Invert Your IPod Screen

11:08 pm, October 3rd, 2005,

ipod with inverted screen

To match his car stereo, iLounge forum member ryno3xx inverted his iPod’s screen. It took “Much Patience,” he writes.

“The hardest part was separating the existing polarizing filter from the LCD, as it is hard and the LCD brittle, but when all is said and done it’s a pretty sweet looking mod.”

Here’s how he did it:

I got my filter at polarization.com

The mod is quite simple. After first realizing that anything you do to your iPod with a razor blade can cause you great sadness and monetary loss, consider the following:

1) disassemble iPod (see other posts for photo how-to, warnings, etc.)
2) remove screen
3) take Xacto knife, razor blade ( shaped like /___\ is best), etc. to remove black foam border. do not discard or damage. you’ll use it later.
4) use blade at as small an angle as possible to surface (near parallel) to remove top film. It is ~1mm thick. There are two surfaces, The outer one is the polarization filter, the inner is simply a clear film, likely an adhesion layer. Remove both. Be patient. The Filter is a rather tough material, the LCD is brittle. Too much pressure will break the LCD.

***never pull filter away from LCD. doing so will create a vacuum, bring all liquid***
***crystal to the middle, and ruin your LCD indefinitely****

5) use *mild* solvent to remove any adhesive glue left behind
6) reassemble iPod, not into its case, but just enough that it works.
7) take new polarizer filter and place over display
rotate to get desired effect.
9) cut out and place on screen
10) place black foam removed earlier back in place (failing to do so will let the backlight escape thru the casing.)
reassemble iPod