Aluminium back cover - Xperia Z4/Z3+ Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting

Hello everyone, thanks for checking out my thread :good:
As you all know, our beloved Xperia Z4 tend to heat up when doing some "intensive" work. Sure, I can live with the phone closing YouTube when it gets too hot, but the Camera app closes after taking a Full HD video for two minutes. It's quite frustrating, especially when recording a concert. That's two minutes of video and 6 minutes of cooldown.
On the other side, I just replaced my rear camera after it died from a drop. The technician glued the back cover, but I noticed that the glue was a mess and the back cover wasn't aligned properly, causing the left side of the panel to sink in. I asked other technicians if they can redo the job. However, they said maybe and no, because the back cover might crack, due to the left side sinked in.
Now, since the SoC heats up easily, and the back cover might get cracked, I waa thinking of designing a back cover made of aluminium. Basically it will act as a heatsink for the SoC while also acting as a normal back cover.
I already considered a few problems that might happen, like removing the back cover (since I believe anodized aluminium will be slippery) or making custom lenses and rubber rings for the camera and flash LED, but I wanted to know, what do you guys think? Is it a good idea?

I have bought an aluminium back cover from Aliexpress but could not test it to change of season (winter) during long delivery time.
Presently I am using a hard thick plastic back cover which stops heat reaching mu fingers and major heat dissipation is through screen only. Since I don't feel heat so I am not much worried. My phone is rooted and I am using thermal xposed module which keeps everything working in all seasons (phone has to die one day anyway).
I sometimes think of using thermal paste between the chip and phone's glass back cover but never tried it.

waseemakhtar said:
I have bought an aluminium back cover from Aliexpress but could not test it to change of season (winter) during long delivery time.
Presently I am using a hard thick plastic back cover which stops heat reaching mu fingers and major heat dissipation is through screen only. Since I don't feel heat so I am not much worried. My phone is rooted and I am using thermal xposed module which keeps everything working in all seasons (phone has to die one day anyway).
I sometimes think of using thermal paste between the chip and phone's glass back cover but never tried it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Late answer, but I am going to try adding extra cooling on the Z4 by adding a custom copper sheet inside with some thermal paste and replacing the thermal pad on the screen side.

Related

[Q] display problems - mechanically loose display

A few month ago i got the Nexus S and was realy happy (still am) with it. A few days ago i noticed the top part of my display (actually the glass which is the front part of the phone) was raised a bit. Compared to the rim the display is raised by ~0.2-0.3mm. If i press the display if sticks back but the adhesive between the glass and the rim only holds for a few minutes and then the sceen comes off again.
I took the phone appart (yeah, warranty gone but i couldn't help it... ) and replaced the adhesive (actually there are 2 adhesive films - one part on the phone's rim and the other part on the glass) the adhesive seemed pretty strong - similar to the new one i've used. Now as strange as it sound the new adhesive didn't help a lot as the issue still remains. As i've seen i'm the only one having this issue, or am i not?!?!! Anyways i'd like to hear Your suggestions on fixing this.
One option would be to heat the glass with a hair dryer or heat gun to warm up the adhesive and then use a clamp or something to provide pressure and reattach both sides.
You might want to separate the display from the motherboard before you do this as I'm not sure how well the motherboard reacts to that amount of heat.
Note that the glass is actually adhered to the digitizer (sensor pad) which is adhered to the display frame. I'm not sure which adhesive is loose in your case but you want to make sure they all fit together in the end.

