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2012 Nexus 7 Discussion Forums (1st Generation) => Nexus 7 Root, Hacks, Mods And Development => Topic started by: supermaughan on August 15, 2012, 08:25:56 AM
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So I had a 16gig Nexus 7 that took a short dive to the driveway and broke the screen. Still works except for the screen. I'm now looking to replace. I was thinking that if I buy a 8gig version I may be able to swap the memory from my broken one. I haven't had it apart yet to see how hard this would be but thought I would ask the question to the clever hackers of the internet. Any thoughts?
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There are a couple different N7 'Teardown' vids on YouTube that you might want to watch. Might give you some insight on what's possible in that regard.
radio
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I suspect it's a very non-trivial desoldering/soldering job into a multi-layer motherboard - not something I'd want to do - with a very low chance of success.
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After watching the teardown vids I think I can just swap out the entire main board. I'll take apart the broken one first to see how difficult is is going to be. Nothing to loss there.
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That should work, and it sounds like the logically easiest way to swap parts.
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The transplant was successful. Although I almost didn't survive it. The first time I tried to power it up my heart skipped a beat when nothing happened. After a few attempts I realized it was one because the processor was getting hot. I just had no lcd. I eventually had to replace the lcd cable with the old one and it worked. I don't know if I damaged the cable or if it was just not plugged in correctly. I should have payed closer attention to the teardown vids. There is a clip on the small ribbon cables that I did not notice so I was just pulling the cables out. Much easier when I discovered the clips.
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@ supermaughan
Excellent, Congratulations on your success. :)
Now, considering your success and the apparent skyrocketing sales for the Nexus 7, can we expect to see the availability of OEM replacement screens or even 3rd party resources?
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It does seem crazy to pay $200 for an 8GB N7 just to get its $40 LCD ;).
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The lcd and digitizer are fused and the assembly is around $130. Plus they are hard to find. To ship it to Asus and have it repaired cost around $170 and takes who knows how long. I found the 8gig on craigslist for $190 and well I guess I have some spare parts now. I was going to just go buy a new one from Walmart but this way I saved a little.
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Early this year I upgraded from my OG Droid to the Razr MAXX. My wife had the OG as well, and I had one that was dropped in the bathtub. I took all of them apart and made a frankenstein of the three. The one that was dropped in water was only two days old, so I used the LCD and digitizer along with most of the case. I had many mods on one device, but the other had been ridden hard, so I picked throug what was in the best condition. I too damaged the ribbon cables on the teardown, but in the end I came out with a nearly new OG.