I got a free HTC Droid Eris with a broken touch screen. The LCD seemed to operate without issue. The glass touch screen in front was badly cracked, but still fully functional. I looked on line and found that replacement touch screens are a little under $50, and I found a YouTube video that made it look easy enough (see video here).
The procedure took a little more than two hours. Disassembly the phone was easy. Removing the glass of the broken touch screen from the front bezel was a bit challenging, but still only took a few minutes. Cleaning the bezel then took forever. Applying super glue cleanly was difficult (more later).
The tutorial video on YouTube said to use a T6 screw driver for the outer screws. None of my T6s fit, I had to go by a T5.
I got it all back together with an unpleasant splotch of super glue on the back of the glass. I wasn’t happy with it, but I figured it would be usable. But then minutes later, the screen got a bit foggy. I figured it was just moisture, and set it out to dry. 15 minutes later it was much worse. Days and then a week later it was just as bad. I found out that super glue is NOT the correct adhesive to use for this, and this is what probably caused the fogging.
I was later talking to a friend who does camera repair, and he says I should have used G-S Hypo Cement. Now I know for next time.
Things learned:
- Replace the front bezel/housing in addition to the touch screen itself.
- Use a cheap small brush to apply the glue.
- USE THE CORRECT GLUE!
Trying to clean the plastic adequately was by far the most time consuming part.
This will result in less mess, and thus less chance of getting glue on the glass. A different glue may make this unnecessary.
I keep thinking of getting new parts for this phone and trying again, but the further I get from it, the less likely I think I am to do so.