I smashed the screen on my Tab a few weeks back. While I didn't take a video of the replacement, here are some notes and tips on my experience:
If the glass is cracked but you can still see the display fine (i.e. no rainbow or black ink spills) then it is just your digitizer that is broken. Your top priority at this point is to not break the LCD because the digitizer is relatively cheap (~$35 shipped from China, $60 from the US). This also goes for the picture being fine but the touch not working at all.
Buy a replacement digitizer. I got mine from ebay ( http://www.ebay.com/itm/270938561127 ).
Gather tools:
A clean towel to use for your work area to prevent scratches and scuffs
A little plastic prying tool (likely to come with your ebay order)
A thin and sharp utility knife/razor
A three prong screwdriver. The seller I used sent a few other screwdrivers but not the three prong one. I used one I got from a Nintendo DS repair a while back.
A heat gun will make this a lot easier. I guess a hair blow-dryer might work in a pinch.
I did not see any good videos for the disassembly. The one I watched ( http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=thTt6G27NV8 ) really screwed me over because it didn't show removing two screws first.
Here are my written steps for replacement:
Use a needle to pry out the two caps on either side of the USB charging port
Use the three prong screwdriver to remove those two screws
Insert the pry on the bottom middle between the plastic frame and the glass. Push down firmly so it wedges in up to the L shape.
Slide the pry along from the middle to either end and around the corner. You will feel the frame pop away from the innards.
Continue working the bottom half of the frame apart until you can insert tweezers or something else under the unit and lift it up and out of the frame.
Be careful to lift the bottom half then pull it out away from the top. Otherwise, you will crack the audio port which extends from the unit and fits into the hole in the top of the frame.
Set aside the frame and place the unit on a clean towel. If you have a broken screen, you are going to be dealing with lots of tiny slivers of broken glass.
On the circuitry side of the unit, you will see three big flat ribbon cables. The middle one is the digitizer. Use tweezers or the pry to *gently* lift up the tan colored plastic locking hinge on the far side (opposite the cable). It will pop up and the cable will easily slide out. Go very slow and carefully here. Don't mess with the black plastic because it will chip right off.
Now comes the painful part. Removing the old digitizer. Take a cigarette break if you need one. Maybe a Valium. Basically, almost all of the black trim part of the glass is thick strong glue binding it to the unit. You need to separate this glue to be able to peel the glass digitizer away.
Hold the unit upright with one hand and use the heat gun to loosen up the glue holding the digitizer to the unit. Run it along one edge for less than a minute until the glass is a little too hot to touch.
Quickly insert the razor as close to the glass as you can and about 6 centimeters in. Slide it along the side that you heated. Don't make any prying motions or you'll just crack the glass more.
Continue with the remaining three edges. Heat then separate. You may not make much progress the first time around, but by the second time, you should see the glass starting to peel away. It took me about 5 to 10 minutes per edge and it is grueling work.
Once you can safely peel the entire glass digitizer away from the unit, use the razor to lift up and peel off any of the flat black tape/glue that was left behind. Most of the unit where the glue goes is gray. On the sides there are two parts where you see black plastic. It is okay to leave glue residue as long as it isn't bunched up.
Vacuum up any stray glass slivers. Make sure you set aside tools screws and screw-hole-plugs before vacuuming.
Installing the new digitizer
Use an LCD spray and cleaning cloth to clean your LCD. Don't leave any dust or fingerprints as it will look bad once everything is put back together.
Remove the back covering of your replacement digitizer revealing the glue. Obviously, try not to touch the glue.
Align the digitizer above the unit, make sure the camera hole is on the correct side. Very slowly lower it down and try to have it perfectly in alignment when it touches. You will be able to nudge it a tiny bit, but the glue is strong and if you get it crooked, you are going to have to try to quickly lift it back up without cracking your new digitizer.
Once you have it in place, remove the front protective film and free the new cable. Wrap the cable around to the back and very gently insert it between the contacts then push the locking hinge down.
Testing and reassembly
Power it on and see if it works. Just push down the little metal bump closest to the edge where the power button would be on the frame.
When happy with the test, turn it off again and hold the unit above the frame.
Check the orientation then insert the top part first to fit the audio port into the hole. Line up the rest and then push down on all the edges to snap it into place.
Breathe a deep sigh of relief.
Appreciate the time you put into this, hopefully I never end up in a similar situation.
