Nexus 7 Screen Replacement Repair Guide - Nexus 7 Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting

Want to gain access to the internals of your Nexus 7? This repair guide will walk you through replacing a broken or damaged screen or any other internal components on your Nexus 7.
This repair disassembly guide will help you to install the following Google Asus Nexus 7 parts:
Google Asus Nexus 7 LCD + Touch Screen Digitizer
Internal parts on the Nexus 7
Tools Required:
Safe Open Pry Tool
Small Phillips Screwdriver
Adhesive Strips (For Touch Screen Replacements)
Hot Air Gun / Hair Dryer
Google Asus Nexus 7 tablet Take apart guide:
Power off the device
Begin by using the safe open pry tool to separate the back cover from the device by sliding the pry tool which release the clips and the back cover should come right off
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Figure 1​
With the back cover removed, disconnect the battery by simply pulling out the connection with the safe open pry tool
Figure 2​
You can now remove the battery using the safe open pry tool
Starting from the lower right side, slowly start pulling up the copper tape
Gently remove the black tape covering the LCD connection, Note- the metal shield may come off with the tape which is fine
Next you will need to release 5 connections located in this area, the 2 for the yellow ribbon (jaw connection) is for the USB and audio jack, the 2 jaw connections next to each other are for the touch screen digitizer and the single pop connection is for the LCD
On the top left (under the information sticker) you will need lift up and release the jaw connection holding in the volume button flex cable and then remove the cable which is held in place by adhesive
Using the small Phillips screwdriver you will need to remove 7 Phillips screws which are holding the motherboard in place
Figure 3​
On the bottom remove 5 Phillips screws which are holding the audio jack and USB charging port
Figure 4​
Around the perimeter there is 14 more screws that will need to be removed in order to remove the mid frame
Next remove the jumper flex cable by releasing the jaw connection
Figure 5​
Now you will need to apply heat, use a hot hair dryer or heat gun for about 15 seconds on each side warming and loosening the adhesive
You can now separate the screen assembly from the frame of the front assembly
Simply replace the damaged parts with the new ones and reverse the order to put your tablet back together again.

repairsuniverse said:
Want to gain access to the internals of your Nexus 7? This repair guide will walk you through replacing a broken or damaged screen or any other internal components on your Nexus 7.
This repair disassembly guide will help you to install the following Google Asus Nexus 7 parts:
...
...
[*]Simply replace the damaged parts with the new ones and reverse the order to put your tablet back together again.
[/LIST]
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It is said everywhere that the touchscreen is "fused" to the LCD, so as to make an effort to separate them royally futile. How that's determined goes unsaid, but my understanding of "fusing" means that the 2 pieces of glass are melted by heat together, which process would merge them into one unit. Which I don't think is the case since digitizers and LCDs are sold as separate units all over the place, and scrutinizing the edge of new and old LCDs from high-resolution pics suggests they're just bonded to the digitizers.
The attached thumbs below are examples: Pieces of the digitizer where highlighted (jagged border) broke off it, revealing the perfectly symmetric shape of the LCD beneath. Should they be fused, breaking one would necessarily break the other in the same pattern. Of course, I may be wrong, but until someone other than an Asus apologizer can prove otherwise...
If they are just bonded - not "fused" - together, then there could be a way to separate them. The question is whether it can be done without damaging one or the other, depending on what needs to be replaced. The majority of cases I've seen deal with broken digitizers. At this point, I'm willing to tackle this task just to find out, but would like as much input as possible before engaging, whether it be heat, solvents, or other means. So please, voice your thinking and experiences. (People with experience in glass working and their ideas as to what kind of glue would've been used for this would be immensely helpful).
The unit is obviously poorly designed unless your aim is to coerce consumers to buy some part they don't need. Some claim it is to prevent dust specks from getting in between, but I'm not aware of countless other tabs with separable pieces representing a major problem when replacing one or the other. Again, do pitch in to help. Thank you.

I would have to agree with you about the term "fused" compared to "bonded". The Nexus 7 is definitely bonded (by our definition). It is an EXTREMELY sticky bonding adhesive holding the screens together. Like many other "bonded" screen assemblies, the screens can be separated, with enough time and heat. However, there is where you run into the big issue - how to clean off the leftover adhesive.. The LCD is obviously going to be fragile, so an extreme amount of patients would be needed. Using an adhesive solvent to remove all the adhesive would raise a few issues - weakening the LCD screen (possible long term damage?), scratches, and other surface damages to the LCD.
The final issue with this will be how to attach the new screen. Using traditional adhesive may cause the touch screen to press against the LCD causing bubbling/discoloration/etc. We have seen many companies who have the same (or similar?) adhesive used to initially bond the two screens and performed this repair successfully, but without the right tools and experience with it, the full screen assembly is highly suggested.

Adhesive
repairsuniverse said:
I would have to agree with you about the term "fused" compared to "bonded". The Nexus 7 is definitely bonded (by our definition). It is an EXTREMELY sticky bonding adhesive holding the screens together. Like many other "bonded" screen assemblies, the screens can be separated, with enough time and heat. However, there is where you run into the big issue - how to clean off the leftover adhesive.. The LCD is obviously going to be fragile, so an extreme amount of patients would be needed. Using an adhesive solvent to remove all the adhesive would raise a few issues - weakening the LCD screen (possible long term damage?), scratches, and other surface damages to the LCD.
The final issue with this will be how to attach the new screen. Using traditional adhesive may cause the touch screen to press against the LCD causing bubbling/discoloration/etc. We have seen many companies who have the same (or similar?) adhesive used to initially bond the two screens and performed this repair successfully, but without the right tools and experience with it, the full screen assembly is highly suggested.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
To me the pressing issue is how to separate them. Once that's done, instead of using optical adhesive patch that would cover the whole LCD surface, why not use strong adhesive along its borders only? Such way doesn't differ from bonding the 2 components in other tabs and won't raise any specter of air bubbles trapped in between. In the alternative, should one break both in the process, one can buy the 2 parts separately and bond them together on one's own. Granted, the saving will be minimal for now, but it gives the knowledge, and the ease of replacing just one part next time either cracks. Am I making sense?
Add: cleaning off the leftover adhesive shouldn't be too much of a problem with solvent like goo-gone if you leave it on the surface for half-a-day. I've done it with another Asus LCD screen and no damage resulted therefrom.

graphdarnell said:
To me the pressing issue is how to separate them. Once that's done, instead of using optical adhesive patch that would cover the whole LCD surface, why not use strong adhesive along its borders only? Such way doesn't differ from bonding the 2 components in other tabs and won't raise any specter of air bubbles trapped in between. In the alternative, should one break both in the process, one can buy the 2 parts separately and bond them together on one's own. Granted, the saving will be minimal for now, but it gives the knowledge, and the ease of replacing just one part next time either cracks. Am I making sense?
Add: cleaning off the leftover adhesive shouldn't be too much of a problem with solvent like goo-gone if you leave it on the surface for half-a-day. I've done it with another Asus LCD screen and no damage resulted therefrom.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
tried it

