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Okay, so lately my screen's becoming more and more out of alignment. I've basically had to use the black frame on the right hand side of the phone to click anything on the right that needed to be clicked.
Then last night my phone froze while rebooting, wouldn't show the boot animation, just the welcomehead image and froze there. Needless to say I thought something's up. Long story short I checked everything that there is to check and ended up having to hard-reset.
While flipping my phone around through all possible dimensions, i noticed the oily looking stain that is the well-known Newtons Rings problem.
I wasn't willing to be without my beloved Blackstone for a warranty repair and was about to jump on eBay to look for a replacement screen and digitizer, when I remembered something that fixed the touch screen in my old Sony Ericsson P900. So here's what I did that has so far fixed my newtons rings and returned the more soft-touch feel of the screen.
WARNING do the following at your own risk!!! I will not be held responsible for you killing your already dead, Newton Ringed screen
* First, be sure you have a screen protector on. I have a feeling that not having the protector on will damage the screen further.
* Grab your trusty $2 Bic cigarette lighter.
* Hold your phone on such an angle that the oily-looking Newtons Rings are visible. The right amount of light, from the right angle will show them up like the dog's proverbials.
* Ignite the lighter and hold it so the flame is lightly touching the area that has the problem.
--You won't see the rings disappear, more like they will start moving--
* Move the ignited lighter until you have moved, or removed, the oily looking problem areas.
EDIT 29-07-2010:
* Try not to hold the lighter too close for too long, otherwise you may end up needing a new screen protector
NOTE: I do NOT guarantee this will work for you, however, in my particular case, the rings appear to have gone, the screen is now once again soft to touch and the alignment seems MUCH better. It has now been approximately 12 hours since I did this, and so far, so good. All problems are still gone, no visible rings, and the screen is still far more responsive, almost like new.
Newton Rings
So did it fix the issue permanently?
Well, it sort of has succeeded. While my screen still has a huge patch of Newtons Rings (approximately an inch and a half long, by about three quarters of an inch across, they came back after about a month or two) the screen is still functioning, the "soft touch" I mentioned in my first post has nearly dicipated, but it still works. Every now and then the screen will act as if it's stuck down towards the bottom of the screen, but simply rubbing it with a cloth and some mild pressure (just like when I clean it) is enough to bring the screen back to working.
At the very least, it has given me time to save up for a new screen. But I won't be replacing it until such time as the next big change pops up in WM6.5 builds and I cook a new ROM. At this point I'll be completely disassmbling the whole phone for a thorough cleaning. While I'm at it I might as well replace the screen and keep the N.R one for a backup.
To put it simply, the screen is still working and I have no need to replace it as yet.
P.S I'm no longer using a screen protector, I don't care if it gets scratched up now, because it will be replaced, but not until it 100% needs it. I will however put a new screen protector on, if I have to do the lighter trick again.
Thanks Swarvey, got newton rings and helped remove the with the lighter, however i will hav to replace the screen protector.
Cool, glad to hear it wasn't just a once-off that it worked.
I never burned/melted my protector by doing it, but you might have different results with the much higher temperature you subjected yours to.
Keep us posted as to how well it works for you.
In fact I know a less dangerous way to eliminate those rings. I was exactly in the same situation with my HTC Touch HD. I just used some Scotch tapes on the screen, pull the screen to me , and with a lot of patience, everything as desapeared.
It works again !!
Satyan said:
Thanks Swarvey, got newton rings and helped remove the with the lighter, however i will hav to replace the screen protector.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Satyan, can you be more specific on how to do it....i have tried duct tape method at least 10 times and it has not worked....
1. how far shud i hold the lighter
2. how do i know, if its working - will the oily patch disaapeear as the area is heated
3. Is it confirmed that oily patch is completely gone n doesn;t return within 1-2 days
~
I cracked my aria screen pretty much right after I got it, Managed to get my hands on a new digitizer and replaced it. I found a quick walkthrough on Android forums. It helped but had a few points that could have been more succinct.
Posting here in case anyone needs.
Took me about an 1hr 30min the first time trying to figure it out on my own.
My additional comments are indicated by **.
