iPad 3 Wi-Fi Logic Board Replacement
Duration: 45 minutes
Steps: 42 Steps
Follow this guide to swap out the logic board with confidence and ease.
Step 1
For carousel microwaves: Ensure the plate spins smoothly. If your iOpener gets a little too cozy and gets stuck, it might just overheat and create a bit of a mess. Let's keep things cool and functioning, shall we?
Before diving in, give your microwave a little love by cleaning it up! Any stubborn mess on the bottom could become a clingy companion for your iOpener. Let's keep things tidy and hassle-free!
- Pop that iOpener right in the middle of the microwave and let it warm up!
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Step 2
Keep an eye on that iOpener! We don't want it to get too hot and burst into flames—yikes! Aim to keep the temperature below 100˚C (212˚F).
If your iOpener looks a little puffed up, steer clear! Safety first!
Is the middle of the iOpener still too hot to handle? No worries! Just hang tight and let it cool down a bit before giving it another heat session. A well-heated iOpener should stay cozy for about 10 minutes.
Depending on your microwave's wattage, you might need to heat things up for a bit longer or shorter. The iOpener is ready when it’s just at the edge of being too hot to touch—like a cozy hug from your favorite warm blanket!
- Give that iOpener a warm-up in the microwave for thirty seconds!
- As you tackle the repair, keep an eye on the iOpener. When it starts to cool down, pop it back in the microwave for another thirty seconds. You're doing great!
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Step 3
Careful now! The iOpener is super hot, so handle with caution. An oven mitt can be your best friend here.
- Carefully take the iOpener out of the microwave, but grab it by one of the flat ends—avoid the center, it’s toasty!
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Step 4
The iOpener gets pretty hot, so be sure to grab it by the end tabs. We don’t want any accidental burns while you’re working your magic!
No microwave? No problem! Just pop your iOpener into some boiling water to give it that cozy warmth it needs.
- Grab a pot or pan and fill it with enough water to completely cover your iOpener.
- Bring the water to a rolling boil, then turn off the heat.
- Place your iOpener fully underwater in the hot water for 2-3 minutes—let it soak up the heat.
- Use tongs to carefully pull the warmed-up iOpener out of the water.
- Dry it thoroughly with a towel so it’s ready to work its magic.
- Your iOpener is all set! If it cools down and needs a quick recharge, just repeat the boiling water step and heat it up again for 2-3 minutes.
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Step 5
Put on your safety glasses to keep your eyes safe, and handle the LCD screen gently to avoid any nicks or scratches.
This will help keep those pesky glass shards in check while giving your display some solid support as you pry and lift it up.
- If your display glass is cracked, it's a good idea to tape it up to avoid more breakage and protect yourself while you work. A little extra care goes a long way!
- Take some clear packing tape and lay it down in overlapping strips over the iPad's screen, covering the entire front. It's like giving your screen a little shield.
- Continue following the guide as best as you can. Just keep in mind, once that glass starts to crack, it might want to keep going. You may need a metal prying tool to scoop out the pieces as you go. If that sounds tricky, don’t worry—you can always schedule a repair for some expert help.
Step 6
Heads up! Since you’ll be handling broken glass in this step, it’s a smart move to rock some safety glasses to keep those sneaky shards at bay.
- Place the iOpener flat along the right edge of the iPad, pressing it down so it makes solid contact with the surface.
- Let it hang out there for about 90 seconds to warm things up before you try to pop open the front panel.
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Step 7
Getting the tip of the opening tool wedged between the glass and plastic might take a bit of muscle—no worries! Take it slow, wiggle that tool back and forth, and you’ll get it in there like a pro.
- Look closely at the upper right corner of your iPad. You'll notice a small gap in the adhesive ring, about 2.0 inches (~5 cm) down from the top. This is your starting point—time to make your move!
- Line up your tool with the mute button. Gently insert the tip of a plastic opening tool into that little gap between the front glass and the plastic bezel. Just slide the very tip in, enough to create a small widening of the crack. No need to force it!
Step 8
- Place the tool carefully between the plastic display bezel and the front panel glass. Get it just right – a little precision goes a long way!
Step 9
- Place the tip of your plastic opening tool between the front glass and the plastic bezel, and then gently slide in a plastic opening pick right next to it, making sure the pick fits neatly into the gap. Keep it steady as you work your way around.
Step 10
- Grab the plastic opening tool and carefully remove it from the iPad. Then, gently slide the opening pick underneath the front glass, aiming to get it about half an inch deep. Take it slow, and remember, patience is key!
Step 11
- As you're working on peeling off the adhesive on the right side of the iPad, heat up your iOpener once again, and place it on the bottom edge of the iPad. Give it a few moments to do its magic.
