A busted screen on your iPad can cost a pretty penny to get fixed, but you can do it at home if you're up to the challenge. Macworld spoke with Rory Pierce, a certified Apple technician, about the steps you should take when replacing the glass. The process for both a first or second generation iPad and an iPad Mini involve using a heat gun and a straight razor to ply the old glass off. The heat gun melts a thin layer of glue holding the glass to the surface, and you use the razor to slowly pop the glass off along the edge. It's certainly not for the inexperienced and using a straight razor for any task is dangerous, but if done correctly, it will certainly save you some dough. Some repair places charge more than $200 to fix iPad glass screens and you can usually find replacement iPad glass screens—with the digitizer necessary for touch functionality—for around $30 or so on eBay. The links below tell you what tools you need and the steps to replacing your iPad's broken glass. Update: I've been notified that the first gen iPad does NOT require a heat source to replace the glass screen.

All iPads since then do require it. Advice from an Apple Tech: How to replace the glass on an old iPad | MacworldAdvice from an Apple Tech: How to replace the glass on an iPad mini | Photo by Nina Matthews.Considering our reliance on smartphones and tablets, and their susceptibility to being cracked, it's surprising there hasn't been more of an outcry over why they are so difficult to fix. I was crest-fallen when my iPad 2 fell on to a hard floor and the screen smashed so one day I tweeted idly asking whether I could fix it myself.There it would have ended, except one of my followers tweeted me a link to a screen replacement kit for £15 - much less than the £200 I was quoted at the Apple Store.I clicked, bought the replacement screen then realised I had committed to a mission to fix my own iPad. - a crowdsourced website packed with tutorials on how to fix equipment. The guide to how to fix an iPad 2 looked well laid out, but complicated and intricate. It was rated "very difficult".

But I was determined that that wouldn't deter me. I'd spent £15 after all. Further research revealed tales of broken glass and an almost certain guarantee of breaking something. My next port of call was the Restart Project - a group of volunteers who give amateurs advice on how to extend the life of their gadgets. Since last year, the movement has expanded to more than 40 countries, and they now offer "lunch hour" clinics in the workplace as well as holding evening and weekend parties. Red Backless Prom Dresses 2014They offer advice on how to fix broken kit - and attendees accept the obvious risks involved in DIY repair.Cheap Funky CurtainsBefore we continue, some warnings: if you think you're covered by a warranty you'll probably want to take your broken gadgets back to where you bought them. Semi Truck Tire Removal Tool

And the damage can be more personal - there is potential for electric shocks and bleeding fingers from broken glass.I wasn't put off - after all, my iPad is ancient, so I popped into one of their London events. I didn't fancy doing a job like this unsupervised, plus they'd agreed to lend me a heat gun, which is like an industrial-strength hairdryer. I used the heat gun to soften the adhesive that sticks the device together. Once the glue softened, I used plastic and metal implements called spudgers to prise my much-loved gadget open. The first incision was terrifying. Francis, a "restarter", kept an eye on me to make sure I didn't hurt myself. I wore safety glasses, and used sticky tape to collect tiny broken glass fragments.But important preparation such as reading guides, watching videos and memorising the steps in advance could not prepare me for the horrible reality of gouging out my kit. It was a taxing combination of brutal heavy-handedness and a delicate, dexterous light touch.

Tablet repair is not a task I would encourage anyone to try without careful consideration and a healthy disrespect for the warranty. Janet Gunter, co-founder of the Restart Project, wants more companies to think about people's ability to repair their own devices. "Stuff is getting more difficult to open and we're seeing that in the events that we're hosting. We're going to reach a point where it's going to be hard to help people fix things in a three-hour period."People always beat up on Apple but the point is everything is becoming sleeker, smaller, more sealed together and more difficult to open."I was determined - and finally removed the screen after three hours of prodding, poking, prying, scraping and applying heat. After removing the glass I undid four little screws and gently lifted the screen to reach the touchscreen connector behind it. I pulled out data cables, and prepared to do it all again - this time backwards.My tablet rebooted and connected to the web successfully. I had avoided the most common mistake - breaking the wifi/bluetooth antenna stuck to the glass next to the home button.

But it was only a partial victory. During the removal of the glass, I'd severed the connection to one of the antennas at the top of the device. I couldn't consider it a complete repair, and was a little despondent. Alex Perjescu's company Lovefone repairs phones and tablets. He was at the event and was impressed that I'd even attempt a tablet screen repair, let alone try to replace the GPS antenna myself. He found me a replacement antenna and we arranged to meet at the next Restart party. The quest for a fully repaired tablet was back on!Alex told me it was normal to break something on the first fix."The instructions you find online are great - but also [you need to know] those little tricks to get it right from the first try. And make sure you're confident with the instructions you've found." Alex's professional tools were much more precise than the ones I'd bought online. I got right down to the logic board, removing the camera assembly, unpeeling tiny bits of tape, unscrewing tiny screws.