A possible final fix of back button I FOUND~ - Nexus S General

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!
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
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.

Related

Crazy Tytn screen and button problem, please help

Hi all, this is my first post on this forum but I've been reading for a while to educate myself.
I've got a Herm200 that I've been trying to troubleshoot but to no avail. I'm fairly certain that it has a hardware problem but I haven't been able to isolate anything.
Here's whats happening:
Occasionally the screen will come out of stand-by all white. This will also happen randomly if i touch the screen to perform a command. While the screen is operating, sometimes the buttons on the face will stop working, however the buttons across both sides will continue working just fine.
When the screen turns all white a soft, hard, or stand-by cycle will not always bring it back to life. The fact that the hard reset wont always fix the problem makes me think it's a hardware issue since the phone will boot-up with the the all-white screen.
This is incredibly frustrating especially since HTC wont accept any warranty claims in the USA on the Tytn.
At first I thought this might be a problem with the ribon connection between the screen and the base but i haven't been able to confirm or discount anything at this point. I have yet to find a way to consistently reproduce or rectify the problem so it's very hard to troubleshoot.
I pretty much have to take a second phone with me everywhere right now just incase i need to make a call. Please help! Has anyone ever encountered such a problem?
Thank you in advance!
SneezyRobot said:
Occasionally the screen will come out of stand-by all white. This will also happen randomly if i touch the screen to perform a command. While the screen is operating, sometimes the buttons on the face will stop working, however the buttons across both sides will continue working just fine.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hi. This sounds very similar to a problem that I experienced with a HERMES100. I bought the phone off someone on Ebay recently - someone had obviously scrambled the radio on it. I re-flashed it, and it sprang to life. However, after a couple of days, I experienced a problem where occasionally the LCD would stop refreshing, all the pixels faded away leaving only a white screen. Under these circumstances, some of the buttons on the phone stopped working. Turning phone on/off sometimes cured the problem, or it would require the occasional hard reset. This would happen once or twice a day and I suspect thats why someone tried to re-flash the phone.
In the end, out of curiosity I took the entire phone apart, put it all back together again and now there are no more problems!! Totally fixed!
My suspicion is that it was one of the ribbon cable push connectors on the mainboard - possibly not seated properly, or a bit of dirt contaminating the connection. Obviously when I took the phone apart I must have re-seated it.
If you are planning to take your phone apart, please exercise considerable care because some of the parts are very small and easily damaged. I would recommend buying a proper kit to take it apart. I bought mine for about £5 off ebay. Particularly useful are the plastic spoon "wedges" used to gently prise open the case after removing the screens. Don't use a screwdriver - you will scratch the case.
Good luck.
wow... that sounds like exactly what's going on here, I actually even tried to disassemble it lastnight but didnt have the right driver set. thank you for the advice!
I'll look for one of those sets but what would you search for if i needed to find it?
Thanks again, I just got a set off of Ebay. Hopefully it'll be here next week
With any luck it'll be a connection issue.
I have had the exact same problem. Because I got the Tytn through work I made our IT department handle the issue and I am currently waiting for a replacement and to find out what happened.
Yep, it looks like the problems the OP is having are very similar to the problems we've been having over in this thread:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=291027
I'm beginning to think it's a hardware problem as well but not entirely sure.
People in the above thread mentioned that using the scroll wheel a while then moving back to use the D pad fixed the problem (very briefly in my case.) Once I use the center D pad button again it locks the hardware buttons under the screen until I make my device sleep and resume.
Somtimes rather than making all the front hardware buttons unresponsive the issue is that once I use the Down Dpad button I can't use the up button. Pressing up will make it go down, as will pressing down (at least that's working ).
Regarding the white screen - this sometimes also occurs. I can force it to white screen by putting a little pressure on the silver panel surrounding the top, right and bottom of the screen (I have an imate jasjam). Randomly when there's no pressure on the rim and I wake it out of standby, it has a white screen that can only be fixed by turning the screen off and on again.