Yes I understand what you are meaning.
If you increased the lift of adhesive to avoid bubbles or LCD pressure I would be slightly concerned about how the digitizer would then fit in the frame/device. The glass could be protruding from the frame slightly, allowing it to get caught. But if it is possible to just stack the adhesive a bit more than then that is a great way to only have to replace one screen for the rest of the device's life.
Interesting about your note about Goo-Gone. I would have suspected that a solvent like that would cause some damage to the outer layer of the LCD. From experience and other techs I understand that that aggressive of a solvent can cause brittleness.

xavierxxx2p said:
tried it
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
And what was the outcome, if you care to share?
---------- Post added at 11:40 PM ---------- Previous post was at 11:20 PM ----------
repairsuniverse said:
Yes I understand what you are meaning.
If you increased the lift of adhesive to avoid bubbles or LCD pressure I would be slightly concerned about how the digitizer would then fit in the frame/device. The glass could be protruding from the frame slightly, allowing it to get caught. But if it is possible to just stack the adhesive a bit more than then that is a great way to only have to replace one screen for the rest of the device's life.
Interesting about your note about Goo-Gone. I would have suspected that a solvent like that would cause some damage to the outer layer of the LCD. From experience and other techs I understand that that aggressive of a solvent can cause brittleness.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I would think a thin layer of flexible epoxy wouldn't add that much to the thickness of the glass, given that the bezel still allows a thin margin in height.

I would think a thin layer of flexible epoxy wouldn't add that much to the thickness of the glass, given that the bezel still allows a thin margin in height.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
A bit of epoxy may be the trick. Let us know if you follow through with the project and let us know the outcome!

repairsuniverse said:
A bit of epoxy may be the trick. Let us know if you follow through with the project and let us know the outcome!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm kind of tied up for the time being, but certainly will let you know how it turns out.

graphdarnell said:
I'm kind of tied up for the time being, but certainly will let you know how it turns out.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hi there,
I wonder if you were successful in separating the digitizer from the LCD. I will get a broken Nexus 7 and am also looking for a solution. I looked a bit into this and found these informations that could help...
I assume the pro's do it somehow like this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CfuTVjI_Wao
They use heating plates like this one: https://www.gounlock.com/details.php?itemId=7192
There's an interesting note about temperatures:
Different materials of LCD, digitizer and glue requires different temperature. If the temperature is too high, it may damage the part. So it's better to start at a lower temperature first, and increase it when it's necessary. For example, you can start at 100C, put the LCD/digitizer combo on the board for 5 munites. If the glue is still not softened, then increase by 10C or 20C each time until you get to a working temperature. Next time when you work on the same LCD/digitizer combo, you can start with this optimum temperature right the way.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'd start at lower degrees, maybe 60° C and see if I can get some kinde of wire beween digitizer and glass. Maybe I'd start with fishing line or dental floss?
And here are some more machines, which are capable of doing this. Note that they always heat the things:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0r7hacgrIO8
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MAF6tfgZnWc
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cgbNz8mLWRs
http://www.youtube.com/watch?NR=1&feature=endscreen&v=FL6s5F-0yqc
you see that there is a small line or wire that cuts the digitizer off the glass...
The same method could be possible to do with tablets, if you beleive this chinese vendor of "refurbishing machines":
http://www.aliexpress.com/item-img/...eperator-refurbishment-machine/939659104.html
This one is also interesting. Look how he takes off the glass of an iphone 4 [at 2:00] and then removes the glue form the LCD screen [around 7:41] : http://www.youtube.com/watch?NR=1&feature=endscreen&v=QQOVuZxj8oM
Or you can use a product like this:
http://lcdglue.com/LCD-Glue-Remover.html
One problem could be the size of the Nexus 7. It's bigger than all the devices we see in these videos. But theoretically it should work exactly the same way...
If that is all true, one needs:
1. A controllable heating plate (or a hot air gun and an infrared thermometer to check temperatures)
2. Some kind of wire that is good enough to stand the heat but doesn't hurt the LCD
3. Something to hold the glass while you saw with the wire
4. If successful, you need the right liquid to remove the glue off the LCD
5. A replacement glass/digitizer unit and your recovered LCD
6. An idea how to align the LCD right (ar an LCD calibration app for afterwards)
7. A liquid adhesive for touchscreens (Liquid Optical Clear Adhesive) or any other method to stick the digitizer to the LCD
This is all theoretical, but points 1-5 seem to possible. I am not yet clear how to achieve points 6-7.
I'll get a broken Nexus 7 in some days and I'll try to experiment with the broken display unit. In the worst case I have to replace LCD and digitizer...
Thanks for letting us know once you try something...
rgds

DeGon said:
Hi there,
I wonder if you were successful in separating the digitizer from the LCD. I will get a broken Nexus 7 and am also looking for a solution. I looked a bit into this and found these informations that could help...
I assume the pro's do it somehow like this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CfuTVjI_Wao
They use heating plates like this one: https://www.gounlock.com/details.php?itemId=7192
There's an interesting note about temperatures:
I'd start at lower degrees, maybe 60° C and see if I can get some kinde of wire beween digitizer and glass. Maybe I'd start with fishing line or dental floss?
And here are some more machines, which are capable of doing this. Note that they always heat the things:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0r7hacgrIO8
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MAF6tfgZnWc
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cgbNz8mLWRs
http://www.youtube.com/watch?NR=1&feature=endscreen&v=FL6s5F-0yqc
you see that there is a small line or wire that cuts the digitizer off the glass...
The same method could be possible to do with tablets, if you beleive this chinese vendor of "refurbishing machines":
http://www.aliexpress.com/item-img/...eperator-refurbishment-machine/939659104.html
This one is also interesting. Look how he takes off the glass of an iphone 4 [at 2:00] and then removes the glue form the LCD screen [around 7:41] : http://www.youtube.com/watch?NR=1&feature=endscreen&v=QQOVuZxj8oM
Or you can use a product like this:
http://lcdglue.com/LCD-Glue-Remover.html
One problem could be the size of the Nexus 7. It's bigger than all the devices we see in these videos. But theoretically it should work exactly the same way...
If that is all true, one needs:
1. A controllable heating plate (or a hot air gun and an infrared thermometer to check temperatures)
2. Some kind of wire that is good enough to stand the heat but doesn't hurt the LCD
3. Something to hold the glass while you saw with the wire
4. If successful, you need the right liquid to remove the glue off the LCD
5. A replacement glass/digitizer unit and your recovered LCD
6. An idea how to align the LCD right (ar an LCD calibration app for afterwards)
7. A liquid adhesive for touchscreens (Liquid Optical Clear Adhesive) or any other method to stick the digitizer to the LCD
This is all theoretical, but points 1-5 seem to possible. I am not yet clear how to achieve points 6-7.
I'll get a broken Nexus 7 in some days and I'll try to experiment with the broken display unit. In the worst case I have to replace LCD and digitizer...
Thanks for letting us know once you try something...
rgds
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Have the feeling that either fishing line or dental floss wouldn't do: they might either melt or snap, since the adhesive seems pretty strong, though I doubt they applied anything stronger than that used on other tablets. I would try an E guitar string (1st one and the thinnest) in lieu of a metal wire you see in the youtube video. Since it's smooth, it hopefully won't scratch the LCD. I would do one corner at a time, and would not saw, but rather slice through when the glue is sufficiently softened. Still busy and haven't gotten around to it yet, but would welcome any progress report.

