Ok, jsut got this thing off of ebay, power it all up I notice someone has been inside. eh no real biggie.. I unlock it and test the major functions.. all works. Bring up the camera and holy crap its like looking through the eyes of a lawn gnome tripping off shrooms and acid.. take a look (attached)
I rewiped.. installed Fx Camera to see if it was a setting, and also wiped the memory card (which came with the phone.. cool!) I then turn around and see that the camera lens is cracked on the battery cover, however the lens inside looks pretty good. So, I'm thinking this is a hardware problem, but Im not afraid to try to fix it if its just a few dollars. Am I screwed?
whoah, thats a trip!
If you deem it to be hardware, I have a spare camera from a parted G1. PM if you want details
I may take you up on that, however I am searching google right now to see if you can even replace the CCD
The camera module is on a ribbon cable that attaches to the motherboard, easily removed. So long as the component damaged is not on the mainboard itself you should be fine.
That's what I like to see!
You have a PM
If you plan on taking it apart yourself you need to be extremely careful, i took mine apart to replace the case when i bought it and after putting it back together everything seemed fine but after a while the touchscreen kept dying the camera never worked and my signal dropped all the time, i tried taking it apart and putting it back together several times to no avail. The phone became unuseable and i shelved it for my D600... bad times. It was only until i was going to send my G1 to a phone recycle website that i opened it up one last time, after doing nothing different and putting it back together its for some reason worked ever since. Just a word of warning hope whatever you do works out ok - Adam
Thanks for the warning! Someone already has been in the camera before.. I am going to assume that it was to take a peak at the camera lens so I am not afraid of voiding the warranty. It's no new adventure for me, I have been inside multiple phones and other small electronics, but thank you again. It never hurts to be redundant when opening any electronic device.
PM returned
When disassembling, I like to modify the HTC manual a bit. I remove the back plastic, and the coaxial cables (be VERY CAREFUL when reassembling, they always get pinched!). Then, remove the connectors as instructed EXCEPT the camera. Now, lift the camera portion, as well as the IMEI sticker as a whole module. They are just taped down. When lifted up fully, now you can spin the mainboard out of it's hooks and remove the entire assembly. This was the difficult connection to the camera stays intact. Makes reassembling much easier too, as it will self align.
If you haven't read/downloaded the G1 service manual, you need to!
http://mikechannon.net/PDF Manuals/HTC Dream SM (A04).pdf
Whoa! My first phone that has a manual!
FTA:
"This document contains highly confidential information, so any or all of this document should not be revealed to any third party."
HAHAHAHA!
h1p1n3 said:
Ok, jsut got this thing off of ebay, power it all up I notice someone has been inside. eh no real biggie.. I unlock it and test the major functions.. all works. Bring up the camera and holy crap its like looking through the eyes of a lawn gnome tripping off shrooms and acid.. take a look (attached)
I rewiped.. installed Fx Camera to see if it was a setting, and also wiped the memory card (which came with the phone.. cool!) I then turn around and see that the camera lens is cracked on the battery cover, however the lens inside looks pretty good. So, I'm thinking this is a hardware problem, but Im not afraid to try to fix it if its just a few dollars. Am I screwed?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
My phone just started doing the same thing. I flashed the ADP image to see if it was a bug with the ROM I was using, only to find that it was still all crazy looking. Contemplating if I should try the repair or warranty exchange my phone again, ugghh
mine's doing the same suddenly, according to this: http://www.fixya.com/support/t2307654-htc_g1_camera_takes_pictures_messed_up
it's called solarization but how does one turn it off without a hard reset?
I downloaded the Snap Photo app which allows turning solarization on or off but it makes no difference
Any know how to fix this?
starting to look less and less like hardware
Anyone know how to switch this back to normal?
Hate to say it, but I do not see anything that would point this to software. First, if it was a setting or something software related, it would be resolved by the factory reset.. Heck, flashing the rom like JackSlim did would have reset any bad stacks or drivers.
I did find that post by fixya initially and quickly dismissed when I noticed that 1. Fixya blows... 2. there was no resolution 3. this is the same behavior that digital cameras get when the ccd or cmos goes bad..
PLEASE correct me if Im wrong, I would rather be
h1p1n3 said:
Hate to say it, but I do not see anything that would point this to software. First, if it was a setting or something software related, it would be resolved by the factory reset.. Heck, flashing the rom like JackSlim did would have reset any bad stacks or drivers.
I did find that post by fixya initially and quickly dismissed when I noticed that 1. Fixya blows... 2. there was no resolution 3. this is the same behavior that digital cameras get when the ccd or cmos goes bad..
PLEASE correct me if Im wrong, I would rather be
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
After reading the post of Fixya I went into Camera Magic and played with some of the setting and couldn't change it back to normal
Unrooted my G1 today, back to stock Donut DRC83, still the same issues, so I'm pretty sure it's not software related. Since I've had the same issue on the latest Cyanogen build, the Android Dev Phone build & the stock Donut build.