Finally, the LED indicator seems screwy. Sometimes it never flashes. Other times it flashes sporadically (uneven intervals - we're talking maybe a minute between one flash then seconds before another). When I charge it sometimes the LED doesn't come on but nevertheless it charges. Sometimes if the LED is on it never turns green to indicate a full charge. Yet other times it comes on orange, turns green, then never switches off!
Is it possible that
a) The hardware button problems.
b) The white screen problem.
c) The LED problem.
are all related to some kind of connection going loose? Why would the hardware button problem be temporarily fixable with use of the scroll wheel if this were the case?
The other thread has fallen silent. I'm hoping that some of the gurus in here can offer some input here, even if they don't know the answer but can formulate an opinion. I know very little about these devices.
Thanks in advance guys!
PS - don't really know if I should start another thread, I've posted here as it seems like very much the same issue.
Anybody any idea? advice?
I had a similar problem with my HERM100. I didn't mess around with it too much, I just had Cingular replace it out of warranty exchange (thank god those original ROMs are on the wiki ). I did notice however that after doing a master reset, the screen would function again although I haven't messed around with it too much. I got so frustrated with removing the battery for 5 minutes and STILL powering on with a white screen that I just threw it in my back seat until the new one arrived.
I don't have these screen issues. I only have hardware button problems. It's so damn frustrating! I already own a replacement.
I just received a call from my girlfriend. I wasn't able to answer the phone with the buttons, only with a screentap. I also wasn't able to close the call with the hardware button. Since the side buttons work, I went to settings -> phone, closed it, and there we go. The hardware buttons worked again.
Why the heck is this? I truly hope for some wizz out there with some advice, since HTC would only tell me to send it back after replacing it with a new TyTN with same issues.
Regards,
DM.
Anyone anyone?
HELP!!!!
barncourt said:
Hi. This sounds very similar to a problem that I experienced with a HERMES100. I bought the phone off someone on Ebay recently - someone had obviously scrambled the radio on it. I re-flashed it, and it sprang to life. However, after a couple of days, I experienced a problem where occasionally the LCD would stop refreshing, all the pixels faded away leaving only a white screen. Under these circumstances, some of the buttons on the phone stopped working. Turning phone on/off sometimes cured the problem, or it would require the occasional hard reset. This would happen once or twice a day and I suspect thats why someone tried to re-flash the phone.
In the end, out of curiosity I took the entire phone apart, put it all back together again and now there are no more problems!! Totally fixed!
My suspicion is that it was one of the ribbon cable push connectors on the mainboard - possibly not seated properly, or a bit of dirt contaminating the connection. Obviously when I took the phone apart I must have re-seated it.
If you are planning to take your phone apart, please exercise considerable care because some of the parts are very small and easily damaged. I would recommend buying a proper kit to take it apart. I bought mine for about £5 off ebay. Particularly useful are the plastic spoon "wedges" used to gently prise open the case after removing the screens. Don't use a screwdriver - you will scratch the case.
Good luck.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This is my first post as I've so far managed to cure all my issues from just reading the forum. However, I am now having a similar problem with the white screen.
I have a cingular 8525. It fell and the following day the call and end buttons remained lit and wouldn't turn off and they also wouldn't work.
I soft reset, nothing, I then removed the battery and when I turned it back on, there was a white screen and the buttons below still don't work.
I have read the other posts on this issue, but I need help on exactly what kit to buy to reconnect the screen cable and instructions on how to do it as I've never taken apart a phone before, although I have dabbled with other electronic devices.
Your help would be much appreciated, as I am in Jamaica and there are no technicians here who I trust to help.
Thanks in advance.
Below are links to 2 kits I'm thinking of getting. Is either one better than the other?
http://www.pdasmart.com/pdaphonehtcmini.htm?gclid=CJrHntO-hosCFQx1VAodaQf6KQ
http://cgi.ebay.com/SCREWDRIVERS-TO...01677255QQcategoryZ108648QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem
CINGULAR IN JA said:
This is my first post as I've so far managed to cure all my issues from just reading the forum. However, I am now having a similar problem with the white screen.
