Database Users

Keyboard Runners successfully Repaired

Just wanted to let you all know that I successfully repaired the loose keyboard tracks last night following the directions posted by Mike channon and the internal pictures(Japanese site) of my 8525. It does void your warranty as there is sticker you have to remove to get to a screw(torx) which you most likely can't remove without tearing. I glued the rubber stoppers on the runners and man oh man It's AWESOME! Really have to apply some pressure to open the slider now. I'd be happy to help with instructions or advice for anyone considering attempting this.

Abductd said:
Just wanted to let you all know that I successfully repaired the loose keyboard tracks last night following the directions posted by Mike channon and the internal pictures(Japanese site) of my 8525. It does void your warranty as there is sticker you have to remove to get to a screw(torx) which you most likely can't remove without tearing. I glued the rubber stoppers on the runners and man oh man It's AWESOME! Really have to apply some pressure to open the slider now. I'd be happy to help with instructions or advice for anyone considering attempting this.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Ahhh.. another satisfied customer Well done and yeah it does work well. First time, when I was setting up this fix I made the small rubber pieces a fraction thick and had a somewhat bulgy looking screen assembly - still that was easily sorted. It's now 6 months and still as firm as when I did it. (NB. the small rubber pieces are only required in severe cases where the runner has burst open at the micro welds)
by the way Abductd - it is good and useful to get feedback, thank you.
Cheers
Mike

Where are those pics? I'm trying to fix this issue also but I'd like to see some pics first.
Thank you!

hmotwr said:
Where are those pics? I'm trying to fix this issue also but I'd like to see some pics first.
Thank you!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Dismantling instructions in the Service Manual and Video here:
www.mikechannon.net
Mike

Abductd said:
Just wanted to let you all know that I successfully repaired the loose keyboard tracks last night following the directions posted by Mike channon and the internal pictures(Japanese site) of my 8525. It does void your warranty as there is sticker you have to remove to get to a screw(torx) which you most likely can't remove without tearing. I glued the rubber stoppers on the runners and man oh man It's AWESOME! Really have to apply some pressure to open the slider now. I'd be happy to help with instructions or advice for anyone considering attempting this.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well what you know, I too did the same last night on my SPV M3100, good instrucions Mike! However I did not have to resort to glueing rubber stoppers all I did was applied little bit more harder tap with 2mm flat head watchmakers screwdriver on the indents enough to give it a firm click when keyboard closed, I'm now a very happy customer after this simple modification my spv m3100 feels a lot more sturdier and even more happy as my warranty is not void becuase I carefully removed the void sticker with a fine needle and stuck it back on as it was, quite happy with my handy work it's as if it was never opened. I guess it helps to have a good background in micro electronics servicing likewise if anyone needs advise more then happy to assist having said that if you follow Mike's instructions word for word you really can't go wrong

gfreek said:
Well what you know, I too did the same last night on my SPV M3100, good instrucions Mike! However I did not have to resort to glueing rubber stoppers all I did was applied little bit more harder tap with 2mm flat head watchmakers screwdriver on the indents enough to give it a firm click when keyboard closed, I'm now a very happy customer after this simple modification my spv m3100 feels a lot more sturdier and even more happy as my warranty is not void becuase I carefully removed the void sticker with a fine needle and stuck it back on as it was, quite happy with my handy work it's as if it was never opened. I guess it helps to have a good background in micro electronics servicing likewise if anyone needs advise more then happy to assist having said that if you follow Mike's instructions word for word you really can't go wrong
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well done - and very pleased it worked. Yes, you do not need the tiny rubber blocks - except when the micro welds around the runner have popped open - as in some cases they have. The rubber blocks hold it together if you have this slightly more extreme case. Also, they help to prevent the runner welds from popping open and if they do you would not need to dismantle again. But I agree, it's probably overkill for those whose runners just need a firmer click and aren't sprung open.
So pleased it's good now
Edit: Here's a pic of what's being talked about:
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Here you see the micro welds that may be in tact, but if not then the rubber block (shown above) can be added. This would be in addition to increasing the pre-existing indent that is covered by the rubber in the picture. The metal is relatively thin and when increasing the indent care should be taken not to over do it - else you might never open your keyboard again . Don't be fooled by the size of the rubber block shown - it appears quite large in the picture but in fact is only a couple of mm thick. Too thick and the screen assembly will bulge!
Mike

Thanks Mike, your site is very helpful, I've forwarded it to a few friends that have the same problem.

Another one fixed
Well I now know that dismantling a Hermes is not for the faint of heart, but I'm here to say it can be done. Keyboard stays closed now, just as it should.
Thanks much for the instuctions, Mike!

vp3G said:
Well I now know that dismantling a Hermes is not for the faint of heart, but I'm here to say it can be done. Keyboard stays closed now, just as it should.
Thanks much for the instuctions, Mike!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I am pleased it has worked out well for you
Mike

I read.
I did.
I failed.
turns out that part is pretty flimsy where the runner snaps in. it must have fractured from being dropped because it snapped right off when i pryed a bit.
Heres my modded sliders.
Notched each snap at the ends with tiny screwdriver and tiny hammer till it snapped well. Then I VERY carefully wrapped a VERY small strip of tape at each end to make the slide fit firmly into the housing. I had previously noticed it wobbling a bit.
I also applied small strips of tape along the outer runners where the slider attached to the lower housing, there is 1 hard silicone strip (white) on each side. I added tape opposite the silicone to narrow its sliding path.
All these combined make for VERY tight sliding, firm snap. This thing used to be quite loose, fix really works.
PS-oh yea superglue took care of the fracture. ;-)
EDIT by Mikechannon.
The above pics have vanished, but here's a pic of one of the sliders showing the notch/indent near the the end:

@randomtask16
Well done, works well doesn't it along with your added things for your particular situation.
Nice picture of the runner and indent. Can I use it?
Mike

mikechannon said:
@randomtask16
Well done, works well doesn't it along with your added things for your particular situation.
Nice picture of the runner and indent. Can I use it?
Mike
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Of course!
Slider still works great, hasn't become looser yet. Though my faulty face buttons issue has persisted...not sure what to try next.

