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Touch 4th Generation Home Key failure ~ repair/replacement
Apple has used three different type of methods so far to make the "Home Key". Each of them did it a bit differently.
The Home Key works by shorting a switch leg to the circuit ground (or earth). (Incidentally... that's the way the iPads Home Key works also). With the Touch open, you can use a screw driver or knife to short the grounding post to the backplate ground. when the two touch it invokes a routine that "shrinks" the screen back to the home position.
In the Touch 1st Gen this was achieved by using a switch made from two concentric circles, one the active leg and the other the passive ground. Over the top of this was a metal dome. When the user pushed the dome, it inverted and made contact momentarily between the concentric rings, invoking the 'shrink routine'. The problem with that method is corrosion or pocket lint would sometimes develop under the dome and that would act as a 'di-electric' and not make the switch work.
In the second and 3rd Gen models, Apple soldered a spring post to the logic board actually used a small switch beneath the Home Key. When that switch was closed from the top of the Touch glass, it closed a circuit between the post and the backplate's ground invoking the "go Home routine".
That was decent way to solve the problem
In the Touch 4th Gen, Apple used a small single pole, single throw (SPST) push button switch that gets closed (shorted to ground) when the separate home key button from the top is pressed. That top 'button' is really a metal plate that compresses the the SPST switch. The compression always works fine. What has a BIG failure rate is the button "travel" and the SPST switch itself.
In the case of the switch "travel"... you can push the Home Key and the button depresses but doesn't come back up again. in some cases this is the result of finger oil scraped from the finger tip working its way between the glass Home key button (the glass edge scrapes oil and dirt from your finger print area) and the surrounding upper glass itself. In many cases that problem can be corrected by getting a tooth pick and spraying a tiny amount of Tri-Flow on the tooth pick tip. Then run the toothpick tip around the outside top of the home key and press it to move it up and down and work it into a more free state.
in most of the cases though what you have a failure of the SPST switch. that requires replacement of the switch. nothing else will solve it.
The chart below shows what the "Home Key Button Repair/replacement costs.
More on methods of payment is here:
http://www.isickbay.com/payments.shtml
These are comments people have sent me after they received their iPod back fixed.
http://www.isickbay.com/comments/comments.shtml
How to send your iPod Touch in for repair
http://www.isickbay.com/call--1-877-IPOD-PRO/touch/touch_send_it_in.shtml
How to bring your iPod Touch in for repair
http://www.isickbay.com/call--1-877-IPOD-PRO/touch/touch_bring_it_in.shtml
Here is an interesting case that shows the degree of intensity I exhibit at my work on hard drive based iPods
http://www.isickbay.com/call--1-877-IPOD-PRO/recent_fixes/recent_fixes_13.shtml
This is my most difficult iPod Touch case ever.
http://www.isickbay.com/call--1-877-IPOD-PRO/touch/touch_complex_case.shtmls
Call 707-544-4400
or
email me at repair0121@isickbay.com
with questions or to set up a repair.
HOURS:
Monday through Friday from 10am to 7pm, and Saturday & Sunday noon to 6pm.
I'm in Sonoma County... Northern California wine country,
Frank Walburg
Service Court
Santa Rosa, Ca 95403-3139
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