I put some addendums to @Jcawesome's steps...
( http://androidforums.com/1211507-post42.html )
1. Remove backcover
2. Remove Battery, sim chip, and memory card
3. Unscrew the top two screws (meaning the end farthest from the memory card.)
4. Using a flat plastic wedge, (I used the one that came from my ebay order, it looks like the blue tool in this pic )
5. Carefully pull off the parts at the top being very cautious not to break anything. (Do not pull the circuit board out, only lift the end closest to the edge of the phone)
** there are two pieces to pull off....with the phone laying flat (screen down and the top facing away from you) a larger yellow piece with an attached back speaker comes out towards you. a second piece pulls up (north as if on a map)... but becareful because there is a bunch of tape and tackiness all throughout this thing (literally I felt it was held together by tape). I actually pulled off the grill on front as well.
** the circuit board is kept attached near the top right. the element that is the power button snaps off. (there are two little dots just to the right of the speaker with what looks like blackish tape that connects to the circuit board... you can pop this off.
With that off, I could lift the circuit board about 30 degrees or so... I wasn't comfortable pulling it back any farther than that.
I did step 5 AFTER I got the screen off.
6. Using the flat plastic wedge again, push the wedge tool between the phone and the broken screen. (It will feel like you are breaking it but it is fine, it is held on by a sticky paste that will slowly give way)
** careful on this part... especially difficult depending on how your screen is cracked. but it is just a bunch of sticky tape that is keeping it attached.... I had to peel away the goo and connection near the top sensitive areas as my ear piece speaker came off with the goo.
7. Disconnect the connecter from the old digitizer to the new one and remove the old digitizer.
**I used a small little tweezer and sneaked it in underneath the circuit board to pull the digitizer connection out.... a little difficult to push back in, but just took some patience.
8. Being careful not to put fingerprints on any exposed surface of either the phone lcd or the replace screen, place the new digitizer in the exact spot of the old one.
** have some lint free microfiber cloth handy and perhaps some screen cleaner.... I spent about 15 minutes cleaning the lcd screen before laying the replacement digitizer back on.
I actually did step 9 before step 8.
9. Connect the connecter from the new digitizer to the board, be careful not to pull the circuit board out and do not scratch the board.
10. You may want to use some glue to hold the new screen on, hopefully this will not happen again. My phone still had enough of the sticky paste left to hold the new screen fine.
** I agree... the first time you replace it will be fine.... afterwards tho, I can see it running out of tackiness.....
11. Put the phone back together in reverse order.
12. Turn it one and everything should be working again.
** in a nut shell
1) take out two screws
2) detach two yellow shell pieces
3) unhook a latch that is the power button
4) pry off the screen
5) lift the circuit board approx 30 degrees.
6) detach digitizer connection from underneath using tweezer
7) replace digitizer connection, return circuit board flat
8)position digitizer and press down to adhere
9)replace two plastic yellow shell pieces
10) screw it back together
done.
let me know if you have any questions.=)
enjoy your "brand" new aria.
dude,, this is a PITA,, I did,, was about 1hour, the hardest part,, is to not put the fingers on the LCD and cleaning the new screen..... dust particles everywhere... and at the end still got one...
Sorry eortizr, If I made it seem easier than it was. I spent quite a while cleaning the lcd screen when I replaced the digitizer... I don't think it's possible to change the digitizer without getting fingerprints on it though. But with some diligence and working in a clean area, I was able to keep all dust and finger prints out of the final product.
My wife dropped hers. Cracked up pretty good but still functional. Think I might just go ahead and pay the $100 and have someone who does it for a living do it.
I can totally see me trying DIY concentrating real hard dripping sweat all over it and ruining the MB. LOL
Replaced the screen today. Half way in I thought I definitely bit off more than I could chew. I got it done though. A couple of things I learned:
The digitizer unplugs away from you or toward the screen with the phone laying flat (screen down and the top facing away from you). I kept thinking i had to unplug it by pulling it north, toward the top of the phone.
I dropped and threw away both the front speaker and the very small rubber piece that covers the proximity sensor so... when I turned the phone on everything looked good, until I answered my phone. The screen went blank and I couldn't hear anything. I found the speaker and the proximity sensor cover and replaced them.
