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What’s In a Screen?

Note: This post was written by Illini Gadget Garage staff member Madeleine Wolske.

The easiest thing one can do to a smartphone is accidentally dropping it and cracking the screen.  The process in repairing a cracked screen is relatively easy to follow, but before purchasing any components, tinkerers need to be aware of what they’re buying online.

Before purchasing a new part, examine your device and try to determine what part is broken.  I needed to repair my iPhone 5c’s cracked screen and did some research online to fix it.  Using a Google search for “cheap iPhone 5c screen replacement,” I found an inexpensive eBay link.

Screenshot of eBay iPhone 5c Screen Replacement
Screenshot of eBay iPhone 5c Screen Replacement

For the low price of $6.99, I can receive not only the screen, but tools and adhesive as well! This is a great deal, but is it what I want? In order to make sure I’m purchasing the right product, I need to refer back to my device.  Make sure you check the physical attributes of the problem:

  • Is there a large crack on the glass?
  • Is that crack accompanied by blue stripes on the screen?
  • Are you able to see everything displayed?
  • Does your touch screen still work?

My crack was external, and no damage was done to the display or digitizer (touch screen capabilities).  It’s important to analyze the problem fully, because the screen on your phone isn’t just one component.  It’s one part, compromised of three main pieces: the outer glass protective screen, the thin digitizer, and the LCD display.  These parts are also usually encased in a heat shield of some kind, protecting the LCD from the other parts of the phone.

Components of an iPhone 5c Screen
Components of an iPhone 5c Screen ***The Digitizer is a thin sheet on top of the glass LCD screen, making the “Digitzer” two components and not one***

The part from eBay was only for the external glass screen, not the other parts of the screen.  Here’s where I need to make a decision on what my repair commitment is.  Questions to ask yourself:

Looking at tear downs and repair videos, I did not want to fix just the outer glass screen.  I wanted a less invasive, simpler repair, and ordered the fully assembled screen from iFixIt, which contained all three aspects of the iPhone 5c screen already put together.  When ordering a part, be aware of the seller you’re purchasing the part from.  Questions to ask yourself:

  • Does this seller have good reviews?
  • What is the return policy? Is there a return policy?
  • Are buyers able to review the product? What’re they saying?

I chose to order my part from iFixIt because I’ve ordered parts from them in the past and was happy with my order.  After I received the new part, I was able to replace my whole screen in under 30 minutes–an easy fix!

NOTE: All links provided in this blog post are for informational purposes only, the Illini Gadget Garage does not endorse any of the companies listed, nor does any affiliated departments or the University of Illinois.

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CD Recycling at the IGG

CDs in Jewel CasesNote: This post was written by Illini Gadget Garage staff member Madeleine Wolske.

The warm fronts have made some of our staffers go
into a frenzy of Spring cleaning! We’ve been organizing our inventory, recycling obsolete technology, and finding a lot of old CDs and jewel cases. Instead of throwing them away, we have bins at our location to recycle them.

Update your music collections at home, get rid of that soundtrack from “The Jimmy Neutron Movie” you’ve listened to once, and take your CDs and cases to the Illini Gadget Garage for easy recycling.

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Tech Tuesdays!

Note: This post was written by Illini Gadget Garage staff member Jarrett Zook.

So you have some faulty technology, but you have class or another commitment during our open hours, we understand and that is why we are hosting “Tech Tuesdays” at the UGL. Every Tuesday, from 6-9 PM, we will have one of our associates in the media commons. Feel free to bring your damaged device or discuss the issues that you may be having. If we can’t help you on the spot, we can at least advise you on the best course of action and you may find it worthwhile to bring your defective item to our Research Park location. Furthermore, this is a good opportunity to discuss volunteering options, for any of you that may be interested. Additionally, we are looking to add “pop ups” at other locations. If your organization is interested in having us, just fill out the following form, https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1xp8I4lK_CWeW8cM2PwqKkBhExyq0mvxkzJc_WtmvVDI/edit.  Don’t strain your budget or fill a landfill with harmful electronic waste, instead check us out on a “Tech Tuesday” and see what we have to offer!

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Single Use Battery Recycling

Note: This post was written by Illini Gadget Garage staff member Jarrett Zook.

