Database Users

Tytn / hermes / 8525 freezing up when I slide close

It seems that my 8525 with Black Satin (WM6) has recently started crashing when I slide it close after sending a message or after sliding it open when recieving one.
The screen goes all dim and interlaced looking but it's really "off" as when I press the power button it actually boots up. When this happens that current text message is GONE poof!
I sat there and slid it open and closed 20+ times and couldn't repeat it but when trying to use it for real is when it freezes. It's not only with the text messaging though as I tried to slide it open to reply to a message on the internet (via wifi) and it locked up there also.
I did a search and haven't really found anything... guess I could reinstall but man, I hate having to do that... what all will I need to rememeber to back up? Text messages, phone numbers, settings for tomtom? bah!
Anyone ever experienced this?

Great, I think it's a loose connection somewhere... I noticed it was out and I had only put it down, not closed the slide. So just now when it was just idle I tapped on it and poof it locked up.
Great... Now what!

gilligan8 said:
Great, I think it's a loose connection somewhere... I noticed it was out and I had only put it down, not closed the slide. So just now when it was just idle I tapped on it and poof it locked up.
Great... Now what!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If it's still under warranty, take it in and have them look at it.
If it's not, look for one of the many disassembly instructions around, take it apart and reseat the cables.
I took mine apart not long ago to fix a non-working camera and it was amazing easy to get into the phone and remove and reconnect the cables.
Just make sure to read everything before trying it.

I bought it off ebay (supposed to be brand new) to unlock and use on a regional company's network. So doubt I'm covered.
http://pdasmart.zftp.com/instructions/Cingular 8525 Instructions.pdf
Is that a sufficient set of instructions? I'm not opposed to doing this, I repair laptops all the time and they are just about as difficult if not worse sometimes. I had attempted to take apart a friends dead 8525 a year or so ago but didn't know where the retention tabs were to get it opened beyond the obvious screws.

gilligan8 said:
I bought it off ebay (supposed to be brand new) to unlock and use on a regional company's network. So doubt I'm covered.
http://pdasmart.zftp.com/instructions/Cingular 8525 Instructions.pdf
Is that a sufficient set of instructions? I'm not opposed to doing this, I repair laptops all the time and they are just about as difficult if not worse sometimes. I had attempted to take apart a friends dead 8525 a year or so ago but didn't know where the retention tabs were to get it opened beyond the obvious screws.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That would be the basics. I noticed that it doesn't say anything about the tape for the large ribbon cable, so there may still be some snags if you use those (I don't know if the tape is present on all the various rebadges of the hermes).
Nice that they use a tool to take it apart, I used something like a debit card on mine.
If you are comfortable disassembling a laptop, you should be fine. As with a laptop, just take it slow and be careful.
(shudders at the memory of disassembling a compaq and Apple laptop)

Word, I hate working on laptops... but I guess I got to!

I'll bet it is the battery header on the board. I had a similar issue and needed to repair a solder joint there.

same here.. i was lucky it was still under warranty..
good luck with the dissasembly!

it has been rather calm lately... though I am a lot more gentle when sliding it open and close...
I know it couldn't have been a fluke... maybe some dirt got in and now is out... I'm sure I will have to get at it eventually... till then I'll just keep treading lightly!
Oh, and Mike, thanks for those links... VERY good stuff!

Dead Hermes?

Good day,
A friend of my'n has the Hermes.
I now have it with me because it does'nt doe antyhing anymore.
Looks like its dead.
The screen is black and stays black.
Is there anyone who can suggest anything that i could try to revive it?
or is all hope gone and it realy is dead?
Thanks, Alex
p.s. just stopped working, did not get wet and was not dropped or anything.

Any lights on it? Have you tried it with the battery out plugged into the mains?

No lights,
changed the battery
connected it to my pc
no reaction at all

Doesn't sound too good, see if anyone else has any ideas.

