Replacing a Flex Cable (D.I.Y.) with pics

[one1]

IF you have errors such as:

- "This iPhone cannot be used with this accessory" .... but nothing is plugged in.

- Battery stops charging.

- Phone stops syncing to computer.

- Phone drains battery excessively fast as random odd things happen. iPhone seems possessed.

These are all symptoms of a bad flex cable. To determine if it is hardware or software always do a restore first. If that doesn't fix it, you're boned.

There are several tutorials on getting the iPhone apart so I won't bother. This picks up where the others leave off. No one has a Flex Cable DIY pictorial except MMI, right here, right now.

This is not a standard general warning.. I mean this..... I'm an Electronics Engineer, you better listen to the following:

If you have no experience working inside micro SMD electronics, do not even THINK of attempting this, You WILL kill your phone. There are 100 different ways to do it in just the first 5 steps.

I'm going to let the pics explain themselves because if you can't figure it out, then you are not the person that should be doing this. This is Darwin in action. Only people who can understand what they are seeing and the process can pull this off. Sometimes things work themselves out, this is one of those times.

I'll just mention two things.....

#1- make sure you scrape all the old glue off.

#2- If you are willing to lose your phone to a dangerous and touchy repair, I'll do this for you. You must be willing to accept things can go wrong. I've never killed one yet.......... that means nothing. The advantage of me doing is that I have 15 yrs electronics experience, and I have a number of these flex cable operations under my belt. You buy the cable, I'll take a tip for doing it. I have better odds of it coming out alive, you have nearly no odds. This operation makes ME cringe and I've been doing Micro SMD work for a decade and a half.

To start, After you've taken the phone apart using one of the many DIY's on the net, slide a razor blade under the edges of the glass ends to remove the glue and separate the glass from the frame. The rest is in the pics.

Requirements: Razor blade, small flat blade, Soldering iron, and magnifying glass.

Without further adoooooooo.............

Click the pics for larger images.

[Poseidon79]

*Fainted*

[one1]

PS- it can also be a Logic Board issue, it's not always the flex cable.... guess how you find out...... Tear it down the same way.

[JUNKYARD00]

Oh my >>....

[SLapp]

Nice tut

[reeko]

im an electronic engineer aswell, only a few years experience though nothing close to you but struggle to see the guide?

all i can really make out is that that tip is somewhere pretty dangerous...

maybe if i had an iphone to open i could make more sense of it ... havent managed to get hold of one to open yet....

[one1]

If you have training in micro systems once it is in front of you, you'll get it.

[one1]

A fly by bump......... out of nowhere I tell ya......

[one1]

Doing another flex cable soon, will get some more pics, and maybe video.

[one1]

bumping for the 3 or 4 newbs having this issue right now.

[Alperovich]

If you have training in micro systems once it is in front of you, you'll get it.

i can kinda make sense of what you're doing.

However isn't the point of a DIY so that any shmo can follow it and fix the problem?

quite frankly, coming from someone who has written more then one DIY. this guide kinda sux. i'm not trying to pick on ya but yea.

i like how say noobs are having issues so u bumped the thread, while i bet its to scary the noobs not to help em.

for reference, here's a few links to some of the DIY's i've written in the past. i try to be complete as possible, post as much pics and info. its what makes it easy to others to follow and accomplish the procedure.

most recent
DIY: 2004 TL+ Shift knob and boot Conversion!! A-Spec Autosports

older stuff
DIY: Checking rear ball jointl; changing control arm; installing a rear camber kit! - The Acura Legend & Acura RL Forum

DIY: Installing/Adjusting Blackend Motorsports Engine Damper - The Acura Legend & Acura RL Forum

DIY: main relay repair... - The Acura Legend & Acura RL Forum

maybe let us know some places were we can **** it up 100times in the first 5 steps. just sayin..

/rant.

[one1]

I shall quote myself,

I'm going to let the pics explain themselves because if you can't figure it out, then you are not the person that should be doing this. This is Darwin in action. Only people who can understand what they are seeing and the process can pull this off. Sometimes things work themselves out, this is one of those times.

and ignore the rest. Last I checked you didn't need a degree to change a shift knob.

[JackSchitt]

I shall quote myself,



and ignore the rest. Last I checked you didn't need a degree to change a shift knob.

ha ha thats very true.

[Sensiblesingh]

hi is there a specific way to solder the mic .. thanks

[one1]

Of course, it's a speaker. If you get it wrong it won't work. There's only 2 ways.

[Mars478]

Woah...

[AirH0g]

Excellent post, just the information i was scouring the net for. Let me ask if i may, in your opinion, if the home button as well as charging/syncing were all not functioning, do you think this would suggest the logic board?

Looking at the flex cable it doesn't appear to have any resistors (l14/L15) associated with the home button (S1) so assuming the cable was properly connected, would you possibly still consider this a cable problem, or suspect the logic board.

Just for background the phone was dropped, now the home button as well as the charge sync are non responsive.

Thanks again for the great post.

[one1]

It's always the home button FIRST.

logic board - $150
flex cable- $10

Order of elimination - priceless.

[StealthBravo]

Scary

[Eric.Catalyst]

this is getting off topic... but one1 has the best sense of humor of anyone on the forum.. hahahaha...