I have a cingular 8525. It fell and the following day the call and end buttons remained lit and wouldn't turn off and they also wouldn't work.
I soft reset, nothing, I then removed the battery and when I turned it back on, there was a white screen and the buttons below still don't work.
I have read the other posts on this issue, but I need help on exactly what kit to buy to reconnect the screen cable and instructions on how to do it as I've never taken apart a phone before, although I have dabbled with other electronic devices.
Your help would be much appreciated, as I am in Jamaica and there are no technicians here who I trust to help.
Thanks in advance.
Below are links to 2 kits I'm thinking of getting. Is either one better than the other?
http://www.pdasmart.com/pdaphonehtcmini.htm?gclid=CJrHntO-hosCFQx1VAodaQf6KQ
http://cgi.ebay.com/SCREWDRIVERS-TO...01677255QQcategoryZ108648QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Both kits look ok. PDA one tells you a little more but the basics appear to be in both.
I'm curious though you soft reset and took the battery out, but have you done a HARD reset? I would always try this first before dismantling.
Mike
In my case, they also are always lit up when the screen is also active.
And no matter what ROM version, they occasionally stop responding. Side buttons keep working.
mikechannon said:
Both kits look ok. PDA one tells you a little more but the basics appear to be in both.
I'm curious though you soft reset and took the battery out, but have you done a HARD reset? I would always try this first before dismantling.
Mike
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for the response.
I couldn't do a hard reset because the buttons weren't working.
I have made some progress with the phone now. Found a tech guy who looked at it for me. The white screen is gone, but the buttons still stop working from time to time.
All the connections seem ok.
Is there anything else that could cause the buttons to malfunction?
CINGULAR IN JA said:
Thanks for the response.
I couldn't do a hard reset because the buttons weren't working.
I have made some progress with the phone now. Found a tech guy who looked at it for me. The white screen is gone, but the buttons still stop working from time to time.
All the connections seem ok.
Is there anything else that could cause the buttons to malfunction?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Nothing obvious.
Have you got applications installed that you have loaded - could be one thats playing up.
Have you now been able to do a hard reset?
If taking device apart and reassembling improved things it does suggest hardware though and might be worth double checking all those multi-connector blocks for good connections - i.e. take them out and in a few times to ensure any oxidation on contacts is removed.
Mike
mikechannon said:
Nothing obvious.
Have you got applications installed that you have loaded - could be one thats playing up.
Have you now been able to do a hard reset?
If taking device apart and reassembling improved things it does suggest hardware though and might be worth double checking all those multi-connector blocks for good connections - i.e. take them out and in a few times to ensure any oxidation on contacts is removed.
Mike
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks Mike.
I will give that a shot.
I haven't installed any new applications recently, so I don't think it is a software issue.
Thanks again.
CINGULAR IN JA said:
Thanks Mike.
I will give that a shot.
I haven't installed any new applications recently, so I don't think it is a software issue.
Thanks again.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If it wouldn't be a software issue, why is it, in my case, instantly resolved when going to settings -> phone with the side buttons?
i had this problem i took it to a guy who fixed the problem he said it was a very small tear in the flex cable which causes this white screen every now ant then and the buton problem , sorry to say its the cable problem and u need a very capable person to fix it or replace it with a new one . its very common problem baised on the guy who fixed it .
dmxl said:
I don't have these screen issues. I only have hardware button problems. It's so damn frustrating! I already own a replacement.
I just received a call from my girlfriend. I wasn't able to answer the phone with the buttons, only with a screentap. I also wasn't able to close the call with the hardware button. Since the side buttons work, I went to settings -> phone, closed it, and there we go. The hardware buttons worked again.
Why the heck is this? I truly hope for some wizz out there with some advice, since HTC would only tell me to send it back after replacing it with a new TyTN with same issues.
