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After the replacing of my X1's housing with the new one in the SE Service center I went home gladly with my new X1 housing. I noticed there's an error in signal in my X1 when I was checking my phone at the SE center.. But I thought it was maybe due to poor reception thus I neglected it. (the officer in the SESC say so)
Now I know that there's some new problem arise.. Any idea what might cause this error? the phone can read the Sim card but there is no signal (no connection, no call or no data can be made). i try to check the antenna module, but it seem to be OK (i did not see any problem on it).
the next day i came to the SE center, they said it might be something wrong with the software (since i am used using cooked rom) how come it can make any different while i'm using it before i replace the housing. and they have to take it into the HQ. and guess what, it may take another 6-7 week... WTF
is there anyone having the same problem with me?
Well if you have the tools, you can try openingu p the bottom cover, that little rubber thing where it has the mini sony ericsson logo. Open that rubber up, and you should see a mini screw in the middle, open that up take it out, maybe just give it a quick clean, fit it back properly, and make sure everything is tight and see how that works out.
I've seen/heard a few people having such issue when taking the housing off, and not placing that radio/reception thingy back properly, therefore causing issues with reception.
briian_ said:
Well if you have the tools, you can try openingu p the bottom cover, that little rubber thing where it has the mini sony ericsson logo. Open that rubber up, and you should see a mini screw in the middle, open that up take it out, maybe just give it a quick clean, fit it back properly, and make sure everything is tight and see how that works out.
I've seen/heard a few people having such issue when taking the housing off, and not placing that radio/reception thingy back properly, therefore causing issues with reception.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I did it twice, just to make it sure that everything was on their place, also try to flash the ROM, The Radio but still remain the same....
any other suggestion or idea what should I do?
Same problem!
I had disassembled my phone by myself twice; the first time it worked perfectly, the second, unfortunately, it didn't!
I bought a new antenna module for U.S. $10, installed it myself (warranty ended three months ago), walked out of the service centre and voila; I had reception and managed to make a few calls. However, on the way back home, all calls placed while driving dropped every 5km, which means the hand-over between cell towers was failing. The moment I walked home it was dead; no reception whatsoever indoors.
Now the way I see it, this could be due to one of the following two reasons: either the RF power amp failed, which means that most probably the phone needs a new main board (too expensive, not worth it) or something went wrong during the assembly, like the smearing of a sensitive part by skin oil (thus causing a short circuit) or failure to position a connector or multiple ones to connect properly to their respective terminals/connection points.
Upon further investigation, I noticed that my phone wasn't properly grounded; whenever I connected it to a computer to sync using ActivSync or in disk drive mode, I got a small electrical shock (painful though) whenever I touched the phone. This, however, doesn't occur at all when I connect the phone to the wall charger. I disabled USB charging since day 1 of owning my X1i
I believe that the battery cover acts as a ground for the phone electronics; it touches four golden connectors which in turn touch the mini USB port, the GPS/Wi-Fi/Bluetooth antenna, a point on the main board half an inch away from where the loudspeaker is, and the metallic cover placed over the phone RF chips. Failure to ground the phone properly can result in either damaging any of these chips, building up a static charge that affects the antenna performance, or an open-circuit condition for one of the many systems on board.
Since my phone is fully working as a PPC now (PPC functions, Panels, Keyboard, Camera, GPS, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, etc...) and since I get reception outdoors, and since I have a brand new antenna module, I am guessing that either the RF amplifier is dead, or the housing is ****ed up beyond repair (i.e. it can't be aligned perfectly to get perfect contact on all said points) that it's either shorting a connection, or opening one that is vital for the cellular radio to function properly.
So what to do? Well I forced my phone to do two things:
1. Settings > Phone > Band
- Network type: I chose GSM instead of Auto, as we don't have consumer CDMA in Egypt
- GSM/UMTS Band: I chose the correct band for my provider instead of Auto.
