Database Users

Vario II Touch Screen goes off :(

Hello
I bought mine Vario II (with CoPilot) just 8 days ago, so I've enjoyed it quite a lot for the past days
yet .. ~30 hours ago I found out that the touch screen was not responding at all .. well restart did not help, getting the battery out and putting it back again didn't help too ... I tried to do EVERYTHING with the thing ... starting with restoring factory settings (all the data! ) , ending with browsing the forums for common failures ...
Finally I ended up with the very start page where the Vario II asks for tapping the screen (irony huh ?) to start setting it up ..
Since I was not able to make it work again (the whole thing seemed to be working fine ... just the touch screen ... ) so I brought it to the local T-Mobile shop today in the morning.. guess what, the guy at the shop just removed the battery and put it back again (I've done that XXX times during the night) AND IT STARTED WORKING again ... I couldn't understand anything there, felt really lame
anyway after I've left the shop and used it for quite a bit it started again .. now I've kind of figured it out .. when I'm using the device actively (the temp raises) and it starts at the top right corner of the screen .. the touch screen just flickers there and then after a minute or so it doesn't respond at all any more .. if I just put it away and don't use it - the screen responds again after some time ...
NOW finally the question is: has anyone had any problems with Vario II like I do? I ought to think that it is a somewhat faulty device that I've got (it hasn't been physically damaged)
PS the touch-screen gets stagnant faster with bigger programs (CoPilot, Skype, etc...) and it takes some time to get stuck with just using the phone...
btw I've put a temperature thingy in the device - it shows that the battery temp is at 42 C . Isn't that a bit too much ?
yeah and how do I figure out what version it is ? I mean the S/N that is mentioned here ( http://wiki.xda-developers.com/index.php?pagename=Hermes_Problems )
?

wundis said:
anyway after I've left the shop and used it for quite a bit it started again .. now I've kind of figured it out .. when I'm using the device actively (the temp raises) and it starts at the top right corner of the screen .. the touch screen just flickers there and then after a minute or so it doesn't respond at all any more .. if I just put it away and don't use it - the screen responds again after some time ...
NOW finally the question is: has anyone had any problems with Vario II like I do? I ought to think that it is a somewhat faulty device that I've got (it hasn't been physically damaged)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes, one of my Hermes' had the exact same problem - touch screen malfunction starting at the upper right corner when temperature rose. The usual tricks to solve the screen alignment problem (loosening the screws, removing the gasket with a stripe of a business card) didn't help at all. I returned the device and got a new one.
yeah and how do I figure out what version it is ? I mean the S/N that is mentioned here ( http://wiki.xda-developers.com/index.php?pagename=Hermes_Problems )
?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It's printed on the box (at least of an O2 Trion) and on the sticker underneath the battery. Just look for the S/N starting with HTC6xx... but "our" defect is not the normal SA problem, it seems to be much rarer and not described in the Wiki.
Cheers
Daniel

Thank you so much for the answer Daniel, I'll get them to change it tomorrow.

I have exactly the same problem with my TyTN. In the morning, after the phone has been off all night, the touchscreen works for maybe 30mins, then the phone warms up and the screen ceases functioning. Bizarre though - I got the phone about two weeks ago - the screen worked fine (i.e. under all temp. conditions) for about 7 days, then it decided to crap out. Tried all the usual SA type solutions - as you guys noted above they didn't work. Gonna have to go back to the shop and get it replaced :-(
Oh, nearly forgot, s/n is HT632
One other thing I noticed (not sure if this is normal behavior or if it started after the touchscreen borked) - When the phone is active (i.e. not locked or in standby,) the top status leds (wifi, bluetooth, gsm) don't flash. Once the device is put in standby (i.e. tapping the power button) they start flashing again. Like I said, not sure if this is normal or if its related to the touchscreen going.

Vrobenmat said:
One other thing I noticed (not sure if this is normal behavior or if it started after the touchscreen borked) - When the phone is active (i.e. not locked or in standby,) the top status leds (wifi, bluetooth, gsm) don't flash.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This is definitely not normal. But it's an interesting observation. If the TyTN were a car, I'd say there's a bad ground connection somewhere.
Try a hard reset, and if that doesn't solve the problem, have it exchanged. (I very much doubt that a hard reset will help, but at least here customer service refuses to exchange a device before you tried a hard reset. )
Cheers
Daniel

