Hello everybody,
First of all, I've been following the XDA Forums for many years now, having owned and played around with quite a few different phones. I've always found the answers and solutions I need from the community so I just wanted to share my recent experiences with my GT-N7000.
Now while I'm certainly no expert in electronics, I do have a good understanding and hope this information could really help somebody else out.
The Problem
A few months ago, I managed to trip over the trailing USB cable, pulling the phone off the table with some considerable force. After this, it started with intermittent connection problems, combined with poor / slow charging. I would often find that it would report charging absolutely fine, whilst still draining the battery. Maybe worth mentioning, as far as I can recall, the phone never reported being charged / plugged in when it wasn't.
After some time, the problem worsened until I was unable to charge the phone at all. Also note that the USB connection to the computer also didn't work. I came across a very useful youtube video, to which I would like to thank the author.
OK, so I can't post links, but head over to youtube and enter "watch?v=pD9R-YUT69Q" at the end of the URL
I found the part that needed replacing for £12.95 on amazon, which arrived within a few days. I've put some helpful hints at the bottom with regards to actually dismantling the phone to avoid too much text up here
again, no links so go to UK Amazon and enter "/Samsung-GT-i9220-Charger-Connector-Replacement/dp/B009X6BGDM" at the end of the URL.
I found that this seemed to largely fix the problem, however, issues still remained with maintaining a consistent connection. These issues got worse over the following few weeks, until again, I could barley charge the phone. The steps to make it charge consisted of using a specific few chargers (any HTC or Samsung branded cable would work, *perhaps because of the extra 'clips' on the metal shield*), firmly push the connector into the phone, then apply a reasonable amount of pressure downwards when holding the phone flat and level. This would usually charge the phone, however, on occasion charging would randomly stop, or after unplugging at 100%, the battery level would instantly drop to around 70%.
Other odd anomalies such as entering recovery mode when plugging in with the phone switched off, or entering driving / docking mode while connecting the charger with the phone switched on occurred too.
* Complete speculation
The Solution
After much frustration, it wasn't until I considered the 'orange' plastic unit which covers the charging board (secured by three screws). It was orange on my phone, however, could be different on yours.
On the underside of this removable unit, are two copper plates approx 1mm by 1mm. These lined up with two spring loaded 'arms' on the replaced charging board underneath. In my case, these two cooper plates were slightly dented meaning that a poor connection occurred between the board and the unit.
The solution was to a) Pry the metal arms further apart using a very thin piece of plastic, raising them slightly and b) raise the entire circuit board underneath very slightly. This was done using a very thin piece of plastic (I used a small cut-off from a pill packet, and removed the foil coating, then folded it over on itself to increase the thickness), and placing it directly underneath the two metal arms under the charging board.
And since then, I can report that my phone will now consistently charge again. I am once again, able to both use and charge my phone at the same time.
It maybe worth noting that if you're suffering from similar problems that this board may not need replacing, although in my case, I also suffered damage to the micro usb port so had no other option. This is still by far cheaper than sending the phone off for repair as this is something that most people can do if, like me, you are no longer covered under warranty.
Taking the phone apart
This was actually remarkably strait forward and easy to do with some basic tools. The tools I used are:
A very small Philips screwdriver (preferably magnetic)
A small spring loaded hair clip (for separating the front and back)
Plastic tweezers
A small plastic container (for the screws you remove)
And finally, some common sense
The hair clip I found to be the best tool for removing the front and back because of its thin width and plastic coating which prevented scrape marks, although anything extremely thin and plastic should just about do.
Hopefully from the pictures I'm going to attempt to attach, you'll see my N7000 is white (what a bad choice that was ) and the gap was between the very delicate white plastic lip and silver plastic body, I imagine the black version is constructed in an identical manner although I cannot confirm this.
I found the best place to start (assuming the screen is towards you) when prying the front and back apart was just below the volume buttons on the left side. I then worked my way down that side, attacking directly to the left and right of usb port next. Then just below the power button and continue down the lower right hand side. The top I found to be slightly trickier, but start just to the left of the headphone port, then pry the corners.
Now, I can at times be a little clumsy, so my phone naturally has some ware and tare. All in all, I added two very small scuff marks on both the top and bottom, and have taken the phone apart several times. I would video it, however the similarities between the video above and the N7000 are minimal in terms of de-constructing.
Also worth noting, on one occasion, I didn't have the plastic tweezers available, and I found that if you're incredibly careful, you can detach the mini flex cables using a small plastic disposable spoon, the like you find in service stations . Additionally, the screws used in the casing are a different size to the three on the removable plastic unit, so don't mix them up.
Conclusion
I think that is everything useful, however, feel free to ask questions if I didn't cover anything. I've seen a lot of charger related problems in this thread, and haven't found anything like this, so sorry if this information is not beneficial or of use.
I would also like to comment that before I replaced this board, I experienced many of the described problems in relation to the cable used. I have found that as long as I use a reasonable quality cable and any USB wall adapter rated at 1A, I get a consistently good charge every time. I have experimented with a few cheap cables, including a few from the 99p store which seem to charge slightly slower, although since replacing the board and adjusting the metal arms I rarely have issues when charging now.
Regards
Tom
My phone has done the exact same thing. would you recommend sending the phone away to be fix or is it easy enough for a average person to fix it by them self?
william_1434 said:
My phone has done the exact same thing. would you recommend sending the phone away to be fix or is it easy enough for a average person to fix it by them self?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I literally just got done with this process myself....Took all of 15mins. Very simple to do. Definitely the average person can fix themselves.
Go ahead and give it a shot!
tb_tom89 said:
Hello everybody,
First of all, I've been following the XDA Forums for many years now, having owned and played around with quite a few different phones. I've always found the answers and solutions I need from the community so I just wanted to share my recent experiences with my GT-N7000.
Now while I'm certainly no expert in electronics, I do have a good understanding and hope this information could really help somebody else out.
The Problem
A few months ago, I managed to trip over the trailing USB cable, pulling the phone off the table with some considerable force. After this, it started with intermittent connection problems, combined with poor / slow charging. I would often find that it would report charging absolutely fine, whilst still draining the battery. Maybe worth mentioning, as far as I can recall, the phone never reported being charged / plugged in when it wasn't.
