Modding the DirectStylus slot back into the Shield K1 - Shield Tablet General

My first post on xda-devs after a long time away.
So as you might have guessed by the title, I own the Nvidia Shield K1. Bought it used a few weeks back and wanted the stylus. Since it's apparently made from Unobtainium, that took a few weeks.
After receiving it and opening my Shield K1 (can be done using a fingernail, I was pleasantly suprised) I found the original Stylus slot still in there. It seems Nvidia only changed the exterior Mold and closed the Stylus Slot that way.
I'll attach a few pictures that shows the process and final look. The pen fits snugly inside and doesn't fall out (even if I run carrying the tablet in my hand).
The only thing is: The tablet doesn't detect the removal of the stylus. That is somewhat expected but comparing pictures from iFixit with my tablet, I can't find the sensor that's supposed to be in the original Shield Tablet. If someone owns the original Pyro and has opened / wants to open it, could you please send me detailed pictures of the stylus slot? If you know where the sensor is, even better. Perfect would be if you could send me logs of the events that are triggered on stylus removal (should be obtainable via adb / adb shell / logcat, no root needed).
Enough talk, time for pictures.
Open the tablet starting from the MicroSD slot (a credit card, fingernail or something like that works great)
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File the metal under the cable down so you have enough slack and glue it down. In the original Shield it's done with tape, I used some crazy glue.
Remove some material from the back cover. I used some small files to do all this. Doesn't take much effort since it's all plastic.
Final Result of my mod. Works great. The Stylus is held firmly in there and I can remove it easily
Thanks in advance for any feedback on this

Ah, And after reviewing other pictures I think I found the stylus sensor on this picture https://d3nevzfk7ii3be.cloudfront.net/igi/mcKFJDJGtYNlZ5gx.huge
Right beside the opening at the top next to the speaker. Don't have any Idea how it's connected. If someone has pictures of that (what ribbon cable is it using, where on the mainboard does it connect to).
I'm set on getting this feature modded into my K1

Nice, that's clean!

Thanks for the pics and guide. My new nvidia shield k1 should be arriving next week, and this will probably be one of the first things I do.

I found a cover from an original Shield on eBay, so I won't have to modify the cover. I just need to modify the housing for the stylus to fit. Did you just use files for the housing?

operative1 said:
Ah, And after reviewing other pictures I think I found the stylus sensor on this picture https://d3nevzfk7ii3be.cloudfront.net/igi/mcKFJDJGtYNlZ5gx.huge
Right beside the opening at the top next to the speaker. Don't have any Idea how it's connected. If someone has pictures of that (what ribbon cable is it using, where on the mainboard does it connect to).
I'm set on getting this feature modded into my K1
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sadly, Nvidia left the connector and support circuitry off for the stylus sensor. If you are very patient, and proficient with a soldering iron you could swap the missing parts over from a dead original shield (I hate soldering 0402 components, and there are close to a dozen of them missing). The sensor connector and support circuitry is on the display side of the board. Looking at the picture you had attched, you see a black ribbon with writing on it in the lower left corner - that is the stylus detect harness.
Also, if you carefully remove the rubber/foam block in the corner near the stylus slot, you can very carefully pull the speaker ribbon off the plastic and re stick it down so that you can use Kaptan or scotch tape to hold down the speaker cable in the stylus slot without having to file underneath it.

neosenshi said:
Sadly, Nvidia left the connector and support circuitry off for the stylus sensor. If you are very patient, and proficient with a soldering iron you could swap the missing parts over from a dead original shield (I hate soldering 0402 components, and there are close to a dozen of them missing). The sensor connector and support circuitry is on the display side of the board. Looking at the picture you had attched, you see a black ribbon with writing on it in the lower left corner - that is the stylus detect harness..
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I am now the proud owner of a fully bricked original shield tablet thanks to ebay So yes, I know about the missing components. For the time being I transferred the mainboard and battery from my K1 to the original shield housing (for the stylus slot). Also missing on the k1 is the charge status LED right next to the USB port. The solderpads are there.
I don't know how you came up with "close to a dozen" but as far as I can tell by comparing both boards, there is the connector itself and 2 passives (probably resistors) missing. the other pads are unpopulated on the original shield and only used in case you have the LTE version (for simcard slot and mini-pci-e connector).

