iPod touch (5th Gen) Bezel

Mon problème

I waited like 8 months for parts to come into stock. Poor inventory procurement!

Ma solution

Series 2 - 42mm screen and digizer installed as expected.

Mon conseil

Take your time. Use a small 1mm flat head screw driver to remove the extra 3M double sided tape from the aluminum sealing surface. Use acitone to remove the extra adhesive residue.

Mon problème

The housing on my Switch had become warped, in ordered a replacement housing and decided to throw some custom colors on my Joy-Cons while I was at it.

Ma solution

Fairly easy, the hardest part was making sure not to tear the digitizer flex and making sure all the meshes small parts were transferred from the old to the new. I had taken apart before to replace the daughter board after touch stopped working from a drop (parts of the connection broke, not the flex).

Mon conseil

Make sure to be carefull with the daughter board, the connections are *very* easily bent and broken.

Mon problème

My wife dropped it several times creating multiple cracks on the screen.

Ma solution

The repair went well. I took my time and followed all the steps in the repair guide faithfully. I was even able to unsolder the small wake/sleep sensor from the broken screen and microsolder it back onto the new replacement screen . A good set of magnifying eye glasses and a very fine soldering tip were essential for the job

The hardest part was using the adhesive strips for which there was no guide. It took me some time to figure out the proper way to use them. A picture guide would have been most helpful.

Mon conseil

GO SLOW taking the cracked screen off. Get an iOpener to properly soften the old adhesive. Take the time to thoroughly remove the old adhesive and make sure the contact surfaces on the iPad are absolutely clean.

Mon problème

My pixel XL's USB-C port would smoke when the cable was connected and the plastic portion of the connection was visibly melted.

Ma solution

I was successful in changing the battery charging circuit/daughter board but I accidentally sliced the digitizer traces on the ribbon cable for the OLED panel while removing the display.

Mon conseil

Be extremely careful when removing the OLED panel with applied heat and a slicing tool such as a pick. Do not force the pick in to deeply between the panel and the frame of the phone.

Mon problème

My phone is long since out of warranty or support. The battery had gotten to a point where I needed to charge as I used for traffic app, etc. I watched the videos and decided it was well within my capabilities to change battery. Worst case scenario would be that I irretrievably broke something and had to buy a new phone. I know there will be a new phone in the future, but I am looking to buy some time before I HAVE to do it.

Ma solution

All was good until the double stick tape decided to break. That's when patience came in handy. Once the battery was out, it was all pretty straightforward and quick. I was back up and running in an hour and 15. I tested with a phone call & facetime to verify that basic functionality was in place. I followed the instructions to drain less than 10% ( I went down to 8), then recharged. The first recharge to 100% took about 12 hours. Since it was so slow in the first 8 hours, I switched into airplane mode to complete the charge. I used it normally and again, took the battery level down to under10% before recharging. Second charge happened in "normal" amount of time.

Mon conseil

LOL, find the video where it explains what to do if the double stick tape breaks. Be prepared in advance, because that is the area with the most chance of being problematic. Bright light from the side is helpful. Some of the screws are VERY tiny, so have a way to corral and identify which ones they are. Folks who deal with small electronics already know this, but I am used to teardowns on things with larger parts.

Mon problème

After well over 2 years in service, my factory battery was completely incapable of powering the phone for more than a few minutes with the screen off. Turning the screen on meant a nearly instant shutdown.

Ma solution

The repair went incredibly well. Despite this being a particularly difficult phone to open, it can definitely be done and I made certain to watch the teardown video a few times before going in myself. To be on the safe side, I had ordered replacements for both of the removable rear panels, but was able to reuse the originals in both cases. Everything came apart and went back together exactly as shown in the video and I encountered no issues. The new battery actually seems to be a bit better than original ever was and I'm quite pleased with the results.

Mon conseil

When prying behind the battery, be careful not to damage the LCD screen ribbon cable that runs vertically back there. The iOpener is all the heat that you need to open the device and no heat gun is required.

Mon problème

The battery was losing charge rapidly, and seemed to be showing its age. The Pixels that have come out since did not appear to be compelling upgrades. So, I figured replacing the battery made the most sense.

Ma solution

The outcome was positive. Opening the phone requires getting past a lot of epoxy. I marred one of the plastic pieces while removing it.

Mon conseil

I required metal tools (sharp tweezers and razor blade) to pry up the plastic covers over the access screws. Damaging them is a very real possibility. Consider how you feel about cosmetic damage to the panel before attempting. The damage will be covered by a phone case.