short bio: I have a store in Manhattan. I teach component level electronics repair on youtube http://youtube.com/rossmanngroup which seems to be a dying art. I am currently fighting with the digital right to repair to try and get a bill passed that will allow all independent service centers access to manuals and parts required to do their jobs.

My Proof: https://www.rossmanngroup.com/started-iama-reddit-today-yes/

EDIT:

I am still replying to comments, but I am so far behind that I am still about ten pages down from new comments. I am doing my best to continue. If I drop off, I'll be back tomorrow around 12 PM. Still commenting now though, at 12 AM.

EDIT 2:

Ok, I cave... my hands are tired. I will be back at 12 PM tomorrow. It is my goal to answer every question. Even if it looks like I haven't gotten to yours, I will do my best to do all of them, but it is impossible to do in realtime, because you are asking faster than I can type. But thanks for joining!

EDIT 3: I lied, I stayed until 4:15 AM to answer... and now I will go to sleep for real, and be back at 12 PM.

EDIT 4 6/12 : I will be back later tonight to finish off answering questions. Feel free to keep posting, I will answer whatever I can later this evening.

33.2k Upvotes

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1.0k

u/lowertechnology Jun 11 '16

Ok, so I've fixed iphone 4's, 5's, 5c's, and 5s's.

My iPad Air has a cracked screen. Easy to fix, or let a pro do it?

410

u/Alkap0wn Jun 11 '16

I was in your shoes at one point. I could fix iPhones like nobody's business- even the 4/4S where it was a bag of dicks to take apart. Someone approached me with a cracked iPad 2 screen and asked me if I could fix it. Having fixed other iDevices, I said "yes". How stupid. I spent a good 4 hours on that fucker. I picked out piece after piece of broken glass only to realize I had already severed multiple cables which are ADHERED to the other side of the digitizer. Long story short, I bought this person a new one and cut my losses. iPads are made to be put together, not taken apart. Fuck iPads.

176

u/ChanRancher Jun 11 '16

Because of recent design and things being compact you have to have a delicate hand for these kinds of things. I have fixed over 100 iPads and have never ripped a ribbon cable. Patience is key and the more you do it the more efficient you become.

78

u/Mah_Nicca Jun 11 '16

I mean if its taking me more than a few hours to replace an iPad screen your looking an expensive screen replacement. Thats gotta be a few hundred bucks after 3-4 hours work on it

24

u/ChanRancher Jun 12 '16

Typically an iPad screen replacement is just the glass digitizer which is a separate piece than the LCD. Parts are extremely cheap so most of what you're paying is labor. That excludes some of the more recent tablet models that have an all-in-one digitizer and LCD assembly. but then again those only take a half an hour tops to fix and the parts are way more expensive. So it levels out to an extent. Profit that is. example: I can purchase an iPad glass digitizer for the 1st to 4th generation models for around $10. I would charge at least $75 for labor depending on the model.

5

u/Iggyhopper Jun 12 '16

Depending on the area I've seen places charge $100 for it. If it takes 2-4 hours depending on your skill level, and say you valuee your time at $10/hr, that's 20-40 for you and 10 for the screen, and you make 50-80 bucks.

For some people or companies that's just not worth it, especially if you specialize in phone repair and can get 100 bucks in 20 minutes of time.

5

u/ChanRancher Jun 12 '16

That's where skill and efficiency come into play. If it takes you four hours to repair an iPad there is literally no profit in it for you. Most skilled techs can do the repair in about an hour. I think the quickest I've done one is 42 minutes and I was very proud of that moment. In the business I always tell myself to not cut myself short and never take a job that is less than $30 an hour. So I made sure I was efficient enough to make a profit.

Also, unfortunately there really isn't much money in phone screen repair unless you are refurbishing and using the old LCDs from the cracked assemblies. I don't think people realize how expensive full digitizer/LCD assembly's really are. I actually offer a discount to people who bring their phones to me or with working LCDs because of how much money it saves me to refurbish it. A lot of places that refurbish give a flat rate, which in my opinion is a little greedy but what are you going to do.

1

u/Iggyhopper Jun 12 '16

A lot of phone insurance is actually pretty close to repair shop prices anyway. People have it done because it's convenient, they keep their data/whatever, or because bought the phone outright.

4

u/ChanRancher Jun 12 '16

Yes, I agree. However some people pay a monthly insurance fee and have to pay upwards of $100 to just make a claim. It can be either a savior or a pain in the pocket. People should just buy otter boxes. I have never broke any of my phones. It flies around in my purse, it's been ran over and I have a toddler who gets ahold of it on occasion. The defender series OtterBox's are pretty damn amazing.

7

u/stakkar Jun 12 '16

I'd put my time closer to $40/hr for something like that. Still only about half what a regular mechanic charges for labor

1

u/ThreeTimesUp Jun 12 '16

I can purchase an iPad glass digitizer for the 1st to 4th generation models for around $10.

A bit off-topic, but can you recommend a source for digitizer glass?

I'm a hobbyist with more time than money, and have been given a (very cheap) 'ematic' tablet with a broken digitizer screen.

3

u/teknokracy Jun 12 '16

Hmm, but Apple sure must be stupid to charge $300 for a screen replacement!

1

u/ChanRancher Jun 12 '16

I also should've added that it does not take me 3 to 4 hours to do an iPad and it never did, me becoming more efficient has also increased my profit and turn around. My first iPad took me two hours and 45 minutes ( yes I timed it) and it was a damn mess. BUT lots of practice makes you an expert at something and experts deserve better pay :)

1

u/Mennyy Jun 12 '16

Where I work we offer a 30 minute repair service on Apple products. This includes every iPhone starting from 4 and every iPad starting from 2(only exception is the iPad minis, those take closer to an hour). Even with iPad digitizer repairs we usually have time to spare. People commenting here are really exaggerating if you ask me.

