Database Users

How I Fixed My Speaker Problem (Walkthrough with photos)

Disclaimer: This procedure voids the warranty and you can potentially damage your device.
This guide is for informative purposes only. Perform this procedure at your own risk.
This procedure was performed on an MDA2 (aka XDA2, Qtek2020, I-Mate2, etc).
Original Problem: The speaker stopped working.
Note: There seems to be a similar problem but it requires a totally different approach to fix it and it's out of the scope of this procedure. The problem on my device was somewhat different since when the speaker didn't work, the microphone was still functional. So the problem resides on the speaker connector, not the headphone jack.
Note2: English is not my first language, so please excuse any language errors you may encounter.
Let me start by saying that I have a big passion for gadgets and technology, so I was not going to let go on the opportunity to learn and inspect the guts of my brand new MDA2. You may ask yourself, why in the world don't you send it for repairs if it's a brand new device? Well, the answer is very simple, I bought this device over the Internet and I simply lost hope of being helped by the guys at the place I bought it from, they simply never answered or returned my calls and emails. I grew desperate and tired of using the headphones ALL THE TIME, even for alarms and reminders! and as I said before, I was driven by passion and thirst of knowledge and curiosity so I decided to fix it myself (even with the risk of damaging the device in the process). Let me add that I have some basic knowledge in electronics, and by no means this is my first device I fix. I have some experience. (I have fixed some damaged digitizers on a HP Jornada 568 PocketPC and Compaq iPAQ 3630 Pocket PC, fixed a volume slider on a SE T68i Phone and a SE P800 Smartphone to name a few).
Let me tell you that the MDA2 has been by far the easiest to fix. It's very well designed in terms of components and component placement, and the quality of the materials (plastics and electronics) is exceptional. But this is not a hardware review, so I'll start the walkthrough right now...
This is my victim... i mean... MDA2...
These are the tools required to complete the operation:
Torx #6 tool
Very small Phillips screwdriver (+)
Very small flat screwdriver (-)
Credit Card or similar card
A steady hand
Then I removed the SD Card and Stylus.
Proceed to remove the screws, there are two TORX#6 and four small Phillips (+). Be sure to put them on a safe place, they are very small screws and you don't want to loose them.
There are a couple of hidden Torx#6 screws under that black antenna cover, so we need to remove it. The plastic used in this part is not as dense as the rest of the casing (yes, the casing it's made of plastic!), so we need to be very careful not to break it, so apply very little force.
Start by using the flat screwdriver and insert it in the Stylus silo and use it as a lever (as shown), you will hear a "click" when the lock snaps. You will need flexible hands and dexterity since at this point you will also need to insert the flat screwdriver on the side square hole to release this side of the cover. (see next picture).
Here you can see the two squared-shaped holes where you need to insert the flat screwdriver to release the locks. Be very careful since there are some electronic components just below the square holes and do not apply excessive force to release the locks. Remember, the plastic is very thin on this part.
Now the other side, here you need to also use the flat screwdriver as a lever to release the lock on this side. Be very careful, since you will apply some force on the volume slider.
Now with the bottom part of the black cover released, you will notice there are some more locks to release on the top (just on the edge of the SD slot. DO NOT TRY TO REMOVE THE COVER YET!
One more time we need the flat screwdriver as a lever. Insert the flat screwdriver (as shown) but not too deep. Apply very small force in the direction of the arrow and the edge will snap off releasing the cover.
The black cover is now free.
These are the two hidden Torx#6 screws. Proceed to remove them to release the antenna.
The antenna has been removed.
So far so good, now the toughest part of the whole procedure, opening the MDA2 case. You need to be very patient, do not rush since the finish on the case is very easy to scratch and dent. Proceed with the small flat screwdriver and you need to start from the bottom of the MDA2, In my case as soon as I removed all the screws I noticed a small gap on the bottom so I started from that point, but if you don't see the gap, you can start from the headphone jack hole. Please be gentle and don't try to rush.
At this point you can use a credit card to help release the locks that are located all around the case, this way you won't scratch or dent the case. Start counter-clockwise, that is to the left of the headphone jack towards the Stylus silo. Once you manage to release all the locks on that side of the case, just lift it very slowly and the opposite side will snap off very easily. However, be very careful on that side (where the buttons and volume slider is) since in that particular place the plastic is more fragile because of the holes needed for those controls.
Once the MDA2 has been opened in half you can see the three small black Phillips screws (+) (see picture). Proceed to remove them. Please avoid any contact with the electronic components, since at this point any static charge can damage your precious gadget. And also make sure you don't drop the screws or touch the components with the screwdriver, since the MDA2 it's still very alive. See that coin-shaped thing on the opposite side of the screws? That's a LiPo Battery, and it's keeping your data from being erased. By the way, don't try to beat the 20 minute retention time of the battery, you have made a backup right? So go slowly...
Ok. So far so good... This is the speaker, well, actually that's the speaker encased in a small black boxy thing with two gold plated connectors. (see next Pic for a close up).
As you can see, the two gold plated connectors on the speaker container match the two spring connectors on the mother board.
Ok, here we need to be very, very careful. I pulled both springs as shown on the picture above to give them a little more pressure when assembled again and I also cleaned the gold plated connectors on the speaker container. Make sure you apply only the necessary force to pull the springs since they could be disoldered if too much force is applied. Use common sense.
We're almost done!
Now proceed to put everything back together. Remember to put back all the screws in their correct positions and do not apply excessive force or you will damage the thread and make things worse that they where in the first place. Proceed to close the casing by doing the opposite. Start by placing the case on the buttons and volume slider side first then the opposite side.
You may notice that the camera lens will not allow the case to go all the way, but if you do it slowly it will budge.
Proceed with the rest of the assembly in reverse order.
That's it... You can proceed to test the speaker.
My MDA2 has been working flawlessly ever since!!! :wink:
I hope this procedure was helpful.
Best regards,
Rayan

