***I purchased my kit from zeetron, one of three amazon sellers offering this product since it's soldout.
All you need to repair your cracked glass is shipped with this order as shown in the image. I like the various tools they provide, such as the screwdrivers, suction cup, etc. The video instructions are very clear and helpful, it is totally possible to repair your own glass instead of spending a whole fortune on it. I want to say it is a breeze, although there were moments when I was really afraid I'd wreck something. This task probably feels more comfortable to the handy sort out there.
A couple warnings...
(1) If your glass is anywhere as cracked as mine, it will take some effort to remove it from the frame. Lots of heat application and patience is key. Also, please take care in handling the glass. Although I was lucky, I could easily see someone slip and cut themselves pretty deeply. A tweezer would come in handy.
(2) It is not mentioned in the video, but some parts of your iphone are taped over by a sticky black film. I suppose this is to prevent tampering. You'll have to remove it to fix the glass, but doing so voids your warranty.
(3) Before you snap the lcd back onto the new glass, be super careful about letting any dust trap between the two... otherwise you'll end up with annoying lint like I did.
(4) The screen protector they offer has this mirror finish... which I find a little irritating. I also have a hunch it desensitizes the sensor that detects whether you've got the phone held up to your ear.
(5) It took a couple tries for me to put the phone back together. The first time, my earpiece wasn't working. The second time, my LCD wouldn't turn on. Third time was a charm, I made sure everything was securely plugged in.
***7/21/2010****
Guess what! I cracked my phone again, so I purchased this same kit again. I was a little cocky from fixing it the first time, so I was a little rough on the frame. So a couple more tips...
(1) There's a thin rubber lining the frame that holds the glass. It's extremely fragile and the more you pry to get the glass loose, the more likely you will be ripping off this lining. One of the many functions of the rubber is to act as a buffer to prevent dust from collecting in the phone. I noticed how dusty my phone was getting from the last time I replaced the glass on my phone.
(2) I made the huge mistake of prying and accidentally piercing my LCD while removing it from the glass/frame. Make sure you have all your screws out, and pry between the two metal pieces, not underneath the lcd... otherwise you'll regret it.
(3) A tweezer really helps in getting the tiny tab inserted firmly into the circuit board. Apple Iphone 3g Digitizer Touch Screen Replacement LCD with Video Instructions + 7 Piece Tool Kit + Adhesive Strip (3m) + Mirror Screen Protector+ Zeetron Microfiber Cloth (10 Piece Kit)
My daughter accidentally knocked my wife's iPhone 3G from the kitchen counter onto the tile floor. The glass digitizer was immediately shattered. I did some research on the web and found many replacement digitizer kits (as well as several generally more expensive replacement services). I really didn't know what to expect from these replacement services, so I was a bit reluctant to spend the extra money (not to mention mailing away an expensive piece of electronics to an unknown destination). So I started looking more seriously at buying a kit and doing the replacement myself. This digitizer replacement kit from Zeetron was one of the most reasonably priced kits I could find, so I thought I'd give it a shot.
Overall, I had a very good experience with this product. The shipping was prompt and the supplied tools were more than enough to complete the task of opening up the iPhone, removing the digitizer and LCD, disconnecting the digitizer from the LCD and eventually replacing the digitizer. Having the included tools was very helpful! I have a lot of tools at my house, but I wouldn't have had the necessary tools on hand if they had not been included in the kit.
Many of the reviewers of this product commented on the difficulty of the task. Don't let them scare you off. Sure, it's not as simple as changing a lightbulb or replacing the batteries in a toy, but it's not that difficult either. If you're at all handy and have some time and patience, this is a good way to replace a cracked digitizer while saving some money.
I followed along with the instructional video on Zeetron's site. It's adequate to guide you through the essentials of performing the replacement, but their video has some shortcomings. There are many such videos on YouTube and other sites. I actually watched a couple of others to fill in some of the gaps inherent in Zeetron's video. Here are a couple of tips:
1) First off, make sure you have the time to sit down and get all the way through the process without disruption. Even though most of the instructional videos on the web are 10 minutes or so in length, it took me almost 2 hours when all was said and done. If you have kids, wait until they go to bed (if your kids are anything like mine, they'll be fascinated by the guts of an iPhone, but trust me this is not a place for peanut butter and jelly covered fingers).
2) Watch the video(s) all the way through before doing anything. It's worth 10-15 minutes of your time to get an idea of the entire process end-to-end before you jump in.
3) Make sure you're in a well-lit area and that you have enough space to lay out all your tools and various parts of the phone as you take it apart. I'd recommend a small dish or shallow cup that you can use to hold the almost microscopic screws as you remove them from the phone.
4) The Zeetron video does a pretty good job getting you to the point where you're able to pull the digitizer/LCD assembly out of the case (using the included suction cup), but it doesn't really show you up close the connections between the digitizer/LCD assembly and the board in the case. There are 3 numbered wire connections that you'll need to successfully disconnect before you can completely remove the digitizer/LCD assembly from the phone case. I looked elsewhere on the web and found other videos that detail these 3 connections up close. If you've never opened up an iPhone before (as I never had), a little research to familiarize yourself with these connections is well worth your time.
5) There is a step that requires you to separate the (damaged) digitizer from the frame that holds it to the LCD. Keep in mind that you need to reuse your phone's existing frame (a replacement frame is not included in the kit). The video shows the use of a hair dryer to heat up the glass on the damaged digitizer, thus melting the adhesive and allowing for the forced separation of the digitizer from the frame. This process took me MUCH longer than is shown in the video and was definitely the most difficult part of the process. Be patient. Just keep heating and reheating. Eventually you will be able to separate the glass and the frame. Be careful not to burn your fingers - the glass and metal get very hot! The plastic on my frame was pretty seriously curved from the heat by the time I completely separated it from the glass. I thought I may have botched it. Don't worry if this happens to you. You'll be able to bend it back. You many need to heat up the plastic portion of the frame again before adhering it to the new digitizer in order to get it malleable enough to lay flat against the new digitizer. This worked for me.
6) When you go to attach the new replacement digitizer to the existing frame, you'll need to remove all 3 pieces of plastic film from the underside of the digitizer. The guy in the Zeetron video just mentions removing the 2 at the top and bottom. If you watch the video closely you'll notice there is a note that mentions you need to remove the 3rd film from the underside of the glass before attaching it to the frame. (You can leave the film on the top of the glass on there until you're completely done and have the phone put back together).
7) If your experience is anything like mine, your frame will likely be a little beat up from the process of removing the damaged digitizer. It will likely require some effort (and possibly more heat) to get it to adhere properly to the replacement digitizer. It's not incredibly difficult, but you're certain to get fingerprints on the underside of the new glass digitizer in the process. This is critical: once you've attached the new digitizer to the frame, make sure you thoroughly clean the underside of the glass digitizer before attaching the digitizer/frame to the LCD. If you don't, you're fingerprints will show up under the glass and you won't be able to clean them.
8) Be careful when handling the frame. It contains the phone's "home button". It's very fragile and (from what I understand) is one of the most common gotchas of doing this replacement yourself. You're going to be bummed out if you go through this whole process and get your phone put back together only to find out that the home button no longer works.
If you can be patient and attentive to details, just about anyone can complete this replacement themselves. The quality of the replacement digitizer is on par with the original - once I was all done and got the phone put back together the new digitizer was indistinguishable from the original (prior to being shatter, of course). I told my wife to be careful with the phone because I'm not looking forward to doing this replacement again anytime soon, but I'm glad I went this route and saved the money. Good luck! - Iphone 3g - Iphone 3g Glass - Repair Kits - Iphone Replacement Glass'
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