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Replaced just the glass, saved the digi/lcd (With video)

Its to hard to manage threads for all platforms so im going to consolidate all the questions here http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?p=31998128#post31998128
Well I read a lot of places that it couldn't be done. I have successfully replaced just the glass. I recorded it on my Gopro so everyone can see how its done. If you find it useful hit the thanks Make sure you spread this around so people stop buying 300 dollar full LCD assemblies.
without further adieu
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W4Gx5fLy0NQ&feature=youtu.be

Fixed the sound issue with the video

I saw your post on Reddit. What I'm more interested in is how this affected picture quality. Obviously there's a layer of glue missing from inbetween the display and glass. Also you did a shoddy job on cleaning it properly before applying the new glass .

Thanks for this guide.
Going to test it on a broken s3 i have lying around.
Sent from my GT-I9300 using xda premium.

There is a thing i didn't catch. The digitizer is apart from the glass right ? Here would it be in the video ? I am asking because i saw on ebay the glass being sold and the glass + digitizer.
Sent from my Nexus 7 using xda premium

AndreiLux said:
I saw your post on Reddit. What I'm more interested in is how this affected picture quality. Obviously there's a layer of glue missing from inbetween the display and glass. Also you did a shoddy job on cleaning it properly before applying the new glass .
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Lol... I did all of this last month. A bloody PITA to clean and remove all the glass shards (took me 2 hours just to clear up all the sharp shards of glass). Yes there is a layer of glue (it's acually some sort of silicone rubber) that you need to put on. My advice? I used the Selley's All Clear Multipurpose Co-Polymer Sealant, so it's crystal clear and not translucent as some other clear RTV Silicone. Also remember to use some microfiber cloth to clean the surface of the LCD and your digitizer before you seal it, if not, some dust/debris might get caught inside!
You need to put this layer of silicone because moisture will seep in and cloud up your screen, if you did not!
Again, if you want to save a good amount of money and your LCD is not cracked, AND you can DIY, by all means do this!

makimo2989 said:
Lol... I did all of this last month. A bloody PITA to clean and remove all the glass shards (took me 2 hours just to clear up all the sharp shards of glass). Yes there is a layer of glue (it's acually some sort of silicone rubber) that you need to put on. My advice? I used the Selley's All Clear Multipurpose Co-Polymer Sealant, so it's crystal clear and not translucent as some other clear RTV Silicone. Also remember to use some microfiber cloth to clean the surface of the LCD and your digitizer before you seal it, if not, some dust/debris might get caught inside!
You need to put this layer of silicone because moisture will seep in and cloud up your screen, if you did not!
Again, if you want to save a good amount of money and your LCD is not cracked, AND you can DIY, by all means do this!
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The shottyness was because everyone on the damn internet told me it wasn't going to work lol. If I did it now I would be MUCH more careful. I was going to send the device out for insurance anyway so I igured I would just try.

tntgdh said:
There is a thing i didn't catch. The digitizer is apart from the glass right ? Here would it be in the video ? I am asking because i saw on ebay the glass being sold and the glass + digitizer.
Sent from my Nexus 7 using xda premium
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If you're talking about thu wire, taht is for the left and right buttons

It's good to see you can replace the lens without replacing the digitizer and screen. I broke my lens around 1 month after buying my S3. I live in Singapore. Samsung replaced the front of the phone for $137 SGD (~$111 USD).
If you are worried about this happening just get a squaretrade warranty with the accidental damage protection vs. having to DIY.
Thanks for the vid!

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
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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.
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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
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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.
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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 :/
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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 ?
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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.

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.

What adhesive or glue should I buy to repair the split between the lcd and the rest of the digitizer frame?

I noticed a white light on one side of the screen wjile I was using it. It was leaking from the back of the lcd. There is nothing wrong while using it so far.

Using the OEM method be best. A picture would help.
LCD displays are vented on the sides to atmosphere. They are very susceptible to solvent poisoning; keep all solvent and vapors away from the display!
Do not use super glue or Gorilla glue. If far enough away from the LCD edges you might get away with Gorilla glue using a fan until cured. Epoxies and silicone seal same deal.
If it originally used double sided tape, use that!

blackhawk said:
Using the OEM method be best. A picture would help.
LCD displays are vented on the sides to atmosphere. They are very susceptible to solvent poisoning; keep all solvent and vapors away from the display!
Do not use super glue or Gorilla glue. If far enough away from the LCD edges you might get away with Gorilla glue using a fan until cured. Epoxies and silicone seal same deal.
If it originally used double sided tape, use that!
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Here are some pictures of how the glass/digitizer/lcd panel is separating from the rest of the frame. Based on iFixit, it would be best to use double sided tape.

Did it take a drop or get flexed?
Is the frame rail still straight?
If frame rail is still straight it can be reseated. It looks like double sided adhesive tape, inspect it to see if this is true. If so the whole panel needs to be pulled, cleaned and new tape of the same thickness reapplied. If a OEM part is available use this instead.
Surfaces must be clean and oil free. Carefully use anhydrous isopropyl alcohol to degrease and clean. Make sure none of it contacts the sides of the LCD!!! Use a fan so vapors don't build up; if poisoned it will trash the display.
Watch some tear down vids as they can be very helpful.

blackhawk said:
Did it take a drop or get flexed?
Is the frame rail still straight?
If frame rail is still straight it can be reseated. It looks like double sided adhesive tape, inspect it to see if this is true. If so the whole panel needs to be pulled, cleaned and new tape of the same thickness reapplied. If a OEM part is available use this instead.
Surfaces must be clean and oil free. Carefully use anhydrous isopropyl alcohol to degrease and clean. Make sure none of it contacts the sides of the LCD!!! Use a fan so vapors don't build up; if poisoned it will trash the display.
Watch some tear down vids as they can be very helpful.
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It's a drop but I receives this as a refurbished.

andruyd said:
It's a drop but I receives this as a refurbished.
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Check frame rail with a straight edge to see if bent. That can cause an adhesive failure.