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Step 12
The adhesive is super strong, so you might need to put in some elbow grease. Just take your time and be gentle!
If you spot the tip of your trusty opening pick peeking out from under the front glass, give it a gentle tug. Don't worry—using the pick this deep won't hurt anything, but it might leave a bit of sticky residue on your LCD. Just keep it cool, and remember, if you need help, you can always schedule a repair.
- As the iOpener heats up the bottom edge, start gently easing the adhesive off from the right side of the iPad.
- Now, carefully slide the opening pick along the edge of the iPad, letting it smoothly lift the adhesive as you go.
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Step 13
You might need to slide the warmed iOpener back to the right edge of your iPad as you peel away the adhesive. This is all about how long your iPad has been cooling down while you were busy working your magic.
- If the opening pick finds itself stuck in the adhesive, just give it a little 'roll' along the side of the iPad to keep on freeing that sticky stuff up.
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Step 14
- Before popping out the first pick from the bottom corner of your iPad, slide a second pick under the right edge of the front glass. This keeps the adhesive from making a sneaky comeback.
- Give the iOpener a little more heat, then shift it to the top edge of your iPad. You're almost there!
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Step 15
The Wi-Fi antenna is secured to the bottom right corner of the iPad's rear case using screws and a cable. Due to its delicate positioning, take your time and be extra careful during this step to avoid damaging the antenna. A little caution goes a long way!
- Alright, folks! Time to tread lightly on this next part.
- We need to carefully detach the adhesive that's holding the antenna to the front panel. It's a delicate dance, so let's make sure we don't harm any of those fragile bits that connect the antenna to the bottom of the iPad. Keep your focus and follow these steps closely!
Step 16
Be careful not to slide the pick beyond the bottom right corner. Doing so might mess with your Wi-Fi antenna. Keep it safe!
- Gently slide the opening pick around the bottom right corner of the iPad to loosen the adhesive hanging out there.
Step 17
Gently slide the opening pick along the bottom right edge of the front panel. Be careful near the corner—the Wi-Fi antenna's hiding out there, and it can get easily damaged if the adhesive is freed the wrong way.
Don’t yank that pick all the way out from under the front glass—just slide it out a smidge so about 1/8" (3 mm) of the tip is still sneakily tucked underneath.
- Gently glide the tip of your opening pick along the bottom edge of the iPad to free up the adhesive holding the Wi-Fi antenna in place. You've got this!
Step 18
- Once you've cleared the Wi-Fi antenna (about 3" or 75 mm from the right edge, near the home button), slide the opening pick all the way back in.
- Gently push the pick to the right to break the adhesive holding the Wi-Fi antenna to the front glass. A smooth move here will save you some hassle.
- The antenna is attached with screws and a cable at the bottom of the iPad. This step separates it from the front panel, so when you remove the panel, you won’t risk damaging the antenna.
Step 19
Keep it cool! Don't heat that iOpener for more than a minute at a time, and give it a breather for at least two minutes before you heat it again.
If the adhesive along the bottom edge has cooled down too much, just pop the iOpener back in the heat for a quick warm-up. That'll help soften the adhesive so you can keep working smoothly.
- Keep peeling back the adhesive along the bottom edge of the iPad. When you reach the home button, carefully slide the opening pick out just enough to loop around it, then slide it back in about half an inch (10 mm) to keep things moving smoothly.
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Step 20
For iPad 4 models, be sure to slide that pick in just about 1/2 inch (10 mm) max in this spot to keep the home button ribbon cable safe and sound!
- Keep sliding that adhesive remover tool all along the bottom edge of your iPad like a pro.
- Let the opening pick chill right under the front glass near the home button to keep things steady.
Step 21
- Pop the iOpener back in the microwave to heat it up again, then place it on the left edge of the iPad to gently warm up the adhesive in that area.
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Step 22
If the adhesive has cooled down too much, pop the iOpener back along the top edge and keep at it. If your iOpener feels chilly, just give it a quick heat-up and you're good to go.
- Gently slide the opening pick along the top edge of your iPad, carefully nudging it around the front-facing camera bracket. A little finesse goes a long way here.
- The adhesive in this spot is pretty tough, so you might need to apply some solid, controlled pressure. Take your time—no rush—and avoid slipping to keep yourself and your iPad safe.
- If the opening pick starts to feel stuck in the adhesive, try giving it a little roll as shown in step 9. This should help it glide smoothly.
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Step 23
If the adhesive has warmed up enough, feel free to remove the iOpener from the iPad to make things a bit easier. But if it's still pretty sticky, no worries—just heat the iOpener up again and place it on the left edge while you continue working. Keep it chill and steady!
- Keep peeling away that pesky adhesive at the top edge of your iPad, and gently glide the opening pick around the top left corner like a pro!
