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Fixed iPhone 4S Wouldn't Charge

johnnypgood -

iPhone 4S

iPhone 4S Dock Connector Replacement

iPhone 4S Dock Connector Replacement

25 minuten - 1 uur

Moderate

Mijn probleem

My iPhone 4S wouldn't charge. I tried using different outlets, different cables, different computers, none worked. I cleaned out the lint and that seemed to work, but only for a few hours. I learned that in the car my partner had dribbled some water on it while it was plugged in. I couldn't see any damage to the dock connector or any signs of water damage inside, so I bought and installed a new battery (also with help from iFixit). The phone still wouldn't charge. I figured I would try replacing the dock connector since it was cheap and looked easy.

Mijn oplossing

I bought a used (A-stock) dock connector rather than new to save $5, which was 25% less. I'm a big fan of recycling and repurposing. Plus, the mining, manufacturing, and shipment of electronics such as these are one of the biggest sources of negative environmental impacts, so keeping one more new item on the shelf until it's actually needed was important to me. I also used to work in a business that sells used auto parts. I've learned how good of a job a quality-controlled used part can do. I followed the guide forwards and backwards and ended up with a working phone again! Easy.

Mijn advies

The steps to disconnect the battery cable are confusing. The cable plugs down onto 4 pins and the piece that pulls up has an overhanging lip around the outside that makes it easy to pry up with little force. There is a small contact plate (black with a copper nub) that is visible, but half of it is under the cable plug around the top screw. It is only held in place by that screw and friction between the cable plug and the components beneath it. Don't worry when this piece comes loose because it is not attached to anything, just keep track of it.

Be very careful with the ribbon for the home button. The ribbon slides horizontally in and out of the connector and the locking tab that holds it down is hinged (it flips up and down like a roller coaster bar). If you've ever taken apart a laptop you'll be familiar with these. When you reinstall it, don't twist it side to side, but rather tilt the back of it up (vertically) until the tip of the ribbon rests on the entrance to the connector then tilt it down so it slides in. This is much easier to do with two hands, using small tipped tools. I don't think using tweezers is necessary.

Read the full description, including alerts, on each step before starting the work. Also check the comments for problems that other people have run into.

Work on a brightly lit surface and use a hands free magnifying glass if you have bad vision.

I recommend wearing latex gloves to keep the oils from your hands off the electronics. I also used 91% Isopropyl Alcohol and cotton swabs to clean all the metal contacts.

Keep track of those screws! I used a small ceramic tray and taped them down with scotch tape. I kept track of where each screw belonged with notes on a sticky note.

Try not to work in a room with carpet or a dirty floor. If you do drop a screw, here are a couple tips: 1) Hard floor: turn off all the lights and lay a flashlight on the floor; the angle of the light will cause even small items to cast longer shadows and be easier to see, 2) Carpet: put a nylon leg hose or other fine filter over the attachment wand on your vacuum and use it to sweep along the floor; this saves you the hassle of searching the dusty vacuum compartment, 3) Any Floor: a strong magnet.

iPhone 4S Dock Connector Afbeelding
iPhone 4S Dock Connector

$19.99

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