Instructions/suggestions on changing a touch screen

[Chris-socal]

Hello friends:

I have been asked to change a cracked touch screen for someone. I will be removing an un-broken touch screen from a non-working monitor and moving it to a working monitor that has a broken touch.
Before I dive in, does anyone have any suggestions or specific notes of interest?
By reading misc. topics I have gathered a few notes:

1. It's best to remove and re-use the special tape if possible. If you can't it's best to buy touch-screen tape...which is very expensive. How usable is the tape once removed?

2. Handle with care  (Can you elaborate on this?)

Other questions:
1. Can anyone tell me how "stuck" to the screen the touch pad is? Do I need to use heat to remove?

2. Does the touch pad flex much? Is there risk of it breaking?

3. Should the touch pad be cleaned in between moving from one to the other?

4. How do you align and keep the pad aligned as you are re-attaching?

5. Should I wear gloves when handling the good panel?

I will not be able to test this when I'm done. The owner knows this and is accepting the risk, I just want to do the best I can hoping to set them up for success.

Thanks,

Chris

[Chris-socal]

I wanted to follow up on this for anyone in the future who ventures into swapping a touch screen. I remain open to input and/or edits. This is simply "How I did it". I could not find any documentation on the process of swapping a touch panel on a CRT monitor.

Overview:
1. The touch panel is glass, be aware and handle accordingly. If the panel you are replacing is cracked it might fall apart when you remove it so be prepared for glass shards or small bits of glass...all of which are sharp.
2. Verify that he panel connector is same brand and connector type before removing either.
3. The control wire is tucked under the foam tape that holds the panel to the face of the monitor. Be mindful that the wire might route upward or downward, it's not always the same. You will be slicing the original foam tape off of the panel so you need to be aware of the wire at all times.
4. Beware of touching the face of the CRT or back of the new panel when handling. Fingerprints on the inside are forever.
5. Before removing the bad panel, look closely at how the panel fits, take a few pictures.
6. The panel is affixed using single sided foam tape, 1.25" available from Patriot games and Twisted Quarter. I cannot vouch for either as I found them after the fact. I used fabric electrical tape.

The process:

Remove the bad/broken panel:
1. Remove the outer layer of 1.25" fabric tape from around the panel.  This tape is on the outside of the foam tape which does the actual "holding". Don't cut this outer layer of tape. I say retain it. I will explain why later.
2. Gently slice the foam tape that holds the panel onto the CRT. Slice carefully and closer to the CRT, that way you don't have residue hanging around. You will not be able to re-use this tape. I only cleaned residue that was hanging loose, I did not attempt to clean it all off of the CRT. It looked like it would take hours to pick it off. Be mindful of where the wire is, you will need to slice behind the wire. 
3. Disconnect the wire connector inside the frame and feed the wire out. Don't forget the ground wire, it might be connected with other ground wires to a post on the frame. You might also have to remove one of the bolts on the front of the frame so you can lift the top bar to make room for the connector to slip through.
4. Pull the panel off the CRT being careful not to cut yourself and don't scrape the face of the CRT with broken glass.
5. Clean the CRT with non-ammonia cleaner, be sure it dries completely.

Remove the good panel from the donor monitor.
1.  Same steps as above
2.  Be VERY careful not to slice the wire on this one.
3. Handle with care, the panel is heavy and you don't want to over flex the glass.
4. Clean the inside of the glass carefully. Don't leave any residue. Whatever is on the back side of that panel will be visible forever.

Apply glass panel:
1. Feed the wire and connector through frame before affixing glass. Be sure you have your tape and scissors ready before you start.
2. Do several test fits before you put new adhesive on and feel for the best fit to the curvature of the glass.
3. In my case, the original panels originally had narrow strips of adhesive tape that went between the CRT and the panel. I left them on and added permanent snot-dots at 8 points...2 on each edge (two on top, two on bottom, two on left, two on right).
4. Remember, gravity is at work on the panel the minute you affix it, you will probably see a 1/16" to 1"8 inch droop immediately. It's a good idea to account for this in the beginning.
5. This is where the pictures come in handy. The goal is to get the glass positioned about the same as the previous glass (How high did it stick up). You may have to do an alignment calibration but in my situation the owner said it worked perfectly without any adjustment. Beginners luck?
6. I did not have time to order the correct foam tape so I opted to use fabric loom tape. I did not like the idea of using vinyl electrical tape, the adhesive tends to slip when exposed to heat and in this situation gravity is constantly pulling the panel down, I had this vision of the touch panel slowly sliding off the CRT as the vinyl tape slipped and stretched. Keep in mind this layer of tape is keeping pressure on the bond and is the initial seal between the CRT and the panel. I went around the panel twice. The first layer was mostly on the CRT with a slight grab of the panel, the second layer locked the first layer on and wrapped around the curvature/face of the panel. At this point the panel was rock solid.
7. I put the original outer tape back on to form a final seal. I'm told this tape is basically gaffers tape, I haven't used it so I can't confirm.  The adhesive wasn't great but the point here is to form a final seal. I made it as tight as I could get and overlapped so it stuck to itself.

That's it. Only time will tell if my method passes the test of time.

Chris

[Stayouttadabunker]

That black acetate cloth tape is readily available online at places like amazon or ebay. 
It keeps the touchscreen in place because of the cloth, and won't allow the TS panel to slide off, due to gravity.
I always wear leather gloves and safety glasses when cutting thru the rubber along the edges with a blade.