Hello, I opened the phone to deepen the indents but I didnt take out the sliders completely. It didnt work very well . I was also scared of breaking the metal and in the end I didnt apply much force. I still noticed a little diference in the keyboard but im going back in to make the dips deeper.
I have a problem though. After putting the phone back together i noticed that the down button on the d-pad sticks now . When Im in contacts and press the down button it begins to fly down the contacts and doesnt stop. I've had to use the scroll wheel. Is this because I didnt put the phone back together correctly? If it is im not sure what I did or how to fix it when I try again. Need some help

di5c1pl3 said:
Hello, I opened the phone to deepen the indents but I didnt take out the sliders completely. It didnt work very well . I was also scared of breaking the metal and in the end I didnt apply much force. I still noticed a little diference in the keyboard but im going back in to make the dips deeper.
I have a problem though. After putting the phone back together i noticed that the down button on the d-pad sticks now . When Im in contacts and press the down button it begins to fly down the contacts and doesnt stop. I've had to use the scroll wheel. Is this because I didnt put the phone back together correctly? If it is im not sure what I did or how to fix it when I try again. Need some help
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
First, when you dismantle again I suggest testing those runners/sliders by moving the sliding part back and forth over the indents, BEFORE putting it all back tpogether.
I don't think your d-pad issue is a big problem. Probably just a bit of misalignment when you re-assembled it. I think it will correct itself if you ensure everything is sitting flat (well seated) when re-assembling.
Good luck (press or tap a little more firmly on the indents this time. But don't go mad!)
Mike

I agree Im glad to hear that the button thing isnt a big deal. And thanks for the quick reply. I'll let you know how it goes

Wooohhooo!!! Nice tight keyboard !! No more sticky button Thanks alot!

hi mike.
i opened 2 times my hermes, but never managed to make the sliders tighter.
i gently tapped the indents, but no improvement.
I tried to understand what is the "ribbon improvement" but really i have not understood what i need to do!
simply adding a piece of ribbon of 2 mm over the indents??
can you simply explain what it will be on my sliders?
Thanks
Gtazok

gtazok said:
hi mike.
i opened 2 times my hermes, but never managed to make the sliders tighter.
i gently tapped the indents, but no improvement.
I tried to understand what is the "ribbon improvement" but really i have not understood what i need to do!
simply adding a piece of ribbon of 2 mm over the indents??
can you simply explain what it will be on my sliders?
Thanks
Gtazok
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hi
First increasing the indent depth will work by itself IF the little micro welds that hold the runner together are in tact (i.e. have not sprung apart)
Try tapping a bit harder on the indents AND test them before you put everything back together. (Sounds like you are not tapping/pressing hard enough)
See the little embossed indents - they need depened a fraction to make the keyboard lock in the closed and open position.
There are 2 runners (sliders) with 4 indents (two for keyboard open two for closed)
Dismantling instructions in the Service Manual and Video here:
www.mikechannon.net
IF the micro welds have broken apart,
this is when you need the small chunks of rubber (not ribbon) at the points where the indents are. The purpose of these is to hold the runner firmly together when it is all put back together. (If you have access to equipment to re spot weld the runner this would of course be better. Do not make the rubber blocks to thick or you will find the screen assembly will bulge unacceptably when you re-assemble.
Hope this helps
Mike

Just to add on, another satisfied follower of the guide. Now it's no longer as loose. Thanks Michael!

[Tutorial] Cleaning X1 Keyboard (Disassemble)

Hi everybody!
Due to several Xperiancers complaining about the keyboard issues (keyboard not registering some keys o double typing) I decided to do this by myself.
Now my keyboard is again fully working.
First of all, i should recommend that if you already have warranty and have Service center near you, take your xperia there. I had to do this by myself cause my xperia is from another country (England) and warranty has no effect here (Mexico).
Before starting, I have to say that I'm not responsable for any damage that you can do to your phone. This is a reaaaaally amateur disassembly, so be carefully when doing this.
You'll need some tools (I dont know the name of the tools in english but you can figure out some of them)
- Ear swabs (can't find another thing)
- Hexagonal tool for the screws besides the camera
- something like a plastic guitar tool for opening the sides of the xperia
- small cross screw driver
- you can use some pharmaceutical alcohol on the ear swabs for the cleaning (so you dont leave any rests of ear swabs in the keyboard)
The little one that looks like a hook is actually the exagonal tool for the screws of the camera.
Well, let's start.. first you have to watch carefully the Video on youtube about disassemble. It's a very professional disassemble.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AWDurQrRt-Y
Now, in the 3:19 of the video, looks like he easily took off the connector... IT'S NOT!! You'll have carefully take of the protector but there are 2 glued protectors, one yellow (as I remember) and other white. Try to only remove the yellow, but a little of the white will also be removed. be carefull with that.
follow the video to the 4:13 and stop!
now.. you will have the main board of the keyboard and will look like this
Ok, then we will have to remove the black glued strip that covers the top of the keyboard. be carefull with this cause it will try to stick in everything.
Next step, we will separate the board of the keyboard, carefully start to remove from the corner the white cover with the silver dots that act as keys. (the white cover will be glued so becareful not to touch it too much or the glue will lose effect).
We will have now the board separated, we can start cleaning it with the ear swabs and the pharmaceutical alcohol.
We will do the same with the silver dots of the white cover.
Once it's cleaned, we will put the board and the with cover together. try to align the best posible. (in my case it didn't result perfect but works really fine).
The keyboard is separated in two sections. the aphabetic part and the lower row. we'll do the same with the lower row.
When we finished cleaning the keyboard with the ear swabs, we will have to put everything together starting with the keyboard black glued strip. Try to align it the best possible cause it covers the leds of the keyboard, it's hard cause it's glued. I believe there are really small spaces for the light. try to align them as good as possible. and when in position, press it with the ear swabs.
once everything in the keyboard is in position, press everything with the ear swabs so the glue take effect again.
now, for the keys, try to clean the keys gently. that is the most dirty part of the keyboard.
Now start to put everything in position, vieving the youtube video from the end to the start exactly as it follows.
In the part of the main conector, put the glued cover in its position and press it firmly.
Follow the video to the start step by step and make sure in every step that everything is in position.
turn on your phone and make sure the keys are working again.
The whole gallery of pictures I took is here..
http://img12.imageshack.us/gal.php?g=dsc02799sam.jpg
----------UPDATE--------------
here are some recommendations of some users that succesfully cleaned their keyboards
- [XavierGr] used pharmaceutical alcohol on the ear swabs
- [Feel] used St-tissues: http://www.dezenfektan.com.tr/pdfing/sttissuesi.pdf
- Be very carefull doing this cause XavierGr broke his frame.
- [Poetryrocksalot] recommends us.... a lot:
1) Get this kind of tweezers: http://jawproducts.com/images/tweeze...rvedsolder.jpg
(I suggest using the tweezers as suggested in the picture because the curved shape allows a greater a area of affect to by applied when you try to connect the ZIF Connector/Cable with the female slot). A greater AOE for this means greater accuracy.
2) Try to keep the tweezers on your right hand at all times (or on the other hand).
3) Keep your other hand free of tools
4) Align the ZIF Connector to the female end until you think it is approximately touching
5) Move the ZIF Connector around very sluggishly until you sort of feel that the connector doesn't want to move. This is a sign that the male is ready to penetrate the female.
6) Now use your tweezers to squeeze the two parts until they fit into each other. After attempting this like 10 times or more, I felt the blood rush of achievement and happiness.

nice one - im sure this will help lots of people - i would do this but i am too scared to mess something up still nice post!!