[Q] Improving waterproofness

So I got my new Z3C and was thinking: what if we can make flaps and audio port more waterproof?
Doing pressure sensor test I get reading around 1000 and it's increasing by about 30-40 when I press against screen with closed flaps. But it normalizes after 1-2 seconds and goes back to initial reading meaning tiny amount of air escapes. Does it mean my phone is not totally waterproof? Don't know.
Since this phone is just fresh-water proof (meaning no using in pool or sea) and I really want to use it worry-free in all kind of water that I dare to go in myself I really want to improve waterproofness.
I'm not worried about front and back since glass should be all.kind-of-things-proof. This leaves sd card and sim card covers, audio jack, mic holes and speakers.
So what I thought of was to "grease" flaps' rubber o-rings with rubber compatible oil/grease to make better contact with phone body or use some kind of silicone spread around rubber contact area before closing flaps to have semi-permanent seal and be still able to open and scrub extra stuff off without doing much damage.
For audio jack I thought to make some kind of plug - like pressy button but with a bit bigger "head" that has soft sticky rubber underneath so when pressed in it makes a seal with the edge of audio jack or even plug that is covered with silicone all the way.
Speakers and mic holes could be protected with bits of strong adhesive tape - it's easy to get sticky stuff off the glass and it'll be possible to hear some sound even with speakers covered. Not sure about mic holes because side plastic has matte finish but some strong adhesive should still stick?
So the question - has anyone tried something remotely related? Is it thinkable? Have I missed anything important? What materials (grease, silicone) should I use?
If anyone has done something similar? Probably... But no one ever posted about it on this forum. You can use the phone in the sea and swimming pool, as long as you rinse the phone afterwards. As for modifying the phone, I wouldn't do it. It might cause you to lose your warranty.
In terms of waterproofing the phone even more, I'd look at waterproof cases made for other phones with almost similar dimensions and see if you can do something about the case instead.
Sent from my D5803
Dsteppa said:
You can use the phone in the sea and swimming pool, as long as you rinse the phone afterwards. As for modifying the phone, I wouldn't do it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Plenty of stories of people going in the water, damaging their phone and fighting with sony about warranty.
It's hardly modifying, adhesive sticker on glass is easily removed and thin film of silicone should be also easily removable.
Dsteppa said:
It might cause you to lose your warranty.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah... getting water inside causes that too.
Dsteppa said:
In terms of waterproofing the phone even more, I'd look at waterproof cases made for other phones with almost similar dimensions and see if you can do something about the case instead.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That's the option. But I haven't seen any slim waterproof case that could be comfortably used all the time.
Anyway, curiosity is strong and I'll most likely try different options.
PS. can someone test pressure sensor - is reading staying high when screen is pressed or it fades back to normal with all covers closed?
I've just used mine in pool all weekends since I bought it without any issue and even without afraid of doing that! The same with my wife's Z1!
And I'm contantly opening/closing its usb port due my xposed modules development (debugging purposes)! Maybe some unlucky day I will screw it... who knows!
Ofc we always need to be sure all ports are properly closed before going to have fun!
kalamees1 said:
Plenty of stories of people going in the water, damaging their phone and fighting with sony about warranty.
It's hardly modifying, adhesive sticker on glass is easily removed and thin film of silicone should be also easily removable.
PS. can someone test pressure sensor - is reading staying high when screen is pressed or it fades back to normal with all covers closed?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sorry, I forgot about the pressure sensor part, it's normal that the numbers go back to normal after you lifted your finger, it works like that for everyone.
If my mind serves me right, I've seen Sony ads with the Z3C being thrown in a pool or something similar, so a pool really shouldn't be a problem. And yes of course people will have to fight for their cause at Sony, they won't just put any phone under warranty, else people would exploit that.
Dsteppa said:
Sorry, I forgot about the pressure sensor part, it's normal that the numbers go back to normal after you lifted your finger, it works like that for everyone.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I probably expressed myself bit vaguely. Thing is that pressure reading on my phone returns back to normal WHILE HOLDING screen under pressure. Initially pressing screen creates greater pressure inside the phone, reading rises but air escapes quite quickly (1-2seconds) and pressure reading normalises. After releasing finger screen pressure sensor shows lower readings for a second until extra air seeps inside to equalise pressure again.
Hope it's clear enough.
Also, does it mean that I got less waterproof phone that it should be?
I dunno about you but i've been using my camera in the pool for a while now and even for hours at times
Sent from my D5833 using XDA Free mobile app
I've used mine under water as well. OP if you're really worried about it you can send it off to liquipel and have them make the phone even more waterproof