2. Settings > Connections > Advanced Network > Disabled HSDAP
What happened? It worked indoors for a minute, and then stopped working again! Frustrating! So what did I do? I ordered a completely new housing off CNN and will attempt to rebuild the damned thing.
I will update you if I find out anything or reach any results with this phone that I love so much and hate more than anything I have ever hated in my life...
More info!
- During the drive mentioned above, the phone was switching between H, E and G, which means that all three RF chips are, or all components of the whole RF chip if it's one responsible, are working. At one point I got 4 bars of H and call quality was perfect between hand-over failures.
- Before disassembling my phone for the second time, people were complaining about high-pitched static; it can blamed over the mic, the RF (antenna or chip) or humidity levels (which are currently as high as 85%) affecting cellular communication channels.
- Flashing the firmware (R3A Generic UK) and hard-reseting didn't solve the problem.
More Info!
- The battery cover isn't the phone's ground; it's grounded by being connected to four ground points: the mini USB port metallic frame, the GPS/Wi-Fi/Bluetooth antenna ground, a ground point on the main board and the metallic cover over the sensitive RF chips.
- This is definitely an assembly problem. The reception is great outdoors switching between all bands and speeds. On my drive to work today it worked getting G, E, 3G and H all in 4 bars. The signal, however, is completely unstable, jumping from one speed to another. I am more inclinded now to believe that a new housing will fix this problem. Your housing was probably handled poorly at the service centre, which in turn caused this problem.
My advice is to shake them a little bit and see what they will do.
A New Housing didn't fix it!
I purchased a new housing from CNN. It came in good condition. The phone looks brand new now but still no signal. I am sending it in for service. I guess I blew up my Power Amplifiers...
Good luck mate!
melaskalany said:
I purchased a new housing from CNN. It came in good condition. The phone looks brand new now but still no signal. I am sending it in for service. I guess I blew up my Power Amplifiers...
Good luck mate!
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Click to collapse
Same problem haa...
I still waiting for a good news from the service center... I have been waiting for a month..
I wish You a good luck too...
I'm having the same problem. I opened up my phone a few days ago to clean the keyboard. The bottom row wasn't working correctly. Unfortunately after I closed it up again, it wouldn't get any reception (and the keyboard's bottom row was still not working correctly).
So I figured it was the antenna and tried to reposition it. I even removed the rubber layer as described here: http://blog.whitesites.com/How-to-Increase-Reception-on-Sony-Xperia-X1__633958291637656250_blog.htm
Outside I get ok reception, but it's far from stable, inside I get none. And even if I get reception inside, once I pick up the phone, signal drops. So I thought about grounding as well, problem is I even tried rubber gloves and that doesn't solve the problem. I'm afraid replacing the antenna's won't help here and my xperia is dead. Anyone has any other ideas?
Been there too!
I tried the same solution the blog explained. However, I ended up not getting any signal at all. It's only after I purchased a new cellular antenna+buzzer module that the phone started getting an unstable signal outdoors.
Did you notice any small pieces falling off the main board or the housing? It's either a hardware failure or a simple short/open circuit situation that can be fixed in a blink of an eye!
Question
Is there any possible way, hardware or software, to test whether all chips on the main board function properly? I tried the diagnosis tool available here but it doesn't check the chips one by one.
Service Centre
I took my phone to the service centre 6 hours ago. With the new housing on, and new screws that I scored from a secret source of mine, they deemed the phone untouched and serviceable; i.e. it passed for a phone that hasn't been tampered with!
They told me to call back in four days. I will keep you guys updated. Cheers!
I wonder if that'll fix it So to summarize you have:
- new housing
- new screws
- new vibramotor
- new antenna
And those things twice and that fixed it maybe?
I guess it's time for a new phone for me
Vibramotor?
Who said anything about changing the vibration motor? I installed a new antenna + buzzer module; i.e. a new cellular antenna and a new loud speaker (external speaker). The loud speaker is housed within the antenna module. My bad, maybe that part was vague because I never explained it enough.