graphdarnell said:
I would try an E guitar string (1st one and the thinnest) in lieu of a metal wire you see in the youtube video.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Good Idea. I'll try that. Fishing line would maybe work if it's not too hot.
Another idea I had for the warming plate was to take an iron you use to iron clothes. Attach it somehow to an aluminium plate and turn it upside down, then heat on the weakest level you have (but inform yourself how hot that is befre you do that), Mybe you have to turn it on and off to get a low temperature.
I'll try it with a plastic welding plate (http://www.rothenberger-asia.com/products/producttype/slgdazgj/roweldr-he-heating-plates.html) as my father has such a thing.

That's another thing I found. The specs of the LCD that is used in the Nexus 7 (or at least in most):
HYDIS HV070WX2-1E0
http://www.azdisplays.com/PDF/HV070WX2-1E0.pdf
On one page there are reliability tests. There it is noted, that the LCD can stand 80°C in dry atmosphere. So that could be the first temperature to try to separate the LCD form the digitizer.

Today my broken Nexus 7 16GB I picked up for 45$ arrived. i couldn't wait to try separating the LCD from the digitizer.
Tatttatataaa! Success! I just completed steps 1-3 from my previous post.
LCD and digitizer are separated now. At no additional cost, just around 90 minutes time and some things from my personal scrap yard.
Digitizer and LCD are separated. LCD is still working, but has still glue on it.
This was my setup:
- The disassembled screen unit (only digitizer and LCD)
- A copper plate, bigger than the nexus clamped in a workbench (I had that one by accident, other metal or aluminium plates could work too)
- Two metal bars and c-clamps to fix the glass (digitizer) onto the copper plate. The whole thing shouldn't move
- A hair dryer with enough power to heat the coopper plate towards 50-70° C (That's what I think it was)
- Fishing line (Extra strong black line, has some kind of structure, thats good for sawing)
- two handles I could tye the fising line to, to have a good grip
First I tied the fishing line to my handles (the red tool and the metal tool in one of the pictures). Then I warmed the whole thing for about 5 minutes looking for a good heat dissipation, not too hot on one spot but as equally hot as possible. I left the hair dryer blowing next to the copper plate so it would not cool down so fast. Then I took my handles and started sawing slowly and carefully by tearing the line trough the glue between LCD and digitizer. I remarked that it is easier when sawing a bit, than just pulling it true the glue (the line then snapped faster). I paid attention that I didn't lift the LCD with the fishing line. 4-5 times the line snapped and I had to start over, but it finally worked. I always had the dryer on but changed position sometimes that the whole thing won't heat up too much. Finally I was able to tear the LCD carefully off the shattered glass. The glass stayed compact so I think theres another film layer on it. Finally I tested the LCD and it worked fine. I couldn't see any flaws.
You can see an album of pictures here: http://imgur.com/a/L1Ya0
Now the next step is to clean off the glue... Have to find the right liquid...
btw. excuse my bad english but I was a bit excited and in a hurry...
Here's another video showing the same principle on a phone: http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=96K8cr0id0Q

DeGon said:
Today my broken Nexus 7 16GB I picked up for 45$ arrived. i couldn't wait to try separating the LCD from the digitizer.
Tatttatataaa! Success! I just completed steps 1-3 from my previous post.
LCD and digitizer are separated now. At no additional cost, just around 90 minutes time and some things from my personal scrap yard.
Digitizer and LCD are separated. LCD is still working, but has still glue on it.
This was my setup:
- The disassembled screen unit (only digitizer and LCD)
- A copper plate, bigger than the nexus clamped in a workbench (I had that one by accident, other metal or aluminium plates could work too)
- Two metal bars and c-clamps to fix the glass (digitizer) onto the copper plate. The whole thing shouldn't move
- A hair dryer with enough power to heat the coopper plate towards 50-70° C (That's what I think it was)
- Fishing line (Extra strong black line, has some kind of structure, thats good for sawing)
- two handles I could tye the fising line to, to have a good grip
First I tied the fishing line to my handles (the red tool and the metal tool in one of the pictures). Then I warmed the whole thing for about 5 minutes looking for a good heat dissipation, not too hot on one spot but as equally hot as possible. I left the hair dryer blowing next to the copper plate so it would not cool down so fast. Then I took my handles and started sawing slowly and carefully by tearing the line trough the glue between LCD and digitizer. I remarked that it is easier when sawing a bit, than just pulling it true the glue (the line then snapped faster). I paid attention that I didn't lift the LCD with the fishing line. 4-5 times the line snapped and I had to start over, but it finally worked. I always had the dryer on but changed position sometimes that the whole thing won't heat up too much. Finally I was able to tear the LCD carefully off the shattered glass. The glass stayed compact so I think theres another film layer on it. Finally I tested the LCD and it worked fine. I couldn't see any flaws.
You can see an album of pictures here: http://imgur.com/a/L1Ya0
Now the next step is to clean off the glue... Have to find the right liquid...
btw. excuse my bad english but I was a bit excited and in a hurry...
Here's another video showing the same principle on a phone: http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=96K8cr0id0Q
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That was awesome!:good::good: For once I'm glad someone beat me to it. Congrats, you should be nominated Nexus Man of the Year. This would certainly encourage a lot of members with broken digitizers. One small favor to ask: is it at all possible for you to post a hi-res picture of the LCD's edge? I'd like to see how it was originally glued to the digitizer so as to find a way - hopefully safe - to remove the residual adhesive. A caution earlier that Goo-Gone might render the glass brittle bothers me. Depending on the kind, maybe we can use acetone instead. The speed at which it dries might prevent the chemicals from attacking the glass surface. Thank you much.
---------- Post added at 10:38 AM ---------- Previous post was at 10:36 AM ----------
repairsuniverse said:
A bit of epoxy may be the trick. Let us know if you follow through with the project and let us know the outcome!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
There's your answer, my man.

