Hi all,
As i started servicing all pdas for a couple of monthes (only as a hobby, i fix them for friends and relatives), i came across one BA that gave me some trouble.
i got it to replace its LCD that was broken as it was dropped and thats very simple to replace it, so far so good. now it has two main problems :
1. no sound from speaker (even when in speakerphone mode), but there is sound in the stereo earphones (i plugged to the connector by the sd card slot). - i can only assume that a bluetooth handsfree device it will also work.
2. although the backup battery is fully charged, if i remove the main battery even for a brief second, when turned on, the BA acts as if i made a hard reset.
as for solving the problems :
1. using a digital multimeter, i managed to track the conductivity from the internal speaker through its connector, flat ribbon to the connector which connects to the main pcb - so there is no contact problem from the speaker to the main pcb.
using the help from WIKI, i went to site that has the list of all components and their description - the IC that is responsible for audio amp is a MAXIM's MAX4410 which is a stereo headphone driver. a quick look at its charasteristics and typical configuration and i understood that (assuming this is the IC that drives the internal speaker) the speaker should have one pin which is ground and the other goes to the amplified signal from the IC. neither one of the pins showed it has GND to it. so maybe there is a bad GND line to the connector.
2. regarding the backup battery issue i do not know what makes this problem.
I am sharing this info with you all with two ideas in mind :
1. to resolve my problem and know those devices hardware better.
2. because i am quite a while watching xda-developers and WIKI and i got the feeling that a lot of eforth is given to the software side of all those pdas (which is greate!!! keep going, this work helps lots of people and it shows al thos mega corps they are not the only ones), but the hardware is a bit forgotten and left behind. let me tell you this, there are many VERY simple mini projects i made useing electronics (i am an electronics engineer in my profession) that made my life easy . i am now investigating those instruments hardware as i have several ideas to develope useful accessories to my pda (like an external IR transciver to control IR devices like TV,DVD and to communicate with my laptop, and some other ideas) and i believe we can do the same info sharing as done on software side but on the hardware side.
I will thank any ideas, thoghts or commentsabout this matter. Yol.
I think you should post this again, just in case we missed the other 9 duplicate posts... wouldn't this have made most sense in the development and hacking section, pretty much the only section you didn't post to?
V
@Vj LOL
Fault 1) When I hear someone saying 'maybe it has a bad earth' i think of car mechanics 'wiring' and Ford cars! If you have the data sheet, use a 'scope - fixing it should be a piece of cake (IF you know what you are doing)
Fault 2) These devices usually have tiny 3V Li-ion button batteries somewhere inside - find it, replace it.
BTW - search the internet for a SERVICE MANUAL - you NEVER know your luck!
Andy
Fault one the backup battery is designed to keep memory alive not power the unit! I would expect it to act the way you describe.
Audio check the stereo jack, my guess is you'll find the problem there. It's rather common failure.
I never said the battery backup powered the unit, did I? He said removing the main battery & putting it back in acts like a hard reset indicative of a knackered memory backup battery.
I'm making educated guesses based on 15 years experience as an electronics engineer & also that I have just fixed an Xda Exec with EXACTLY this problem (If I'm reading his post correctly that is).
Andy
Hello,
I have an idea:
Posting what are some usefull tools for hardware hacking. Both hand tools and software...
I think it would be a good reference...
What do you think?
1) a screw driver set, probably like those used for mobile phone repair. I got one with 33 interchangeable bits.
2) a digital multimeter, the more checking options the better. Or simply a cro( oscilloscope)
3) a good antistatic soldering iron( prefer goot from japan). Hot air gun with temp and air control ( optional)
4) thin solderwire, good white flux, ipa or tinner, desoldering wick, desoldering pump, soldering - de soldering assist kit( optional)
5) magnifying glass or stand with illumination, a portable filament lamp( in case u have to dry out a circuit board with ipa or thinners) , pcb holding stand( i got one with a magnifying glass too). A small magnet or box to keep unscrewed screws, so that u may not get screwed up by lossing some of them.
6) bunch of wires, pins, jacks, and a plugsocket or extension box with fuse protection and univeral plugs( i made one myself)
7) last but not least.. virtualy every thing u need for a particular work, its bit electrical and electronics. So any thing u can manage will become a tool.
8) a bench powersupply with 0-30 v adjustable option( i modified a comp smps to get it, smps supply gives stedy and stable supply compared to transformer based ones. Though it gives max 12v o/p it is enough for most works, as i got another 0-30v transformer based supply, i never had to use it for any of my mobile based works). A ups if u want.( the comp ups with 700w is a good option)
Rules;-
1) always keep ur workplace neet
2) keep all tools handy, and easily accessible from where u sit.