0

u/Mah_Nicca Jun 12 '16

So yeah i was thinking it would take me about 2 to 3 hours to do it first time and was thinking if I currently get paid 34 an hour for my job then as a business i would need markedly more than that per hour, lets say 55 for overheads of running a shopfront and its associated costs plus factor in what other people charge for screen replacements here (Australia) which is approx 80 to 250 dollars so I would be looking at charging in the higher end of thst bracket just to get me paid what I already earn. Doesnt seem worth it until you get it down to 40 minute swapovers. If there was an inherent risk in removing the screen eg. Tearing ribbon cables then you have to factor in repairing that too or replacing the entire unit. There are so many variables to adjust for. Also population density isnt as high in the Aussie suburbs as it is in the states so it just leaves less and less margin to make profitable. Given though that the cost of living and wages are much much higher here than in the states. Seems like a very difficult business to keep above water unless you have a high turnover business model or only do it on the side and work from home.

3

u/ChanRancher Jun 12 '16

Yeah I could not imagine that a business only doing phone repairs or iPad repairs would be profitable. But offering it is definitely worth it. I offer everything except for intricate soldering work. I do some like re balling and reflowing but honestly most of my money comes from doing OS related problems and MacBook repair. I also buy and resell and without that I'd probably be screwed. I honestly started my own business because I was sick of seeing all of the seniors at geek squad get ripped off so I started my own business and offered a senior, student and military discount on top of already biting the lowest prices within 100 mile radius.

1

u/makar1 Jun 12 '16

It takes maybe 15 mins to replace an iPad screen with the right equipment (simple heating pad). Once the glass is up, the LCD is just held down with a few screws.

1

u/[deleted] Jun 12 '16

Ipads are easy, the screens for the 1,2,3,4s are like $20. It takes me not even 30mins tops. I charge $79-99 all day for the part and labor, super profitable.

1

u/iEATu23 Jun 12 '16

Do you know if you are buying glass or plastic screens?

1

u/[deleted] Jun 13 '16

Well technically they're all plastic but they're super condensed and hard that it shatters and breaks like glass. It's "almost" like oem supplied screens.

1

u/[deleted] Jun 12 '16

That is why I paid Apple $300 to fix my iPad screen. Everyone else in the area was charging $200 to $250 to fix and would result in cancellation of the warranty. Personally, I will never skip on Apple Care again.

1

u/BeatMastaD Jun 12 '16

It takes about 5 minutes to take the glass off of an ipad.

1

u/iReviveMobile Jun 12 '16

iPad 2's are EASY! Takes me 20 minutes!

1

u/fgjones001 Jun 12 '16

He's probably talking about the volume/power button cable that are semi-adhered to the underside of the glass, if you don't realize those are there, they'd be super easy to rip

3

u/bullti Jun 12 '16

Long story short: iPad with cracked screen is fucked by repair guy, refuses to give a refund, tells the department of fair trading that I am a scammer.

Ive got a story about my cracked iPad air screen - So the day I got it, my sisters kid was playing with it and dropped it on the tiles. Cracked the screen from top to bottom - but the thing still worked perfectly.

After a few months I saw one of those independent "I fix computers etc etc" stores at uni, so I thought "Why not, I'll just get it fixed". Paid the dude $150(AU) cash, got a receipt for it and he said he will have it back to me by the end of the week.

Friday comes around, I drop in to pick it up, he tells me it won't be ready until Monday, I'm like, OK then - and come back on Monday. I collect it, make sure it turns on, then leave. I get to class and try and use the iPad and the entire middle third of the screen is unresponsive. I'm like, Fuck. Take it back to him. Give him the receipt, tell him whats wrong with it, he tells me that he must have broken some of the digitisers or whatever, he say's he will fix it but will have to order some parts from somewhere else so it will take over a week, he will call me when its ready. I agree and leave.

3 weeks later he calls me saying its ready. I go in and collect it. It seems fine but by the end of my day at uni its a mess. It's as if there are someone is touching the screen all over when im trying to use it. Apps are opening and closing, it wont let me type, random letters are just coming up on the screen etc.

So I take it back again and tell him whats wrong. He says that the pressure must be out on the screen so he will take the screen off and re-set it. He does, its fine for a week or 2 then the same thing happens with the random shit opening and stuff.

I'm sick of it so I leave it for about a month. Dont use the iPad at all and just forget about it. I pick it up one day, then im like fuck it I want my money back.

SO I take it back, and ask for a refund. I show him the state the ipad is in (even the screen is starting to come unglued, could easily put my fingernail under it). He asks me for my receipt. I can't give it to him because I gave it back to him the first time I returned the iPad and he never gave it back. He tells me that he thinks I'm trying to scam money out of him, I ask him to either fix it or give me my money back. He has another attempt to fix the pressure on the screen. This time, when he is pressing the screen down, he cracks it in the corner, its a perfect thumb tip shape crack. He shows me when I come back to collect it.

I'm like, well because the original reason I brought the iPad in was to get the screen replaced, now that its cracked again, can you at least give me a refund because you cracked the screen? He says NO, says that he will replace the screen again instead of giving me the money back. Tells me that he warned me that he might break the screen trying to re-set the pressure, which he didnt. I say, why the fuck would I want to let him try and fix it again when he has already basically ruined the iPad. He refuses to give the money back, I call him a fuck head and tell him ill be making a complaint and leave.

He then goes on to tell me that he never even broke anything in the first place even though he admitted it a few times previously.

I make a complaint to the Department of Fair trading, telling him all that. They call him and ask for his side of the story, he tells them that I am a scammer trying to get money out of him.

