Database Users

OMG White Screen!

Ok I need help from the gods of xda
I dropped my tilt the other day. When I picked it up everything seemed fine, yet the screen was completely white. No signs of cracks or a broken lcd. So I've tried the following: Soft reset, Hard reset, took out the battery, took apart the phone and disconnected the lcd and then re connected it. Still the same problem. WHITE SCREEN!
I can still receive/make calls, when i touch the screen in places where i remember the menus to be it still responds due to the noise, also the open and close noise still sounds.
The phone was bought new on Ebay, so i don't have a warranty through them or AT&T. After much research I hear people saying the same has happened to their phones as well and that there is a ribbon or flex cable problem. Something about still giving power to the LCD but not data, thus the white screen.
Now what I dont understand is do I need a new LCD because it has that ribbon/flex cable on it???? (link)
or
Do I need this product?(link)
Both contain a "flex cable" so im confused and frustrated, someone please help! any ideas would help

whew bought an LCD with digitizer on ebay for $45 and fixed it. Very easy process

vsicarbon said:
whew bought an LCD with digitizer on ebay for $45 and fixed it. Very easy process
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
hi there, would it be possible to post the link to ebay item? i also need a new touch-screen.tnanks

I am curious about this as well. I have a friend who has a hermes and he mentioned to me that that his screen was starting to go white like explained here. I look at his phone and I also noticed that the bottom hardware keys were not working at all.
I am wondering if this same ribbon cable for the LCD would also be the same one for the bottom keypad and if I fix the screen the keys will become active again.
Anyone have any experience with this?
Thanks,

I am wondering if this same ribbon cable for the LCD would also be the same one for the bottom keypad and if I fix the screen the keys will become active again.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That i dont know but here is the link to the LCD screen w/ digitizer
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&Item=350099750789&Category=162&_trksid=p3907.m29
Same product and vendor I got mine from. Shipping took 3 business days. I advice to buy the insurence

Park City said:
I am curious about this as well. I have a friend who has a hermes and he mentioned to me that that his screen was starting to go white like explained here. I look at his phone and I also noticed that the bottom hardware keys were not working at all.
I am wondering if this same ribbon cable for the LCD would also be the same one for the bottom keypad and if I fix the screen the keys will become active again.
Anyone have any experience with this?
Thanks,
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Tuck in for a long read and perhaps no single answer for all cases:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=303872
In short, yes the d/pad cable and LCD screen connections are linked which is why it is not uncommon for the white screen to show up when the d/pad is not working.
To the OP - I would just point out that if you get the white screen after a fall it may just be a loose connection at the d/pad and no need for new parts.
Dismantling instructions here:
www.mikechanon.net
But let's not start discussing the white screen here, please use the first link I gave above if you need to post.
Mike

a user i dont recall now his name,fixed is whitescreen by replacing the camera,open the device and remove the camera module, reassemble to test.

X1 Ribbon cable - what happens and a fix I came up with!

Hi, I come on here quite a lot for information as it's an amazing resource! This time however, I'm attempting to give something back!
I experienced the "black screen on slide out" on Monday. Phone completely screwed. I've also had a few droppages and had it apart once before so there's no way warranty is gonna help!
I stripped it down and soon discovered what it is that actually fails on the ribbon. The coating had worn through due to rubbing on something during the slide out / in process. it had been playing up for a while, probably due to shorting out on the metal case, but now the tracks (aluminium?) had worn right down.....
In pic 1 i've circled the worn area. The shiny section is where i'd tried taping over it to prevent shorting, before i realised the tracks were gone.
Got an almost new one off ebay for 15 quid and, realising it was going to happen again, came up with a solution that, so far, looks like it will work....
A while back I bought some "anti rattle felt" for my car's dashboard - really thin and strong self adhesive felt to prevent squeaking joins between dash sections. I cut a piece of this and stuck it to the new ribbon. Once this stuff is on it's well stuck, by the way!
See pic 2 for the modded ribbon cable.
On reassembly everything is working just fine so far! Here's hoping that it lasts longer than 6 months this time!
Just need a new casing now as mine is decidedly second hand!
Hope this turns out to be of use to someone!

cool story bro

when i took apart my xperia to replace the housing this seemed like a really weak point in the device. glad to see someone who has had the problem has been able to fix it

Why does the screen go black?

