Hello,
so today I bought a second-hand LG optimus black that was soft-bricked and had a cracked touchscreen. Since I'm not new to android and know how to fix these things, I thought this was just another way for me to get a good phone cheap.
The problem is:
- after unbricking the phone, and installing official v10a software, there are issues with the phone - camera force closes, any of sd cards wont be recognized ("removed sd card, insert a new one" notification, never changes), the screen rotation doesn't work, there is no lockscreen, phone dialer has lags, and the screen turns on after 5-10 seconds. Otherwise it's ok.
With software v20b it also likes to hang up. Theeen you have to remove the battery
So I dissasembled it, and it seems to have short circuited somewhere on the motherboard (there is a brown spot on the metal motherboard cover plate).
I marked the area in a picture below (notice that it's right next to the SanDisk chip - i guess that organizes the memory, so it should take care of the sd card as well). Keep notice this isn't the picture of my motherboard, I will post my own photos a bit later..
Maybe it was waterdamaged, but the sticker on the battery is white :/
Please don't tell me to factory reset, or try other software or memory cards, already did that.
CWM won't detect memory cards as well.
I need any possible ideas to fix it.. do you think a reflow would have any chances to do the job? any ideas, please, will try anything..
PLEASE, help.
Some update. So I flashed software V30B, and it seems to get better - finally I get a lockscreen, and not in 10 seconds also, the accelerometer sensor is working, phone is smoother. FRONT camera is working as well, while in video call mode, yay! when turning on the camera, it has a black screen with all the buttons and camera settings, and a message that there's no sd card (although it's inserted :| ) and hangs up if I switch to front camera. Memory card still not detected..
Thinking of capturing a video to show you whats the situation.. Till then here are some photos to show you my beauty
P.S. don't be shy, guys, any ideas for fixing?..
the photos
Anyone?
I thought I would get some replies, at least maybe I was wrong
Eimantazzz said:
Anyone?
I thought I would get some replies, at least maybe I was wrong
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Click to collapse
i am sorry, but ppl in here(p970) isnt as good as ppl on s2 or s3 thread.......
maybe on s2 there is chainfire, that undrrstand phone by hardware and software....but here....even development is on "almost dead" stage.....no stable cm, even cm7.....so sad.....
so....dont expect professional answer soon.......
and btw..try your luck on android hardware hacing thread....maybe there is some answer for you there
123r4ka456 said:
i am sorry, but ppl in here(p970) isnt as good as ppl on s2 or s3 thread.......
maybe on s2 there is chainfire, that undrrstand phone by hardware and software....but here....even development is on "almost dead" stage.....no stable cm, even cm7.....so sad.....
so....dont expect professional answer soon.......
and btw..try your luck on android hardware hacing thread....maybe there is some answer for you there
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for the reply!
Well I thought I would find more hardware technicians here, but whatever..
I downloaded the service guide for optimus black, and after looking at the schematic sheets, I'm 90% sure it's "SUB PMIC CAM POWER (LP8720)" controler that's failing. It controls the 5mp camera, microSD card and motor driver (vibration) power supplying. Neither of these functions are working on my OB. So no need for hardware hackers, nothing new they can tell me. So I'm thinking of ordering this pmu, but could you tell me guys where I could get it from with normal priced shipping? Shipping time wont matter at all.. Digi-key and mouser want to charge me with 40$ shipping, while all I need is a 2$ part
Eimantazzz said:
Thanks for the reply!
Well I thought I would find more hardware technicians here, but whatever..
I downloaded the service guide for optimus black, and after looking at the schematic sheets, I'm 90% sure it's "SUB PMIC CAM POWER (LP8720)" controler that's failing. It controls the 5mp camera, microSD card and motor driver (vibration) power supplying. Neither of these functions are working on my OB. So no need for hardware hackers, nothing new they can tell me. So I'm thinking of ordering this pmu, but could you tell me guys where I could get it from with normal priced shipping? Shipping time wont matter at all.. Digi-key and mouser want to charge me with 40$ shipping, while all I need is a 2$ part
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Click to collapse
well mate, i have no idea..... i am just normal customer, if something wrong with my phone, and i cant fix it, i always go to official service center......
but, i hope you got some luck out there, happy shopping
Makes sense. Most people don't believe that ICs are a very sensitive component.
Obviously, I can't make a theory of what's wrong on that device, as I don't have it here.
Do you have a multimeter? On the service manual you might have somewhere what to do (e.g. where to measure voltages) if some functions are not working, or did you already try that? I know the service manual always ends with "replace pcb", as usually the technical support don't actually do the repairs, they just follow what's on the manual and send the old parts to the manufacter for repairing and reassembling, but it might help you understand if you really need to replace this IC. Is there any fuse nearby, for example? Remember, a short circuit would break fuses. You can check with a multimeter whether they're damaged or not (continuity test).
There's not much I can say, really...these are just some suppositions...
Good luck with that, man
Sent from my LG-P970 using Tapatalk 2
von Mandrake said:
Makes sense. Most people don't believe that ICs are a very sensitive component.