Connect to pc. If there is life there then it will sync... If not, at least its useful as a paper weight or brick....
Cheers....
If it syncs, install my mobiler to see what damage has been done. It could be a ribbon cable has been damaged or come loose. You may have to open and see. Lets put it this way, at this point, what have you got to loose.....

im having the same issue...
i tried taking the main board out and putting it into another hermes of mine, and still will not turn on or do anything. also its not recognized by the computer, so no syncing

Hmm...
Possibly try to order a new battery from HTC, or call them and ask for in-depth troubleshooting procedures. I would also suggest to open the back of the phone and see if it smells slightly of burnt electronics...

try to check your device using JTAG
Hi there,
if your device really seems to be dead, have a look over here:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=391047
As long as you know how to open the device and are brave enough to use a soldering iron on tiny testpoints, you may easily use JTAG to check your device.
First do some measurements on the mainboard, if there's some voltage there is some life.
You should be able to measure 3.15V, 1.8V, ~1.2V somewhere on the board after pressing the power on button. This should work even on devices that do not start any more, or do not display anything.
If you got these signs of life, try to connect to a JTAG adaptor like explained in the thread mentioned above.
There's nothing to loose
Good luck anyway!
Regards,
scholbert

is there any way to get the contacts out using the jtag method? i have about 2000 contacts in my hermes that i havent backed up and i dont want to flash it and loose all those contacts.
any help is appreciated.

Nope, No chance of recovering your contacts.. If you had synced with the pc they should be in outlook...
Cheers...

AT&T powers off after drop

I have been using AT&T 8525 for about 5 months now. Dropped it in office a week back and it was on an uncarpetted surface. No external damage but it powered off. I had to try for a while to power it on but eventually it did power on.
Since this event it just powers off on its own. Right now, even minor jerks cause it to shut down. When you pull the phone out of your pocket after a while, it has already shut down!!! Took it for repair to a local cell phone repair assuming it might have some connector damage but they could not figure out the problem. They opened it, cleaned the interiors (as it had dust build up) and according to them everything appeared normal.
What would you guys recommend? It is running Schaps 4.30. I see that HTC has a repair service in US.....had anyone tried that?

Sounds like battery might be a little bit loose... Jam something in behind the battery to make sure of constant connection... You're not the first with this complaint. The battey terminals may have been bent back just enough to cause this intermittant problem, especially when it gets jolted, the battery disconnects from the teminals causing an automatic shutdown due to no power.. Just thank god you didn't break the terminals off. Sometimes can be fixed but if the break is at board level, you may as well sell it off on ebay for parts because its just about impossible to fix then.
Cheers...

Very smart ultramag!! Your reply made me think what I did after it fell down. At that time I did think that the battery was loose as it was running when on active syn (powered by laptop) but not when I removed the cord. I did turn the terminals a bit and it powered on after few attempts (the drop must have given the circuitry some shock to recover after sometime).
I have jammed a paper on the side of the battery opposite the battery terminal. Will report back in a day or two if it still gives any problems. That should help others with the same problem.
Also this event has taught me that invisible shield (the plastic shield that we stick on) perhaps may not be the best protection. Case is a must to absorb the shock!

ok the problem still continues despite sticking a paper on the battery side (opp the terminal). I do believe that the battery was part of the problem. Before sticking in the paper, it used to give me a Red LED for few seconds when I attempted charging and then turned to amber. Now that problem is not there....it turns to amber right away on plugging in the device.
So part of the problem is addressed but the Hermes still powers down on its own when subject to minimum shock (in your pockets and you are walking around in the office or driving a car). What do you suggest? Should I send it in to HTC? Are they good about addressing repair issues?

... and yet I think it probably is the contacts as suggested above. It may be that it's a little more than just the contacts not pressing firmly on the battery though. There have been cases where a fall has actually broken/cracked the solder joints between the contacts and the board. A trickier thing to fix unless you have some skills in that direction.
Mike

AT&T powers off after drop - HTC's take on the situation
Ok so here is HTC's evaluation of the situation.
They want to change the main board (mother-board I guess). In addition, though the phone is just 4 months old (was purchased refurb from AT&T) and has barely any scratches, they would replace the casing, the keyboard and the structure that holds the keyboard and LCD. And they would ONLY charge me $272. Isn't that ridicuously amazing??
To me it seems they can't figure out what the hell is going on, so lets just go ahead and replace a bunch of things and one of them should be a hit.
I have asked them to send the phone back. Mike, do you think the main-board could be the issue? Any recommendations of who I could try for repair.....or what I should ask the repair guy to look into to find out if the main board is the issue or not?

