Hardware troubleshooting (iPad 1 3G) - where to begin?

[isokrates]

Greetings,


Hope everyone is well. My friend's iPad (first generation, 3G) isn't, though; it won't turn on. I've tried resetting, charging, restoring, and every other possible non-'hard' option: it won't register in iTunes, or even as a generic USB device.


Given that the Apple Store will charge basically as much to perform a hardware repair as the cost of a new one, my friend has delegated to me (as "the one who knows about computers" - a common danger when one works with people who only know one person who isn't terrified of computers, and who simply don't believe me when I tell them that my expertise does not extend to fixing anything with circuit boards) the duty of seeing whether I can fix it.


Now, I like a challenge, but I'm coming at this totally blind. I have managed to get the case open without breaking anything, and I have all the requisite guides for taking different pieces out (thanks to the cracking videos on Mac Repair - Mac Parts and Service for Apple Macbook, iPhone, iPad), but I of course have no idea where to start. How does one go about isolating which components do and don't work? There are no obvious cracks, and I don't believe the iPad to have suffered any trauma.


Has anyone got any experience with this? I'm just playing around in the dark here, and would therefore be grateful for such light as anyone might be able to shed.


Many proleptic thanks,


Chris

 

[leelai]

Hi and welcome to the Forum!

My, you've taken on quite a task and I really hope someone here can guide you.
You're sure its charged and you say you tried a reset - hold in the power and home buttons simultaneously until you see the Apple logo, and this could take up to 30 seconds before it appears? And it didn't work? Sorry, but I just had to check that you had done this first before you go ahead. I have a link to another thread, another members iPad wouldn't start, a little different to your dilemma but still worth a try.
http://www.ipadforums.net/ipad-1-fo...en-cracked-not-powering-argh-help-please.html
The best of luck with trying to fix it!!

The IPad Forum is a community of members from all walks of life and from all over the world coming together to share our experiences and to help each other learn about this wonderful piece of technology the Ipad. There is a wealth of information already here in the many threads we have so doing some searches will answer most of the questions you have. If then you cannot find the answer you are seeking then by all means post your question. There are many friendly and informed members here only too willing to help you.

We also have our own App - It is a very simple app to navigate.
http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/discussion-forum-for-ipad/id412896524?mt=8
Reading the IPad manual is a great place to start so please download a copy of these.
http://www.support.apple.com/manuals/ipad/
2 very informative threads from which you will learn many tips and shortcuts for the IPad.
http://www.ipadforums.net/ipad-general-discussions/21590-tips-tricks-those-us-who-dont-know.html
http://www.ipadforums.net/ipad-os/49581-ios5-tips-tricks.html
We have rules like any Community so please read these also
http://www.ipadforums.net/forum-rul...um-rules-everybody-please-read.html#post14697

Once again we welcome you here and are so pleased you have joined us!

 

[isokrates]

Hi!

Thanks very much for the greetings and for the initial thoughts. Sadly, I have tried this - I put the iPad on charge for a couple of hours at least, and it still isn't recognised by my computer (usually, even if my iPhone/iPad is totally drained, when I plug it into the USB port I get Windows' 'oh, hello USB device' noise). Could it be a battery issue? Is there any way to test the several components to work out which is faulty - without taking apart a second iPad (not an option - the broken 'Pad is a 16GB 1G 3G; mine is a 64GB 2G WiFi) and putting the individual components in one by one, that is?!

Chris

 

[leelai]

Sorry, I know nothing of the workings of the iPad, I'm really hoping someone will come along who does.
Doing a search may yield something, I know one other member was getting creative with his iPad after he smashed the screen.
I guess there's Google, I have seen a pulled apart iPad on there.
So I guess they don't want to take it to Apple? There are other repairers and as there's no warranty involved you could try one of these. Best of luck!!