caseyatbt said:
I found a cover from an original Shield on eBay, so I won't have to modify the cover. I just need to modify the housing for the stylus to fit. Did you just use files for the housing?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
yes, I did file the housing using some needle files.
As neosenshi said, you don't need to file the metal inside the housing, just tape it down with kapton tape or similar.

operative1 said:
I am now the proud owner of a fully bricked original shield tablet thanks to ebay So yes, I know about the missing components. For the time being I transferred the mainboard and battery from my K1 to the original shield housing (for the stylus slot). Also missing on the k1 is the charge status LED right next to the USB port. The solderpads are there.
I don't know how you came up with "close to a dozen" but as far as I can tell by comparing both boards, there is the connector itself and 2 passives (probably resistors) missing. the other pads are unpopulated on the original shield and only used in case you have the LTE version (for simcard slot and mini-pci-e connector).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm also the proud owner of a dead unit from ebay. I bought my working unit from Swappa and simply filed the case. And you're right, I'm thinking of one of the LTE connectors. I didn't pull the board for my new unit completely out of the housing, just verified that the connector wasn't there, and saw empty solder pads for addition components.

Related

Some 'Play' in the Mini-USB connector?

I am slightly worried about the mini-USB connector on my QTEK 9100 as it seems to have a little bit of 'play' in it - i.e. it can be moved slightly and so seems loose.
I have read various threads about the connectors breaking and either being pushed into the device or simply falling out. Some people seem to have had some success getting them replaced or repaired under warranty, others haven't. Since I bought mine off eBay last year I think I am pretty much out of luck regarding warranty.
Anyway if I take the stylus or something similar and push the metal edge of the mini-USB connector it moves slightly within the over-sized hole in the plastic case (there is a very slight gap all around the metal outer part of the mini-USB connector and the hole in the plastic case). I am not sure whether it has always done this or it is becoming loose. Can someone else check whether their mini-USB connector moves slightly in the manner I describe or if theirs is solid? It is only a very slight movement but really that is all it has the ability to move since the gap between the metal and the plastic is very small.
The connection seems OK to my PC and I have upgraded the ROM a few times recently but this slight movement is getting me a bit concerned that it is going to break shortly and since this is the only way to charge it I will be left a bit stuck
If it is on it's way out what are my options and what are the likely costs? I don't think I have any warranty case and I am in the UK.
Thanks
Andy
loose mini-USB connector
My MDA also had a loose mini USB connector over time it continued to become loose until it finially brokw. I was forunate that T-Mobile did replace it under warranty.
I did find a company ont he internet that charges $60 to replace the MDA with a new mini USB Connector. It does require the device to be shipped to them.
Here is ther website address:
http://www.pocketpctechs.com/
Good Luck
I have applied a rather crude fix by inserting some small pieces of card (I cut up a business card) around the slight gap between the outer metal part of the mini-USB connector and the surrounding plastic. This seems to have stopped the connector moving, although I still think the damage may have been done
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It's charging and syncing without any issues though so I will see how it goes.
Andy
Loose Stylus & Mini USB inspection.....
My Wizard has recently developed the loose stylus issue outlined here:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=247497&highlight=loose+stylus
I have followed the instructions to 'strengthen' the small plastic retention tab using a bit of silicone which is currently drying.....
Whilst I had the back off I decided to take a look at the Mini USB connector and see if there was any damage. Well it looks like three of the four solder pads at either corner of the connector have become 'unstuck' from the circuit board (see attached image). I have some experience of soldering but I am a little worried that I may damage something else with the heat if I attempt to touch each of the pads to re-secure it. The five data pins at the rear all seem OK, it is just these ground/earth ones.
Has anyone else performed this repair successfully?
Andy (slightly worried )
Since the replies were so encouraging I went ahead and re-soldered the pads and it's still working......
The silicone didn't work so I removed it and inserted a small piece of plastic and re-siliconed it in place. It's better than it was originally now
I think I'll take the back off again in a few weeks and see how the mini USB connector is. Any other advice as to keeping the USB connector intact?
Andy
Hi,
I have a post about red/orange light in this forum, do you reckon that the broken usb connector could be whats causing my problem? Do you have a guide to dismantling the MINI?
Thanks
Service Manual on FTP
mrhaddock said:
Hi,
I have a post about red/orange light in this forum, do you reckon that the broken usb connector could be whats causing my problem? Do you have a guide to dismantling the MINI?
Thanks
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Check the link I posted in the 4th post. There is a service manual on the FTP.
The trickiest bit it unlocking the hooks on the back panel - it feels like you are going to snap the thing
ftp://ftp.xda-developers.com/Wizard/Docs_Tutorials/
HTH
Andy
ADB100 said:
Whilst I had the back off I decided to take a look at the Mini USB connector and see if there was any damage. Well it looks like three of the four solder pads at either corner of the connector have become 'unstuck' from the circuit board (see attached image). I have some experience of soldering but I am a little worried that I may damage something else with the heat if I attempt to touch each of the pads to re-secure it. The five data pins at the rear all seem OK, it is just these ground/earth ones.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have had a MP3 player which has the same problem with the output jack (for the ear phone). The solder became loose and I get irritating silences during the music play back. I solve the problem by applying superglue on top of it because the circuits there are just way too small for my (or any other human) soldering skill.
Anyway, for this case, it seems that the ground is large enough to withstand minor heat from the solder. And, chances are, since it ground, in most cases thick/wide enough most of the way (as to absorb any 'distrubances') before it reaches any IC which is what you need to be really careful of.