I would do it again, its worth saving $50 or so.
Thanks for the tutorial dreamflux.
I found the whole kit including the adhesive here: http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=180643624141
This is the seller in case the sale ends and the link breaks: http://myworld.ebay.com/chinaphoneaccessories/?_trksid=p4340.l2559
I found a replacement digitizer from tmart dot com for $55, free shipping. Just search Aria on their site, you'll find it. Sorry, I can't seem to post links yet.
What was peculiar, was that it has only the HTC logo in the center, and no ATT logo. Looks nice and clean. They included plastic separator tools and torx drivers, though nothing in this phone uses torx. The site is a little shady, and while their headquartered in Hong Kong, it shipped from Brooklyn NY about 5 days after purchase, priority mail. The swap wasn't bad, but my only complaint is that the lights from the softkeys seem to shine up onto the screen, but you get used to it. It's probably because I didn't transfer the stickers over on the bottom of the digitizer.
Thanks for the directions ... I just replaced my digitizer. I had 2 major problems: 1) my power button doesn't work any longer (I'm going to take it apart and try to put it back together and see if that fixes it), and 2) you HAVE to use BLACK sticky stuff to seat the bottom of the digitizer - I used the clear stuff that came with the digitizer, and now I have tons of light bleeding into the LCD from the button backlights. I'm not sure what to do about the bleed ... I guess I'll have to tear it down again and put black stuff in ... damn.
That's the deal with that excess backlighting! I thought it was just a matter of the screen being misaligned. Terrible that I have to replace that black foam, it got shredded while I was dismantling the thing to replace the digitizer.
eortizr said:
dude,, this is a PITA,, I did,, was about 1hour, the hardest part,, is to not put the fingers on the LCD and cleaning the new screen..... dust particles everywhere... and at the end still got one...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
its always suggested to work in a dust-free space but we all know that's virtually impossible.
I had a bit of fun with dust & fingerprints when replacing my LCD after getting my Aria, After a time or two of taking apart and being unsuccessful, I left it as is with one visible flake.
If you take a hot shower the steam in the air sticks to dust particles leaving no dust
Sent from my Liberty using XDA App
aria
use electrical tape to cover up the lighting that comes through the digitizer
use 3m double sided tape to hold digitizer to lcd
use rubber gloves to change screen to not get finger prints on it
dust906 said:
use electrical tape to cover up the lighting that comes through the digitizer
use 3m double sided tape to hold digitizer to lcd
use rubber gloves to change screen to not get finger prints on it
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
*Just to make sure I'm putting the electrical tape on correctly*
put the double sided tape on and then put the electrical tap (sticky side facing up) on top of the ds tape then apply the screen to the lcd
Thanks for the explanation dreamflux.. This, along with some youtube videos helped me out to change the digitizer, but patience is THE key...
Brought my phone with me to Cedar Point the other day. Survived the entire day....until I stopped at the bars on the way home. Got out of the car, forgetting I had my phone on my lap---shattered right by the track pad.
Just got my digitizer today for $22 on ebay (not bad) After 2 hours and a migraine later, everything came out great.
The only 2 things wrong now are the light from the softkeys bleeding onto the screen and out the sides (I'm just going to shut those lights off), and the trackpad sits a little lower than the screen now. Either I didn't align it right, or the glue isn't holding well. It's weird, if you press on the glass anound the trackpad, it wakes the phone (cm7 trackpad wake).
I only plan on using the phone for a few more months, so I'm happy with the results.
Uhhggg, did the replacement on my son's Aria. It wasn't so bad, but now the LCD screen doesn't light.
I get the vibration when you first hit the power button. Is this correct? I'm not too familiar with the phone.
Rececked the connector for the LCD and it seems to be snapped in.
brivette007 said:
Brought my phone with me to Cedar Point the other day. Survived the entire day....until I stopped at the bars on the way home. Got out of the car, forgetting I had my phone on my lap---shattered right by the track pad.
Just got my digitizer today for $22 on ebay (not bad) After 2 hours and a migraine later, everything came out great.