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Step 24
Hey there, savvy repair enthusiast! The digitizer cable is hanging out about 2 inches (50 mm) from the bottom of your iPad. When you're sliding that pick, give it a stop when you're around 2.25 inches (60 mm) from the bottom. You're doing great!
- Gently slide the opening pick along the left edge of the iPad to break the adhesive. It's a little tricky here because of the digitizer running down the entire left side. Keep the pick shallow—no deeper than 10 mm (about 1/2 inch)—to avoid any damage to that delicate digitizer. Patience is key here, so take your time and let the pick do the work.
Step 25
The digitizer cable is pretty close to the bottom—about 1 inch (25 mm) from the iPad's edge. Take your time and be gentle to avoid cutting it. No need to rush!
- Grab the opening pick tucked under the bottom edge of the iPad, and gently work it to loosen the adhesive in the bottom left corner. Keep it steady, and you'll be on the right track!
Step 26
Sometimes the adhesive around the edge of the iPad decides to play stick-and-go. If it’s still holding tight, gently slide a pick under the edge where the front glass is stuck and carefully slice through the adhesive.
- Grab one of those nifty opening picks and gently lift up the bottom right corner of the iPad. Once it's popped up, give it a little pinch with your fingers to hold it steady.
Step 27
Watch out for any sticky adhesive that might still be hanging around! Grab an opening pick and gently slice through any stubborn glue that may be keeping the front panel in place. You've got this!
- Grab your iPad by the top and bottom right corners and gently twist that front glass away from the device. You're doing great!
- When it's time to put everything back together, don't forget to use a microfiber cloth and a blast of compressed air to wipe away any pesky dust or fingerprints from the LCD before you set the glass back in place. Keep it clean and shiny!
Step 28
- Take out the four 2 mm Phillips #00 screws that are holding the LCD onto the aluminum frame—time to free that screen!
Step 29
Handle the LCD with care—its ribbon cable is delicate and can snap if you bend it too much. Keep it chill and gentle!
- Grab a plastic opening tool or spudger and gently pop up the right edge of the iPad's LCD.
- Swing the LCD open around its left edge and let it rest on top of the front panel like a cool little flap.
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Step 30
- Gently use the tip of a spudger to lift and peel back the tape that’s hiding the LCD ribbon cable connector.
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Step 31
- Lift up the little retaining flap on the LCD ribbon cable ZIF connector. You got this!
- Gently pull the LCD ribbon cable out of its socket on the logic board using your fingers or some tweezers. Easy peasy!
Step 32
- Carefully lift the LCD off the front panel—just be sure to keep your hands away from the front of the screen!
Step 33
If needed, gently lift the tape holding the digitizer ribbon cable down on the logic board—careful, it’s clingy!
- Gently lift the little flap holding down each digitizer ribbon cable ZIF connector—think of it like opening a tiny door to set those cables free.
Step 34
- Gently slide the flat end of your spudger under the digitizer ribbon cable to ease up that sticky adhesive holding it down.
- Carefully pull the digitizer ribbon cable straight out from its connectors on the logic board—steady hands win here!
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Step 35
- Gently lift the digitizer ribbon cable and use the flat end of a spudger to carefully loosen the adhesive holding the cable to the back aluminum case.
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Step 36
- Gently wiggle the digitizer ribbon cable free from its cozy nook in the aluminum frame using your fingers.
- Carefully lift the front panel off the iPad.
Step 37
If you spot any electrical tape hiding the Wi-Fi antenna, speaker cable, or dock connector cable, go ahead and peel it off gently.
Step 38
- Gently peel away the electrical tape that's cozying up to the headphone jack assembly cable connector. It's time to set it free!
- With your trusty spudger, carefully lift the retaining flaps on both ZIF connectors that are keeping the headphone jack cable snugly attached to the logic board. You've got this!
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Step 39
- Gently slide the flat end of a spudger under the headphone jack assembly cable, freeing it from the adhesive that's been holding it snugly to the rear aluminum frame.
- Carefully pull the headphone jack assembly cable straight out from its cozy spot on the logic board.
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Step 40
Carefully pry under the connector, not the socket—poking the socket itself can lead to some serious damage, and we want to keep things intact!
- Carefully unplug these connectors from their spots on the logic board:
- Wi-Fi antenna cable
- Speaker connector cable.
- Dock connector cable.
Step 41
- Time to get your screwdriver ready! First up, let's tackle those four screws holding the logic board snugly against the rear aluminum panel. Here's what you'll need:
- Three trusty 2.1 mm Phillips #00 screws
- One slightly bigger 2.5 mm Phillips #00 screw
Step 42
- Now it's time to put everything back together! Just retrace your steps in reverse, and you'll be all set. If you hit a snag and need some extra hands, feel free to schedule a repair.
