Database Develop

[fix] An easy way to solve the screen flicker with just a scotch tape

Hey guys,I'm a nexus 7 user from China.
I have solved the screen flicker problem.
Just put a piece of scotch tape on the GND point of WIFI antenna.It does not influence the signal strength.
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Not gonna do that. By not connecting a ground you could run into some other serious problems later on. Excessive WiFi chip heat and possibly other issues
Sent from my Nexus 7 using xda app-developers app

tylerwatt12 said:
Not gonna do that. By not connecting a ground you could run into some other serious problems later on. Excessive WiFi chip heat and possibly other issues
Sent from my Nexus 7 using xda app-developers app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Won't be.I have studied the wifi antenna for several years.Wifi antenna has many types,some of them like omnidirectional antenna,it‘s RF line and GND is not connected.

I've just done this. So far, wifi strength fine and there is definitely less flicker.
However, this its light outside and it's much easier to see the flicker when it's dark, so I'll let you know.
Thanks for the idea, and hopefully this works!
Sent from my Nexus 7 using XDA Premium HD app

I'd definitely this if I was more confident in opening my device

Watching with interest, before I go through and attempt it.
may i ask what is your theory why this works? In simple terms! If I could sort the flickering I'd be v happy. Thanks
Sent from my Nexus 7

Confirmed as working on my device. It completely eradicated the flicker too, which is awesome.
I also would love an explanation as to why it works!
Sent from my Nexus 7 using XDA Premium HD app

I cant really tell by the pic, is that just a piece of clear scotch tape taped over that metal part? Its not in between or anyway special right?

Does anyone have any information on why this works and if there is any possibility of it messing up the tablet?
Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk 2

afrojoc said:
I'd definitely this if I was more confident in opening my device
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Just slide your finger or thumb nail between the top edge and the back on one corner then slide it to the other top corner and the back will start popping right off, it's very simple.

This has already been covered:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=29429860&postcount=229
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=29759410&postcount=295

mi7chy said:
This has already been covered:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=29429860&postcount=229
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=29757907&postcount=294
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
...but the links mention nothing about scotch tape so it really is a different thread.

airmaxx23 said:
...but the links mention nothing about scotch tape so it really is a different thread.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Oops. One off on the copy and paste:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=29759410&postcount=295

So this makes me wonder if the common issues could perhaps be with the back of the device. I've seen people with screen warping issues caused by a warped back, and now there's a fix for flickering by modifying the back.
I'm sort of curious to see what switching the back of a flawless device with a device with flickering does.
Edit: I also remember someone saying awhile back that they pushed on a certain part of their device to make the flickering disappear, which makes me even more curious if it's something to do with the back..
Another edit: The device would not flicker when the back was completely removed. Obviously, without the antenna, the signal was very weak, but the flickering would disappear. As soon as I placed the back on again, the flickering returned.

ResistanceDown said:
Does anyone have any information on why this works and if there is any possibility of it messing up the tablet?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Only engineering theory is the antenna is moving the voltage for ground w/ the power surges when it uses full wifi power and this is affecting the ground level for the rest of the tablet including the backlight. By putting the tape there, you're preventing the wifi antenna from affecting ground level, though I don't understand why it doesn't affect wifi power (I'd think that by doing this, you're lowering the transmitting power of the wifi antenna).
Any other EE's confirm this might be what's happening?
Interesting workaround at least...it's basically a hardware version of the software workaround I theorized was possible if they could control the power transmission level of the wifi chip/antenna...

This fix makes the difference, its like night and day... thanks to the op
Sent from my Nexus 7

I decided to go ahead and get a replacement... Call time 3:14 no joke. Super impressed with the service and the process.
Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk 2

Not sure what you're talking about in "disconnecting ground," but the ground plane is pretty important for PFA antenna design. (I'm assuming that's what the N7 has, as there still isn't a good photo of the ants themselves in any of the teardowns.)
BTW, funny, but I made that very same antenna in your pic, along with the PVC pipe cover. Didn't work too well as an omni. I soon ditched the DIY route when I found surplus WISP ants to be much more effective, and less hassle.
BTW, a good read for wifi design is "Antenna Design for Mobile Devices (Wiley 2011)."

ResistanceDown said:
I decided to go ahead and get a replacement... Call time 3:14 no joke. Super impressed with the service and the process.
Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk 2
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm going ahead and doing the same. It does look like modifying the back cover will fix the flickering issues, but after reading a bit on how the ground effects antenna performance, I'm a bit wary about it in the long term. It'd be one thing to just tighten a screw, but to disconnect a wire with a function isn't okay to me.