After some time, the problem worsened until I was unable to charge the phone at all. Also note that the USB connection to the computer also didn't work. I came across a very useful youtube video, to which I would like to thank the author.
OK, so I can't post links, but head over to youtube and enter "watch?v=pD9R-YUT69Q" at the end of the URL
I found the part that needed replacing for £12.95 on amazon, which arrived within a few days. I've put some helpful hints at the bottom with regards to actually dismantling the phone to avoid too much text up here
again, no links so go to UK Amazon and enter "/Samsung-GT-i9220-Charger-Connector-Replacement/dp/B009X6BGDM" at the end of the URL.
I found that this seemed to largely fix the problem, however, issues still remained with maintaining a consistent connection. These issues got worse over the following few weeks, until again, I could barley charge the phone. The steps to make it charge consisted of using a specific few chargers (any HTC or Samsung branded cable would work, *perhaps because of the extra 'clips' on the metal shield*), firmly push the connector into the phone, then apply a reasonable amount of pressure downwards when holding the phone flat and level. This would usually charge the phone, however, on occasion charging would randomly stop, or after unplugging at 100%, the battery level would instantly drop to around 70%.
Other odd anomalies such as entering recovery mode when plugging in with the phone switched off, or entering driving / docking mode while connecting the charger with the phone switched on occurred too.
* Complete speculation
The Solution
After much frustration, it wasn't until I considered the 'orange' plastic unit which covers the charging board (secured by three screws). It was orange on my phone, however, could be different on yours.
On the underside of this removable unit, are two copper plates approx 1mm by 1mm. These lined up with two spring loaded 'arms' on the replaced charging board underneath. In my case, these two cooper plates were slightly dented meaning that a poor connection occurred between the board and the unit.
The solution was to a) Pry the metal arms further apart using a very thin piece of plastic, raising them slightly and b) raise the entire circuit board underneath very slightly. This was done using a very thin piece of plastic (I used a small cut-off from a pill packet, and removed the foil coating, then folded it over on itself to increase the thickness), and placing it directly underneath the two metal arms under the charging board.
And since then, I can report that my phone will now consistently charge again. I am once again, able to both use and charge my phone at the same time.
It maybe worth noting that if you're suffering from similar problems that this board may not need replacing, although in my case, I also suffered damage to the micro usb port so had no other option. This is still by far cheaper than sending the phone off for repair as this is something that most people can do if, like me, you are no longer covered under warranty.
Taking the phone apart
This was actually remarkably strait forward and easy to do with some basic tools. The tools I used are:
A very small Philips screwdriver (preferably magnetic)
A small spring loaded hair clip (for separating the front and back)
Plastic tweezers
A small plastic container (for the screws you remove)
And finally, some common sense
The hair clip I found to be the best tool for removing the front and back because of its thin width and plastic coating which prevented scrape marks, although anything extremely thin and plastic should just about do.
Hopefully from the pictures I'm going to attempt to attach, you'll see my N7000 is white (what a bad choice that was ) and the gap was between the very delicate white plastic lip and silver plastic body, I imagine the black version is constructed in an identical manner although I cannot confirm this.
I found the best place to start (assuming the screen is towards you) when prying the front and back apart was just below the volume buttons on the left side. I then worked my way down that side, attacking directly to the left and right of usb port next. Then just below the power button and continue down the lower right hand side. The top I found to be slightly trickier, but start just to the left of the headphone port, then pry the corners.
Now, I can at times be a little clumsy, so my phone naturally has some ware and tare. All in all, I added two very small scuff marks on both the top and bottom, and have taken the phone apart several times. I would video it, however the similarities between the video above and the N7000 are minimal in terms of de-constructing.
Also worth noting, on one occasion, I didn't have the plastic tweezers available, and I found that if you're incredibly careful, you can detach the mini flex cables using a small plastic disposable spoon, the like you find in service stations . Additionally, the screws used in the casing are a different size to the three on the removable plastic unit, so don't mix them up.
Conclusion
I think that is everything useful, however, feel free to ask questions if I didn't cover anything. I've seen a lot of charger related problems in this thread, and haven't found anything like this, so sorry if this information is not beneficial or of use.
I would also like to comment that before I replaced this board, I experienced many of the described problems in relation to the cable used. I have found that as long as I use a reasonable quality cable and any USB wall adapter rated at 1A, I get a consistently good charge every time. I have experimented with a few cheap cables, including a few from the 99p store which seem to charge slightly slower, although since replacing the board and adjusting the metal arms I rarely have issues when charging now.
Regards
Tom
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Im glad to see that you have managed to solve your usb issue simply.
Mine is out of warranty somehow and i have been searching all the possible ways since 2012 April..
This is the thread : "[Q] [q] USB BRICK - Devs PLZ HELP!!!"
william_1434 said:
My phone has done the exact same thing. would you recommend sending the phone away to be fix or is it easy enough for a average person to fix it by them self?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I too need to replace my usb port. This topic has helped cheers.
I called Samsung and the rep said that Samsung class any damage done to the micro usb connection to be external damage and thus not covered by warranty.
Seeing that shipping to Samsung is $16 AUD and the replacement part is $12 AUD I know what I will do .
Awesome post!
I've had problems with the charging port for a long time. Replaced the board 4 times from ebay and Amazon; sometimes reception was bad, other times the charging port didn't work unless forced down. So I thought it was just bad replica boards and gave up. Bought an external charger instead.
I had to use the phone recently so I thought I'd try fix the problem again. I got a hold of an original board form a broken n7000 and still same problem (hold down to charge). That's when I got suspicious...it should have fixed it this time. Even separated the metal pins more and didn't work.
Luckily I found your post and added some packing behind the board...and it worked!!! Separating the pins wasn't enough.
Great tip :good:. Definitely worth a bump even though it's an old post. Finally solved my problem and may help others who think the board is faulty.
You sir, are my hero,
Thanks so much for this post, saved me from a headache on rampage. Had the same problem and did replace the USB flexcable as well with the same result.
But this fixed it all!
Thanks again!
Found another cheapest and easiest solution of all, it works magic for me. Do refer to the video here.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cJcCK5ZVSAY
Thank you
tb_tom89 said:
Hello everybody,
First of all, I've been following the XDA Forums for many years now, having owned and played around with quite a few different phones. I've always found the answers and solutions I need from the community so I just wanted to share my recent experiences with my GT-N7000.