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You’re watching T.V. and you go to change the channel, but the remote doesn’t work. I guess it’s time to throw out those old batteries, right? Actually, you do have another option that you should know about. Come to the Illini Gadget Garage and recycle your old single use batteries. We are the only spot on campus that recycles single use batteries and we are happy to take on any that you no longer use. Remember, if reuse is no longer an option, then recycling is the next best thing. Single use batteries contain many materials that can be recycled in a cost effective manner such as zinc, manganese, and steel. For more information about battery recycling etiquette please refer to the following link, http://www.rawmaterials.com/page/education/prepare-batteries. Remember, certain batteries can pose fire risks. Don’t forget to tape all terminals when recycling batteries that are damaged, lithium, lead acid, electronic  (with cracked casing or exposed terminals), or over 9 volts. If you have any questions make sure to ask the Gadget Garage staff. We are here to help!

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University Collaboration with the IGG

Note: This post was written by Illini Gadget Garage staff member Madeleine Wolske.

One of our campus projects is to allow university classes to utilize the space, be it through hosting workshops where students can learn skills like soldering, understanding the Technical Writing Initiative via class projects, creating an iFixIt Guide, or volunteering at the Garage. The School of Information Sciences has a class, Introduction to Networking (LIS 451), that requires students to partner with a community program and the Illini Gadget Garage has been proud to be one such program. The final project for LIS 451 asks the students to not only volunteer at least once a week, but also put together a tangible product to present at the end of the semester. This past Fall semester we were given the great opportunity to partner with LIS 451 and one group of students, Amanda Elzbieciak, Kelsey Riggs, and Geoff Jacobs. They were invaluable assisting in the physical transformation of the space, brainstorming different ideas for workshops to be held at the IGG, marketing, and hosting the workshops. With their help, we were able to put on two workshops: a Grand Opening, where we invited the community to see our newly remodeled space, and a Holiday themed Recycled Crafting party, where the community was welcome to come in and create seasonal ornaments and gifts. The students were able to use pictures, videos, and reflections as proof of their hard work for their project, assisting the Garage in opening our doors to the public.

Check out the final product by going to their website!

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Recycled Holiday Craft Event, Dec. 3rd

Need a break from studying for finals? Looking for an activity the whole family can enjoy? Join the Illini Gadget Garage and create holiday ornaments, gifts, cards, and more from old tech and recycled items this Saturday, December 3rd from 1 to 3 PM. We love reuse and product stewardship. Most days we pursue those goals through repair–but crafting is another great way to give materials a second life!

computer key bracelets

Refreshments will be served and the event is FREE (though donations are welcome!). If you’re not into crafting, join our volunteers and staff for some tech talk, or come to learn more about the Gadget Garage. Happy Holidays!

craft event flyer

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Grand Opening at the Illini Gadget Garage

Note: This post was written by Illini Gadget Garage staff member Madeleine Wolske.

With a fresh coat of paint on the walls, the Illini Gadget Garage will be hosting an Open House workshop on Saturday, November 12, 2016 from 11:00 AM to 2:00 PM at the Gadget Garage in Research Park. This will be a public introduction of the space, where we’ll learn some tips and tricks on how to speed up your tech, watch videos of tech tear-downs, and observe live tear-downs of individuals who will be walking through repairs of their own tech. If you have a broken device you would like to work on for the Open House, fill out our Google diagnostic form to save yourself a spot. We only have 10 slots available, and they’ll go quickly. If you don’t want to work on your device at the Open House, feel free to stop by and chat with our volunteers and consider bringing in your own broken tech at a later date where we can set up one-on-one appointments.

Get to know our staff and volunteers and see our upgraded location complete with snacks, drinks, and good company!

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Sustainability Celebration Repair Demos Needed

As mentioned in a previous post, the Illini Gadget Garage will have an information table at the upcoming Campus Sustainability Celebration, Wednesday, Oct. 26 at Alice Campbell Alumni Center Ballroom here on the UIUC campus, from 4 to 6 p.m. See the Facebook event for the celebration on the Institute for Sustainability, Energy and Environment (iSEE) Facebook page.

Besides being present to explain more about the project, we’re hoping to be able to sit down with a few folks during the event for “do-it-together” troubleshooting and repair so that celebration attendees can get a feel for how our process works.

So if you’re a student, faculty or staff member with plans to attend the celebration, you have a small electronic device or appliance that needs some repair or troubleshooting, and you don’t mind others observing work that’s done on your item, contact us at illinigadgetgarage@gmail.com to inquire about being part of a demonstration that day. We can only work with a couple of people on demonstration projects during the limited time of the event, and there are some space and other restrictions to consider, so email and provide some basic information on the device and issue you’re having. If we can’t accommodate you during the sustainability celebration, we’ll work with you to set up an alternative time for you to come into our physical location to work on your device.

campus sustainabiity celebration logo

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Fall 2016 Hours, Upcoming Events

The renovations to make our physical location, INHS Storage Building 3 (SB3), are completed, and while we’re still in the process of rearranging and sprucing up the interior, we do have fall open hours scheduled. We’ll be open Tuesdays and Thursdays from 10 AM to 1 PM and Wednesdays from noon until 3PM. Please note there will be no open hours during the week of Oct. 3rd. Sorry for any inconvenience.

