iPad 3G Headphone Jack/Microphone Assembly Replacement
Duration: 45 minutes
Steps: 15 Steps
Follow this guide to swap out the microphone/headphone jack assembly with ease.
Step 1
Rock those safety glasses like a pro and keep an eye out for that delicate LCD screen—handle with care!
This will trap any sneaky glass shards and give your display the solid backup it needs while you pry and lift.
- If your display glass is cracked, keep the shards in check and stay safe by taping over the glass before you start working.
- Cover the entire iPad screen with overlapping strips of clear packing tape until it’s fully wrapped up.
- Follow the rest of the guide as best you can. Just a heads-up: once the glass is cracked, it might keep cracking as you go, so you may need to carefully use a metal prying tool to lift the glass out.
Step 2
The iPad in the photos might look a little different from yours, but don’t worry—the steps are exactly the same!
- Take your metal spudger and slide it gently between the right side of the display and the rear panel—like you're sneaking a cookie from the jar.
- Now, give the spudger a little twist away from yourself to pop those top-edge tabs loose. Easy does it!
Tools Used
Step 3
- Slide a second metal spudger into the gap between the top edge of the display assembly and the rear panel assembly. This will help prevent those sneaky tabs from bouncing back into their cozy spots.
- Gently pry the display assembly away from the rear panel. You're doing great!
Tools Used
Step 4
Heads up! As you get close to the top edge of the iPad, take extra care. The digitizer ribbon cable is hanging out near the rear panel edge and is super easy to nick. Stay sharp!
- Keep gently working that display assembly loose from the rear panel, focusing on the bottom and left edges of the iPad. You're doing great!
Step 5
Be careful not to lift the display assembly too high off the iPad! There’s a delicate antenna cable with just a smidge of slack connecting the two parts, and we want to keep it safe and sound.
- Gently pull the display assembly away from the rear panel assembly by its bottom edge. You've got this!
Step 6
- Grab your trusty spudger and gently pop up the antenna connector that's hanging out near the bottom of your iPad, lifting it off the communications board. Easy does it!
Step 7
- Next up, we’re going to unplug the three cables that connect the display assembly to the logic board. These cables handle:
- Digitizer
- Ambient Light Sensor
- Display Data Cable
Step 8
Make sure you're lifting the tiny flap and not yanking on the whole socket—your future self will thank you!
- Grab your trusty iPod opening tool and gently flip up those tiny retaining flaps—these are holding the digitizer ribbon cables in place on the logic board. It's like opening tiny doors!
- Now, carefully pull the digitizer ribbon cables straight out of their sockets. Keep it smooth and steady, and you'll have them out in no time.
Step 9
- Grab your trusty iPod opening tool and give that ambient light sensor connector a gentle nudge upwards to free it from its cozy little socket. You've got this!
Step 10
Gently slide the connector off, keeping it nice and flat against the logic board’s surface.
- Gently lift the metal retainer using the black plastic pull tab to loosen the display data cable from the main board.
- Slide the cable connector out of its socket like you're unplugging a tiny, high-tech handshake.
Step 11
- Carefully lift the display assembly away from the rear panel assembly to separate the two parts.
Step 12
Remember, it's the cable retaining flap you want to lift, not the socket itself. Go gentle, take your time!
- Gently use the edge of an iPod opening tool or your trusty fingernail to lift up the ZIF cable retaining flap on the headphone jack socket. You're doing great!
Step 13
- Gently wiggle and pull the headphone jack cable free from its spot on the logic board. You’ve got this!
Step 14
- Pop out your T5 Torx screwdriver and unscrew the two 2.8 mm screws holding the headphone jack to the rear case. Let’s keep it smooth and easy!
Step 15
Don't forget to grab the rubber sound channel from your old microphone and move it over to the new one. It’s like a little upgrade for your new mic, making sure the sound stays as awesome as ever.
- Gently pop the headphone jack out from the rear case.
- When putting the screws back in, double-check that the headphone jack is snugly tucked into its spot in the headphone jack hole at the top edge of the rear case.