The only 2 things wrong now are the light from the softkeys bleeding onto the screen and out the sides (I'm just going to shut those lights off), and the trackpad sits a little lower than the screen now. Either I didn't align it right, or the glue isn't holding well. It's weird, if you press on the glass anound the trackpad, it wakes the phone (cm7 trackpad wake).
I only plan on using the phone for a few more months, so I'm happy with the results.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
did you have any problems with the digitizer responsivenes or something like that? I'm need one and curious about the quality of the cheap digitizers in ebay.
so I replaced my friends screen and now the phone turns on, has sound, vibrates, but just doesnt turn the screen on... the light sensor works and all, and if I call it, it rings and everything, just the screen won't turn on it stays black... I've checked the 2 ribbons and everything is fine, anyone have a suggestion..??
jdmsohc22 said:
so I replaced my friends screen and now the phone turns on, has sound, vibrates, but just doesnt turn the screen on... the light sensor works and all, and if I call it, it rings and everything, just the screen won't turn on it stays black... I've checked the 2 ribbons and everything is fine, anyone have a suggestion..??
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
so what I meant was the digitizer turns on, but it is just a dark lit screen, no visual anything going on.. If i call it from another phone it will ring, but when i swipe right to left to answer and press around where the answer button is it doesn't respond either, just rings and rings... anyways just wanted to elaborate a little more..
---------- Post added at 02:28 AM ---------- Previous post was at 02:08 AM ----------
msailer said:
Uhhggg, did the replacement on my son's Aria. It wasn't so bad, but now the LCD screen doesn't light.
I get the vibration when you first hit the power button. Is this correct? I'm not too familiar with the phone.
Rececked the connector for the LCD and it seems to be snapped in.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
same thing is happening with me as well..
^^^^ Soooooo.....I got the same thing on my wife phone, the BLACK SCREEN. I did my homework and read and watched videos on how to replace the digitizer. I was in a steamy room with all my tools from work with pre-cut electrical and .005" double sticky tape. im a mechanical assembler. I did everything to the tee and was very carefull. i think i got a bunk one from china. I bought mine for $19 from china. It had at&t logo and everything. you get what you pay for? So I've got to pay now $50 for a replacement phone through ins. Not bad because before i made the claim i thought the replacement was $150. Anyways just a heads up. Now i got a phone of spare parts Whats cool is that i get to root her phone all over again. So if anyone here has had the black screen. let me know what happened next with your situation. Did you fix it? replaced it with another one? thanks
Hey anyone already opened up their HD2? I need to open mine since my back button got stuck while my baby girl tried to press too hard on it. Now the back button feels like it's not presing at all compared to the other buttons.
i also have a spare housing that I am thinking of putting in.
Anyone can point me to the right direction?
Thanks
i've had the back off mine.
first search youtube for leo disassembly and you'll find an htc disassembly video: "leo Ds" (and another "leo As" for reassembly). they are somewhat daunting, but do not despair!
mine came back from a htc warranty service with a fingerprint on the inside of the lens glass and i couldn't be bothered sending it back again for cleaning so i did it myself. cracking the case isn't all that easy, or wasn't for me.
after you remove the 4 screws (get the void sticker and moisture indicator out with a pin), you still have to unclip the back from the chassis. WHY do electronics manufacturers design them like that??! in the video the tech uses a plastic hooked tool which i do not possess so i had to rely on my fingernails -- which i nearly pulled out! i tried for a good 15 minutes before it finally separated (with me sweating all the way that i was going to damage the LCD with the force i was having to apply). but it all finished happily in the end.
good luck with yours!
Not sure if it's worth it.
1st things 1st, watch the video on youtube..
.
Assuming u broke the keypad (just like me, but mine is right in the middle) at about the 6th minute of the disassembly video, they'll show u where u'd be replacing the keypad.
