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Go me. Yep, I managed to fix the lcd screen on my sony ericsson k800i, which I'd only got a week or so before, from ebay. The phone must have taken a knock because the screen colours went mental and a big feathery dark patch up the middle of the screen appeared. Buggery. I checked around on the web and there were a few places offering to fix lcd screens for £50 - but that would have made the phone more expensive than had I bought a new one in the first place. Damnit, I thought, I'll do it myself. So for £10 or so I got a new lcd screen from an ebay store, and borrowed a set of tiny Torx screwdrivers off my mate, and set about the task. And it's one I really don't ever want to have to repeat in a hurry, because it's the fiddliest thing I have attempted since I popped my cherry all those years ago. Taking the phone apart wasn't too bad - using a fingernail to slip between the case parts trying not to bend anything out of shape. Pop the battery cover off, take out the 4 screws, and slide your fingernail between the remaining back-casing and waggle it a bit to get it off. Take out the other 2 screws that are revealed. A couple of loose-feeling capacitors at he back are cause for concern and caution. Big ham-fists aren't the best tools for this job.
Prise the front casing away from the main body of the phone. Take note of where the side camera button sits - the internal microswitch is on a ribbon which can get stuck under the keypad when you reassemble. You'll have to hang the front side of the case off by the little rubbery Memory Stick cover (which won't come away from the back casing). I couldn't see an easy way of getting it back in if it were to come out, so careful not to snap the thing off.
Then there's a little metal band that holds down the bottom of the lcd screen and tucks the front of the joystick/keypad unit in place - it's flimsy, and you don't really want to lose it. It clips on each side - a thin flat scredriver can just catch one of the corners to get it off with. Meanwhile the side control buttons are popping out leftright and centre, so leave them in a safe place till you're ready to put it all back together again, because they'll keep coming out while you wrestle with the next bit. Here comes the scary part - prising out the screen's mini socket connection attached by the thin printed ribbon. The socket is under the keypad, under the number 1 key. The keypad itself can come off but the bit' that it sits on will need to stay attached by its ribbon while you root around underneath it. Now reverse the procedure - your new screen's ribbon will need folding in the same way as the old one, once you've plugged the mini socket in. Sit the screen into it's own tray, then re-seat the keypad. Clip that thin metal band back on. You might at this stage want to try whacking the battery in and powering up to make sure your new screen works and you've plugged it in properly. Back of the net. Kiss my face. It works. Now you're going to have to find the right angle to get the front cover back on while you make sure the keypad pokes back through without any keys getting stuck; make sure the rubbery power-on button doesn't get stuck anywhere; make sure the side camera microswitch is in place, then press home the front casing. That sounds easy eh? Ha! Took me at least ten attempts as various bits and buttons took turns to stick out at odd angles.Now screw screw in all the Torx screws. Starting with the top, reseat the top of the back casing, and before you clip it back down fully, check the power button hasn't got wedged - free it up with a nice small screwdriver. Clip that sucker down, and screw in the small philips screws. Battery in. Wipe sweat from brow. Hold down power switch. Wait for phone to wake up and smell the network. Phone for pizza, because you have just saved yourself £40. |