Now while I'm certainly no expert in electronics, I do have a good understanding and hope this information could really help somebody else out.
The Problem
A few months ago, I managed to trip over the trailing USB cable, pulling the phone off the table with some considerable force. After this, it started with intermittent connection problems, combined with poor / slow charging. I would often find that it would report charging absolutely fine, whilst still draining the battery. Maybe worth mentioning, as far as I can recall, the phone never reported being charged / plugged in when it wasn't.
After some time, the problem worsened until I was unable to charge the phone at all. Also note that the USB connection to the computer also didn't work. I came across a very useful youtube video, to which I would like to thank the author.
OK, so I can't post links, but head over to youtube and enter "watch?v=pD9R-YUT69Q" at the end of the URL
I found the part that needed replacing for £12.95 on amazon, which arrived within a few days. I've put some helpful hints at the bottom with regards to actually dismantling the phone to avoid too much text up here
again, no links so go to UK Amazon and enter "/Samsung-GT-i9220-Charger-Connector-Replacement/dp/B009X6BGDM" at the end of the URL.
I found that this seemed to largely fix the problem, however, issues still remained with maintaining a consistent connection. These issues got worse over the following few weeks, until again, I could barley charge the phone. The steps to make it charge consisted of using a specific few chargers (any HTC or Samsung branded cable would work, *perhaps because of the extra 'clips' on the metal shield*), firmly push the connector into the phone, then apply a reasonable amount of pressure downwards when holding the phone flat and level. This would usually charge the phone, however, on occasion charging would randomly stop, or after unplugging at 100%, the battery level would instantly drop to around 70%.
Other odd anomalies such as entering recovery mode when plugging in with the phone switched off, or entering driving / docking mode while connecting the charger with the phone switched on occurred too.
* Complete speculation
The Solution
After much frustration, it wasn't until I considered the 'orange' plastic unit which covers the charging board (secured by three screws). It was orange on my phone, however, could be different on yours.
On the underside of this removable unit, are two copper plates approx 1mm by 1mm. These lined up with two spring loaded 'arms' on the replaced charging board underneath. In my case, these two cooper plates were slightly dented meaning that a poor connection occurred between the board and the unit.
The solution was to a) Pry the metal arms further apart using a very thin piece of plastic, raising them slightly and b) raise the entire circuit board underneath very slightly. This was done using a very thin piece of plastic (I used a small cut-off from a pill packet, and removed the foil coating, then folded it over on itself to increase the thickness), and placing it directly underneath the two metal arms under the charging board.
And since then, I can report that my phone will now consistently charge again. I am once again, able to both use and charge my phone at the same time.
It maybe worth noting that if you're suffering from similar problems that this board may not need replacing, although in my case, I also suffered damage to the micro usb port so had no other option. This is still by far cheaper than sending the phone off for repair as this is something that most people can do if, like me, you are no longer covered under warranty.
Taking the phone apart
This was actually remarkably strait forward and easy to do with some basic tools. The tools I used are:
A very small Philips screwdriver (preferably magnetic)
A small spring loaded hair clip (for separating the front and back)
Plastic tweezers
A small plastic container (for the screws you remove)
And finally, some common sense
The hair clip I found to be the best tool for removing the front and back because of its thin width and plastic coating which prevented scrape marks, although anything extremely thin and plastic should just about do.
Hopefully from the pictures I'm going to attempt to attach, you'll see my N7000 is white (what a bad choice that was ) and the gap was between the very delicate white plastic lip and silver plastic body, I imagine the black version is constructed in an identical manner although I cannot confirm this.
I found the best place to start (assuming the screen is towards you) when prying the front and back apart was just below the volume buttons on the left side. I then worked my way down that side, attacking directly to the left and right of usb port next. Then just below the power button and continue down the lower right hand side. The top I found to be slightly trickier, but start just to the left of the headphone port, then pry the corners.
Now, I can at times be a little clumsy, so my phone naturally has some ware and tare. All in all, I added two very small scuff marks on both the top and bottom, and have taken the phone apart several times. I would video it, however the similarities between the video above and the N7000 are minimal in terms of de-constructing.
Also worth noting, on one occasion, I didn't have the plastic tweezers available, and I found that if you're incredibly careful, you can detach the mini flex cables using a small plastic disposable spoon, the like you find in service stations . Additionally, the screws used in the casing are a different size to the three on the removable plastic unit, so don't mix them up.
Conclusion
I think that is everything useful, however, feel free to ask questions if I didn't cover anything. I've seen a lot of charger related problems in this thread, and haven't found anything like this, so sorry if this information is not beneficial or of use.
I would also like to comment that before I replaced this board, I experienced many of the described problems in relation to the cable used. I have found that as long as I use a reasonable quality cable and any USB wall adapter rated at 1A, I get a consistently good charge every time. I have experimented with a few cheap cables, including a few from the 99p store which seem to charge slightly slower, although since replacing the board and adjusting the metal arms I rarely have issues when charging now.
Regards
Tom
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Nice solution, i will try at home later.
Related
I am the proud owner of a new I9000, the b*&tard love child of 2 ebay purchases. Just wondering whether the leftover entrails are worth keeping. Specifically:
- broken USB port. I have a replacement part and looks easy enough to de/solder. Anyone tried??
- vol down button. Looks a nightmare to try to replace. Anyone tried??
- chip in screen. Not worried about it being perfect but its too deep to polish out and when you put a screen protector on it a bubble appears. Any ideas?
- chrome bezel. WOWOW didn't Samsung make it a separate element easy to replace...?? Has anyone done these successfully (first time, every time), or is there any way to make it look good? Other than hiding with a case which I have already done!
Thank you for all, any, or even no help.
H.
ihartley said:
Thank you for all, any, or even no help.
H.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
look at manuals and guides in My Android collections for your answers
If you're handy with a soldering iron and have a good one (not one of those fire-starting ones that plugs straight into the wall with a handle like five inches away from the tip) then the micro USB and button shouldn't be too tricky to replace. The button isn't that terribly important anyway depending on how you use your phone.
As far as the screen chip, I'd be tempted to use one of the screen protector methods using alcohol, perhaps the alcohol would fill the gap and stay there? Probably wouldn't work, but it might be worth a try.
