iPhone 3GS battery fix - faulty #00 screwdriver, careful with the suction cup

Mijn probleem

My girlfriend's phone's battery was no good! It would shut down without warning after a few minutes of app use. I bought the replacement battery with intentions of fixing the problem without buying a new iPhone.

Mijn oplossing

The supplied #00 Phillips screwdriver wasn't a screwdriver at all - it was just a small pointed metal rod. The tip of the screwdriver did not have the characteristics that would classify it as a screwdriver - just a pointy end. Luckily, I had a small set of flathead screwdrivers, and the smallest in the set worked perfectly in the #00 Phillips screws.

Other than that, everything went well. Took me about an hour. The hardest part was getting the little metal arm that holds the camera in place lined up so I could tighten down the screw. I ended up grabbing some tweezers for this.

Mijn advies

When using a suction cup to pull the screen off, you need to be very careful to not open it so quickly that you break some of the connections to the logic board. I wasn't careful enough, and the two or three connections all came loose immediately and the screen was free. I was worried I may have broken something, but the device worked perfectly once I put it all back together.