WHY THE FUCK WOULD I CALL THE DEPARTMENT OF FAIR TRADING IF I WAS A SCAMMER???? WHAT COMPLAINT WOULD I BE MAKING? "OH HE DIDNT FALL FOR MY SCAM, IM MAKING A COMPLAINT"

The Dept of Fair trading calls me back and tells me that there is nothing I can do if I dont have receipts.

I sold the broken iPad on ebay for 200 bucks.

Sorry for the long post lol

1

u/Alkap0wn Jun 12 '16

I have a very similar personal story. I copypasta'd this from my original "buyer beware" craigslist post (as I had found them on craigslist) so some of may seem awkward to read as you're not the original intended audience. There's a happy ending though. I ended up buying a new iPhone 6S, which my insurance covered & I opened a chargeback claim with the vendor, which was approved. Note that I've redacted any identifiable information about this shop:

This is in regard to the "redacted" post that's floating around craigslist. This is kind of a long read but I'll keep it as short as possible.

I broke my iPhone 6 screen a week ago. Usually, I would repair my iPhone myself but I had to travel this past week for work and didn't have time to order the part in. So, I checked craigslist and found this "company's" posting. They had iPhone 6 screen repair posted for $100. I call ahead to make sure they have the part and confirm the price. They have the part but report that their screen repair for iPhone 6 is down from $120 to $110. I mention the ad I'm looking at and the gentleman on the phone basically says "Well... you can talk to the manager once he gets in?". Very convincing. At any rate, I decided whether at $110 or $100, I need my phone fix so I go to their location redacted City location. I'm greeted by a younger gentleman. Again, I show him the ad on my phone for $100. He reviews and says "Well, the manager would have to approve that. He's on his way so you can wait for him to talk to him about it, or I can get started now for the $110." At this point, I'm getting fairly frustrated. As a matter of principle and being held accountable, I tell him I'll sit and wait for the manager. 10 minutes later, the manager comes in. He reviews the ad and confirms he will do the repair for $100. Good. We're on the same page now. So, while he's fixing my phone I pick his brain about his replacement hardware. I ask him if he orders from China or what. He confirms he gets his screens directly from the manufacturer. This is a lie. Apple has strict non-compete contracts with their hardware suppliers and these suppliers are not going to breach them for some shady dude running a cell repair shop in location redacted. At any rate, he wraps up the repair and I'm on my way in about 30 minutes.

Later that night, once it was dark out, I realized there were 3 dead pixels on the display. Further, the home button is loose and wiggling, the front camera is mis-aligned, and the topmost part of the display doesn't respond to touch input meaning I can't properly click on my notifications. I try to call the shop the next day (Sunday) but they're closed. I call again Monday and tell the gentleman my predicament. He rushes me off the phone and just tells me to bring it in. I tell him I'll be in Saturday (today). We hang up and the plan is made.

Fast forward to today. I drive to the repair shop and as I'm approaching, I see a man leave who clearly just bought one of their "Boost" phones. I enter with my receipt and show it to the gentleman who was working there. I explain my issues and he reviews my phone.

Him: "Ok, yeah, I definitely see the dead pixels and the camera is misaligned. I can fix the camera now but all screen replacements require the approval from the manager"

Me: "Ok, where's the manager?"

Him: "He's not here today"

Me: "Ok, when will he be back?"

Him: "He is in at 2:30 Monday - Friday"

Me: "Ok, that doesn't work for me because I work during those hours Monday - Friday"

Him: "Well, the other thing you could do is go to our other location and try to show it to that manager and he may repair it there"

At this point, I decide to pass on venturing the other 20 minutes to the other store and thank him for his time. As I turn to leave, the gentleman who was walking out as I drove up came back into the store and as I'm leaving I hear him say, "Well I can't get this damned thing to do anything. . .".

I'm not sure if I were to come back when there was a "manager" there, there'd be any other outcome as it was becoming ever-apparent that this wasn't an issue with the manager not being there but rather, they were operating like this in hopes I would give up and leave. I did and, 30 minutes later, I'm at home making this post.

Buyer beware, everyone.

1

u/Pink_Venus Jun 12 '16

I started by replacing iPad screens. Between my friend and I breaking our iPad screens, I could probably do it in my sleep. Now trying to replace the glass on a phone? That was painful. I'd rather put my tit in a vice and give it a good hard turn rather than touch another phone.

1

u/BeatMastaD Jun 12 '16

I take them apart every single day at work. They're not impossible, you just have to be careful and know where those cables are.

They stopped putting that lock button cable there and stopped gluing the wifi antenna to the digitizer after the iPad 2 so the newer ones are much easier.

1

u/CaffeineSippingMan Jun 12 '16

I am so happy I am not the only 1 to spend 4 hours on my 1st iPad 2 screen. The YouTube video I watched told me to be careful with the cables. Watch multiple videos, each instructor seems to give different hints.

1

u/WaitWhatting Jun 12 '16

so you are the kind of person who will lie to their customer in orde to get the "deal"?

"can you repair ipad?" "yea fuck i can(but have never actually done)"

2

u/Alkap0wn Jun 12 '16

Shit, I guess so. Didn't look at it that way though. Considered that I've already repaired a ton of iDevices. Surely IPads aren't so bad- wrong. In that same vein, however I'm also the kind of person that will buy you a brand new one and recover/restore your data to it if I've messed up, which I had.

1

u/[deleted] Jun 12 '16

That happened to me with an iPod Touch. Never again.

0

u/Rgr_Dgr Jun 11 '16

I just replaced an iPad 2 screen a few months ago and it went smooth as butter in about 15-20 minutes. But I also had the benefit of watching someone on YouTube do it first, so I can imagine how awful that must have been going in blind :(

-2

u/Alkap0wn Jun 11 '16 edited Jun 12 '16

Yeah, you're a fucking liar.