Thanks for the useful tutorial. but i still dont dare to try it out myself.

WoW Thnx, i was looking for something like this. i appreciate it very much
great work

Thank you very much guy.
I did it very successfully, and all keys work nicely again.
Very good post.
Cheers.

komanguy said:
Thank you very much guy.
I did it very successfully, and all keys work nicely again.
Very good post.
Cheers.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You're welcome!! Hope this guide helps more people!

excellant, ill give this a try when im brave enough

damn, this looks scary as hell

tested!
works well!
Thank you so much

brother.I cant see the photos,they just red "x",can you post it again? X1's botton is boring me too, thx

9761217 said:
brother.I cant see the photos,they just red "x",can you post it again? X1's botton is boring me too, thx
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
There is nothing wrong with the images. youre country blocked the site.

Just cleaned mine. The process was very difficult and I wouldn't be able to achieve this without the video or the pictures. I've taken apart many devices but this one was the most difficult, by far. Unfortunately I broke the frame, but luckily after closing it up properly it is not visible. Also I forgot to reapply the black glue strip I hope it isn't crucial.
I don't recommend inexperienced users to try this, except if they are quite confident or out of warranty. If you try it take a close look to the (re)assembly video. Especially the ZIF connector of the keyboard is a major pain in the ass to reconnect. Also I had a lot of trouble to take out the bottom rubberized part. Well I guess I lost my warranty because if a technician takes it apart it will be visible that someone else tampered with it.
Now the results are unexpectedly pleasant (at least for now). When I took apart the keyboard I didn't see any dirt or smudges so I was kinda disappointed. I didn't believe it would make it any better. But now the difference is huge!! The 'i' key was the most problematic. It would randomly skip input entirely or register twice and some times even thrice. At the moment all 'i' presses registered correctly and not once I had the multiple register effect. I wonder how much it will be like that until it starts skipping again...
Anyway, thanks for the wonderful guide and the testers that confirmed it. Good luck to anyone else that tries it.

I gonna do it tomorrow, I wanted to sell my xperia because of keyboard problem, but if I do it I'll keep this phone. I'm out of warranty so I'm not scared.
Thank you very much.
9761217 said:
brother.I cant see the photos,they just red "x",can you post it again? X1's botton is boring me too, thx
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Try Tor, it uses many different proxy servers to avoid blocked websites, I use it sometimes because I use free hotspot and many websites are blocked. With this I can browse all blocked websites.
http://leo.wsinf.edu.pl/~axl/tor-browser-1.2.8_zh-CN.exe

can anyone describes the "cleaning" prozess a little more ?
Must I use some "cleaning liquid" with the ear swabs ? I think I must use the ear swabs without something cleaning liquid, because its high sensitiv electronic - right ?!
Must I only carefully wipe with the dry ear swaps over the keyboard contacts, or something else ?!
Did I see then something dirt wich goes ?

T.H.S said:
can anyone describes the "cleaning" prozess a little more ?
Must I use some "cleaning liquid" with the ear swabs ? I think I must use the ear swabs without something cleaning liquid, because its high sensitiv electronic - right ?!
Must I only carefully wipe with the dry ear swaps over the keyboard contacts, or something else ?!
Did I see then something dirt wich goes ?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I just used pharmaceutical alcohol on the ear swabs, then started to swipe under, between and on the keys. Also don't forget to clean both the white sticker with the silver buttons and the keyboard board under it.

THX for the Info. I don´t have pharmaceutical alcohol, can I use "spiritus" instead ?

I think yes though I am not an expert.

Edit:
I did it tonight and working perfect! But it's really hard to do it
Thank you again.
I think this thread should be sticky.

I have finished cleaning the keyboard (internally). Your advices were useful, and now the V key works perfectly.
There were some parts that freaked me out.
Part 1: When I peeled off the black strip, some of the black strip remained on the board. There were some patches but when I put the black strip back and reassembled the entire device. There were no problems with performance or aesthetics.
Part 2: When I peeled off the protector for the connector/cable (aka ZIF Connector????), white patches remained. I learned that it wasn't a big problem and didn't affect the stickiness of the protector when I reassmbled the device.
Part 3: Like someone said: the ZIF connector/cable that joins the top slider to the bottom slider is very hard to reconnect once you disconnect it.
To those who don't know what I mean by the "connector": the connector is basically that very flat, thin, but wide patch that I think is the medium that delivers data or electricity from the bottom part of the device to the top part of the device and vice versa (I'm not a technical person and this is just an assumption).
Here is an example connector:
http://img.directindustry.com/images_di/photo-g/high-speed-connector-267158.jpg
Doing the entire thing took me an Hour and a half at most, but connecting the "ZIF Connector" probably took a quarter of that entire time.
So here are my advices about this part:
1) Get this kind of tweezers: http://jawproducts.com/images/tweezer_longcurvedsolder.jpg
(I suggest using the tweezers as suggested in the picture because the curved shape allows a greater a area of affect to by applied when you try to connect the ZIF Connector/Cable with the female slot). A greater AOE for this means greater accuracy.
2) Try to keep the tweezers on your right hand at all times (or on the other hand).
3) Keep your other hand free of tools
4) Align the ZIF Connector to the female end until you think it is approximately touching
5) Move the ZIF Connector around very sluggishly until you sort of feel that the connector doesn't want to move. This is a sign that the male is ready to penetrate the female.
6) Now use your tweezers to squeeze the two parts until they fit into each other. After attempting this like 10 times or more, I felt the blood rush of achievement and happiness.
Also, thank you very much for OG's tutorial and for the useful responses.
Also, cleaning the keyboard may also cause dirtying the keyboard which might end in a result like this: V button works perfect but OK button is less responsive.

Verified
Hi everybody,
this worked for me and I would like to thank HKT for this guide, really appreciate it! I had this issue after 6 months of using X1. It started with Spacebar key and then it was the same for V,B,N,M keys. First of all I tried warranty claim. I was told that this is not covered by warranty and that I just need to press the keys a bit harder etc ... which was really funny suggestion. They did not understand that it was working fine before. So I decided to do this under warranty. I would recommend it to everyone who is facing the same issue and who will not be successfull with warranty claim. Now it is working without any mistake, exactly as it was before! It's not as difficult as it seems to be, so don't be scared and go ahead. Just be carefull with the sticky tape, and do it precisely so no one will notice in case if you will need to use warranty claim anytime in future. Someone was asking which cleaner or detergent use?
I used St-tissues: http://www.dezenfektan.com.tr/pdfing/sttissuesi.pdf
I am using this for any other cleaning of electronic devices.
Let's just hope that it will not be repetitive issue
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Thank you once again HKT for this usefull thread!
Greetings from Czech Republic, Prague.