Removing the 'lcm and follow the indicator' isnt as simple as it look. you'd find the glue to be really tough. Putting it in an oven, sure, it'd be hot to the touch, and let it cool down a bit it'd be hard again. Hairdryer? Still too hot. Gloves?u'll lose touch sesitivity. So what i did was use a small blade/box cutter and cut which ever visible glue... and assembling, i had to replace all the double sided tape with some cheap ones...weak ones. Could be a good thing.. or a bad thing. Good, cos i know i dont have to wrestle with some really tough glue..in case i ruined my lcd again.... bad.. cos its..not that secure, i rmember that i nearly ripped it open unintentionally!
Neway replacing my digitizer+lcd took about 3 hours...had a couple of breaks, and spent 15 mins looking for the proximity sensor or was it the ambient light sense 'lense'..very tiny things those things are. So be careful...cos i eventually lost it..grrr
Anyway, Best of luck.. .now to find a replacement keypad that cost less than 5usd..hehe
dsx2b said:
1st things 1st, watch the video on youtube..
spent 15 mins looking for the proximity sensor or was it the ambient light sense 'lense'..very tiny things those things are. So be careful...cos i eventually lost it..grrr5usd..hehe
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
a good tip here is to work with the phone in a large tupperware box so that if something drops out it can't go anywhere.
note to the OP: i've read several posts where people damaged the ribbon cable connecting the bottom buttons to the mainboard so be careful. it looks very delicate.
Having just opened mine up several times recently I can offer a couple of tips.
1. Unscrew the four screws - they are T5 torx size.
2. Use thin stiff plastic pieces (I found the plastic case that nails are sold in to be the right stiffness and thickness). Cut some up and push them between the case and the phone works so that they hold each of the locking tabs out in turn. I used five or six bits to do this. Three on the vol control side, two at the top and one on the top area of the other side.
3. Then pushing out at the top where the battery would sit while prying with finger nails outward on the long vol control side you can work each of the locking tabs out so the plastic bits hold them unlocked. Do this along that side, across the top and down the other side working each one a little bit as you go and repeat.
4. This should allow the top edge to come out allowing you to lift is out and "up" so that the button end slides out.
This worked very well for me..several times.
The display is held to the electronics portion by double sided tape and yes it is very strong. But you can soften the adhesion significantly using a heat gun. But you must be careful to heat the whole area to avoid thermal differences cracking the screen. The heat will loosen the tapes grip allowing you to pry the screen away from the electronics side.
Note that the screen is made up of the LCD covered by the glued on digitizer and they are connected with a single ribbon cable on the lower right hand side (I think from memory). This means the screen has to lift off with a hinge action. Lifting along the opposite long edge to the ribbon cable, rather than lift from the top or bottom.
Hope this helps.
Hi, I tried to open mine and followeed the video, be careful as the video makes it look much easier than what it really is, I ended up ruining my device, just take your time and do it slowly.
Thanks guys! Gonna try it over the weekend. Worst case is that I break my case or put some cosmetic damage. I have a spare case though hehe.
The problem about the key is the back button feels stuck.... the other buttons are snappy and have a tactile sort of feel, where as the back button doesn't have the same feel. looks like it was pressed to hard and never popped back up...
just annoying when i've been very careful with the phone.
ok looks like i wouldn't have to open my phone.... i tried to but then there's a warranty void sticker, so I just called tmobile and explained about the back key being stuck.... and they're sending me a replacement.
i'm gonna lose my invisible shield full body though... but better than risking breaking my phone....
Okay, I read that someone lifted part off the front by removing a screen saver! Now with me, I recognized that on the left side bottom, left to where the slideview and call buttons are under, the ENTIRE part seems to come up.
It is lifting itself and I bet in a few days/weeks this will get off.
So my question is if anybody had this happen and knows what is under there? Is there a possibility to GLUE it back on?
Now since I am watching this, I think the ENTIRE front can come off eventually and if it is just glued on at the bottom where one has to press the buttons all the time, it is only a matter of (short!) time until this gets out of hand.
Anybody found anything about taking this phone apart yet?