I'll post you these pictures tonight. The glue is all over the LCD module. I tried different liquids on the brocken glass digitizer, to see which one is best to remove the glue and I think pure alcohol, some heat and a razor blade could do the trick. I tried 36% cleansing alcohol and the glue came off already quite well. But cleansing alcohol has other stuff in it you don't wanna see on a LCD. So maybe pure alcohol will be better....
I am not sure of which material the top layer of the LCD is made. I don't think its glass. The only hint I have is from the manufacturers specification:
13.2 Cautions for handling the module
As the electrostatic discharges may break the LCD module, handle the LCD module with
care. Peel a protection sheet off from the LCD panel surface as slowly as possible.
As the LCD panel and back - light element are made from fragile glass (epoxy) material,
impulse and pressure to the LCD module should be avoided.
As the surface of the polarizer is very soft and easily scratched, use a soft dry cloth
without chemicals for cleaning.
Do not pull the interface connector in or out while the LCD module is operating.
Put the module display side down on a flat horizontal plane.
Handle connectors and cables with care.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Could it be some kind of epoxy? Or is it acrylic?
I think in any case pure alcohol will be far less agressive than acetone. Rub alcohol into the glue with a paintbrush or an old toothbrush, wait a bit, heat a bit, rub some more alcohol on it and then take the razor blade in a flat angle and start carefully to scrape the softened glue away... I think that is what I am going to try.

DeGon said:
I'll post you these pictures tonight. The glue is all over the LCD module. I tried different liquids on the brocken glass digitizer, to see which one is best to remove the glue and I think pure alcohol, some heat and a razor blade could do the trick. I tried 36% cleansing alcohol and the glue came off already quite well. But cleansing alcohol has other stuff in it you don't wanna see on a LCD. So maybe pure alcohol will be better....
I am not sure of which material the top layer of the LCD is made. I don't think its glass. The only hint I have is from the manufacturers specification:
Could it be some kind of epoxy? Or is it acrylic?
I think in any case pure alcohol will be far less agressive than acetone. Rub alcohol into the glue with a paintbrush or an old toothbrush, wait a bit, heat a bit, rub some more alcohol on it and then take the razor blade in a flat angle and start carefully to scrape the softened glue away... I think that is what I am going to try.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
the top is glass, thin glass. i used pure citrus spray and it dissolves it, but i would like it to be faster.

graphdarnell said:
...post a hi-res picture of the LCD's edge? I'd like to see how it was originally glued to the digitizer so as to find a way - hopefully safe - to remove the residual adhesive...
Here are the pictures in an album on imgur.
http://imgur.com/a/CWioq#0 (note that there is a way to see these pix in full res, just click on the little symbol on the top right corner)
As you can see, the adhesive was not liquid glue (as I thought before), it was some kind of optical clear adhesive, a double-side glue tape that was applied to the LCD and the glass. On some pictures you can see that the tape does not cover the LC panel exactly to the edge. 1-2 mm of the LC panel are blank. (picture above)
On two sides of the LC Panel, the metal frame is a bit thicker (left and bottom edge), on the other two sides its just some milimeters (top and right edge), that will make it difficult to attach it on a new glass by only applying glue or adhesive tape at the edge of the LCD... I will see if I can do it without glueing it fully down... Maybe Sugru comes for the help...
As I said I tried to remove the tape from the broken glass digitizer. Cleaning alcohol (38% Ethanol and distilled water) already made it relatively easy to remove the adhesive with a razor blade. I think if the LC panel is really sealed by glass or even by an acrylic material, pure alcohol should do the trick, combined with a little pre-heating and a bit time to let the alcohol and glue react.I'd just aply the alcohol with a peintbrush or similar. I will get pure alcohol during the next days and then give it a try... will let you know my results...
---------- Post added at 10:26 PM ---------- Previous post was at 10:17 PM ----------
lastot069 said:
the top is glass, thin glass. i used pure citrus spray and it dissolves it, but i would like it to be faster.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
What kind of spray is that? Brand? What are the ingredients?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse

DeGon said:
What kind of spray is that? Brand? What are the ingredients?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
the brand is pure citrus, it comes in a spray can and can be found by most cleaners. and it is just citrus oils. works an a lot of glues.

Hmm. I am really not sure about using alcohol. It could damage the LC Panel if it is not glass, but epoxy or something.
Most people seem to use some kind of citrus cleaner. Like the guy who uses Orange Glo. 3M has some kind of glue remover, that contains Lemonene.
Limonene is used as a solvent in degreasing metals prior to industrial painting, for cleaning in the electronic and printing industries, and in paint as a solvent. Limonene is also used as a flavour and fragrance additive in food, house- hold cleaning products, and perfumes.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Also other companies offer glue removers with that stuff. It seems to be pretty harmless to a variety of materials....

Related

Trying to find the *correct* way to repair Super AMOLED or other fully bonded display

