Turning Your SIM Card into a MicroSIM Card

When Apple’s iPad first hit the streets, the company proved that it was forward-thinking enough to adopt the use of MicroSIM cards in lieu of the standard SIM cards we’ve been used to for years. But a problem  with that potentially arises. What if you don’t have a MicroSIM card, and don’t have the ability to replace your regular SIM card with one that easily? Well, believe it or not, with a little patience, you’re not totally out of luck.

An ambitious DIYer in the UK found himself dealing with this problem after his brand-new 3G 64GB iPad arrived. Unfortunately, MicroSIM cards are not even available there, so he had no choice but to take things on himself. At first glance of a comparison between a MicroSIM and SIM card is that the contact area on a SIM card is much larger. Surprisingly, though, a lot of that can be purged away, which is the only reason this modification works.

I have to assume that when the original SIM standard was released, the creators expected much more of the contact to be used, but apparently it didn’t have to be, which is why MicroSIM has come to fruition. With very careful knife work, you can cut around the unimportant areas, carve the regular SIM card into a MicroSIM card shape, pop it in your iPad and be good to go.

If you have the ability to go to your carrier and just request a MicroSIM card, that’s the recommended way of doing things. But if you don’t have the option, or you simply feel ambitious and want to give this mod a try for yourself, it sounds like a fun project. You know, as long as you know how to handle a knife delicately. You sure don’t want to lose a finger in the name of SIM.

To begin with, line up the three contact on the MicroSIM with the same ones on the SIM card. You can just look for the 2 centre lines and make sure they are in line and that the top of the MicroSIM is straight. Then get your meat cleaver and press down gently to score a straight line. Cut along the score line carefully. Once you have done this, line the top of the SIM with the MicroSIM and you should see that the contacts are aligned. Turn the SIM & MicroSIM round 180 degrees, line up the bottom and repeat with the meat cleaver, then cut along the score line once again.