[Q] Is there any Adam disassemble guide?

I have some debris under my screen cover and want to remove those, so want to find some instructions on how to disassemble and reassemble it. I'm not sure if I can do it myself without damaging the device. =(
Port covers are ordered already.
I've found some info myself here.
So I disassembled my and managed to assemble it back successfully =)
Do not try described below if you are not absolutely sure what you are doing, as it may damage your device and will void your warranty.
Here is my quick guide:
1. Remove rubber pads covering the screws on the back. Pay attention, that they are not same, two closer to the battery are not flat.
2. Remove the screws. My were really well tightened
3. Now you should remove the decorative rubber battery covers. The are fixed with a number of plastic latches on the upper (screen) side. Bottom side is placed on a number of forks (small cylinders), so the bottom side wont go, start with the top. I used a small screw driver and a hard-plastic card (like credit one). Be careful, as the latches can be easily broken, don push too hard.
4. Now you are good to go with the case itself. You can start from the left corner (closest to the camera). I used my fingers to pull up the top cover (with the glass) and inserted the card in the gap, then moving it vertically (perpendicular to the screen) unlocked the side latches. There are 4 of them if I recall right. Just shake the card and it's done. Then proceed to the right side th same way. It is harder to pull the cover there, but with a little help of a small screw driver it went quite well. After the right is unlocked, I moved the card horizontally around the corner of the screen, so it was still in the gap, and then vertically unlocked the bottom side latches. You are done.
5. Be careful when removing the screen as it is wired to the mb by 2 wires with small connectors and a flat cable on the bottom side (opposite to the battery side), also with a connector. Those connectors are easily unplugged and plugged back.
6. If you want to remove the screen, it is attached by 4 side screws to the metal frame (ye, Adam has quite tough metal frame inside). Though be careful, as the lcd is wired to the glass with a touchscreen flat cable, I did not try to disconnect it.
To assemble Adam, perform the actions in reverse:
1. Attach the lcd to the frame with the screws
2. Connect the screen cables to the mb
3. Put the screen on the back part and push those together firmly, to lock the latches
4. Insert the rubber covers. Mind the placement, though the won't fit wrongly. I used the card to push the latches to insert them.
5. Tighten the screws and place back the small rubber screws plugs, mind the correct position for the top two, as they are not symmetrical.
So what was my goal? I just wanted to remove debris from under the glass, those were very annoying. If you have those, you may try my way, but be sure you are doing it in dust free environment, or you'll just make things worse =) I used photo lens cleaning kit, to blow them away, but high pressure air can (those are sold to clean electronics), but it was about 25$ at my local store =(
As for the debris reason, I think it is not because of ports or other gaps in the case, it seems, that it comes from the lcd panel itself. Seems like panel manufacturer does not pay enough attention to dust-free conditions, so although Adam seems to be assembled in clean conditions, this debris falls from the gaps between the lcd frame and panel itself right to the gap between it and the glass. The screen and glass have some perimeter foam stripes, so the dust from outside can hardly get there.