First some background: Current replacement guides for displays used on such devices as the GS3, HOX, HOS specify replacing the full-screen bonding agent with an edge-taped solution. This results in much lower contrast ratio due to a non-spec air gap and if done improperly, dust in the air pocket over time.
The *proper* solution would be a liquid adhesive lamination (LAL) or liquid optically clear adhesive (LOCA).
The requirements of these adhesives for this application are the following:
Code:
- OEM contrast ratio
- Dust abatement
- No bubbles in final product
- Rebondability
I believe the process for using these adhesives would be the following:
Code:
- Removal of all existing adhesive from substrate
- Application of *appropriate amount (TBD)* of adhesive in center of substrate
- Application of new glass lens with even pressure to spread adhesive outward, avoiding air bubbles
- Curing of adhesive if necessary
In fact, this seems more straightforward and less error prone than applying adhesive tape around the lens perimeter.
I am willing to try this on my screen, but...
What I need
I cannot determine which adhesive will work, or even work best. I'm hoping that someone has a lead on a proper adhesive through experience. Obviously a DIY fix would need only a small amount, so a gallon jug wouldn't be a good option (unless for a group buy or something).
I'll post links to the resources I have found already when I reach 10 posts
Found a reasonable amount of LOCA
I found some LOCA for $30 shipped, not sure of the quantity or how many applications it will provide. I think it will take some experimentation to find the correct amount to entirely fill the void without airspace and without squeezing out the sides. Might have to apply it with the screen out of the phone frame. Also, I do have a UV flashlight but I don't know if that is sufficient to cure this stuff. I'll test it out on some microscope slides. I'll also test whether it can be taken back apart via heat after bonding.
This topic is really interesting, since I broke my GS3 gorilla glass and would like to change it by myself. A good DIY would be appreciated
mkendra said:
This topic is really interesting, since I broke my GS3 gorilla glass and would like to change it by myself. A good DIY would be appreciated
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I ordered some LOCA so we will see how it goes I guess. I'll try to take pics/video when I can.
crakarjax said:
I ordered some LOCA so we will see how it goes I guess. I'll try to take pics/video when I can.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
can you share link of supplier ? thanx
i would add few more steps to process for using these adhesives
- if OCA used, according to post from phonefreaks h t t p ://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=31321004&postcount=13 alcohol spry on glass or screen before application OCA, then alignment, then again alcohol spry on glass or screen
- vacuum application to remove air bubbles
and i would search for LOCA which cures in "shadow" area
Kancler said:
i would add few more steps to process for using these adhesives
- if OCA used, according to post from phonefreaks h t t p ://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=31321004&postcount=13 alcohol spry on glass or screen before application OCA, then alignment, then again alcohol spry on glass or screen
- vacuum application to remove air bubbles
and i would search for LOCA which cures in "shadow" area
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The link you posted is regarding a different adhesive, that is in sticker form. The adhesive I am trying out is liquid and hardens with UV light. I found some on ebay.
I bonded two microscope slides together as a test and it worked well, no bubbles. The only problem I had is that lots of adhesive leaked out the perimeter of the slides... it is going to be hard to determine the proper amount for my screen. I also need to take into account the perimeter tape adhesive if I use it but I might not even bother since the LOCA bonds pretty tight. Another setback is that the slides are really stuck! I haven't tried applying heat to break the bond yet but I have been unable to separate the slides.
On the brighter side, LOCA is nice to work with because it will not set until you want it to; if you mess up you can just try again as long as you have some adhesive.
crakarjax said:
The link you posted is regarding a different adhesive, that is in sticker form. The adhesive I am trying out is liquid and hardens with UV light. I found some on ebay.
I bonded two microscope slides together as a test and it worked well, no bubbles. The only problem I had is that lots of adhesive leaked out the perimeter of the slides... it is going to be hard to determine the proper amount for my screen. I also need to take into account the perimeter tape adhesive if I use it but I might not even bother since the LOCA bonds pretty tight. Another setback is that the slides are really stuck! I haven't tried applying heat to break the bond yet but I have been unable to separate the slides.
On the brighter side, LOCA is nice to work with because it will not set until you want it to; if you mess up you can just try again as long as you have some adhesive.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
theres some locktide LOCA dam adhesive, which has greater viscosity, its main purpose to create borders and not allow LOCA to leak, but i think double side tape would help to keep it in place.
Hope heat will help to separate, or we will get permanent glass replacement :/ and we all know how fragile glass are :/
Kancler said:
theres some locktide LOCA dam adhesive, which has greater viscosity, its main purpose to create borders and not allow LOCA to leak, but i think double side tape would help to keep it in place.
Hope heat will help to separate, or we will get permanent glass replacement :/ and we all know how fragile glass are :/
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I did see the loctite LOCA but it's really expensive and not sold in small quantities. Greater viscosity would be a plus; how do you know what the viscosity of my LOCA is though? I'll toss my slides in the toaster oven tonight and see if they come apart.
any luck on separation ?
Kancler said:
any luck on separation ?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Not quite. I perhaps did not let the glass heat thoroughly, but I stuck it in the oven at 190 for 10 minutes and then gave it a shot. I did not use a razor blade but rather a pocket knife so that didn't help, but the adhesive did clearly give; however, the top layer of glass broke. Not a big deal but I was hoping it would be a lot easier. The layer of adhesive wasn't rock hard, and it was very very thin so a thicker layer would surely give more easily. I could clearly see that prying in the glass was causing the kind of outwardly flowing separation that I would have expected so that's encouraging. I think I'll call it good enough and cross that bridge if and when my glass breaks again. As soon as I get my metal pry tool from hong kong I'm going to give it a shot.

[Q] Any interest in an Acrylic (or similar) back glass replacement??