Called T-Mobile to get a warranty replacement, so I'm $9.99 and a couple days away from having another phone.
That's my fix anyways
I hope anyone not covered under a warranty is able to find a solution, my guess is you would have to replace the camera itself as Speed mentioned in one of the earlier posts, so look for a parted out phone or a aftermarket parts store and good luck with opening up the phone
As soon as money goes into my paypal account and I replace it I will post my results. Heck, if anyone is interested I will do a step by step for future reference. With pictures taken from a working camera, of course.
The only reason I am thinking software is that it seems like it is occurring to a few people all of a sudden where a week ago none of us had heard of this. I had a accelerometer problem with a G1 and I took it back to the RC29 rom and everything trying to fix it, it never would work. Sent it to HTC and they reflashed it...worked fine. They said there were no hardware issues. That makes me think there must be a bit of software that isnt getting replaced (like bios on a pc?). Perhaps what is going on is hardware..just hard to say right now.
The camera itself may have some firmware that is corrupted. Also possible that there's a fried transistor somewhere along the line. Could even be something really simple, like a bad ribbon cable or connection.
Cheers for Manual link
will greatly help when I swap over from black case to white case
( sticky keys and a mate wanted white one sooo $30 AUD for an complete white kit and hoping for sucsessfull fixed KB glitch )
note that you will still have black buttons for volume and camera, as well as memory card cover. That is what kept me from changing colors on mine- I went with a black replacement case so I didnt have the wrong colored buttons
Related
anyone have experience taking apart the phone and replacing the camera module? or know what instruments are needed for this? thanks a lot!
Which Camera module did you need to replace ?
The main module (The one next to the battery) or the low res version for Video Calls ??
Both are fairly straight forward to replace (The Main one is actually easier than the Video Call One).....
The biggest problem you will have is obtaining one of these modules...
Having said that though, I did see a link here not so long ago for a place in china that was selling parts for these things relatively cheap (Screens, cases, etc).....
As for getting to the main module...
1) Remove Battery cover, battery, and all the screws around the battery area..
2) Remove the bottom cover (From memory there are 4 clips... Take your time and prise them off with a screwdriver...)
3) You should have access to the Camera module (From memory... Its been a long time since I took mine apart)....
There is a workshop manual on here somewhere... Definitely download the thing as it explains everything in regards to taking apart and putting the thing back together again....
yeah the main back camera
ill look around for the manual.. thanks!
trewang said:
yeah the main back camera
ill look around for the manual.. thanks!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It's on the ftp. Something with confidential in the name.
BTW I took mine apart (to replace the LCD and later again to replace the flex cable) and now the camera doesn't work anymore.
Hi man i have the same problem with you once my phone fell of and i think the camera is damaged so pleas if you find any links of the selling parts post it hear.I also damaged the flash light too.
Wow, my camera just started working again. I had the "Failed to initialize camera 3600:100:x" error.
I actually tried fixing that by swapping the camera from another MDA Pro, but that didn't help.
My main camera is not working and the flash too its not giving me any errors when i start the camera it takes some time to start and the only thing i have is a black screen my flash is not working too.Is there a place to bye one of these?Or if i send it to qteq will they fix it?And how much they will charge me for this?and i was thinking to sell it oh man.
Hi Guys!
My TyTn is acting strangely. In use, the display is first pixelating, getting lines (noise pixels as well), and then fading to completely white. When so it doesn't responde to anything anymore. So a soft reset is needed.....
Also the ringtone when called, is 'out of tune', like a old record player when you push your finger on the record.. LOL
Before I send it back to have it fixed by HTC, do you guys have any idea whats wrong, and maybe even a tip to help me fix this myself?
Tried numerous soft resets, hard reset, and a reinstall of the original WM6 rom (in Dutch).
Did not install any new programs lately, or did change anything on the unit...
Don't want to miss my TyTn... so hate to send it away... as many of you I am hooked badly to my beloved digital companion
Greetzz Antal
It acts like hardware incompatible.
How about flashing with WM6 English version.
I don't think it is software problem.
I agree, not likely to be software. It did not get dropped or take a knock did it?
The two issues of pixelation/white screen may, if you are lucky, just be a connector thats loose. The sound I think is unrelated but again sounds like a poor connection at the white rear speaker connector block - not uncommon.
Both of the above could be caused by a sharp knock. There have also been cases of poor battery connections causing problems.
If you have a warranty use it. If not you can follow the dismantling guides or service manual to dismantle - check connections and re-assemble. Be prepared though, that sending it in might still be required!!
Mike
Will send it in
Hi Guys, Thanks fr your replies.
I will take the unit back to the store today.
I am not aware that I bumped it, or neither it has dropped. May be a connection that was allready quite loose to begin with. Lets see what HTC and the store will tell me
Strange thing is, that without my sim in it, and not using it, it stays normal... Have put it aside, and used a very old phone instead, and it is still normal..
