Database Develop

Creaky Nexus 7 3G - FIX

To all people who have this problem! I recently got the Nexus 7 3G and the back was creaking so badly you could easily hear it across a large room. The noise seemed to come from the "nexus" logo near the top of the device.
I found the culprit an double checked with an older 16GB model. They changed the design of golden contact springs for the wireless radios from a simple C shape design to some complicated folding Z shaped spring design. It is those springs that upon being depressed rub metal on metal and make this horrible creaking noise. I don't know how many 3G's are affected but mine definitely was.
My solution was to open it up, which is easy enough to do with a guitar pick or something similar, just check YouTube, and to bend the springs until they stopped making noises under load.
While I was in there I also added double sided tape wherever necessary to stop the plastic from creaking (because they left out a lot of the foam they put in the older models, maybe to fix the screen lift issue??) and I re-wrapped the battery protection circuit because the circuit board was rubbing on the battery and making noises as well. (also, my battery was strangely wedged sideways in it's compartment)
All in all it's rock solid now, no creaks, nothing. And it feels like a really quality device now. Suffice to say that I should never have had to do this in the first place in order to own a device that is in satisfactory condition and one is not embarrassed to pass along in a group of friends because of the noises it makes

fabian.ecker said:
To all people who have this problem! I recently got the Nexus 7 3G and the back was creaking so badly you could easily hear it across a large room. The noise seemed to come from the "nexus" logo near the top of the device.
I found the culprit an double checked with an older 16GB model. They changed the design of golden contact springs for the wireless radios from a simple C shape design to some complicated folding Z shaped spring design. It is those springs that upon being depressed rub metal on metal and make this horrible creaking noise. I don't know how many 3G's are affected but mine definitely was.
My solution was to open it up, which is easy enough to do with a guitar pick or something similar, just check YouTube, and to bend the springs until they stopped making noises under load.
While I was in there I also added double sided tape wherever necessary to stop the plastic from creaking (because they left out a lot of the foam they put in the older models, maybe to fix the screen lift issue??) and I re-wrapped the battery protection circuit because the circuit board was rubbing on the battery and making noises as well. (also, my battery was strangely wedged sideways in it's compartment)
All in all it's rock solid now, no creaks, nothing. And it feels like a really quality device now. Suffice to say that I should never have had to do this in the first place in order to own a device that is in satisfactory condition and one is not embarrassed to pass along in a group of friends because of the noises it makes
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Would u mind taking a picture of the inside where u added tape to stop the backplate from creaking and upload it. I've tried many things to fix it to no avail.
Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk 2

i will as soon as i find some time. there is another thread here on xda. it's for the wifi model but i adapted the suggestions for my nexus 7. also, what i did for mine might not work for yours. my suggestion is, figure out where the noise is coming from, add some double sided tape or foam close it partially and try it. took me about 2 days of trial and error to achieve an acceptable state

http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1848013
here is the link

fabian.ecker said:
i will as soon as i find some time. there is another thread here on xda. it's for the wifi model but i adapted the suggestions for my nexus 7. also, what i did for mine might not work for yours. my suggestion is, figure out where the noise is coming from, add some double sided tape or foam close it partially and try it. took me about 2 days of trial and error to achieve an acceptable state
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks very much. My only creak is on the right side where the battery is and close to the bezel. Did u happen to have one there as well? Wish me luck lol off to void my warranty
Sent from my [insert phone model here]

