Installing iPad 2 Wi-Fi Front Facing Camera

Installing iPad 2 Wi-Fi Front Facing Camera Replace a broken front-facing camera on your iPad 2 Wi-Fi. Author: Anton Walte; Difficulty: Very difficult
Sections: Front Panel 8 steps LCD 2 steps Headphone Jack Assembly 8 steps Front Facing Camera 1 step	Tools: Heat gun or hair dryer Phillips #00 Screwdriver Plastic Opening Tools Veboss Guitar Picks set of 8
Step 1 — Front Panel The iPad 2 is an extremely difficult device to open. Before attempting this guide, be aware that you may break your front panel and/or deform the plastic bezel around it during the opening sequence. In the following steps you will use a heat gun to soften the adhesive securing the front panel to the rear panel. Try not to allow the stream of hot air to contact the thin plastic strip around the outer perimeter of the front panel as it may melt, permanently deform, and lose texture. When heating up the front panel, the goal is to loosen the adhesive located in the areas highlighted in red in the second picture. When prying up the front panel, be especially careful not to damage the Wi-Fi antenna in the area boxed in blue or the digitizer cable in the area boxed in black in the second picture. Use a heat gun to gently heat the front panel to the right of the home button. Do not heat up the home button, as it is plastic and easily melts/deforms.

Step 2 Once the area of the front panel to the right of the home button has been heated adequately, it should be easy to insert a plastic opening tool between the outer plastic bezel and the front panel right next to the home button. Use your plastic opening tool to gently create a small gap between the front panel and the outer bezel to the right of the home button. If the adhesive is difficult to separate, don't be afraid to heat it up again. Excessively prying and bending the front panel when the adhesive is not pliable enough can easily cause it to crack. Insert a guitar pick into the small gap created by the plastic opening tool.

Step 3 Heat up the area of the front bezel to the right of the home button along the bottom edge and make your way closer to the bottom right corner of the iPad. Slide the first guitar pick toward the bottom right corner of the iPad and insert another guitar pick to maintain the gap between the front panel and the iPad next to the home button.

Step 4 Use your heat gun to heat the edge of the front panel near the bottom right corner of the iPad. Gently slide a guitar pick around the edge of the bottom right corner of the front panel, being careful not to force it and reheating the panel if necessary.

Step 5 Continue heating the outer edge of the front panel and using guitar picks to separate/space the front panel from the rear panel. Insert two guitar picks as placeholders on each side of the iPad. Be careful when approaching the bottom left corner of the iPad. Be sure to follow the next step carefully.

Step 6 When separating the front panel from the bottom left corner of the iPad 2, be careful not to rip the digitizer cable (highlighted in red in the first picture). It is extremely thin and easy to tear. Slightly lift the front panel near the dock connector to separate it from the foam adhesive securing it to the LCD. Use a guitar pick to help cut the foam adhesive securing the perimeter of the LCD to the front panel.

Step 7 Carefully rotate the front panel away from the iPad, being sure that no adhesive is still attaching the two components. Do not put excessive strain on the digitizer cable.

Step 8 Lay the front panel next to the rest of the iPad 2. Do not attempt to completely remove the front panel assembly just yet, as it is still attached to the logic board via the display ribbon cable.

Step 9 — LCD Remove the four 2.0 mm Phillips screws securing the LCD to the rear case.

Step 10 Lift the LCD from its long edge closest to the volume buttons and rotate it out of the rear case. Lay the LCD on the front panel as seen in the second picture.

Step 11 — Heaphone Jack & Front Camera Assembly Use the flat end of a plastic opening tool to flip up the retaining flap on the headphone jack and front-facing camera ribbon cable ZIF socket. Be sure you are prying up on the hinged retaining flap, not the socket itself. Run a plastic opening tool underneath the headphone jack and front-facing camera cable to free it from the adhesive attaching the cable to the rear panel. Pull the headphone jack and front-facing camera ribbon cable straight out of its socket on the logic board.

Step 12 Remove the two 2.9 mm Phillips screws securing the headphone jack to the rear panel.

Step 13 Use the edge of a plastic opening tool to peel the tape and the adhesive securing the headphone jack & front camera cables to the rear panel.

Step 14 Pull the headphone jack away from the top edge of the iPad. Don't try to remove the assembly just yet. The front camera is still stuck to the rear panel.

Step 15 Lift the headphone jack & front camera cables slightly to access the microphone connector. Use the edge of a plastic opening tool to separate the microphone connector from its socket on the headphone jack & front camera cables.

Step 16 Peel the front camera off the foam adhesive securing it to the rear panel. Remove the headphone jack & front camera assembly from the iPad.

Step 17 Carefully remove the strip of tape covering the front camera cable connector.

Step 18 Use the edge of a plastic opening tool to disconnect the front camera cable from the headphone jack cable.

Step 19 — Front Facing Camera Front-facing camera remains.