I replaced the chrome bezel with a cheap, crappy gold one from china (and a gold battery cover) and it's totally pimp. The bezel is actually the very last piece in the phone though. You have to take EVERYTHING apart to get it out, it's a huge pain. I ended up slipping with a knife while I was doing it and cutting the vibrator off so I spent a few weeks waiting for the replacement touch button/vibrator/microphone board to come in.
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
Need to disassemble my Doogee Y6 (not Y6 Max) to replace the USB port.
If anybody has successfully removed the back, some brief instructions would be really appreciated.
Best wishes, Ron.
kiwironnie said:
Need to disassemble my Doogee Y6 (not Y6 Max) to replace the USB port.
If anybody has successfully removed the back, some brief instructions would be really appreciated.
Best wishes, Ron.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'll bet you can find a video on YouTube explaining how to disassemble your device.
I DO NOT PROVIDE HELP IN PM, KEEP IT IN THE THREADS WHERE EVERYONE CAN SHARE
Droidriven said:
I'll bet you can find a video on YouTube explaining how to disassemble your device.
I DO NOT PROVIDE HELP IN PM, KEEP IT IN THE THREADS WHERE EVERYONE CAN SHARE
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Already search extensively, no luck so far. Prefer not to 'experiment' and wreck the thing!
kiwironnie said:
Need to disassemble my Doogee Y6 (not Y6 Max) to replace the USB port.
If anybody has successfully removed the back, some brief instructions would be really appreciated.
Best wishes, Ron.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Bro check YouTube very well... it there
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro
I can help you.
kiwironnie said:
Need to disassemble my Doogee Y6 (not Y6 Max) to replace the USB port.
If anybody has successfully removed the back, some brief instructions would be really appreciated.
Best wishes, Ron.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Did u fix it? I can help you. I opened the phone like 10+ times.
Hi, I have the same problem, I need to open the phone to replace the camera but did not manage to find anything on youtube. Would u please help me? Thanks
Monster 00 said:
Did u fix it? I can help you. I opened the phone like 10+ times.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sorry for the later reply Monster. Thought this thread had gone dead!
If you've got some tips about how to open the case without destroying it that would be really helpful.
There's a few videos etc on opening Doogees around (Y6 Max etc) but none that I've found for the Y6, which is quite a different case.
Cheers, Ron
kiwironnie said:
Sorry for the later reply Monster. Thought this thread had gone dead!
If you've got some tips about how to open the case without destroying it that would be really helpful.
There's a few videos etc on opening Doogees around (Y6 Max etc) but none that I've found for the Y6, which is quite a different case.
Cheers, Ron
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
So to start take a flat screwdriver. You may turn off the phone it's not necessary. Remove the sim tray. To open the phone read carefully. Don't try to remove the back metal plate, you're doing it all wrong. There is a plastic surround that meets with the glass. You need to insert your flat screwdriver in the corner(I prefer bottom right) of the plastic case/surround and the phone screen must be facing you. Now there is a super thin black plastic that separate the glass and the surround, you need to put your screwdriver between the thin black plastic and the surround (mine is gold). The plastic will wear a little bit but if you do it properly, you won't notice any scratch or paint damage. Put your screwdriver in and pull it apart trying to lift the back cover. Don't be scared but be careful, go until you hear a click then you may use your finger nail or the screwdriver and pass it all around the phone. You will hear many clicks. Don't be scared for the fingerprint sensor because it is stick to the phone. After having done that for the first time you will be able to open the phone like previous phones used to be, that is removing it like a removable back cover using your fingernails. I hope I could do a video. Tell me if you did not understand a thing because I can use my phone only on Saturday and Sunday( exams are near).
Monster 00 said:
So to start take a flat screwdriver. You may turn off the phone it's not necessary. Remove the sim tray. To open the phone read carefully. Don't try to remove the back metal plate, you're doing it all wrong. There is a plastic surround that meets with the glass. You need to insert your flat screwdriver in the corner(I prefer bottom right) of the plastic case/surround and the phone screen must be facing you. Now there is a super thin black plastic that separate the glass and the surround, you need to put your screwdriver between the thin black plastic and the surround (mine is gold). The plastic will wear a little bit but if you do it properly, you won't notice any scratch or paint damage. Put your screwdriver in and pull it apart trying to lift the back cover. Don't be scared but be careful, go until you hear a click then you may use your finger nail or the screwdriver and pass it all around the phone. You will hear many clicks. Don't be scared for the fingerprint sensor because it is stick to the phone. After having done that for the first time you will be able to open the phone like previous phones used to be, that is removing it like a removable back cover using your fingernails. I hope I could do a video. Tell me if you did not understand a thing because I can use my phone only on Saturday and Sunday( exams are near).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Brilliant! Thanks Monster. For me you provide a remarkably clear explanation. Used a very small, flat bladed jewellers screwdriver to lever the black plastic surround away until it clicked, just as you describe, then used an old credit card as a helper, to slide along the gap, to separate the metal back from the rest of the phone. Now just need to figure out how to actually make the repair!
Very best of luck with your exams. (so glad to be largely done with such things!)
Best wishes, Ron.
kiwironnie said:
Brilliant! Thanks Monster. For me you provide a remarkably clear explanation. Used a very small, flat bladed jewellers screwdriver to lever the black plastic surround away until it clicked, just as you describe, then used an old credit card as a helper, to slide along the gap, to separate the metal back from the rest of the phone. Now just need to figure out how to actually make the repair!
Very best of luck with your exams. (so glad to be largely done with such things!)
Best wishes, Ron.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I was about to make a video to help you. I'm glad you succeeded to open the phone. Now tell me what do you need to repair.
Monster 00 said:
I was about to make a video to help you. I'm glad you succeeded to open the phone. Now tell me what do you need to repair.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
A video would no doubt be tremendously helpful to others anyway.
The problem with the phone is the micro USB socket is stuffed. The plug is loose and difficult to get a connection, due to continual pushing on it by the USB cover flap on the flexible plastic case that came with the phone. Have cut the flap off but the damage has been done (warning to others!).
At first glance it looks like the circuit board will have to come out to have any reasonable chance of de-soldering the socket.
Cheers Ron.
kiwironnie said:
A video would no doubt be tremendously helpful to others anyway.