All red crosses instead of pictures...

And then the pictures came
Nice walkthrough you've made !

thanks for the very good explanation!
Illustrated by pictures is always great!
Thanks

Thanks, this is my way of saying "Thank you" to this marvelous community! 8)
P.S.- If you don't see the images, please try again later, since those images are hosted on my webserver and sometimes I need to reboot it... sorry...
Best regards,
Rayan

Just a little bump since I've noticed that many people want to open their beloved devices and I thought my walkthrough might help...
MODS: Any chance to make it a "Post it?" :wink:
Best regards,
Rayan

Excellent post, cheers, and if English is your second langauge then I'd never have known it! There are plenty of people for whom it is their first langauge who can't write as well as you!

Wow. Your documentation is better than what comes with the XDA itself! And your English is better than most people in the US. Great service to the XDA community.

Excellent work, man!

Thanks guys!
I'm glad you liked it!
If anyone has questions about the procedure, please don't hessitate to ask!
Best regards,
Rayan

Great! Somethings in life are free, for opening your XDA II there's Mastercard!!!
hahahahaha

pictures are gone? or is it just me?
did anyone kept a copy?

Sooooo sorry guys... I switched to a new hosting company and recreated my website but forgot to restore those images... I will take them back online ASAP!

waiting for the pics to comeonline again!
please do it asap!
thanks

any luck putting the pictures back online ?

Hello folks!
Sorry for the loooong delay, but as you can see, the pics are back!!!
If you have any questions about the procedure, don't hesitate to ask.
Best regards,
Rayan

Can someone help me?
I had the same problem myself, except that i've done all the stuff you said and i still have the problem... I can hear the phone ringing, but no sound comes from the device (Alarms, appontments, Media Player, etc). When i answer the calls i can't hear any sound from the people who is calling me... Can someone help me?
:shock:

Gents,
Slightly off topic, so please bear with me.
My M1000 has had a problem ever since I got it. The camera seems out of focus as soon as I try to make pictures past say 1,5 meters. Would the serrated ring around the camera lens perhaps be used to focus the device?
Thanks!
Stefan out

I tried to move the serrated lens just to play with it and see if I could get better focus and remember that it was really hard as if it was glued or something.
However, I didn't apply much force but seems like it's meant to be some sort of focus adjustmet, specially because it looks very close to the lens in my webcam when disasembled.
Should you give it a try, let us know...

is there a way to power an ipaq 3630 without the power adapter but with a different battery? like a cel battery? how is the power conector to the ipaq and battery?

wizard inside pictures here / keyboard replacement

Hi,
As my wizard dropped in the water it got completely soaked.
I disassembled it to let it dry, see photos attached, put it together again and presto, almost everything works!!!
Just four keys of the keyboard do not work anymore, and as it all happened a week ago now I do not think this will be fixed.
Does anyone know if they do not work because of the water or because of the impact (the Wizard smashed on the street first)?
Has anybody ever fixed a faulty keypad?
Can anybody tell me where I can get a replacement keypad?
Let me know if you need instructions how to disassemble your wizard.
many thanks!
manhattan.

I have no answer to your question, but it is nice to see the inside of the wizard one time.

A couple of other people were asking about disassembly in other posts - so the instructions would probably be handy.