I've pasted some pages out of the abovementioned wifi design text on the effects of ground plane on mobile antennas. It's probably too technical for many, but you can get the gist, which is that the ground plane is a "big deal" in antenna performance.

My Galaxy Nexus has better GPS accuracy than my Nexus 4

I have my Galaxy Nexus and Nexus 4 phones beside each other on my window at home. Why is it my Galaxy Nexus has superior GPS accuracy than my Nexus 4?
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Because the Samsung made Galaxy Nexus has better access to all the stars in the galaxy allowing it to pinpoint it's location with a higher degree of certainty in regard to it's position relative to the location of other stars in the galaxy.

Are you using different versions of GPS Test on the two devices?

ed10000 said:
Are you using different versions of GPS Test on the two devices?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Even if he was, that wouldn't affect the sat locks

I am using the Pro version on my Nexus 4, and the standard free version on the Galaxy Nexus.

I get 32/32 satellites in orbit with full signal strength while inside my walk-in steal safe with my N4.
Sent from my MB860 using xda app-developers app

Make sure Wi-Fi and Google's location service is enabled in both devices.

overhauling said:
Make sure Wi-Fi and Google's location service is enabled in both devices.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Both of these are enabled on both devices.
Here is another result I did making sure both wifi and googles location service was enabled on both devices.

does GPS work? stop worrying about numbers lol
Sent from my Nexus 4 using xda premium

It most Likely has not synced with all the satellites yet on that zone.
sent via xda premium with nexus 7-Xbox live-loneleppard add me

Hate to burst your bubble, but my $100 Galaxy S Vibrant have better signal than both of your Nexus devices. But seriously, I wouldn't mind seeing results by other Nexus 4 owners. I am more concerned about lock time and the ability to keep a signal while on the the highway.

I didn't use any test apps or anything like that, but in a normal tracking situation - going about 5km by bike - the nexus 4 did a much better job than the galaxy s2 I tried before.
Not only am I getting a gps fix in a matter of seconds, even inside buildings, but the recorded track is also a lot closer to the actual route I took.
Don't forget you also got glonass now, not sure if your tools are taking those into account

eksasol said:
Hate to burst your bubble, but my $100 Galaxy S Vibrant have better signal than both of your Nexus devices. But seriously, so I wouldn't mind seeing results by other Nexus 4 owners. I am more concerned about lock time and the ability to keep a signal while on the the highway.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Galaxy S had one of the worst GPS ever...

The agps of your galaxy nexus is updated and maybe not the one on your nexus 4
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Assisted_GPS
I noticed that in gps.conf they removed ntp servers try adding them
Code:
NTP_SERVER=COUNTRY.pool.ntp.org
NTP_SERVER=0.COUNTRY.pool.ntp.org
NTP_SERVER=1.COUNTRY.pool.ntp.org
NTP_SERVER=2.COUNTRY.pool.ntp.org
NTP_SERVER=3.COUNTRY.pool.ntp.org
NTP_SERVER=0.REGION.pool.ntp.org
NTP_SERVER=1.REGION.pool.ntp.org
NTP_SERVER=2.REGION.pool.ntp.org
NTP_SERVER=3.REGION.pool.ntp.org
I changed nothing:

exadeci said:
The agps of your galaxy nexus is updated and maybe not the one on your nexus 4
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Assisted_GPS
I noticed that in gps.conf they removed ntp servers try adding them
Code:
NTP_SERVER=COUNTRY.pool.ntp.org
NTP_SERVER=0.COUNTRY.pool.ntp.org
NTP_SERVER=1.COUNTRY.pool.ntp.org
NTP_SERVER=2.COUNTRY.pool.ntp.org
NTP_SERVER=3.COUNTRY.pool.ntp.org
NTP_SERVER=0.REGION.pool.ntp.org
NTP_SERVER=1.REGION.pool.ntp.org
NTP_SERVER=2.REGION.pool.ntp.org
NTP_SERVER=3.REGION.pool.ntp.org
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Do I not need root enabled on my device to do that? Also I live In Ireland.

Dannyboyni said:
Do I not need root enabled on my device to do that? Also I live In Ireland.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah you need root, try updating agps in gps test settings if you don't want root

All I care about is getting a lock in a few mins and being able to keep a lock on the satellites while driving.
Have you used it while driving?