Antal said:
Strange thing is, that without my sim in it, and not using it, it stays normal... Have put it aside, and used a very old phone instead, and it is still normal..
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Mmmm... that's important information and changes things a bit. Could be a sim card contact or something about the sim. Anyway it tends to suggest that other thoughts about hardware issues may not be correct!
Hope you find the answer at the store.
Mike
Hello everyone! I have problem with my phone because sometimes is turning off without any reason, I bought brand new battery and is still same when is switched off and I want to put it back on i must take off battery for couple of minutes, then put battery back and then switch on anybody know whats happened?? And how to fix it!!
It's the most standard problem with htc models touch and elf...
This problem is hardware based! in this condition there are only 2 things you can do:
1.send the device to a htc service center and get the motherboard changed for $300+ if you are out of warranty.
2.Or open the mobile and put a piece of thin plastic in between the omap prosessor chip and the steel piece tha goes over it and then put the second cover on top in order to apply pressure to it because the solder pins that are in between the cpu and the mobo are not connecting properly and lose contact so the phone goes off or freezes then goes off and some times stays off. Make sure that there is enough but not to much pressure applied to it! it worked for mine but i did it because it was out of warranty... its a temporary fix but if you are gentile to it after it will surely work for a few more months...
IF YOU HAVE NEVER DONE SOMETHING LIKE THIS BEFORE OR YOUR TOUCH/ELF IS STILL IN WARRANTY DO NOT TRY IT!
I will post a pic that i took when i did mine if anyone is interested... Let me know...
Thanks for reply!
Uff.... first way to fix it is a little bit too expensive! And 2 way to do it seems quite easy, so i try to do it this way Could you add any picture of this and just tell me how to open this phone?
Many thanks!
@Firestarter42
Thanks man!!!!
did what you said, the plastic trik, and the phone is back to life (it was totally dead and didn't charge) you save a life today!!!
I had the same problem untill one day when he didn`t want to turn on and now i do not know what to do with it how to make it work again
Dear Sir,
I have just tried method 2.
My elf didnt have a metal cover on the processor, lol... got it used from someone... or should I say abused? lol
anyway, I hope it works. will update...
here's a link for the demonstrated tutorial:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=476152
Thanks a lot again.
I haved the same problem.....and i realize after many times that I didn't change my ipl and uspl!!!so my cocked rom frequentely turn off my device!!!now it's all right!!!!!!!
i had the same problm too....
it kept turning off and just a few weeks ago it would never turn on...
i did try that trick of keeping the plastic thingy on the omap processor ... it worked for a few weeks max after tht it happened as above
finally took my phone to htc.. told them it was gift and i dont have the invoice... actually purchased frm ebay for 150$ .....
they checked it was in warranty,.. they replaced the board... hurray... my elfin is alive again.. and in wm6.1
hope htc fixes this crap issue as many face this problem
My HTC elf was freezing, rbooting and so on, i was thinking that it was a windows/flash/third party programs problems ....
BUT I confirm that the method "open the mobile and put a piece of thin plastic in between the omap prosessor chip and the steel piece tha goes over it"
brings my htc elf to life again ... stable !
(i've done it with a metal piece and not plastic.)
Thanks for the advice !!!!
my elf was freezing and turning off so i try this 2. method and it works, and elf is much faster then before in my case...
I've never had this problem before but this week my phone switched itself off (so had to boot up again) a couple of times. I did try a new custom rom but I've also been using a different charger (USB mains adaptor) and a replacement battery (this seems to be a poor replacement battery which seems to make up the battery level.
So I don't know what was causing it. For some reason, removing the SD card and re-inserting it seems to have done the trick for now but I'll keep watching it.
Hi guys
My phone is, usually at night when there is no use, switching the screen off, the earphone green indicator flashes but the phone will not turn on when I press the power button, I have to do a soft reset each time to get it back on again (even though it appears to be on with the flashing green light). I cannot get calls or text and my alarm fails to sound. Have overslept a few times now!. Also, its battery has gone for a ball of ^&*%. Will this trick help? Thanks a lot!
Turn off as in literally 'poof!' or, it will restart?
The only way to get it to restart is to do a soft reset, or remove and replace the battery. The phone's green light will flash but there is no way to the screen to activate or use the phone - make calls, use the alarm, receive etc. The screen stays black, no use trying the power button either...
Firestarter42 said:
It's the most standard problem with htc models touch and elf...
This problem is hardware based! in this condition there are only 2 things you can do:
1.send the device to a htc service center and get the motherboard changed for $300+ if you are out of warranty.
2.Or open the mobile and put a piece of thin plastic in between the omap prosessor chip and the steel piece tha goes over it and then put the second cover on top in order to apply pressure to it because the solder pins that are in between the cpu and the mobo are not connecting properly and lose contact so the phone goes off or freezes then goes off and some times stays off. Make sure that there is enough but not to much pressure applied to it! it worked for mine but i did it because it was out of warranty... its a temporary fix but if you are gentile to it after it will surely work for a few more months...