Hard reset borked even more. Could't get past the touch screen calibration. Phone is now in the freezer to cool down - hopefully the touch screen will work long enough so I can get past the calibration
*EDIT* Just got it out the freezer (nice and cold now.) Hard reset, got through the calibration, everything ok for about 10 mins. LED's flashing with backlight on and touchscreen working. Then - touchscreen non-responsive at exactly the same time the status LED's cut out. I'm hypothesising that there's some kind of electrical short between the circuitry for the touchpad and the status LED's - it shorts as the devices temperature rises and (i guess) some of the materials expand and come into contact with each other. Since I don't want to void my warranty in case I have to take the phone back to the store, I haven't opened it up to confirm this. Has anyone had a detailed look at the connections at the top of the screen and around the status LED's to see if my explanation is at least possible? (then I might open it up and see if I can insulate the connections.)

tadzio said:
Yes, one of my Hermes' had the exact same problem - touch screen malfunction starting at the upper right corner when temperature rose. The usual tricks to solve the screen alignment problem (loosening the screws, removing the gasket with a stripe of a business card) didn't help at all. I returned the device and got a new one.
It's printed on the box (at least of an O2 Trion) and on the sticker underneath the battery. Just look for the S/N starting with HTC6xx... but "our" defect is not the normal SA problem, it seems to be much rarer and not described in the Wiki.
Cheers
Daniel
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have the exact same problem!!
Two additional points :
1) my device screen will not switch off automaticaly and will stay on for ever unless I switch it off
2) When the issue manifests itself for the first time the device would automaticaly go back to the today screen like if the OK button would have been pressed many time or ... was stuck!!
That's my second Tytn device the first one had the SA defect.
I was so happy when I got my new one because the S/N showed HTC637XXX but sounds like a new issue even though I'm pretty convince that that the SA issue is not far from being related to this one.
My device SPV3100 HERM100

Hello lads,
Absolutely everything you've posted seems to be happening to my device.
Now the touch screen fails to respond even if it's cold (been lying on the bed for 5 hours doing nothing at all .. ). damn... seems like I'll have to ask the local shop to get me a free portable refrigerator for the thing to work properly
HT645

Vrobenmat said:
Hard reset borked even more. Could't get past the touch screen calibration. Phone is now in the freezer to cool down - hopefully the touch screen will work long enough so I can get past the calibration
*EDIT* Just got it out the freezer (nice and cold now.) Hard reset, got through the calibration, everything ok for about 10 mins. LED's flashing with backlight on and touchscreen working. Then - touchscreen non-responsive at exactly the same time the status LED's cut out. I'm hypothesising that there's some kind of electrical short between the circuitry for the touchpad and the status LED's - it shorts as the devices temperature rises and (i guess) some of the materials expand and come into contact with each other. Since I don't want to void my warranty in case I have to take the phone back to the store, I haven't opened it up to confirm this. Has anyone had a detailed look at the connections at the top of the screen and around the status LED's to see if my explanation is at least possible? (then I might open it up and see if I can insulate the connections.)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Might get a chance to have an internal look tomorrow. From memory, and can't remember if the Wiki or Japanese dismantling site shows this, but I recall only a single mylar ribbon cable coming from screen area through to main board. There are if memory serves push in multi connectors from the bottom hard keypad and from front camera board (inc LEDs) to the muti ribbon cable on the back of the screen. Thus, simply put the screen, camera,hard phone keys all connect at the back of the screen to a single multi ribbon cable that goes to main board. Possibility then of a short with digitizer is at least possible. Of course digitizers are suceptible to current leakage and field interference so would not have to be an actual physical contact but could just be a close proximity issue.
Mike

Facing the same problems...
... I've been thinking about repalcing the display and the touchscreen. But now, considering that it is a HW issue, I can only replace these two things. If the bug is in the module above the screen (statur leds and camera) or related to the wireing at the back of the screen, it won't get rid of the problem. On the other hand, if it is a problem with the screen getting too hot, then I'm on the right track...
Has anyone tried this yet?
I'll try to call HTC on monday, maybe they know where the bug is.
HTC is not able or not willing to share what they know about the problem...

Hello, they excuse my English, I am possessor of a TYNT and I am with he himself problem that you, the problem is a failure of weld in the processador, when it reaches certain temperature fails and cooling it or pressing strongly on the processor it lets fail.
Greetings.

ezbook said:
Hello, they excuse my English, I am possessor of a TYNT and I am with he himself problem that you, the problem is a failure of weld in the processador, when it reaches certain temperature fails and cooling it or pressing strongly on the processor it lets fail.
Greetings.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
There may well be truth in what you say, I too believe it is something similar in some cases.
Do you have any proof of your suggestion. Can you provide pics or a diagram of the solder point you mean??
Mike

