FIX for screen separation issue! UPDATED 8/02

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jam10238

Senior Member
Jan 4, 2012
170
108
So rather than sending back my Nexus 7, I decided to give something a try. I removed the back casing, which is very easy to do. I used a small flat screwdriver where the "leather" meets the plastic and gently wedged it in. The case popped right open and was easily removed. I then tightened all of the small phillips screws around the outside of the board on the back of the screen.

This immediately cleared up the creakiness and play that i was experiencing on the left side of the screen. I tightened all screws and not just the ones on the left side. Do this at your own risk, obviously, but this immediately rectified my issue!

7/22 update:

So on Friday, I noticed a slight creak returned. I removed the black strip of foam that has been discussed in this thread. Since Friday, with heavy use, no creak, no play, no screen rise :) I'll update again later in the week to confirm it hasn't returned.

8/02 update:

Since removing the sponge, the play in the screen and the creaks have not returned. I see others havent had as much luck with it but, for me, I can say it did the trick.
 
Last edited:

cwc3

Senior Member
Oct 17, 2011
531
418
Update 1: People are reporting that after a few hours the issue came back. It does appear to be something else causing this. If your issue persists, Call Your Store!
Update 2: Included another guide in this post to try, thank you Luxferro & Evo_Shift
Update 3: Most of us Play Store people are closing in on 15 day replacement time. It's quick & painless, and you still get to use your tablet while the other one is being shipped. Call them, RMA it, get it taken care of.

Update 4: Added Washer Fix Guide. Received my new replacement from the google store. Worse than my older one. Uploaded a video below. Google told me to google the fix for it and try it.

NOTE: Me & Jam are not responsible for what damage you may cause. Nobody has noticed any warranty seals being broken.

______________________________________

Do I have screen separation?
______________________________________

http://www.7nex.us/wp-content/gallery/defects/buldge5.jpg
______________________________________

Guide One - Washer Fix by dilldoe
______________________________________

Main Idea: http://imgur.com/QbGxi | Original Post: http://xdaforums.com/showpost.php?p=29363298&postcount=638

UPDATE: PICTURES & GUIDE - http://xdaforums.com/showpost.php?p=29422550&postcount=1

Using the thin plastic from a pill blister (allergy pills were right in front of me when I was doing this) I created a washer to space out the frame & screen.

Just cut a rectangle out and punch a hole at the end for the screw to go thru. I just used a sewing needle on a sewing machine, like a drill press, to make a starter hole and my smallest screwdriver to widen it. With the screwdriver still in the hole, I just ran my knife around it to trim off the excess plastic.

WHY A LONG RECTANGLE? so you can insert it and hold it in place while you work. don't want it accidentally falling into the device.

now just slide that UNDER the top frame and screw it back together. MAKE SURE YOU STOP ONCE IT'S SNUG. the screen should now be lower than the side bezel.

Do this to all the spots that are lifting. I just did mines on the lower left and upper right, since they both had slight lift.

After you're done screwing it all down, trim off the excess so you can put the back cover back on, not flush to the frame, just enough so you can hold it if you need to remove it.

Did this last night and this afternoon, still no returning lift.

edit: depending on how much lift you have, you might have to use 2 or more to fill the gap (or use something thicker like used gift cards)​

Follow ups:
http://xdaforums.com/showpost.php?p=29384275&postcount=677
http://xdaforums.com/showpost.php?p=29405347&postcount=710
http://xdaforums.com/showpost.php?p=29402365&postcount=700

______________________________________

Guide Two - Simple Tighten by cwc3/jam10238
______________________________________​

1) Grab something that isn't going to mar your nice silver plastic. People have been using guitar picks & even their fingernails
2) Stick that non-marring object between like seen here: http://guide-images.ifixit.net/igi/CAKD1lCgchEPlBI2.medium (they have a white cover while we have a black one)
3) Start sliding that object between the two, you will notice them starting to pop up. Try not to pry if you can, I had to a little.
4) Should now look like this: http://guide-images.ifixit.net/igi/1S3nvadn4UKYoEVx.medium
5) Tighten all the screws around the outside (Pretty much eye glasses size), on the black plastic and metal. Not too tight, or you might cause back-light bleed &/or strip the screw. In my case most were a little loose.
6) When putting the case back on, be sure your not just starting flat. Start at a angle, for example, with the right side portrait. Push/Pop it back on going around the tablet.

Pictures I took taking it apart:

______________________________________

Guide Three - Advanced Tighten by Luxferro
______________________________________​

Original Post: http://xdaforums.com/showthread.php?p=29022274#post29022274


1) Loosen all the screws around the outside w/ the panel on a flat hard surface (hard cover book)
2) Let the panel re-seat itself a bit
3) Just barely tighten all the screws.
4) Then repeat the tightening once they are all done to snug them up (not too much!). It should make your screen look perfect.
4a) After a bit of use you might need to snug them up once more - if the glass starts popping up again.

