Galaxy s4 almost bricked - Galaxy S 4 Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting

Hello. I want to start off and say that even tho i used a lot of phones Samsung fits me bets. With that in mind i want to tell the story of my broken s4 i9505. I bought it new and used it about 2 years until i got and iphone 5s. The phone remaind in a drawer with the intention of selling some time but forgot about it, then i used the phone once a week or so paired with moto 360 because iphone could not connect and used the watch only for time .(bluetooth worked fine remember this). Anyway i decided to sell it and i had all my apps and accounts in there so i thought the fastest way was to factory reset it and make it fresh so i can sell it (rom was not stock at the moment, i have no ideea what rom it was). I sold it to a friend that told me he wanted to pair something with it thru bluetooth and bluetooth didnt work...i sayd that it wasnt possible because all i did was a factory reset and that couldn't damage anything. Things got worse as the phone was charging very very slow and if it got over 90% baterry would not respond to anything (red led at 90% and got to green when full but still no response from phone) and the only thing to do is to remove battery. Then i took the phone back, got it a new battery but that didn't changed anything, took it to some repairs shops that didn't ever hear about this problem, i had it chance the software but that didn't do anything. The problem i suspect it is and i saw a few other posts online was the bluetooth module would stop working for some reason and do this to the phone. Currently i don't know what to do with it and i don't want to sell it just for part for 50 euros or so. Also i read that the bluetooth module can't really be changed as a spare part because it's part of the motherboard and that means almost all the phone. Phone is in mint condition, i didn't damage it before the sell , the buyer didn't damage it or messed with the rom...Another thing i noticed is that in settings under bluetooth address says unavailable. Can someone please help me ? I can provide more information about serials and stuff if needed. Also wi-fi doesn't work now.

Mine also show unavailable under Bluetooth address, but it works.
Are you currently on the stock rom?

Yes is stock. Android version 5.0.1 I9505XXUHOJ2. If i toggle bluetooth on says starting bluetooth then after 5 seconds it disables. I guess the problem is from hardware not software. So fast battery drain is not normal something is using a lot of energy.

As far as I know, the Wi-Fi and Bluetooth modules are in the same physical chip, therefore something might be physically broken. Here's a clip I came across while trying to fix my phone's Wi-Fi and I think it's exactly what might fix yours. (Should be very cheap to do too.) I think basically what he's doing is putting some flux on the board then reflowing it with the hot air gun.
Before taking that step, be sure to exhaust the possible software fixes. I'm not sure, but updating the bootloader and modem MIGHT fix it.

My wi-fi started working again it just took a while but the bluetooth does exactly the same as in the clip so maybe that's the problem. I don't understand why does so glue over it make it work...also for me it's hard to turn the phone off because the screen goes black but the blue led still stays on and the only way to turn it off completly is to take out battery. Maybe this will solve the battery problem aswell ?

Related

8525 Dead? NO! Wait yes?

Okay here's my fun little scenario that I searched for and hadn't come across anyone with the same scenario. Phone was working fine one day and next it would only display a white screen, thought something went wrong with the software. Tried a reset, tried a hard reset, tried a flash started getting some screen showing and then distorting and whiteing out also on startup would get crackled sound. Tried a few more resets and so on. Removed the battery for 3 seconds-20mins-8plus hours still having a problem. Distortion gets worse when pushing the battery in the back it seems and will eventually just go to white screen. Now I had bought a new battery recently and just for kicks threw it in, seemed to eliminate my problems. Except now as I just for kicks again am charging my old battery in the cradle along with the phone and the new battery it seems to be having similar issue although it hasn't been nearly as bad as before. Now I just took the "bad" battery off the charger and it seems to be just fine in the cradle at this moment, nevermind it's flickering again. Is more poor little Hermes on it's death bed, please tell me no. I paid $200 on it being used from a company who only warranties it for 14 days, I am almost at 30 now. I bought an warranty with it being used and all however they wont help me untill I reach 60 days I guess so I may be out of luck for 30 days before I might get it fixed or my money back. Sucks too because I switched to the $40 data plan with AT&T about 5 days ago and now I guess will be paying for something I can't really use. Okay it seems as though with random pressure on the back seems to cause it. I'm leaning towards some sort of a battery contact issue perhaps? What should I do to clean/fix the contacts?
For those that wonder why I just seemed to rant about my broken phone and seemingly figured out the problem on my own and are wondering why I am still posting all of it the answer is simple: To benefit someone else who may be experienceing the same problem or who may read it and have the problem down the road they will know what they should do. That and it's late and I'm tired
the screen issue is known to be caused by the D-pad connector coming undone
Okay I had run into that as a possibility however would that affect the sound to make it crackle? Also in experimenting some more this morning with the "old" battery in place it seems to be much much more sensitive to pressure, almost to the point of holding it in the palm of your hand causes the screen to go nutty and wash out to white screen and come back etc.. However with the new battery in its much more stable and I need to apply more pressure in order for it to reproduce these symptoms. I know you've been a member for longer than me and you also work for AT&T however my gut feeling is something else may be the culprit here. I tried recording a video using my backup phone last night except I couldn't seem to get it uploaded to show what the screen is doing. Oh well I really want use of the phone but I also don't want to void the warranty, namely my extra warranty which I can't file a claim for the next month.