fabian.ecker said:
To all people who have this problem! I recently got the Nexus 7 3G and the back was creaking so badly you could easily hear it across a large room. The noise seemed to come from the "nexus" logo near the top of the device.
I found the culprit an double checked with an older 16GB model. They changed the design of golden contact springs for the wireless radios from a simple C shape design to some complicated folding Z shaped spring design. It is those springs that upon being depressed rub metal on metal and make this horrible creaking noise. I don't know how many 3G's are affected but mine definitely was.
My solution was to open it up, which is easy enough to do with a guitar pick or something similar, just check YouTube, and to bend the springs until they stopped making noises under load.
While I was in there I also added double sided tape wherever necessary to stop the plastic from creaking (because they left out a lot of the foam they put in the older models, maybe to fix the screen lift issue??) and I re-wrapped the battery protection circuit because the circuit board was rubbing on the battery and making noises as well. (also, my battery was strangely wedged sideways in it's compartment)
All in all it's rock solid now, no creaks, nothing. And it feels like a really quality device now. Suffice to say that I should never have had to do this in the first place in order to own a device that is in satisfactory condition and one is not embarrassed to pass along in a group of friends because of the noises it makes
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Bookmarking so I recognize your nick on an upcoming "My wifi doesn't work!" thread.

Don't worry about your warranty! there is a "seal" sticker INSIDE the case but popping the back off will most certainly not void your warranty. it's more like the battery cover on a galaxy s3 or a nexus s than anything else!
fyi i had it on the right, left, and top of the device

[Q] S4A USB Flap/Seal

Hey all,
i have an issue with my usb flap. I can close it, and the phone allready survived some water. But as a mechanical engineer i am not happy with the seal for the usb port.
I try to explain it: when i close the seal it keeps popping out a little bit. Depending on which side i press in first (Top or bottom) the other one pops out about 0.5 to 1mm. In the end the flap seems to feel more comfortable in the position where the top side stays out. Some employee told me that is normal, i had nothing to compare so i have to believe him for the moment. Thats why i ask you guys if your device has the same or not.
Thanks for your help. Sorry for my english.
Greatz

I have the same problem currently. This is my second Active. The first didn't do this. I'm considering a warranty replacement, but I don't want to spend the time setting everything up again.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I537 using Tapatalk 4

Open the flap, then pull it just a tiny bit so the side section is exposed (you pull in the direction of the power button side of the phone, so to the right just a bit). When you insert it, you need to slide that section back into the area it's designed for, pressing down on the left side somewhat firmly (left in terms of you staring at the screen). When that's done, press down on the right side so it's flush - so the whole cover is flush with the bottom of the phone.
There's actually two "levels" of it being closed: the first is close to being flush but not completely; this level kills the water-resistant feature and your phone too if you don't seal it properly and dunk it.
The second level is when it's truly in place, and you can actually feel it when it "snaps" into that position - when it's truly in place the cover is totally flush with the bottom surface of the phone.
Just something I had to come to understand myself in my short period of time owning the GS4A.
Might be helpful info, might not, but that's how I've come to understand it and seal that USB port cover personally without issues.

My cover has been getting worse. I can still get it to snap into place, but I have to get it positioned just right or it does not seal completely. I think that it will probably break off soon and become lost. Does anyone know if the seal is easily replaceable? I haven't seen the part listed on the parts thread. It is frustrating to think that the only option may be to send it back to replace a 10c part. Considering the design intent of this phone, I certainly thought that Samsung would have developed an inductive charging back long before the USB seals would start wearing out.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I537 using Tapatalk 4

Hear's another thing (pun intended) about that microUSB port cover: it works in conjunction with the speaker as well meaning that whole bottom section is a "woofer" port enclosure, basically, taking the term from speaker enclosure technology.
When the cover is in place and sealed properly, you get "more bass" (ok it ain't much but it's very noticeable to me) when audio is coming from the speaker. If you remove the cover while audio is playing, voila, it turns all tinny and full of nothing but very high end frequencies. And when the cover is in that first level of being attached, you still will hear mostly high end frequencies - only when it's properly in place and the seal is in effect does the audio tone change, at least in my situation.
Just something I noticed, thought it was somewhat cool the first time it happened, I thought I had broken something when the audio took on that high tinny and harsh quality.

