So, I bought a used Switch Lite off FB market that came with two games for only $60. Problem was, screen was really scuffed up… it literally looked like the guy took a sheet of sandpaper to it to try to buff out scratches. I wish I had taken a “before” pic for comparison. I figured I was probably in for buying a new digitizer panel and replacing, which looked like a giant pain in the ass. But since I got the unit for $60, even if I screwed up I wouldn’t be out anything really as the games themselves are still worth that separately.
However, I had some oleophobic liquid sitting around I’d purchased from Amazon for my Switch OLED, and I had an idea I decided I wanted to try before committing to hacking the entire unit apart and potentially ending up with an improperly calibrated digitizer screen. I bought some tempered glass Switch Lite screens (again from Jeff Bezos, $5). I then cleaned the screen really carefully and put on a very thick layer of oleophobic coating. I mean, VERY thick. More is better in this situation, as you’ll want enough to actually get into all the scuffing/scratches.
This is the oleophobic liquid I used: https://a.co/d/eGFA6WN It is intended as a one-use packet that comes soaked into a gauze pad, but I still had a lot left over after using it previously and just re-sealed the little pouch with an alligator clip. There was enough for me to squeeze a heavy coating of liquid onto the Lite screen. However, if you want to try this more than once or renew the oleophobic layer on other devices, might make more sense to buy a larger volume.
Anyway, after carefully placing the tempered glass panel, the screen was probably 90% better. However, there were still some “bubble” spots where the original owner must have sanded/scuffed the unit so hard there were actual dips in the screen. I could still also see some of the largest scratches/gouges. So, I decided to do something that runs counter to my instincts. I pulled up the tempered glass panel, added more oleophobic liquid on top of the semi-cured layer, then reset the panel. Amazingly… almost ALL the visible defects were instantly gone and the screen looked bright and gorgeous as soon as I powered on the unit.
It’s now been curing overnight and there are still no visible defects. It looks great and the touch panel is fully functional. I’m not sure the oleophobic layer under the tempered glass will ever fully cure, so this probably isn’t a solution for all situations. For me though, it’s perfect, I’m planning to use this Lite as my secondary unit so I have something I can tote around in public without worrying if it gets stolen, and as a way to play Pokemon and other competitive games vs my wife.
by ExtremistsAreStupid
6 Comments
Here’s what the Lite looks like, powered on: https://ibb.co/hXYcbF2
So, you basically used the liquid glass as glue that evens out the original screen and a screen protector is the top layer? (You say tempered glass “screens” and “panel”, but you don’t mean something with electronics in it, right?)
The digitizer replacement is super easy and cheap on the switch, but it’s not an option with most other things. This technique could be really useful to make phone screens look nice again.
No before pic? I guess I’ll take your word for it
This sounds similar to what companies like SafeLite do, using a liquid with the same refraction index as glass to fill in cracks, then curing it with UV to harden it
Does the Switch have a plastic screen? If so I might try something like this for my 3DS.