Obviously, I can't make a theory of what's wrong on that device, as I don't have it here.
Do you have a multimeter? On the service manual you might have somewhere what to do (e.g. where to measure voltages) if some functions are not working, or did you already try that? I know the service manual always ends with "replace pcb", as usually the technical support don't actually do the repairs, they just follow what's on the manual and send the old parts to the manufacter for repairing and reassembling, but it might help you understand if you really need to replace this IC. Is there any fuse nearby, for example? Remember, a short circuit would break fuses. You can check with a multimeter whether they're damaged or not (continuity test).
There's not much I can say, really...these are just some suppositions...
Good luck with that, man
Sent from my LG-P970 using Tapatalk 2
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I do have a multimeter, I'm kinda into electronics so..
Yeah, so I had a little break and checked the phone out only a few minutes ago.
The LP8720 is the problem, but its much more f..ked up than I thought..
I marked three spots on the circuit that are quite odd:
1. The place where IC U601 - LP8720 should be.
2. 2.2uH wire wound resistor L601 (MIPSZ2012D2R2 MIPSZ2012D2R2, 2.2 uH, N,2.0X1.2X1.0), not sure if it works, maybe it burnt out, my multimeter shows 0ohm on this one.
3. The place where capacitor C604 (10uF) should be.
I attached the pic of my motherboard, you'll see whats up..
The only place I can get LP8720 is alibaba.com, and the minimum quantity is 10.. that makes about 16 bucks for these. Would be worth buying and trying to fix? And another thing, it's named LP8720TLX-B, not LP8720TLX. Do you think it'll do?
I'm now thinking of taking it to a service center, ask if they could do such a job and how much would it cost..
Thanks for the replies, by the way!
Peace
Eimantazzz said:
I do have a multimeter, I'm kinda into electronics so..
Yeah, so I had a little break and checked the phone out only a few minutes ago.
The LP8720 is the problem, but its much more f..ked up than I thought..
I marked three spots on the circuit that are quite odd:
1. The place where IC U601 - LP8720 should be.
2. 2.2uH wire wound resistor L601 (MIPSZ2012D2R2 MIPSZ2012D2R2, 2.2 uH, N,2.0X1.2X1.0), not sure if it works, maybe it burnt out, my multimeter shows 0ohm on this one.
3. The place where capacitor C604 (10uF) should be.
I attached the pic of my motherboard, you'll see whats up..
The only place I can get LP8720 is alibaba.com, and the minimum quantity is 10.. that makes about 16 bucks for these. Would be worth buying and trying to fix? And another thing, it's named LP8720TLX-B, not LP8720TLX. Do you think it'll do?
I'm now thinking of taking it to a service center, ask if they could do such a job and how much would it cost..
Thanks for the replies, by the way!
Peace
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Click to collapse
Hey man,
keep an open mind
What makes you so sure that this IC is damaged?
Think: if the nearby components are damaged, then this IC may behave differently (or may not work at all). We don't need math to think this.
But yes, it can be damaged, but since this is the most expensive component, I think it is really worth checking the others first.
Anyway, answering your topics:
1. Everything looks fine. Good ^^
2. Yes, it's probably damaged. An inductor is supposed to have resistance, but not much. For this one, 0.23 ± 30% Ohm.
Source (datasheet): http://www.fdk.co.jp/cyber-e/pdf/CD-TCE070.pdf
3. Fortunately, this is an easy one. If in doubt, just replace it.
Now, for the headache...LP8720TLX-B and LP8720TLX might be the same IC, but the only way to know this is by comparing their datasheets.
16 bucks is a lot to pay for a component (yeah, it's 10 of them, but it's still a lot). But this is actually your call...are you willing to pay 16 usd for an IC? If it was me, and I was entirely sure it would fix everything, I would probably buy them, but then...like I said, your call.
I think it's worth taking it to a service center, but if they truly follow the service manual, they will tell you they need to replace the entire pcb. But I really think it's worth to try, you never know.
Good luck
Related
So one of my friends at work had an att tilt. However his son dropped it out of his pants pocket and the screen popped off. Screen is still in one piece however completly seperated from the tilt mechanism and the ribbon cable is missing. So I told him instead of throwing it away (cause att does not offer insurance) to give it to me and I'd see what I can do (Gonna unlock it and use it as an upgrade for my wing ).
I've read some of the hardware manuals and can already see I'll need parts to fix it. But I have no ideas what ones. Or if it's even worth it to fix. I mean its basically a free tilt minus any repair costs. Any help?
wshader said:
So one of my friends at work had an att tilt. However his son dropped it out of his pants pocket and the screen popped off. Screen is still in one piece however completly seperated from the tilt mechanism and the ribbon cable is missing. So I told him instead of throwing it away (cause att does not offer insurance) to give it to me and I'd see what I can do (Gonna unlock it and use it as an upgrade for my wing ).
I've read some of the hardware manuals and can already see I'll need parts to fix it. But I have no ideas what ones. Or if it's even worth it to fix. I mean its basically a free tilt minus any repair costs. Any help?