I tried this method of losening the screws after just tightening them failed me. And so far over 12 hours later my device still is good :)

Follow up:
http://xdaforums.com/showpost.php?p=29028109&postcount=235

________________________________________


Interesting Links:
 
Last edited:

SS2006

Senior Member
Aug 23, 2008
1,641
105
London, Ontario
Post a vid!

---------- Post added at 12:55 PM ---------- Previous post was at 12:55 PM ----------

So the problem most of us have is cause ASUS didn't tighten some screws.. hahh
 

laverdure#1

Senior Member
Jul 13, 2012
55
15
So rather than sending back my Nexus 7, I decided to give something a try. I removed the back casing, which is very easy to do. I used a small flat screwdriver where the "leather" meets the plastic and gently wedged it in. The case popped right open and was easily removed. I then tightened all of the small phillips screws around the outside of the board on the back of the screen.

This immediately cleared up the creakiness and play that i was experiencing on the left side of the screen. I tightened all screws and not just the ones on the left side. Do this at your own risk, obviously, but this immediately rectified my issue!

Brave indeed! Tempted to do this since I have the same problem but 1) don't wanna wait 1h on hold trying to get an RMA and 2) who knows when I'd be getting a new one.

In case I try this, and it ends up not fixing the issue and I decide to send it back later, do you think Google would be able to tell that device has been opened and potentially refuse the exchange?

Thanks
 

Pithism

Senior Member
Dec 21, 2010
1,052
63
Boston, MA
Thank you for doing it. I'll give it a go when I get home. Did you use a regular flat head or a plastic device friendly one?

Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using xda premium
 

jam10238

Senior Member
Jan 4, 2012
170
108
Brave indeed! Tempted to do this since I have the same problem but 1) don't wanna wait 1h on hold trying to get an RMA and 2) who knows when I'd be getting a new one.

In case I try this, and it ends up not fixing the issue and I decide to send it back later, do you think Google would be able to tell that device has been opened and potentially refuse the exchange?

Thanks

I dont think so, there is absolutely ZERO warranty tape or anything that is standard on electronics these days. Its literally like a big battery cover. I can post a video shortly of the process.

Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk 2
 

jam10238

Senior Member
Jan 4, 2012
170
108
Thank you for doing it. I'll give it a go when I get home. Did you use a regular flat head or a plastic device friendly one?

Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using xda premium

Just a very small standard precision flat head. Fingernails may even work it was that simple.....

Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk 2
 
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jtc276

Senior Member
Jul 9, 2011
782
176
Ripley, WV
I have the minimal screen yellowing issue on the right side of the screen. Do you think this could possibly solve my problem?

Sent from my Nexus 7
 

DaleKaleD

Member
Nov 6, 2010
24
10
I'm going to bookmark this for now, but not worry about it as it stands.
I finally noticed just a thumbs size spot in the upper left that i could sometimes hear a LITTLE give, but that was in my quiet bedroom.
Otherwise it didn't feel like it was really having any give or separation.
So for now, I don't think I'll tempt fate, everything else seemed good in my build quality based on what some folks are reporting. Lightbleed I know from my old G2x, and got none, no discoloration or dead pixels that I could see. So given my luck I would tighten up this little almost not noticeable issue, and ... cause 2 more things to start acting up for no discernible reason at all.

Thanks though.
 

jam10238

Senior Member
Jan 4, 2012
170
108
Videos or pictures would be clutch

Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using xda premium

Honestly, the teardown guide has better pictures than i could ever take. Once you pop the cover off, just gently give all exposed phillips screws around the outside a turn until tight. Dont force anything. Go the entire way around the outside then just pop the cover back on and power it back up.

Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk 2
 

Pithism

Senior Member
Dec 21, 2010
1,052
63
Boston, MA
Yea they are good pictures. I will look at those again. Really easy to do people

Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using xda premium
 

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  • 79
    So rather than sending back my Nexus 7, I decided to give something a try. I removed the back casing, which is very easy to do. I used a small flat screwdriver where the "leather" meets the plastic and gently wedged it in. The case popped right open and was easily removed. I then tightened all of the small phillips screws around the outside of the board on the back of the screen.

    This immediately cleared up the creakiness and play that i was experiencing on the left side of the screen. I tightened all screws and not just the ones on the left side. Do this at your own risk, obviously, but this immediately rectified my issue!

    7/22 update:

    So on Friday, I noticed a slight creak returned. I removed the black strip of foam that has been discussed in this thread. Since Friday, with heavy use, no creak, no play, no screen rise :) I'll update again later in the week to confirm it hasn't returned.