The problem with the phone is the micro USB socket is stuffed. The plug is loose and difficult to get a connection, due to continual pushing on it by the USB cover flap on the flexible plastic case that came with the phone. Have cut the flap off but the damage has been done (warning to others!).
At first glance it looks like the circuit board will have to come out to have any reasonable chance of de-soldering the socket.
Cheers Ron.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I would prefer replacing the charging board itself. Changing the USB connector seems difficult for me. I can do a teardown video but the problem is the camera. I only have a Samsung galaxy core to make video as I can't take the y6 itself to make a video. The galaxy core does not support focusing while filming and the videos turn out blurry.
Monster 00 said:
I would prefer replacing the charging board itself. Changing the USB connector seems difficult for me. I can do a teardown video but the problem is the camera. I only have a Samsung galaxy core to make video as I can't take the y6 itself to make a video. The galaxy core does not support focusing while filming and the videos turn out blurry.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Great advice, makes sense. I now see that it is a separate board and that there are several sellers of Doogee Y6 charging boards. So the plan now is to purchase and try to replace the board, perhaps also replacing the USB connector on the old board as a spare.
Do you know if the ribbon cable(s) have a lock, or does it just pull out? Although a video would have been great, some basic advice on removing the board could be a life saver.
kiwironnie said:
Great advice, makes sense. I now see that it is a separate board and that there are several sellers of Doogee Y6 charging boards. So the plan now is to purchase and try to replace the board, perhaps also replacing the USB connector on the old board as a spare.
Do you know if the ribbon cable(s) have a lock, or does it just pull out? Although a video would have been great, some basic advice on removing the board could be a life saver.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'll try my best to make a video as I can't do it in front of my parents and as I told you I can only get the phone Saturday and Sunday. Today is Sunday, I'll try my best to help you. If I can't make a video then I'll post the instructions here. I forgot if it has a lock or not.
Monster 00 said:
I'll try my best to make a video as I can't do it in front of my parents and as I told you I can only get the phone Saturday and Sunday. Today is Sunday, I'll try my best to help you. If I can't make a video then I'll post the instructions here. I forgot if it has a lock or not.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks again Monster. The part's on order now now. So whatever you manage will be really appreciated. No rush as it's coming from China, at least a couple of weeks away. Cheers Ron.
kiwironnie said:
Thanks again Monster. The part's on order now now. So whatever you manage will be really appreciated. No rush as it's coming from China, at least a couple of weeks away. Cheers Ron.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hey I opened the phone and checked the flex cable. It has a lock hidden under some cover, cloth like material. I'm sorry it I won't be able to do a video because it is super blurry. Now that u know how to open the phone you have to unscrew 4 screws at the bottom. After that gently lift the plastic cover because you may damage the speaker and/or the vibrator. You will see the speaker is actually low quality. As for the charging board, it's pretty easy to remove. Once you remove the plastic cover open the lock by gentle lifting the flap and disconnect the cable. I think that you will need to remove the battery too because the cable is too short and maybe be tricky for you to remove it. You must be really carefully when removing the battery. Take a flat object( I used the same flat screwdriver) and try to lift the battery. Make sure not to puncture it. There's a lot of glue underneath. When you remove the battery then it will be easy to remove the cable. There is two clips holding the board in place and you will need to move one of them to take out the board. Mime is a bit damaged but it's OK. The plastic cover protects it. Don't hesistate to ask questions if you don't understand. Thanks.
Monster 00 said:
Hey I opened the phone and checked the flex cable. It has a lock hidden under some cover, cloth like material. I'm sorry it I won't be able to do a video because it is super blurry. Now that u know how to open the phone you have to unscrew 4 screws at the bottom. After that gently lift the plastic cover because you may damage the speaker and/or the vibrator. You will see the speaker is actually low quality. As for the charging board, it's pretty easy to remove. Once you remove the plastic cover open the lock by gentle lifting the flap and disconnect the cable. I think that you will need to remove the battery too because the cable is too short and maybe be tricky for you to remove it. You must be really carefully when removing the battery. Take a flat object( I used the same flat screwdriver) and try to lift the battery. Make sure not to puncture it. There's a lot of glue underneath. When you remove the battery then it will be easy to remove the cable. There is two clips holding the board in place and you will need to move one of them to take out the board. Mime is a bit damaged but it's OK. The plastic cover protects it. Don't hesistate to ask questions if you don't understand. Thanks.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Brilliant, thanks again! No need for a video, as your explanation is very clear and should be obvious to others after they get the back off the phone. Having recently removed a glued battery from a Kindle, it was a hell of an arm wrestle! Hopefully it will be a bit easier with the Y6. I have a flat nylon spudger with a rounded edge, which should be able to lift the battery without puncturing it. Upgrading the speaker at the same time could be a useful hack, if a better one can be found that fits. Although don't know if the impedance is the same for most phone speakers.
Will post results here including any lessons learnt. Cheers Ron.
The replacement usb charge board arrived, purchased from this guy: http://www.ebay.com/itm/New-Origina...e=STRK:MEBIDX:IT&_trksid=p2057872.m2749.l2649 Posting the url as the service was excellent. Very well packed in its own cardboard box and sent by registered post. So I would buy from him again, even if he is a little more expensive than some on AliExpress.
To fit the new board, the case was opened, as described above and the battery removed. To remove the battery, two screws need to be removed from a metal plate covering the battery connector. The battery ribbon cable connector can then be levered up with a small flat screwdriver blade. It's a effectively a plug with a push fit onto the connector so just pops off.
To remove the battery I used an old credit card, sliding it underneath at one edge of the battery, then gently pushing it forward to release the battery bit by bit, from it being glued to the base. This shouldn't need a lot of force and it is important to avoid snagging the ribbon cable that runs under the battery.
The black plastic cover that houses the speaker and covers the charging board was then removed by unscrewing 4 screws. On my phone one screw had a white plastic covering, into which a cross head jewellers screwdriver can be pushed to grip the screw. The charger board was then exposed and the two speaker wires and two wires from the vibrator were unsoldered using a fine tip iron. The plastic cover was then fully removed. The black rubber tape covering the ribbon cable connector was scraped away, the connector unlocked and the ribbon cable removed. The antenna connector attached to the charger board was then levered off using a small flat bladed screwdriver. The charger board itself was then pulled out. It is held in place by tiny plastic tabs on either side and was a bit of a fiddle to remove.