Hi,
I would love some complete instructions on dissasembly as I am about to take mine apart for painting and a hardware mod.
As far as the keyboard goes, you would be surpised how long they retain water, i doubt its a hardware problem, keyboard are pretty much solid state with only a tiny membrane for contacts. However it is this membrane that is most likely to be your problem, the contacts are very close together and covered in a film that can be verry attractive to water as it has rubber over it. So in essence I am saying I bet it is still wet in there, just a few droplets of condensation would do it.
Options, take it a apart and check and leave in a very warm dry place for a day, or II place whole wizard on a warm heater (not hot) for a while and see if that gets it.
T

Hi,
I also want to know the details of disassembly the wizard.

I think you had better post the instructions o disassembly here as I'm sure there are quite a few people who wuld like to know, me included.

Just a thought by looking at the picture (brave btw!)
Would it be possible to replace the 2,5mm headphone jack by an 3,5mm one and drill out a new hole for the larger connector?
Would be neat if you weren't so dependable on those stupid converters. Not a pretty sight anyway.

Thanks for sharing the photos.

I took mine apart some time ago to fix the stylist problem and when I put it back together some of the keys wouldnt work. The back light wouldnt work either. I found the problem was the little snap that secures the flat cable form the keyboard to the main board. There is a really small clasp that clicks down on the flat cable after you insert it into the connector. Once I took it back apart and snapped it, everything was normal again.
I plan on taking mine apart to change the keyboard form the English/arabic to just English, (anyone know where I can buy the keyboard/keys?) so any instructions you have will be appreciated.
Thanks

The stylii in the picture look like BA stylii.
Do I get 10 points?

will post instructions
OK guys I will put together the instructions and upload them here. I just have absolutely no time now so I hope you can wait a day or two....
Thanks for the comments. I am aware of the little lock that secures the mini flatcable that connects the keypad to the motherboard. I assume that is not the problem as I snapped it securely back in place.
I will try the heater suggestion, I suppose you mean to put the wizard in an oven set at let's say 50 degrees celsius?
The styluses in the photo are from my Qtek 2020. As the Wizard smashed I lost its stylus.... :-(
Sorry the photos do not show the display half of the wizard disassembled... I realised too late that others would benefit from pictures...
Cheers
Manhattan

I dont think I would put it in an oven. I would think that just inside a vehicle sitting in direct sunlight for a few hours would probably do, unless you are in a really cold climate. You may also try some electrical contact cleaner then get some additional heat to it after it evaportates. There is probably something that has trapped some moisture somewhere. Just for info, I dropped my Jamin the other night about 4 feet directly onto a tile floor. It bounced a couple times, ejected the SD card, and reset. But it is working fine. However, I had a bud that dropped his 2 day old Sony Ericsson P900 into water and dried it off immediatly and let it air dry. It worked, but he had problems ever since. It would drop calls and restart all the time. So there may not be a complete fix for it.
Good luck

Hey guys, someone posted the HTC Service manual for the Wizard!
In this manual you see pictures how to disassemble the phone!
It's realy the best manual to use for opening your mobile friend....
Good Luck
http://forum.xda-developers.com/viewtopic.php?t=43836

I've successfully fixed my girlfriends crappy creative keyboard once after water damage using a pencil. Depending how the keyboard is made, most of the time there will be really thin conductive tracks literally printed on the substrate. The water isn't particularly nice to these tracks and I found that in some parts there was noticale oxidation/corrosion. By very lightly scratching of the affeted paint and then going over it with a graphite pencil this did the trick.
Just an idea, personally I probably wouldn't do it to my vario but then again I'm still in the honeymoon phase with it.
Good luck

I fix phones for a living for many stores and have many phones that have water damage
what you dont do is charge it.. it will burn out the board
what you do is let it dry out, use the service manual and let it dry out in parts
then get white spirit and a toothbrush... dip it in and clean the contacts for yourk eys
once done, again let it try and then see how it goes. thats what i do, although we have a machine that sends out sonic pulses but the above method works too especially when im lazy

HTC Wizard Disassembly
hi guys. a lot of confusion over this simple matter. I don't know where the PDF file everyone's talking about is, most links didnt work, but here's some pics. USE AT YOUR OWN RISK! hahahahaha!
http://www.pdagold.com/articles/detail.asp?a=274

Hi,
I have a O2 xda model
IPL 1.01
SPL 2.21
GSM 01.12.10
OS 1.5.4.2
there is problem in formating the phone.
Even after a hard reset the Os wont boot,
it says that "formating is failed".
there is a prolem in the flash memory of the phone.
please help me with the assembly and disassembly process so that i can fix it.
Any one?

Can anyone tell me what this is?????