Take 2: I'll try to play nice....Usually I would have just deleted the thread....however, I'm trying to change....so....I'll take the time to dumb this down for those who aren't quick enough to follow. Open wide, here comes the spoon feeding!
What:
I'm trying to find if there's any interest in getting a (cheap <$10) replacement for the glass back of the N4. Right now...it's just an idea. There might not actually be anything that's thin enough to be used as an alternative. However...it might be possible.
Why:
Why not?...but seriously...once the glass back shatters, it's unsightly for one. It (in my case) doesn't leave a decent enough surface for a DBrands skin (mine looks lumpy as **** because of the bits of glass). And it leads to other possibilities...for example, you can get a clear acrylic/polycarb piece and etch it? Color it? What ever you want to do to make it yours...
How:
I'm not fully sure yet, I know there's a few companies that will cut acrylic however you want, they charge per sheet, and per cut...if a cut/corner is rounded they charge per corner/rounding, etc...so that's all going to have to be worked out. Also, there is differences between the types of attenuation of different materials...for example after I put Poly Carb in the title...I found it has worse effects on RF than Acrylic/Plexi. Along with that, there are downsides of each alternative...some are more impact resistant but easier to scratch....some the opposite.
Please don't come into this thread and post about how it's not possible, how it can't be done, how it's a dumb idea because of one reason or another. It's in fact...POSSIBLE, it CAN be done, and it's NOT a dumb idea...(according to the poll and the post on Reddit anyhow). I've been dealing with these devices for almost 2 decades...I know what I'm talking about when it comes to this sort of thing.
Now, for those who will start crying about how there's antennas and NFC and "other stuff" attached to the back...refer to the last sentence of the previous paragraph....THEN look at the pictures below, the first of which shows there is NOTHING other than the NFC antenna.....which picture 2 shows is removable from the glass....Thanks for reading...if you even got this far...
Edit: That's actually not the NFC antenna, it's actually the charging coil.
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"lightbox_close": "Close",
"lightbox_next": "Next",
"lightbox_previous": "Previous",
"lightbox_error": "The requested content cannot be loaded. Please try again later.",
"lightbox_start_slideshow": "Start slideshow",
"lightbox_stop_slideshow": "Stop slideshow",
"lightbox_full_screen": "Full screen",
"lightbox_thumbnails": "Thumbnails",
"lightbox_download": "Download",
"lightbox_share": "Share",
"lightbox_zoom": "Zoom",
"lightbox_new_window": "New window",
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}
Credit goes to Fencesitter for the above image
Ok let's start again shall we... OP, you can edit your original post with the extra details from your follow-up post (minus the colorful adjectives).
Bump
I've thought about this and yes, I'm interested. Ideally polycarbonate with soft touch rubber coating like the one x+ and droid dna.
Sent from my Nexus 4 using Tapatalk 2
If it's just 10 bucks, I'm down for one!
Sent from my Nexus 4 using Tapatalk 2
Go for it. It's a good idea.
Send by me.
Without a doubt. AS LONG AS... Incredibly detailed instructions are included with the purchase as far as how to separate the phone... Although I guess anyone can go to iFixIt or something... But it would also have to retain NFC and wireless charging...
+1 on the soft touch BTW...
as we start shattering the back glass this ideal will no longer be thought of as anything but the greatest... go for it!
just wondering, will it effect the wireless charging?
Sent from my Nexus 4 using xda premium
That's a great question...though I can't imagine it actually affecting it, I'd have to test it (if this thing ever goes forward)...
Edit: according to this site it's less dense therefore less obstructive.
Alright, so I've got a place here in Chicago that does this sort of thing, it's just the matter of finding out if they can make the cuts for the speaker...and I'm unsure if the LED lens is a part of the back glass or not....
Gonna need a cover for the camera built in too
Sent from my Nexus 4 using Tapatalk 2
That's actually the NFC antenna AND the wireless charging coil (NFC antenna is the outer coil, charging is the inner coil).
No one said in the other thread that they couldn't be separated, it's that the antenna, coil, connectors, plastic housing, camera cover, etc. are all glued to the glass. Separating them for a tear down article is one thing, separating them to later reglue them to a polycarbonate cover is quite another. It's not impossible, but it's a lot more work than most people are going to be willing to do (unless they've already broken the glass and their only other choice is a $$$ replacement).
As an optometrist, I'm curious about something....
Polycarbonate would be a great material for impact/breakage resistance, nothing better actually.
But, non-scratch resistant coated polycarbonate will scratch almost with a fingernail. Is it easy to get scratch resistant coated poly for this type of stuff?
would you just glue it on? or how would it be applied and yet friendly with the antennas in the back, gsm,wifi etc. i would like a rubber backing so i can be rough on it and something that will absorb the heat more
FYI- I just measured the glass and it looks like it's 0.5mm thick.
Removal of the glass isn't too hard, even though it has adhesive all over it (on second thought, maybe it's just around the perimeter and in patches in the middle).
As I had mentioned before, the thing to be careful about is removing the copper shielding from over the NFC+Qi coils. The copper tape is really thin so it tears easily, and if you do get it off, it'll curl up and stick to itself (luckily though, it's usually not and adhesive-to-adhesive stick, so it's possible to unroll it). I've been able to get a couple of removals and reapplications out of both the copper tape and the coils, but the adhesive on the coils is wearing off, so I probably won't be able to do remove and reapply (using the same adhesive) many more times.
Removing the glass from that point is relatively easy, done by pushing out on the glass through the speaker and coil holes in the plastic housing. The problem is that the adhesive around the perimeter sticks better to the plastic case, and cleanup is a bit of a pain.
The adhesive actually sticks pretty well to the paint on the back of the glass, however, the problem is that the paint isn't so good sticking to the glass, so on the back plastic, there will be a ring of adhesive with paint on it and the glass will have a relatively bare spot around its perimeter, say maybe 1mm wide. But I guess that's not that big of a deal if you're just planning on replacing the back glass.
With the LED lens separate from the back glass, adhered to the plastic case, you don't have to worry about removing that.
Certainly, if my back glass breaks, I'll be replacing it with plastic. I'd probably use PETG instead of polycarbonate since PC is harder to lasercut and yellows along the cut, though for 0.5mm thickness, it might not be that bad, and you could always CNC mill the PC instead. Finally, I'm not sure if may places will laser cut PC. Acrylic might be nice- it's really easy to laser cut and relatively scratch resistant, but I'm not too sure how easy it is to find in that thickness.
As I see it, you'll want not only a polycarbonate/plastic back, but also the adhesive around the perimeter and possibly some patches of adhesive in the middle. The polycarbonate will probably need to be die cut or something, but you can get the adhesive lasercut. Certainly factor that into the replacement kit BOM (Bill Of Materials) and also price.
If I were to assemble it- and what I did for my glass back- is/was to cut the adhesive large, apply it to the glass, then use scissors or a craft knife (X-acto) to cut the excess adhesive from around the perimeter of the glass, then apply the glass to the back housing. After that, then you can reapply the NFC+Qi coils, the camera gasket and put the speaker grille into place. You can probably get the adhesive preapplied to the plastic, however, that increases costs.
edit: maybe acrylic isn't that scratch resistant.
Yes do this!
Sent from my Nexus 4 using Tapatalk 2
Fencesitter said:
FYI- I just measured the glass and it looks like it's 0.5mm thick.
Removal of the glass isn't too hard, even though it has adhesive all over it (on second thought, maybe it's just around the perimeter and in patches in the middle).
As I had mentioned before, the thing to be careful about is removing the copper shielding from over the NFC+Qi coils. The copper tape is really thin so it tears easily, and if you do get it off, it'll curl up and stick to itself (luckily though, it's usually not and adhesive-to-adhesive stick, so it's possible to unroll it). I've been able to get a couple of removals and reapplications out of both the copper tape and the coils, but the adhesive on the coils is wearing off, so I probably won't be able to do remove and reapply (using the same adhesive) many more times.
Removing the glass from that point is relatively easy, done by pushing out on the glass through the speaker and coil holes in the plastic housing. The problem is that the adhesive around the perimeter sticks better to the plastic case, and cleanup is a bit of a pain.
The adhesive actually sticks pretty well to the paint on the back of the glass, however, the problem is that the paint isn't so good sticking to the glass, so on the back plastic, there will be a ring of adhesive with paint on it and the glass will have a relatively bare spot around its perimeter, say maybe 1mm wide. But I guess that's not that big of a deal if you're just planning on replacing the back glass.
With the LED lens separate from the back glass, adhered to the plastic case, you don't have to worry about removing that.
Certainly, if my back glass breaks, I'll be replacing it with plastic. I'd probably use PETG instead of polycarbonate since PC is harder to lasercut and yellows along the cut, though for 0.5mm thickness, it might not be that bad, and you could always CNC mill the PC instead. Finally, I'm not sure if may places will laser cut PC. Acrylic might be nice- it's really easy to laser cut and relatively scratch resistant, but I'm not too sure how easy it is to find in that thickness.
As I see it, you'll want not only a polycarbonate/plastic back, but also the adhesive around the perimeter and possibly some patches of adhesive in the middle. The polycarbonate will probably need to be die cut or something, but you can get the adhesive lasercut. Certainly factor that into the replacement kit BOM (Bill Of Materials) and also price.
If I were to assemble it- and what I did for my glass back- is/was to cut the adhesive large, apply it to the glass, then use scissors or a craft knife (X-acto) to cut the excess adhesive from around the perimeter of the glass, then apply the glass to the back housing. After that, then you can reapply the NFC+Qi coils, the camera gasket and put the speaker grille into place. You can probably get the adhesive preapplied to the plastic, however, that increases costs.
edit: maybe acrylic isn't that scratch resistant.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Now THAT is a response. That's what I was looking for. Thanks a LOT!
Now as far as what I've found out about potential materials:
Acrylic has the...better? combination of factors (surface hardness, durability, and RF attenuation) that make it the most suitable however, if the glass is indeed .5 mm thick, it's not the best of options...since most places I've reached out to only have/go down to 1/32" or 0.7938 mm.
PC we all know is the best as far as durability however with that...the surface hardness is not ideal unless it's going to have a skin on it to begin with...Oh and RF attenuation is definitely higher than with acrylic/plexi...
PETG I never knew about to be honest (this started out as an idea) but from the little that I did read into...It's similar to PC it seems to me...though I literally spent all of 3 minutes trying to find out about it...
This site has some great info related to attenuation which, with me being a HAM, actually matters. Knowing how ****ty the design of the mobile device antenna is from the get go (due to obvious limitations)...
Edit: After reaching out to a few fellow hams, the RF attenuation isn't even something to worry about at our frequencies...The loss (if it's even measurable) would be so low that it's not even worth considering.
Very very interested in this. Though my back is protected in an Acase dual layer, I don't rule out one day tragedy striking as is seemingly common with our device.
Sent from my Nexus 7
My back glass is broken and so is my digitizer... Be carefull that phone is hell more complicated and expensive to fix than my old desire.
Anyway I ordered the front assembly for $90 (with frame). For the back, I will first use a cover. Then I will look at alternative, but replacing glass with glass no way, it would break again. It was looking good though, before it broke.