The old charger board has some Kapton or similar tape underneath, which the new board didn't have. So I applied some similar tape to the new board, but this may not be essential. The new board was then fitted back in, again a bit of a fiddle. I found the best way was was to insert the right hand side of the board first under its tab (looking at the inside of the phone from the charger end), with the board rotated slightly anti clockwise, then pushing the left hand side forward (rotating clockwise) and under the left hand tab so that it effectively clicks into place (not much of a click). The rest of assembly was the reverse of disassembly. Soldering the 4 wires (polarity is marked on the board), pushing the ribbon cable squarely into the connector and locking it. Nearly forgot to push the antenna connector back on!
Replaced the back and the new charge board worked perfectly. What a relief! Thanks again to Monster for getting me started. Cheers Ron.
Hello everyone,
I have every tool needed to fix any problems on any mobile phones. But after fixing my y6, I have thought that a T5S would be piece of cake. But it's not.
Any ideas if I can just remove the broken digitizer to attach the new one or is it glued to the LCD like all new Samsung models?
anyone's phone last until now without charging port problems, or anyone changed their port and does the problems return? I'm considering if it is worth to replace the port
I have exactly the same question.
xdaxdap said:
I have exactly the same question.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
end up selling the device as the charging port i bought from aliexpress got no stock and grab myself a lenovo legion y70
The charge port issue isn't actually the charge port, but somewhere on the main board. I've tried fixing close to a dozen boot looping on charger RP2's in the last year or 2, and didn't matter if it was a charge port out of a working one, it still had the issue after swapping
TechX1991 said:
The charge port issue isn't actually the charge port, but somewhere on the main board. I've tried fixing close to a dozen boot looping on charger RP2's in the last year or 2, and didn't matter if it was a charge port out of a working one, it still had the issue after swapping
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
what more is needed to discover the flaw? im holding onto my first razer phone 2 because i still believe and i choose to believe anything can be fixed one way or another
Titanricky8 said:
what more is needed to discover the flaw? im holding onto my first razer phone 2 because i still believe and i choose to believe anything can be fixed one way or another
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Gotta figure out what and where the issue lies on the main board. What tiny component is going bad causing it to not charge
TechX1991 said:
Gotta figure out what and where the issue lies on the main board. What tiny component is going bad causing it to not charge
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
i assume its like finding a needle in a haystack furthermore different for each phone
Titanricky8 said:
i assume its like finding a needle in a haystack furthermore different for each phone
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Not exactly. If you have a thermal camera, you could hook up the phone with the back off and look for the component that's gettin hotter than everything else
I have a Razer Phone 2 that I'm refurbing for a client, and the USB-C port was in bad shape, so not only no data transfer, but she could only be charged via wireless. No worries though, at least in the case of this specific Razer 2, the problem was the flex cable that attaches the female type-c pin housing to the daughter-board. My theory, again, at least for this specific Razer 2, is because the 2 screws securing the port had come loose, the port was not secured, and was driven deeper inside the chassis when the owner went to plug it in. Since said flex is pretty wimpy, the movement back and forth probably fatigued the traces and the coating of the ribbon, more than likely damaging/breaking several traces.
My solution ended up being similar to the 2017 Retina MacBook Pro ‘Flexgate’ issue, where a very poor design choice created an LCD flex that had a spring/tension/rolling mechanism, which would pull out/extended the flex cable to accommodate the MB being opened, and retract to its resting position when closed. Unfortunately, the short length of the flex, along with a lack of robustness, meant that every opening and closing caused more and more fatigue, and eventually traces became severed and/or shorted out. This manifests as a 'stage light effect' that gets worse the further you open the lid, or in some cases, the 'stage light' effect is absent, however opening the lid past ~45 degrees causes the screen to shut off.
Apple did correct this the following year by replacing the flex with one 6mm longer that was more rigid than the previous year’s problematic flex. However, before the replacements were available (the 6mm extended flex worked a treat to fix the 2017’s issues, and it saved SO MUCH MONEY! A $10 flex cable as opposed to a ~$500 top housing assembly! So a $150 repair, as it is kinda labor intensive, not to mention if you’re not careful you’ll damage the LCD while removing it), a solution was needed to prevent clients from having to pay the ~$500 for a new display (which, OF CORSE, Apple refused to sell the LCD panel by itself (which are made by 2 suppliers, LG Display & Samsung Display, and Apple’s manufacturing contracts prevent both companies from selling any panels as replacement parts. Sometimes they’ll be a few here and there, but it’s rare), forcing people to buy the entire top case, which, of corse, STILL HAD THE PROBLEMATIC FLEX CABLE, meaning that the replacements would also eventually fail.
The solution to both the Razer 2 & 2017 MBP Retina's flex woes is to cut the offending flex just below where the fatigue is visible, or in the case of my client's Razer 2, where a visible kink was. Since the flex has 2mm or so of slack, you can then scrape (or VERY CAREFULLY use a fine tip soldering iron) to expose the tips of the traces, and using nanowire, bridge the two halves together with low-temp solder after aligning and stacking them, with one overlapping by ~0.25mm. Shielded nanowire isn't a common thing most people who don't do repair have laying around, so a workaround is to use twisted copper wire, which you then can un-twist, giving you very thin strands that are perfect for this. Just MAKE SURE THAT YOU EITHER APPLY SOME LIQUID ELECTRICAL TAPE OR UV CURABLE LIQUID INSULATION, since the strands wont be individually insulated or shielded. You should do this regardless of the type of nanowire you use, not only to prevent potential shorts, but also to reinforce the flex just in case it gets moved around again. This will make it more resistant to kinking up and/or breaking if it does experience any movement/bending. Louis Rossman of Rossman Repair Group has a great video that goes through the flex bridge technique in extreme detail.
One more interesting thing. I originally had ordered a replacement daughter-board/USB-C port from a 3rd party that I knew was used, but worth a shot. Unfortunately, it took about 2 months to arrive, so I got impatient and did the flex repair described above. After it eventually arrived, I installed it to see if it worked but found it was also defective . . but for a different reason than the one in my client's Razer 2. The control chip on the board (a 40-pin QFP, pin arrangement=12x8x12x8) needed to be removed, cleaned, and reinstalled, and voila, she lived again! I noticed some people saying their device was really hot by the port, and bad solder joints can create poor connections to their respective pads, and poor connections can cause increased resistance, which creates heat. Also, I think that specific charger control chip also has a pass-through for the mic that's on the board, so if your port AND mic are both not working or working intermittently, that might be the cause. I could be mistaken about the pass-through, I need to look at the data sheet again, as it's been a minute since I worked on said Razer 2, as the owner was out of the country for months on business. I actually finished refurbing it about 6 months or so ago.