Only $272??? Good God! That lot would cost you around $450 if it were fixed at HTC UK!!
If the drop caused cracking internally then that may be why they want to replace the rest. if there are known defects that are not repaired, they cannot guarantee the repair and so will not do it at all if you do not agree to the whole thing.
of course, you could be right and they have no clue and simply want to replace everything and hope something gets fixed....
Don't PPCtechs also do repairs on that side of the pond?

T-Mobile G1 - Turning off

Hello,
before anyone asks, i did try searching the forum, maybe i am not typing the correct search criteria.. but i haven't been able to find anything anywhere about this issue i am having.
I have the T=mobile G1 with JFK 1.5 ADP, and a few widgets, now the phone in itself is great, the OS if working, no crashes etc.
This is my dilemma:: whenever i have the phone in my pocket and i bend down, or run or anything, the phone turns off. when i am talking on it, put it to my shoulder and put pressure on it to hold it in place, it turns off... if i have it sitting on my desk and push too hard on the screen or the thin edges around the lcd, it will turn off. in some cases it reboots and comes back, but 75% of the time its just off.. now this is a problem, because when i have it in my pocket, and it doesnt come back on, i dont know that it is off till i look at it.
anyone have any thoughts on what this could be?? bad digitizer, bad LCD, etc? i am also in the processes of contacting HTC about this, seeing what they say. but i figure it wont hurt to ask, maybe someone else has ideas
Thanks, any help would be appreciated.
Rafal

rbebenek said:
Hello,
before anyone asks, i did try searching the forum, maybe i am not typing the correct search criteria.. but i haven't been able to find anything anywhere about this issue i am having.
I have the T=mobile G1 with JFK 1.5 ADP, and a few widgets, now the phone in itself is great, the OS if working, no crashes etc.
This is my dilemma:: whenever i have the phone in my pocket and i bend down, or run or anything, the phone turns off. when i am talking on it, put it to my shoulder and put pressure on it to hold it in place, it turns off... if i have it sitting on my desk and push too hard on the screen or the thin edges around the lcd, it will turn off. in some cases it reboots and comes back, but 75% of the time its just off.. now this is a problem, because when i have it in my pocket, and it doesnt come back on, i dont know that it is off till i look at it.
anyone have any thoughts on what this could be?? bad digitizer, bad LCD, etc? i am also in the processes of contacting HTC about this, seeing what they say. but i figure it wont hurt to ask, maybe someone else has ideas
Thanks, any help would be appreciated.
Rafal
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sounds like a physical problem with the battery losing contacts. I suggest a replacement.

Thanks, its on its way back to HTC.. we'll see what they say about it...

ive been having the same problem... let me know what happens... do you by chance have one of the skins on (ie best skins or invisishield)?

This is the dumbest problem with the easiest solution... take the back cover off, remove the battery, clean the contacts (both battery and phone), put back together. Fixed.

update...
lbcoder said:
This is the dumbest problem with the easiest solution... take the back cover off, remove the battery, clean the contacts (both battery and phone), put back together. Fixed.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
there is not need to be an A*****e about it. trust me, that is the first thing i did, don't assume you are smarter then everyone else.... its a defect they had in a few models. i dont see why you need to jump up and start pretending like you know everything about everything.
as an update to the status, the main board is broken but HTC is refusing to fix it, since they are telling me i have a broken warranty sticker. currently if i wanted it fixed i would have to pay $378.51. That is the amount for the repair. so for now i have filed a dispute with their Repain dept. since there is no point in fixing it when a new phone is 30 bucks more.
sorry for not updating sooner, i was in the tri state area the last week.
will keep you posted on this. but if yours is doing the same thing, call T-mobile if you have thme, for a replacement, or HTC for the repair.