Lets say I want to stop my phone from turning off..

Lets say I am sick and tired of my 8525 turning off on it's on randomly during the day and I have loaded 10 different roms all the way back to the stock one, I have ran it with NO aftermarket programs, I have replaced the battery, and I have added support to the sim card to make sure it isn't losing contact and still the phone turns off randomly on it's on.
Sometimes I have noticed that it will turn itself off if I slide the keyboard out (maybe 3 times out of 100 turn offs), but 97% of the time it will do it on it's on sitting on the desk untouched.
If I was going to take my phone apart, is there any ideas or general consensus to what parts might be causing the phone to turn itself off? Should I get a new sim card maybe?
Really sick and tired of my buddy with an Iphone throwing this bug in my face telling me what crap HTC is as well as missing calls.
If the phone is turning all the way off, over and over, then send it in for a replacement. If you mean the screen is just turing off after a certain amount of time, you can adjust that under: "Settings->System (tab)->Power->Advanced->then uncheck Turn off device if not used for x minutes. See if that helps, or maybe its just ur phone and you need a replacement. I sent mine in to ATT and got one back after my screen stopped turning on"white screen of death", heh. So it could just be a hardware issue that you cannot really solve urself...
The phone is turning all the way off on it's on. I have to boot it back up like I had just installed a battery or something.
I am out of warranty and do not want to pay for a refurbished phone since this is my third phone from them during the warranty already (and this ones been the best till now). I would rather someone tell me the board/part and I take it apart and fix it myself. I have the tools, the instruction manual in PDF someone posted a while back, a website with almost every internal part for sale, and experience taking small devices apart (ipods and such) and replacing items, I just want to know if anyone knew of which part could most likely be the part causing something like this before I start replacing things blindly. I plan to go ahead and take it apart and check ribbon cables since I want to replace the whole housing anyway.
Unfortunately, my D900 has the same problem with yours, it turned off when i just sending messages or just touching the screen, and my replacement battery is already on the flight, when i get it, i will test it again. Hopeful, i can get a sweat result~~
Mine doesn't seem to do it when it is in use. I have had to get in the habbit of looking at the LED on the phone to make sure it is still turned on. Gets real annoying trying to say the Iphone isn't all that people think, but then have this little problem and the fact I am on my third HTC product in the year time frame. But the others died within 30 days, this one has lasted 10 months thats why I want to keep it.
Well I think I figured it out. I took it apart and it looks like the black box that has the battery connectors to it and is soldered to the main board has broken loose. I am trying to fix it, but does anyone know how much the main board is if I need to replace it?