Could have used some more return key though lol
Sent from my Ceramic White LTE Galaxy Note using XDA Premium App
Wish I would have read this first. I broke the housing by the 2 bottom screws. Dayum! I haven't touched it since. Supposed to get the digitizer Friday. Wish me luck!
Its really easy to replace the digitiser on WiFi version. Use Stanley knife and hair dryer to loosen it off and remove middle flex cable. Videos on youtube
Sent from my GT-P7510 using xda app-developers app
Any picture of these 2 screws cause i do not see it on a p4 here.
I still have one here with a cracked glass but it all still works even the touch screen.
But i do not see the screw so a pic would be nice
Opuske said:
Any picture of these 2 screws cause i do not see it on a p4 here.
I still have one here with a cracked glass but it all still works even the touch screen.
But i do not see the screw so a pic would be nice
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
They are covered by plugs on either side of the charge port. Gotta pry the plugs out first.
Sent from my EVO using xda premium
Ok so i am on a mission this weekend then to try and do that then
Opuske said:
Ok so i am on a mission this weekend then to try and do that then
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
One tip: be really careful not to touch the inside surface of the glass. I ended up with a fingerprint on the inside that drives me nuts every time I clean the screen. Wear gloves if you've got them.
Otherwise it was no sweat. I used this as a guide but with a hair dryer instead of a heat gun.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KUI2gDQbdDY&feature=youtube_gdata_player
Sent from my EVO using xda premium
Quick question
I really found this post very helpful, but I do have one question. What if when I was trying to pry the tab up to pull out the digitizer, I cracked the black plactic on the other side. Would this cause the new digitizer not to work when I finished replacing everything and put it back together?
Best tutorial on the web (much better than those godawful youtube videos).
Thank you!
Did u get an answer??? I need to
AylaAtreides said:
I really found this post very helpful, but I do have one question. What if when I was trying to pry the tab up to pull out the digitizer, I cracked the black plactic on the other side. Would this cause the new digitizer not to work when I finished replacing everything and put it back together?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Did you get an answer??? I did the same thing...
DEinspanjer said:
I smashed the screen on my Tab a few weeks back. While I didn't take a video of the replacement, here are some notes and tips on my experience:
[*]If the glass is cracked but you can still see the display fine (i.e. no rainbow or black ink spills) then it is just your digitizer that is broken. Your top priority at this point is to not break the LCD because the digitizer is relatively cheap (~$35 shipped from China, $60 from the US). This also goes for the picture being fine but the touch not working at all.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Just when I thought I knew the difference between the LCD and the digitizer I read your post. You said if the glass is cracked but you can see the display just fine the digitizer is broken. When you say "see the display fine" I presume when the device is on you can see whatever it should be showing? Correct me if I am wrong. Silly me I would have thought if the glass was cracked you need the LCD. Are the glass, LCD and digitizer 3 separate parts?
Anyway on my Note 10.1 2014 edition the display suddenly went black while I was using it. All indications are the device is working because I hear notifications if I sent email to one of the accounts registered on the device. Given this limited info which part(s) do I need. The glass is pristine in that there are no cracks or scratches. Do I need the digitizer, lcd or both? How can I determine what I need for sure?
Thanks in advance,
~metafizik
The digitizer is the touch sensitive glass, the LCD is under that and it makes the pictures.
If you crack or damage the LCD, you will frequently see something that looks like an ink spill or a rainbow pattern.
If you crack or damage the digitizer, you can still see pictures fine, but some or all of it might no longer respond to touch.
In your case, it sounds like your LCD is not working, but unfortunately it is hard to say whether that is the only part that stopped working since it wasn't due to damage to the screen.
DEinspanjer said:
The digitizer is the touch sensitive glass, the LCD is under that and it makes the pictures.
In your case, it sounds like your LCD is not working, but unfortunately it is hard to say whether that is the only part that stopped working since it wasn't due to damage to the screen.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thank you for the information. I agree there is no telling what might have caused the problem especially given some other problems that proceeded this. I had recently replaced the battery and even with the new one it was draining way too quickly. I concluded it might be the ROM I was running had become corrupted because Google services was using the lions share of the battery instead of the screen. I downloaded and installed a factory Lolipop image and it was running fine for about half a day when the wife started playing around with live wallpapers we had never tried when it went black.
At this point I am reluctant to spend $ replacing the Lcd given it might be something else altogether.
Thanks again,
~metafizik
Accepting offers on my 32GB Note 10.1 2014 edition. As described above the display has gone dark but system is otherwise working fine. Includes very nice MoKo Wireless Bluetooth Keyboard Cover Case and the tablet's battery is new.