And yes, it has a brand new housing too. I only installed the lower part though, as the upper part is just fine. Maybe they will fix it man; maybe they won’t I really don't know. I do hope they will fix it though.
I am currently using a backup cheap Nokia and ordered the Sony Ericsson Aspen. If they ever fix my X1 then I can change seamlessly between both phones. If not, then I will just use my X1 as a media/GPS device in my car and an Internet device over Wi-Fi.
Lucky you..... if they can fix yours in a few day... since mine has been in the service centre more than a month, without any news...
they said to me that it will take about 6 week...
What a joke!
The phone remained at the service centre for a week. They called me yesterday, and told me that the phone was fixed and that the total cost was EGP 100 (~U.S. $18). I went over and as soon as I held the phone in my hand to test it, it lost the cellular signal. When placed on the counter, the phone had a constant E signal.
I asked to speak to the manager, who told me that they just reflashed the phone with the latest firmware (Generic UK R3A, which I already had installed). Oh, and before that, he said he was sorry but the phone had a hardware problem and that they don't fix hardware; they only flash firmwares and if that doesn't fix the phone, then the user is pretty much on his own! I refused to receive the phone, so he gave me a refund for my money and promised to have its hardware checked and get back to me in 24 hours!
What a joke, what an f'ing joke! I already regret ordering the Aspen that is due to arrive next week with a friend of mine returning from Paris...
melaskalany said:
The phone remained at the service centre for a week. They called me yesterday, and told me that the phone was fixed and that the total cost was EGP 100 (~U.S. $18). I went over and as soon as I held the phone in my hand to test it, it lost the cellular signal. When placed on the counter, the phone had a constant E signal.
I asked to speak to the manager, who told me that they just reflashed the phone with the latest firmware (Generic UK R3A, which I already had installed). Oh, and before that, he said he was sorry but the phone had a hardware problem and that they don't fix hardware; they only flash firmwares and if that doesn't fix the phone, then the user is pretty much on his own! I refused to receive the phone, so he gave me a refund for my money and promised to have its hardware checked and get back to me in 24 hours!
What a joke, what an f'ing joke! I already regret ordering the Aspen that is due to arrive next week with a friend of mine returning from Paris...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
OMG...
I do hope that you will get the good news next...
Bad News!
Deep breath... Ok!
Here is the deal: the service centre officially announced that the fault lies within the Mainboard; i.e. my guess that the Radio Frequency (RF) Power Amplifier Chip is toast was correct. They want to charge 90% of the phone's original retail price (which was EGP 4000 = U.S. $700) for a new Mainboard. I replied that that was impossible. They will contact SE's HQ and get back to me on Saturday to see if they can offer any other alternatives.
I guess that is the end of my ride with the X1. I will sorely miss it; it was a great phone while it lasted. Let's hope that the Aspen won't die on me in a year as well...
Today I went to the AT&T store to complain about the GPS issues on the Captivate. The associate (after looking the device over), gave me a flier/form and told me to take the phone to the local AT&T warranty center. The flier seems to indicate that the warranty center folks would either fix the issue or replace the device if they agree that my phone has an issue and is not (water) damaged etc.
Anybody have any experience with this?
I don't have any experience while owning a Captivate and going to the Warranty Center...
But when I had my Samsung Impression, and the phone display (it was a touchscreen with a slideout keyboard) completely stopped working, it wouldn't register any touch at all, I took it to them, they turned it on, tested that it truly didn't work, and they gave me a new phone (might have been refurbished) on the spot. Walked out with a smile on my face and went on with my day.
Same experience with two LG Xenons with bubbles under the screen. On the spot replacement within 10 minutes after they verified that the moisture sensor was clear.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I897 using XDA App
Refurbished phones are the replacement. Very easy to deal with.
I had the same thing with my wife's Bold - warranty center didn't really try to fix it, just did the replacement. You have to make sure to do the data wipe before the exchange, and they can't do much in terms of data transfer. Process itself is very quick and straight-forward.