Pardon our dust while we slowly work to make the interior of the building more inviting! Note that there are some metered parking spaces in the graveled lot adjacent to the building, and an accessible parking space on the building’s east side. You can access the graveled lot/yellow pole barn area either from Oak Street, Hazelwood drive, or from Griffith Drive. If you take the bus to the corner of Oak and Hazelwood, follow the sidewalk leading west from Oak Street; this will join to a sidewalk that leads straight back to SB3. Our lovely new signs will be up on the north and south sides of the building soon to help you locate us. When all else fails, just look for the pole barn with the large antenna attached!

We’ll also continue to host pop-up clinics at various locations around campus. We’re planning have a table at the upcoming Campus Sustainability Celebration (Oct. 26) at Alice Campbell Alumni Center from 4-6PM as well as at the Urbana America Recycles Day Celebration on Nov. 19 from 11 AM to 3 PM at Anita Purves Nature Center. We’re working on having sign-up available for pop-ups at these events–check this site, our calendar, and social media for details in the near future on these special events, and for other pop-ups.

While our project team is exploring business considerations, including membership fees, to make this effort financially self-sustaining after our seed funding from SSC is spent, for now all services remain free for UI students, faculty and staff. The America Recycles Day celebration pop-up will also be free and available to the broader community. We want to spread the word about this project and get people comfortable with the idea of repair and considering the impacts of the products they own and our “throwaway” culture. If/when any fees become part of our operations, we’ll post that information on this page then. Until then let’s celebrate the opening of our physical space and product stewardship with free assistance!

If you’d like to make a donation to the SEI Various Donors fund to support the continued efforts of the Illini Gadget Garage in the future, see http://www.sustainelectronics.illinois.edu/SEIdonation.html. Be sure to note “Illini Gadget Garage” in the “Comments or Other Instructions” field on the form. Thank you!

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Illini Gadget Garage Closing Physical Location for Renovations, Hosting Pop-Up Clinics

This post originally appeared on the Sustainable Electronics Initiative (SEI) Blog.

The Illini Gadget Garage, a collaborative repair center for student and staff owned electronic devices, will be closing its physical location (INHS Storage Building 3) for the summer on Monday, July 11, to allow for renovations associated with making the site compliant with ADA requirements. Renovations should be complete prior to the beginning of the Fall 2016 semester, and there will be a grand opening of the site at that time. Be sure to check the new Illini Gadget Garage web site, as well as its Twitter and Facebook accounts for details of the grand opening later in the summer.

We appreciate the ‘test pilots” who have come in this summer to work with us on their devices! To continue to serve the campus community during the renovation process, we will host pop-up clinics at various locations until the physical location is open for the public. Pop-up clinics will continue, even after the physical location is open, to make it more convenient for the campus community to practice sustainability through electronic product stewardship.

Two pop-up clinics are scheduled at the Illinois Sustainable Technology Center (ISTC; 1 Hazelwood Drive in Champaign), in the Stephen J. Warner Conference room:

  • Monday, July 11, from noon to 5 pm
  • Monday, July 18, from noon to 5 pm (Note: a Sustainable Electronics Campus Consortium meeting will occur in the conference room from 1:30-2:30 PM; feel free to come early or stay after the meeting to work on your devices!)

If you plan to come to either of these clinics, we suggest you fill out our online diagnostic form ahead of time. This will allow volunteers to do some preliminary research on the problem you’re facing, and make use of your one-on-one time more efficient.

If your department, residence hall, or student organization would like to host a pop-up repair clinic, please fill out the “Host a Pop-Up Clinic” form to express your interest. We’ll be in touch to work out the details.

Students, faculty, and staff with any degree of technical skill–including none whatsoever–are invited to sign up as Illini Gadget Garage volunteers. We want to empower everyone to feel comfortable with the idea of troubleshooting and repairing the electronics they own, to keep them in service longer and thus, out of the waste stream. Even if you’ve never fixed anything before, you can be part of our process of coming together to solve problems. We also could use help with marketing, social media, arranging pop-up clinics, developing educational programs, and other tasks, so if this project intrigues you, come be part of it! Stop by one of the pop-up clinics, or fill out our contact form and we’ll be in touch.