E970 screen on nexus 4

I got my hands a E970 screen with a cracked digitizer. I hoped to use it to replace my cracked E960 screen,with a cheap 30 buck digitizer. So I carefully checked the pin-outs and it looked good. I then plugged it in and what do you know,worked just fine. So for what its worth,if its useful to anyone else,the LCD screen from an E970 will in fact work in an E960. Unfortunately it didnt work out. The screen,like the nexus 4 display,was glued t the front frame. I tried getting it out and ended up destroying the lcd. However,I did experiment with heating the front and separating it with a molybdenum wire. That part seemed to go smoothly. If anyone else has to do this,heres my best suggestion. Get some sandpaper,perhaps 80 grit and glue it to a board. Then sand the edge,moving parallel to the plane of the screen until you have ground away the frame and exposed the edge of the glass digitizer. Repeat on all four sides. This way you should be able to get to the adhesive under the digitizer without further cracking any glass. Remember,the front of the digitizer is cracked,so the lcd is vulnerable. I would get a piece of window glass and cut it to about the same size as the glass digitizer. Then used adhesive transfer tape to bond it to the front cracked glass.
Keep in mind,Ive not separated one successfully yet,so this is a combination of a report of my experiments and my educated guess on how to proceed in the future. It goes back to a previous attempt I did on a broken LCD. I conjectured that if I were to separate the plastic digitizer from the FRONT glass,I could more easily peel it away from the LCD. SO I took separated about a mm of the digitizer from the front glass. Then I ran a qtip dipped in acetone along the edge. The acetone was drawn into the gap by capilary action. I then waited a few minutes,repeated the acetone dipped qtip procedure,and then carefully slid the corner of the foil coated plastic package of a nicotine patch through the gap. The packet is very very thin,way thinner than a credit card,but very stiff. It easily removed another mm or so of the adhesive,and better still,left a gap,so that your not forcing the display to bend. This went well until I got near the last half inch of a shard of glass,about 1/3 of the way up the display. At that point,I applied a bit of upward force and that shard,about two inches long,with a sharp point,held only by a the last half inch by perhaps 1/3 inch section of adhesive shattered the LCD under the point. The lesson learned is,a cracked digitizer is going to have this lever effect on the shards that crack the lcd with a tiny amount of force due to the combination of the long lever arm and sharp point. So the glass is to hold that all together and keep it from doing the lever thing.
My experience tells me that ,yes,those techniques you see on the internet with the credit card and the heat gun MIGHT work,but your going to need a lot of skill. And that skill is developed by trashing DOZENS of LCDs. And its still not going to be 100%. Probably no more than 50%. My guess is that these were developed by people who repair these for a living. If you do,then you probably have a big box of broken displays. Some only have broken digitizers,some broken LCDs,and you think "If I had a way to reuse some of these parts,I could make a bunch of extra money" so you start with the broken ones,and then when you get something that works,even 50% of the time,you can make 50 bucks or more extra profit per screen you can fix,from parts that were previously worthless junk to you.
But I want something 100%,not for my nexus,but because more and more phones are made like this,and in the future they all will be. So I want to make a procedure that will fix it all the time. So far,I suspect that you have to choose one part to save. Either the frame or the LCD digitizer stack. I may try working around the edge with a plastic tool and heat with a glass bonded to the front and see if I can get the glass free of the frame without destroying the LCD,but Im not optimistic,first Id like a sure fire way to save an LCD.
My feeling is that if you bond the front glass to a ridged substrate,you can then use the sandpaper to grind the edge away. If you do it parallel to the plane of the screen,it should be very gentle on the display,avoiding any damage. Then you can perhaps with the aid of heat,cut the digitizer away from the frame. Im thinking at this point,you need a screen separator.
So Im going to make one. My plan is that I will make a device from plywood. It will have a backing and a part that slides. The part that slides will have a heated piece of aluminum with a thermostat that holds it at 175F and an inductive heating coil behind the aluminum. This "carriage" will slide back and forth,and there will be an guide that will constrain its motion to one axis. The "carriage" will actually be made from two blocks,one that will be in the guide,then a second that bolts to that,using some studs,and washers and wing nuts. Between these two plywood layers,I will uses sheets of paper as shims to adjust the height so that a 0.08mm molybdenum wire (I have 100' of it I got off ebay) is at the right height to separate the screen. The screen will be stuck to the glass with adhesive transfer tape,the edges ground away,then mounted to the separator with adhesive transfer tape,and shimmed to the right height. I can then heat it to temperature (the glue *I* use SHOULD be strong enough to hold it in place,if not,I just buy one of the higher temp adhesives. I can then separate the digitizer from the front glass AND the frame. At that point,the LCD should be free of the frame. Now,if the digitizer is OK,I can simply ,carefully clean the adhesive off of it and repair it using a 12 dollar front glass.
Some people use optically clear adhesive that is uv cured,because its easier to get a bubble free bond without a vacuum oven or autoclave so I will just use an optically clear adhesive transfer tape. I however have access to a vacuum oven at work,so I'm good to go. Even if I did not,I suspect that there are other options. I might try one of those vacuum storage containers they sell at target that go with those "food saver" vacuum packers. (I want one anyway to freeze food in,very handy. Buy 40lbs of chicken breasts when they come on sale for 1.89 a lb and freeze them! Pays for itself in no time) My hope would be that ,perhaps of first heated to say 180F or so,then placed on paper to avoid melting the plastic container ,you and a vacuum pulled,it would remove the bubbles. But I have access to the oven so I don't care much about that.
If not,then I can probably make sure the wire is on the other side of the digitizer and separate it from the lcd instead. Then the same procedure can be used to bond the LCD to a new digitizer/glass assembly. But first I need to find some more broken LCDs to play with. But hopefully my experiences will help others in their quest. The end result of what I have determined though is,Im going to have to make the separator,becuase while its obvious that its POSSIBLE without it,its just not reliable or practical.