Battery won't charge, power button broken, me going crazy

Ok, im going to start not from the beginning beginning, but from where problems started.
Friday night, went out, I was writing an sms when somebody pushed me and i dropped my wiz, i picked it up, to find that the battery was gone, nowhere to be found, i did find the cover tho. i tried to look for the batt, but i was in the middle of the club so it wasn't that easy.. I knew that a friend of mine had a spare one so i didn't worry that much.
Sunday I got the replacement, tried it, no luck, it ran out i thought, but when i tried to charge it, nothing happened. Buying a new one is not that easy when you are in Argentina, and they are expensive, so i decided to jump sart it. good news: it worked, i could turn on the phone, so the battery is fine. bad news: it still doesn't want to charge!
I previously had problems with the usb, and i had to have it soldered again, pretty strong, but I thought that might be the problem again, so i disassembled my wiz. new problem: the power button broke, the tiny, tiny black piece fell off, AND I LOST IT! DOH!
Anyways, the usb is still soldered pretty strong, i don't think its gonna go loose again, so thats not the freaking problem!
So now, instead of the initial no-charge problem, i have a disassembled wizard, that won't charge the goddamn battery, AND a broken power button (tried to glue it, but fell off again and thats when i lost the piece).
Regarding the button, i've studied my options, what would you recommend and how would you do it?
option 1: turn on the phone with the soft reset hole, and remap the screen on/off function to another button.
option 2: replace the power button internal piece with the one from the voice command button (i never use it). i've taken a look and they seem to be the same, but i don't know if taking it off and soldering it back would work..
anyways, that leaves me again with my initial problem, and i do have an hypothesis. I THINK (because I THINK i remember this happening to me before), that the battery won't start charging until windows has started, and the jump star power the battery has is not enough to get it started (tried to tape it and leave it for a while to see if it charged a bit more, but didn't work, the phone turns on but goes out when loading, and since i've my wiz pretty loaded it takes its time to load).
So to try this out i would need a way to charge the battery manually, and i don't have access to another wiz to have it charged (my friend had a spare batt because his wiz is broken).
So, if you have a solution to this, ANY different solution, or even an IDEA, please give me a hint!
For what i've read, this are common problems, so there must be something out there.

Man, that's a bad thing
I'll try to help you as much as I can.
You are right about Wiz only start charging when it's on. After my N78 was stolen and I went back to the Wizard, the battery was without any charge for months... I plugged it and no red LED... Turned it on and, bingo, red LED and charging!
The voice command and the on/off buttons are the same, so (in theory) it would work 100% IF you were able to change their places (at least for me, it is impossible to do manually, never found any good equip here =\ )
With a lot of patience (and a small soldering iron) I would try to take the voice comm button off and place it where the on/off was.
For the battery, maybe someone here can point if there is a "battery charger" standalone device, or such a thing...
Good luck man

hey thanks for the quick reply!
i'm not thinking of doing it myself, i'm not not that precise nor is my solder, but i know a guy, same dude that fixed my usb. I like that idea more than the other, but i guess that remapping the screen on/off and using the soft reset button would be much safer.. i haven't made up my mind about that yet.
Weir thing about MY wiz, at least thats what i think happened to me last time my battery was completely discharged, is that not only the device must be ON for it to charge, but it needs to have WINDOWS already loaded, i know for most devices it's not like that, but i think thats how mine works, or at least thats the only explanation i could find!
btw, i love your case modding concept, and since i might have my wiz sitting for a while, i might go ahead and try something too! nothing as extreme as yours of course.. i'd love to see more updates on your project along with some guide to see what ideas i can take

slight detail while thinking my options.. if i was to remap the screen on/off function to another button, would i need to have the device in sync? or connected via cable? because when i had the usb soldered, don't know how nor why (all the pins seem to be ok) but the device won't be recognized by any computer, usb only works for charging (or used to work, at least, still haven't figured why it won't charge now).
If its only an app that i can load to the phone, once i have it working (that if i ever will), i can load the app thru minisd, BT or IrDa so that would't be a problem.. i haven's investigated that issue yet.