Hmm? The processor...?
...sorry, don't think so.
It's just that this bug occurs after using a device for months, isn't it?
Now, the first two weeks I installed all kind of programs using the wireless LAN almost permanently. My Hermes was never as "hot" as during its first two weeks. And what about the sliding-out of the keyboard? Doesn’t it always start there? This just doesn't sound right, does it?
Just received an email from someone who drew my attention to the ribbon cable connecting the upper and the lower part. What if there is a short one due to the plastic scratching the cable and then... who knows?
However, I do not disagree as far as the temp is concerned. Therefore, I'll put my Hermes on ice and see how long it does things right...
And still, there is no chance that it is related to the processor. If the processors ALU is getting too hot the entire device would be effected, wouldn’t it?
Anyways, I'm determined to find out what it is!
++ I just found a very peculiar post in the WIZARD forum. It was about some top-side buttons that kept pressing
++ without even touching… Opening the assigned programs over and over again. Odd, isn’t it?
++ That’s a HTC device AND has a sliding keyboard with a ribbon cable as a connector…
++ Yet, it operates with a different processor on a different main board.
++
++ Still blaming the processor?

microft said:
...sorry, don't think so.
It's just that this bug occurs after using a device for months, isn't it?
Now, the first two weeks I installed all kind of programs using the wireless LAN almost permanently. My Hermes was never as "hot" as during its first two weeks. And what about the sliding-out of the keyboard? Doesn’t it always start there? This just doesn't sound right, does it?
Just received an email from someone who drew my attention to the ribbon cable connecting the upper and the lower part. What if there is a short one due to the plastic scratching the cable and then... who knows?
However, I do not disagree as far as the temp is concerned. Therefore, I'll put my Hermes on ice and see how long it does things right...
And still, there is no chance that it is related to the processor. If the processors ALU is getting too hot the entire device would be effected, wouldn’t it?
Anyways, I'm determined to find out what it is!
++ I just found a very peculiar post in the WIZARD forum. It was about some top-side buttons that kept pressing
++ without even touching… Opening the assigned programs over and over again. Odd, isn’t it?
++ That’s a HTC device AND has a sliding keyboard with a ribbon cable as a connector…
++ Yet, it operates with a different processor on a different main board.
++
++ Still blaming the processor?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
And you are right too! if it appears that I am tending to agree with both above posts when on the face of it they disagree with each other it's because:
1
There are different manifestations of this problem - the causes may not always be the same
2
I agree it's NOT the processor and firmly believe it's hardware related. Of course it could be be a break (sometimes intermittent) in contact somewhere between screen and board or even a broken contact on the board (IN SOME CASES)
3
In other cases it's just pressure being put on the touch sensitive screen often at the very inconvenient top right corner that closes/minimises applications or opens start menu.
There has not been a reliable way to fix this issue other than device replacement. Replacing the screen has been notable for it's failure to resolve the issue.
Mike

mikechannon said:
And you are right too! if it appears that I am tending to agree with both above posts when on the face of it they disagree with each other it's because:
1
There are different manifestations of this problem - the causes may not always be the same
2
I agree it's NOT the processor and firmly believe it's hardware related. Of course it could be be a break (sometimes intermittent) in contact somewhere between screen and board or even a broken contact on the board (IN SOME CASES)
3
In other cases it's just pressure being put on the touch sensitive screen often at the very inconvenient top right corner that closes/minimises applications or opens start menu.
There has not been a reliable way to fix this issue other than device replacement. Replacing the screen has been notable for it's failure to resolve the issue.
Mike
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
So do you think the bug is to be found on the main board at all?
I'm planning to replace some parts from the screen half. In fact there are just 3 possible error sources:
1) The lcd in combination with the digitalizer;
2) The ribbon cable connecting screen parts and keypad at bottom; and
3) The keypad at the bottom itself
The ribbon cable includs the electronics for the status leds as well as the EARphone. ;-)
Soon I will be on all three of the above parts and if the error ain't there... I'm going to be MAD.
Will keep you IN THE LOOP!

Hello again, my conclusion is based on which I have disassembled my TYNT completely and I have connected it without the keyboard, of this form I have hoped to that it began to fail, later I have been moving and touching in any case the flat cable that unites the motherboard with the screen, the small circuit that takes built-in without obtaining results, single I have even obtained that it returns to work blowing air on the strongly pressed processor or on. Another observation is that if just ignited the machine and working correctly we applied single heat on the processor, begins to fail the touch screen. To my also is to me strange east failure since the temperature of the processor is not excessive when it fails, in fact desire firmly to be mistaken because there am lost the guarantee. Seguire investigating is matendre informed to you.
Greetings.

microft said:
So do you think the bug is to be found on the main board at all?
I'm planning to replace some parts from the screen half. In fact there are just 3 possible error sources:
1) The lcd in combination with the digitalizer;
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
May be a fault there, but if it's just a squeeze due to heat ? pressure it may not resolve the issue.
2) The ribbon cable connecting screen parts and keypad at bottom; and
3) The keypad at the bottom itself
The ribbon cable includs the electronics for the status leds as well as the microphone.
Soon I will be on all three of the above parts and if the error ain't there... I'm going to be MAD.
Will keep you IN THE LOOP!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I assume you mean earphone above as the microphone is on the mainboard.
Mike