Regards,
DM.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Exactly what is happening to me, no white screen issues, just screen taps and answering calls, I also have another problem where the PDA will not allow me to open anything, be it the start menu or contacts, it will open and quickly close again. I have had mine swapped through Telstra in Sydney, it worked fine for a while and then the same crap again. These problems started before I even touched the OS, so it must be a build problem. Maybe we should write a joint letter to HTC letting them know that there is a serious problem with their machine.
I have had the same problem, got my Tytn through work so we sent it back to the company that supplied it to us. Got it back yesterday and they had replaced the "switchboard". Not sure what it is but there was the problem. Had white screen and buttons not working.

S100 keeps hard reseting

Hi,
My S100 keeps hard reseting. It was working ok, until last week. Since then, it has hard reset 3 times now.
It happens randomly. I've formatted the SD card as well, in case the issue was card related. I don't know what to do...
R 1.12.00
G 1337.42
D 1.12.120 WWE
Could it have anything to do with my backup battery?
I've noticed that I have no issues if it's connected to the power, but if my battery gets to half capacity, it's when my problems begin...
ALL help is welcome....
Hi got same problem ...unfortunately while using tomtom so i lose myself somewhere in between Austria,Switzerland and Germany....
so it reset many times even while phisically resetted...it didn't start any more for 10 min and then it starts properly...and again and again.....
noticed low internal battery....will change it (if i found the user manual) and i'll let You know the progress...
....small reply...i check in the User Manual but no idea on how to change and which is the internal backup battery....any suggestion ? ? ?...pls ?
up.........thnks
uh...well i have the same problem and i know why it happens...
It's just that the back cover has a small plastic notch at the bottom right side which must touch and push a small switch located at the bottom right (the switch is located just above the red plastic thing).
Since my back cover has a side plastic notch that is broken, sometimes the back cover gets a little bit loose, forcing the bottom switch notch to release that switch which in turn forces the ppc to sometimes reboot/hard reset.
Check if your back cover is Okey.
Keeper
Keeper said:
uh...well i have the same problem and i know why it happens...
It's just that the back cover has a small plastic notch at the bottom right side which must touch and push a small switch located at the bottom right (the switch is located just above the red plastic thing).
Since my back cover has a side plastic notch that is broken, sometimes the back cover gets a little bit loose, forcing the bottom switch notch to release that switch which in turn forces the ppc to sometimes reboot/hard reset.
Check if your back cover is Okey.
Keeper
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
WOAH...got it....(i'll keep testing tomorrw while running somewhere in France....) is enough to force it with a ...."piece-of-something" placed there in case? or there are some other indications on "how to"??.....
say thanks anyway is always not enought......
yes...you can use whatever you like...(you can even glue it)
Honestely i don't know what was HTCs ideia of putting that dumb switch in there...
Regards,
Keeper
Yeah, that switch is pretty dumb and a waste of money. None of my newer HTC phones have that switch. I guess in more recent phones they realized it was a waste.
The switch was there for a good reason
Hi! The switch is there to turn off the phone when you open the battery cover. Remember, WM 2003 is based on volatile memory, so if the power goes out, all of your data gets deleted and the OS has to reload from flash rom. Anyway, to my understanding the switch has to do with not using the backup battery without the actual battery in there as the backup battery is strong enough to power the volatile memory but not the entire device. The solution I chose for my device is a piece of clear plastic tape running along the crack between the battery door and the camera housing. I attached the tape to the sides as well, and made sure to use the stylus to push the tape down between the grooves on the sides. Otherwise dust would get in right away and weaken the bond blah blah blah.
Summary: Tape on the battery cover, the switch was a good thing. All devices since MDA Compact run WM5, which is non-volatile memory based and is always stored no matter what.
Hi guys,
At first I decided to open up my Magician, to look for that "backup" battery.
Didn't find any.