Mine broke last night and called samsung the tech guy telling me thats the fist time that the seal port cover broke.and I have to wait 2weeks to get it done.should I go att instead but not sure they will replace this thing...

pink_lady03 said:
Mine broke last night and called samsung the tech guy telling me thats the fist time that the seal port cover broke.and I have to wait 2weeks to get it done.should I go att instead but not sure they will replace this thing...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'd call AT&T's warranty line.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I537 using Tapatalk 4

br0adband said:
Open the flap, then pull it just a tiny bit so the side section is exposed (you pull in the direction of the power button side of the phone, so to the right just a bit). When you insert it, you need to slide that section back into the area it's designed for, pressing down on the left side somewhat firmly (left in terms of you staring at the screen). When that's done, press down on the right side so it's flush - so the whole cover is flush with the bottom of the phone.
There's actually two "levels" of it being closed: the first is close to being flush but not completely; this level kills the water-resistant feature and your phone too if you don't seal it properly and dunk it.
The second level is when it's truly in place, and you can actually feel it when it "snaps" into that position - when it's truly in place the cover is totally flush with the bottom surface of the phone.
Just something I had to come to understand myself in my short period of time owning the GS4A.
Might be helpful info, might not, but that's how I've come to understand it and seal that USB port cover personally without issues.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Both of the ones I have are the same as this. I've had to really explain to the missus that she can't just 'sorta' close it otherwise it's not waterproof any more. I haven't had any issues yet but as soon as that wireless WiQiQi proves itself battle worthy (or at least doesn't mess up the seal on the back) I'm putting in for 2 of them ASAP. I haven't used any sort of wireless charging yet but I'm pretty confident that I won't ever buy a phone that doesn't have it ever again, same as I won't ever buy a non-waterproof phone after the Rugby Smart and the S4A have proved themselves worthy.

br0adband said:
Open the flap, then pull it just a tiny bit so the side section is exposed (you pull in the direction of the power button side of the phone, so to the right just a bit). When you insert it, you need to slide that section back into the area it's designed for, pressing down on the left side somewhat firmly (left in terms of you staring at the screen). When that's done, press down on the right side so it's flush - so the whole cover is flush with the bottom of the phone.
There's actually two "levels" of it being closed: the first is close to being flush but not completely; this level kills the water-resistant feature and your phone too if you don't seal it properly and dunk it.
The second level is when it's truly in place, and you can actually feel it when it "snaps" into that position - when it's truly in place the cover is totally flush with the bottom surface of the phone.
Just something I had to come to understand myself in my short period of time owning the GS4A.
Might be helpful info, might not, but that's how I've come to understand it and seal that USB port cover personally without issues.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Mine unfortunately never snaps. I can push it to the desired position, but it never stays there.
So I have to replace it.
Hate this just because of one little part...
From mechanical view this problem seems logic. The seal fits into the housing and the USB port. The housing is connected to a print board and the USB port is on the print. The seal must fit very exactly and over this array of possible small failures a exact position is hard to get...
Greatz and thanks
Sent from my GT-I9295 using xda app-developers app

If I can make a suggestion, take it as such for those (of us) that have the GS4A and may or may not be having issues with the microUSB cover/flap/etc:
Personally I can't wait to get my GS4A set up and working with a wireless charger. I'm still on the fence at the moment over which one to get/use but I'll figure it out. But because of the fact that I hate plugging and unplugging the GS4A (or any smartphone) and knowing that each time I do it I'm just creating that much wear and tear on the microUSB port, I purchased the app called Wifi File Transfer Pro a very long time ago and I have never had one single moment to regret the purchase (that means I LOVE IT).
I'm not a shill for it, but honestly, for a buck and change there's no better such app on the Play marketplace that I've been able to track down and I've tried about 30 of them meaning apps that allow you to connect to your device over your Wi-Fi network for file transfers to and from the device, etc.
The only reason I plug my GS4A in is to charge it these days and I'm just getting tired of doing it as frequently as I do because... I currently have a cheap Samsung counterfeit battery - learned the hard way with that one - but I have a real Samsung battery on order, should be here by Friday, purchased with that 50% off code they gave me for registering the GS4A with Samsung a few weeks back.
So in a few days I'll have a wireless charger, a real legit Samsung battery (brand new, even), and I'll use the microUSB port one last time, hopefully to do a proper full charge on that battery (with a 2A charger, even) and then once that's done I'll close that flap with the intention of never opening it again.
But seriously, if you're doing a lot of transfers to and from the phone for whatever reason, look into that app - Wifi File Transfer Pro from smarterDroid - or some other such wireless transfer app depending on your needs and wants (because there are several dozen of them on the Play marketplace and take the wireless route. Yes, using the microUSB is faster overall because it's a hardwired connection but I typically get 6-10MB/s using this app and my 11n network.
Go truly wireless or go home and save that microUSB port just for emergencies...

