Has anyone replaced the battery? - Nexus 4 Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting

Hi,
If anyone has had a go at replacing the battery, I'm interested to hear your experiences. I've had my nexus for just over a year I've noticed that it's been draining a lot quicker than when I first got it. It used to be very solid and I could get a day out of it quite easily. Brand new batteries go for around £20 so I thought why not?
I've ready a few guides on how to do this. The hardest part seems to be prying it away from the advesive holding it to to the casing. If anyone had managed to do this:
1) Was is difficult?
2) Did you replace the adhesive when putting the new battery in?
Cheers!

Related

mytouch 4g teardown?

Has there been a decent guide on taking the 4G apart yet? I've googled it but haven't been able to find anything yet.
kitsunisan said:
Has there been a decent guide on taking the 4G apart yet? I've googled it but haven't been able to find anything yet.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I cant fine one either but there are 2 screws in the battery compartment and it looks like the metal portion where the camera is may pop or peel off with a little force. My guess, try to remove metal portion where camera is, if it comes off and exposes screws remove those along with 2 in bat compartment then use tool to try and separate where bezel and rubber surround are. Just fumble it.
May I ask why your taking it apart?
Stupid reason really, I was going to see if the ffc could be centered better. Seems just about all of the MT4G phones have an off-centered camera, and wanted to see if I could move it back to center myself. I was just curious to see what was throwing it off.
I had the two screws off last night, but couldn't get anything to come off. Didn't want to force it and break anything, I was just hoping a teardown had been done showing what needed to be done.
kitsunisan said:
Stupid reason really, I was going to see if the ffc could be centered better. Seems just about all of the MT4G phones have an off-centered camera, and wanted to see if I could move it back to center myself. I was just curious to see what was throwing it off.
I had the two screws off last night, but couldn't get anything to come off. Didn't want to force it and break anything, I was just hoping a teardown had been done showing what needed to be done.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I don't think a phone exists that you dont have to pry, push, pull and force things to get them apart. There will ALWAYS be risk of breaking things when taking a phone apart. I would just deal with it and not open the phone. Plus, they usually have a way to tell if you've opened your phone so you will void your warranty.
There is a "void" sticker on one of the screws. If someone does open her up, check to see if you could replace the speaker with a better one from another phone.
Please post questions in Q&A section.
I'm curious to learn how to take the phone apart as well, because I'd like to figure out how to make the damn buttons stop squeaking & clicking so loudly (home/menu/back/genius). It's driving me insane and I'm already on my third MT4G.
dustrho said:
I'm curious to learn how to take the phone apart as well, because I'd like to figure out how to make the damn buttons stop squeaking & clicking so loudly (home/menu/back/genius). It's driving me insane and I'm already on my third MT4G.
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Click to collapse
Anyone? I'm now on my fourth MT4G and will be receiving a fifth one shortly (creaking buttons), and if I experience that same problem I'm thinking about trying to fix the damn thing myself.
damn still no tear down i need one buttons jammed
I tore one apart after I got pissed and threw it into the hardwood floor at full speed.
I don't remember the steps but I do remember there are a couple key points, including ribbons that have to be disconnected. The ribbon connector from the main display to the main board is junk and that, of all places, is where my tear down went south.
I've got 450.00 dollars sitting in pieces if anyone wants to see them.