Great, cracked the screen of my Z3 Compact

This morning I was cleaning my phone (getting rid of the finger prints/smudges) while standing up when it slipped out of my hand and hit the tiled floor. Everything is fine except the screen (which is cracked). Screen works fine but is unresponsive no matter where I press or touch the screen. How much does a Z3 Compact replacement screen cost? I searched around and it seems it is about $100?
Screen replacement costs in Poland +/- 135$
(authorised sony service)
Yes' it's hard to get original one cheaper than 100-120$. You can search for some Chinese replacement cause sometimes it looks quite similar to original one but You must check it before buying. Last time I had a client with Z1c replacement screen which he bought for 40$ and there was no white color, everything what should be white was purple.
Voids warranty, cheap replacement
Got mine from here replacebase dot co dot uk (can not post links ), of course you void your warranty if you do it yourself.
Parts are good quality till now. I advice to order a back glass too, I broke mine when taking it out and had to reorder again (costs approx 6 pound).
Next time just heat up back glass with hair dryer and You wont break it.
Chamelleon said:
Next time just heat up back glass with hair dryer and You wont break it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for the input
The problem was a small crack which did not matter until you have to remove it, you can not pull on it when its cracked. Anyway I will use a hair dryer to put it back together (assemble, heat up, press with books).
Thanks for the replies.
I'll be getting the repair done from the official Sony shop/distributor I bought the phone from. Just wanted to get an idea of how much it "should" cost before I approach them.
m4mbax said:
Thanks for the input
The problem was a small crack which did not matter until you have to remove it, you can not pull on it when its cracked. Anyway I will use a hair dryer to put it back together (assemble, heat up, press with books).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hello
I have tried to change my backglass 3 times but after a few hours the glass falls off... (Yes, I cleaned the phone removing all the old adhesive - and yes, I had pressure on it over night ) But all the instructions I have found on the internet never mentioned anything about putting the glass on, and HEATING it up, and the putting pressure on it... Where have you found that advice? You could imagine that heating up would ruin the adhesive/making it thinner and thereby not waterproof...? But on the other hand your succesrate probably beats mine...
Foxhunter123 said:
Hello
I have tried to change my backglass 3 times but after a few hours the glass falls off... (Yes, I cleaned the phone removing all the old adhesive - and yes, I had pressure on it over night ) But all the instructions I have found on the internet never mentioned anything about putting the glass on, and HEATING it up, and the putting pressure on it... Where have you found that advice? You could imagine that heating up would ruin the adhesive/making it thinner and thereby not waterproof...? But on the other hand your succesrate probably beats mine...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I think it was a comment below the iFixit tutorial. But one big warning here, I did extra maximally stupid and put it to 'press' under my table (with books around it). The table was too heavy and cracked my front screen once again :crying:
+ The rear glass sits fixed and has not loosened.
- Don't put too much pressure or you destroy it yet again like stupid me
m4mbax said:
I think it was a comment below the iFixit tutorial. But one big warning here, I did extra maximally stupid and put it to 'press' under my table (with books around it). The table was too heavy and cracked my front screen once again :crying:
+ The rear glass sits fixed and has not loosened.
- Don't put too much pressure or you destroy it yet again like stupid me
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Doh!!! ? I have also read on Ifixit and can see there are different opinions about if it is nessesary to heat or not. But I think I will follow your advice and heat the new back before putting it under (less pressure) ?.
Another thing I read on Ifixit is that someone writes that you should put on an adhesive sticker - eventhough the new back comes with adhesive already on...? What is your advice on this?
Most pre-glued adhesive stickers on back are useless. Now everytime I change back in Xperia Z, Z1, Z2, Z3 and compacts I need to remove pre-glued sticker and change it to original one. Many times I had complaint on it from my clients saying that back glass came off. So it's better to order original back glass or just original adhesive.
Foxhunter123 said:
Doh!!! I have also read on Ifixit and can see there are different opinions about if it is nessesary to heat or not. But I think I will follow your advice and heat the new back before putting it under (less pressure) .
Another thing I read on Ifixit is that someone writes that you should put on an adhesive sticker - eventhough the new back comes with adhesive already on...? What is your advice on this?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Good
Mine came with the adhesive ON the screen, I used that one, I didn't have a separate one. Be extra careful when 'placing' the adhesive where it belongs because you can not remove it once place (okay maybe slightly). Its important that it fits on the first to first and a half try. More adhesive means thicker layer --> glass will stick out
Anyway, most of the stories you read online are partially BS, the phone will work even when the glass is a tiny bit loose or when the adhesive rotated and is a bit thicker in one place. In my eyes, when you dared to order, you are very much capable of assemble the parts.
In btw, ordered new glasses today, hope my two left hands fix it this time.
PS: A lesson I learned on a friends Galaxy S2, do NEVER EVER try to use force when something sticks or is not as loose as in a video. Google or ask another person maybe you just dont do the trick. A connector didnt want to come off so we used a lever to lift it, CLICK, the place where the lever levered broke the board... :silly:
Edit 1: I think its not necessary to HEAT it, it just has to be a lil bit warmer than in your pocket or when calculating heavily. 30s under a hairdryer will be more than enough i guess.
Forgot to update this thread. I received my fixed phone last week. They replaced the screen and even the "bumpers" around the phone for $98. They even delivered the phone to my home free of charge. Looks brand new, all the minor dings I had on the phone are gone.
On another note, I also bought my first iPhone. Got an Space Gray iPhone 6s 128 GB with the official/Apple leather case for the 6s. Got it last Thursday. Been playing around with it a lot and, overall, I love it. Deciding on whether to keep my Z3 Compact as a back-up phone or just sell it. But geez, does the iPhone 6s load games and other apps fast (thanks to its NVMe storage).

