Does every digitizer have an LCD soulmate?
December 10, 2009 6:16 AM Subscribe
Are digitizers and LCD screens specifically mated in touchscreen products?
I ask this because a year ago, I bought my G1. Loved it, dropped it, cracked the digitizer. The LCD was fine, so I went with it. Finally got frustrated enough to look to eBay for a new digitizer. Bought it, installed it, was heartbroken. It didn't work, so I went back to my old, cracked digitizer.
And then, Mefi's own Greg Nog asked everyone what he should buy to replace his brain-dead G1. Seizing my opportunity, I MeMailed him and asked him if I could have his asploded G1. He sent it, I put the digitizer in, annnnnnd nothing. Well, damn. I figured, I had the damn thing in pieces again anyway, so this time I used his digitizer and his LCD screen and it worked.
So my question is, why wouldn't the eBay digitizer or his digitizer work with my LCD screen? I extensively (I think) Googled and haven't found any answer to this, at least pertaining to the G1. Admittedly, I didn't Google considering touchscreens in general. I thought the eBay digitizer was broken, but apparently not. Very weird. Can anyone shed some light on this mystery? Perhaps there is some way to "flash" the screens to work together that I simply couldn't find? I'm stumped.
I ask this because a year ago, I bought my G1. Loved it, dropped it, cracked the digitizer. The LCD was fine, so I went with it. Finally got frustrated enough to look to eBay for a new digitizer. Bought it, installed it, was heartbroken. It didn't work, so I went back to my old, cracked digitizer.
And then, Mefi's own Greg Nog asked everyone what he should buy to replace his brain-dead G1. Seizing my opportunity, I MeMailed him and asked him if I could have his asploded G1. He sent it, I put the digitizer in, annnnnnd nothing. Well, damn. I figured, I had the damn thing in pieces again anyway, so this time I used his digitizer and his LCD screen and it worked.
So my question is, why wouldn't the eBay digitizer or his digitizer work with my LCD screen? I extensively (I think) Googled and haven't found any answer to this, at least pertaining to the G1. Admittedly, I didn't Google considering touchscreens in general. I thought the eBay digitizer was broken, but apparently not. Very weird. Can anyone shed some light on this mystery? Perhaps there is some way to "flash" the screens to work together that I simply couldn't find? I'm stumped.
Response by poster: That was what I thought, except for the second digitizer didn't work with my LCD screen, but did work with the one it came with.
Also, I checked the serial numbers on the eBay digitizer and it matched exactly to my original one.
posted by InsanePenguin at 7:50 AM on December 10, 2009
Also, I checked the serial numbers on the eBay digitizer and it matched exactly to my original one.
posted by InsanePenguin at 7:50 AM on December 10, 2009
Response by poster: And thanks for the congratulations! My girlfriend can't understand 1) Why I want a smartphone and 2) Why I must "futz" with it (I have CyanogenMOD installed.)
posted by InsanePenguin at 7:51 AM on December 10, 2009
posted by InsanePenguin at 7:51 AM on December 10, 2009
My girlfriend can't understand 1) Why I want a smartphone and 2) Why I must "futz" with it.
Just hitch up your pants and grumble "more power."
You'll be an adorable old man soon enough.
posted by rokusan at 11:42 AM on December 10, 2009
Just hitch up your pants and grumble "more power."
You'll be an adorable old man soon enough.
posted by rokusan at 11:42 AM on December 10, 2009
Response by poster: Oh man, I'm sad no one has an answer for this! It's going to drive me crazy forever now. Shoot.
posted by InsanePenguin at 12:18 PM on December 10, 2009
posted by InsanePenguin at 12:18 PM on December 10, 2009
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The second simplest explanation is that there exist more than one version of the digitizer -- maybe not one for every screen, but maybe 2 or 3 for different versions of the G1. A single pin difference would cause the digitizer not to work.
Congrats on fixing your fone!
posted by fake at 7:43 AM on December 10, 2009