Turns out, my hard reset problem is caused by my phone battery. The regular battery is wasted. So wasted that the phone cant hold the backup. I found it weird that the phone wouldn't hard reset if was kept on power. As soon as i unplugged it, it went bye bye.
I managed to test it with a battery from a friend, and as soon as he used my battery on his phone, the backup warning come up.
I don't wanna say that, in some cases, the back lid won't cause this problem.
In my case, thankfully I managed to sort out where the problem was.
Thanks!
It keeps hard resetting
Hi Guys,
i've tried all the above written tips and tricks; but, my magician still have the same problem, every time i removes my battery it goes hard reset and again i've to start from the scratch - align screen - then it installs the applications again and back to the square one.
previously it was ok and after a year and half of using it started going soft reset now and then itself - i gave it to a local services center, they said that it has a loose contact to the battery that's why it gets soft reset, so i got my battery connector replaced. it solved the soft reset problem, but now the bigger problem has come up - it goes hard reset every time i remove my battery.
one thing i've noticed - it never hard resets when i keep it connected with my charger or usb cable
any one has any idea why its happening...
well i would suggest that your backup battery is dead...
Keeper
that i've checked keeper it always shows 100%.
and all the time since i bought this i've never seen that thing moving from 100%,
ok just tell me is it possible to replace the backup battery?
Well, i doubt it...all this stuff is really small...honestely i don't even know where is the backup located at, in the pcb... (photo of the pcb is in here: http://forum.xda-developers.com/files/naked-magician-insane.jpg)
I would suggest that you should go to a repair center and ask them for a repair cost budget...that way you'll be informed what exactly is wrong with your pda...
Keeper
webshocker, if you want to try and replace your backup battery, check the photo in attachment that i've made...
It seems that it ain't that hard to replace it...
Regards,
Keeper

Hermes White screen

I have read many threads and forums about the problem of the Hermes becoming white. The soft reset in this case does not help.
I found the explanation in my case and I am not able to fix it quickly, without opening the device to screw the connector.
The problem is only due to the temperature of the device. When the temp is to hot, the screen is white, in my case, it typically happens when it stays in my pocket et I moving too much throug the office ;-)
Solution, simply open the keyboard and gently blow in the thin area between the two parts of the device.. in my case, the screen comes back in 2-3 seconds.
Enjoy !
Eric
Hermes/Schaps 4.31/Orange CH
To be honest, I have this problem on my 838 (wizard) previously.
I have found someone (engineer who I need to pay) help me to check.
It is actually the connection cable between the keyboard and screen start breaking.
This makes the connection poor.
End up, my wizard cannot be repaired and I have borrow my freinds hermes to use in the mean time.
I suggest you pay special attention to it.
I suppecm that you blow it is actually helping the connection of that cable.
huh
are you guys serious in what you're talking about?
blow in between the two parts of the device when it's hot to get the connection of the cable back?
are you sure you are talking about a mobile phone and not about a compressor?
thanks for your feedback. I am convince that in my case, the gentle blow does not move the connecting cable.
Additionaly, the tipical symptom reported in various thread is that the soft reset does not help, while letting it apart for 15 minutes does help. It can confirm that the simple temperature idea is fine.
Again, it works for me, it can help others, and sorry for the others that won't find a solution with mine!
actually, i am neutal to this topic.
But just want to share my experience.
In my case, my cable is aging. Initially, it can help with slide the keyboard open and close.
End up the engineer told me that cannot be repaired deal to no parts. he examined it using a microsope watching the cable.
no need to take it too series.