Hi There,
Im in the process of changing the LCD screen on my jam, and during the removal of the housing, a little black thing fell out. I have no idea what it is and where it needs to go.
I have attached a photo of it hoping someone knows what it is and where it needs to go.
Thanks.

Does it look like something that broke off? Eg. With sharp egdes. If thats the case, chances that you won't be able to fix it back in.
Anyway, it looks too small to be an individual 'component'.

I thought it was normal to end up with more bits when you put something back together.... :$

No, Its a whole part, nothing broke while I was dismantling it. It looks like it's used with a switch or something. I'm surprised no one has mentioned it in the "Jam Housing" thread. I was really careful when opening the unit, and it fell out easily when I tipped the unit over.
Damn, looks like ill be ordering new housing too

I think it should go somewhere near the sliding volume control..

fixator
it looks like fixation of stilus inside the set in the place of stilus`s recess ,but my mda compact has it white color

Hello, that piece both covers holes that there are near the Sd card. I think that the function is that not between the dust in the machine, by the holes where the cord puts to hang. Moan my badly English, is a translation of google. Greetings

It covers these holes. Greetings

I also had the same problem when I opened my magician. From my experience, that part could be the hinge/lock that holds down the screen on one of it's side.
I could be wrong though.

Got it!!!!!!!
dokoto said:
It covers these holes. Greetings
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Dokoto, YOU GOT IT!!! Thanks heaps, now I can put it back together without worrying.
I'm surprised this isnt a common problem, it falls out so easily. Maybe once everything is back in place, something will hold it in.
Anyway, I've attached a pic to show everyone where it lives, incase someone else has the same problem.
Thanks again Dokoto!!

Wizard Repair Guide?! Mines Broken :(

Hey Guys,
Well, I'm a bit gutted really! I dropped my XDA Mini S on the floor with the charger in and the connector IN the phone has come apart from inside the phone. The little metal bit is practically hanging out. I'm wondering, if i were to take the phone apart could i re-connect the little part? (I have a soldering iron if thats as simple as its going to be?)
Just wondering if anyone had any guides on how to take the phone apart and take a look at whats wrong?
Any help would be so much appreciated!
Many Thanks,
Tom

The service manual is hosted on the ftp site.
ftp://ftp.xda-developers.com/Wizard/Docs_Tutorials/
Hope this helps.

I suspect you probably broke the socket off, but if you have a soldering iron, you might as well try to get a new mini USB connector to work with.

You might try Pocket PC Techs:
http://www.pocketpctechs.com/main~unit~UTStarcom_XV6700-554~area~repairs~item~REP-USBCON01~name~UTStarcom+XV6700+Mini+USB+Connector+Replacement+Service.htm
I rang them up about an issue I had (screen on the fritz) and they seemed pretty knowledgeable and helpful.
Alternatively there's a company I found today in the UK. I can't vouch if they're good or not.
http://www.xdarepairs.co.uk/home.asp
Good luck.

Well I also have an issue with my wizzard... the mini jack connector (of the handsfree) is a bit loose.
What I am saying is that it does have a good connection with the rest of the circuit and sometimes the sound of the speaker goes off, then I have to insert the habdsfree and tickle it a little bit until it has a good contact.
? have some basic soldering experience,do you think I should give it a try?

Given my device has been apart too many times for me to admit to I thought I'd crack it open to take a pic for you guys. Not sure if this pic will help for those wanting to do some soldering:
Very large pic: http://farm1.static.flickr.com/216/452691530_f47801708f_o.jpg
Excuse the dust.

Ah! That picture at the bottom is exactly what I needed. The metal but at the bottom (the big sqaure) has totally sheared off....bloody thing. Thanks so much for the info on the repair guides. I may give those repair guys a call if i can't get it to work myself.
Thanks alot you guys
As for you WizeMan, it all depends on if you wish to void your warrenty or not. At the end of the day, I installed WM6 on my device so O2 would give me the finger if i tryed to claim. If I'm honest, I'm getting an upgrade next month so I'm not to bothered if I balls it up! Would be nice if I got it working though....
Lemmie know how you get on

unlock k-jam
i read all your write about how to unlock k-jam device but after all i get this message:
Lock Status: 0000000000000000
SIMLock Code: █⌠═eי∟80Γ█Σ☻< δ♠
how can i get it from this .........

lironasseo said:
i read all your write about how to unlock k-jam device but after all i get this message:
Lock Status: 0000000000000000
SIMLock Code: █⌠═eי∟80Γ█Σ☻< δ♠
how can i get it from this .........
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
A little bit of a thread hijack but that means it is SIM unlocked.