IF YOU HAVE NEVER DONE SOMETHING LIKE THIS BEFORE OR YOUR TOUCH/ELF IS STILL IN WARRANTY DO NOT TRY IT!
I will post a pic that i took when i did mine if anyone is interested... Let me know...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thankx your solutions worked out with my HTC Touch and i get replaced omap processor
power problem on Elf (not the usual)
hello guys, i have an Elf T-mobile that someone "lost" i found it, but was bricked...i unbricked following the awesome guides on the forum and installed on it the original italian rom (obviously am not german)
but...here's the problem, when i press the power button (should get it into stand by mode like every pda does) or also when goes on stand by itself, just shuts down !!!
then the pda auto soft resets, until the end...doesn't have the "auto power off problem" like i readed on the forums...however it tried but didn't solve the problem
i think is a problem with the radio, or the IPL or SPL (i tried 1.11.0002 IPL and 1.11.000 SPL...then 2.2x.xxxx IPL and SPL...now i tried 3.14.0002 IPL and 3.14.0000 SPL, also tried different radios...
but the problem remains...
EDIT: Problem solved, changed the little battery in the motherborad, it worked for me
help
Firestarter42 said:
It's the most standard problem with htc models touch and elf...
This problem is hardware based! in this condition there are only 2 things you can do:
1.send the device to a htc service center and get the motherboard changed for $300+ if you are out of warranty.
2.Or open the mobile and put a piece of thin plastic in between the omap prosessor chip and the steel piece tha goes over it and then put the second cover on top in order to apply pressure to it because the solder pins that are in between the cpu and the mobo are not connecting properly and lose contact so the phone goes off or freezes then goes off and some times stays off. Make sure that there is enough but not to much pressure applied to it! it worked for mine but i did it because it was out of warranty... its a temporary fix but if you are gentile to it after it will surely work for a few more months...
IF YOU HAVE NEVER DONE SOMETHING LIKE THIS BEFORE OR YOUR TOUCH/ELF IS STILL IN WARRANTY DO NOT TRY IT!
I will post a pic that i took when i did mine if anyone is interested... Let me know...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
can any one provide some sought of tutorial for this please
thanks
ishaan_chd88 said:
can any one provide some sought of tutorial for this please
thanks
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm presuming you mean for option 2, as 1 is quite obvious
Anyways, I haven't done this, but I am posting my best guess (untried, untested, just a theory).
Open your phone up and completely dissamble as described here. Completely strip it down so you only have your mainboard. Clearly take all the necessary precautions before hand (backup, etc etc.)
When done, you will see there are blank shields above where the chips will be, if you look, you can see little dimples, you can ease these off here. This will get you into where the omap processor is. You can then put the plastic on top, and make sure it is done as described. Should literally be a case of putting it all together and hoping for the best after that. I will have a look at some point (can't promise when) and see if I can take some photos of where this will go etc.
An alternative would be to try and reflow the joints of solder with a heat gun... very dangerous considering how tight the components are packed in, and overkill.
captainstu72 said:
I'm presuming you mean for option 2, as 1 is quite obvious
Anyways, I haven't done this, but I am posting my best guess (untried, untested, just a theory).
Open your phone up and completely dissamble as described here. Completely strip it down so you only have your mainboard. Clearly take all the necessary precautions before hand (backup, etc etc.)
When done, you will see there are blank shields above where the chips will be, if you look, you can see little dimples, you can ease these off here. This will get you into where the omap processor is. You can then put the plastic on top, and make sure it is done as described. Should literally be a case of putting it all together and hoping for the best after that. I will have a look at some point (can't promise when) and see if I can take some photos of where this will go etc.
An alternative would be to try and reflow the joints of solder with a heat gun... very dangerous considering how tight the components are packed in, and overkill.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
thanks man but i guess am so dumb that am not getting where is this processor located anyways currently my phone is working fine but in few days I'll get the tools & open it...let see than
if you can arrange any pic of processor(where we have to fit plastic) it will be extremely helpful...
anyways thanks for helping
tc
where to get small battery on mother board
Today I noticed that my HD2 vibrates strangely, it sounds like a shaving machine when vibrating
I performed many soft resets, hard reset, then I flashed an offcial ROM, SPL, etc. but nothing works. I guess the problem is related with the vibration hardware.
I will be sending my phone to HTC service tomorrow, and let you know about the results.
Anybody faced the problem? Or any suggestion before sending the device to service?
Thanks...
vizier said:
Today I noticed that my HD2 vibrates strangely, it sounds like a shaving machine when vibrating
I performed many soft resets, hard reset, then I flashed an offcial ROM, SPL, etc. but nothing works. I guess the problem is related with the vibration hardware.