Hi all,
Just tried replacing the glass screen on my S4 because it was cracked. Heated up the screen and used a thin wire to separate the digitizer from the glass.
The glass came away ok but unfortunately a long rectangular copper strip which usually sits just above the screen came away with the glass. Now the screen won't turn on.
The screen itself I assume is undamaged, but this copper strip must provide power or ground to the screen. I've tried holding the copper strip in place but the screen still won't come on.
Can anyone with some expertise on the matter please shed some light on how fixable this is? Would be a shame to have to replace the whole screen.
Thanks in advance for your help
may be the touch panel is destroyed!! who did fix it? was it a pro?!
sirwiggus said:
Hi all,
Just tried replacing the glass screen on my S4 because it was cracked. Heated up the screen and used a thin wire to separate the digitizer from the glass.
The glass came away ok but unfortunately a long rectangular copper strip which usually sits just above the screen came away with the glass. Now the screen won't turn on.
The screen itself I assume is undamaged, but this copper strip must provide power or ground to the screen. I've tried holding the copper strip in place but the screen still won't come on.
Can anyone with some expertise on the matter please shed some light on how fixable this is? Would be a shame to have to replace the whole screen.
Thanks in advance for your help
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Unfortunately you tore the digitizer flex cable so your going to have to purchase a whole new top half full digitizer glass and frame (easiest) for your phone. You have to be very careful not to tear off this piece during removal. Sorry for the bad news
Sent from my GT-I9505G using Tapatalk 2
I attempted to remove and replace the glass that covers the screen/digitizer assembly. I was very careful melting the adhesive and slowly taking it off. The repair kit I purchased came with the tools needed, and even included some 2mm tape to keep it on. Before laying the new glass down, I turned the device on to test the screen, everything was in working ordered and it responded to touch fine, sensing around 8/10 taps. However, when the new glass is on, the device loses all sensitivity to touch. The menu and back button don't even work. I noticed that the replacement glass is a little thicker than the original. I purchased some LOCA (liquid optically clear adhesive), hoping that if I glue the new glass down just like it was glued originally, it will respond to touch the way it should because there won't be any open space/air between the glass and the digitizer. Before I even attempt to glue the glass on, should I even bother? Is there a chance the digitizer is broken? There are absolutely no visible defects and it seems to work fine when nothing is over it. It detects probably 8\10 or 9\10 taps. :\
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I337 using XDA Premium 4 mobile app
Check out this thread in the S3 forums. You will learn more from this thread http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1890708 about pros and con's of each, learn how to install properly with loca, and why you should use loca.
In my experience with trying both ways on my S3 I learned a lot.
First time without loca and had very little issues except screen touches not always working and having to hit the power button off and on for it to work. Then breaking it easily about 6 months or less again.
Second time I used local but I didn't cure it properly/enough and it leaked into the peripheral devices like camera and eventually motherboard died.
Replaced motherboard and glass again with loca and cured it with a ACTUAL UV light fixture and it still looks and works like new. I did not replace the camera from the first loca mishap as it is just a flashing/downloading/ emergency so are phone now.
So I do say Loca is the best method. Just take precaution and remove EVERYTHING so you are left with just the LCD and frame. Apply loca as in many videos available and the use a real UV light fixture. Do NOT rely on sunlight or weak UV lights to cure the loca completely. Good luck.
Sent From My Spiderman,Ironman,Red,Dark Blue,Green, GreyedOut BadAss Themed I337
Hi guys.
I own a galaxy i9505 when i touch the upper left corner the touch stops working but if i press the corners of the screen slightly inside it works again or if i lock & unlock the phone.
Is my digitizer damaged or the glass?
I also encountered some dust building up inside after my phone felt on the ground.
And also.
Is there any easy way to remove all components from the housing and put them inside a new one because my housing is damaged.
Thanks.
I'd say it is a hardware because applying pressure gets the area to respond.
audit13 said:
I'd say it is a hardware because applying pressure gets the area to respond.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
So you think its the glass?
It could be just the glass but I don't think so because, unlike some phones, the glass is just a glass cover on this Samsung phone with the digitizer is below the lcd.
Hello everyone. My note 4 screen has gone loose a bit. It`s not broken or anything, just at one small part the uv glue has loosened up and the display can be pressed on, and you can see it moving down a bit. Is there any way to add glue to that particular spot, or the entire screen has to be lifted up ?
Sold the phone. Apparently the entire screen must be taken apart, and only one guy dares to do it.