For my captivate GPS I just did a mail replacement. Gives me the time to swap everything at home with no pressure.
Funny you should ask. I'm currently dealing with a warranty exchange via phone and mail. I called customer support and told them about the random shutdown issue. They transferred me to the "Android" department. The Android department has heard about this so-called random shutdown issue so they sent me a replacement (refurb) phone after asking me questions like "Has your phone ever been dropped?" "Are there any damages to the screen?" "There is a square sticker right next to the 3 golden battery connector prongs. What color is it?" (FYI. If your phone gets wet, that white square will turn to a different color! Mine is still white. Never been in water. Anyway...)
They sent me the phone yesterday and today I turned it on. There was a new problem. It randomly takes me back to the Home screen when I'm just casually browsing the web, flipping through my apps, etc. It doesn't force close the app or system that I'm on. I just boots me out of whatever I'm doing and shows me the Home screen. So, I called to tell them about this problem. It is now in a box that it originally came in and it's waiting to be shipped out. They will give me another Captivate in the mail by Friday.
jaykishora said:
Today I went to the AT&T store to complain about the GPS issues on the Captivate. The associate (after looking the device over), gave me a flier/form and told me to take the phone to the local AT&T warranty center. The flier seems to indicate that the warranty center folks would either fix the issue or replace the device if they agree that my phone has an issue and is not (water) damaged etc.
Anybody have any experience with this?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The Warranty Repair Center in my town doesn't stock Captivates. They'll take a look at the phone to see if it was damaged or submerged, then tell you to call the 800 number. Or, you can skip driving in to a warranty center and just call the 800 number. The people there will talk you through some basic troubleshooting, then ship you a replacement (ground is standard, you can pay for an upgrade to overnight). You have 10 days after that to return your phone.
As for your GPS problems.... if you've upgraded to JH7 and can get a solid lock out in the open under a clear sky, well... Sorry to disappoint, but your replacement phone is probably going to have just as many problems with the GPS. I do (and I'm on my 4th Captivate), so do 7 of my friends and coworkers who have Captivates, and so do about 90% or more of the people reporting on the forums.
According to AT&T and Samsung, the JH7 update 'addressed the GPS issues'. And it did make it better... Before, it would just about never lock on. Now I can usually get a lock within 10~20 seconds and it'll show me where I should be.... until I go for a drive.
The test is this: install My Tracks and go for a drive around town. Once you're done, take a look at your track.
If you've got a softtop convertable or a fiberglass roof, you're good.
If you've got the phone far forward on the dash and have a large, steeply raked windshield, you're good.
If you've got a large sunroof, you might be good.
Otherwise, you're stuck with a measured 50m~100m accuracy (it reports 15m~30m, but don't believe it) if you can even maintain lock.
Good luck!
RexEscape said:
Funny you should ask. I'm currently dealing with a warranty exchange via phone and mail. I called customer support and told them about the random shutdown issue. They transferred me to the "Android" department. The Android department has heard about this so-called random shutdown issue so they sent me a replacement (refurb) phone after asking me questions like "Has your phone ever been dropped?" "Are there any damages to the screen?" "There is a square sticker right next to the 3 golden battery connector prongs. What color is it?" (FYI. If your phone gets wet, that white square will turn to a different color! Mine is still white. Never been in water. Anyway...)
They sent me the phone yesterday and today I turned it on. There was a new problem. It randomly takes me back to the Home screen when I'm just casually browsing the web, flipping through my apps, etc. It doesn't force close the app or system that I'm on. I just boots me out of whatever I'm doing and shows me the Home screen. So, I called to tell them about this problem. It is now in a box that it originally came in and it's waiting to be shipped out. They will give me another Captivate in the mail by Friday.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Mine was doing this too. I disabled plugins and a problematic page would render. Might be something to try just for the heck of it.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I897 using XDA App
Very easy to deal with IMO. I am on my 3rd captivate.