It is a cable connection issue, it is caused by either dropping or opening and closing the device numerous times. It can be fixed the part cost around $20 kinda hard to find but can be found if you search enought. I can repair the device if your interested either pm me or you can contact me at
[email protected]
nate
when this happened to my hermes last August i found slightly unscrewing the two screws on the back of the screen fixed it & not had a problem since
didnt know what the white screen was 'till i got it right after the external volume crapped out, so tired of tinkering with hermes, going Kaiser
As a science experiment I have bought a number of hermes on ebay- it is a cable connection issue or worn cable in the 4 I have played with - all fixed by cleaning and reinstalling cable/connection or replacing the cable assembly. I cant say this is the only bug but 4 outy of 4 inducates a trend to me
John
Oh my gosh, topic starter, that is the same exact issue that I frequently have with my 8525. I eventually found out that if I leave it in direct sunlight, put it in my pocket for too long, or in anyway expose it to relative heat, then it would turn white.
That's a nice "fix" you have there hahah. As for me, I just let it cool down by placing it in a cool and shaded place, works like a charm after a few minutes.
Anyone with a WHITE screen MUST READ this!!!
To bring credit to what I say below, I haved had tinkering experience with electronics for the past 10 years, not to mention that I am currently a 3rd year electronics engineering student.
I currently have 4 hermes units.
When I first had the white screen prolem on my first hermes about a year ago (may be 8-10 months?) my research on the net revealed that the problem is apparently the connector on the button pad board (part number 50H000380-30M-A). After serious tinkering and tweaking I finally got the (extremely sensitive) connector connected up so that the white screen issue actually dissapeared. However, since the connection was so delicate and so sensitive, I had to fix it in place with a hot glue. Hot glue actually added some thickness to it; given that there isn't much tolerance between the top of the connector and the cover, I needed to scrape away some plastic without putting a hole in it so it can accommodate the extra thickness, this is also required for the sliding function to be smooth.
However, right now I have 4 hermes, and I am faced with the same issue. On two units I have the white screen problem. After some intuitive testing I have found that the problem is not with the flex cable, nor with the connector on the flex cable, nor the connector on the button pad board. The problem is with the actual button pad board itself, as it contains fair bit of circuitry on board.
This is how I came to the conclusion. Since the white screen can be fixed with sensitive alignment of the connecor on the board, I wondered if it will display anything with that D-pad (button pad board) disconnected. On trial, it didn't display anything on both a functional unit and a unit with a white screen issue. From this I made the assumtion that the LCD initialisation sequence is contained on the button pad board (part number 50H000380-30M-A).
Having made this assumption, I thought since the symptoms of having it disconnected on a functional unit is the same with a unit that has the white screen symptom, I wondered if it will fix the white screen problem if I changed over the button pad board. On trial, I found that the white screen problem was a thing of the past. So, I don't know what on the button pad board actually causes the white screen, but it is DEFINITELY the board it self and not the connector.
PS: I don't know the proper names of the components but by the button pad board I am talking about is the board that lies under the front buttons of the unit that has the call, end call, start, ok...etc buttons.
uengin, u totally had make ur homework regarding the white-screen-issue.
Anyway, for me, I face the exact problem too. And my way is much simpler. When ever I face the white-screen problem (this cause by the high temperature, coz I notice it only happen when I put my 838 on my pocket while walking during sunny day), I simply turn off the screen for a while (by lightly pressing the power button), like 3-5 second, then turn on the screen back. And, voila~ it back to normal.
i get a white screen when i press on the plastic casing on the lower right side of the screen, above the right bar button. no temperature involved here. sending the hermes to sleep and waking it up restores the normal screen.
pcpc said:
i get a white screen when i press on the plastic casing on the lower right side of the screen, above the right bar button. no temperature involved here. sending the hermes to sleep and waking it up restores the normal screen.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
There's actually a BGA chip in that vicinity on the button pad circuit board. It may or may not be that chip thats causing the issues, but I find it higly likely it is...
uengin said:
There's actually a BGA chip in that vicinity on the button pad circuit board. It may or may not be that chip thats causing the issues, but I find it higly likely it is...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
if it is the chip, then this would be a loose soldering point?
would you recommend to handle the hermes with great care? eg. not putting it in my trouser pocket because oft the pressure?
pcpc said:
if it is the chip, then this would be a loose soldering point?
would you recommend to handle the hermes with great care? eg. not putting it in my trouser pocket because oft the pressure?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I doubt its a "loose" solder joint. It could be a dry joint. But then again you never know. However, the symptoms with the heating and cooling mentioned in the thread it could be one of the several devices on the button pad board failing due to heat.