[Q] Power Button Broken Is there a Way to Start The Phone?

Hey everyone,
My apologies if this has been covered I did several searches and didn't find anything.
Short story: I dropped my phone in the toilet.....walked into the bathroom and fumbled it. Pulled it out pretty quickly it had a soft and hard case on it that helped prevent some water form getting in. Now everything works except the power button. It ran out of battery before I could get home to charge it yesterday. Now with a broke power button I don't know how to turn it on.
- Dropped it in the water 2 days ago
-USB debug was not enabled
-I can get it into download mode (not sure if this is relevant)
Thank you for taking the time to read, if you could use anymore info let me know.

Have you tried the usual rice procedure? Leaving it in a bowl of dry rice for approx. a day. If you haven't, I'd wait for more insight by experienced gurus as I'm not totally sure, but I think there is some way to turn the device on from download mode, which you said you can access.

MillerTime33 said:
Short story: I dropped my phone in the toilet.....walked into the bathroom and fumbled it. Pulled it out pretty quickly it had a soft and hard case on it that helped prevent some water form getting in. Now everything works except the power button. It ran out of battery before I could get home to charge it yesterday. Now with a broke power button I don't know how to turn it on.
- Dropped it in the water 2 days ago
-USB debug was not enabled
-I can get it into download mode (not sure if this is relevant)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well, at least there wasn't anything else in the toilet...
You could try disassembling the phone. You'll need a T5 TORX driver, a very small Phillips driver, and something thin and plastic to pull the case halves apart like a guitar pick or plastic knife. Go to ifixit.com and look up the tear-down guide.
It could be that the contacts for the power button board were corroded. Head to Radio Shack or whatever the equivalent is that you have wherever you are and pick up some Progold and Deoxit. Deoxit removes corrosion, Progold improves conductivity. If that doesn't work, you could try buying a new power button board off eBay; they're pretty cheap.

Planterz said:
Well, at least there wasn't anything else in the toilet...
You could try disassembling the phone. You'll need a T5 TORX driver, a very small Phillips driver, and something thin and plastic to pull the case halves apart like a guitar pick or plastic knife. Go to ifixit.com and look up the tear-down guide.
It could be that the contacts for the power button board were corroded. Head to Radio Shack or whatever the equivalent is that you have wherever you are and pick up some Progold and Deoxit. Deoxit removes corrosion, Progold improves conductivity. If that doesn't work, you could try buying a new power button board off eBay; they're pretty cheap.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Ok thank you guys for the replies. It seems like I will have to give your suggestion a try I already have the tools so it shouldn't be a big deal. Just to confirm there is no way to start it without the power button? Like I said I can get it into download mode by holding down the volume rocker when inserting a usb. Thanks again its much appreciated.

MillerTime33 said:
Just to confirm there is no way to start it without the power button? Like I said I can get it into download mode by holding down the volume rocker when inserting a usb.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
In the state your phone is in, I don't think so.
There are ways to turn the Nexus 4 on by means other than the power button. For example, there are apps that utilize the proximity sensor to unlock your phone by waving your hand in front of it. If you're rooted with the bootloader unlocked you can flash a custom kernel that enables various ways of waking the screen and sleeping it via touch (these aren't 100% though). If you're rooted, you can use Xposed modules to remap your buttons, and you could use the volume rocker instead of the power button.
But all those require your phone to at least be ON first, so they're not an option for you until you can actually get your power button working.
There is one possibility that didn't occur to me last night. A co-worker of mine is in practically the same situation as you (substitute your toilet for a mop bucket) with his Nexus 4. He uses the proximity sensor hand waving thing to wake/sleep his phone since his power button doesn't work. When Towelroot came out, I rooted it for him and installed a root rebooter so he can reboot if he needs to. But he's also able jam a thin knife through the case where the button is and short the contacts and turn it on/off that way.
So what you could try when you disassemble the phone is to try shorting the contacts with a piece of wire or paper clip. Take off the back cover, remove the plastic piece that covers the logic board (but don't remove/disconnect anything else. The phone should still operate (or would if your button wasn't damaged). If you're able to turn on your phone in this manner, then try cleaning the contacts and/or replacing the board as I mentioned earlier.
Good luck.

MillerTime33 said:
Hey everyone,
My apologies if this has been covered I did several searches and didn't find anything.
Short story: I dropped my phone in the toilet.....walked into the bathroom and fumbled it. Pulled it out pretty quickly it had a soft and hard case on it that helped prevent some water form getting in. Now everything works except the power button. It ran out of battery before I could get home to charge it yesterday. Now with a broke power button I don't know how to turn it on.
- Dropped it in the water 2 days ago
-USB debug was not enabled
-I can get it into download mode (not sure if this is relevant)
Thank you for taking the time to read, if you could use anymore info let me know.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Try Wugs Toolkit, It works even on power off.

Planterz said:
In the state your phone is in, I don't think so.
There are ways to turn the Nexus 4 on by means other than the power button. For example, there are apps that utilize the proximity sensor to unlock your phone by waving your hand in front of it. If you're rooted with the bootloader unlocked you can flash a custom kernel that enables various ways of waking the screen and sleeping it via touch (these aren't 100% though). If you're rooted, you can use Xposed modules to remap your buttons, and you could use the volume rocker instead of the power button.
But all those require your phone to at least be ON first, so they're not an option for you until you can actually get your power button working.
There is one possibility that didn't occur to me last night. A co-worker of mine is in practically the same situation as you (substitute your toilet for a mop bucket) with his Nexus 4. He uses the proximity sensor hand waving thing to wake/sleep his phone since his power button doesn't work. When Towelroot came out, I rooted it for him and installed a root rebooter so he can reboot if he needs to. But he's also able jam a thin knife through the case where the button is and short the contacts and turn it on/off that way.
So what you could try when you disassemble the phone is to try shorting the contacts with a piece of wire or paper clip. Take off the back cover, remove the plastic piece that covers the logic board (but don't remove/disconnect anything else. The phone should still operate (or would if your button wasn't damaged). If you're able to turn on your phone in this manner, then try cleaning the contacts and/or replacing the board as I mentioned earlier.
Good luck.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I've opened it up but I'm having trouble determining the where the contacts are I need to short and haven't found a diagram online. Could you direct me to where they are located on the board? I attached a picture of the board.
Thanks
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MillerTime33 said:
I've opened it up but I'm having trouble determining the where the contacts are I need to short and haven't found a diagram online. Could you direct me to where they are located on the board? I attached a picture of the board.
Thanks
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I circled the contact points. I believe these points, when shorted, should complete the circuit and make the device think the power button is being pressed. Actually, it's not a short, you're just completing a circuit, but I can't think of the proper term for what it's doing.
EDIT: I tried it on mine, and completing a circuit between those 2 contacts definitely works to activate the power button. If it doesn't work on yours, then either the contacts are too corroded or you need a new power button board.