    8/02 update:

    Since removing the sponge, the play in the screen and the creaks have not returned. I see others havent had as much luck with it but, for me, I can say it did the trick.
    39
    Update 1: People are reporting that after a few hours the issue came back. It does appear to be something else causing this. If your issue persists, Call Your Store!
    Update 2: Included another guide in this post to try, thank you Luxferro & Evo_Shift
    Update 3: Most of us Play Store people are closing in on 15 day replacement time. It's quick & painless, and you still get to use your tablet while the other one is being shipped. Call them, RMA it, get it taken care of.

    Update 4: Added Washer Fix Guide. Received my new replacement from the google store. Worse than my older one. Uploaded a video below. Google told me to google the fix for it and try it.

    NOTE: Me & Jam are not responsible for what damage you may cause. Nobody has noticed any warranty seals being broken.

    ______________________________________

    Do I have screen separation?
    ______________________________________

    http://www.7nex.us/wp-content/gallery/defects/buldge5.jpg
    ______________________________________

    Guide One - Washer Fix by dilldoe
    ______________________________________

    Main Idea: http://imgur.com/QbGxi | Original Post: http://xdaforums.com/showpost.php?p=29363298&postcount=638

    UPDATE: PICTURES & GUIDE - http://xdaforums.com/showpost.php?p=29422550&postcount=1

    Using the thin plastic from a pill blister (allergy pills were right in front of me when I was doing this) I created a washer to space out the frame & screen.

    Just cut a rectangle out and punch a hole at the end for the screw to go thru. I just used a sewing needle on a sewing machine, like a drill press, to make a starter hole and my smallest screwdriver to widen it. With the screwdriver still in the hole, I just ran my knife around it to trim off the excess plastic.

    WHY A LONG RECTANGLE? so you can insert it and hold it in place while you work. don't want it accidentally falling into the device.

    now just slide that UNDER the top frame and screw it back together. MAKE SURE YOU STOP ONCE IT'S SNUG. the screen should now be lower than the side bezel.

    Do this to all the spots that are lifting. I just did mines on the lower left and upper right, since they both had slight lift.

    After you're done screwing it all down, trim off the excess so you can put the back cover back on, not flush to the frame, just enough so you can hold it if you need to remove it.

    Did this last night and this afternoon, still no returning lift.

    edit: depending on how much lift you have, you might have to use 2 or more to fill the gap (or use something thicker like used gift cards)​

    Follow ups:
    http://xdaforums.com/showpost.php?p=29384275&postcount=677
    http://xdaforums.com/showpost.php?p=29405347&postcount=710
    http://xdaforums.com/showpost.php?p=29402365&postcount=700

    ______________________________________

    Guide Two - Simple Tighten by cwc3/jam10238
    ______________________________________​

    1) Grab something that isn't going to mar your nice silver plastic. People have been using guitar picks & even their fingernails
    2) Stick that non-marring object between like seen here: http://guide-images.ifixit.net/igi/CAKD1lCgchEPlBI2.medium (they have a white cover while we have a black one)
    3) Start sliding that object between the two, you will notice them starting to pop up. Try not to pry if you can, I had to a little.
    4) Should now look like this: http://guide-images.ifixit.net/igi/1S3nvadn4UKYoEVx.medium
    5) Tighten all the screws around the outside (Pretty much eye glasses size), on the black plastic and metal. Not too tight, or you might cause back-light bleed &/or strip the screw. In my case most were a little loose.
    6) When putting the case back on, be sure your not just starting flat. Start at a angle, for example, with the right side portrait. Push/Pop it back on going around the tablet.

    Pictures I took taking it apart:

    ______________________________________

    Guide Three - Advanced Tighten by Luxferro
    ______________________________________​

    Original Post: http://xdaforums.com/showthread.php?p=29022274#post29022274


    1) Loosen all the screws around the outside w/ the panel on a flat hard surface (hard cover book)
    2) Let the panel re-seat itself a bit
    3) Just barely tighten all the screws.
    4) Then repeat the tightening once they are all done to snug them up (not too much!). It should make your screen look perfect.
    4a) After a bit of use you might need to snug them up once more - if the glass starts popping up again.

    I tried this method of losening the screws after just tightening them failed me. And so far over 12 hours later my device still is good :)

    Follow up:
    http://xdaforums.com/showpost.php?p=29028109&postcount=235

    ________________________________________


    Interesting Links:
    13
    cause found

    Posting this here as I have been following this thread.