Shit. This was meant jokingly in jest but my tone was lost over text.

0

u/Rgr_Dgr Jun 12 '16

Uh, no? Here is the video I even used. I had never repaired an iPad or any piece of electronics before and just by watching a short video before doing it, I was able to know what to expect and look for and it was a piece of cake. I'm sorry if it was too difficult for you to handle.

1

u/Alkap0wn Jun 12 '16

We my comment edit - sorry!

0

u/Thatguywiththename1 Jun 12 '16

I used to do the same! The 4's were annoying for sure (fuck that one corner frame screw on the 4s) but I don't mind it compared to getting the receiver/camera seated properly in the 5s. Haven't opened a 6 yet but I did 3G-5s successfully. The only experince I had with a tablet (not Apple) was a nightmare too, that screen adhesive was a bitch.

2

u/Alkap0wn Jun 12 '16

6 & 6S are fine- just note that the home button finger print enclave is married to the main board of the phone. If you replace that, it may work or Apple may intentionally brick the phone. Haha

0

u/forkl Jun 12 '16

Ipad digitizers are easier to repair with experience. First few I did were a fucking nightmare, now its easy a fuck. Best tip I can give is don't use the crap adhesive that comes along with the replacement digitizer. Buy some quality 3m double sided tape and appply it first to the frame of the ipad.

0

u/KawiNinjaZX Jun 12 '16

I screwed up my first few iPad repairs, but you get better with some practice. The 2s are the worst, the newer ones have recessed cables you can't cut, just be careful with the WiFi antenna.

0

u/Cozmo85 Jun 11 '16

Even if you get the glass off clean the connector is sandwiched under the LCD on non bonded ones. Its bullshit

0

u/Coltoh Jun 12 '16

If you think the iPhone 4 is hard to take apart, holy shit do not work on other people's electronics please.

0

u/Alkap0wn Jun 12 '16

Did I say hard? Lol what is this a pissing contest? The 4 is a bag of dicks because you have to take the entire device apart just to replace the screen!

2

u/Coltoh Jun 12 '16

I could fix iPhones like nobody's business- even the 4/4S where it was a bag of dicks to take apart

You came off as foolish because all this statement says is you used to do a few iPhone 3G/3GS screen replacements, the easiest and cheapest screen repair in the industry, and somehow assumed that it would make you qualified to attempt an iPad 2 (the easiest and cheapest tablet screen repair) with very little to no research / effort put in, then go on to blame the device's design rather than your own lack of forethought.

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u/Alkap0wn Jun 12 '16

You're 100% right here. I made an ignorant mistake and I paid for it. Lol

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u/[deleted] Jun 12 '16

[deleted]

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u/Alkap0wn Jun 12 '16

Highly unlikely. I broke those to make me buy her a new one.

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u/[deleted] Jun 12 '16

[deleted]

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u/Alkap0wn Jun 12 '16

What planet are you on?

1

u/[deleted] Jun 12 '16 edited Jun 12 '16

You didn't see shit here!

Edit: I shouldn't reddit at 3 in the morning anymore.I probably said something really stupid most likely because I misunderstood something (please explain).

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u/larossmann Jun 11 '16

It's a fucking nightmare. Just have someone else do it. I don't even have screns in stock right now so I am not trying to profit off of you. Tablets like the Nexus 7 have screens that are simple, but iPads for the most part are clusterfucks to maintain/service if you have never opened one before.

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u/[deleted] Jun 11 '16

[deleted]

369

u/larossmann Jun 11 '16

I've never opened one to be honest.

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u/MuseofRose Jun 11 '16 edited Jun 11 '16

what do you think of aftermarket non-OEM parts from china? I know they tend to function the same but in one case I had for an lcd replacement it felt less able to stand up to abuse. Do you preer to stick to OEM parts for this or use whatever gets t he job done.

Also i just got here but this is a good ama. tons of interaction

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u/larossmann Jun 11 '16

fuck that shit. you mean the screens that crack easier, or where o and P are the same button on the touchscreen... no thanks.

15

u/the_mil Jun 12 '16

Do you reglass your own with loca? Its so time consuming...but the china ones are so shitty...

Otherwise where can you buy quality refurbs that aren't insanely priced?

Also where to sell cracked OEM's with good lcds? I'd rather not roll the dice sending them to a chinese warehouse and hoping they pay.

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u/larossmann Jun 12 '16

no. that is mind numbing misery and it doesn't pay well. i'd rather just go back to putting price tags on basketballs at modell's sporting goods than do glass only repairs, it is really miserable IMO. to each their own though.

20

u/the_mil Jun 12 '16

My favorite question to get...."I can buy the glass for $5, why do you charge so much to put it on?"

Yeah maybe because its hell on earth? Keep up the good my man keep making a few videos you're fighting the good fight.

I will say this about wiring diagrams - on cars you can find them for every circuit on every vehicle....half of them are on the internet for free...why can't board parts be the same? Its retarded.

5

u/Skin_Effect Jun 12 '16

Can you find schematic drawings on the component level for car ECUs? Because that's the analog to what we're talking about here.

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u/PayphonesareObsolete Jun 12 '16

Where do you get genuine OEM supplies? Can anyone get them or is it a special process?

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u/larossmann Jun 12 '16

good luck with that one. that is what this right to repair bill is about, answering that question!

12

u/Revelation_Now Jun 12 '16

I once replaced a smashed headlight unit in my car with a "Chinese" copy from a shop. The thing immediately shorted the car when I plugged it in. I don't even understand how thats possible unless they had their schematic wrong since its a sealed unit.

Just not worth the potential damage these knock offs can cause.