Again I have tested, with the disassembled machine totally, start up it, I hope to that the touch screen does not respond and I put my tynt in the refrigerator, after two minutes and without moving I touch it the screen and magic, works correctly hata that again coje the room temperature.
Greetings.

ezbook said:
Hello again, my conclusion is based on which I have disassembled my TYNT completely and I have connected it without the keyboard, of this form I have hoped to that it began to fail, later I have been moving and touching in any case the flat cable that unites the motherboard with the screen, the small circuit that takes built-in without obtaining results, single I have even obtained that it returns to work blowing air on the strongly pressed processor or on. Another observation is that if just ignited the machine and working correctly we applied single heat on the processor, begins to fail the touch screen. To my also is to me strange east failure since the temperature of the processor is not excessive when it fails, in fact desire firmly to be mistaken because there am lost the guarantee. Seguire investigating is matendre informed to you.
Greetings.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This is very interesting. When I said above it is not the processor, I meant it is not a software issue related to the processor. It can of course be a heat related problem with the processor. To summarise what you have found:
1
You have a device that when first started works OK
2
If you apply heat (but not much) to the processor it fails
3
If you apply pressure to the processor it works again
4
It begins working again when you blow on the processor or put it in the fridge.
5
If you move/press or ensure the ribbon cable has a firm contact - this has no effect.
Please post if any of the above is NOT correct ALSO please post which chip you are heating/pressing.
Cheers
Mike

Hello again, everything is correct except point 3 really when this failing and you press on the then microprocessor the touch screen works correctly. Associate images.
Greetings.
EDIT by Mike. Point 3 has been edited in Mike's post to show the correct situation.

HTC is turning off :(

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

Hardware help needed...

Hi everyone.
Seems this forum has at least a couple of people taking their Prophete apart (as I do) and collecting some hardware know-how.
I have two Prophetes (XDA Neos to be correct) with different problems.
I start with the history (how it comes) and will end with what I know know and where I do not get any further currently:
Prophete #1:
5 years old from O2 germany contract, G4 device (Rom versions to be posted on request, device is at home...). Was broken twice (no booting any more) during warranty and the got wet when I was hiking only with a shirt in a thunderstorm. No warranty of course, but device dead ;-( And nobody would repair it - not even for money. Pissed off from O2, but whatever...
So I found here somewhere the Maintenance Manual and disassembled the thing, dried everything and had to buy a new battery and since then it more or less works fine. The battery I was able to re-animate by charging with Laboratory power supply - The Prophete seems to go dead below a certain voltage and does not even try to charge the batt any more...
For a while I had strange illumination effects - screen fixed very bright with one half even brighter and bad color contrast - possible to work, but ugly. This disappeared slowly after 2 more years...
Then I had this well-known dead speaker-thing (dirt in headset socket) - also long time ago repaired.
But now (over the last 2 years, increasing lately a lot) I have this strange scratching noise on the main speaker. It was supposed to be a bad speaker why I bought on ebay a defective second Prophete (to be discussed below) and switched speakers - booth are fine in #2 but scratching in #1. The trick with some cardboard under the speaker cover also does not work reliably and not at all in last months.
What I found last time I took the device apart is: when I leave a finger nail thick gap between the front cover and the housing frame in the lower half of the device, then everything is fine. But that is unsatisfactory to work with a semi-disassambled phone!
I guess, it has to do with some hair-break in a connection on the mainboard or something with the contacts between the different boards (spring contacts for grounding?) or with the headphone socket.
DOES ANYONE HAVE EXPERIENCE WITH THAT SCRATCHING NOISE and can help? Where should I search?
Device #2:
Bought 1 year ago as broken. Has a crack in the touch screen, but the screen responds fine and precise all the way down to < 1mm from the crack. After cleaning the screen and the front cover, the device started to work again (touch was inop. when I got the thing).
WLAN is dead. BT seems to work.
GSM did work fine. So the device got my wifes new mobile phone. And after 3 months it started to refuse contact to any GSM network.
If I search for networks, it lists all the providers around in germany, but when I have it connect to one, it times out. So I think the Radio (GSM) system is still working (at least receiving network names, tuning right frequencies etc.), but not correctly.
I did reflash the radio ROM, but no success so far.
Sometimes after cold boot, the telephone app in general and the settings specifically are very irresponsive (long answer time, complete WM crash, whjatever). Thus I consider reflashing the entire device.
Q:
- what are good radio and WM(best: 6.1 GER) ROMs to try? (No flashing experience so far)
- what are typical GSM and WLAN failure mechanisms of the Prophetes (bad solder points, bad spring contacts etc.) - i.e. where to look?
I could even consider a "make 1 good out of 2 broke" - action - but I am afraid, that booth devices have a somehow mainboard-located problem.
Thanks for any helpful comments!
Torsten

thats easy men...just take out the LCD from prophet 1, and also Put to Prophet 2.
search in youtube for prophet disassembling...take care
ps: check The LCD Code (some prophet make different LCD)