3) use good lighting( i made a 3w led adjustable handle lamp with lense, so that it focus properly on my work area only, keep the light so that it dont falls directly on ur eyes)
4) do handling of static objects with bare foot on ground, just to avoid static charges from ur body. Or use antistatic matts and wrist bands
5) use of correct tools makes ur work clean and also saves lot of time.
6)never mess up ur work place with wires,chargers,datacables, tools, etc..
7)patience ... hope ...determination ... optimism ...( with out these u will never gona make it)
Thats all.. i got for now.( or what that came into my mind for now) . U all add some more spice if u have`em.
Hit the thanks button if i helped u...
Regards
Shah
Sent from my HD2 using XDA App
Very good reply....
Anyone else want to add anything?
I think that covers it. Other things that I would add is an assortment of clips for probing / attaching. Maybe a scope but I don't think that is required for much. As for software, I don't know, I don't use a lot of software but I find adb and Kies being really useful.
Software's:-
1)XS ++ :- software for flashing/ moding sonyericsson Java phones
2) setool :- same as above, with more options
3)a2tool:- same as above but for newer se Java phones
4)universal box, jaf box, :- Nokia,LG,se,etc flashing.( Java phones)
5)ireb, f0recast,:- iPhone
6)adb,hd2 tool kit,alpharevex,goldcard tool,z4root,gingerbreak,android kitchen, android sdk, Odin multiflasher, :- tools for android devices
7)wp7 toolkit, wp7sdk, zune, wxap assistant, update cab sender, multi xap installer,hspl / spl installer :- windows phone tools.
Dudes these are few tools I had used, but not all, its hard to mention all, as thousands of them are out there..
The main info I can give is to Google searching your need with "tool" at its end. U will get it.
Eg:- xperia arc unlocking tool, sensation XE rooting tool, etc...
from hd2 running hyperdroid 5.7 on dorimanx 3.8
HW dev tools and asociated SW here :
just google for "microchip technology android" they have many others
Core phone analyse/modding stuff? JTAG + OpenOCD/CrossWorks. Allows to debug/resurrect/low level software and hardware analyse any ARM based phone if JTAG pads are exposed.
subasri said:
hi can u also guide me some useful tool for hardware hacking
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Click to collapse
I have posted it already, read second post of this thread. What more do u want?
Sent from my HTC HD2 using XDA App
Does anyone have experience with gas soldering irons?
Thank you all very much. Very good info
agree
+1 for this thread. very useful
Shadow, u mean oxy-acetline torch used for welding or gas soldering iron like those of hako,?
I got one gas soldering cum heating soldering iron, portable, interchangeable bits, but its too hot for mobile reworking, u can burn ur board.
Sent from my HTC HD2 using XDA App
Did no one mention a signal generator for injecting signals?
Most modern multimeters / oscilloscopes have signal injection features, even cheep chinees multimeters have it. Its ok for normal use
Sent from my HTC HD2 using xda premium
+1 for this thread. very useful
The Rigol DS1052E mentioned above is excellent, although honestly I wouldn't buy it from DX. I live in the USA bought mine from Saelig - it has been replaced by the 100 MHz DS1102E for $400.
The Open Bench Logic Sniffer can be a powerful tool, I honestly have barely used mine so far though.
There's an open hardware JTAG dongle (Bus Blaster) that is very inexpensive, but I do not know if it supports target voltage levels low enough for interfacing with most phones.
Other cool stuff for general hardware/microcontroller learning/experimentation:
Gadget Factory Papilio - FPGA learning/development board
Adafruit Boarduino - Inexpensive breadboard-compatible Arduino hardware. I strongly recommend using AVR-GCC instead of the Arduino IDE though
Adafruit ATMega32U4 breakout board - Make a USB peripheral for only $20!
The cheep solution for replacing expensive digital oscilloscopes,tracers,injectors, and every thing that read signals and show it on a screen.
A laptop/netbook/computer and a data logger card.
A netbook+multichannel( max upto 8 analog+digital i/o channels is enough) will cost u 1000-1500$ and will be a good companion. As far,, all of us have pc or laps. So its what we have to spend few hundreds for data logging card. Thats it. Multipurpose multisolution device. Possibilities are vast.. compared to ossiloscopes etc.
HPD V6-Sandy Scorpion ( beta testing)
I'm a pretty smart guy and I pick up on things quickly, but how people can take a consumer device (xbox, ps3, iphone, router, photoframe, digital camera, etc) and figure out wires and resistors that appear random in many cases to build a jtag connection and then magically dump the firmware and develop their own tweaks or custom firmware just escapes me. I've built jtag connections before, modified or replaced countless firmwares, but every time someone else already did the leg work and supplied a step by step with either pictures or a video. You have guys like geohot who hacked the iphone at like age 19 and then the ps3 shortly after.