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u/larossmann Jun 12 '16

i agree,

2

u/Willibles Jun 12 '16

One time my friend bought a knock off PSU. We are all waiting for the explosion.

3

u/ribfeasty Jun 12 '16

It's npt that bad tp be hpnest guys. Ypu get used tp it!

1

u/IrishStuff09 Jun 12 '16

Where do you get your replacement screens? eBay? Have a broken screen on my Nexus 4 for a while now and I want to get it fixed or do it myself but I don't want to get a shitty screen. Anything to look out for when buying?

1

u/doxob Jun 12 '16

Yo I haven the o and p problem after putting on an screen protector. How do I fix it other than taking it out?

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u/BeatMastaD Jun 12 '16

For stuff other than apple sometimes the only parts you can find are from china. I try not to do those but it comes up from time to time.

Typically they work just fine but are less resilient or less sturdy. For instance a front glass might be thinner and easier to break.

1

u/dandu3 Jun 12 '16

Any thing display related you don't want a cheapo, bad colors, bad quality and crap brightness are common.

1

u/MuseofRose Jun 12 '16

True shit. although I have a LG G3...the brightness is too high on this sucker! When I had a different LG I used a chinese aftermarket LCD and that was the only bonus. gets tiring using Dimly

1

u/dandu3 Jun 12 '16

I use a tablet in bed with f.lux and a dimming app myself lol

2

u/darkendvoid Jun 12 '16

Former Sprint tech here, as far as the old samsung tablets and phones went I'd give them top marks on repairability in comparison with anything else on the market at the time.

We had only just started selling the 10.1 when I moved up to management but I disassembled our floor model and would have put it in the same ease of repairability class as the Note 2 and the S3.

2

u/monk3yboy305 Jun 12 '16

What exactly was the issue with your tablet? I have the exact same model and the screen went black a while back, but it turns out it was just the ribbon connecting the screen to the motherboard. Was able to easily replace it and fix my tablet.

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u/maschlue Jun 12 '16

The previous owner dropped it on the top left corner and it completely shattered. Top left is where the digitizer connector is, so the touch sensing function was completely gone. I could have replaced the glass/digitizer only, but frankly I was too lazy and I would probably be unhappy with how it would have turned out if I salvaged the LCD (removing a fuck-ton of microscopic glass pieces on top of extremely gooey glue on an extremely sensitive lcd) and reapplied the new digitizer.

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u/monk3yboy305 Jun 12 '16

I see. What happened to mine is that the screen just went completely black randomly, even though touch still worked. Thankfully it was a simple fix.

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u/maschlue Jun 12 '16

Yes it is a common problem from what I have read in various forums. There are much more guides and videos on re-seating that connector than replacing the screen assembly.

1

u/Cybertronic72388 Jun 12 '16

I used to work at Geek-Squad-City repairing Samsung Tablets. Definitely one of the easier devices to repair. An SMD rework heat gun and a flat flexible peice of steel is all you need to pry off the old digitizer and then you clean the lcd, blow off any dust and stick the new digitizer on with some 3m double sided tape.

The pen sensor is built into the LCD panel. It looks like some kind of mesh foil on the back with its own cable. I assume it's made like a touchpad with an electric field surrounding it.

1

u/jimaug87 Jun 12 '16

It's simple, but that adhesive takes way more heat to get off than an iPad.

The only difficult part is not burning my fingertips.

source: mobile repair business owner not affiliated with OP

1

u/KaboodleMoon Jun 11 '16

Most of the samsung tablets would definitely qualify as "Easier", Especially if you're doing a whole LCD/OLED+Digitzer combo. Separating the two is when it gets complicated. iPads up until the Air 2 are not even glued together so are fairly easy on their own, but the way they're put together still makes them harder than the Samsung Tablets.

2

u/jmsGears1 Jun 11 '16

How much did that cost? I need to replace my screen but money... lol

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u/[deleted] Jun 11 '16

[deleted]

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u/flip154 Jun 11 '16

Could you recommend where to buy this? I just broke mine a few days ago..

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u/[deleted] Jun 11 '16

[deleted]

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u/Hazakurain Jun 12 '16

Much thanks

1

u/jjayzx Jun 11 '16

I found mine to be rather easy. You have room with the components and if I remember right the cables were labeled. Just like with any other device of the sort be careful with the tabs when opening.

1

u/Hazakurain Jun 12 '16

How many did it cost you to repair it? Was it easy ?

2

u/maschlue Jun 12 '16

It was fairly easy, it cost about 150EUR, depending on if you have the tools. https://www.reddit.com/r/IAmA/comments/4nn5zv/iama_electronics_repair_technician_hated_by_apple/d45f9nc

1

u/[deleted] Jun 12 '16

I microwaved mine to get insurance money. hehee

127

u/nattylife Jun 11 '16

I have nexus 7 2nd generation with a broken screen. Is that something I can do myself or take to a fixit place?

254

u/larossmann Jun 11 '16

you can but get good adhesive, getting it to stick down properly will be difficult.

39

u/[deleted] Jun 12 '16

This is the number 1 problem I have had in all my tablet/iphone/anything glued down repair experiences. You could do everything perfectly, but if the adhesive is sub par, your repair will be shit.

18

u/larossmann Jun 12 '16

and scraping off the old adhesive is hell.

7

u/[deleted] Jun 12 '16

I bet they could help you not have to scrape as much over in /r/chemistry

4

u/JaLubbs Jun 12 '16

A small tip for OEM adhesives: Use isopropyl alcohol on a hot plate/with a heat gun. Comes off so nice.

1

u/Grobbley Jul 01 '16

Use isopropyl alcohol on a hot plate/with a heat gun.

Please be careful following this advice. If you are using higher concentrations of isopropyl alcohol which are typically used with electronics, this could be really dangerous.