pink_lady03 said:
Mine broke last night and called samsung the tech guy telling me thats the fist time that the seal port cover broke.and I have to wait 2weeks to get it done.should I go att instead but not sure they will replace this thing...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Mine broke off the first week I had it. Horrible design. Terrible application. I kept the plug but since I am constantly plugging in to power up it is more of a hindrance than a feature. Wireless will be an issue unless they will fit inside a protective case. The Active is already too thick to fit in most cases made for the regular S4.

It's the same thickness as the GS4 for the most part, barely a millimeter difference, but the GS4A is a bit longer top to bottom. There are a lot of cases available now for it that accommodate the differences (longer body length, slight expansion at the end rubber caps top and bottom back, etc). Those Diztronic ones are some of the thinnest full body cases I've seen so far but I went the Unicorn Beetle route and have been nothing but happy since I first put it on.
Yes the flap could have been done better I suppose, but I've got a cheap LG prepaid using a similar mechanism with the microUSB port cover and I've plugged unplugged that phone a thousand times over the years, still works fine.
Sometimes I think people should just take better care of their hardware...

A soft case without an opening for the flap would be nice Than it looks better and we can not destruct the flap

[Q] Removed the antennas

So when my moto g arrived I saw some stickers on the back and just peeled them off. It didn't even cross my mind that the antennas could be just white stickers on the back. Needless to say my 3g and wi-fi signals are pretty bad. I can't find a back panel or antennas anywhere . So what do i do now?

You mean they were stuck on the outside of the phone? Even inside, I don't see them being antennas. I just popped the back off 2 phones and no stickers.

Tel864 said:
You mean they were stuck on the outside of the phone? Even inside, I don't see them being antennas. I just popped the back off 2 phones and no stickers.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Same question here, how could antennas being stuck outside on the back panel?

If the phone is new then they're just stickers and the signal problem is either the phone or your location. If the phone is used then it's either a hardware problem or your location. If it's used then those stickers could be charging pickups for a charging pad although if they were, they'd be plugged into the USB port.

If you take the back cover off the phone you will see black antennas for the various radios (directly on the main body of the phone), they are labelled WiFi, GPS, UMTS ect. as long as you haven't forcibly removed these (they do look a bit like stickers although not in a way that suggest they should be removed) you are fine, you said they were white so you most likely haven't.

Thanks for the replies and sorry for the delay but it was quite a week.
First i didn't believe those were antennas either but I asked a guy who has a shop and fixes phones. But I still have signal, it's just weak and I searched for antennas and didn't find anything like that. So could that have been some kind of extensions or something like that? I thought that only people with moto g 2014 would reply. That's why i didn't provide a picture but here is one. I've circled with red the places where these stickers went.

Did they look like this?
The top left is bluetooth/wifi top right GPS bottom right UMTS 0801 bottom UMTS 0814. Mine are black like the ones in the Photo, looks like you did remove the antennas. OOPS

Roldorf said:
Did they look like this?
Yes
Sent from my XT1068 using XDA Free mobile app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse

Then you did tear off the antennas. I guess they were white because you have the white body version, I have the black version. Maybe they can be replaced.

Never even thought about you having a white model. Plus I was thinking the back cover instead of the phone itself.