Sent From My Rooted HTC Glacier- It Just Makes SENSE
pdxrealtor said:
I tore one apart after I got pissed and threw it into the hardwood floor at full speed.
I don't remember the steps but I do remember there are a couple key points, including ribbons that have to be disconnected. The ribbon connector from the main display to the main board is junk and that, of all places, is where my tear down went south.
I've got 450.00 dollars sitting in pieces if anyone wants to see them.
Sent From My Rooted HTC Glacier- It Just Makes SENSE
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm looking to buy someones Part "Power Ribbon Cable Assembly" (The part thats connected to the power button) *BE CAREFULLY" Everything has to be in Working order and not torn! Send me photos of the part I'm looking for and price. [email protected] Thanks!
dustrho said:
Anyone? I'm now on my fourth MT4G and will be receiving a fifth one shortly (creaking buttons), and if I experience that same problem I'm thinking about trying to fix the damn thing myself.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You must never have had a MT3G. These buttons are a dream compared to the creaky clickers in that dog.
I bought a refurbished phone on Craigslist and there are fingerprints on the inside of the glass (I don't know why I never saw them when I was inspecting). Would like to teardown guide so I can go clean those prints off.
Lil bit of thread necromancy here, but did anybody ever find a teardown? I'm thinking of ripping mine open due to my backlight issue ( http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=958033 ). I guess if nobody else has a teardown, I'll have to brave the waters and post my own, but going in blind is going to increase the risk of me killing the thing even worse than it already is
I'm also preparing to replace my digitizer. I came across a couple recent tear-down videos:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=961252
http://www.repairsuniverse.com/htc-tmobile-mytouch-4g-take-apart-repair-guide.html
Good luck!
Phew. Just replaced my digitizer using the latter video. Putting it back together was fairly straight-forward by just following the video backwards, though a 'put back together' video would be convenient.
A couple minor caveats:
They skipped showing some phillips screws holding the motherboard in place (near the end). I think there were two of them. They're fairly obvious if you know to look for them.
I attempted to reuse the existing adhesive by reheating and applying pressure. This sort of worked, but the digitizer seems a tad loose. I don't think it's going to fall off, but it'd probably be better to remove the old adhesive and apply some fresh adhesive. Anyone know where to get a suitable adhesive?
Taking apart the MyTouch 4G is not that hard
I bought a used MyTouch 4G in pieces on Craigslist for $ 45 that had a broken digitizer (about $ 20 on eBay with free shipping) and LCD (about $ 40 on eBay with free shipping) and the Audio & Volume Button Flex Cable (about $ 38 on eBay with free shipping) was also defective (the power button cable was ripped which can happen very easily if you take the phone apart and if you are not 100% careful when you pry the power button cable out). I ordered all the replacement parts on eBay from US sellers.
This particular phone had the "bad", washed out screen and was manufactured in Taiwan. When I ordered the replacement LCD and digitizer, I was hoping to get the "good", bright and superior screen but that didn't happen. So for the ones out there who are hoping to improve the screen by replacing the LCD and/or digitizer, it's a 50/50 shot.
I also ran into the problem with the adhesive and found a roll of 3M 2mm double sided tape for $ 10 with free shipping on eBay. The phone is working great and looks like nothing ever happened now after I put it all back together. And even though I had to pay for a lot of replacement parts, it was still a lot cheaper than buying a new one from T-Mobile or a used one on Craigslist or eBay
There are also a lot of MyTouch 4G disassembly videos on youtube. I'm a gal and if I can do it, you can too !!