1st one experienced random shutdowns, 2 days later received second one in mail and wouldn't get any network signal, 2 days later my 3rd and hopefully last captivate was on my doorstep.
All you have to do is send in your old unit. I was satisfied with the android people over at ATT.
Dealing with AT&T is MUCH more pleasant then dealing with Samsung for your warranty support. They're quick, they're nice, and they get you in and out in about 30 minutes.
z28james said:
Mine was doing this too. I disabled plugins and a problematic page would render. Might be something to try just for the heck of it.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I897 using XDA App
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah, I don't think it's that. It wasn't just on the Browser. It was also doing it while I was just flipping through the apps or reading an email using the stock email, or SMS, or looking at Settings. Anything I was on, it booted me out and took me to the Home screen. I returned it. I'm getting my 5th Cap today.
Thanks for all the replies. I'll post my experience if it turns out to be any special or interesting.
One other question. My phone is currently rooted. Should I spend effort unrooting it or it should be fine?
Unroot it and/or flash it back to original JF6 using ODIN One-click. If you've installed Froyo, do a Master Reset so it'll delete traces of 2.2 folders and whatnot. Backup first!
Pleasant experience
I went to the AT&T warranty center last weekend and was in and out of the store in less than 10 minutes with a new Captivate in hand. It was an extremely pleasant experience.
Just want to say that this replacement device (new and not refurbished) locks the GPS in about 10 sec inside the car and even faster under the sky and remains spot on. This leads me to believe that it may be some batches of device with buggy hardware with GPS issues.
Thanks
100% of the phones you get at the device support centers are refurbished sport. I'm a manager at one. If they told you it was new you have been whamboozled
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I897 using XDA App
RexEscape said:
Unroot it and/or flash it back to original JF6 using ODIN One-click. If you've installed Froyo, do a Master Reset so it'll delete traces of 2.2 folders and whatnot. Backup first!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm a manager at one of the at&t device support centers. Odin one click flash to original software is the only way to pass our inspections. We're not dumb. We can see if you've monkeyed with it in exactly 3 clicks
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I897 using XDA App
Walked in, gave them a Captivate that refused to charge, boot, or respond in any way, walked out with one that works.
Took maybe 30 minutes tops.
danalo1979 said:
100% of the phones you get at the device support centers are refurbished sport. I'm a manager at one. If they told you it was new you have been whamboozled
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I897 using XDA App
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
When I asked specifically whether the device was refurbished, I was told that it was new unit, as the refurb units have some red sticker on the device (when you take the battery out). Either way it does not matter to me as this unit works perfectly including the GPS.
jaykishora said:
When I asked specifically whether the device was refurbished, I was told that it was new unit, as the refurb units have some red sticker on the device (when you take the battery out). Either way it does not matter to me as this unit works perfectly including the GPS.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Looks like you were lied to.
Unless if you were still under your 30 days, which would put you under the buyer's remorse program [completely apart from Warranty], then you'd be receiving a new model.
+ most Warranty Captivates are affected by the random shutdown issue, as they aren't scrapped if they're under the affected IMEI range.
You're using a refurbished Captivate, all in all.
My first phone was rooted and then the random crashes started. It got so bad I couldnt turn the phone on unless I did a battery pull then with the charger plugged in and finger banging and milking a cow at the same time.
I finally got it into download mode and went back to stock. I went to the tech center explained what happened and she replaced it right on the spot and gave me a NEW phone, battery and charger. BUT she gave me my old battery cover. :-(
Sent from my Captivate.
I have no idea what's happened but the screen on my Z is completely unviewable. Was in my pocket, got a text took it out and it's dark (backlit making it appear grey) but with lines moving all over the place. Every now and then I get a brief glimpse of my home screen but then it disappears. The phone itself appears to be working but I can't see anything at all on the screen.
I've tried a reset (pressing vol+ and power button) but same issue right from the start (even on boot the sony logo appears as lines all over the place).