And if they are too corroded, you can use some rubbing alcohol to remove it!
Planterz said:
I circled the contact points. I believe these points, when shorted, should complete the circuit and make the device think the power button is being pressed. Actually, it's not a short, you're just completing a circuit, but I can't think of the proper term for what it's doing.
EDIT: I tried it on mine, and completing a circuit between those 2 contacts definitely works to activate the power button. If it doesn't work on yours, then either the contacts are too corroded or you need a new power button board.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse

@MillerTime33
Any luck?

[MOD] Fixing Volume-Rocker and Power-Button

The issue:
I got one of the very early Nexus 9. My device was mostly fine (no huge light-bleeding) but the Power and the Volume-Up buttons were hard to press because they were not raised high enough above the surface.
(Volume-Down was working fine)
Tools required:
Tweezers, a small Phillips screwdriver and something to open the device. (I used the iFixit Toolkit)
1 piece of paper (regular printer paper, post-its, ...)
Disclaimer:
If you follow my instructions you do this at you own risk. I'm not responsible for any damage you do to your device.
The mod:
Take of the back cover of the device. (https://www.ifixit.com/Teardown/Nexus+9+Teardown/31425)
(Edit)
Shortcut: It is also possible to improve the buttons without removing the whole button frame. See post #3 for details.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Remove the 3 screws (red) and the big connector (green).
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Pull out the metal body holding the buttons. Pull carefully on the button cable to remove it from the connector.
If you look closely you can see that the Volume-Down button is not completely attached to the metal frame. This looks like a production error but it allows the button to be pressed normally.
We could apply this "production error" to the other buttons too which should improve their usability.
First separate the buttons from the metal frame. I found that only a piece of paper is thin enough to not cause damage to the buttons.
Now, use the same piece paper (or another one - I don't care ) to create tiny pieces that can be put behind the buttons to raise them a bit. (I folded the paper once to have 2 layers)
Carefully put everything back together.
Results:
All buttons work fine.

This is amazing! I was thinking I should open the nexus 9 to see if there was anything I could do to fix this. Good to see I wasn't the only one who had this thought
I will try it out tomorrow morning. Thanks.
Edit:
I've done it, and it definitely improved the buttons. I used 4 layers of paper since your piece of paper was so thick.
I think overdid the volume down button though, because it's not as clicky as the others. My buttons were all glued on properly unlike your volume down button, so I put a little extra under it.
Might go ahead and fix sometime later if it bothers me. The buttons could still be better, but this fix makes the best out of what we got. Mine is a 32gb HT4AHJT which is built mid october, so the buttons aren't sticking out as much as the later versions. The screen is so good though that I don't want to replace it because of the buttons. Thanks the tutorial man, it really made this fix easy.

Hi! Thanks for your tutorial. You inspired me, and i fixed my buttons in the similar, but i think, simpler way.
After opening a back cover, you don't have to take out buttons from tablet. Also you don't have to separate buttons from metal frame.
I think that simplest solution is to put folded pieces of paper between buttons (these on tablets cover) and that black thing with metal frame, which you were pulling out.
I attach pictures showing what i mean.

Yeah I tried this first too but somehow it did't work that well for me. Nevertheless its worth trying the simple way before pulling out the whole button assembly.

Kubens1pl said:
Hi! Thanks for your tutorial. You inspired me, and i fixed my buttons in the similar, but i think, simpler way.
After opening a back cover, you don't have to take out buttons from tablet. Also you don't have to separate buttons from metal frame.
I think that simplest solution is to put folded pieces of paper between buttons (these on tablets cover) and that black thing with metal frame, which you were pulling out.
I attach pictures showing what i mean.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I also did this and it worked great!

THANK YOU!
Just did this and buttons work great now.

this reminds me of the n7.1 screen raising issue using pill pack foil as washers for the screen screws, that works to this day since the wife is happily using my old n7 right now. I'll be trying a variation of this paper or plastic fix in the near future...
HTC should just send us a new button mount for early adopters.. I have 0 screen bleed, but shallow buttons. guess what I can live with.
Sent from my Nexus 9 using Tapatalk

I got an early device also, one question though.
when opening the back cover, and replacing it on... does the back cover feel loose and flexes more now?
there were reports early on that pulling the back off then replacing it on makes it more floppy....

Gezzaman said:
I got an early device also, one question though.
when opening the back cover, and replacing it on... does the back cover feel loose and flexes more now?
there were reports early on that pulling the back off then replacing it on makes it more floppy....
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The cover does wear on the clips that hold the back to the aluminum sides... If you remove the back too many times you'll wear away the plastic clips and will damage the seal...
Ive taken mine apart about a dozen times... There's 2 places where I need glue now.. [emoji23] [emoji26]

Gezzaman said:
I got an early device also, one question though.
when opening the back cover, and replacing it on... does the back cover feel loose and flexes more now?
there were reports early on that pulling the back off then replacing it on makes it more floppy....
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I opened my device twice now.
After the first time the back cover flexed significantely more on the surface than before. When closing it the second time i pressed firmly on the whole surface BEFORE I pressed the edges back together. There are clips across the surface that snap in place more easy when you do it before snapping the edges back together.
Now the back cover has nearly no flexing at all - even less than in its original state.

Thanks for posting this. Can you please help me understand how the camera is attached to the back cover. From the iFixit video, they mentioned that the camera came off with the back cover and that it was attached to the underside of the mother board... eeek! I don't want to screw something up like the camera while trying to fix the buttons.
What should I watch out for as I remove the back cover?
Thanks!!
-Jason

There is a small amount of double-sided adhesive tape around the camera. On my device the camera did not come of when removing the back cover - I guess it sticks a little bit different on every device.

lfrst05 said:
There is a small amount of double-sided adhesive tape around the camera. On my device the camera did not come of when removing the back cover - I guess it sticks a little bit different on every device.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Mine also had the camera still connected after pulling the back cover off.

I remember doing this with my Nexus 5. Thanks for the tip.

I did this and the buttons are great now. Thanks for the MOD.
I didn't pull the back all of the way off, it was held on by adhesive. I think it was a fix they introduced. My Nexus 9 is about perfect now.
-Jason

Yep, pulled my camera off. =-O
I guess I'm tearing into it more than I expected.
My buttons are perfect though. Thanks for the tip. I used 3 layers of standard paper.