Changing Nexus One Hosing

Ok so my Nexus One got a few Dings and scratches nothing critical or crazy. but I'm really picky about my phones looking New so I invested on buying a N1 housing on ebay and I wanted to know any pointers from people that done this before. I do have some experience on changing housings but where I'm hesitant about taking apart the digitizer since its glued I believe to the middle part and people are just putting double sided tape to hold the thing together which in my opinion it doesn't last. So maybe you guys got better pointer than people I see on youtube and other blogs. Thanks
How would you source a new housing without spending at least $200, if you don't mind me asking?
I got my housing on ebay for 45.00 for battery door bottom part and the middle housing. Now if i brake anything inside it will cost me alot more than 200.00.
Sent from my Nexus One using XDA App
If you are just replacing the housing you do not have to do anything about the digitizer/lcd. You just pull it out of the old and put it in the new. I did this recently with my N1 and am very happy with my shiney new looking phone. There are plenty of videos on youtube to step you through the process just be patient and careful. The hardest part for me was the connectors for the docks in the bottom back plate.
Sent from my Nexus One
paperecho said:
If you are just replacing the housing you do not have to do anything about the digitizer/lcd. You just pull it out of the old and put it in the new. I did this recently with my N1 and am very happy with my shiney new looking phone. There are plenty of videos on youtube to step you through the process just be patient and careful. The hardest part for me was the connectors for the docks in the bottom back plate.
Sent from my Nexus One
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Click to collapse
You made my day! I was having a hard time finding a video to confirm that. most people replace the broken digitizer or they just disassemble the phone without taking the digitizer off. Now I'm just waiting for my housing to arrive from China.
the bottom cover part(not the battery door) was a little easier to take off than i expected but it was tough though. I used a pry tool like this http://www.accessorygeeks.com/pry-tool-plastic-case-bu.html
Highly suggest picking one up.
For the bottom piece across the top part there are three little tabs that you pop up then in think two little ones you have to work downward on the sides then it will slide off.
replacing the aluminum unibody part does require a full disassembly.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?goto=newpost&t=1054682
Check out the site linked in my post there. Any use to anybody?
DirkGently1 said:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?goto=newpost&t=1054682
Check out the site linked in my post there. Any use to anybody?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
http://cnn.cn/shop/google-c-976.html this is where I bought few things before but not for my Nexus One
Thanks for all your help guys !! I got my housing today and replaced it is hard but not as hard as I thought your tips helped alot
I did it 2 days ago, pretty easy, do take care of the power button though

