Apple
Watch 42mm: DISASSEMBLING
PROCEDURE
Heat
the screen up so that the entire display and watch are warm. Be sure to turn
the device off first by holding down the crown then sliding to power off. Using
a sharp blade start at the bottom right corner and lift the glass up enough to
create a gap, once you have a large enough gap use a plastic tool to break the
adhesive bond around the edges
Disconnecting
the LCD assembly
When
inserting the knife & plastic tools around the edges be sure not to go
further than 1mm into the AMOLED. The force touch gasket lies directly
underneath the glass and is easily damaged if pushed on too hard with a knife
or other metal object. The FPC clip is tricky but is easily removed using sharp
point tweezers on the battery edge.
Desoldering
the proximity sensor power supply
use
a solder iron tip that was larger than the solder pads. Turn your soldering
iron up to a high temperature, 350C. DO NOT add any solder, just use the heat
& tweezers to pull back the tabs. After unsoldering pull the flex cable out
of the way and use tweezers to peel back the proximity sensor from the AMOLED.
CAREFULLY.
Separating
the Digi flex from the LCD
After
desoldering use a plastic spudger in the exact area as the picture shows to
loosen up the adhesive holding the digi flex in place. It's best if you use a
small amount of heat, around 150F, to help soften the adhesive bond. Fold the
digi cable back as shown in the second picture.
Separating
the AMOLED from the glass
Begin
by preheating the entire screen to a uniform temp, letting it sit under warm
air for 10 minutes. keep heat gun on 300F-350F while holding the screen
3"-6" away from the nozzle to vary the temperature. Carefully insert
a business card under the screen on the dig flex side. Use alcohol to weaken
the OCA tape bond then move the card in slow
Keep
inserting the card slowly while using alcohol as a de-bonder and lubricant as
well as keeping uniform hot air blowing on the screen. While holding the
outside of the glass continue rocking the card back and forth until the AMOLED
is completely separated.
Cleaning
the AMOLED
The
AMOLED screen is extremely thin, but not as fragile as you might expect,
remember to be gentle and use heat through the entire separation process. To
remove the old OCA adhesive use your finger and "roll" the glue off,
pure isopropyl alcohol also helps to de bond the adhesive. The screen is
"waterproof" alcohol seeping into the edges is okay.
Tips
Be
careful of the force touch flex cable that sticks into the frame on the bottom
left of the display while removing the display assembly from the frame. The
force touch gasket sits around the ENTIRE edge of the watch and is a thin
silicone membrane. Test your AMOLED after separation before proceeding to the
next steps.