Qtek 9100 - Mic & speaker dead, for the 2nd time

Hello all!
First, thanks for an awesome forum! It has both helped me tweak my Wizard, and also get help when I have needed it.
Well, I have no choice now but to ask here. Last autumn, my warranty was almost up, and a wierd problem presented itself. The mic and speaker suddenly just stopped working! The sidespeakers still work, I think, because the phone rings when someone calls me. But the caller can't hear me, and I can't hear the caller. And there isn't a hint of sound in it, no static or noise, there simply is nothing.
As there were only a few days before the 2 year warranty was up, I ran to my dealer and turned it in. A few weeks later, the phone returned, working again. But now that I come to think about it, I don't remember if I got a replacement or if they actually repaired it... It looked a little like they handled it rough though, maybe it was another phone... Well, that's not important right now.
The same thing has happened again! Summary:
1. Mic & phonespeaker dead
2. Stereo speakers work under certain conditions
3. Wired headset that came with the phone works, both for calling and media
So it seems like a hardware problem. Please note, although I downgraded the phone to original, official Swedish Qtek 9100 ROM, it has been thoroughly tweaked and upgraded to a number of different WM6 ROMs - but all that has been working beatifully!
Still, what are the odds for the mic&speaker dying twice in a row, on different phones (i think the present one is a replacement)?!?
Question: Does anyone recognize this? Is there a possibility that it is software related, and maybe fixable? I have searched both the web and these forums but haven't really found any information on it.
ANY input would be greatly appreciated!
Additional information:
Qtek 9100 (Swedish), G3 model, WM6 upgrade successful (unlocked)
EDIT: There are no system sounds, which is wierd, because the phone can still ring. I thought the system sounds came from the stereo speakers on the sides of the device?
Hello all!
It is a glorious day to be alive!!! Or to have a fully functional Wizard, at least!
Lol - my topic isn't very old, and i reply to it myself with a solution (?). I Googled after the Wizard service manual, and found it right here on Xda .
In all honesty, i didn't do all that much. I just followed the disassembly instructions of the wizard about half-way through, to the point where you get down to the back of the motherboard. I poked and fiddled enough to locate the mic assembly, only to discover that the mic is soldered to the mainboard of the phone. So, i figured i'd just leave it be, because if the mic is really broken the motherboard needs to be repleaced, or a replacement mic needs to be soldered on there.
After removing A LOT of dust in there (honestly, i think the service center that had my device last time wasn't very careful with anything, even a screw was missing! ), i reassembled it. The flat cable running to the keyboard was also a little skewed, but that may have been me, anyway i corrected it too. Same with the speakers.
Long story short, after successfully reassmbling the phone, i fired it up, called my home phone and voila! I works!
Not much of a fix, as i don't really know what i did exactly, but dust, dirt and some bad connections/soldering may have benn the culprit.
All in all, i'm very pleased with my afternoon here. Thanks for stopping by .
epatnor said:
Hello all!
It is a glorious day to be alive!!! Or to have a fully functional Wizard, at least!
Lol - my topic isn't very old, and i reply to it myself with a solution (?). I Googled after the Wizard service manual, and found it right here on Xda .
In all honesty, i didn't do all that much. I just followed the disassembly instructions of the wizard about half-way through, to the point where you get down to the back of the motherboard. I poked and fiddled enough to locate the mic assembly, only to discover that the mic is soldered to the mainboard of the phone. So, i figured i'd just leave it be, because if the mic is really broken the motherboard needs to be repleaced, or a replacement mic needs to be soldered on there.
After removing A LOT of dust in there (honestly, i think the service center that had my device last time wasn't very careful with anything, even a screw was missing! ), i reassembled it. The flat cable running to the keyboard was also a little skewed, but that may have been me, anyway i corrected it too. Same with the speakers.
Long story short, after successfully reassmbling the phone, i fired it up, called my home phone and voila! I works!
Not much of a fix, as i don't really know what i did exactly, but dust, dirt and some bad connections/soldering may have benn the culprit.
All in all, i'm very pleased with my afternoon here. Thanks for stopping by .
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
hi epatnor,
I think the problem with your phone was a stucked microswitch in the 2,5 mm connector for the headset. I read about it here in the forum. Sometimes the switch stays in the closed position and the phone still thinks the headset is connected. Thats why all the sound is sent to the not connected headset and therefor your phone seems to be not working (unless you connect the headset)...
But removing the dust is for sure not a bad thing...
For the next time: I think there was an easier solution for this problem than disassembling your phone...
regards
huibuh_1
Thanks huibuh_1,
Yes this was probably not the smoothest way of "fixing" it. That said, the stucked microswitch theory would actually fit my problem well - I can see now that the exact problem I was having would arise if such a switch was indeed stuck.
However, I think that the problem would be more intermittent since I actually use that port now and then - especially since it's the only way to talk (besides using a bluetooth headset that is). And since I connect the wired headset now and again the switch is used and moved, I suspect that this would result in the speaker/mic coming online again maybe..? Temporarily at least?
All the same, thanks for replying - this might happen again and with your information I'm better prepared for it!