Well, confirmed three times... At least I know for sure now The guy I asked told me I can't find antennas and to search for black panel. But I can't find that either. He also said that he can't put other antennas because they have to fit certain parameters. So what options do I have?

dkalev said:
Well, confirmed three times... At least I know for sure now The guy I asked told me I can't find antennas and to search for black panel. But I can't find that either. He also said that he can't put other antennas because they have to fit certain parameters. So what options do I have?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm not sure you have any optons other than contact Motorola although I can imagine if they would fix it, it would be as much as a new phone. Just for grins, you could cut a small piece of aluminum foil and put it where the other antennas were. I'm not sure I'd cover the entire inside back as that may cause overheating but I would try a few small strips. I don't see where it would hurt at this point.

Search web for 'Moto G 2nd gen shell' in your area. Cost about 15 US$. See http://www.motorola.com/us/accessories/cases-shells/shells/shells-for-moto-g-2nd-gen/shells-color-moto-g-gen2.html

Roldorf said:
Search web for 'Moto G 2nd gen shell' in your area. Cost about 15 US$. See http://www.motorola.com/us/accessor...-moto-g-2nd-gen/shells-color-moto-g-gen2.html
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That's not going to help him. Those are just outside shells for looks only. His problem is on the interior battery compartment.

You could keep an eye out on ebay and bid for a broken moto g 2014 being sold for spares. At this point what have you got to loose? Even if transferring the antenna's doesnt work, you could try fixing the new one with spares from your original phone.

That may work if you can find a broken one. It's simple to break it down if you have a small torx screwdriver. ICICI has step by step instructions here.
https://www.ifixit.com/Guide/Motorola+Moto+G+2nd+gen.+2014+Battery+Replacement/36395

That's not going to help him. Those are just outside shells for looks only. His problem is on the interior battery compartment.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
He said he was also looking for a back, it seems his phone didn't come with one which is why the 'stickers' were on the back. Did he buy it 2nd hand? Why would it come without a back cover?

Roldorf said:
He said he was also looking for a back, it seems his phone didn't come with one which is why the 'stickers' were on the back. Did he buy it 2nd hand? Why would it come without a back cover?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Missed that part. If it came without a back and was new, I'd try to return it anyway.

No no I have a back. I just didn't know how the part of the phone on the back is called and in another tread someone called it back panel.
Sent from my XT1068 using XDA Free mobile app

Have you found a solution yet?
dkalev said:
So when my moto g arrived I saw some stickers on the back and just peeled them off. It didn't even cross my mind that the antennas could be just white stickers on the back. Needless to say my 3g and wi-fi signals are pretty bad. I can't find a back panel or antennas anywhere . So what do i do now?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have the same problem.
Cellular & Wifi Signals are poor.
Have you found a solution yet?
Kindly share the same
regards
Amrit

Dumb observation

So, due to a case I have, I've noticed something that disturbs me slightly.
If you place your fingers on the top and bottom plastic pieces on the right, you loose about 10 dB (give or take) of cell signal. I noticed this on my phone and asked a couple of employees with S6/edge phones at Best Buy. All 3 of the phones exhibited this behavior so I've determined its an issue with the design (similar to 'anyennagate' for the iPhone 4).
The case was a TPU case with a metal bumper, the bumper cause about 10dB lose so I did some troubleshooting and that is what I found.
Anyone else notice this?

_Dennis_ said:
So, due to a case I have, I've noticed something that disturbs me slightly.
If you place your fingers on the top and bottom plastic pieces on the right, you loose about 10 dB (give or take) of cell signal. I noticed this on my phone and asked a couple of employees with S6/edge phones at Best Buy. All 3 of the phones exhibited this behavior so I've determined its an issue with the design (similar to 'anyennagate' for the iPhone 4).
The case was a TPU case with a metal bumper, the bumper cause about 10dB lose so I did some troubleshooting and that is what I found.
Anyone else notice this?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I tried it, not sure if its true. Out of several tries it did go down may e two or three but idk where I stand on that yet.
I will try this with all the demo units at my job and see if I can replicate it.

