Apple iPhone 3G

iPhone 3G Screen Replacement Guide - Logic Board Replacement Guide

2008-10-09T03:39:54Z

Before you begin

Remove the Sim-Card Tray

Get Small Phillips Screw Driver

Get Small Flathead

Get Scratch Safe Opening Tools

Read the Legal Guidelines and familiarize yourself with the risks.

Place your iPhone 3G on a flat soft surface.

Step 1

Remove the two screws on the left and right side of the dock connector.

Step 2

Slide the flathead screwdriver between the chrome frame and the glass covering the screen. Choose an entry point other than the location of the two screws you just removed.

Warning: Leaving two pressure marks is almost inevitable during this step if you use the flathead, please be aware of the possibility of cosmetic damage.

There are suction tools available that allow you to remove the glass free of cosmetic damage.

Step 3

As soon as you feel the flathead sliding between the iPhone chrome bezel and the front panel seal, pry the iPhone 3G front panel upward, do the same on the other side of the dock connector.

Step 4

Widen the gap between the chrome frame and the 3G glass. When the gap is big enough to hold the screen assembly with your fingers, lift the the screen/digitizer assembly to expose the iphone connector cables. DO NOT pull the iphone flex cables while they are still connected.

Step 5

Use the plastic opener tools to carefully pry loose the ribbon cable connectors in the order indicated by the orange numbers.

Step 6 - Careful!

This is a disassembly step that can easily destroy the logic board. Be sure to not pull the screen assembly before connector "3" has been disconnected.

Open the very fragile connector latch and use extreme care while pulling ribbon cable number 3 out of the connector.

Step 7 - Success!

You can now take off the screen assembly.To begin the removal of the logic board: remove all screws holding the motherboard in place (including the one that is covered by the sticker in the bottom right corner).

Step 8

Open connectors number 4-6 and remove the remaining screws that hold the iPhone 3G motherboard in place. Lift the board slightly at the bottom and pull it gently towards the dock connector. It should then snap loose from the backplate.

The iphone 3G battery is glued onto the iPhone 3G backplate. Slide a safe open tool under the iPhone battery to pry it loose. Be sure to not puncture or bend the battery in the process.

For reassembly follow the steps in reverse order.

iPhone 3G Glass Replacement

2008-12-14T05:40:32Z

Before you begin

Place your iPhone 3G on a clean flat and soft surface, such as a rubber mat or a piece of soft cloth and get the required opening tools.

Remove the two screws on the left and right and side of the dock connector (on bottom of the iphone).

Step 1

Follow the disassembly steps as described by the first three steps of the motherboard disassembly guide earlier this section.

An alternative method to using the sharp flathead for assembly removal is to use a sturdy, no too sharp knife to lift the screen assembly out of the backplate. In the image you see the knife inserted about a tenth of an inch into the gap between the frame and the seal.

Step 2

Use the knife to pry the screen assembly upward. Use care to minimize damage to the rubber seal surrounding the screen assembly. Use care to prevent the knife from abruptly sliding under the assembly.

Step 3

The screen assembly is connected to the logic board with three ribbon cables. In the image you can see ribbon cable 1 and 2. Ribbon cable 3 is hidden underneath ribbon cable 2. Do not pull the assembly before all connectors have been released.

Step 4

Use the plastic opening tool to release screen connectors in the order indicated by the orange numbers.

Step 5

Release connector #2 using the opening tool.

Step 6

Be especially careful when releasing connector #3. Gently open the latch using the plastic opening tool, do not pull the cable before opening the latch.

Step 7

If you have not already done so, remove the Sim-Card tray.

Step 8

Hint: Use a hair dryer to heat up the assembly before you try to remove the glass. The glue will become much weaker when warm.

If the glass breaks, hold the glass far away from your eyes or wear protective goggles. Small glass fragments will spray away from glass as you pry.

Slide the plastic opending tool between the seal and the glass. Apply gentle force since the adhesive between the glass and the screen assembly is quite strong.

Step 9

Remove the broken glass pieces one by one.

Use cut-safe glove to protect yourself against the sharp glass fragments.

Step 10

Use the sharp flathead to remove bigger pieces of glass, since the adhesive can be quite strong.

Avoid applying too much force, do not bend the assembly to avoid breaking the screen. Keep the screwdriver from slipping onto the screen to avoid scratches.

Step 11

As you release the broken digitizer from the assembly, take a close look at the order of the connector cables: be sure to bring the ribbon cables into the same order when you install the new iphone 3G digitizer.

Step 12

The digitizer removed from the assembly. Remove the bottom protective film of your new digitizer and apply additional doublesided tape or adhesive of your choice to new digitizer if needed.