My Z3 compact screen is falling out

So I like just about everything about the Sony Z compact line of phones but durability wise I have been unlucky. My first Z3 compact died from water damage and my 2nd one has a screen that is ready to fall off the device.
I choose to buy a HTC U11 to replace my Z3 compact as I have never owned a HTC phone before and thought I would try something different.
What I would like to ask here though is it worth trying to fix the Z3 compact to sell or not?
The only way to protect this phone:
The phone bends 0.1mm causes the phone screen to start opening. So it's not suitable for jeans pockets.
I remedied this by using an anodized aluminium bumper and tempered glass both sides.
Sony does a very bad repair of it's phones, and the issues will return, and their parts are expensive.
It is better to do it yourself and use B7000 glue, use plenty, easily removable for future repairs, no heat, clothes pegs, wait 48 hours before removing pegs or turning on the phone. And look for the best grade of screen with frame, Sony uses two manufacturers for its screens.
My Z3C has a screen that is lifting. This thread and others seem to indicate that fixing the screen is not hard but hardware is not my thing at all...
Would a phone repair place (in a shopping centre) be able to do this kind of repair? Is the phone much different to other phones that people would take in for screen replacements?
I don't care about the loss of waterproofing. The screen isn't even falling out, just lifted in the corner. I don't want to send the phone anywhere and be without it, or have it come back changed in unexpected ways...
a1291762 said:
My Z3C has a screen that is lifting. This thread and others seem to indicate that fixing the screen is not hard but hardware is not my thing at all...
Would a phone repair place (in a shopping centre) be able to do this kind of repair? Is the phone much different to other phones that people would take in for screen replacements?
I don't care about the loss of waterproofing. The screen isn't even falling out, just lifted in the corner. I don't want to send the phone anywhere and be without it, or have it come back changed in unexpected ways...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Phone shops including Sony themselves have difficulty in repairing this particular phone, I think any phone shop can do this repair, but, they must use the B7000 glue or similar, or silicone, and not the red tape they usually use, it's useless, as this phone can heat up, or the blue z3c ready cut tape is not so good either. And if you get the wrong screen (clone), the colours will not be as good.
Many phone repairers have the clone screens that are thicker than the original.
The screen sometimes is actually bent, along with the body, check on a flat surface.
Always buy a good screen together attached with the body, and never by itself.
So armed with this knowledge and or hardware, you could go talk with a phone repairer... The first 3 times, shop, but maybe the fourth repair, try doing it yourself, it's as easy as opening a PC, just smaller, just follow z3c repair guides and youtube, when you're ready. When attempting to repair the phone, for the very first time, do it over hours, maybe over the weekend, and not one sitting.
If you start loosing patience, leave it for a while etc.
[emoji12]
I got so comfortable with opening my phone, I put extra 0.3mm copper plates on the processor and gpu with Cooler Master Extreme Fusion paste etc. Lol.
But it's good to have an already damaged motherboard to work on.
Z3C LOS Omni Oreo
My screen is still working fine. Just lifting.
I do have some old phones I could practice on, assuming they have the same glass sandwich construction.
I will go look for some videos...
a1291762 said:
My screen is still working fine. Just lifting.
I do have some old phones I could practice on, assuming they have the same glass sandwich construction.
I will go look for some videos...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
?
Z3C LOS Omni Oreo
I put up with my screen for a long time but eventually the glue gave out and I had no choice. It was good, then bad, but ultimately ok.
I didn't have any trouble taking the glass off the first time because the glue was barely hanging on. I had a look and noticed that the headphone jack's glue was also failing. Probably why it was becoming unreliable. I glued that and reseated the screen cable and it worked fine while sitting there so I glued everything on again.
It was a poor first attempt. I had both too much glue (blobs that leaked out) and not enough to actually seal around much of the screen. No problem. I took the glass off again and glued it again. This time I followed the instructions closer and glued the front screen before connecting the ribbon.
The second gluing was good but something with the ribbon was wrong because it only worked when I pressed on the lower part of the screen. Sigh.
Taking the glass off after a good glue was much harder. I finally got the spudger under the glass but I moved it sideways before removing the suction thing. It was too much pressure for the glass. The good news is that it was the rear glass and only the bottom half shattered. I got the rest off and started on the front.
Now that I knew to be more careful, I got the front off OK. Reseat. Test and working. I glued the front on first again, without disconnecting the cable. Tested and working. I glued the half back I had on (covers the camera).
Its working!
I use a case so the back isn't even a problem, but I ordered a new back from China (cheap). The headphone Jack seems better. I put a new screen protector on. In some ways the phone is rejuvenated.
I was apparently not careful enough when taking off the screen though. I appear to have some marks on my screen now. It's minor, probably won't notice during normal use, but there if you look.
I'm so glad to have my phone back. I've been using an iPhone for the last 3 weeks.
Thanks for the tips.
Edit: The hands free speaker works again too. Bonus