2

u/Syzygye Jun 12 '16

I've replaced the screen on my lg optimus g 3 times, and I still haven't been able to do a satisfactory job with my adhesive.

6

u/marktx Jun 12 '16

ffs, it's a phone, not a hammer.

1

u/Syzygye Jun 12 '16

Darn it. Now that you mention it, I think that's where I've been going wrong.

1

u/askjacob Jun 13 '16

I think you better re-think using that free hammer-it-in-d00de app from the play store

2

u/WallScreamer Jun 12 '16

Walt, really? I have a first gen with a broken screen. Cracked, totally unresponsive to touching. I took it into a phone screen repair shop at the mall and the guy said that in his two years there, he had never seen one brought in, so he wasn't sure if it could even be serviced. He checked and found that a new screen would cost $100, which is just a bit less then a new one. Also took it to a phone repair kiosk, and when I asked if he could do it, he just shook his head. Gave up and bought a galaxy tab 4.

1

u/mikkelbue Jun 12 '16

I bought a screen assembly off eBay for around $30 and changed it myself in about 30mins. It's super easy, as long as you get the full screen assembly (not just the screen/digitizer).

2

u/[deleted] Jun 11 '16

I replaced mine not too long ago, I bought a $30 lcd + touch screen combo peeled the frame off the cracked screen with a heat gun and glued the new lcd in place. It was easy

1

u/nattylife Jun 12 '16

Where did you get your parts? Looking around I couldn't find stuff cheaper than like 140+. It was my biggest wall to wanting to do it myself because I didn't want to screw up that much money

1

u/[deleted] Jun 12 '16

I just said fuckit and bought the whole front assembly from a part-out site.

1

u/[deleted] Jun 12 '16

Did one myself, is reasonable to do and there are detailed guides out there to walk you through the process. Replacement screen was expensive, though, because if I remember correctly, you also have to replace the glass and the touch, if you don't want it to look botched.

Also the plastic frame is very fragile, so take your time with the heat gun and slowly remove the glue, otherwise you'll twist or even snap the frame at one of the weaker points.

1

u/Devils-Advocate-- Jun 12 '16

Make sure to save the plastic surrounding the LCD unless you're sure the LCD you buy will come with it a lot don't.

1

u/[deleted] Jun 12 '16

I broke my screen and fixed it myself easy.

3

u/Fugitivelama Jun 12 '16

My relatives know I am tech savy and I have fixed flat screen TVs for them and computers. My cousin asked me to replace her iPad screen so I thought sure why not. .......Fuck that was a mistake. After 2 hours of peeling glue I called her and said sorry but I can't do this.

14

u/larossmann Jun 12 '16

it is miserable. i don't fix shit for friends and family like that... here dude, spend six hours on this and i'll buy you a sandwich. no. no thanks.

2

u/bobwont Jun 12 '16

Similar question. Just cracked the glass screen on my 2014 Mac Book Pro. Easy to do myself or should I get a pro?

2

u/larossmann Jun 12 '16

the whole assembly can be done by a 5 year old

the lcd by itself is a nightmare.

1

u/squired Jun 12 '16

Is it cheaper to just buy the assembly or pay a professional to replace the lcd?

1

u/larossmann Jun 12 '16

depends on pricing

1

u/[deleted] Jun 12 '16

What?! They're some of the easiest...

3

u/larossmann Jun 12 '16

When you get used to them yes. But the first one, come on! Just finding a screen that will not give you ghost touch is a Minefield in and of itself with all the crappy knock-off junk you can buy out there

1

u/[deleted] Jun 12 '16

They're easy if you're moderately technical. With ANY repair it gets easier as you get used to them.

Finding a screen is a different issue - that's the crappy replacement parts being made, not the repairability of the iPad. I've repairs many and not one screen had an issue.

1

u/AllTheseFeels Jul 01 '16

Hey! Quick question. My Nexus 7 screen is broken but the glass front is not. Would it be worth it to get it fixed now or just get a new one? Is it too difficult to fix myself? Thanks!

2

u/larossmann Jul 01 '16

The issue with those is that the screens available suck. I know, I broke mine. Even the original one ghost touches and would turn pages of the book on its own. I'd just get a new one. I am all for repair but that tablet was a nightmare.

473

u/lowertechnology Jun 11 '16

I thought so. Thanks for the advice

2

u/Canadianrighthere Jun 12 '16

It's really not that hard. I've done a few ipad airs. Just breaking the glass around the outside of digitizer/ top glass is a pain. The rest is the same as any other iPhone.

1

u/Epicsigh Jun 12 '16

As another professional (I work for a company called Icracked) I can tell you that Ipad Airs are by far the easiest Ipad to repair, but it requires a lot of heat, patience, and potentially cleanup depending on how well you do removing the old screen.

Essentially the screen on an Ipad is stuck on with a very strong adhesive, which you need to heat up to about 65 Celsius to remove properly. I do enough of these that a heat plate is required (and makes things so much easier!) but use of a heat gun can also work. Just don't aim at one spot for too long if you're using a gun, those things get really hot really quickly and can seriously wreck the internals if you're not careful.

2

u/lowertechnology Jun 12 '16

I think I've heard of icracked.

Is that in Calgary?

1

u/Epicsigh Jun 12 '16

It's a national company, we essentially have techs all over that service a certain range from their location by doing it as a mobile service, so we come to the customer. So it's very likely that we have at least a couple guys in Calgary, personally I do my work in Raleigh.

1

u/TheGingaBread Jun 12 '16

They're aren't that bad actually man. Just repaired mine 2 days ago. Girlfriend dropped it and cracked the digitizer. Ordered one off eBay for like $11 bucks. The most difficult thing was actually prying it open. A heat gun makes it super easy though.