All in all, I was impressed, how Adam is built, I would say it is of great quality, not perfect, but anyway. Comparable to Apple products, imo. It will surely survive quite a number of disassemble-assemble cycles.
And yes, there is enough room inside for modding, but I can't imagine what else would I've wanted to add to it. Maybe just external GPS antenna port or inner fixed sdhc card for extra space.
Feel free to ask, if you have any questions.
And do not try described above if you are not absolutely sure in what you are doing, as it may damage your device and will void your warranty.
I can recommend a glass-mount base of for example a navigation holder stefan
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strahl said:
I can recommend a glass-mount base
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Good idea, will try it next time. This one was actually my first experience with any capacitive-touch device.
I don't remember where I heard this but I like the idea. Is it possible to replace the screen with a screen from a zoom or an Acer or Asus? I don't like some of the qquirkier things of the screen so. I would appreciate your opinion and thanx for this guide!
Sent from my Adam using Tapatalk
craby1925 said:
Is it possible to replace the screen with a screen from a zoom or an Acer or Asus?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It totally depends on the lcd panel you wont to exchange current with. It is not totally impossible, I think, but it's certainly a challenge for a pro.
I've also performed some for-fun modding to my Adam, to make activity/power leds more visible and less 'disco'.
Used two pieces of optical cable to route light where it should go and not highlight everything around. Also had to cover the leds with adhesive tape and covered the gaps around the cable and case with sealant (from inside of course) for better exterior. Also, charging (violet) state is clearly visible now.
(Clickable for fullsize)
Also, you may notice a strange inner button in Adam(top of the first picture), but it does not seem to perform any action (at least on home screen, where I tried).
PsychodelEKS said:
Also, you may notice a strange inner button in Adam(top of the first picture), but it does not seem to perform any action (at least on home screen, where I tried).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I believe that this the "recovery button" as described in http://developer.download.nvidia.com/tegra/docs/harmony_hw_setup.pdf. I once managed to make my bootloader crash and with this button I was able to flash my Adam again (see http://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=11769749&postcount=56).
stefan
strahl said:
this the "recovery button"
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Luckyly for me it was not "wipe all" button =)
Cool! I opened it up and fixed my battery charging issue!
Thanks.
craby1925 said:
I don't remember where I heard this but I like the idea. Is it possible to replace the screen with a screen from a zoom or an Acer or Asus? I don't like some of the qquirkier things of the screen so. I would appreciate your opinion and thanx for this guide!
Sent from my Adam using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
@craby did u ever happen to find out an alternate screen that goes well with the adam
i broke mine when trying to open, and my adam lies waste witout a screen
i would like to get hands on some sort of patch to allow me replace this screen with another keyboard or joystick ..
anyone who has such a patch already ?

