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iPhone 3Gs extra part


macdunn

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I have two iPhone 3Gs handsets. I am so satisfied with the first (bought used) that I bought a second one as a spare (used, $70). The second 3Gs had been "mishandled" by its previous owner - broken back case, missing the screws beside the Docking Connector - and the battery seemed to be on its last legs. But, it did function.

 

So, having been in the hardware and software field since CP/M and having found a wealth of step-by-step instructions and YouTube videos, I took the second iPhone apart with the intention to replace the broken back cover and put in a 'new' battery.

 

 

During the reassembly of the parts on the back cover, a small metal piece with a screw hole came loose from somewhere around the SIMCard holder or the Headphone Jack or the Volume Controls. Here is a photo of the piece against the contrasting black of the back cover --

 

http://InTheOrchard.com/Images/iPhone3GsExtraPart.jpg

 

Does anyone know where this piece goes? It must have a function or it would not have been there in the first place.

 

I must say that one of the reasons I am impressed with the iPhone 3GS (no experience with any other brand of SmartPhone, so I am not saying it is better) is that it took this close-up photo which I could not take (in focus) with my $800+ Canon DSLR (without a macro lens). And, if the 3Gs can do so much that I am finding fun/value with, why spend so much more for a newer iPhone (rhetorical question)?

 

TIA,

 

-Mac- (but not a Mac expert since 1996)

Edited by macdunn
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Guest LilBambi

I love my iPhone 4S so I know what you mean. I am thrilled with it. There will come a time when I need to think about an upgrade, but that day is not today. ;)

 

Well it must have been held down by one of the screws that you had to replace to do the work. My Jim said that the metal tab is covered by insulation, so it's likely not a connector per se but to be held in place by a screw and meant to hold something down, in place or something like that.

 

Hope that helps some.

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Thanks, LilBambi.

 

I sort of have the feeling that it is not connecting two things, but maybe holding something down. I am going to wait to see if anyone has a photo or something. After all, I have my good iPhone 3Gs to use.

 

That is many times why I buy (used) a second copy of a computer, etc. - to experiment with something which I consider good enough to spend the time on.

 

I am in Germany and here, the transit companies have apps for checking the bus/train schedules, mapping how to get somewhere with the transit, etc. But, in Sillycon Valley and the SF Bay Area where I used tolive and work, practically none of the transit systems have apps with the same level of service (nor the same high level of transit service for that matter). I use my 3Gs primarily to catch my bus/train. And, to scan product barcodes and get an immediate price comparison, though I know, in my brain, where the best prices are for my day-to-day things.

 

Thanks,

 

-Mac-

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Guest LilBambi

See the Logic Board removal video; 2 min 20 secs in here. Click on the 3rd video "Logic Board Removal" on the right. Again it starts at 2 min 20 seconds in and see when he brings out the screw and what is under the screw on that corner.

 

Hope that helps.

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Oo! Oo!

 

That is it. It holds down the camera which is further on in the reassembly!

 

In other videos, they do not show the retainer separate from the camera. No wonder I did not see it.

 

My grateful thanks LilBambi! And to Scot's Newsletter Forums, as usual!

 

-Mac-

Edited by macdunn
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Hi Adam,

 

Thanks. Those are the photos I used from the beginning, and still consider tops, especially since it is not necessarily to hit Pause while following the steps. But, I did not see this piece in the photo about disconnecting the camera. And, I did not pay attention to it when it was mentioned in Step 12, as iFixIt wrote about each of the screws, not to be critical of iFixIt. PowerbookMedic filled in the unexpected blank for me.

 

 

In Step 10, the metal piece in question can be seen, but this step is concentrating on the removal of the "6 connector. In Step 12, the screw for the camera is removed, as well as other screws. Yes, here, there are two bullets about the metal strip in regards to re-assembly. But, no actual photo, so I missed it.

 

Like everything in technology, it is good to have more than one source of knowledge and I recommend using both sources - iFixIt and PowerbookMedic in this case. Oh, and a darn good magnifying glass and a magnetized screwdriver (for putting the screws back in).

 

The next most difficult thing in this exercise - replacing the back cover and battery of an iPhone 3Gs - is finding a reliable/trustworthy source for the battery. The back cover source I found on Amazon.de had the right part and it looks official, regardless of what others buyers had written about the source/part. But, the first battery I got from a source on Amazon.de sent a battery which was of different capacity than was in their photo on Amazon.de (1200mAh instead of pictured 1400mAh which seems to be greater capacity than the original), and what is worse, mailed it in a flat, business-sized envelope with NO padding/protection - cardboard or otherwise, bubble-wrap, etc., just slipped it in the paper envelope with the invoice. Free delivery! TANSTAAFL! Talk about risk of puncture. That freaked me out more than the inconsistent (with photo) product delivered. But, there was no problem returning it (though I had to pay the postage) which is why I buy some things on Amazon rather than eBay.

 

Thanks to all!

 

-Mac-

Edited by macdunn
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