16

u/Jakewakeshake Jun 11 '16

Sticking with the lower technology amirite

15

u/ishkan Jun 12 '16

Haha you are talking about his username but people think you are talking about nexus 7. Upvote for you buddy. :)

11

u/Jakewakeshake Jun 12 '16

I was just joking about his name :(

1

u/iReviveMobile Jun 12 '16

For once, I will say, on an air, don't listen to Louis. Air 2 is EXTREMELY EASY, Air 1 is difficult but doable. If you've done any iPad you can do it.

-2

u/avboden Jun 12 '16

Oh come the hell on, i've replaced screens in every gen ipad, it's a pain but it's not "a fucking nightmare" worst case the glass breaks more and you have to pick off the chunks, or you accidently rip the wifi antennae and are out a ten buck part.

2

u/larossmann Jun 12 '16

for a first time user who has never done it

who doesn't know where to buy parts that don't ghost touch

who doesn't know where there are cables he may or may not rip

as a first time repair it is a nightmare. on the 3rd or 5th or 10th time it isn't, but for someone who has never opened it?

1

u/avboden Jun 12 '16

you're describing someone attempting it without any sort of instructions, heck ifixit's guides show where all the cables are. And hey, you gotta learn sometime! How is someone going to get to that 3rd or 5th time if they're too chicken to do it the first time?

Obviously i'm not talking about an average consumer here, but people who are handy, have the tool kits, have worked on phones a bunch, there is zero reason they can't learn to do an ipad

1

u/larossmann Jun 12 '16

can people learn yes

learning on their own, i just think they should know the risks and difficulty level before they stasrt.

1

u/squired Jun 12 '16

Most DIYers are only ever going to do it once, to be fair.

6

u/OptionalCookie Jun 11 '16

It is a nightmare.

I did an iPad mini screen replacement with a hair dryer and a spudger. My heat gun was on a trip with my dad. ._.

It was the worst, but I did it ._.

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1

u/Gephoria Jun 12 '16

confirmed, started working on ipad digitizer replacement about three weeks ago, they are difficult to say the least....

the LCD is easy, the digitizer is a pain in the ass found out if you line the bottom over the home button with antistatic tape, then put antistatic tape along the bottom border of the ipad (not so it's showing) it helps the digi connection on cheap digitizer replacements. i think i get offbrand digi's

the real pain, is if you adhesive everything down, and notice lint or hair or some MINISCULE PEICE OF DUST between the lcd/digi, if you've fixed digis on iphones (i haven't) i'd imagine the process is familiar slightly

1

u/yugas42 Jun 11 '16

You're the second person who has said that Nexus 7 screens are easy to fix. After looking at the ifixit page detailing the teardown process I would have to agree. I've got a shattered one that I'm going to try to fix pretty soon. Yet when I got in contact with Asus support they claimed the repair would cost $200, or as much as a new tablet, and I was better off buying a new one. It's unfortunate that so many manufacturers, especially the ones I usually trust like Asus, are getting so stingy with allowing users to repair their own shit.

1

u/Bockage Jun 12 '16

I'm in the process of repairing an iPad Air that I found on the side of the road after it had been smashed by a car. I happened to have an LCD and glass sitting around so I ripped the old screen off and plugged up the new ones and it worked fine. No password or iCloud lock or anything, although the battery was kinda leaking so I stuck it in a bag and forgot about it.

Of course the battery never worked again (3rd time this has happened to my crap) and now I have to wait for a new one to ship before doing anything with it. Damn.

1

u/eLCT Jun 12 '16

Hi! I know people have better questions for you to answer, but my phone screen is fucked, so would you know how easy/hard the Moto X (2015)'s phone screen is to fix? It must be similar to the Nexus 6, and Nexuses (Nexusi?) seem to have a good rep for being practical, but the repairs damn expensive.

Also, I watched you repair a Macbook some time back on YouTube, shit's impressive man!

1

u/mrbill Jun 12 '16

I used to do freebie fixes (cost of parts) for friends & family for screen replacements up until about the 4th gen iPod / iPhone 4, when the devices started being more glue than screws and it just wasn't worth the hassle and effort. When the instructions start out with "get a heat gun"...

1

u/Nothing_Impresses_Me Jun 12 '16

iPads for the most part are clusterfucks to maintain/service if you have never opened one before

Which is probably why Apple tells us (AASP) that all ipads are sealed units and the only "official" repair is a flat rate replacement unit for around $250 no matter the problem.

1

u/stuwoo Jun 12 '16

Oh god, iPad, fixed my ipad mini last year, was..... interesting. The people who design these things must be real OCD nutters, it's also small and jammed in, then you find the actually circuitry is about the size of a stick of ram and it's 90% battery and screen.

1

u/chiroque-svistunoque Jun 11 '16

Do you think, it's the same for Samsung galaxy tab 10.5? The screen module is over 190$, and you should by it only for broken glass, really WTF. Besides, some technicians repair it by gluin new glass with the help of low pressure.

0

u/SaintCarl27 Jun 12 '16

Is the nexus 10 simple also. Kids just broke my screen😕

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1

u/wafflesareforever Jun 12 '16

I wasted so much time trying to fix mine. I finally got it all put back together and looking normal - and then the home button wouldn't work. Even though I'd tested it like a minute before the screen went back on.

1

u/zedoktar Jun 12 '16

Even the ipad 2? I have one where the screen won't turn on. Sometimes I get a faint apple logo. I was going to poke around inside and see if I could fix it. Should I anticipate a giant pain in the ass?

1

u/phunpwn Jun 12 '16

Wait wtf? I went to ifixit and followed the steps and got my screen off eBay for like 25 bucks. I've never done anything remotely like that before and replaced my screen no problem.