Motorola Droid 2 A955 Take Apart Repair Guide

Motorola Droid 2 is fairly easy to take apart but most screws are hidden under cleverly designed stickers and hard to find. This take apart repair guide should help you take apart the Motorola Droid 2 safely, in a step by step manner, giving you a chance to replace faulty parts.
This guide should help you replace the following parts:
Motorola Droid 2 A955 Glass Touch Screen Digitizer
Motorola Droid 2 A955 LCD Screen Replacement Display
Motorola Droid 2 Replacement Battery
Tools:
T5 Torx Screwdriver
T3 Torx Screwdriver
Safe Open Pry Tool
Motorola Droid 2 A955 Take Apart Repair Guide:
The first step is to power off the phone; remove the back cover, the SIM, micro SD card and then the battery. The micro SD card slides right out with just a slight push of your finger.
The Droid 2 is held together by a number of screws. The first screws are revealed when you peel off the sticker located on the bottom of the Droid 2 as shown below. Once these screws are removed the back end of the casing will have to be gently pried off using the safe open pry tool. Just slide the pry tool in between the opening and run it along the edges of the phone.
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Five pressure type contacts hold the headphone jack firmly against the camera's gold pads which allows for easy data exchange.
The speaker of the Droid 2 is held in place by the pressure of both halves of the phone's case which is why it can easily be taken off once the back has been removed. However be careful because the gold sticker you see stuck to the speaker's housing is an antenna.
Since both the antenna and data ribbon cables are too tiny to disconnect from the motherboard by hand you will need to carefully use the safe open pry tool to pull it out from it's socket.
Using the T5 Torx Screwdriver you will have to remove the screws that hold the motherboard in place after which you will need to disconnect the keypad's data cable on the flip side of the board.
If you need to replace the camera you just need to pull it out as it's a separate circuit.
Before you remove the small board located on the bottom of the Droid 2, you will first need to disconnect the antenna's ribbon cable, the vibrator motor and its control buttons. Then using the safe open pry tool the board can be easily lifted off.
You should now also be able to lift off the black rim of the phone and remove the screws that hold the sliding display in place, this should give you the first glimpse of the phone's LCD.
Before you take out the front panel you need to disconnect its cable and lift out the earpiece.
The small keyboard assembly will need to be disconnected using the safe open pry tool prior to removing the LCD.
Your Motorola Droid 2 is now completely disassembled. Replace any faulty parts to make your repairs and then follow this guide in reverse to reassemble your phone.
I'm thinking that this will be my best bet. Half the screen is dead and $20 bucks sounds a bit better than $150 for a new D2 or $200+ for another device. There literally isn't a single 4G device out right now on Verizon that I'm interested in. I'm holding out hope that when Sony and a few others release the last of their devices rumored or discussed for this year something worthwhile will drop; otherwise I'm on to T-Mobile I think.
Anyway, has anyone put in the work and done this? I've watched a video and it seems tedious more than difficult, especially some of the final steps. Any input is appreciated.
Looking a little further it seems I should probably replace the LCD while I'm at it. Still that's only about $50 for everything.
My D2 is updated to the latest firmware and I know somebody that has an older D2 with a broken screen so I'm going to try this and see if I can have a rooted D2 again
The repair is quite tedious. Not difficult, just adhesive everywhere. Use the downloadable version of this Droid 2 guide here.
bump
Do you have a fused screen assembly for this model?
Droid 2 RF board and connector locations (pics)
Here's a recent repair I performed to a defective D2, A955.
The main board holds the camera, and is the connection point for the keyboard, LCD and digitizer, as well as the SD card.
You can see how tiny the connectors are, and they ARE easily damaged if you attempt to yank them out, or force the header back into the socket.
The working result of a main board replacement.
AECRADIO said:
Here's a recent repair I performed to a defective D2, A955.
The main board holds the camera, and is the connection point for the keyboard, LCD and digitizer, as well as the SD card.
You can see how tiny the connectors are, and they ARE easily damaged if you attempt to yank them out, or force the header back into the socket.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Here's the working result of the main board replacement performed on a Droid 2, A955
jake.mcgee said:
Do you have a fused screen assembly for this model?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
We do not, but you should have no problem replacing and installing the two screen by themselves.

Any ZE551KL disassembly videos or photos?