Step 13

Remove small glass fragments showing up as glaring white pieces in the image.

They will keep the new digitizer from sitting flush.

Step 14

The new digitizer installed on the assembly (w/ top protective film still applied).

Step 15

If the digitizer is installed correctly, connector cable #3 will be hidden underneath cable #2.

Step 16

Be sure to bring back connector cables into the order shown in image.

Reinstall the screen assembly by following disassembly guide in reverse order.

Step 17

Success!

iPhone 3GS LCD Replacement

2010-06-25T02:09:42Z

Before you begin

Read this website's Legal Guidelines and make sure you understand the risks of this repair. Place your iPhone 3GS on a clean flat and soft surface, such as a rubber mat or a piece of soft cloth and get the required opening tools

Turn your iPhone 3GS on its front.

Step 2

Remove the left dock connector screws next to the dock connector.

Step 3

Remove the right screw next to the 3GS dock connector.

Step 4

Both screws are removed and you can turn the iPhone around.

Step 5

We recommend using a suction cup lifter, you can pretty much use any model as long as it is small enough to fit on the front glass.

Step 6

Engage the suction cup and pull as shown in the image.

Step 10

Slowly lift the bottom of the front panel to expose the ribbon cables numbered 1 to 3 as shown in the image. Be careful not to put strain on the cables, instead easy cable number 1 loose using a safe open tool.

Step 13

Ease off cable number 2.

Step 12

Lastly gently flip upward the latch of connector 3 (the connector for proximity sensor and earspeaker).

Step 15

You have fully separated the 3GS screen module from the logic board.

Step 16

This is what it looks like when front and logic board are separated. Please remember to remove the 3GS sim card holder.

Step 17

Remove the screws of the side of the 3GS screen panel.

Step 18

Also remove the LCD screws on the other side of the screen panel.

Step 19

Release the LCD from the front assembly. To do so, carefully insert the flathead screwdriver next to the screwholes.

Step 20

Remove the screw of the proximity sensor module cover.

Step 21

This is what is looks like when the 3GS LCD is remove from the 3GS Digitizer.

Step 22

Step 23

Step 24

Step 25

Step 26

iPhone 3GS Motherboard Replacement

2010-06-25T02:12:46Z

Before you begin

Read this website's Legal Guidelines and make sure you understand the risks of this repair. Place your iPhone 3GS on a clean flat and soft surface, such as a rubber mat or a piece of soft cloth and get the required opening tools

Follow the steps of the iPhone 3GS screen replacement guide until you removed the front panel.

Step 2

Now remove the screws that hold the iPhone 3GS logic board in place.

Step 3

Ease off the iphone 3GS dock connector ribbon cable (cable 4).

Step 4

Carefully ease off the 3GS antenna connector cable.

Step 5

This is what it looks like when the dock connector is disconnected from the logic board.

Step 6

Also ease off the two connectors at the top left corner of the 3GS logic board.

Step 10

After that you should be able to lift the 3GS motherboard out of the backplate.

iPhone 3G Dock Connector Replacement

2009-04-21T06:00:23Z

Step 1

The defective dock connector assembly is on the left side, the new 3G dock connector module that you are going to install on the right.

Step 2

Slide the small flathead screwdriver under the end of the iPhone microphone ribbon cable and heat the two solder contacts with a soldering iron as you peel up the ribbon cable.

Step 3

This is what it looks likes when the contacts are disconnected.

Step 4

Do the same on the left side, disconnecting the iPhone loudspeaker.

Step 5

Pry upwward carefully as you desolder the two contact with an electronics soldering iron.

Step 6

This is what it looks like when both ribbon cables have been successfully disconnected.

Step 7

Now peel off the defective dock connector module.

Step 8

Install the new 3G dock connector module in the same position as the old one.

Step 9

Hold down the loudspeaker ribbon cable with a flatheat screwdriver and reconnect the contacts with a soldering iron.

Step 10

Do the same with the microphone's ribbon cable.

Step 11

Reinstall the dock connector assembly in the backplate and then reinstall the iPhone 3G logic board. Be sure to take off the foam distance piece with then number 3 sticker and install it on the new dock connector module.

iPhone 3G Digitizer Repair & Screen Replacement - Using Suction Grabber

2009-11-04T13:47:48Z

Before you begin

Read this website's Legal Guidelines and make sure you understand the risks of this repair. Place your iPhone 3G on a clean flat and soft surface, such as a rubber mat or a piece of soft cloth and get the required opening tools.

Turn your iPhone 3G on its back.

Step 2

Remove the 2 phillips head iphone dock screws at the base of the iphone.