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Click to collapse
Check thi site, there is a manual how to dismantle kaiser. Could be helpful:
http://michael-channon.spaces.live....smantling+%2f+Disassembling+Guides+HTC%2fETEN
Thank you, however thats actually the repair manual I looked at. However while looking for parts I have yet to find the ribbon cable that connects to the display.
This is basically what I have except the ribbon cable is missing. And alot of steps missing to get it this way.
wshader said:
Thank you, however thats actually the repair manual I looked at. However while looking for parts I have yet to find the ribbon cable that connects to the display.
This is basically what I have except the ribbon cable is missing.
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OMG, that had to hurt.
Yeah, kid was playing basketball and fell out of his pocket. I guess the kid has broke 4 phones this month... curve, tilt, 2 pantec duos. Told my friend to get him a $20 go-phone now lol. And use the savings to get me a tilt
I dont know what kind of damage besides the physical the drop may have caused. Phone was not on at the time so that may have helped it (I hope)
wshader said:
Yeah, and I dont know what kind of damage besides the physical the drop may have caused. Phone was not on at the time so that may have helped it (I hope)
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I hope u repair it. Wish u luck.
Without actually looking at it, its hard to say what exactly you need. But you for sure need a new flex cable. Unfortunately that is the hardest part to find. At least here in the US. I usually buy broken phones from people who don't want to pay for a repair. Then I use the parts from them. You can get a new housing easily enough if you need it but the flex cable will be your biggest hurdle.
I suggest trying to find one broken on ebay and using the 2 you have to make one working phone. Even a broken Tilt can run for $200 on ebay though.
Anyone notice that case has already been replaced at some stage as it has a camera hole (not standard for Tilts) a keyboard without the white part and no logo. Perhaps the replacement was weaker than the original one. If the O/P searches the forum here for LCD Screen replacements there's loads of links to different companies supplying parts for Kaiser variants. I have no experience using any of them though so cant suggest which ones are best.
@Planet Neo
Yeah I was thinking that but was hoping it wouldn't come to that. Would suck to spend $200 for parts just to find the motherboard is broke or something to that effect. Was hoping someone knew of a place to buy a new cable or had one to sell. Also was hoping someone with some experience could let me know if they think I'd need a new tilt assembly.
@Flying Kiwi
Lol, I used a picture from kaiser disassembly guide to show what i was referring to. It has the standard tilt case. I'll be taking pictures of what I have as soon as I have the phone in my possession.
Okay I assume that its going to be very hard to get the ribbon and you're going to need housing. I believe that it will be the same as making a new tilt, because the screen is as good as dead without the ribbon so all you could do is get new housing and a new screen and it should rack up about $150-200. Which in my opinion is much easier and faster and better than frustrating on getting a ribbon.
Just my 2 cents.
Kraize
Planetneo said:
Without actually looking at it, its hard to say what exactly you need. But you for sure need a new flex cable. Unfortunately that is the hardest part to find. At least here in the US. I usually buy broken phones from people who don't want to pay for a repair. Then I use the parts from them. You can get a new housing easily enough if you need it but the flex cable will be your biggest hurdle.
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I'm sure you'll think I'm busting your balls / stalking you but hard to find? Hell no! Expensive, maybe ( $100) but hard to find? I think not. Good job you're not charging people for you expert advice else they'd be wanting refunds....how long did you say you'd been doing this for?
http://search.ebay.com/search/search.dll?from=R40&_trksid=m37&satitle=tytn+flex&category0=
You need a TYTN II flex. There are many other suppliers and if you go direct they may be a bit cheaper. google is your friend....
To check the board - connect to a windoze computer with a mini USB cable and power up or press the soft reset button to boot it - it should ident and install then try to sync. It should boot fine even with no LCD if it's OK assuming the battery still holds some charge.
A full housing will run you about $60. Some sellers have just front panels for about $40 though I'm unsure if these have the pivot.
M.S
Mysterious Stranger said:
I'm sure you'll think I'm busting your balls / stalking you but hard to find? Hell no! Expensive, maybe ( $100) but hard to find? I think not. Good job you're not charging people for you expert advice else they'd be wanting refunds....how long did you say you'd been doing this for?
http://search.ebay.com/search/search.dll?from=R40&_trksid=m37&satitle=tytn+flex&category0=
You need a TYTN II flex. There are many other suppliers and if you go direct they may be a bit cheaper. google is your friend....
To check the board - connect to a windoze computer with a mini USB cable and power up or press the soft reset button to boot it - it should ident and install then try to sync. It should boot fine even with no LCD if it's OK assuming the battery still holds some charge.
A full housing will run you about $60. Some sellers have just front panels for about $40 though I'm unsure if these have the pivot.
M.S
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Man, MS you really need to get off my nuts. It's getting creepy. I said in my post hard to find at least in the US. And the link you gave was for a seller in China. One more word of advice for the OP, Make sure this part actually works for the AT&T Tilt variant. I had a customer buy a Flex cable for the HTC Herald thinking it would work for the T-Mobile Wing but due to the modified button layout of the Wing it did not fit correctly. Much like this person HERE experienced.