Two or three is good, that is within normal deviation for just doing there (think boots and such lol)

Video of what I'm talking about .
https://youtu.be/Yy9fG--rHTA
Sorry for the bad quality, used my tablet.

_Dennis_ said:
Video of what I'm talking about .
https://youtu.be/Yy9fG--rHTA
Sorry for the bad quality, used my tablet.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah, those are the antenna strips. What did you expect would happen if you cover them up? Same thing will happen with the left side strips for wifi and bluetooth.

Red5 said:
Yeah, those are the antenna strips. What did you expect would happen if you cover them up? Same thing will happen with the left side strips for wifi and bluetooth.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
They are ONE way the RF gets to/from the antenna (the reason the whole back is not metal) plus Samsung claimed it used tech to prevent that.
Also I was not complaining so much as stating it did this. In addition it occurs with cases that use a metal bumper (even with cutouts for the RF or with a TPU spacer. It was a design decision by Samsung, the same one android fans called apple stupid for a few years ago. Go figure, now some of us are defending it.

Is there a covering of some kind over the microphone, out of the box?

This is maybe a weird question, but... I've been having some microphone problems - people can't hear me, etc. Seems not uncommon for this phone.
In looking at the microphones (front and back), it looks like there is some kind of coating or covering over them - instead of just a black hole into the phone, there's... well, I don't know, something else on top. To the naked eye it almost seems to match the color of the phone, but the hole is super tiny, and the color of the blue/silvery one is not particularly distinct.
Can anyone else see something similar on their X4? I'm trying to see if it's something that is supposed to be there (like part of the waterproofing or something), or if it's pocket gunk and I can try to clear it out. I'd appreciate any confirmation either way...

dmahon said:
This is maybe a weird question, but... I've been having some microphone problems - people can't hear me, etc. Seems not uncommon for this phone.
In looking at the microphones (front and back), it looks like there is some kind of coating or covering over them - instead of just a black hole into the phone, there's... well, I don't know, something else on top. To the naked eye it almost seems to match the color of the phone, but the hole is super tiny, and the color of the blue/silvery one is not particularly distinct.
Can anyone else see something similar on their X4? I'm trying to see if it's something that is supposed to be there (like part of the waterproofing or something), or if it's pocket gunk and I can try to clear it out. I'd appreciate any confirmation either way...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yep. Similar issue here. Sometimes on a call the other end just can't hear me. It seems hit or miss but happens every once in a while.
I've RMA the phone even but it just seems like a bug particular to this model.
Sent from my moto x4 using Tapatalk

Is that "cover" you are seeing kpart of the ip 68 waterproofing?

Hotrodanimal said:
Is that "cover" you are seeing kpart of the ip 68 waterproofing?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That's exactly what I'm trying to figure out - I don't want to remove something that's part of the phone, but I don't have another phone to compare it to, to see if it's supposed to be there. I also don't want to RMA the phone only to find out that I had pocket lint packed in the microphone.

I just bought an x4 last Friday, as far as i can tell there does seem to be what appears like some sort of cloth inside that little tiny mic hole. However i am blind in one eye and cant see out ta other. even with the three different magnifying glasses i have at my disposal. and the camera on my wife's g5+ Might I suggest looking closely at an image of the screen glue/gasket available from Ifixit who is officially working with Motorola these days
edit: also i have noticed in the short time i have had with this device, there is definitely a good and bad way of holding it as a headset, while on speaker phone it dont seem to matter, you may want to experiment a bit with how you are using /holding it. .........taken out of context that last bit sound dirty or is it just me?

Great advice on the fixit. I found a video that shows the screen being replaced and they stick a covering over the mic hole (though no comments about what it is), and the ifixit site has a good image of the part with the original cover. Looks like it's a call to moto... Thanks for the help!

dmahon said:
Great advice on the fixit. I found a video that shows the screen being replaced and they stick a covering over the mic hole (though no comments about what it is), and the ifixit site has a good image of the part with the original cover. Looks like it's a call to moto... Thanks for the help!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No problem, Glad i could help