[Q] Water damage

A few months back my Legend went through a cycle in the washing machine. Afterwards I did all the recommended things (take everything apart, leave it in the sun for a day or two, keep it in a jar of water absorbent silica in the evening). Anyway, after three or four days of that, I put it back together again and my battery was dead. Tested it with someone else's battery, and everything worked perfectly, I even made a call with it.
I then waited about 3 months for a new battery (it got stuck at customs) which I finally go this week. Thing is, I now have 0 connectivity with the phone no matter what I do. I always have 0 bars, I can't connect to wireless networks (even though I pick them up perfectly), and I can't get the GPS to turn on at all. Everything else works fine (including the FM radio), but there's no connectivity.
I was hoping it might be a software issue of some strange sort, since the wireless picks up well but just says "connecting--disconnected" when I try to connect. A hard reset did nothing to the phone though.
Is there anything else for me to try? I'm running pretty thin on ideas at the moment. Would replacing the back cover fix any of the connectivity issues? Also, is it still possible for it to be a software problem, and should I maybe try to install a custom rom on it?
Any advice at the moment would be much appreciated. Thanks!
EDIT: I just realised that I had made things worse with my reset. Now I have no file browser with which to sideload apps and no internet connectivity. EDIT2: Managed to fix the file manager problem with ADB. Now just the actual problem again

The GSM antenna is in the bottom part that covers the battery compartment - I'd say you have some oxide on those two contacts.
Take a small screwdriver (or a needle) and gently scrub those pins on your phone.
As for the two on the cover, you'll notice those two parts come apart, so I'd take the inner part and gently brush the two contacts with a piece of cloth and a toothpaste - it's a good thing to gently brush something.
If that fails and you're sure you plugged all inside as it was...it could be another problem...
You may also try bending the two contact in the phone out - these act like a spring, but be gentle about it
P.S.: Is your Legend at least clean now?
EDIT: Now that I think about it, you can try the phone with piece of wire:
cut a wire of : speed of light/frequency in Hz and connect it to the two pins inside the phone
For USA:
299 792 458 m/s divided 1 900 000 000 Hz = 0,15778 m

Thanks Dr.Romca.
I'm trying the clearning out for now. when you say the battery cover comes apart, are you talking about the piece of plastic inside the rubber? There seems to be an additional piece of plastic inside the rubber which might come loose, but I'm not quite sure how to pry it out without breaking it. Any tips on how to do this?
I'll give the piece of wire a skip until the very end

It's not glued or anything, just push the rubber part in the middle and try to click it out...

Dr.Romca said:
It's not glued or anything, just push the rubber part in the middle and try to click it out...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Ahh ok, I wasn't sure what to expect on the other side. Didn't want to jam a screwdriver in between the plastic and rubber and hurt some electronic component. Managed to get it loose though, and gave it a thorough but gentle rub down.
EDIT: Nope, still no service on it. I still find it strange that it doesn't want to connect to the GPS or the wireless either. As far as I know, those shouldn't be affected by an antenna issue right?

That's strange... WiFi and GPS antenna is in the other rubber part....
It seems there might be something wrong with the PCB...
I'm at a loss here...

Damn I have connectivity issues here...
The strange thing is it worked once after the washing...
If you have the courage for it, you can also try this:
Take the phone apart, I mean really apart, if you can unmount the display/touchscreen. Then take the PCB - mainboard, try to put a sticker over a microphone and the repro, then take a toothbrust and a detergent and brush the PCB - make sure you clean all, there will probably be some metal plates that look they can be unmounted, so try to unmount them and clean beneath them.
After this take the PCB and put it in the hot-air oven (if you have one - NOT a Microwave! ) 40 - 50 °C for like an hour should do the trick...
You can also use alcohol to clean the PCB, but since it was water that caused this, I'm gonna presume you'll have more luck dissolving with water again...
Anyway, that's what I'd do, but I'm and engineer, so if you're not sure, just take the phone to service

Hello,
The WiFi and gsm signal are at seperate places on your phone, so you either got a major problem with the hardware, or the ROM just went nuts. I suggest you flash a new ROM before you take the phone apart, cause it might get damaged irriversably..
Goodluck, keep us updated!
Sent from my HTC Legend using XDA App