I have an aluratek photo frame and I all I want it to do is automatically start the slideshow when the frame is turned on. Something seemingly so simple yet I wouldnt even know where to begin. I imagine it has a feature to upgrade the firmware either by usb or sd card. But I would first need a copy of the OWF and then I would have to know what to change to enable the feature. Maybe it has a jtag connection, but which wires go where I could only guess. I dont see how or where people learn this kind of stuff. It's definitely more then just a google search,
1: about jtag pin :
finding Jtag pin is easy check what cpu inside your hardware and serach shematique now 90% of cpu schema can get from china books, than you need just trace lines to get good soldering point
2: about hacking
after reading flash use any disassembler, ida is very good and with same skill you can reverse what you want
Hi!
I'm new on this forum, and really happy to join the community.
I bought a Galaxy Tab A SM-T550 for my daughter, and I discover that there is no gyro/compass/magnetometer sensor that prevent using some apps.
After some cry, I decided to look for a DIY solution.
After some research, I found that some Android compass sensors have a I2C interface (e.g. AK8975) (sorry I can't post links yet).
I also found Android linux kernel drivers for this sensor.
As I have professional soldering skills/tool (even for BGA), and good Linux / kernel / driver skills, but nothing on Android (except modifying small programs and follow tutorial to install custom roms), I'm wondering if it is feasible to simply solder this sensor to the Galaxy Tab Mother board and directly have the compass feature in Android apps.
The requested actions I identified:
1. identify and order the sensor
2. Identify the I2C bus on Galaxy Tab A motherboard, plus power and ground signals
3. Identify a place to solder the sensor without risk to prevent casing mounting
4. Solder
5. be sure that the stock kernel supports this driver
6. Be sure that the driver is embedded in the kernel or the module is loaded
I'm wondering if someone with android and hardware experiences could help me to:
- tell me if this idea is totally crazy or seem feasible
- tell me if I identify the good tasks
- to find informations for some of the tasks (specially locate the I2C bus on motherboard)
- maybe propose another solution.
Thanks a lot!
Laurent.
In two years I have been the only other person sufficiently annoyed to look up something along these lines. I don't have your level of skill so I guess it would be pretty crazy for me to attempt this. I really wish they would have done something about this though, they have them in all phones so why not put them in tablets? They have more space to fit them in and I don't think they are hugely expensive.
Hello folks,
I guess this is the most appropriate subforum to ask this kind of question.
I'm having a broken screen Samsung Galaxy Note 5. And instead of find a touch screen replacement, I want to just get rid of the screen entirely
and instead connect the board to external monitor via hdmi interface preferrably. I believe the part that connect the touch screen is called "LCD fpc connector", correct me if I'm wrong.
So I guess I need something like an adapter that convert "fpc connector" to "hdmi connector".
The question is, is this hack possible? can the phone board output to hdmi monitor at all?
If yes then how to do it properly.
Please englighten me, I'm a total noob on this
Many thanks!
Hey huannb,
I also wanted this badly enough to stumble upon your post. From the light research i have done so far, it seems like this is a project only for those who have well labeled board diagrams and a deep understanding of LCD driver technologies.
FPC stands for "Flexible PCB Connector" and it's usage is ubiquitous in the small form-factor electronics space. If you are working with a FPC connector, you are probably handling a one-of-a-kind engineered interface. There are some hardware hackers who have achieved great feats such as THIS JAPANESE HARDWARE HACKER who build a driver board to adapt iPad retina displays to HDMI. I haven't stumbled on a write-up depicting and FPC interface to HDMI conversion yet. If you find one, please post it here because i would like to meet the person responsible for making it.
The way i see it, we have two choices from here. Reverse engineer a device and build a snowflake adapter which only works on one device, OR recycle the device and continue to live within the realm of consumer hardware.
kipziptie said:
Hey huannb,
I also wanted this badly enough to stumble upon your post. From the light research i have done so far, it seems like this is a project only for those who have well labeled board diagrams and a deep understanding of LCD driver technologies.
FPC stands for "Flexible PCB Connector" and it's usage is ubiquitous in the small form-factor electronics space. If you are working with a FPC connector, you are probably handling a one-of-a-kind engineered interface. There are some hardware hackers who have achieved great feats such as THIS JAPANESE HARDWARE HACKER who build a driver board to adapt iPad retina displays to HDMI. I haven't stumbled on a write-up depicting and FPC interface to HDMI conversion yet. If you find one, please post it here because i would like to meet the person responsible for making it.
The way i see it, we have two choices from here. Reverse engineer a device and build a snowflake adapter which only works on one device, OR recycle the device and continue to live within the realm of consumer hardware.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hi,
Thank you very much for your insight, it is super helpful and somewhat deep enough for me .
It does seem to involve quite a lot of hacking and there isn't a universal approach.
For my case, it is not worth the effort anymore, I have found a way to use most android mobiles to external monitor without fixing the screen itself without much complications.
I doubt that I can find anyone competent enough to explore this realm any further .
Thank you so much again for your research. Cheers