I will be sending my phone to HTC service tomorrow, and let you know about the results.
Anybody faced the problem? Or any suggestion before sending the device to service?
Thanks...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I remember (2months ago) that my vibrate works strangely, i hard reset and it works again perfectly!
There was some issue posted a few times where the camera flash was pressed in, and was interfering with the vibration somehow.
avivsworld said:
There was some issue posted a few times where the camera flash was pressed in, and was interfering with the vibration somehow.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I think I have the same problem, my camera flash seems to be pressed in (one side of it).
Is there an easy solution or should I hand it to the service?
Thanks...
avivsworld said:
There was some issue posted a few times where the camera flash was pressed in, and was interfering with the vibration somehow.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I am trying to find the older posts you mention, but no luck so far. Can you post the links to those post, I might be searching with the wrong keywords or something like that...
Thanks...
Vibration seems to be a big problem. I had the same issue. only solution: warranty repair. my phone was replaced by 02.
vizier said:
I am trying to find the older posts you mention, but no luck so far. Can you post the links to those post, I might be searching with the wrong keywords or something like that...
Thanks...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Can't seem to find them... anyway, the flash housing is nearly directly over the vibration motor thing, and if the plastic flash cover gets loose it could very well push the flash housing down (it's not very secure, pretty soft metal actually) and block the motor.
Just check if the plastic flash cover is pushed in from the rest of the body.
E: If it is, then get it repaired by warranty, as it's not worth opening it up to fix yourself and voiding your warranty.
avivsworld said:
Can't seem to find them... anyway, the flash housing is nearly directly over the vibration motor thing, and if the plastic flash cover gets loose it could very well push the flash housing down (it's not very secure, pretty soft metal actually) and block the motor.
Just check if the plastic flash cover is pushed in from the rest of the body.
E: If it is, then get it repaired by warranty, as it's not worth opening it up to fix yourself and voiding your warranty.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This is exactly what happened to my phone. The lower part of the plastic flash cover looks pushed in (I checked with another working HD2).
And yes, I handed the phone to the service today. I hope they do not break other things when trying to fix this issue
Thanks...
Vibration lost
avivsworld said:
Can't seem to find them... anyway, the flash housing is nearly directly over the vibration motor thing, and if the plastic flash cover gets loose it could very well push the flash housing down (it's not very secure, pretty soft metal actually) and block the motor.
Just check if the plastic flash cover is pushed in from the rest of the body.
E: If it is, then get it repaired by warranty, as it's not worth opening it up to fix yourself and voiding your warranty.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hi,
My Leo stopped vibrating. I saw your posts and checked the camera flash. It was indeed pushed in. My warranty was not valid, so I tried to fix it myself. It was actually very easy. I followed a video showing how to disassemble the Leo . As soon as the housing is removed, we have access to the flash plastic cover. I've just snapped it in very carefully et voilá: the phone is back to its own self!
Many thanks for the tip. I would never have guessed it was related to the flash cover!!
Maria
doloresbf said:
Hi,
My Leo stopped vibrating. I saw your posts and checked the camera flash. It was indeed pushed in. My warranty was not valid, so I tried to fix it myself. It was actually very easy. I followed a video showing how to disassemble the Leo . As soon as the housing is removed, we have access to the flash plastic cover. I've just snapped it in very carefully et voilá: the phone is back to its own self!
Many thanks for the tip. I would never have guessed it was related to the flash cover!!
Maria
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I am glad you fixed your problem easily.
My phone is still not back from the service
I have my phone back...
Finally, I have my phone back. The service report tells me that they have changed a part responsible for vibration. I checked the vibration functionality and actually it is working fine now. One surprise however is that the flash cover still appears to be pushed in.
Same problem
My TMobileUS HD2 is having the exact same problem - no vibration at all, even after hard reset. I also see the camera light's assembly is no longer correctly positioned in the body as it should be. It seems that the lower end is pulling into the body of the phone.
I treat my phone very gently, so I'm sure this didn't happen from rough treatment. Given that it's happening on a number of contiinents, this looks like a design defect.
TMobile demanded that I send it in for warranty service.
No Vibration Either
I have a TMOUS HD2, and I may have been the cause of this happening after reading this. I have no clue what you're talking about, but I have dropped the phone a few times and though the problem didn't happen right after a drop, it was just odd how it started. I had it set to vibrate when I pressed any keys, and then I was texting and it stopped. So... the only thing that I've seen that is a case that I only seem to have, my phone vibrates AT WILL, but when it does, it's very raspy and sounds very 'sick' and loud. So, I am not about to open my phone. I'm tech savvy enough, but in no way have I ever tinkered with hardware. I got my HD2 back in May, so I'm hoping that I have a warenty through HTC at least. I haven't contacted anyone about this, so is it my best bet to just send it to HTC or contact T-Mobile? And I have insurance, but I purchased my phone from Walmart. lol. Help?