Hi,
When the coating wears off the ribbon cable it exposes the tracks in it. when you slide the keyboard out the exposed tracks short out on the metal casing and the screen loses it's input signal.
thats whats happened on mine at least and i presume quite a few others?
HTH!

Update:
That's interesting: My phone was also losing signal with the keyboard out, and occasionally while closed up as well. It would just randomly drop to "no signal" for a few seconds.
It hasn't done it since replacing the ribbon cable.....could be coincidental of course.

I'm having the same problem
It just started a week ago and I got the phone in January off of ebay. I'm new to opening up the phone so could anyone help me find the correct tools or have a link to a site with pictured instructions?
I noticed that the sliding mechanism started to go loose about 4-5 months ago but didn't expect the screen not respond in landscape mode. I have yet to see the other symptoms you all are referring to. I would like to fix this before it get worse.

In mine case it went totaly black after one week of this problem... You have all the instruction on youtube, there is where i looked. For tools you can be inovative, but the exactly right ones come with housings from ebay, it is only 15EUR, and i bet you have some cracks so it wouldn't hurt replacing. That is what i did, along with ordering new sliding mechanizm, and new ribbon cable.
I am open for ideas to prevent my ribbon cable from being cut at it weakest point again.

I'm assuming my flex ribbon went bad yesterday, since sliding the keypad out causes my screen to shut off.
Already ordered a cable off ebay and will attempt to replace it myself :O

Replaced my flex ribbon cable with one I bought on eBay. The screen doesn't turn on at all now, which leads me to believe the cable I was sent is defective. Put the old one back in and it works okay, less landscape mode. ughhh what a pain.

great tips! my input is I bought a case off of ebay that was ~60$ and everything actually fit fine for me...so I wouldn't discount every seller but you do get what you pay for, the 15$ cases are probablly the ones that will give you problems

I working in a mobilephone repair center if anyone need help drop me a priv... i able to get 2nd hand or even brand new components

Replaced the flex ribbon cable -
I got my flex ribbon cable a few weeks ago and took it to my local repair shop. They replaced it but the LCD screen/optical joystick receives no power. The touchscreen and everything else on the phone works just fine now. I thought it was a defective item so it was exchanged with a new one.
Got the repair shop to replace it again and the outcome still remains the same as the first.
Theres no light coming from the screen nor the side illumination.
I just told the repair shop to just place the original back in for the mean time.
Before the repairs, there would be a flicker of white light and random illuminations. Now there's no lights at all except the power botton.
Could it be defective a batch that the seller was sending out? or the repair shop's mistake and is playing dumb so they do not have to admint fault?
Hopefully there's an easy fix to this problem.
-Also I did inspect the ribbon before and after the repair. looks new as the OEm
Can anybody help me out with this new problem after replacing the cable -

perhaps you should try a hard reset. Ive had problems in the past where the optical joystick and the illuminators did not work, and that worked for me.
On the other hand, the top illuminators are on the same piece of hardware as the flex cable that was replaced, so a faulty flex cable is possible. The bottom illuminators are on the circuit board that the optical joystick attaches to, separate but connected to the flex cable.
Ive recently replaced my flex cable and touchscreen. The experience i had with the faulty touch screen was that it appeared to receive no power, but was in fact displaying a dark backlit illumination that could only be seen in the dark. At the same time however, the screen did not display anything. I'm not sure if this is similar to your experience, but if so then your touchscreen would need to be replaced.
ive done all repairs on the xperia myself, and one thing ive discovered is if something doesnt work right after a repair, simply disassembling it and reassembling it to make sure all the connections are properly done has worked for me in the past.
"Before the repairs, there would be a flicker of white light and random illuminations. Now there's no lights at all except the power button."
Now when you say the power button, do you mean that a red light appears under it?
I dont know if i can come to a conclusion or that i can help (or have helped) you come to a conclusion, but i can only assure you that the xperia acts out in strange and weird ways.
Good Luck!