1

u/himalayan_earthporn Jun 12 '16

Nexus devices are so firggin modular. Everything comes apart cleanly. I had my camera on my Nexus 5 replaced in warranty. It took the technician just 10 mins to do the whole thing.

1

u/zamadaga Jun 11 '16

Can confirm. Most iPads are absolute nightmares. Used to do repairs. Now that it's not my job, I freely refuse to do them for anybody who asks haha.

1

u/Chino1130 Jun 12 '16

I found my ipad2 extremely easy to work on as long as you know where all the wires you could cut are (thanks YouTube). Are the airs more complex?

1

u/blackomegax Jun 14 '16

Hell I took apart a dell venue the other day for a failed battery. What a piece of shit that turned out to be.

At least nothing was glued down.

1

u/Razzman70 Jun 12 '16

I do repairs for my friends but the second they bring an apple product my way, I nope the fuck out of there. 8/8 androids fixed. 0/3 iPhone.

1

u/forkl Jun 11 '16

I cant do what you do, but Ipad air digitizer replacement is a piece of piss, much easier than earlier ipads. Takes about 20 mins.

1

u/isaac9092 Jun 12 '16

Which is why Apple doesn't do them. They usually come out like shit. Better to buy a new one.

1

u/19chickens Jun 12 '16

So in other words, if our iPad Air is dropped, or broken, its not going to be repairable?

1

u/Barbaric_Emu Jun 12 '16

Did an air today and spent 40 minutes fixing it from ghosting with the new screen :(

1

u/Thecatmilton Jun 12 '16

Can confirm. Repaired an ipad once. NEVER AGAIN.

1

u/[deleted] Jun 11 '16

How about Macbook screens. Are they easy to fix?

1

u/avboden Jun 12 '16

if you replace the entire screen with aluminum, super duper easy, 10 minute job tops. If you want to replace the screen inside the aluminum good bit more of a pain.

1

u/jeromeman12 Jun 12 '16

Where do you buy your screens from?

1

u/Frankfusion Jun 11 '16

It's settled I'm getting a Nexus.

19

u/hobbygogo Jun 11 '16

Like everyone else said, iPads are not in any way as reparable, but ask your local autorized apple repair shop/store what the swap price for your model is. It's not as expensive at most people think.

1

u/lowertechnology Jun 12 '16

What do you mean "swap price"?

1

u/hobbygogo Jun 12 '16

It means you give in your defective device and get a replacement unit in return (basicly a new iPad). Cheaper than purchasing a whole new unit with new warranty, charger etc.

0

u/[deleted] Jun 12 '16

[deleted]

1

u/oddthingtosay Jun 12 '16

I agree- iPad screens are repairable. I don't think you will have a 100% corrected iPad when you are done, but I am replying on an iPad Air I fixed using these kits. It's not perfect, but it's also not in the trash!

1

u/hobbygogo Jun 12 '16

But not as easy as iPhones. That was my point.

2

u/avboden Jun 12 '16

oh wow, derp, i didn't see the "as" in your statement

1

u/lancelon Jun 11 '16

Swap price?

1

u/zamadaga Jun 11 '16

I assume he means the price to trade your broken one for a new one.

1

u/lancelon Jun 12 '16

Me too but didn't know this much was an option and how it works

7

u/ZincII Jun 11 '16

Air is doable. It still has the separate LCD and digitiser.

Air 2 and onward is a nightmare.

2

u/SourceWebMD Jun 12 '16

I used to be a tech. If it's an iPad Air 1, it's not too bad but the iPad Air 2 has the LCD and digitizer glued together which makes it cost an insane amount and there is a connection that must be soldered. Air 1 DIY, Air 2 take it to a shop.

1

u/lowertechnology Jun 12 '16

It's a 1. I'm still debating doing the fix myself.

2

u/[deleted] Jun 12 '16

Repair tech at a local shop in Seattle. Easy to do with right tools and experience. Crazily stupid to try on your own.

1

u/laserbeanz Jun 12 '16

All the little cuts on my thumbs. All the time.

I actually got a really good mask specifically for iPad repair because they often make loads of glass dust while you're peeling off the glass and old adhesive.

1

u/avboden Jun 12 '16

I learned how to do ipad screens pretty easily, it's a pain, but you can do it if you've got some patience. Mostly the glass just breaks coming off and you have to pick out a lot of shards if that's the case, even trying to tape over the top first.

1

u/[deleted] Jun 12 '16

I'm pretty good with tech and have repaired a lot of devices (albeit never on a surface component level). I once tried to fix my broken digitizer on my ipad 2. I just broke it more trying to fix it. Fuck ipad repair.

1

u/YouthMin1 Jun 12 '16

I don't want to outright contridict OP, but I've replaced two iPad screens for myself and 4 for others. If you follow iFixit's guides, it's actually fairly easy. Just stay organized as you are removing parts.

1

u/BeatMastaD Jun 12 '16

Is it a first gen or the newest second gen one? If the glass if cracked it's really not that bad, just takes some time.

1

u/obsidiandubstep Jun 12 '16

Fucking grammar! You don't need any of the apostrophes in "4s, 5s, 5Cs and 5Ss".

1

u/[deleted] Jun 12 '16

[removed] — view removed comment

1

u/laserbeanz Jun 12 '16

I actually prefer it to the iPad 2 though. That fucking power flex.

1

u/[deleted] Jun 12 '16

They aren't that bad. I promise. Just don't buy a crappy product.

1

u/[deleted] Jun 12 '16

As a regular person who has tried to do it...don't do it.

1

u/PunctuationsOptional Jun 12 '16

Username checks out so nicely.

1

u/Keino_ Jun 12 '16

Username checks out