I just came across this thread....
my vibrate function has been broken for several months and I've been delaying sending in for repair because I'm afraid of how long it will take (plus, it is the Australian version so I dont know if HTC North American will actually repair it under the current warranty)
I noticed that the bottom part of my flash does in fact seem to be pushed in. I'm considering doing what Maria did (opening it herself and popping the flash back into place). Does anyone have a sense of how long the repair takes from HTC?
Thanks
VIBRATION and FLASH PROBLEM
i'm having the same problem... lower part of the flash is pushed in. and vibration sometimes functioning sometimes not... but worst my FLASH NOT WORKING AT ALL...
Now having the same problem. This is a design flaw if I've ever seen one.
Same problem here, vibration was not working, but I just fix it!
I bought this T-Mobile HTC HD2 off eBay, and turns out that the vibration was not working!!
Once I found out this thread and the information about how the flash cover was blocking the vibration motor from functioning, I was able to confirm this was exactly what was happening!
So, I decided to open up the phone. I did not had to extract the entire screen piece out, I just had to unscrew the four screws and use a "shower suction thingy" on the screen to help pull it out but just the top part (in other words, half way out), because I only needed access to where the flash cover was, and then I was able to use a thin screw driver to PUSH back the flash cover to it right position. Then, after putting everything back to its place, the vibrator motor started to work!!!
Maybe I will put some "super glue" on the flash plastic cover to secure from being accidentally being push in in the future. Anyways, thank you everyone here on the forum for sharing your ideas!
As a late follow-up to mine... I called HTC and got an RMA number. Put off mailing it in for 3 weeks while I backed it up and arranged a temporary phone.
Mailed it on a Friday. Had it back with a replaced back on Monday.
I was EXTREMELY happy with the customer service on this one!
Missed 3 calls today... realize phone is not vibrating. Check different things that should make phone vibrate... nothing...
Flash lens is not pushed in this time... I'm about a month out of warranty now. Wonder how this is going to go over
I had this exact problem occur a few days ago, and I opened it up and simply snapped the light cover back into place carefully. But my phone still wasn't vibrating, so I opened it up again and I saw that the black rubber around the vibrate motor was causing the part that creates the vibration to get stuck. I simply just snipped a bit away so that the it was free and ta da! However the vibration is still weak compared to before so I don't know how to fix that? hope this helps you, and if someone knows why the vibration might be weaker than before the problem started any help would be great. thanks
Guys I did some search job today and have a possible final solution to the back button problem.
Luckily this is also in the forum posted by user ID:insaneturbo13
his thread is here:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=833663
He is a Samsung Captivate user, right. Since I think if nexus s have met with is annoying problem, other samsung phones may either. So I did some search job in bed with my insensitive-back-button Nexus S, and found the Epic 4G, Samsung Focus, Captivate, etc. Almost all samsung phones got users annoyed by the problem.
Then I searched the Youtube to see if there is any Samsung user had ever achieved some success in solving the issue, and I found.(You won't know how terrible it is when you have to use a U.S VPN just to watch Youtube since it is blocked in here China mainland... really slow speed...together with facebook and twitter...ToT)
My understanding to the cause is: The picture of the back button is a thin line with an arrow, so the inside paint here may over-cover this thin line, which will definitely make the touch action less sensitive. And that's why there are less people got such problem with the other three keys.
And since capacitive buttons actually respond with the obvious temperature difference, so many frustrated nexus s users like me found under warmer environment the problem is less annoying...
Maybe this is only workable for insensitive problem. But hopefully this is a way.
Since I am a Chinese, it's impossible for me to have an exchange with the Bestbuy. So this is my only solution. But for most of you, it's highly recommended to take several exchanges before you definitely want to try this way.
Of course, try this at your own risk
what i did was tighten up the screws on the back of the phone... especially in the lower part of the phone. I haven't seen the issue since and initially it was a pretty often issue for me.
bogdi1988 said:
what i did was tighten up the screws on the back of the phone... especially in the lower part of the phone. I haven't seen the issue since and initially it was a pretty often issue for me.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I think this is also a good way to solve the problem especially when you dont have to take to phone apart~
The theory may be the same, which is to make the distance between your touch and the module inside shorter cuz there is a piece of rubber under the button position so it can be possible~~
Thanks for sharing this way Dude~~~
bogdi1988 said:
what i did was tighten up the screws on the back of the phone... especially in the lower part of the phone. I haven't seen the issue since and initially it was a pretty often issue for me.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
how did you access the screws at the bottom to tighten them?
Take off the battery cover. You have 6 bright screws around the edges of the phone. Tighten those up.
Sent from my Nexus S using XDA App
Although, I know this is not gonna help, but it comes from personal experience.
In the beginning, I used to be haunted by the silly back button "bizarre".
I factory reset the phone then voila. It's gone.
The reason I am confident to post this is, my brother's phone was fixed in
a same way as well. I know, I can be just lucky, but I just wanted to share.
bogdi1988 said:
Take off the battery cover. You have 6 bright screws around the edges of the phone. Tighten those up.