Planetneo said:
Man, MS you really need to get off my nuts. It's getting creepy. I said in my post hard to find at least in the US. And the link you gave was for a seller in China. One more word of advice for the OP, Make sure this part actually works for the AT&T Tilt variant. I had a customer buy a Flex cable for the HTC Herald thinking it would work for the T-Mobile Wing but due to the modified button layout of the Wing it did not fit correctly. Much like this person HERE experienced.
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These things are made in Shenzhen so where you think the parts come from?
Stop talking &*%(* and I'll stop correcting your posts Instead of saying something is a fact say it's your opinion. It's not a 'rare' part - and they ship WORLDWIDE. It's not as if he'll get one from a local mom and pop store - it's gonna be mail order wherever you get it from and looking at the seller's feedback is a good judge - all my parts come from China - so why pay a middleman such as yourself extra $ just so it has a US stamp on the package?
Someone needs to act as quality control on your posts and it looks like it's gonna have to be me if you keep posting [email protected]
M.S
I cracked my screen so I decided to order a new one and fix it myself, while in the process I accidentally tore the top flex circuit board and now I can't find spare parts other than screens anywhere. Does anyone know where I can get some or have one that is broken I am willing to pay ...
Hate when **** like that happens. . . try to fix something and something doesn't go right.
Not sure where you can get the parts you're looking for, but wanted to give props to you for taking the initiative to try and fix it yourself. Alot of people will be like "that's what you get for not just sending it back to HTC and having them fix it." How're you going to appreciate the intricacies of something if you don't take the occasional risk like this?
Hope you find what you're looking for.
Ps. Have you looked at http://www.monoprice.com/home/index.asp to see if there's anything you could repurpose to work?
Ha yea, I am definitely a DIY-er. Unfortunately this is a risk I knew I was taking heading into it, wasn't too worried though because I have fixed a lot of cell phones in the past, just got a little too careless with prying open with a flat head screw driver, it slipped and cut right into the flex circuit board. Should have been a little more careful haha. New screen looks great though! Now only if I could get it to power on! Of course HTC tells me it will cost up to $300 to send it to them to fix it.
http://www.lunacommerce.com/154-nexus-one
http://www.google.com/support/forum/p/android/thread?tid=7921c16b7b46096e&hl=en
Not sure exactly, but is this what you are looking for? http://cnn.cn/shop/google-nexus-digitizer-p-8252.html
Yea I tried that number and also that lunacommerce site is located in China, no prices on their website, no way to purchase anything other than contacting them first (which I have tried to no avail...). You would think some online store somewhere would have started selling spare refurbished parts. Whatever, guess I will have to pay HTC to fix it, kinda sucky.
If you find somewhere that can help you, please post back. I just had a similar experience, replaced the digitizer and the display wouldn't work afterwards. Figured I had damaged the AMOLED, so purchased another. Problem still persisted.
I've decided that I must have damaged the AMOLED connector on the logic board.
The upside is I can still use the phone when connected to a PC and using Android Screen Monitor.
So now I've ordered another Nexus One, I find it hard to get by without my daily Android.... it became an expensive drop of the phone.
Kman Gymrat said:
Not sure exactly, but is this what you are looking for? http://cnn.cn/shop/google-nexus-digitizer-p-8252.html
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Click to collapse
No that is what I replaced in the first place. I am looking for the Logic Board. I will keep searching and update this thread if I ever figure it out. Going on 3 days without a phone and only being able to use Google Voice via my computer is starting to drive me insane!
Hey guys,
I've been struggling with my N1 power button for a while now until in August it finally failed and my device wouldn't turn on anymore.
Since I bought my phone in Germany I hesitated to send it in. Not HTC is responsible for the warranty, but the seller himself. Anyway, I mailed them, sent it in, but they denied to repair it. They said some bull***t about me braking the camera. So I talked to legal protection insurance and they asked me whether I'd prefere to sue the trader or if I want to get 220 Euro back from them instead (because obviously suing would be much more cost intensiv for the insurance then paying 220 Euro). So I decided to take the money and either buy a new phone or try to fix the power button myself. And that's what I did.
I dissembled the phone and tried to solder the broken connections following this (http://youtu.be/k74D4dGGf4U) awesome guide myself. I do not have a lot of experience with stuff like this but I thought since I had already gotten the money "back" and the phone was not working I could at least try.
I did try and I did break the rest of the power button. So know I am not sure what to do. I see two options and very much would like other users comments on what I should do.
Try to sell the other components (screen, battery, logic board) and buy a new phone.
Replace the entire board with the camera, the led and the power button.
Ad 1.) Where would you sell the components? Ebay? Any other specific website?
And also, can you suggest phones to consider. I haven't followed the "android market" for a couple of months since it was not clear what would happen to my N1. I could buy a new N1 for about 210 Euro. Or a Nexus S for about 200. Are there any new phones that can compete with the nexus one in terms of openness, processing power, battery life & built quality? Or is the N1 still the best deal (especially for that price, I don't want to spend much more then the 220 Euro, I just got back).
