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This chapter is from the book 

Documenting and Securing Your iDevice Components

The worst-case scenario for any aspiring iDevice technician is to get well into a disassembly and having to ask, β€œWait a minute. Which screws go with which part?” This is a rookie mistake that nearly all of us make in the beginning. However, you are reading this book to benefit from my experience. It is my sincere hope that you can skip merrily over many, if not most, of those beginner’s pitfalls.

The very best screw and parts organizer I’ve ever used comes from our friends at iFixit. As you can see in Figure 4.5, the 8β€³ Γ— 12β€³ magnetic work mat is divided into 20 squares on the magnetic side, and 16 cutout wells on the non-magnetic side.

Figure 4.5

FIGURE 4.5. iFixit magnetic work mats.

The idea is that you can use a dry-erase marker to number the magnetic squares, and for each step of a disassembly procedure you can store the associated screws and parts accordingly. The magnetism of the mat keeps those tiny screws in place.

The non-magnetic side creates an excellent organization space for larger, non-magnetic parts. Honestly, as an iDevice tech you will use the magnetic side of the work mat almost exclusively.

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