Hey jinxie, how's your Wizard?
If you're still stuck with the battery (I hope not), check this out...
I think this will solve your battery problem:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=4963547&postcount=5
That's probably to work, just be carefull with the battery's temperature. If it starts to heat, stop the process and wait it to get normal, then start again.
Good luck!

i tried keeping the wires attached to the contacts for a while, didn't think it'd work better doing it just for a little and then repeating the process, i'll try that!
yeap, i'm still stuck and i think i will be for a while, i have to solve the battery issue first (would be useless to do anything else if i'm not certain i will get it to work), then i have to decide what i am going to do with the power button, and then i might paint it, i'm thinking matte black, or maybe take some ideas from your project if you have made any progress at the time!
thanks for the tip, i'll try it today and i let you know how it went

development: phone DOES NOT turn on with the soft reset button as i thought, i was sure it did, but after jumping the bat once again, tried the wiring method (not repeating the jump start but wiring it directly to de device pins), and tried to turn it on with soft reset and dind't work, while it does turn on with the power button, wich is broken, so in order to turn it on i cannot have the phone assambled, wich means that in order to try to make it work, i will need to hold the battery attached with my hands, and it is a pain in the.. you know where.
update: i wired the charger i was using to jump start the battery to the pins in the wizard, then held the battery in place with my hand, with a small screwdriver i pushed the broken power button. wizard turned on, IT FINALLY LOADED WINDOWS, but don't rush, i then (with my MOUTH) connected the USB wall charger to the port in the phone, and removed the wiring, i was expecting the goddamn light to turn on and the screen to tell me that my phone was finally charging. I WAS WRONG. then i had to let go because my hand was killing me and it went off
and the damn thing refuses to charge! what could it be????????
2nd update: I AM MACGYVER !
i figured the wiring had given the bat enough power to load windows on its own, so tried once more holding everything together with my hand but without wiring the pins this time, and at last the amber light turned on!!! im so proud of myself lol
SO NOW: device works ok, charges ok, battery has enaugh power to load windows, WHAT CAN I DO ABOUT THE BROKEN POWER BUTTON? i know you can't remap the power function since its hardware, but the screen on/off function might be remapped. soft reset button DOES not turn on the phone, is there any other way of turning it on? or my only option is to take off the voice command button and soldering it where the power button should be?

well, found the little button part that was missing, glued it (yes, GLUED it), and it kinda worked, i had painted the casing already, so i assembled everything back again. i used a folded piece of paper to hold the button still so it won't fall again and i think it was too big cause now its kind of hard to press but i can live with that, what i cannot live with is NO SIGNAL.. i mean, CMON!! are you kiddin me? now that the button works, battery works, phone assembled, and now this?? when i dissassembled the phone i forgot to take out the sim card, so the metal parts that hold it opened a bit, but i pressed them back, the sim in no way loose, so i guess i might have screwed the attenna :S
i've just checked, i can see the sim contacts so... [CENSORED] !!!
also now the screen looks weird.. like if it had less colours, like when you format your pc and haven's installed the graphic drivers yet, 3d effects look funny..

Hey man, have you painted ALL the Wizard parts, on both sides?
'Cause there is one that has a piece of copper board inside. It makes contact with the antenna. Without that contact, you'll never have signal
The piece I'm talking about is the one that has the camera protection, saying "1.3 MP camera". Look at its back and see if there's no paint on a green and golden plate. Remove the paint if it got there (the golden part is the important one, since it makes contact with the antenna).
Good luck man!

hahah lol, no of course i didn't paint both sides! but anyways im gonna take it apart again, clean it, and try again..
done. it had some paintng yes, but they were very tiny spray drops, so i don't think that is, anyway i cleaned it. On the other hand, i found that the antenna is loose on the left side :S what can i do about it?