Ad 2.) I've looked online, there are plenty of sources to replace the board with the flex cable ribbon. They range from 17 to about 70 Dollar. The difference seems to be that the ones are without camera, while the others come with a new camera.
Since my camera was working just fine I was wondering if it's possible to use my camera on another motherboard (I think that's the adequate name of the board I am talking about, right?). I couldn't find any reports online, but there is a spare part, which indicates, that it is very possible. Has anyone tried to replace a camera? Did it work? Is there a tutorial online?
Over all, I would very much prefere the second option. I have used my N1 only for roughly a year. I got the N1 dock. And over all, it would only cost about 30 bucks and a couple of hours. Also I would not have to buy a new phone and produce unnecessary technical waste.
So I'm very much looking forward to all your comments and help. For me that's a huge project. I haven't done hardware "hacking" before, so I will need all the help I can get.
Cheers, Armin
repair it.
Replacing the flex cable is not extremely difficult (medium diff.), and the chinese sellers in ebay will often bundle the tools required to open the N1's case.
By the way, the flex cable is not the mainboard, it's the cable that connects different modules (camera, led) and buttons (volume, power) to the mainboard, replace it, plug your camera and led modules to the new flex cable, make sure all connections are tight and your N1 will be as good as new!
I just repaired my N1, and I cannot tell you how awesome it felt when this little beast came back to life after months!
hey trschober,
thanx a lot for your reply. could you elaborate on how to switch the camera? it seems like it's only held in place by the bent metal. but i don't want to "force it out" since i dont want to break the camera (expensive).
does it come off easily?
also i didn't even know i could take off the led module. but now that i had a look at it it seems like i can just "pop off" the white rectangle.
awesome, i'm really excited right now!
well, i'll just order the part. we'll see how it goes.
I've never had to replace the camera, but from ifixit's pictures it is held in place by some sort of metal clip. There must be a place that you can push to get the camera module out without forcing it.
I can open my N1 on monday to check the proper way to unmount the camera module, but I doubt that you have to force it out, these electronic things don't work that way.
Yes, the led module just pops off, just be careful no to scratch the led itself, or the light will get blueish.
The hardest part of replacing the flex cable is popping off the bottom part of your N1, just use the proper _plastic_ tools to open it, or you will scratch the case. once you disconnect the connectors, the flex cable just slides upwards and out.
So my latest of stupid fails entailed the attempt repair of my water damaged E6533 (this was because I decided to take it into a sensory deprivation tank. Which included pounds of epsom salts ouch). I actually took amazing care of this phone and it was in perfect condition and I was excited to use these forums to flash to my hearts content. ANYWAYS I tried drying the board as this happened in August and I left it powered off for approx 1 week in the sun, with more salts. At this point I was nearly sick to my stomach because of my stupid move for one of my most prized possessions. But somehow I kept going, I attempted to boot the phone again but alas no go, I had really fudged this this as salt is more conductive regardless of IP68 this is extreme salt I am such a [email protected]$$ I didn't want to admit it until now. But in hinds site it worked for the 2 hours I was in the salt water. Then for 10 minutes after. I then noticed it triggering touches all over the screen. Disregarding my own advice to everyone else I know I did the stupid thing at this point. I tried to turn it on even though it just shut itself off. It did and shut off again during bootup. I gulped as this birthday gift from a friend was turning out to be a "worst case scenario" type of ordeal. Next I kept going like a troubled child again and again I tried. Because in my mind I couldn't imagine how anything could have migrated into the phone. But it was to late ........
BECAUSE if anyone knows how these XPERIA repairs tend to pan out during display damage, you get the picture. Sorry to be so cryptic but for those of you who havn't had the misfortune or need to repair a broken display (*I assume the most broken physical feature of this phone but also any electronic device for that matter.) you may not be aware that the phone has fuse on the mainboard which during display malfunction clearly blows. Replacement of this fuse requires 1) a schematic 2) advanced soldiering knowledge and techneque 3) time 4) bravery ... so on . As it is quite small and actually requires prescission soldiering equipment (here's my fail, failure to use and therefore aquire the proper tool for the job). Yes my dumba$$ory didn't stop at epsom pools of waterdamage but a soldiering technique regardless how good shouldn't have been attempted here. Although I did manage to bridge the fuse to see that YES INDEED the screen came back when bridged and it continued booting. Something prevented me from getting my soldier bridge to actually stay attached so eventually I broke an adjasent resistor. WELL good luck fixing that !!?
But for me I have seen this before. With my Z2 last year. I loved that phone but despite the love Mei case it smashed on the pavement. Screen replacement resulted in fuse replacement. WHICH in turn resulted in a SUCCESS followed by failure short after.
Another friends Xperia Z, same thing : LCD - > FUSE -> in this case I tried AliBaba'ing the board. Which was the ONLY place I could source one '.' With the new board the GPU seemed to have damaged video memory as the screen was getting serious interferance and shaking everywhere. Putting the original board in the same position resulted in no backlight but no shaky image. DOA part ...