Help Please Hermes won't turn on.

ok so what happened was is that i dropped my phone although when i looked at it it seemed fine, not even a scratch, calling worked...but a couple of hours later i got no signal in this place although my dad had signal and we're on the same network and we have the same phone too. I received signal as soon as I left the place.
And here is where my problem comes, everything was working fine and i had my phone in my pocket for the whole day cause i was at school and after school i decided to take a look at the time, but my phone was off and wouldn't turn on, but i expected that it ran out of battery.
I got home and tried charging it, but nothing happened, so i decided to use my dad's battery (fully charged) it still wouldn't turn on, i've tried soft/hard resets still nothing.
can it be the hardware? what is broken? it won't turn on/won't charge/no led lights/no red led when charging without battery/ nothing so what is wrong please help.
Probably battery contacts... If you can see a crack, you might be able to resolder them and fix however the Hermes uses a multi layered board and if the break is there then you need a new mainboard, in a few words, your Hermes is toast....
is there any possible fix? if the board is broken, where can i get a replacement and instruction on how to fix? thanks :]
Find an old Hermes on ebay. If the screen doesn't work or something, DON'T get one with "No GSM", then you should be able to replace the Mainboard.
Find the HTC Service Manual here - http://michael-channon.spaces.live.com/PersonalSpace.aspx?_c02_owner=1
You need a size 6 torque key and a small flatbladed screwdriver to get the Mainboard. Pretty easy, I've taken my Hermes apart more times than I can count.
Cheers...
thanks for the help so far :]
but is there a site that just sells the part? cause i really don't want to end up buying a mainboard on ebay that ends up not working too.

"No service" on notification bar. (J500FN) [Solved]

Hi,
Yesterday, I used the phone like normal(little bit of listening music and media etc) and drained the battery, so it shut down. Connected the charger fairly later and it started charging. In a few hours switched it on and saw that there was this white stop sign on the notification bar. Figured it might be a matter of a reboot since things like that happen from time to time. When rebooted in the morning the sign was still there.
I tried all the firmwares from Sammobile available for the region and nothing got it away, tried LineageOS and then used SmartSwitch to restore the thing.
I also got to the ServiceMode using dial code:
Code:
*#011#
and it says there that:
Code:
MIPI DEVICE FAIL. DEVICE MID=0x20c, PID=0x008
Googled a bit and it seems that the easiest way to fix this is changing the motherboard.
Some more background if it matters: the device asks for a sim pin and hasn't been dropped. Just happened out of the blue.
Solved
Hi again,
I managed to fix the issue. Seems like this is a common problem but I didn't find anything on why it happens or is, just some sites I personally haven't heard before had some same content how to fix the J500M but the same chip was faulty on the J500FN.
What I did was: re-heat the chip shown on the pictures a bit with a hairdryer that had a really small radius(kinda like put a cone on it because didn't want to heat the whole board up). And that seemed to do it. It probably will break again, since it was and is still faulty and for that reason broke on the first place. Also if you're advanced enough you can try to solder it, but that seems to be for the professionals really.. One little connection in the wrong place and you fry the damn thing!
The safe bet is to replace the motherboard(which I don't currently have money for) but that does the trick for me now. Also if your warranty still lasts you might wanna take it to the Samsung Service shop where they should replace or re-solder the chip safely onto the mainboard for free. Or change it alltogether.
What also sealed the deal for me was that the grille that was on the opposite of the chip what was faulty had this weird burn-mark thingy on it, so thats why the whole thing happened..
The pictures of the faulty component: Thegsmsolution.com
I hope that anyone who struggles in the future with this (or in the past and still hasn't found a way to fix it) can fix it now.

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