Ok I have updated the AGPS within GPS Test. Here are my results now. I am still very disappointed.
I have not tested this while driving just yet. Though I will be using this while on foot mostly, for sports tracking purposes.

So you never tested your gps on real usage and you are very disappointed. First world problems.

juliano_q said:
So you never tested your gps on real usage and you are very disappointed. First world problems.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Tomorrow I will be putting it through extensive google tracks testing. With the nexus 4 in one hand and the galaxy nexus in the other. I will upload the tracks tomorrow to show everyone.

How to really tax your phone.

Took a trip from Houston to corpus Christi. Anyone who's done the trip knows there's little to no cell reception between the two, and if you aren't familiar with where to turn, gps navigation helps.
I had the phone plugged in the whole time, screen on, and navigation going. Battery actually dropped from 90 to 85% during the trip. Phone was very hot. More than 100 degrees easily.
Ended up holding it in front of the ac vent for the rest of the trip once I realized how hot it was getting.
Since I was going down and back up in one day, I had no intention of stopping to I investigate, sorry, but it's worth looking at it every now and then when you're really pushing the phone.
Sent from my Nexus 10 using Tapatalk 4

Runs gps for extended period of time and complains about heat.
Runs screen non-stop and complains about heat.
Uses charger not rated for his phone and complains his battery won't charge and getting hot.
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samagon said:
Took a trip from Houston to corpus Christi. Anyone who's done the trip knows there's little to no cell reception between the two, and if you aren't familiar with where to turn, gps navigation helps.
I had the phone plugged in the whole time, screen on, and navigation going. Battery actually dropped from 90 to 85% during the trip. Phone was very hot. More than 100 degrees easily.
Ended up holding it in front of the ac vent for the rest of the trip once I realized how hot it was getting.
Since I was going down and back up in one day, I had no intention of stopping to I investigate, sorry, but it's worth looking at it every now and then when you're really pushing the phone.
Sent from my Nexus 10 using Tapatalk 4
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Made that trip twice in October, I know what you mean about the reception... Especially with T-Mobile.
I think what you experienced is to be expected though, I'm not sure why you'd need navigation the whole way either as most of the trip is 59 S.
Still though, I'd imagine that this could be duplicated just by playing a game while on the charger. It'd be interesting to see if thermal throttling is as aggressive as the Nexus 4.
Sent from my Nexus 4 using XDA Premium 4 mobile app

designgears said:
Runs gps for extended period of time and complains about heat.
Runs screen non-stop and complains about heat.
Uses charger not rated for his phone and complains his battery won't charge and getting hot.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Not sure I was complaining. Actually, I'm sure I wasn't complaining. I guess it may be easy to expect that considering all the "omg this and that and the other thing sucks about this phone".
On my gnex (which this replaced), the battery would die just from going through spotty cell areas. If I was going from Houston to Waco, and didn't have it on the charger I'd have to shut down the phone for the distance between college station and Waco.
Anyway, just as the gnex was better than my n1 was better than my g1, the n5 is the best phone I've had, I'm not complaining.
Thanks lwfb. on the way back I turned off navigation after Victoria.
Sent from my Nexus 5 using Tapatalk

samagon said:
Not sure I was complaining. Actually, I'm sure I wasn't complaining. I guess it may be easy to expect that considering all the "omg this and that and the other thing sucks about this phone".
On my gnex (which this replaced), the battery would die just from going through spotty cell areas. If I was going from Houston to Waco, and didn't have it on the charger I'd have to shut down the phone for the distance between college station and Waco.
Anyway, just as the gnex was better than my n1 was better than my g1, the n5 is the best phone I've had, I'm not complaining.
Thanks lwfb. on the way back I turned off navigation after Victoria.
Sent from my Nexus 5 using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
First time I drove it by myself I left Houston at 9 PM... I definitely had my navigation going then because after Refugio I had no clue where I was at!
Sent from my Nexus 4 using XDA Premium 4 mobile app

problem with Gps

Hello
I have i problem with GPS, its take TOOOOO long time just saying SEARCHING FOR GPS. Its take up to 15 minutes i got this problem with all 4.3 stock and based on stock roms
It was fine on 4.2.2
Any help?