Sent from my Nexus S using XDA App
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
thanks, I decided to watch the video on how to take apart the phone this morning, didn't do it, but it covered the screw access for the hidden 2 screws.
tightened the screws what little bit I could without fear of breaking something (they were already pretty tight), but it made no noticable difference.
I actually got my phone a few days before they were launched (friend is at&t store manager), so I 've been living with it as long as they have been available. it's annoying, and did get a little better with froyo, but not bad enough for me to tear apart the phone and risk damage to the screen...
droptopmas said:
thanks, I decided to watch the video on how to take apart the phone this morning, didn't do it, but it covered the screw access for the hidden 2 screws.
tightened the screws what little bit I could without fear of breaking something (they were already pretty tight), but it made no noticable difference.
I actually got my phone a few days before they were launched (friend is at&t store manager), so I 've been living with it as long as they have been available. it's annoying, and did get a little better with froyo, but not bad enough for me to tear apart the phone and risk damage to the screen...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
there are no hidden or covered screws and the phone doesn't need to be taken apart.
look here: http://guide-images.ifixit.net/igi/BJtxWYS4NMaMyMKL.medium
these are the 6 screws
Mine just started this thing where it presses the back button by itself. Pretty anoying and is making the phone useless. I can't do anything without it just hammering on the back button.
hi everyone,
i'm new to this forum, and joined to see if anyone has been successful in fixing the back button issue...
i've followed some of the advice from previous posts (tightening screws, reset factory settings, updating the OS) but still no luck.
hoping that someone might have discovered a fix (apart from returing the device!) they could share.
thanks!
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hi everyone,
After posting the thread above, I updated OS to 2.3.3 and now back button is working fine.... I waited for a couple of weeks before confirming this, so hopefully anyone still waiting on a fix could try what I did. This seems to be a software problem more than anything else...
btw - 2.3.3 noticeably washes out colours, and there's a yellow/green tinge to white space. awful.
sadkorean34 said:
Although, I know this is not gonna help, but it comes from personal experience.
In the beginning, I used to be haunted by the silly back button "bizarre".
I factory reset the phone then voila. It's gone.
The reason I am confident to post this is, my brother's phone was fixed in
a same way as well. I know, I can be just lucky, but I just wanted to share.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hi
I did the same and the problem has gone - just realised after reading your post that factory reset solved this problem.
My phone is constantly on 3G but whenever it dips into Edge or has a weak data signal I notice the back button issue as well. And I tried a factory reset but it did
not fix the problem on 2.3.3
Back button issue
There are a few longer threads in this forum about the back button issue on the Nexus S -- for some people the back button doesn't work at all, and for others it turns on all by itself. There were a few replies from a Google employee (ryguy) who said it would be fixed in an upcoming OTA update, etc. but some reported having problems AFTER getting 2.3.2 when the problem didn't exist before. There are also other reports of tightening the screws on the back of the phone, which haven't tried but seemed to improve things for people whose back button WASN'T working at all.
For my phone around 2-3 weeks after buying it I had the back button come on all by itself. I fixed it by doing hard resets, as suggested on an earlier thread that deals with this issue (it's like 10 pages long but has the complete story of everyone's experience and fixes with this issue). Anyway, the point is for me after the first hard reset the problem persisted, so I did it a few more times (like maybe 5 times) and now it's gone.
There are some people who tried a hard reset (factory settings restore) and the problem still persists but I think that you have to do as many hard resets as possible (like, over and over and over) until the problem disappears. I'm rooted so I did a Nandroid backup first, then did 5 hard resets through Clockwork Recovery (select the "Wipe User Data" option), and after five hard resets I just flashed by backup and I was back to where I was, minus the back button issue. You don't have to be rooted, of course, to do this, but if you are, doing that ROM Manager backup allows you to quickly reinstall everything to the exact way it was after you're done with the five or 10 hard resets or whatever.
If you're unrooted you can power off the phone, then turn it on while holding the Up Volume button. This boots you into Bootloader mode and you can navigate around to do a factory reset. Or, if you are rooted and have ROM manager, you can use ClockworkMod Recovery like I did (see other threads on how to use these programs).
Anyway, again for me I had to do a bunch of these hard resets to fix the problem, so if it persists after the first two resets, I think you have to keep doing it until it disappears. Hope this helps - TC
Samsung Nexus S with root access
Stock Android 2.3.1
tchan1 said:
There are a few longer threads in this forum about the back button issue on the Nexus S -- for some people the back button doesn't work at all, and for others it turns on all by itself. There were a few replies from a Google employee (ryguy) who said it would be fixed in an upcoming OTA update, etc. but some reported having problems AFTER getting 2.3.2 when the problem didn't exist before. There are also other reports of tightening the screws on the back of the phone, which haven't tried but seemed to improve things for people whose back button WASN'T working at all.