I recorded the entire process, replacing the display assembly, battery, removing the old (and IMHO inferior) thermal putty and replacing it with Thermal Grizzly’s Kryonaut (reducing thermals by ~10C under load), and have EXTREMELY DETAILED footage of the repair from my USB microscope. I've been kinda lazy with editing it, but I just finished editing another refurb (an EVGA 660 Ti SC that needed a complete refurb, along with replacing 2 cooked MOSFETs. It has sentimental value to the owner, so yeah, a VERY COOL GPU that’s back at 100%), so I'm gonna start on the Razer 2 refurb video tomorrow. I’ll post a link here as soon as I upload it to YT and it’s published.
BTW, the fact that the charge ports are so hard to find new is kinda strange, and maybe suggest a much smaller production run of the Razer 2 than I had originally presumed. I repair devices every day, and my parts distributor can usually get ANYTHING, the guy and his business are amazing. He was able to get me an OEM display assembly and a brand-new sealed replacement OEM battery no problem. When it came to the charge port though, he couldn't find any new units, which is strange, especially since the battery was available as a newer, sealed replacement part. Charge ports and batteries are parts that usually get an additional limited production run for replacement part/repair purposes, since batteries will definitely need to be replaced after a few years, and charge ports USUALLY need to be replaced, unless a person is EXTREMELY GENTLE when they plug & unplug their devices. Unfortunately, all I've been able to find for charge port & mic daughter-boards are pulls from devices, and ya never know what a part has been through when it's not new.
Anyway, the guy who owns the Razer 2 just got back from the UK. and asked me to flash TWRP, LineageOS, etc., and when I opened the Razer 2 forum home page, this was the first thread I saw.
Hopefully this info can help someone out. Maybe someone can get something out of my experience with this specific device and part. And as I mentioned above, as soon as I post the refurb video on YT I'll post a link here. I think that’ll help out, if not because of the same issue, then maybe it can help rule out the issues I ran into.
Thank you for coming to my Ted Talk.
Need4Sneed said:
I have a Razer Phone 2 that I'm refurbing for a client, and the USB-C port was in bad shape, so not only no data transfer, but she could only be charged via wireless. No worries though, at least in the case of this specific Razer 2, the problem was the flex cable that attaches the female type-c pin housing to the daughter-board. My theory, again, at least for this specific Razer 2, is because the 2 screws securing the port had come loose, the port was not secured, and was driven deeper inside the chassis when the owner went to plug it in. Since said flex is pretty wimpy, the movement back and forth probably fatigued the traces and the coating of the ribbon, more than likely damaging/breaking several traces.
My solution ended up being similar to the 2017 Retina MacBook Pro ‘Flexgate’ issue, where a very poor design choice created an LCD flex that had a spring/tension/rolling mechanism, which would pull out/extended the flex cable to accommodate the MB being opened, and retract to its resting position when closed. Unfortunately, the short length of the flex, along with a lack of robustness, meant that every opening and closing caused more and more fatigue, and eventually traces became severed and/or shorted out. This manifests as a 'stage light effect' that gets worse the further you open the lid, or in some cases, the 'stage light' effect is absent, however opening the lid past ~45 degrees causes the screen to shut off.
Apple did correct this the following year by replacing the flex with one 6mm longer that was more rigid than the previous year’s problematic flex. However, before the replacements were available (the 6mm extended flex worked a treat to fix the 2017’s issues, and it saved SO MUCH MONEY! A $10 flex cable as opposed to a ~$500 top housing assembly! So a $150 repair, as it is kinda labor intensive, not to mention if you’re not careful you’ll damage the LCD while removing it), a solution was needed to prevent clients from having to pay the ~$500 for a new display (which, OF CORSE, Apple refused to sell the LCD panel by itself (which are made by 2 suppliers, LG Display & Samsung Display, and Apple’s manufacturing contracts prevent both companies from selling any panels as replacement parts. Sometimes they’ll be a few here and there, but it’s rare), forcing people to buy the entire top case, which, of corse, STILL HAD THE PROBLEMATIC FLEX CABLE, meaning that the replacements would also eventually fail.
The solution to both the Razer 2 & 2017 MBP Retina's flex woes is to cut the offending flex just below where the fatigue is visible, or in the case of my client's Razer 2, where a visible kink was. Since the flex has 2mm or so of slack, you can then scrape (or VERY CAREFULLY use a fine tip soldering iron) to expose the tips of the traces, and using nanowire, bridge the two halves together with low-temp solder after aligning and stacking them, with one overlapping by ~0.25mm. Shielded nanowire isn't a common thing most people who don't do repair have laying around, so a workaround is to use twisted copper wire, which you then can un-twist, giving you very thin strands that are perfect for this. Just MAKE SURE THAT YOU EITHER APPLY SOME LIQUID ELECTRICAL TAPE OR UV CURABLE LIQUID INSULATION, since the strands wont be individually insulated or shielded. You should do this regardless of the type of nanowire you use, not only to prevent potential shorts, but also to reinforce the flex just in case it gets moved around again. This will make it more resistant to kinking up and/or breaking if it does experience any movement/bending. Louis Rossman of Rossman Repair Group has a great video that goes through the flex bridge technique in extreme detail.
One more interesting thing. I originally had ordered a replacement daughter-board/USB-C port from a 3rd party that I knew was used, but worth a shot. Unfortunately, it took about 2 months to arrive, so I got impatient and did the flex repair described above. After it eventually arrived, I installed it to see if it worked but found it was also defective . . but for a different reason than the one in my client's Razer 2. The control chip on the board (a 40-pin QFP, pin arrangement=12x8x12x8) needed to be removed, cleaned, and reinstalled, and voila, she lived again! I noticed some people saying their device was really hot by the port, and bad solder joints can create poor connections to their respective pads, and poor connections can cause increased resistance, which creates heat. Also, I think that specific charger control chip also has a pass-through for the mic that's on the board, so if your port AND mic are both not working or working intermittently, that might be the cause. I could be mistaken about the pass-through, I need to look at the data sheet again, as it's been a minute since I worked on said Razer 2, as the owner was out of the country for months on business. I actually finished refurbing it about 6 months or so ago.