Nexus 7 faster method for separating and glue removal from LCD and digitizer

Hello,
I got a Nexus 7 tablet with a broken digitizer for free, I started watching info and videos on the net on how to separate that digitizer from the god LCD.
The heat gun solution looks a bit too hard to control. I chose to try to make my own heat plate.
I have made the heating plate based on stuff found around the house, also I borrowed some stuff from work until I will receive the controller I ordered from Ebay.
Basically, I got an aluminum plate cut from a scrap piece, drilled holes to hold those lock down clamps, everything is just made to resemble those professional separation machines.
There are 2 small round heaters underneath, each around 200W, more than needed for this application.
I tried heating the assembly up to 85 deg C and the lcd metal back cover starts to lift up, separating from the lcd glass itself, oops, had to press down on it and lower the temp to around 65 C ,now it sits in place.
I bought 2-3 broken digitizers with screens from a guy that repairs tablets, just to practice before I really try to do the change the digitizer on my tablet.
I will put pictures of the removed and cleaned LCD’s, the digitizers were just used to practice the LOCA glue removal, I throw them away after. Too much glass pieces.
Here is the name of the video: Nexus 7 LCD separation from digitizer, fast LOCA removal. Please turn on CC on the video to see more info.
The separation of the lcd is done with some guitar wire 0.007”, not sure if smaller diameter it will do better or not.
I had a problem on one practice screen, I cut thru the front polarizing film on the lcd. that’s why I started the separation from the lcd connector side, wire gets better there between the digitizer and the lcd.
One great thing I found is by using silicon grease, it makes the sawing much easier and you only need one pass to separate the lcd.
After separating the lcd, cleaning up the loca glue is also easy, thanks to my other interesting finding I did, by using essential oils.
There are so many out there, like tea tree oil, oregano oil, tried them, they all do a good job.
I finally used the citronella oil because it was only 4$ for 15ml, probably you can do lots of cleaning from one bottle and also repelling the mosquitos around you.
As you can see, apply small drops, spread uniformly with your finger, then wait, after 4-5 hours the glue comes off very easy.
If any excess oil, absorb-it with a paper towel. If it’s too much oil, not good also.
The good thing about oil is that it will have much less ( more like zero) chances to go inside the LCD panel and make spots, like the alcohol can do.
Finished the cleaning with some 99% isopropyl alcohol ( from the pharmacy).
I’m sure after this, some people will try to sell “ miracle” loca glue remover. Hope this post will remain here to give some great info to those searching.
This is valid for any kind of lcd loca glue cleaning, is it a phone or tablet, it will work.
I think I will try to reapply the uv loca glue to the new digitizer, I will wait for the ordered glue to come.
With all the things I purchased maybe is not economical for one tablet, but the experience I got is priceless, I’m happy to share with others.

Best digitizer separation ( 1 pass) and fast loca glue removal

Hello,
I just realized I have posted before on the Nexus 7 first gen forum, then I came back here to share my experience with my 2013 model.
I got a Nexus 7 2013 tablet with a broken digitizer for free, I started watching info and videos on the net on how to separate that digitizer from the god LCD.
The heat gun solution looks a bit too hard to control. I chose to try to make my own heat plate.
I have made the heating plate based on stuff found around the house, also I borrowed some stuff from work until I will receive the controller I ordered from Ebay.
Basically, I got an aluminum plate cut from a scrap piece, drilled holes to hold those lock down clamps, everything is just made to resemble those professional separation machines.
There are 2 small round heaters underneath, each around 200W, more than needed for this application.
I tried heating the assembly up to 85 deg C and the lcd metal back cover starts to lift up, separating from the lcd glass itself, oops, had to press down on it and lower the temp to around 65 C ,now it sits in place.
I bought 2-3 broken digitizers with screens from a guy that repairs tablets just to practice before I really try to do the digitizer change on my own tablet..
I will put pictures of the removed and cleaned LCD’s, the digitizers were just used to practice the LOCA glue removal, I throw them away after. Too many glass pieces.
Here is the name of the video: Nexus 7 LCD separation from digitizer, fast LOCA removal. Please turn on CC on the video to see more info.
The separation of the lcd is done with guitar wire 0.007”, not sure if smaller diameter it will do better or not.
I had a problem on one practice screen, I cut thru the front polarizing film on the lcd. that’s why I started the separation from the lcd connector side, wire gets better there between the digitizer and the lcd.
One great thing I found is by using silicon grease, it makes the sawing much easier and you only need one pass to separate the lcd. Apply in small quantities beside the lcd before you pass the string.
After separating the lcd, cleaning up the loca glue is also easy, thanks to my other interesting finding I did, by using essential oils.
There are so many out there, like tea tree oil, oregano oil, tried them, they all do a good job.
I finally used the citronella oil because it was only 4$ for 15ml, probably you can do lots of cleaning from one bottle and also repelling the mosquitos around you.
As you can see, apply small drops, spread uniformly with your finger, then wait, after 4-5 hours the glue comes off very easy.
If any excess oil, absorb-it with a paper towel. If it’s too much oil, not good also.
The good thing about oil is that it will have much less ( more like zero) chances to go inside the LCD panel and make spots, like the alcohol can do.
Finished the cleaning with some 99% isopropyl alcohol ( from the pharmacy).
I’m sure after this, some people will try to sell “ miracle” loca glue remover. Hope this post will remain here to give some great info to those searching.
This is valid for any kind of lcd loca glue cleaning, is it a phone or tablet, it will work.
I think I will try to reapply the uv loca glue to the new digitizer, I will wait for the ordered glue to come.
With all the things I purchased maybe is not economical for one tablet, but the experience I got is priceless, I’m happy to share with others.
Thanks for the tip!
How did you assemble new digitizer with the LCD back together? Did you use LOCA glue? If yes, where did you get that?
Hellou,
Thanks for the tips.
Do you know where to find aluminium bar at size 7-10" diagonal in RO?
Thanks
Appreciated your tips re grease and oil. I've done this several times, so I know it can be done with some patience. The big question is, where do you get a separate digitizer that works. I've tried at least 5 that partially worked (dead bands, mostly), but found none that totally did. If you have a source, it'd help greatly. Thanks again.

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