Here the same... Sometimes only gps out/on helps..
send from SXZ_eXistenZ_v.6_locked

I would like to have glonass....
send from SXZ_eXistenZ_v.6_locked

noahking said:
I would like to have glonass....
send from SXZ_eXistenZ_v.6_locked
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The Z does have glonass capabilities.
Source.
Sent from my C6603 using Tapatalk

Only few, in austria we dont have glonass within....
Germany also....
send from SXZ_eXistenZ_v.6_locked

noahking said:
Only few, in austria we dont have glonass within....
Germany also....
send from SXZ_eXistenZ_v.6_locked
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Glonass is a worldwide network of satellites, the same as GPS. You can access it anywhere.
Unless you somehow mean that you're not permitted to use it in those countries, in which case I would like a link to somewhere that says that, as I'm unable to find information on any such restrictions.
Sent from my C6603 using Tapatalk

http://developer.sonymobile.com/products/phones/specification/xperiaz/
“* This feature is not available in all markets“
At the end of this site...
send from SXZ_eXistenZ_v.6_locked

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/GLONASS
The GLONASS system covers 100% of worldwide territory.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sent from my C6603 using Tapatalk

I was talking about the phone...
Mine (and every XZ in AT or DE) don't have glonass support..
Of course i know what glonass is... And that its all around earth..
Sry for my bad english...
send from SXZ_eXistenZ_v.6_locked

noahking said:
I was talking about the phone...
Mine (and every XZ in AT or DE) don't have glonass support..
Of course i know what glonass is... And that its all around earth..
Sry for my bad english...
send from SXZ_eXistenZ_v.6_locked
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I already asked this, but can you link to somewhere that specifically says Austria and Germany don't have access and explains why? Purely because I'm interested.
It would be surprising if they produced a model without the necessary hardware just for those 2 countries.
Edit - I had a play around and I initially didn't have Glonass satellites when getting a lock. I hadn't actually checked before and just assumed it worked as the Snapdragon S4 Pro definitely has the capability.
You can see on the map view with GPS test if you have Glonass satellites available. They show as triangles.
I used Faster GPS (requires root) to set the correct region and ntp server and then had Glonass satellites available. Might be worth trying that to see if it helps you.
Screenshot showing GPS and GLONASS satellites in the GPS Test app.
http://i.imgur.com/Ys3DU1N.jpg
This might also help the OP with his problems getting a lock.
Sent from my C6603 using Tapatalk

I tried with "gps test" and i actually can see glonass satellites....
But dont get a fix on them...
Hmmm...
Dont know...
send from SXZ_eXistenZ_v.6_locked
---------- Post added at 09:52 PM ---------- Previous post was at 09:47 PM ----------
And i don't have something in settings for glonass...
I think in case of using glonass i should, didn't i?
send from SXZ_eXistenZ_v.6_locked

I think the GLONASS receiver is only activated in situations where it's not possible to get a lock with GPS alone.
The Sony site I linked to before has this to say -
To save power, the GLONASS receiver is only activated in problematic locations, such as in an urban environment with high rise buildings. Therefore, if you are in an open sky environment where there are enough GPS satellites available to calculate a good accuracy position, GLONASS will automatically be switched off temporarily to enhance the battery lifetime.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sent from my C6603 using Tapatalk

The thing is... I am in some building at the moment, and of course gps is bad,...
But it don't try to lock on glonass... It actually never does...
Stupid thing...
And last but not least:
In the software from Z1 and Z2 there is an setting for glonass.
In XZ there isn't....
I don't know..... Strange thing...
But thanks for help..
send from SXZ_eXistenZ_v.6_locked
Ok, i tried around a bit, and it seems to really change to some glonass sats if there are to less gps ones,
It was looking to me like it doesn't cause most apps only show the gps ones and in settings only is a setting for gps... What use to mean both modes in one function... I think..
However, it is not changing the modes (gps or glonass), but take by bad connection some of both the same time...
As seen in the gps-test tool....
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Google Map random rerouting