As a general rule of thumb, definitely electronic devices of this calibre should be dealt with a level of care indeed.
nohanz said:
uengin, u totally had make ur homework regarding the white-screen-issue.
Anyway, for me, I face the exact problem too. And my way is much simpler. When ever I face the white-screen problem (this cause by the high temperature, coz I notice it only happen when I put my 838 on my pocket while walking during sunny day), I simply turn off the screen for a while (by lightly pressing the power button), like 3-5 second, then turn on the screen back. And, voila~ it back to normal.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Same for me which seems software issue but how to solve it
I'm having white screen problem too. I highly doubt it has anything to do with a cable because:
1) I almost never use keyboard, aka don't slide open the phone
2) lately white screen often happens when I touch a screen.
3) several times white screen got fixed by holding the phone next to aircondition outlet.
4) white screen recently started at the same time I've noticed that the battery started dying, it doesn't last as long as before. Before this battery I had another one, similar, and also never had white screen while that battery was new.
To conclude all this, at least in my case is more likely it's a battery issue and/or overheat. Tomorrow I'll use the original battery (I've replaced it with 3k mAh 2 years ago) this should proof me right or wrong.
My white screen issues started after a waist-high drop onto concrete, accompanied by the D-Pad and the surrounding buttons not working. In order to get the white screen to go away and the buttons to work again, I have a simple 2-step process:
Put the Hermes to sleep
Press hard right above the D-Pad/below the screen
When I wake the device up, it works just fine!
Interesting Find......
I just noticed something about my white screens.
IF the poweron led does NOT turn on then I get white screen when turning on my hermes.
If the poweron led turns ON(lights up) when turning my phone on then it won't white screen on me.

8525 shutting down on its own

guys - severe problem here
had my 8525 for 2 years or so and have had it insured thank goodness - two trips to the shop have been done already, one for the RED LED problem that i thought ruined my device.
now out of the blue yesterday the phone started shutting off on its own. seemingly randomly, at no specific times, it will just turn off, as if i held the power button down for 5 secs and hit ok.
it will only come back on if i hit the soft reset button or hold the power button and then it reboots. it is making life very frustrating as i'm missing calls and messages often because i have to constantly watch for the green LED to be on to know that the phone is still working
i have three accumulated three batteries over the years so i know thats not the problem, it occurs with all three.
anyone suggest anything before i send it back in? not excited to pay another deductible as i've already doubled the price i paid for the phone in insurance fees!!
My advice would be to do a complete backup, and then hard-reset. Assuming that the issue disappears after the HR, then restore from your backup. Hopefully, you will not restore the issue as well. If you do, then HR again, and DON'T restore from the backup ... install everything fresh.
HTH,
-pvs
There have been a few reports that the battery contacts can become less firm against the battery - causing random switch offs. This was easily solved by having a thin strip of card between the battery and the casing on the side opposite the contacts. Thus pushing the battery a little more firmly against the contacts. (Also make sure the contacts are clean)
Something easy to try at least.
Remember to search - here's one example:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=315591
Mike
thought of that halfway through the day today when i was fidgeting with it and realized there was a little bit of play in the battery compartment. actually put a thin piece of paper on the opposite side of the contacts and the phone has stayed on for an hour so far!!! sure hope that was the fix - would make me pretty happy - keeping my fingers crossed!
i had done a hard reset last night hoping for a fix but to no avail. thanks for the suggestion though.
the weird part is no jarring or dropping took place so i am surprised this issue arose out of the blue??
thanks for the help - and i did search but will look more thoroughly in the future
Hope it works long term - I wonder if thin paper is enough, we'll see.
Sorry about the search comment
Cheers
Mike
the weird part is no jarring or dropping took place so i am surprised this issue arose out of the blue??