Thanks for the continuing advice. You're right about the engineer thing though; since I'm not an engineer I'll leave taking the phone apart until the very end.
I've never flashed a ROM before, but I'm sure I'll be able to figure that out. What initially made me think that the ROM might have gone crazy is the fact that the wireless actually picks up networks. The further I get from a network, the worse the signal, and the closer I get the better, so the wireless signal is working properly. It just seems to have a problem connecting, which seems like a software issue rather than a hardware issue.
If that fails, I'll send it to HTC and see if they can do a repair for me. I already sent it to them for a check-up and a new battery directly after I had it dried out. I included explicit instructions that it got water damaged, that I was not looking for a warranty repair, and I would just like them to make sure everything is working and bill me for the repairs and a battery. Two weeks later I get the phone back with a note saying that they noticed some water damage, and they don't do warranty repairs on water damaged phones Anyway, I'll try them again.
If HTC fail to do anything again, I'll try my luck with a full teardown. Still, ROM flash first.
EDIT: Ok, so I followed this (http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=894465) post up until the end of downgrading your rom, and the problems are exactly the same. From my understanding, this would have installed a clean rom onto the phone, so any software issues should have been cleared up. I'll still try and install a custom ROM, just because I've always wanted to and just maybe something will work, but the software problem seems an unlikely explanation now.

This is getting very strange now. Using my newfound "Wi-Fi" Hotspot powers, I can actually create a Wi-Fi hotspot that my computer successfully connects to. Once again, if the hardware was broken I don't see how this could work. I still can't connect from my phone to any Wi-Fi network though.
As I mention (for a completely unrelated reason) earlier, I sent the phone in to HTC. This might be a very dumb question, but is it at all possible that the ROM on my phone works at a different wavelength/frequency than what is used by carriers in South Africa (where I'm from)? I'm thinking maybe HTC did a stock reset or something which changed it, because I never tested my phone after getting it back from them. That would also explain why my phone doesn't have reception with the current ROM. Just note that I have no idea how these things work, it's a complete shot in the dark
EDIT: My GPS also works now, or at least the gps indicator flashes when it should. Since I don't have any kind of internet access, I have no way of knowing if the GPS works, but in the past it never flashed.
I'm currently thinking of using my computer's wireless to connect to my phone, and then bridging that connection with my UTP connection to connect to the internet. I have no idea if this will work or what exactly if it will get me closer to a real solution, but at least having internet access on my phone will make things a bit easier. Will let you know how it goes.

So have you succesfully flashed a different ROM?I'm not sure what type of rom should you have but WWE by it's definition should work...So if you have rooted, try any WWE ROM...

Dr.Romca said:
So have you succesfully flashed a different ROM?I'm not sure what type of rom should you have but WWE by it's definition should work...So if you have rooted, try any WWE ROM...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I first downgraded it to 1.31, and now it's on BlaYo's B0.2.

can you check what radio you are using?
You may want to update it!
It's in settings / about phone / software / baseband version
My is 47.51.32.17U7.13.35.05
Not sure if there's a special version for SA, but here is a radio update only:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=706435

Sorry for the late reply. Real life caught up for a day or two.
My baseband version was 47.26.35.04u_7.05.35.26L. I updated it with the radio update you posted, and it's still not working. As far as I know, South Africa can use any American phone except those on Sprint, if that helps at all.
Also, I was away from home for the last week, and now that I'm back home my phone connects perfectly to the wi-fi here. I am certain that I did not make any mistake in connecting to the other networks I tried, as I tested the settings on multiple computers and entered the passwords multiple times, but the wi-fi seems to have been a red herring. So the only problem left now is normal phone connectivity.

I'm sorry to hear that...I'm not sure what the L means at the end...but about the wifi thing, it has been mentioned here that different locations use different WiFi channels...so at this point it's almost sure you have a driver/settings mismatch somewhere...
but I don't know much about that...sorry..

[REF] GT-I9300 Service Manual

Here is the Samsung Galaxy S3 (GT-I9300) Service Manual.
Please take a moment to read the notes and issues about this manual in this post.
For some reason Google didn't pick up that post, so I had to re-post here...
Now, if you are brave and happen to have a GT-I9300, you can still help us by posting some
internal pictures, to verify some issues in the manual. If they are good,
some of them will eventually become part of the SGS3 Hack-Pack.
Thanks and Enjoy!