Advice: Upgrade or repair

Hey guys
Ive had my nexus 4 for a while now, bought it when it came out a few years ago now. I had managed to keep it perfectly unharmed until i unfortunately dropped it the other day which cracked the screen and seemed to have killed the touchscreen.
The touchscreen now just doesn't work at all.
So my question was, do you reckon i should buy one of those screen repair kits, or something similar and attempt to fix the phone or go for an upgrade and try my luck finding a invite ticket and buying a OnePlus One? Just wondering what your opinions are.
Im stuck now with an iPhone 3gs! Tough times indeed.
lewis03 said:
Hey guys
Ive had my nexus 4 for a while now, bought it when it came out a few years ago now. I had managed to keep it perfectly unharmed until i unfortunately dropped it the other day which cracked the screen and seemed to have killed the touchscreen.
The touchscreen now just doesn't work at all.
So my question was, do you reckon i should buy one of those screen repair kits, or something similar and attempt to fix the phone or go for an upgrade and try my luck finding a invite ticket and buying a OnePlus One? Just wondering what your opinions are.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Replacing the screen assembly is actually relatively easy on the Nexus 4. Note that I said screen assembly, and not the digitizer. If you don't know, the glass "screen" is called the digitizer, which is glued to the LCD behind it. Now, it could be that all that actually needs replacing is the digitizer, but this is not an easy task, requires some specialist equipment, and you're still likely to screw it up. So I highly recommend going with the screen assembly, which is both the LCD and digitizer already ready to go.
You can get a new screen assembly off eBay. There are 2 different ways. One is just the screen assembly. It's cheaper, $45, but it requires that you remove the old one from the bezel, which can be a PITA. The other way is the full front assembly, which means you're getting the screen assembly already glued in to a brand new bezel. $60, a lot less hassle, and your entire front will be new and shiny and ding/scratch free again. Obviously, this is the choice I'd recommend (I've done it myself).
Might as well get a new battery while you're at it, for $20. At this point in its life, you've likely charged your phone several hundreds of times. Li-ion batteries will lose upwards of 20% of their original capacity after ~500 "cycles".
ifixit.com has some great tear-down photos, and there's a number of guides on youtube. It might sound a bit daunting, but it's a lot easier than you might think, at least with this phone.
I can't tell you whether you should just get a new phone or not - I don't know your situation, finances, urges, etc. But I will say that for a mere $80 you will practically have a new Nexus 4. Stick around, learn how to flash custom ROMs and kernels (if you don't already), and you very much will have a new phone. Or a great back-up to your new one.
Im stuck now with an iPhone 3gs! Tough times indeed.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Ouch.
Planterz said:
Replacing the screen assembly is actually relatively easy on the Nexus 4. Note that I said screen assembly, and not the digitizer. If you don't know, the glass "screen" is called the digitizer, which is glued to the LCD behind it. Now, it could be that all that actually needs replacing is the digitizer, but this is not an easy task, requires some specialist equipment, and you're still likely to screw it up. So I highly recommend going with the screen assembly, which is both the LCD and digitizer already ready to go.
You can get a new screen assembly off eBay. There are 2 different ways. One is just the screen assembly. It's cheaper, $45, but it requires that you remove the old one from the bezel, which can be a PITA. The other way is the full front assembly, which means you're getting the screen assembly already glued in to a brand new bezel. $60, a lot less hassle, and your entire front will be new and shiny and ding/scratch free again. Obviously, this is the choice I'd recommend (I've done it myself).
Might as well get a new battery while you're at it, for $20. At this point in its life, you've likely charged your phone several hundreds of times. Li-ion batteries will lose upwards of 20% of their original capacity after ~500 "cycles".
ifixit.com has some great tear-down photos, and there's a number of guides on youtube. It might sound a bit daunting, but it's a lot easier than you might think, at least with this phone.
I can't tell you whether you should just get a new phone or not - I don't know your situation, finances, urges, etc. But I will say that for a mere $80 you will practically have a new Nexus 4. Stick around, learn how to flash custom ROMs and kernels (if you don't already), and you very much will have a new phone. Or a great back-up to your new one.
Ouch.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for the great response! I think im going to revive my Nexus 4! Or at least try to It should be fun anyway taking it all apart!
Thanks for all your help!!
lewis03 said:
Thanks for the great response! I think im going to revive my Nexus 4! Or at least try to It should be fun anyway taking it all apart!
Thanks for all your help!!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If you need any assistance with dis/reassembly, I'm more than happy to help. I've had my Nexus 4 apart probably a few dozen times. Most important thing is to go slowly. Don't lose screws, and don't lose the tiny rubber gasket that's part off the proximity/ambient light sensor module. If, after reassembly, your screen goes black when making a call (and it's not against your ear), take it apart again and put the rubber gasket in backwards.
I had same problem. Please not that ebay china sellers are not selling oem displays and there are huge difference in terms of quality. I myself bought original oem LG from Germany, but it costed 100$
p.s. found him http://www.ebay.de/itm/Original-LG-...284?pt=DE_Handy_PDA_Akkus&hash=item35d533c834
Stickers, numbers on chasis all looked legit.

