Nice try, but...

Mijn probleem

My iPad Mini 2 battery failed to hold a charge, to the point where the iPad would not start. I managed to install the new battery, and further managed to break the LCD.

Mijn oplossing

I have worked with avionics and installed instrument panels in aircraft, so I am familiar with delicate operations in electronics. That said, I found replacement of the battery in the iPad mini 2 to be challenging.

1. In particular, when carefully removing the digitizer--the glass screen--on my iPad I discovered that the thin, 1.5 mm wide neoprene ribbon of insulation attached to the perimeter of the iPad body surrounding the digitizer was stuck to the inside surface of the screen. When the digitizer came off, so did that insulation. I've heard that the purpose of the neoprene insulation is to prevent ghosting on the iPad mini 2.

2. Instructions and photos for removal of the LCD did not include an additional small tape I found attaching it to the iPad. Overall, there is room for improvement in the instructions for removing the LCD.

3. Despite my best effort to handle the LCD carefully during its removal, it bent and cracked ever-so-slightly in one corner, rendering the iPad unusable.

4. iFixit, Apple, nor anyone else I can find online sells the neoprene insulation around the digitizer. Without that insulation, I will think carefully about risking ghosting before proceeding with LCD replacement. (But I've heard that a thin strip of double-sided tape, attached with one side of the tape still covered, may function as a substitute for the neoprene insulation.)

Note that Apple will not repair an iPad that has been opened by non-Apple personnel.

Mijn advies

Advice to "be careful" will never be enough.

1. Know that on the iPad mini 2, chances are good that the narrow ribbon of neoprene insulation will be pulled up with the screen. There is no way to re-attach it once it's been removed, partly because the adhesive stays on the frame of the iPad, and partly because the ribbon stretches and deforms upon removal.

2. The iFixit tools were excellent; I could not have gotten this far without them. (Processing and delivery of my order exceeded expectations.) I used the guitar-pick like tools, plastic cards, suction tool, and plastic opening tools. I purchased but did not use the adhesive strips.

3. I also used a heating pad set on low for a surface to work upon. With a Cessna OAT temperature gauge resting on the heating pad I was able to monitor its temperature to ensure it never exceeded 100 degrees F. The heating pad was great: It warmed up the iPad nicely beforehand, softened the adhesive evenly and consistently, and maintained a warm temperature throughout the procedure. Highly recommended!

4. I used a headband magnifier for the closeup work.

5. Before removing a component I photographed it to remind myself of how it should look like on reinstallation.

6. I placed the tiny screws for each component removed into separate small plastic jars, then labeled the jars. (All I need to remember is that my memory is not that good.)