I will be opening up the phone in the next few days due to me managing to damage the sim card holder section(not holding sim card) So at present i have got somthing putting pressure to keep sim card in place. I have a new sim card holder on order so when it arrives i will pull phone apart and take some pictures.
If you have any advice for me before attempting this please let me know via pm

Do you have any experience in this kind of electronics? I mean, are you planning to replace and solder the SIM card holder by yourself?
If you have not done this type of soldering before, I do not recommend it.
If you do decide to do it on your own, make sure:
You are working on a clean workspace
You are well grounded and not wearing wool clothes mixed with synthetic materials to avoid any ESD.
Have the right tools for the job.(Temp controlled SMD soldering iron + flux and acid-free lead-free SMD solder etc.)
A very steady hand with good eyes!
As for the pictures, keep the environment as bright as possible, preferably daylight. Try to keep your PCB on a bright or neutral background. (Bright cardboard is usually good.) Inspect your pictures and make sure you can read the text on the smallest chips. (The big ones we already know about, its the smaller ones that are difficult to navigate around.) Make sure the pictures are well focused.
Good Luck!

From looking at the pictures I was hoping I don't have to solder the sim card slot in. It looks easily replaceable as it looks like it's just a connector and not soldered

Replaced the sim holder. My camera wasn't good enough to get focus of the smaller chips however it is very very easy to take phone apart. And I guess Samsung are expecting issues with sim slot so they have fixed it using one screw and connected to board using a pull off connecter.
Just in case anyone else is interested the sim holder/sd holder cost me £20, delivered.

E:V:A said:
Here is the Samsung Galaxy S3 (GT-I9300) Service Manual.
Please take a moment to read the notes and issues about this manual in this post.
For some reason Google didn't pick up that post, so I had to re-post here...
Now, if you are brave and happen to have a GT-I9300, you can still help us by posting some
internal pictures, to verify some issues in the manual. If they are good,
some of them will eventually become part of the SGS3 Hack-Pack.
Thanks and Enjoy!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
amazing !!!

Hi guys,
Here is my contribution to da community, hope so it helps.
h t t p s : / / docs . google . com/open?id=0B9lrf7AWQW7ETjRZTkFXb1luN0E
On image 20120616_150200.jpg you can see the region jumpers. The images are of a live demo unit - everything works besides the GSM/3G data. Haven't tested to see if the NFC is working.
The real unit has some more antenna connector. The demo one does not have PBA /printed board antenna/ the ANT102 and ANT103 as well as the capacitors and the coils u may seen them market in red cycles (ANT102, ANT103, C102, C191, L103, L102) there is no room on the MOBO for C192 /or at least I can't find its place/.
Thanks.

^^ Here is the link for above! (Thanks!)

Hi again,
I can confirm that the NFC is working on the live demo unites. According to the original S3 user manual the NFC antennas are build into the battery back.
I still can't figure out what is the "W2" antenna connector for. The Live demo unit has no connector soldered to the motherboard and also lacks the small PCB antenna with the white coaxial cable. Some ppl claim that the W2 is for WiFi antenna, but it is not, because I got great WiFi connectivity tho the lack of such PCB antenna. I can only confirm the WiFi working fine, under "G" type of WiFi networks. The openWRT firmware of my current router has known bug and I can't bring up "N" standard in air, to check if the PCB antenna is for "N" type of WiFi networks.
I also did some testing to see if the PCB is for GLONASS or GPS, and it seams that this PCB antenna with the white coaxial cable is not for any of these services. That's why I think it might be for wifi "N" or 3G data/networks. Donno if the 802.11n requires a separate antenna.

^^ Please post a link to a specific image, that clearly show the connector(s) you're talking about.

Hi I have a live demo unit to, so I think I can help about this =).
I can't show you the mainboard back because I' m new user... xD
I don't really know what you mean with NFC (sorry, I'm not really good with english)
But
W1 is a GSM external antenna conection
W2 is a wifi external antenna conection
And the white wired antenna is for wifi to.
After thinking a lot, if you conect an antenna to the GSM antenna conection (external or the internal lacked in Demo unit) you probably can't use phone function.
That function probably was crippled by software or because demo units don´t have imei maybe o.o.
The only thing I need to try is to connect a microsim to the phone

No one has any insights ???

johnny21a said:
No one has any insights ???
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have sgs3, international version on my workbench right now.
Don´t have any clue what could I share, so - if there is anything specific -- let me know. I will do my best..
BR

Samsung galaxy S3 i747
i have a Galaxy S3 SGH-i747m that has been water damaged and given to me so i could try and fix it. I can take pretty much any pictures you want, have openned the phone a couple times now to try and clean it up.
My problem is that the works well, it starts up, unlock the screen, plays sound...but the screen is off. Now at first when i was "playing" with it the screen would flicker on and off to show me the battery charging logo when it was plugged in. I've cleaned the phone and all flex connectors with some products. the phone still turns on and works but my screen is off. It detects the touch since i can unlock the screen ( it plays the water sound when i slide my finger on the screen) and speaker works when i boot it up (little booting sounds).
I was thinking there might be a small fuse on board for the screen backlight and that could be blown. I was also thinking my battery might be damaged and is not giving the phone the right voltage to the right connectors or something so i have ordered a new battery on ebay (under 4$) and am waiting for it.
Anyone has an idea to some specific things i should be looking for ? only thing haven't disassemble is the digitizer from the framebecause doing so would surely break the glass. It bums me up a bit since there are some electronics behind the frame that could have been damaged by the water that i couldn't see.