Let me tell you my news, my friends.
I opened my Qtek 9100 and fixed two serious issues regarding this phone, using... sponge (the one we use to wash the dishes)
1. I put some into the stylus socket (from the thin space it has) and also
2. On the top of the mini jack socket so when i assembled the housing it blocked it from moving (2 of the contacts are no more soldered and i dint have a soldering iron at that time)
Anyway, both operation went ok and my phone is more than fully functioning. Now the stylus is hardly (in a good way) comming out (it first gets longer then comes out).
I wanted to do also the safe singal fix, but didnt find the photos to apply it correclty, so if someone has them, please give link. If you need any info about the "Sponge" Hacks, just post or pm

WizeMan said:
Let me tell you my news, my friends.
I opened my Qtek 9100 and fixed two serious issues regarding this phone, using... sponge (the one we use to wash the dishes)
1. I put some into the stylus socket (from the thin space it has) and also
2. On the top of the mini jack socket so when i assembled the housing it blocked it from moving (2 of the contacts are no more soldered and i dint have a soldering iron at that time)
Anyway, both operation went ok and my phone is more than fully functioning. Now the stylus is hardly (in a good way) comming out (it first gets longer then comes out).
I wanted to do also the safe singal fix, but didnt find the photos to apply it correclty, so if someone has them, please give link. If you need any info about the "Sponge" Hacks, just post or pm
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm still trying to get the a new fascia and will probably shove an eraser bit into the stylus spring mechanism to ensure the defect never happens. Also how did you discover the break in the solder joints on the headphones jack? I have a funny situation where the left channel of the headphones doesn't work but I suspected the headphones (the plug has to be pulled at an angle to get any sound out of the left) but now I am thinking it may be the socket itself.
By the way the reception fix pic doesn't load for me either but I unless you truly need it, don't waste your time doing it; I always have all 4 bars and sometimes have 2 bars.

AsGF2MX said:
I'm still trying to get the a new fascia and will probably shove an eraser bit into the stylus spring mechanism to ensure the defect never happens. Also how did you discover the break in the solder joints on the headphones jack? I have a funny situation where the left channel of the headphones doesn't work but I suspected the headphones (the plug has to be pulled at an angle to get any sound out of the left) but now I am thinking it may be the socket itself.
By the way the reception fix pic doesn't load for me either but I unless you truly need it, don't waste your time doing it; I always have all 4 bars and sometimes have 2 bars.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Allright here is the deal.
1. I found out the break in the soldier joints when i opened it. I was really suspicious about it because when i inserted my headphone jack into the connector, i had problem with the contact; the connector was loose and it muted my phones speaker. When i disassembled the phone using the service manual i saw with my eyes that the the joins where f-ed up.
2. I dont really need the signal hack i just wanted to experiment, i have 2.25.11 cingular radio rom and its great.
Btw i suppose you should better use the sponge, because the rubber may wear off but not the sponge...

Thanks for the tip on the sponge. I am going to grab a used but allegedly "like new" body from eBay and also get one of those covers as well.

ALL WIZARD USERS-do u all face the problm nd how u resolve it

hello wizard lovers....iam currently using t-mobile vario just same as imate kjam.i love using this handset,but the one and only problem iam facing is the--LOOSE SLIDER PROBLEM.mine i 6-8 months old,but from last 5-10 days i had observed tht slider has got too loose,nd in the keyboard closed position the gap beetween the upper slider nd lower is also gone big.now here in india one technician tells me he can resolve it by tightening some screws after disassembling it,i just want to inquire from u guys tht is it reaaly possible or he is faking,coz i had searched some previous threads nd noone actually came to a final result,so plz help me nd if possible then add the solution in wizard wiki as well.t nks in advance

Tightening the screws will fix the loose slider issue. And you do have to remove the motherboard to get to the screws.

I had that issue.
look up the wizard service manual in Google or Prodigy service manual.
I took my phone apart.
I inspected it.
Saw the broken piece of plastic inside the phone that has a stop for the bevel on the stylus.
GLUED THAT PIECE WITH EPOXY
Took a foam earplug and cut it (after compressing it) to fit the gap between the stopper and the body of the phone. (to make a spring)
put he phone back together. no problems since march.

Wouldn't that be a fix if your stylus wouldn't stay in? I think mayur9890 is saying the phone is coming apart when he slides the keyboard out.

Definatly the cuase of a loose screw or broke part, its nessesary to take appart to gain access to the screws that hold the slider part together, its fairly simple procedure. Should only take 10 minutes (be carefull not to loose the screws there very small and fidgity)

You could probably do the repair yourself, using one of these manuals: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=244446