I was hoping to find any information at all that might suggest that the ZE551ML screen can be used on the ZE551KL. I haven't wanted to disassemble my phone, in case I decide to opt for an official screen replacement. Unfortunately, I haven't found any disassembly guides or photographs or videos yet.
Thanks!
psi_star_psi said:
I was hoping to find any information at all that might suggest that the ZE551ML screen can be used on the ZE551KL. I haven't wanted to disassemble my phone, in case I decide to opt for an official screen replacement. Unfortunately, I haven't found any disassembly guides or photographs or videos yet.
Thanks!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I started my repair of the ZE551KL today. After you remove the user replaceable battery and the screws that allow you to take off the plastic shell, it appears quite different than the inside of the ZE551ML as seen in this video: youtube.com/watch?v=5X0dkhKNqm4
There's a coaxial cable in the same spot as it is in the ZE551ML, and two ribbons pulled through the top portion of the motherboard which are presumably the display cables.
But how one would go about removing the mother board to gain access to the display assembly and metal backing plate I have no idea. I suppose I have no choice but to poke and prod at it a bit, same goes with removing the ribbons before I attempt to remove the motherboard. Is there even a separate daughterboard at the bottom of the phone like the ZE551ML?
Another thing I can already see being an issue is that the display seems to be fused to the frame of the phone with something incredibly strong. They appear to be just one solid piece of metal/plastic. I guess I'll cross that bridge if I ever get to it.
Attached image: Phone with broken display assembly still attached, next to replacement display assembly sitting face down.
The replacement part that I bought: ebay.com/itm/272208004464 (NEW ASUS ZenFone 2 Laser 5.5 ZE551KL LCD Display Touch Screen Digitizer Assembly) by seller: wwon_one
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OK, that ended up being pretty easy. There's no difficult battery removal like with the ZE551ML, the motherboard is one solid unit, and the top speaker does not need to be detached and glued back into place. Also, the coaxial cable disconnects with a user friendly plug made for human fingers, although my memory is fuzzy on whether you actually need to disconnect it at all, but that will all be self evident as you take the phone apart.
There motherboard is one solid unit with an L shaped arm extending towards the bottom of the phone. It's merely snapped in place with a few plastic tabs that are stretched outward or pushed inward to release the motherboard from the the frame below.
The coaxial cable's connections are NOT removed at the positions I have highlighted, instead there is a user friendly plug that you can almost make out in the photo which resides to the left of the bottom (non-removable) coxial connection point I previously pointed out in the diagram. To reiterate, I'm not sure whether the coxial connection requires manipulation or if it just sort of pops in and out of place on it's own as you take the phone apart. Unlike the ZE551ML, the top speaker will remain attached and doesn't need to be refastened with adhesive.
At the bottom left of the phone there is a soft, black rectangular rubber module which disconnects that is either the speaker or the vibration motor. At any rate, it's easy to reconnect when you reassemble the phone. Pulling the two display cables through the bottom of the motherboard is essentially the same as you'll see in a ZE551ML repair video. Prior to that, disconnecting the old display ribbons took a surprising amount of force, but since they are part of the broken part of the phone you are replacing, there isn't much to lose.
The most challenging part of the repair is separating your old broken screen and display assembly from the frame of the phone without breaking that thin, plastic frame. You'll need something that can function as a plastic spudger tool to pry the screen free and something to apply heat to the edges of the phone to make that possible in the first place. I used a hair dryer that was disappointingly hot at maximum heat. As a result, I probably used excessive force and created a small break in the thin plastic frame of the phone in the process of removing the old screen, but it's really no worse for the wear. Contributing to my minor error was the fact that I used a plastic cake knife that I imagine had a thicker taper and larger initial contact point than the ideal plastic prying tool.
In order to secure the new display assembly in place, you'll want to buy double sided adhesive tape made for phone repair as suggested in the youtube video for repairing the ZE551ML. From the research I did, it seems well worth the 6 to 10 dollars instead of trying to use super glue or the existing adhesive left behind (what's left behind won't be strong enough to seat the display assembly perfectly, which is supposedly what you need for the phone to survive minor falls in the future, as well as perhaps for the touchscreen to function perfectly.)
Here is a partial disassembly video I found.
It's actually more like a motherboard teardown, but you can follow it up to 1:20. After that, peel away the top-left display cable. Then heat up the edges of the screen from the front side, while using a tool to pry the glass screen from the plastic housing.

P9000 Disassembly (I broke it)

