Replacing digitizer on tablet

[Muse]

Traveling, the touch screen digitizer cracked on my RCA Cambio W101 V2 Windows 10 tablet/laptop combo.

I can still boot it but the touch screen utility is practically zero. I bought a replacement digitizer for it on ebay.

I have disassembled the tablet considerably but not removed the digitizer screen from it's plastic protective covering. Holding the replacement screen (still in its plastic covering) up the the light I have seen what seem to me to be long hairline cracks extending from one end to the other, at least two of them. They are really hard to make out but I figure that that isn't a good sign and that the new digitizer, even if it works out of the box, is apt to break. Or that it will break a lot easier than if it didn't have hairline cracks.

Am I overthinking this? Is it possible this is just the plastic sleeve? I don't think so, but it's really hard to see the cracks without shining a flashlight through the thing. The seller's info talks about not installing if you want a replacement and paying for return shipping and I'm wondering if I should just install it and hope for the best. I paid $15.55 for it shipped, after all. The others cost around $18, but I figured it was probably the same item so I went with this although the seller's English was fractured (didn't expect that the transfer to the glass!). I sent the seller a message but don't expect to hear that he'll send me a replacement without my returning the one I received a couple days ago. What do you think?

 

[Muse]

I replaced the digitizer last night. Mostly seems just fine but sometimes the machine will not let me sign in with my 4 digit code. It's as if it reads different characters than the ones I am choosing. Sometimes I press a key and two characters (hidden) register, not one. Being hidden, I don't know what those characters are. It is entirely dumbfounding. Other than major problems at times getting access to the machine, once in it seems to work pretty much normally.

 

[kmmatney]

Nice you were able to get a replacement screen. I had a cheap windows tablet (Onda, but virtually same spec as yours) and also had the screen crack while traveling. I couldn't get a clear answer on what replcement screen to buy for my model. The system worked OK with the crack, but at some point 1/3 of the screen stopped working, so I just ended up just selling it on ebay as a damaged tablet. I'm think I'm through with cheap tablets... But it nice to now that the screens can be swapped out on this particular cheap model. My screen cracked under very little stress - something my iPads have easily handled.

 

[Muse]

Nice you were able to get a replacement screen. I had a cheap windows tablet (Onda, but virtually same spec as yours) and also had the screen crack while traveling. I couldn't get a clear answer on what replcement screen to buy for my model. The system worked OK with the crack, but at some point 1/3 of the screen stopped working, so I just ended up just selling it on ebay as a damaged tablet. I'm think I'm through with cheap tablets... But it nice to now that the screens can be swapped out on this particular cheap model. My screen cracked under very little stress - something my iPads have easily handled.

Yes, I was quite taken by surprise when I took out the tablet and found the screen cracked. I didn't recall anything happening to my backpack that would account for the screen cracking and I had to think that the screen wasn't robust!

I now have two of these! If I have further problems with the screen cracking I should give great consideration to moving to a different machine. This one may suffice, will see. However, I need Windows, I run an app that probably needs Windows. There's some chance I can run it on a Linux based system, but I've never done that and there may very well be a series of issues I'd need to deal with if I tried that (Microsoft Visual Foxpro 9.0 is the app).

If you were to search Amazon for replacement screens for my machine you would find a lot of reviews by people who were rather unhappy due to the fact that the replacement screen they applied did not fit properly and was offset a certain distance, I think around 1/4 inch. If they'd shopped ebay with care they would have (as I did) discovered that there are two versions of the screen, and hence two versions of the machine, that use either Version A or Version B of the screen. Having determined that before I ordered, I measured my screen and bought the proper one (Version B, for me).

 

[corkyg]

Seems to me that backpacks can cause screens to crack simply by the wearer bending over or putting arms forward. These actions causes the pack and contents to try and conform to the roundness of the back when tension is applied to the shoulder straps.. In order to mitigate this action, a stiff board or book should be placed so that it prevents the pack from pulling on the fragile device sides causing a crack.

 

[Muse]

Seems to me that backpacks can cause screens to crack simply by the wearer bending over or putting arms forward. These actions causes the pack and contents to try and conform to the roundness of the back when tension is applied to the shoulder straps.. In order to mitigate this action, a stiff board or book should be placed so that it prevents the pack from pulling on the fragile device sides causing a crack.

Excellent suggestion. A case was included with the seller-refurb I received ~ 1 week ago, but I don't think it's sufficiently stiff to prevent a similar break in the screen. I'll likely fashion something stiff enough, simple, compact and light but effective. DIY is one of my fortes.

The tablet had its optional-use keyboard attached and I thought that provided ample protection. I was obviously wrong about that.

 

[Muse]

I can't believe this... I just watched around 20 minutes of HD highlights of NFL games played today on YouTube. Not a single hiccup. I don't think I've seen this on any of my other PCs, No hiccups, impossible! This on el cheapo $100 tablet on ~5mbps DSL. Sensational!