iPad Wi-Fi Dock Connector Cable Replacement

If your display glass is cracked, keep further breakage contained and prevent bodily harm during your repair by taping the glass.

Lay overlapping strips of clear packing tape over the iPad's display until the whole face is covered.

Do your best to follow the rest of the guide as described. However, once the glass is broken, it will likely continue to crack as you work, and you may need to use a metal prying tool to scoop the glass out.

There are 14 metal clips holding the display assembly in place, shown at left. As you pry in the following steps, do your best to pry around these clips and not slice through them with your opening tool.

Insert a metal spudger between the top edge of the display assembly and the rear panel assembly.

Rotate the spudger away from you to release the tabs along the top edge of the display.

Insert a second metal spudger between the top edge of the display assembly and the rear panel assembly to keep the tabs from snapping back into place.

With one spudger, work your way along the right edge of the iPad.

The front panel is held to the aluminum back by metal clips on the top, bottom, and left sides. The right side has plastic tabs which slide into recesses in the backplate.

Once the clips are released, lift the left side of the front panel up and slide it to the left to clear the tabs from the aluminum backplate.

Lift the display assembly away from the rear panel assembly by its bottom edge.

In the following steps, you will disconnect the three cables attaching the display assembly to the logic board. The cables are for the following components:

Digitizer

Ambient Light Sensor

Display Data Cable

Use the edge of a plastic opening tool to flip up the retaining flaps holding the digitizer ribbon cables in their sockets on the logic board.

Pull the digitizer ribbon cables straight out of their sockets.

Use a plastic opening tool to remove the ambient light sensor connector from its socket by gently prying upward.

Disconnect the display data cable from the main board by flipping up the metal retainer by its black plastic pull tab.

Pull the cable connector away from its socket.

Remove the display assembly from the rear panel assembly.

Remove the two 4.56 mm T5 Torx screws securing the dock connector cable to the main board.

Remove the single 2.84 mm T5 Torx screw connecting the dock connector cable to the rear case assembly.

Remove the two 2.84 mm T5 Torx screws securing the dock connector cable to the rear panel assembly.

Carefully remove the plastic cover over the WiFi/Bluetooth board and dock connector cable using a plastic opening tool.

Pry the Wi-Fi and Bluetooth antennas up off their respective sockets on the Wi-Fi/Bluetooth board.

Remove the dock connector cable from the rear panel assembly.