For my phone around 2-3 weeks after buying it I had the back button come on all by itself. I fixed it by doing hard resets, as suggested on an earlier thread that deals with this issue (it's like 10 pages long but has the complete story of everyone's experience and fixes with this issue). Anyway, the point is for me after the first hard reset the problem persisted, so I did it a few more times (like maybe 5 times) and now it's gone.
There are some people who tried a hard reset (factory settings restore) and the problem still persists but I think that you have to do as many hard resets as possible (like, over and over and over) until the problem disappears. I'm rooted so I did a Nandroid backup first, then did 5 hard resets through Clockwork Recovery (select the "Wipe User Data" option), and after five hard resets I just flashed by backup and I was back to where I was, minus the back button issue. You don't have to be rooted, of course, to do this, but if you are, doing that ROM Manager backup allows you to quickly reinstall everything to the exact way it was after you're done with the five or 10 hard resets or whatever.
If you're unrooted you can power off the phone, then turn it on while holding the Up Volume button. This boots you into Bootloader mode and you can navigate around to do a factory reset. Or, if you are rooted and have ROM manager, you can use ClockworkMod Recovery like I did (see other threads on how to use these programs).
Anyway, again for me I had to do a bunch of these hard resets to fix the problem, so if it persists after the first two resets, I think you have to keep doing it until it disappears. Hope this helps - TC
Samsung Nexus S with root access
Stock Android 2.3.1
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
i think mine is forever beat. 15 hard resets and its still there.
My apologies for bumping such an old thread... But i got a captivate to serve as a backup phone, and i slapped over ICS on to it..
Everything was super awesome.... BUT! not the Back button.
A few minutes of google'ing later, im here.
So after reading through this thread, and the one linked to in the OP, i opened up my Phone and ....well....went on with it.
50 Minutes later :
http://img24.imageshack.us/img24/8361/dsc03039j.jpg
http://img818.imageshack.us/img818/4579/dsc03040d.jpg
Some Tips :
1: Once your down to the frame with the LCD assembly stuck to it, first remove the Antenna Module. Under that disconnect the black ribbon connector. (This ribbon connects the capacitive button module to the main board).
2: Before starting to Pry apart the LCD from the frame, take a hair dryer and heat up the edges of the LCD Assembly's frame. This helps a freaking lot in prying it apart. Plus it somewhat preserves the 3M adhesive tape present underneath, and can easily be reused.
3: Start prying open the LCD, from the Ear piece side. Take your time and DO NOT!! And i freaking mean, DO NOT!!!!! rush through while removing the LCD assembly.
4: When your almost half way through (or slightly more , but significantly above the capacitive buttons) take a peak between the frame and the LCD assembly, youll see the "Bridging/Connecting" ribbon i mentioned earlier and it might be stuck to the LCD's back.
-> the best way to proceed further is to simultaneously heat up the "glued" parts and slowly continue with removing the LCD. This way, the glue will not stick to the whatever parts it is meant to stick to , THAT strongly and will be much easier to remove.
5: Now as soon as you reach the part where you can see the Capacitive button module sticking to the LCD assembly, go into SUPER FREAKING SLOW mode... THE RIBBON UNDERNEATH IS VERY VERY FRAGILE! ONE YANK AND YOU'LL HAVE TO PURCHASE A NEW CAPACITIVE MODULE.
*Best way to do this is, to again simultaneously heat the concerned parts while slowing pulling the LCD assembly and the capacitive button module apart.*
You can try going LEFT-RIGHT-LEFT-RIGHT alternatively, to slowly make the adhesive give away.
6: After you have the LCD assembly out, its pretty much dependent on how stable yours hands are at slowly etching out the Light gray parts.
-> You can hold the LCD assembly against a TABLE LAMP / some light source, to better see which parts of paint you need to etch out. *i Almost etched the whole of my back button* So be very careful and gentle as well PATIENT!
Before assembling the LCD back into the frame, i took a small piece of paper (about the size of the capacitive button module) and stuck it between the frame and the module. Just so that it makes better contact with the LCD assembly.
7: Stick the LCD back onto the frame and again heat up the edges. Also while putting the LCD back together, make sure the adhesive tape has not lumped up on any of the edges (This might have happened while trying to pry the LCD out) , if it has, then just gently even/flatten it out. Stick the LCD back and heat the edges. Rest, just take a soft cloth and squeeze the LCD's edges and frame together,so as to make sure they stick together properly. The heat really helps in bonding things here.
Assemble back the phone, blah blah.
I used a CREDIT CARD to start prying the LCD away from the frame. It was pretty easy, because of the heat.
DO THIS AT YOUR OWN RISK! I AM NOT RESPONSIBLE IF YOU SOMEHOW MANGE TO MESS UP YOUR PHONE! Specifically the LCD and the CAPACITVE TOUCH MODULE!
Big thanks to the OP for posting this.