Has anyone had Google maps reroute them mid-route without telling them?
I will try to explain what I mean as clear as possible. Sorry for the long post.
Last weekend I went on a trip from Illinois to Kentucky. I have made this trip a few times so I have somewhat of an idea where I'm going but I like to use google maps to remind me where the exits are etc...the exit I wanted, and what maps has always used to direct me to was the Leestown exit (the place I was going was just off of Leestown Rd...Anyway, it wanted me to get off at an exit like 5 miles before there, so I drove on by since I was pretty sure that wasnt the correct exit...then it wanted me to get off at the next exit...I decided to listen to maps this time and took the exit...It ended up taking me way out in the country with basicly 1 lane roads until it finally took me back to Leestown road...Where I should have been in the first place. There was some construction, but no stoppage on the road at all.
Then next time was when I was leaving. I decided I wanted to go from Lexington KY, and go up to Cincinnati, OH, then Indianapolis, then Champaign, Il to get home. That was one of the 3 routes it offered me when I put in my home address to get home. The "faster route" was through Louisville, KY vs Cincinnati, but Louisville had many areas that were under construction and they tend to have worse traffic.
No matter how many times I would tell it to take the route through Cincinnati, it would always default back to Louisville. I finally just told it to take me to Cincinnati vs home...Once I was on my way to Cincinnati, I told it to route me home via Indianapolis, then Champaign IL. using the interstate...That was the route it suggested. It took me to Indianapolis, but then decided to take me off the highway and onto 2 lane highways the rest of the way.
I could not get it to stick to the original route no matter what I tried. Avoidances were all turned off. It was incredibly annoying and ended up wasting a lot of extra time.
Has anyone ever experienced this? I am on Maps V 8.0.0
Green is what I wanted, Red is what Maps kept re-routing to, and blue is what path it ended up taking me.
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I have seen some random things but not quite that bad. When I drove a lot for work a TomTom was more reliable than any phone navigation app.

My biggest gripe is that as I'm driving it DOESN'T update the route enough. I see pop-up boxes that say "6 MIN FASTER" if I take a different exit/etc. Uh, why isn't the program telling me to take that route? I find myself constantly looking down at the screen during my morning commute to get there faster. Previously, it would just randomly tell me where to go and re-route -- but with much less information. You're almost there Google... almost!

I had another instance of it happening again on Monday when I drove to St. Louis for work...I was driving from Decatur, Il; So I take I72 west to Springfield, then take I55 South toward STL, then I270 into STL (my destination was right next to the airport)...I was about 9 miles from the 270 exit when it suddenly told me to stay on I55 for another 19 miles which took me right into the heart of STL...which is way south of the airport.
UPDATED OP WITH MAP
Heres a pic of what it did...disregard my poor drawing skills.

I'm definitely having the same problem with Google Maps v 8.1.0. It rerouted on a trip from Vermont to Indiana last week and screwed me up since I wasn't watching for it. Today, on the return trip it has already rerouted to a slower route 3 times on my Note 2. Perhaps Google hired some former Apple Maps programmers on the cheap? It makes the app unreliable and sort of useless.
Sent from my SCH-I605 using Tapatalk

toroco said:
I'm definitely having the same problem with Google Maps v 8.1.0. It rerouted on a trip from Vermont to Indiana last week and screwed me up since I wasn't watching for it. Today, on the return trip it has already rerouted to a slower route 3 times on my Note 2. Perhaps Google hired some former Apple Maps programmers on the cheap? It makes the app unreliable and sort of useless.
Sent from my SCH-I605 using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Kinda glad I'm not the only one. At first I thought it was trying to re-route for traffic or construction, but neither route to STL had any major construction or traffic. It actually took me back via 270...Very fustrating

Same here as well.
Randomly told me to turn round and take a different motorway which would take an hour longer. Also re routed me off the main road to get to my destination via some back roads which would take 40 mins longer :silly:

For me, the strange routing started happening more with this latest update that included the little "5 MIN FASTER" stuff. Is that the case with y'all?

ScrapMaker said:
For me, the strange routing started happening more with this latest update that included the little "5 MIN FASTER" stuff. Is that the case with y'all?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yep

I drove up and down the east coast the past couple weeks and had GM do this fairly persistently. Luckily I knew where I was going so I called BS on it when it rerouted me a way I knew to be longer. It seems like it isn't aware of all the connections between streets and routes around them. Ironically for the routes that it did route fine, the ETA values were spot on, even accounting for traffic conditions (for 10+ hour drives).

Yes! Same here. You're supposed to be able to deny Google Maps/Navigatoin from rerouting you if you don't want it to.
I don't know why the Moto X doesn't allow this option. It automatically reroutes you based on traffic and it's annoying because sometimes you want to stay on the main road or highway regardless.
Has anyone figured this out yet?

Also, this.

My solution works great http://forum.xda-developers.com/moto-x/general/google-maps-version-6-14-3-runs-moto-x-t2785516