I suspect it's a hardware issue and i'll have to take it back but any thoughts before I go down that route?
Phones4U are going to do an exchange for me so problem solved but it does make me nervous about any future problems. Not even a month old yet and it's not like i've been throwing it around.
PHTC said:
Phones4U are going to do an exchange for me so problem solved but it does make me nervous about any future problems. Not even a month old yet and it's not like i've been throwing it around.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I do understand. We have to accept though that every devise we purchase there is always going to be some that are faulty. When it happens to us we tend to think its a devise problem that affects the whole range. Some people actually decide not to purchase that brand again meaning from phone to TV etc?
I am an Asus fan yet the hell I had with their range of tablets could have turned me against the brand. It didn't I own some very good Asus products.
These forums tend to be negative places as an awful lot of members only join a forum because they develop a problem. If we read every thread published here it would be impossible to purchase any phone from any brand as every single one of them has some problems.
You must, obviously, return your phone for an exchange. I hope all goes well with your replacement. It should be fine.
My M9 won't auto rotate the screen any more. Tried reboot. Toggling the setting, tried calibrating the g-sensor in display settings. When calibrating, the vertical level moves, but the horizontal does not budge. If I open G maps, right away it asks me if I meant to shake my device, and therefore initiate "feedback". I didn't even move the phone at ALL.
I am stock and havent had the phone past 30 days. Any ideas before I head back to T-Mobile?
Pretty much same thing happening to me, I work as a tech for Sprint and I noticed none of my motion launch gestures working. Co worker told me to run the hardware diagnostics, G-sensor failed. No motion gestures work, screen orientation doesn't change, nada. About to order a replacement device, but facing the dilemma of having a brand new phone <30 days owned, and having to order a refurb device. Kinda bummed.
Same issue, Have had my VZ M9 for 6 weeks. While i was using it, no less, G sensor failed, no rotate. Tried everything i can find to fix including resets of G-Sensor, recalibrate on board diagnostics, Boot to bootloader and reset to factory( complete wipe). etc...
Called HTS tech support. they took my info and said a supervisor would call back, never did. called back and online tech "could not contact supervisor" said my only warranty options were replace with refurb in 10-20 days after they receive my bad one, or have $500 hold on credit card for advanced replacement MINUS CHARGES FOR REPAIR or REPLACE, AT THEIR DISCRETION, WITH NO CHALLENGE BY ME.
So basically tough luck too bad so sad..Refurb with 90 day warranty or nothing.
UH OH policy only counts for "damaged" phone, not warranty issues...
caveat emptor..
Anyone having the issue where half your screen turns to a rainbow colored snow pattern like an old TV? (vertical, right half) It seems to be an overlay and recognizes the touches underneath, but it won't go away. I've seen others with this issue on other forums, but I don't believe I've seen this here yet. Not sure what' going on. I have just filled out a support request with LG. The only fix available right now is to exchange the phone it seems.
Yes this is a common problem and the theory is that there is a batch of phones from when the phone first came out that is bad(and some of those may still be out there too)
http://forum.xda-developers.com/sprint-g4/general/garbled-screen-issues-t3181507
If you have a Sprint repair store near you you can try to attempt to have them replace the phone. It might take some convincing. However, there is a couple problem going that route. 1.) They may try to charge you a deductible (if you even have TEP) DO NOT DO IT... this is a warranty issue and not insurance. 2.) The phone they swap may be part of the bad batch and there is no way to know so this problem may pop up for you in a month or two.
The only good thing about the sprint repair way is you don't lose your phone as it is replaced right away. The better route to take is to claim warranty with LG. They should send you a new phone but it seems they claim to only fix phones and don't replace them. However, people have already gotten replaced phones so they do replace them as well as fix. The only risk with going that route is they just re-flash your phone and send it back and the problem will still be there as the phone needs to be replaced. However, from the couple of people that went this route it seems they are actually replacing so it sounds promising. Biggest problem is you don't have a phone for a week or two.