Geelong MicroSoldering

A week after Julia from ifixit posted about the epidemic that is touch ic, it has received just as much attention as the error 53 saga did in the same time.

http://ifixit.org/blog/8309/iphone-6-plus-gray-flicker-touch-death/

But thats not the full story.

I have personally encountered replacement devices issued by apple (at out of warranty costs) that not only have the same issue, but have been recycled from very clearly bent devices (the board inside the device is bent, however the device is not).

This is a reminder that Apples out of warranty replacement procedure is NOT to give you a new device, or a refurbished device that meets the same quality standards as a new device.

When you pay the price for an out of warranty replacement through Apple, you are getting a secondhand device that someone else returned due to a defect.

Your device will then be repaired (with as little work and testing as possible) and sold to someone else as an out of warranty replacement.

Thats right. Apple get to profit on your original purchase again and again, and the end game is that you give up and purchade the latest iPhone (s) that do not have the defect, and cut your substantial losses.

You can check if your device is a replacement device by checking the model number in settings. If it starts with an M, its a retail device. If it starts with N, someone else had that device before you did.

What this means is that even if apple decide to offer a free replacement for these devices at some point in the future, the issue is not going to go away. In fact it could become a never ending saga for the poor consumer that spent 2 pay checks or more to purchase the device in the first place, only to find out about this undisclosed design defect that both Apple, and technicians all around the world have been aware of for a very long time.

This isnt good enough, and Apples continued efforts to ignore the issue, leads me to believe they are gearing up to shift the blame again, onto the consumer, or onto the independant repairers that are doing a whole lot more to rectify the issue.

If you have this issue and don't want to pay the price for an out of warranty replacement device, that was likely returned with the same defect, you can have it repaired.

The correct way to repair this issue is by replacing, not reflowing, both touch ics in the device. An additional layer of metal is then added to this area of the device, to provide support that should have been there in the beginning (and was in previous models).

If you are sick of trusting Apple to provide a real fix, your best course of action is to do exactly what apple tell you not to do. Find an independant repairer.

If you are in Australia, you can mail your device for repair. Details on the service are here http://geelongmicrosoldering.com.au/product/touch-ic-replacement-cumulus-meson-and-structural-reinforcement/

If you are outside of Australia, there is a list of very talented, highly respected board level technicians over at http://boardrepair.info

In the mean time be sure to voice your disapproval everywhere you can, and prevent Apple from shifting the blame or sweeping it under the rug, like they did time and time again with error 53.

Cheers!

Touch IC replacement (Cumulus, Meson, and structural reinforcement) | Geelong Micro Soldering The symptoms of this issue are: No touch Touch is sometime unresponsive Touch had “dead spots” White flickering bar at top of screen

Happy New Year!!
Wishing everyone a safe and happy start to 2016. Don't forget if you are traveling, to be careful, both with your electronics, and with your travels.

I have been working hard to get the jobs out that i received toward the end of 2015. I apologise for the delay, it shouldnt be much longer!

iPhone 5S BSOD / Screw damage repair

If the screws in an iPhone 5S get mixed up, its possible to put a slightly longer screw in one of 2 threads that hold down the plate covering the screen connectors.

This is common when replacing screens, and generally causes a blue screen, red screen, infinite boot loop, no imei, or a combination of the above.

This is due to the screw digging into the layers of the board, and shorting or cutting through important tracks. There are 14 tracks in total this can happen to, 7 in each thread.

In order to repair this the screw thread must be removed, the damage layer exposed, and microscopic jumpers (as thin as human hair) must be used to fix the damaged circuit.

This is the result of the repair.