SO ALAS
I HAVE a graveyard of Z , Z2 , Z3+ dual and extra parts ... Each time I try Xperia I get hella burned trying my luck fixing a phone I would love to be loving right now. If only I could only figure out a way to fix the lot I would in a heart beat. But most places online seem to be more pricy than the original or unreasonable. <shrug.> :crying::silly:
Buy another phone, this one isn't worth it, believe me, stop wasting money effort and time.
Best advice I can give you
nosiobadx said:
Buy another phone, this one isn't worth it, believe me, stop wasting money effort and time.
Best advice I can give you
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Perhaps your right but seeing as I am on a students income. I would love to fix resell a couple. Is there a place that I can go ?
futiless said:
Perhaps your right but seeing as I am on a students income. I would love to fix resell a couple. Is there a place that I can go ?
Well there are Sony shops where you can take them but it'll cost a fortune and most of the time they doesn't have the parts so, maybe you should sell them as repairing parts on the Internet and get a little juice of them
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Hello guys,
I have an old Samsung GT-i9060 phone which I'd received from my previous employer. It has finally given up and is now completely dead. I suspect a faulty charging cable to be the culprit this time as my attempts at superficial repair has proven that the problem is deeper. I tried getting it fixed at a local repair shop but he gave up on the basis that parts aren't available and that the motherboard has gone kaput.
So, to summarize....
Samsung GT-i9060 completely dead
has been dropped several times and cracked digitizer has been replaced.
old battery is not at optimum condition but problem persists when tested with a new battery.
No vibration or samsung/charging logo on display when powered on battery or charging but certain areas of motherboard get heated up if I try to turn it on.
I got some important contacts and backup on this phone which I'd really like to salvage. I invested in a few basic tools and looked up a few tutorials on the interwebz but none seem to help me understand the actual problem. I am a novice when it comes to electronics and can easily try to recover the data through some specialists but the satisfaction in getting it done myself is priceless!
So any kind of help would be immensely appreciated.
Thanks
Make sure that the battery voltage is over 3.6 volt. Then connect phone to pc using usb cable without pressing any buttons then check pc detects phone's soc(broadcom interface) or not.
Thanks. Let me try that out and get back to you.
Update - @engage4 Battery was at 4.27V, fully charged. Connected to PC but it wasn't detected although I observed the same heating issue as mentioned in my original post (see attached pic)
Coincidentally, the memory chip and processor are on the exact underside of the mobo area that I have highlighted (which heats up)
For reference, my previous reply to you is here:
How to check voltage level at a resistor?
I have a Samsung Galaxy S7 (SM-G930F) that appears to be dead. I found the service manual online and I'm now trying to follow the troubleshooting flowchart for power issues. I am stuck at the third step (already), where it tells me to check the...
forum.xda-developers.com
Rizzi87 said:
I suspect a faulty charging cable to be the culprit this time as my attempts at superficial repair has proven that the problem is deeper.
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What do you mean by superficial repair? What made you suspect the charging cable?
Rizzi87 said:
I tried getting it fixed at a local repair shop but he gave up on the basis that parts aren't available and that the motherboard has gone kaput.
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Kaput? I know that word. That's a German word for broken. I wonder if he told you this because he wanted to repair the components on the board, or because he wanted to toss out the old board and install a new board and call it repaired.
Rizzi87 said:
old battery is not at optimum condition but problem persists when tested with a new battery.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
So you already tested with a new battery. Good! That's one of the first things I would do as well. GSM Arena says the battery is "Li-Ion 2100 mAh, removable". At least you didn't need to send it in or leave it to a repair shop to replace the battery. I remember the time when you could replace the battery of your phone yourself. That in itself was very satisfactory. Those were great times! Those times are gone. Now you have to pay a premium to replace a battery. It's "complicated" they say, and so it's not for everyone (or anyone).
Rizzi87 said:
No vibration or samsung/charging logo on display when powered on battery or charging but certain areas of motherboard get heated up if I try to turn it on.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hotter than what's usual for a phone that's charging? If it's shorted, charging may damage it further. You can test it of course, but you're risking it. Don't test charge for longer than you need to, preferably not at all as soon as you realize there's something wrong with the device. There's the risk of battery leaking or catching fire. So be careful and don't leave it unsupervised.
Rizzi87 said:
I got some important contacts and backup on this phone which I'd really like to salvage. I invested in a few basic tools and looked up a few tutorials on the interwebz but none seem to help me understand the actual problem.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
What kind of tutorials are you reading or watching? What do you think is the problem?
You have to go over more than a few tutorials if you want to be able to intuitively know what to look for or what to do. One way is to start learning about electronics in general, experiment and learn, before you get down to this specific problem. Another way is to start exploring from the repair side of things and work your way into the topic of electronics repair by troubleshooting this specific problem.
Your problem is most likely caused by a short somewhere on the board. So I would suggest you learn about short circuits or "shorts" for short (duh) and how to find shorts in general, and then work your way down to how to find shorts on mobile phones specifically.