    It turns out that it's a design flaw in the shape of the plastic frame. The frame may be very wide on the top, bottom and right sides, but on the left it narrows to 1.5mm and the black double sided sticky tape doesn't have enough contact area to stick the glass screen down.
    ASUS just need to update the design to make it wider and the problem will be fixed. The reason this area is so narrow is to clear the ribbon cable that transfers the touch data. I posted this on G+ a little while ago too. Hope this helps, but it does seem that the frame that holds the glass and lcd in place needs that 1.5mm wide area widened. There are lots of pictures of the components on my G+ profile: Simon Haddow . If anyone want pictures of specific parts just say as it is completely disassembled atm.
    NEXUS+7+FRAME.jpg

    left+problem+area.jpg
    11
    The foam rectangle might be the actual problem

    After reading through the thread here, opening up my own Nexus 7, and trying to recreate the issue, I'm fairly certain that the black rectangular piece of foam near the bezel is actually the source of everyone's problems: the bowing screen, the creaking noise, and even the loose screws that some have found. A few others have mentioned the foam piece, too.

    I have a very minor version of the problem. My screen is barely protruding past the bezel and only on the left side. I didn't even notice until I saw a post on Gizmodo about it. I had noticed a slight noise a few days back, but I had trouble reproducing it, so I chalked it up to my imagination.

    When I saw the post and this thread where others had similar issues, I opened up my Nexus 7 and attempted to tighten the screws. I found that all my screws were perfectly tight. I also tried loosening them first and then tightening, as others had suggested. I snapped the rear cover back on and noticed that the screen sat more flush, and was happy enough with the results.

    Like most others, I noticed that the screen bowing came back after a few hours. I took the rear cover off again and checked that all the screws were still tight, which they were. Keep in mind, I didn't make any other adjustments this time. I just attached the rear cover. I was surprised to find that the screen was now flush with the bezel again.

    Confused, I started making notes about what was happening where. The screen was bowing just above the middle of the left side, and the "creaking" noise could only be reproduced with a firm press on that section. Every other part of the screen was flush and noise free. After removing the rear panel again, I noticed that the black rectangular piece of foam lay exactly where the bowing occurs. The foam also protrudes much more than any other component on the back. When I pressed on the foam. I got the familiar "creaking" noise. The noise came from what I believe is some black foil shielding over the connection from the motherboard to the screen. While I still had the cover off, I held the tablet with the screen side up and firmly pressed on the area where the noise had been coming from. With the cover still off, it no longer made a noise.

    Here's what I think is happening. When you remove the rear panel and replace it, you're putting a sudden and large amount of pressure on the black foam. That pressure temporarily compresses it, which makes the screen flush again with the bezel. The foam then begins to expand again, causing a slight bowing of the screen above the bezel. That's why people notice it again after a couple of hours. Over time, that outward pressure might be loosening the nearby screws as the rear cover is pushed out from the case. The “creaking” is simply the metal foil being pressed between the foam and the front of the tablet, at least for me.

    I don't think it's wise to remove the foam until Google or Asus say something on the matter. I'm assuming they put that foam there for a reason, but a thinner piece might solve the problem while providing whatever benefit it's supposed to have. I guess that Asus put the foam there and assumed that it would stay compressed between the rear cover and the rest of the body, but they underestimated how much space it would take up.
    8
    ok I think I've discover the cause of the lift.
    Got a replacement due to screen lift and guess what the new one had a slight lift on the lower left.

    I figure must be a loose screw, it's not as bad as the old one where the whole left side bulged out.

    So I open it and found all the screws to be snug. So I unscrewed the lower left, thinking it's too tight and that's where I discover the cause.

    It's not that the screws are too loose, it's that there isn't enough space between the frame & the glass. So the tighter you screw it in, the further you're pushing the screen out, causing the lift.

    Here's the simple solution I came up with.

    using the thin plastic from a pill blister (allergy pills were right in front of me when I was doing this) I created a washer to space out the frame & screen.

    Just cut a rectangle out and punch a hole at the end for the screw to go thru. I just used a sewing needle on a sewing machine, like a drill press, to make a starter hole and my smallest screwdriver to widen it. With the screwdriver still in the hole, I just ran my knife around it to trim off the excess plastic.

    WHY A LONG RECTANGLE? so you can insert it and hold it in place while you work. don't want it accidentally falling into the device.

    now just slide that UNDER the top frame and screw it back together. MAKE SURE YOU STOP ONCE IT'S SNUG. the screen should now be lower than the side bezel.

    Do this to all the spots that are lifting. I just did mines on the lower left and upper right, since they both had slight lift.

    After you're done screwing it all down, trim off the excess so you can put the back cover back on, not flush to the frame, just enough so you can hold it if you need to remove it.

    Did this last night and this afternoon, still no returning lift.

    edit: depending on how much lift you have, you might have to use 2 or more to fill the gap (or use something thicker like used gift cards)