Step 3

Using suction cup grip the bottom half of the glass right above the menu button. Make sure that the suction cup tool is sitting flush and that every part of the circle is on the glass.

Step 5

Pull Up and away from the base of the iphone almost like you would open a book. You can try to pull it straight out at first to get it out of the frame but once at this point to not keep pulling straight out because you can damage iPhone proximity sensor cables that are connecting the glass to the logicboard. After it is released pull it towards the top and outwards. Look below to see the iphone 3 cables and make sure you do not tear them by applying too much pressure.

Step 6

Release the 3 cables with a flathead screwdriver. Do this carefully and slowly since they are delicate. For cable 1 and 2 i like to put the flat head below the cable and rotate easing the cable off the iphone 3G mainboard. For #3 use the flathead to lift that latch and then just pull upwards and it should come right out. Be careful on the flap it is delicate.

Step 12

This is what the iphone looks like when you completely remove the glass/lcd from the iphone 3G logicboard.

Step 15

The iPhone 3G Glass/digitizer assembly is held together by 6 screws one that is covered by black adhesive tape as you see in the picture.

Step 16

Remove the tape and you will see a philips screwdriver. Do not worry about removing the tape it is unimportant. On this side ther eare 2 other screws towards the center. Remove them.

Step 17

On the other side there are 3 more screws that needs to be removed to release the LCD from the glass.

Step 18

Use the philips head to remove the screws.

Step 21

There is one screw that does not sit on the side of the glass/lcd but on the top and it is flat with the glass/lcd. It will be on the upper right hand corner of the glass/lcd. Remove this screw.

Step 22

With a plastic tool wedge between the metal extensions of the glass and iphone LCD. Do not force them to seperate or you may crack you LCD. Do it where applying a very slight pressure to create space. It should almost lift out naturally.

Step 23

Hint: Use a hair dryer to heat up the assembly before you try to remove the glass. The glue will become much weaker when warm.

Once the screen is removed you can then remove the plastic black frame from the glass. This is done by creating space with the green tool.

If the glass breaks wear GOGGLES

Step 24

Go along the edge creating space between the glass and the black frame.

Step 25

The top and the bottom are a little more difficult and are connected using double sided tape. If you need to you can use a flathead to create a starting poing of seperation for the green tool to pry them apart.

Step 26
I prefer using the green tool for this but you can also use a flathead. Again all you are basically doing is easing the glass and the black metal frame away from each other.

Step 27

Once the glass is removed you can lift it off the frame and use that as and angle to try to remove the other side of the iphone. Do the same procedure since they are both double sided taped the same basic way. Be sure to careful of the menu bottom cable on the bottom since you do not want to break it.

Step 28

If there are any left over shards of glass you can remove them using a the flathead screwdriver.

Step 29

Ease some space below the glass using the flathead and the glass will come off easily.

You can now install the new 3g Glass/digitizer.

iPhone 3G Earspeaker Repair

2010-07-23T04:00:36Z

Before you begin

Read this website's Legal Guidelines and make sure you understand the risks of this repair. Place your iPhone 3GS on a clean flat and soft surface, such as a rubber mat or a piece of soft cloth and get the required opening tools

Follow the steps of the iPhone 3G screen replacement guide until you removed the front panel.

Step 2

The remove the screw at the top right corner holding the proximity sensor cover in place.

Step 3

Lift the proximity sensor cover using a pointed metal tool such as a dentist tool or a pointed screwdriver. Be careful when using pointed tools, keep from making rapid movements.

Step 4

This is what it looks like when one side of the cover is removed.

Step 5

Now remove the bottom side of the cover. It's a clip, so try to pull downward as you are pulling up.

Step 6

When the cover is removed, the proximity sensore can be eased off the clips. This is what it looks like when the iphone sensor is separated from the front panel.

iPhone 3G Silent Switch Cap Replacement

2010-07-23T04:05:02Z

Before you begin

Read this website's Legal Guidelines and make sure you understand the risks of this repair. Place your iPhone 3GS on a clean flat and soft surface, such as a rubber mat or a piece of soft cloth and get the required opening tools and suction screen lifter.

Follow the steps of the iPhone 3GS ringerswitch replacement guide until you removed the front panel.

Step 2

Once the iPhone 3GS logic board has been removed, it should look like this.

Step 3

Remove the first screw of the attenna as demonstrated.

Step 4

Carefully ease off the iphone 3GS wifi antenna flex cable.

Step 5

Side view of the missing iPhone 3G 3GS silent switch.

Step 6

There will be two phillip screws holding the silent vibrator in place. Remove them.

Step 7
Once the screws have been removed, the switch should be free from the iPhone casing.

Step 8
Side view of the Silent vibrator switch on the iphone 3G 3GS model.