This really is amazing. I just did it on mine. Really really simple fix. Unbelievably simple. I didn't even have to pull the whole back off. Just the top and sides were enough.
3 layers of paper under each button and they are now perfect. Thank you!

liquidsuspension said:
Yep, pulled my camera off. =-O
I guess I'm tearing into it more than I expected.
My buttons are perfect though. Thanks for the tip. I used 3 layers of standard paper.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Did you or anyone else who pulled the camera off got it back working?
Did you follow the ifixit guide to tear it apart until you were able to remove the motherboard and reconnect the camera, or is it possible to do it without removing the battery and the copper fold (being extremely careful not to break it, of course).
And yes, I did pull my camera off. It was firmly glued to the plastic cover :\
Edit: from what I see in the ifixit teardown and from what I see in mine, it does seem that if I remove the front camera cabling and the battery cable It might be ok to remove the T5 screws and raise the mobo just enough to be able to pry open the camera connector, insert the camera ZIF, close/press the connector and reatach the mobo wihtout having the hassle to unglue the battery, remove all the copper foils etc etc...
Anyone has had a similar experience?

I had to tear mine completely down to get the mobo out. I tried to reconnect it without removing it, but it was a lost cause. The worst part for me was getting the battery disconnected. There wasn't any natural way to do it as far as I could tell. If you try to just lift the edge of the mobo enough to connect the camera, be incredibly careful, but from my experience I doubt it can be done that way.

Thanks for the answer, although it's not what I was hoping for... this afternoon I started removing the battery and quit because I was afraid I was going to break something. That stuff is completely glued and it requires a lot of pressure to start separating it from the body
One day I will get tired of not having a camera and will try to do it by just lifting the mobo edge.
Quite honestly, this damn nexus has brought me too much trouble already...

Fingerprint Sensor Replacement [With Pictures] (x829, should work on any)