So I dropped my phone and broke the front glass. LCD works but not touch-screen so pretty much useless. I decided to take it apart first to see how hard it would be to replace the screen as I could see screens can be bought from AliExpress for about 65 USD or 99 USD from elephone.hk.
Took some pictures along the way as I couldn't find any images of the internals of this phone online so this might help someone trying to replace their screen or just thinking about it.
1) Back cover - this comes off rather easily once you get something between the edge and start nudging the clips to open. Notice that the whole back cover is glued a bit to the battery so even after getting all the edges open I still had to use some force to remove it from the battery. PS: The side-buttons are attached to the cover also so try not to hurt those while removing the back.
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2) Next I removed the bottom half cover to see if I could access the screen cables from there. Notice that the black ribbon that goes to the screen is the home button LED light and cannot be removed without unsoldering it!
3) I took off the top cover and unhooked the battery.
4) The battery - It's glued to the metal frame using 2 strips of glue and it took me 10 minutes to get it out safely without damaging it (it's soft so you can probably easily make it explode in your hands).
5) Took me some thinking but I removed the whole main board. The bottom side is glued and I had to break some black "paper" to get it out.
6) Screen - After getting the main board out I had enough room to force the screen out. Notice that the screen is glued from the top and bottom but sides are not glued. Some sensor cable from the front panel is glued to the camera's LED lights. The speaker was a bit hard to take out and I managed to break one of the soldered cables for that :S The bottom of the screen was glued on extremely hard.
Some notes: You definitely need to remove the battery as the screen cable runs underneath it. I'm not certain you need to remove the main board as it seemed you might be able to replace the front screen without taking that off. There's a lot of glued stuff in there so you better have good tools to pull things apart without breaking it.
So finally after having taken it apart enough and asserting a few things I decided that replacing the whole screen and re-building it will take too much time. I just saw a deal for $199 with wireless charger included. So having a choice of $65 new screen + 4 weeks of waiting and then spending 2 hours trying to replace it or buying a new one for $199 and getting a wireless charger + extra USB-C cable - I just ordered a new one. Plus I get to keep the old phone parts around for spares in case any of the side-buttons or front-speaker etc break
Just a note - my phone was in the official flip-cover when falling and got hit into the bottom right front corner and the cracks went all over the screen. I'm rather certain now that the phone's front glass panel is rather fragile and while having the silicone enclosure would've saved it in my case it's still a bit easy to break.
PS: Just wanted to add that I was actually genuinely impressed by the overall quality of the phone and Elephone in general for providing decent updates and support and assembly quality was good so while the glass panel is fragile I still decided to order a new phone from them!
Hi, I also had to replace the screen, so I tore down the phone before I ordered the new screen to see if I could do it safely. And I did (I didn't have to remove the main board, I just removed the screws and left it loose so I could remove the flat cable from the top. The problem is the screen took a couple of weeks to arrive and now I don't remember where a couple of small metal pieces that looks like contacts go. One is golden and the other is silver, both very small, looks like they fit in something similar to the antenna connector. Do you have any ideas of where are they supposed to go?
llucax said:
Hi, I also had to replace the screen, so I tore down the phone before I ordered the new screen to see if I could do it safely. And I did (I didn't have to remove the main board, I just removed the screws and left it loose so I could remove the flat cable from the top. The problem is the screen took a couple of weeks to arrive and now I don't remember where a couple of small metal pieces that looks like contacts go. One is golden and the other is silver, both very small, looks like they fit in something similar to the antenna connector. Do you have any ideas of where are they supposed to go?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I cannot remember exactly either, but I think there were two of them.
One of them was visible on this pic in the top right area, above the cable that goes under the LED lights.
The other one I remember had a similar purpose, but since I packed the parts away already I cannot remember where and it would take too much time to re-piece it together to figure it out.
(Exactly the reason why I decided to go for the new one instead of replacing the screen).
xataxxx said:
I cannot remember exactly either, but I think there were two of them.
One of them was visible on this pic in the top right area, above the cable that goes under the LED lights.
The other one I remember had a similar purpose, but since I packed the parts away already I cannot remember where and it would take too much time to re-piece it together to figure it out.
(Exactly the reason why I decided to go for the new one instead of replacing the screen).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I finally figured it out. Yes, I saw the one in the pic, and the other one goes in the bottom part, on the right, just below the top right screw to hold the plastic bottom part. I finally managed to assemble everything back with the new screen and it works perfectly. Thanks!
i also have to change my display screen hopefully new arrives soon and the change is not to complicated
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=irDOXh1QoKE
And last few minutes of this showing how to remove the back cover
Hi,
I'm thinking of taking my back panel off for the purposes of fixing the GPS connections as advised here: http://bbs.elephone.hk/thread-11201-1-3.html#.V9SPfygrKM9
Now the op talks about aligning the springs with the backpanel connectors. Can someone take whichever picture is above and highlight which springs they mean?
i broke my screen on this phone, i have horizontal lines appearing on it, have tried three new screen and all display the same, i think there is a problem with mainboard after it was dropped so i am going to buy a new mainboard, anyone else experience this issue, when i wake it up its fine but after a second the lines come up, im pretty sure the screens are fine but something comes up and makes the lines
I've got this phone. I kept it in a safe place disassembled and at that time it was working, some days ago when reassembling the device, it shows no sign of life whatsoever, nor power up or charging battery; I thought the battery was completely dead, bought a brand new one but same situation... Do you think is possible that some kind of oxydation prevents the phone charging and power up? If connected to PC via usb cable, it shows Mediatek Preloader, so I think the phone is not dead.... Thank you all for answering, regards.

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