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well, those spring contacts can get a bit tired and maybe a little oxidised and they loose the spring in their step - a bit like me really. I'm stuffing in the cream cakes however not slips of paper but I still randomly switch off from time to time, in fact more and more often!
haha - yea i suppose same goes for me!
however it stopped working =\ worked for about an hour and a half then i bent down to pick something up with phone in pocket and it died. seems like slightest movement would make a difference, but then later on it died at my desk again =\ thought i had found the culprit too
on the gold prongs, on the phone part, there is a tiny bit of evidence of melting on the black plasting holding the prongs. on either side of the black plastic where it meets the green board of the phones interior, there is a silver weld. on one side, it looks like the black plastic melted a bit and the silver weld is barely visible. the plastic is rough and not the same edge as the other side. that's the only noticeable difference
thought i had found a quick fix, but i suppose the last option is the old $50 deductible for the third time =\
Mmmm.. not good. However it seems it is a contact problem and there have been reports of that complete battery contact assembly coming off. Some have been successfully re-soldered, but in one case the contact was broken inside the mult-layered board.
I'm slightly puzzled about the melting - almost as if someone has previously been re-soldering it. (seems a little improbable that a poor contact at that ampage could cause enough heat to melt it - but I could be wrong)
Mike
mine was doing this and nothing fixed it apart from a reflash, its been working fine since i reflashed two days ago
hope this helps

[How To] Fix Blank/Garbled Screen Issues

Last night my Transformer started acting up. I was browsing Facebook, and then I hit the back case just right while setting it down and the screen went all green and purple (garbled/glitchy). I kept pressing it and eventually the screen completely shut off, though the backlight was still on.
In this small "how to", I will show you what you need to reconnect to get the screen back to operational status.
There are two sets of tear down pics for the TF that I found. One comes from XDA member hybridau, found here and the other is Tech Republic. I'll be linking to pics from Tech Republic along with my own as they were a little more informative.
Take the device apart. Torx T5 is needed for the bottom. Work your way from the end they show in the picture here. Then, press down hard (but be gentle ) on the side until the bezel disconnects from the base (pic). Next, gradually work your way around until you get to the dock connector. I used a thin piece of plastic to go around the edges, but I've heard a guitar pic works well (I don't own one). Note: for me, the dock connector was the most difficult part of the bezel to remove.
Remove the four screws around the screen area and then the three around both long sides (six total).
Turn the device over (screen facing down) and remove the back cover (pic).
Now, look for the piece in the pics below. The ribbon needs to be pushed all the way in where you can't see any of the connectors. Mine was visibly out of place. It won't be fully out of place. I used my fingernails to gently move it back into place one side at a time. You may want to try something else... it's not the easiest thing to move back since there is tape that was/is supposed to hold the thing in place.
Full device view:
That's it! I turned it on while it was apart to make sure screen worked, but that's up to you. Put it back together the reverse way... much easier putting it back together. I put the bezel back on the opposite direction I took it off.
Little background on the device:
The device has been dropped a few times while in a protective case or when tossing onto the bed (no visible signs anywhere on the device -- seriously, the device was thrown and dropped more during shipping than it was in my possession), so I called ASUS and they issued an RMA on it. Of course, if the issues are caused by you (dropping), you have to pay. Regardless, shippings going to cost some money.
Thus, I took it upon myself to fix it. I knew it had to be a ribbon that was disconnected because I doubted it was any kind of screen problem. I had also read in another thread here that that when they sent their TF off the return said all the techs did was reattach the ribbon. What a waste of time, money, and effort?!
Anyway... hope this helps someone with the same issues I had!
Thank you very much for the details. It doesn't effect me but I have read several threads where people are having this issue. I am asking a mod to sticky this for awhile so it doesn't get lost
Thanks! I just hope it helps someone else contemplating doing what I did. I almost wasted time and money sending it to Texas for repairs!

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