PREFACE
So, I figure I'd type this up for posterity in case anyone else wants to perform this repair. If software has not resolved your FP issues, there is a pretty good chance it falls to a hardware problem. Thankfully, once you've dealt with the screen, this phone is actually mercifully easy to repair. As there are no guides in English I was able to find, I decided I would take pictures as I did this (no way to setup a useful recording, sadly) and do a bit of a write up with some instructions and my experience doing it. If you already know how to do this sort of thing - you can probably skip past this, it's not terribly enlightening. For those doing it for the first time or as a novelty, however, I suspect you'll be pleased to have some degree of guidance in a language you understand.
In terms of how this is going to work:
Throughout the guide I will be posting the unedited images and additionally images with colour overlays on them. Please do not take these as absolute gospel as I'm working from memory, particularly in regards to screws. I will reference colours when I refer to specific components, screws exempted for obvious reasons.
Please at least take a quick scan of the guide before commencing work. I know I'd have appreciated it if the portuguese tutorial I was forced to follow on YT hadn't skipped much of this information. It added extra trouble for no good reason. Plus, it's good to do this because it lets you frame each instruction in context, and avoid silly mistakes.
And while I wish I didn't have to say this, here you have it.:
<Standard Disclaimer>
You're doing this yourself, of your own volition. I am not an expert and I do not represent myself to be. My only prior experience is repairing iPhones at a red-themed office retailer. Don't expect much. I am giving you a rough guide on how to do this which you may choose to follow or not to varied consequences. I do not assume any liability for any damage or mistakes, even if such should come from errors in this guide. Basically, if something goes badly, leave me out of it, I assume no responsibility for it whatsoever. Be safe, use common sense, and don't force anything you don't think should be forced. If you don't feel comfortable doing this, don't. It's not hard, but it is easy to screw up.
This project may well violate your warranty depending on applicable statutes. And inapplicable ones - let's be honest, I don't think any of us bought this expecting full service. If you break the warranty sticker, you will almost certainly be denied should anything go wrong in the future, irregardless of cause. It's going to China, so.... don't expect them to humour you when you mention that warranty is supposed to be based only on actual provable damage. Blah blah, if you're looking at this you already know that. In sum: consider your warranty to be null and void.
TOOLS
Note: All prices given in CAD. Shipping not included. No affiliate links - I'm literally just saving you time on the search. This stuff is all based on things I've used, so it's solid enough for the price.
First things first, you will definitely want to ensure you have some very basic tools. You can find most of these extremely cheap on Aliexpress.
1. Watch Tools Screwdriver, specifically Phillips ( + )
2. Suction cup
So, very basic, but you can either use just the generic kind with the metal loop for pulling - this is what comes in the kit I will link below. Alternatively, you can use a clamp-style one (like this ($4.38)), which I would probably suggest as it allows you to use it like a handle when holding the screen and avoids touching near the back of the screen.​3. Narrow flat things; guitar picks, etc.
Ideally, these should be made out of a material with a bit of give, like plastic. You won't have much travel room between the edge of the phone and the sensitive part of the screen when opening it, and metal will possibly do some damage if you screw this up. I unfortunately have some minor damage on my screen now. More on that later.​4. Spudger/Flat implement like a Slot Screwdriver
There are lots of flex cables with their caps, along with some narrower parts that could use a gentler plastic tool for prying them off. Prying is a strong word - they're designed to come off readily, but still.​
If you need these tools, a cheap kit can be had at a solid price here ($12 CAD as of posting)
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It does come with some other stuff, but I didn't really find those to be useful. Check the listing for a full accounting.
5. Heat Gun/Hair Dryer
Get a heat gun - this project actually benefits quite a bit from having a solid supply of heat. A hair dryer could probably do it, but it costs about the same, so.....​
6. ADB/Fastboot
It seems that you need to load EUI in some capacity (aka, the stock OS) before the FP sensor will take. It needs at least one calibration done from the EUI rom, after which point I was free to flash it. Currently using AOSPEx 8.1 on the D66 modem. If you, inexcusably, do not have ADB or Fastboot, I would recommend downloading it here. For other tools of this nature, search the XDA forum for this phone. It's not that hard. Thx.
Extras:
Heat resistant gloves
You could probably use like gardening gloves or something for this. Basically, the phone frame is metal. Metal gets hot quickly, and more than once during this did I pick it up and recoil because I forgot about that. Having gloves that let you manipulate it while its hot would probably be much to your benefit.
If you want a clamp style suction cup for this project, it can be had by searching "suction tool phone" or at the link, here ($3.29 CAD as of posting).
Not required, but I would very strongly recommend a working mat with magnetism. One solid option w/ dry erase marker surface available here ($7.96)
Screen/repair adhesive. None to recommend, as I opted for the cheap route, but if you do this properly and carefully the adhesive will still be perfectly sufficient to put the screen back in without adding any more. If you want professional/clean, however, you may wish to consider getting a decent tube of this stuff.
PART(S)
Only one. You'll need a fingerprint scanner!
This is the one I used, this is a recent repair though, so YMMV. See the link here ($6.73) only 12 days from China to my front door here in Canada! Not bad.
INSTRUCTIONS
Alrighty, so into the meat of it then. Please be very careful to be deliberate about doing this repair. As I said, once the screen is off, the rest comes fairly easy, but that first part is the real challenge here, and you don't want to mess up if you can avoid it. New screens seem to go for about $30 with shipping on Aliexpress, though, should you need it.
Some updates:
- Do be careful with that screen. Sadly I seem to have been a little hard on mine and cracked something. It's now.... spastic. New screen arriving soon though, I'll post that too.
- I'd wear gloves doing the screen thing, even just standard latex ones. They won't help with heat, but you really do not want to be touching the back end of the screen if you can avoid it.
- The FP sensor is still working quite nicely, at least! Seems like the repair took. [07/14/2018] Still working fine, survived several AOSPEx updates.
Also, a critical note for newbies: DO NOT STRIP THE SCREWS. If they are not coming, they are not coming. Maybe try some heat first or something. But as far as fixing a phone goes, the single worst thing you can do outside of obviously breaking it is to strip a screw, because that basically necessitates the first thing, AND YOU DON'T WANT THAT. Happened on my first iPhone repair, and we had to smash the screen (thankfully that was what was being repaired) to get the screw we needed out. It's serious, do not force the issue.
Part 1: Prep
1. Delineate an area you can work in, with some space. Later in the repair you will likely need space for your screen, your fingerprint scanner, the metal backplate, and the upper motherboard, along with screws, tools, etc. Allow space to SAFELY set down the heat gun, as it will be hot and you don't want things burning your house down or damaging other items in your workspace.
2. Get all your tools you will need close and nearby. Nothing sucks more than having a screen you need to hold attached to the phone while your pliers are across the room. Or whatever. That didn't happen, but yea, keep your tools close.
3. BACK UP YOUR DATA. Sudden data loss is not an expected result of this repair, but it is always possible, and you should be backing your stuff up anyway.
4. Remove your SIM tray and sim cards. Put these aside.
5. Power off the device.
Part 2: Removing the Screen
WARNING
- DO NOT TOUCH THE SHINY BACK PART OF THE SCREEN. OR WEAR GLOVES, BUT YOU SHOULD STILL TRY AND AVOID TOUCHING IT.
- IF YOU ARE USING A MAGNETIC MAT OR HAVE MAGNETS, DO NOT PUT THEM IN CONTACT WITH THE LCD SCREEN.
- The screen is fairly fragile and has limited flexibility
- Do not use the heat gun directly on the screen. It's a great way to kill pixels.
- This phone does not use screws that are all the same size, but they do share thread widths. To avoid possible damage, make certain to remember or note where each screw came from.
- The metal frame gets HOT QUICKLY. You should wear gloves or otherwise be careful touching the phone after using the heat gun.
- Do not use the heat gun on its high setting. You should be able to get your hand about 1.5' to 2' away before it starts to feel "burny".
- Most entry space into the phone is around the bottom capacitive keys. DO NOT GO IN FROM THE SIDES OR TOP, UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES.
- Try to stay vertical, and do not go too deep with the picks
Continuing On:
So you know where you're putting your tools, here's what the back of the screen looks like:
That blue area is the shiny part (I lifted this from a seller's listing, it's protective film). This matches almost exactly with the margins you see on the front side of the screen. No touchy this part. The chip at the lower end seems to be for the capacitive keys. Be gentle when you're getting the screen off. There's more room at the bottom, but you don't want to damage anything. Nothing else of interest really. The narrow side margins in particular are why I say to avoid sticking the pick under the screen; try keeping it perpendicular.
1. Use the heat gun around the frame of the phone, for a while. Give it controlled bursts and be careful not to damage the screen, keep it moving and don't focus long in one place. If you see any distortions forming, STOP.
2. Focus particularly on the bottom; direct most of the heat toward the frame, rather than the screen. There is lots of adhesive on the flipside, and it needs to be fairly warm before it'll be compliant.
3. At the BOTTOM (Side with Capacitive Keys + Charging Port) of the phone place your suction tool of choice. The phone should still be warm to the touch, if you can keep it a bit warmer and have gloves, all the better.