Rizzi87 said:
I am a novice when it comes to electronics and can easily try to recover the data through some specialists but the satisfaction in getting it done myself is priceless!
So any kind of help would be immensely appreciated.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I know that feeling. I'm wired the same way. If I can, I will try to repair and fix things on my own. Sometimes I will take on things I hardly know anything about. I will try anyway and learn in the process. Some things are admittedly more difficult than others. But that's how you learn and grow your knowledge base.
People no longer repair things. They throw out the old and broken things, and just keep on buying new things like on conveyor belt. This is not good in by any means. The biggest negative impact of this I think is that people stop using their head. They begin to believe that everything in the world is automatic. A light bulb is the result of true magic, especially when you throw in smart home plugs and switches into the equation. People are slowly being turned into slaves of consumerism. Common knowledge diminishes, like what household products you can use to remove stains, and we only live to serve a higher purpose of capitalism.
Do you have the service manual for this phone? You can usually find these online free of charge. Do you have a multimeter? The first tool you should buy and learn to use is a multimeter. Learn about the continuity test, diode mode, and how to measure voltage.
I worked as an electrician and I felt like I had to ask about how to measure voltage at a resistor, because I was unsure and didn't want to risk damaging a board more than it already is. As an electrician, I worked with voltages relative to Earth ground. I never worked with electronics, although I did get basic electronics training and I know all the basic components and how they work. We worked with soldering iron as well, and learned to use an oscilloscope. I was best in class at soldering. This was a long time ago though. We programmed PLCs, made Delta and Y-configuration connections of three phase electric motors, worked with relays and contactors, and we learned a whole load of other useful things.
My point is, always ask someone more knowledgeable and experienced if you're in doubt about something, rather than taking a risk or gambling. This is much more important of course when working with unforgiving high voltages and high currents, so as an electrician I learned early on to respect electricity. This was all part of my training and thankfully I have never had any accident. It's OK to make mistakes, and you're bound to make mistakes when experimenting, but you better have a backup plan and put in some kind of safety net, to protect yourself and to protect your equipment or whatever it is you're working on.
R7027 said:
What do you mean by superficial repair? What made you suspect the charging cable?
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Click to collapse
The USB connector on the charging cable I was temporarily using sometime back had a flimsy connector and I suspect the loose connection might have caused 'spikes' and maybe shorted some components/mobo.
I had dropped this phone on numerous occassions and almost everytime the ribbon connector for the LCD would come loose since the connector on the board was a bit wonky. I used to check this and get the phone working again. This is what I meant by superficial repair.
R7027 said:
Kaput? I know that word. That's a German word for broken. I wonder if he told you this because he wanted to repair the components on the board, or because he wanted to toss out the old board and install a new board and call it repaired.
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Click to collapse
Nah. He simply didn't bother about repairing or even replacing it on the basis that parts are hard to come by!
R7027 said:
So you already tested with a new battery. Good! That's one of the first things I would do as well. GSM Arena says the battery is "Li-Ion 2100 mAh, removable". At least you didn't need to send it in or leave it to a repair shop to replace the battery. I remember the time when you could replace the battery of your phone yourself. That in itself was very satisfactory. Those were great times! Those times are gone. Now you have to pay a premium to replace a battery. It's "complicated" they say, and so it's not for everyone (or anyone).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
YEs, I thought the battery maight be the culprit but alas, it turned out to be a problem with the mobo.
R7027 said:
Hotter than what's usual for a phone that's charging? If it's shorted, charging may damage it further. You can test it of course, but you're risking it. Don't test charge for longer than you need to, preferably not at all as soon as you realize there's something wrong with the device. There's the risk of battery leaking or catching fire. So be careful and don't leave it unsupervised.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hotter than usual, yes. I have tested and/or repeated the scenario only couple of times so as to not risk any further damage.
R7027 said:
Do you have the service manual for this phone? You can usually find these online free of charge. Do you have a multimeter? The first tool you should buy and learn to use is a multimeter. Learn about the continuity test, diode mode, and how to measure voltage.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have invested in a multimeter, soldering iron and supplies and a heat gun. I do also have a manual for the phone and it has helped me partially.
Rizzi87 said:
The USB connector on the charging cable I was temporarily using sometime back had a flimsy connector and I suspect the loose connection might have caused 'spikes' and maybe shorted some components/mobo.
I had dropped this phone on numerous occassions and almost everytime the ribbon connector for the LCD would come loose since the connector on the board was a bit wonky. I used to check this and get the phone working again. This is what I meant by superficial repair.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for clarifying.
Now that you mention it, one of my charging cable was a bit flimsy as well. Might be what happened with my phone as well. The connector would wiggle left and right so I would have to make sure it points straight into the port and rotate the phone left and right to make sure it's not tugging on it as I put it down on a book shelf. I always charge my phones on this book shelf as the power outlet is close by.
I have actually four identical Samsung 15 W chargers sitting there, all for the Galaxy S7. Three white ones and one black, and each with its own charging cable. I had purchased some extra chargers just as spares, and one of the chargers had a bit flimsy connection, as you say. I actually once spotted that one of the 4 pins on one of the charging cables was too short, and because of it, it was not charging fast enough. I stripped it down to bare wires, all for science and learning, before throwing it away.