Bigred065 said:
i have a Galaxy S3 SGH-i747m that has been water damaged and given to me so i could try and fix it. I can take pretty much any pictures you want, have openned the phone a couple times now to try and clean it up.
My problem is that the works well, it starts up, unlock the screen, plays sound...but the screen is off. Now at first when i was "playing" with it the screen would flicker on and off to show me the battery charging logo when it was plugged in. I've cleaned the phone and all flex connectors with some products. the phone still turns on and works but my screen is off. It detects the touch since i can unlock the screen ( it plays the water sound when i slide my finger on the screen) and speaker works when i boot it up (little booting sounds).
I was thinking there might be a small fuse on board for the screen backlight and that could be blown. I was also thinking my battery might be damaged and is not giving the phone the right voltage to the right connectors or something so i have ordered a new battery on ebay (under 4$) and am waiting for it.
Anyone has an idea to some specific things i should be looking for ? only thing haven't disassemble is the digitizer from the framebecause doing so would surely break the glass. It bums me up a bit since there are some electronics behind the frame that could have been damaged by the water that i couldn't see.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
check if you can see anything on the screen, use some extra light, torch for example.
if so - then its more likely that the LEDs in the display panel are damaged, since it flickered, as you said. also could be the driver circuit for backlight. Clean connectors for display panel, use magnifier, or better microscope to check for corrosion. use IPA to clean or scrape off the corrosion.
also - maybe this is not the right place to discuss this.
GL

Redrigon said:
Hi I have a live demo unit to, so I think I can help about this =).
I can't show you the mainboard back because I' m new user... xD
I don't really know what you mean with NFC (sorry, I'm not really good with english)
But
W1 is a GSM external antenna conection
W2 is a wifi external antenna conection
And the white wired antenna is for wifi to.
After thinking a lot, if you conect an antenna to the GSM antenna conection (external or the internal lacked in Demo unit) you probably can't use phone function.
That function probably was crippled by software or because demo units don´t have imei maybe o.o.
The only thing I need to try is to connect a microsim to the phone
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I don't have he white antenna coaxial cable neigh the PCB antenna board that this cable is connected to but I have WiFi.
Could it be for WiFi N(150Mbps)?

Watter damage, LCD working/not working?
Bigred065 said:
i have a Galaxy S3 SGH-i747m that has been water damaged and given to me so i could try and fix it. I can take pretty much any pictures you want, have openned the phone a couple times now to try and clean it up.
My problem is that the works well, it starts up, unlock the screen, plays sound...but the screen is off. Now at first when i was "playing" with it the screen would flicker on and off to show me the battery charging logo when it was plugged in. I've cleaned the phone and all flex connectors with some products. the phone still turns on and works but my screen is off. It detects the touch since i can unlock the screen ( it plays the water sound when i slide my finger on the screen) and speaker works when i boot it up (little booting sounds).
I was thinking there might be a small fuse on board for the screen backlight and that could be blown. I was also thinking my battery might be damaged and is not giving the phone the right voltage to the right connectors or something so i have ordered a new battery on ebay (under 4$) and am waiting for it.
Anyone has an idea to some specific things i should be looking for ? only thing haven't disassemble is the digitizer from the framebecause doing so would surely break the glass. It bums me up a bit since there are some electronics behind the frame that could have been damaged by the water that i couldn't see.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have identical symptoms with my i9300.
1. Water damaged
2. Dried in a can of rice etc over several days
3. Cleaned under sim card, lots of debris there, looked scorched, I cleaned with alcohol and a brush in an ESD protected environment.
4. Re assembled, the display briefly flashed on, and showed the expected "Battery is low, an d No Sim Card" then powered off.
5. Now after charging the battery and emplacing my sim card, I hear the proper musical tones when the phone boots but the screen doesn't light.
Where you able to get the screen working?
I am going to try a more throughal cleaning and I will try viewing the LCD under a more power full light.
I too worry that just getting the LCD screen replaced might not work; the screen may be fine but the mother board LCD power supply might be at fault...
I will keep you posted and keep an eye on this forum to find out how to fix this.

This thread has served its main purpose.
OT discussions are prevalent.
Thread Closed!