Back glass unsticking

I have had this phone for about 1.5 years now and it held up,it was running very well but it always had an overheating problem,you have probably seen me all over the forums asking how can I lower the temperature of the phone lol.
Well it has become less apparent with the latest build of Lineage,only when I am using Snapchat but that doesn't matter.
But now what started happening is my back glass is unsticking,the bottom part to be exact,I believe this is because the device heated up so much it weakened the adhesive.
So I am asking now with what material I can re-stick the back glass properly since I don't want it to hang like that for no reason.
Use fevibond
You can use fevibond(Synthetic Rubber Base Glue). I used it to stick front screen peeling off from top left corner.
Dhgr8 said:
You can use fevibond(Synthetic Rubber Base Glue). I used it to stick front screen peeling off from top left corner.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Could I use something like superglue or something similar to that?
Dinkec27 said:
Could I use something like superglue or something similar to that?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No, that would make it tough/impossible to separate it for repairs.
Please refer to this thread https://forum.xda-developers.com/z3-compact/help/sony-xperia-z3-compacts-display-peeling-t3156347
Dinkec27 said:
Could I use something like superglue or something similar to that?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Nope I wouldn't do that, as super glue is not flexible. I have glued both screen and back glass with B7000 adhesive (most repair shops use it specifically for displays) and it hasn't moved since. That was done some 4 months ago. If you put enough glue on the frame (be careful not to leave empty spots, cover the complete frame with glue), of course avoid dripping of the sides into the frame, I am sure that it won't peel off again, especially the back glass.
I am waiting for new screen to arrive, so I'll have to re-do everything again, of course with B7000.
Dinkec27 said:
Could I use something like superglue or something similar to that?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Never use superglue, it will not last long and will ruin your phone, as superglue's main ingredient disintegrates plastic...
I've also used red 3m tape, does not hold!
Bought B7000 glue, will use it once my new battery arrives, so using useless 3m red tape in the mean time...
-Update-
B7000 Glue works!!!
I heavily flash, test etc. and no matter how hot the phone gets, it's sealed and does not reopen.
I cleaned the surfaces, I applied the glue, and did not care about making a mess (the glue is easily removable for future repairs) and did not care about it oozing out either, just made sure that it covered that border.
I did not use any heat, and it was still cold here.
I then used clothes pegs, 3 on each edge (I was worried about too much pressure, but it was not an issue)
I did not turn my phone on at all, and waited for 48 hours, before removing the pegs then turning it on.
Please note: the z3c is bendable, especially in jeans pockets, I use an anodized bumper to keep it straight. And using tempered glass on both sides is recommended.
***I did however buy a new battery, as my previous battery seemed fat, and I also removed the nfc sticker, but not sure if that is necessary.

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