That happens to my phone, I do not bring it back because I buy it in a duty free shop here it japan and also that is the only issues on my phone and only some bugs. I just press it always there to bring it down but it keeps popping up. I think i can glue it, so I do it to fix the problem. Just be carefull if you do it, I notice that under the plastic screen there are buttons (as I think it is) the hard part that you feel when pressing the slideview or call. When you use a liquid glue and put to much, it can go to that button and worst may stuck that part or go inside the phone and also the part where the mic is. I put glue just on the sides just make sure to put small amount at a time. I cannot give the brand of the glue that I use because its in japanese.Now only the small part in the call buttons is up a little because I cannot put enough glue on that part, but in the slide view button its now okay and working well.
This is my firts post on xda hope it helps a little.
Is there a tool that can test/adjust the sensitivity of the Epic's capacitive buttons? Mine seem unresponsive and I'd love to know if the hardware is not sensitive or the software is ignoring the taps.
Something that displays a readout showing which button is being pushed would be really useful.
Thanks,
Jason
there really isnt. its being classified as a hardware issue. i swapped the board out on mine the other day with a returned phone and it started working. taking the phone apart to fix the button at the bottom is a complete pain in the face. and if the gorilla glass faceplate comes out (which needs to happen to swap out the buttons) then it never really goes in correctly. nor does it stay stuck.take it back to sprint and see if you can do a 30 day exchange on it.
Thanks. I got mine at Best Buy and have their insurance. They'll fix/replace it for free but they have to send it to their service center and give me a loaner. I almost replaced it within the 30 days but when I took off the screen protector (Skinomi) to give it back, the keys were working great. I decided to hold on to the phone. Now I have another protector on it (Realook) and am having the same problem. I'm assuming the button is less sensitive than it should be so it works fine without the protector but not well with it. I might have to switch to a partial-screen protector.
So if my buttons are very difficult to press then its an issue and not the general design of the phone itself?
My wife said she has no problems with the buttons so I'm going to have to compare hers to mine.
jasonsf said:
Thanks. I got mine at Best Buy and have their insurance. They'll fix/replace it for free but they have to send it to their service center and give me a loaner. I almost replaced it within the 30 days but when I took off the screen protector (Skinomi) to give it back, the keys were working great. I decided to hold on to the phone. Now I have another protector on it (Realook) and am having the same problem. I'm assuming the button is less sensitive than it should be so it works fine without the protector but not well with it. I might have to switch to a partial-screen protector.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Same exact situation. I was using the Realook screen protector and everything worked fine except for the back button. After I took it off I noticed that the back button worked just fine. After using it a little longer I still feel like it's not as responsive as the other three buttons.
jasonsf said:
Is there a tool that can test/adjust the sensitivity of the Epic's capacitive buttons? Mine seem unresponsive and I'd love to know if the hardware is not sensitive or the software is ignoring the taps.
Something that displays a readout showing which button is being pushed would be really useful.
Thanks,
Jason
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
There's a couple of ways you could do this:
Every time you press a capacitive button, it should blink right after it registers. This indicates it was pressed.
Another way is to boot into Clockwork Recovery Mode, goto Advanced, and use the key/button test option that's in there.
I'm also using a Realook screen protector, so far it's the best I've tried. I've used Zagg, Invisishield, StealthGuard, and Amzer protectors and non of them had the clarity or feel of the Realook. It feels and looks like nothing is there, aside from being an oil magnet. Anyhow, I don't have any reduced sensitivity when using it compared to bare.
One trick I use to apply the Realook is cover the whole phone with 4 or 5 strips of scotch tape (overlapping each other) before application, it helps to get rid of all the super fine dust particles that are floating around. Also, use a high power flashlight, and shine its beam across the surface of the screen, it will make all the dust you couldn't see before light up. Have a few looped pieces of scotch tape ready to pluck off dust particles that get stuck on the protector and screen. Then get the Realook protector ready, pull your strips of scotch tape as one from the top and quickly align the protector, pull more tape off and follow with the protector, this insures no dust thats floating around will get on your screen or protector, if some does, you have the flashlight to easily show you and the tape at the ready to pluck them off.
Reason I said the above is because you might have minute dust particles that are creating a gap with just enough space to prevent your capacitive buttons from registering.
I took drastic measures and cut a rectangle hole out of the Realook protector so I could have direct access to the buttons. It is ugly, but it works. The back button works much better now.
Jason