Replacing cracked glass backing - replace battery too?

Well, managed to drop my trusty ole Nexus 4 on concrete this weekend resulting in a completely shattered back case. Planning on ordering a replacement cover together with the housing for a decent price online (about $20). Could just replace the glass alone for half that, but that looks like a ton more effort than I want to go through.
Since I'm performing minor surgery as it is, just wondering whether I should replace the original battery while I have it apart? Can get a replacement for about $15.
Is it worth it? Would I expect to see a lot better performance from a new battery vs my nearly 3-year old battery?
Advice appreciated

Water damage :( what now?

Hi. This happened a while ago but I finally have the time to deal with my poor Nexus 6p. It spent a few minutes in a hot tub a few months back. Rice for more than 48 hours - nothing. Brought it to Staples where they put it in the machine that heats the gel balls (?) to remove the moisture. Charged it for a few minutes there and it actually turned on! Awesome, except the touch screen doesn't work. Battery seems to hold a charge, screen turns on and looks fine, volume and power buttons work, and I couldn't figure a way to test the fingerprint scanner or camera. Factory reset it. So now the phone is stuck to booting to the options menu with recovery mode and all that.
Is it possible to determine or guess what is wrong from this information? I've looked at the teardown, and I'd assume there is an issue with the pressure sensor, but I don't know enough about phone construction and parts to know if it's the sensor, or the part that connects the sensor to the screen, or something completely different.
I wanted to get some advice on what to do from here. Other than tossing it or leaving it forever, I have three options:
1. Repair shop: This seems like the easiest option, but potentially expensive enough that I'd be better off getting a whole new phone instead. Would a diagnosis be a separate process/transaction than the actual repair service? There are a few nearby shops for me to check out.
2. Fix it myself: The 6P seems like a pain in the ass to take apart and put back together (2/10 repairability score). I don't think it's beyond my ability, but the time and risk that it involves for me to do it myself makes me very hesitant. I also don't know exactly what I'll find inside the phone.
3. Sell it: Sell for parts and buy a new phone. If it comes to this, I need to know what I should expect to get for it. It's good hardware, and the parts that still work seem in good shape.
I wanted to consult the internet before going any further. So, how boned is my phone? Any different suggestions? Thanks for reading and I appreciate any advice.
eak.the.human. said:
Hi. This happened a while ago but I finally have the time to deal with my poor Nexus 6p. It spent a few minutes in a hot tub a few months back. Rice for more than 48 hours - nothing. Brought it to Staples where they put it in the machine that heats the gel balls (?) to remove the moisture. Charged it for a few minutes there and it actually turned on! Awesome, except the touch screen doesn't work. Battery seems to hold a charge, screen turns on and looks fine, volume and power buttons work, and I couldn't figure a way to test the fingerprint scanner or camera. Factory reset it. So now the phone is stuck to booting to the options menu with recovery mode and all that.
Is it possible to determine or guess what is wrong from this information? I've looked at the teardown, and I'd assume there is an issue with the pressure sensor, but I don't know enough about phone construction and parts to know if it's the sensor, or the part that connects the sensor to the screen, or something completely different.
I wanted to get some advice on what to do from here. Other than tossing it or leaving it forever, I have three options:
1. Repair shop: This seems like the easiest option, but potentially expensive enough that I'd be better off getting a whole new phone instead. Would a diagnosis be a separate process/transaction than the actual repair service? There are a few nearby shops for me to check out.
2. Fix it myself: The 6P seems like a pain in the ass to take apart and put back together (2/10 repairability score). I don't think it's beyond my ability, but the time and risk that it involves for me to do it myself makes me very hesitant. I also don't know exactly what I'll find inside the phone.
3. Sell it: Sell for parts and buy a new phone. If it comes to this, I need to know what I should expect to get for it. It's good hardware, and the parts that still work seem in good shape.
I wanted to consult the internet before going any further. So, how boned is my phone? Any different suggestions? Thanks for reading and I appreciate any advice.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You could flash the factory image but I guess you still wouldn't get past the setup screen without touch. I've been repairing electronics for 10+ years and if it came into my work I would disassemble it and look for obvious signs of damage/corrosion at the screen/digitizer connections, and look for track marks on the motherboard where a short could have occurred, or blown fuses/resisitors/diodes for the digitizer. Beyond that it's really a matter of swapping in a screen assembly (we have cracked glass 6p lcd assemblies that would work fine as a test unit). If that doesn't fix it, I'd order a main board. Having said that, it's not a phone I would want to own or even repair for a customer without telling them about the potential for future issues from the water damage. PM me if you want to sell it cheap for parts.
Screen and digitizer assembly is 'only' $60 - $80 on ebay or ali. So that is worth the risk. If this is not the problem you can sell it again for the same price, so no money loss here.
Waiting a few months though, is a long time to wait to dry your electronic devices. When it happens the best is to take it apart immediately to avoid corrosion.
The 6P is not easy to take apart, but it is do-able. Hardest part is the glass on the back. But if it cracks, a replacement will cost you less then 10 bucks.
What I would do is order the screen, take the phone fully apart, if there is a lot of corrosion, wash the mainboard in a contact cleaner (or if you don't have this, wd40 could work) then wash it with alcohol (to remove the wd40) and let it dry. Assemble the phone with the new screen, and hopefully it works. This way I fixed an Oneplus One 6 months ago, and it is still running perfectly.
To add a bit of clarification - use 99% USP Isopropyl Alcohol. It shouldn't be more than five bucks at your local pharmacy (Shoppers Drug Mart in Canada sells it for $1.99 for 500mL).
While using the 75% USP won't cause any serious issues, it is diluted with water, as it's more of an antiseptic (I can explain why 75% is better for wound cleansing than 99% if anyone wishes), and you'd just be prolonging the drying/repair process.
Use a lint-free cloth to dab the components - keep it away from the battery terminals on the battery itself. It is OK to clean the connecting terminals on the motherboard though. There are sandwich clips all over the LCD/motherboard, so be extra careful dabbing the cloth in there - one bent pin in any of those clips and your phone will need to be sent away for repair by a specialist.
DO NOT POUR IT ALL OVER THE COMPONENTS OR LEAVE IT SOAKING IN ANY AMOUNT OF ALCOHOL.

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