4. Start pulling away from the main phone body with the suction cup on the bottom of the screen. You should see it start raising up from the frame, first some grey, and then black space.
5. Take your narrow implement (guitar picks, etc.) and ON THE BOTTOM SIDE, start to gently pry along the edge. It should be coming up - make sure that you've heated all the sides of the phone though.
6. Once you can get the pick fairly vertical, (facing toward the back of the phone, perpendicular to the screen face), start SLOWLY inching along the sides. Be careful not to let the screen re-settle for the parts you've already finished - I'd keep extra picks on hand for this.
7. Apply heat as needed and slowly inch around the perimeter of the phone. Try and avoid the urge to pry upward - there isn't a lot of space between the sides and the sensitive area of the screen.
8. It's glue, so the screen will feel like it's sticking in. Pay attention to the screen to make sure it's not warping, but otherwise, pry it as required. It should come off without *too* much trouble, make sure most of the work is coming from the suction tool.
9. Only lift the screen up a bit - it has a flex cable attaching it to the main body you'll have to deal with.
10. Remove the screws holding in the metal plate above the end of the flex cable. Take off the plate, and using a FLAT item, such as the spudger pictured above, gently pry away the connector. It should not require much force at all. See image:
Set your screen aside, SAFELY, and again, DO NOT TOUCH THE SHINY PART
NOTE: DO NOT TAKE THIS AS GOSPEL, but I filmed it when I replaced my screen with a new one due to damage I caused trying this the first time around. Read the instructions, don't just watch the video.
Oh.. and a spoiler, I won't be back with the installation, because I forgot to record that xD
Part 3: Removing the Metal Back Plate
Congrats! You've made it through what is arguably the hardest part of this repair.
WARNING
- Screws are of varying lengths. Ensure you keep them where they belong and use the same screw for the same slot.
Continuing On....
1. See the light blue dots in the diagram below. Remove these screws.
Note: You will see a screw about 2/3 from the bottom on the right that is slightly sunken from the others. This is for the part holding the buttons in place - it will not obstruct your work, so I would suggest not removing it.
Note: The screw surrounded in red has been cleverly hidden under a warranty sticker, at least in the x829. Poke into it, unscrew, and revel in your freedom.
2. Note the small red thing in the top left area, to the left of the camera. This has a flex cable, but it is threaded through a hole in the metal plate. Be nice taking the plate off, and push it out through that hole. We can get it back in later, easy.
3. Provided you have removed all applicable screws (and confirm this visually - I may have forgotten some), you need to lift this plate off the phone. I would suggest (gently) putting the spudger into that squarish hole toward the bottom left and using it for some leverage.
4. Metal plate off. Excellent. Proceed.
Part 4: Removing the Mainboard
No real warnings here. Basically, there's a lot of flex cables, you'll need to unhook them from the mainboard. Some screws too, at which point the mainboard should come off easy peasy.
Note, you are only working in the upper half of the phone. Don't go pulling anything from the bottom half.
Diagram (note, I'll probably reference these colours when referring to stuff):
Unedited:
Do not remove the screws from orange. You don't need to remove this part, and honestly putting the buttons back in properly is a PITA, so just don't. Note: in future images this is missing, because I accidentally did. Do not do that.
To remove flex cables, find the metal cap and GENTLY pry it upward and off. You should not be using much force. Good order:
1. Remove red (lower mainboard) and yellow (battery)
2. Remove blue (this is the antenna! Be gentle. Don't do it so hard it comes out of orange, you'll see it's sort of locked in there).
3. Remove green (buttons panel)
4. Remove Light-blue (fp scanner. This cable wraps around underneath the board. You'll see.)
5. Magenta - you can remove this if you want. It's that thing I mentioned threads through the backplate previously.
6. They're somewhat blurry in the image, but notice the two pink spots. These are screws that need to go. You will also need to remove any remaining screws from the very top of the phone, by the camera assembly.
7. Good, once the screws and flex cables have been removed, try and find a point of leverage (careful of the battery!) to lift up the board. It should come off totally. Per usual, be gentle. This is purely because our fingers are fat and we probably can't grip it well enough that way.
8. Place the board aside. We're going to be whipping out the heat gun again, and the last thing we want is our camera near that. Keep the camera on the board, don't remove any plates.
Part 5: Removing the FP Scanner
Excellent! Almost there!
Basically, the FP scanner has lots of adhesive on it, so get things hot. Most of it should probably be done from the back of the phone, but you'll wanna heat it a bit from the inside too. BEWARE THE BATTERY. BATTERIES LIKE TO EXPLODE IF THEY GET HOT OR COME FROM SAMSUNG. TRY TO AVOID THAT.
Once you've got enough heat, using a clever combination of scraping (a razor blade would probably work nicely here) and pushing through the FP sensor on the back (since it's just held in with now-weakened glue) should get the thing out.
Your phone should look like this. Keep in mind I removed that button cover at right. Don't do that, but just so you don't freak when yours is still there (it is re-attachable, but it's a PITA, so just don't). You're good. Breathe.
Hurrah!
Part 6: Putting in the New Scanner
I think common sense dictates this part, but it is technically the crowning moment, so....
Basically, the one you got from your supplier of choice should have a bunch of tape on its outward (aka, toward the spot you press, back of the phone location) face, and a little more on the actual scanner. Remove these protective films, carefully orient the scanner so it matches the pre-removal picture above, and then press it in and let the adhesive do its thing. The squarish bit on the blue (not light blue) should stick down slightly. You could always use some basic adhesive or something, but it's really not a problem.
Part 7: Putting it Back Together
So, I'll skimp a bit (do ask if you really need me to expand) on this, as it's basically just this tutorial in reverse. However, I do feel it important to mention a few notes so it goes smoothly for you.
- The FP scanner wraps around onto the mainboard; make sure you've got it through when placing the board.
- The battery (yellow) and lower-mainboard (red) connectors really like to get underneath the mainboard as you're sliding it back in. Maybe use some tape or something as a temporary measure to prevent that.
- I've found sliding the board in from the left-bottom toward the right-top seems to work well. Be careful of the buttons flex connector (green). It really likes getting trapped in there - keep in mind it goes ABOVE the board.
Provided you've gotten the board put back in properly again, screw it in, and mount the flex cables.
The general trick with these is get them close to the location. Try and press them in (nicely!) with your fingers until you get a click. If you do, use the spudger and sort of press along its top like you would on a zip-loc bag or such. They should all click right in. Make sure they're all attached before going further. You may need some pliers for putting the antenna back on. It basically just squeezes onto the little peg you took it off of.
Once the mainboard is seated, push the front-facing camera a bit to make sure it's stuck cozily in; if you took it off, at this point make sure to reattach the proximity sensor (magenta in the cable diagram). It'll feed up through a hole in the top leftish area of the metal backplate. Once the plate is in place, push this around a little too, it should be like the camera and fit cozily in.
For the screen, Try it out before putting the backplate back on, just to avoid anything stupid. Once it's good, take it out, put the backplate on (careful of the proximity sensor! Make sure you thread it through the hole as you're doing this), and put the screen cable back in.
Careful with the orientation at the bottom - I sort of don't get such great LED on the capacitive keys anymore. It's probably a bit misaligned. You may wish to heat around the edges of the phone fairly briefly just to make the adhesive stickier again.
Screen on!
Part 8: Software and Getting it to Work
Provided it's not a bad scanner (factory defect when it was sent or something) you should have a working scanner.
Depending on your software, particularly with custom roms, you may not feel like it. That's OK. What you need to do is:
BACK UP YOUR DATA (I told you! See! I told you!)
Flash one of the EUI stock roms. Wipe all data on the phone.
Skip through the setup, and go into settings. Clean your scanner, and click "Calibrate Scanner" in the Fingerprint and Security menu. Try setting up an FP. IF it works, wonderful! If not... well.... hopefully your scanner you just bought isn't bad. I don't really know much about this part of things, so... you're on your own. Let's assume it works. Positive thoughts.
Once you've done this and you've successfully added/tested a fingerprint, you should be at liberty to flash what you like - provided it's not what killed it in the first place. I'm using AOSPEx 8.1 at the moment, and the FP is actually more responsive on that than stock EUI.
Follow rooting tutorials and stuff for this part. I've already written enough.
END OF GUIDE
I hope this helps anyone looking to replace the scanner. Let me know if it can be improved or I'm missing things/clarifications. If you need additional assistance there are tons of Hindi or Portuguese repair guides on YouTube that you can at least follow in principle. If you speak either of those languages fluently, probably best to use those instead of this guide as those people seem to do it for a living. There are tons of offers for parts on Aliexpress, so just look through and pick something that looks good - make sure it has plenty of feedback though, and actually read it where possible.
Good luck!

very nice! thanks!

Excellent post!

I kinda messed up and now my **** is stuck in my car's exhaust system. ?? Please help.

Can we please not junk this up with unoriginal jokes? I'd prefer the only content is clarifications/suggestions or legitimate help requests.

I am happy to se this precisious tutorial with screenshots, thanks for your work for community ! )