On another occasion, I discovered that one of these cables didn't want to charge my phone when combined with one of the four chargers. It was a perfectly fine looking cable. The same cable worked well on the other three identical chargers though. So this was a bit of mystery I had never seen before. That will remain a mystery. That same charger also worked well when combines with other cables. So both the charger and the cable worked well, but only with others, not with each other. Note that these were all original Samsung chargers and cables. The "travel adapter", model EP-TA20EWE. They all came in original Samsung retail packaging. Although the spare chargers I purchased did have a bit stiffer and thicker cables, when compared to the original that came with the phone. They were presumably made in later years, so Samsung had probably changed them up a little bit.
But this goes to show that there is more to a cable and a charger than meets the eye. I suspect it had something to do with lack of compatibility across the many charging protocols that are in circulation in the fast charging universe, like Qualcomm Quick Charge 2.0 vs. 3.0 vs. USB Power Delivery 2.0 vs. what-have-you.
So you're not wrong to suspect something as "simple" as a charging cable. Not even a cable can be left alone, they have to make it "smart" and complicated. If the cable doesn't know how to talk the language of the charger, it's useless. Or worse, it can destroy a device. All because industry wants to satisfy inpatient people that want fast charging, and so instead of 1 standard, they make 4 different ones, if Apple Lighting-whatever is included. By the way, the faster you charger a battery, the faster it will lose its capacity and die out.
Rizzi87 said:
Nah. He simply didn't bother about repairing or even replacing it on the basis that parts are hard to come by!
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Click to collapse
That depends where you look and how determined you are.
I ordered a new S535 power IC for my Galaxy S7 from Germany via Ebay, and I received it last week. I don't have the exact dates, but it arrived within the same week, so about three to five days. From Germany to Sweden. I also ordered three of the same chip from a supplier in UK, also via Ebay, and it has yet to arrive. This has to do with Royal Mail strikes, so everything is delayed. In addition, I had to pay customs fee and import tax from the UK. Not sure if it will be held at Customs service and delayed even more because of this, or if it will be delivered straight to my mail box since the UK supplier made sure I can pay upfront so it can be cleared for delivery. So I will have 4 of these in total.
Let me give you another example. I have an older car that's well looked after and only driven occasionally. A few years back, it started leaking oil from the rear axis. I went to the authorized repair shop. They told me they had to either replace the differential or rebuild it. But because it's an old timer, there are no parts for it readily available. This is a BMW car and BMW has a good reputation for stock keeping parts for old models for a long time. Well, maybe they don't keep a stock of big parts such as differentials. But it's not true that it's not available. I looked it up online and found several car stripping companies that have a number of these parts to pick and choose from, some of which were in almost new condition. So if they really wanted to, they could have ordered in from there. This is where small and independent auto repair shops order from as well. I even offered to order it myself and deliver to them. But they could not make the needed arrangements. Or rather, they didn't want to. I understood the message. They can't be bothered with something as heavy, oily, dirty, difficult, skill demanding, and time consuming as a differential replacement... and a rebuild is probably as distant as science fiction to them. I never went back there. I used to go to them for years and was always happy. Since they changed the owner and relocated, it's a completely different company. I would never again go to an "authorized" repair shop. They are properly titled "car dealers", because they are more interested in selling you a new car or a used car than repairing your old one.
It's the same with phone companies like Samsung and these places they call "Support Center" where you can walk in to get support and service on the device you already own, and they put up their latest "flagship" models on display and under your nose. That's how you know you're in the wrong place. It's all sell, sell, sell.
Rizzi87 said:
I have invested in a multimeter, soldering iron and supplies and a heat gun. I do also have a manual for the phone and it has helped me partially.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Make sure to get the needle-like test leads for it. This is needed for probing and measuring tiny components. The ones that came with my multimeter were very good, but they were not fit for the job, because they are not thin enough at the top. Most of the standard test leads have blunt tips. I ordered a pair from Amazon, a complete kit actually, but they are not very good. The whole kit was very cheap and I could not find any other, higher quality, more expensive ones. I don't want to promote Amazon, but I can post a link if you want.
A heat gun might work, but a hot air station is better. You need about 350 C to rework big components like BGA chips. Based on my limited knowledge, but extensive research. You should be able to tell what the temperature is at, and only the more expensive heat "guns" will have a temperature sensor and a digital display.
A service manual is a good resource. I wish I had a complete service manual for Galaxy S7. I looked for a places to buy one but I only found dodgy websites that seemed to be in the business of downloading free manuals, packaging, and selling. So if you have a complete manual, that's better. I only found excerpts of the most important chapters for Galaxy S7, and it has been very useful.
So, umm, there has been no progress on the repair front as I had been away on a trip and got my phone stolen
I was a bit occupied with reporting to the authorities and blocking my phone number hence I couldn't reply earlier.
Btw, I stumbled upon something called as boardview bitmap files; I'm yet to fully explore it but it seems really helpful.