I recorded the entire process, replacing the display assembly, battery, removing the old (and IMHO inferior) thermal putty and replacing it with Thermal Grizzly’s Kryonaut (reducing thermals by ~10C under load), and have EXTREMELY DETAILED footage of the repair from my USB microscope. I've been kinda lazy with editing it, but I just finished editing another refurb (an EVGA 660 Ti SC that needed a complete refurb, along with replacing 2 cooked MOSFETs. It has sentimental value to the owner, so yeah, a VERY COOL GPU that’s back at 100%), so I'm gonna start on the Razer 2 refurb video tomorrow. I’ll post a link here as soon as I upload it to YT and it’s published.
BTW, the fact that the charge ports are so hard to find new is kinda strange, and maybe suggest a much smaller production run of the Razer 2 than I had originally presumed. I repair devices every day, and my parts distributor can usually get ANYTHING, the guy and his business are amazing. He was able to get me an OEM display assembly and a brand-new sealed replacement OEM battery no problem. When it came to the charge port though, he couldn't find any new units, which is strange, especially since the battery was available as a newer, sealed replacement part. Charge ports and batteries are parts that usually get an additional limited production run for replacement part/repair purposes, since batteries will definitely need to be replaced after a few years, and charge ports USUALLY need to be replaced, unless a person is EXTREMELY GENTLE when they plug & unplug their devices. Unfortunately, all I've been able to find for charge port & mic daughter-boards are pulls from devices, and ya never know what a part has been through when it's not new.
Anyway, the guy who owns the Razer 2 just got back from the UK. and asked me to flash TWRP, LineageOS, etc., and when I opened the Razer 2 forum home page, this was the first thread I saw.
Hopefully this info can help someone out. Maybe someone can get something out of my experience with this specific device and part. And as I mentioned above, as soon as I post the refurb video on YT I'll post a link here. I think that’ll help out, if not because of the same issue, then maybe it can help rule out the issues I ran into.
Thank you for coming to my Ted Talk.
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NIce so what your saying is spare phone is the way to go unless you can bridge a flex cable. You think working ones ought to re-enforce the working cable? If so clear resin a conformal coating like what did you use tape to harden the cable? Still use mine from time to time and have done lets say a few rebuilds to make it extra pretty.
Hi all,
I want to start giving the old smartphones that keep accumulating in our family a second life - which primarily means replacing aged batteries.
I actually want to use my S7 as a bike computer with the Komoot app, but decided to get some practice on my wife's old S6 Edge, which conveniently partially disassembled itself (bloated battery had opened the back cover).
So I got myself a spare battery and proceeded with the disassembly. Disconnecting all connectors, replacing the battery, reconnecting everything, and putting back the 13 screws that connect the frame to the display all worked ok, and the device would start up.
Alas, there are now a few glitches:
- the device feels quite slow (at least according to my wife... but maybe that is just subjective, now being used to much more modern devices)
- the device gets really warm (primarily on the middle of the right side, i.e. where the main board is located), even without any apps running, the battery also drains quite fast
- the left touch button (which on this device brings up the "task manager"/"app switcher") does not work. The right touch button ("back") works ok, as does the home button.
Everything else seems to work fine.
I disassembled everything twice, cleaned all connectors with alcohol, reassembled, same result. All connectors appear to be properly connected.
Any idea what could have gone wrong?
Needless to say, with that not-so-great result of my first repair attempts, I hesitate to work on anything more valuable than the S6...
Any hints welcome.
Regards
G
Welcome to XDA.
A connector pin may have been be damaged, inspect.
Do a factory reset and see what you got.
If that fails the mobo may have been damaged. Out of circuit they are suspectable to ESD damage. ESD protocols should be followed when doing repairs. At the very least raised the RH to 50% in the room.
Grummbeerbauer said:
Hi all,
(bloated battery had opened the back cover).
G
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It may not be your fault
The battery on my S7 swelled up a bit, so I got a new battery fitted, the shop had problems with the phone overheating so needed further testing. They had to replace the charging chip due to the battery swelling.
blackhawk said:
Welcome to XDA.
A connector pin may have been be damaged, inspect.
Do a factory reset and see what you got.
If that fails the mobo may have been damaged. Out of circuit they are suspectable to ESD damage. ESD protocols should be followed when doing repairs. At the very least raised the RH to 50% in the room.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I was doing this on an ESD-safe matt, so that should be fine. Visually, the connectors are ok... but considering how small they are, I would probably need to check with a microscope (which I don't have... but I could try my macro lens.
There are two cable connectors with only two pins each (look a bit like mini koax connectors). The connect the charging board which also has the electronics for the touch buttons to the mobo. One appeared to have been squeezed, probably by the bloated battery. So I measured conductivity with a volt meter, they measured ok.
I guess I will write the device off... not worth to invest in more spare parts.
The S7, which I still like a lot , is a different thing. Would hate to break this, but the battery is nearly dead and might bloat anyway sooner or later. So on to the next test subject for my repair skills. ;-)
Grummbeerbauer said:
I was doing this on an ESD-safe matt, so that should be fine. Visually, the connectors are ok... but considering how small they are, I would probably need to check with a microscope (which I don't have... but I could try my macro lens.
There are two cable connectors with only two pins each (look a bit like mini koax connectors). The connect the charging board which also has the electronics for the touch buttons to the mobo. One appeared to have been squeezed, probably by the bloated battery. So I measured conductivity with a volt meter, they measured ok.
I guess I will write the device off... not worth to invest in more spare parts.
The S7, which I still like a lot , is a different thing. Would hate to break this, but the battery is nearly dead and might bloat anyway sooner or later. So on to the next test subject for my repair skills. ;-)
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Click to collapse
Wear a wrist strap and make sure the room isn't dry. Wear cotton clothes. Static electricity is omnipresent. Nonconductive plastics are can build up a charge, even paper. Keeping the relative humidity above 40% is very important; just boil some water in the room if needed.
2-3x stereo magnification Optivisor probably do it. Very handy for detailed work.