Tags
Dismantle / Disassemble Sony Ericson Xperia X1
http://www.ifixit.com/Teardown/Sony-Ericsson-XPERIA-X1/788/1
http://www.formymobile.co.uk/xperiadisassembly.php
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AWDurQrRt-Y (REAR)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iyGUbxFqvyc&feature=related (FRONT)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=elgC8hwHfYQ&feature=related
For info.
Mike

Thanks for the links. I've tried the hardreset and restoring the original rom but the issue is still there. It's really bugging me that everything works but the LCD screen. I'm currently using MyMobiler to use my phone. The touch screen works fine and so does the soft keys. Just no power for the lights. I might just give up and wait for another phone that catches my eye and then tinker with the xperia myself. but if anyone got a solution or want me to test something then I'll give it a try.
My warranty is no longer affective so I'll use my phone as a tester to help others with any problems.

TRIONDAVE, how's your Xperia running now with the cable mod that you did? Its been 6 months since you created the thread. I hope you're still around.
My Xperia X1 works nearly fine, except for the keyboard issues, so I'm thinking of opening it up. If your Ribbon mod helped I might just do it too once I've got it opened. Mine has a MOUNTain of cracks though, and the battery compartment itself is cracked on both side enough to make the compartment CURVED. Hence the Battery cover doesn't sit well.
I'm looking around for broken Xperias which I might be able to use to change the internal cracked casing. Lets see.

DatDereX1 said:
cool story bro
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
My thoughts exactly.

Hello guys, I am in need of real help over here!
Its just that Ive replaced my ribbon cable, the old one got screwd up.
However I got done for 10 minutes ago, tried to start up the phone.. without success :,(
The ribbon cable doesnt have anything to do with the start up, only the screen am I correct? Cause I cannot even start my phone..
Ive connected the charger, but when I remove the battery it shows a red light, meaning no battery, correct?
So what may the problem be exactly? Maybe the battery is all dead, or?
PLEASE HELP!

for the people with ribbon failures how long have you had the phone before it occurred ? im just interested on the cables lifespan.
mine is fine so far but i have noticed the slider is flimsy and rocks left and right.

[Q] is the LCD broken?

Hey guys,
I have a problem. A week ago I dropped my hd2 and the screen was smashed. I took it to the service and they replaced the digitizer. Now, as it turned out the lcd displays badly and the say it has to also be replaced. I know that after the drop the lcd worked fine. Now it looks like this: http://img857.imageshack.us/i/imag0001u.jpg
My question is - is this broken lcd? it has to be removed? or can I do something with it? is it the fault and they've done something wrong?
Thanks for answers.

Read this post by XDA member Facdemol, this post will help you answer your question.

emjakmaciej said:
Hey guys,
I have a problem. A week ago I dropped my hd2 and the screen was smashed. I took it to the service and they replaced the digitizer. Now, as it turned out the lcd displays badly and the say it has to also be replaced. I know that after the drop the lcd worked fine. Now it looks like this: http://img857.imageshack.us/i/imag0001u.jpg
My question is - is this broken lcd? it has to be removed? or can I do something with it? is it the fault and they've done something wrong?
Thanks for answers.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Unless they just haven't connected the LCD properly (very unlikely), there's definitely a problem with it... I'm afraid I think it'll have to be replaced.

in turkey if there is a digitizer problem they change the whole screen.

Under the TMOUS warranty they will replace your phone if an issue comes up like that because it's usually just an unlucky roll of the dice if your LCD does that.

because your problem seems to occur after a mechanical shock, i would suspect 2 scenarios.
1. You have a bad connection between the display flex connector and phone's motherboad. This can either be caused by motherboard display connector failure, some small pins on that connector got busted when the phone was either dropped or once the digitizer was changed. I give pretty small chances for this to have happened.
2. If you see a phone lcd stripped down of it's housing, you will notice that on the bottom part of it (or lateral one on some displays) you can see a flex cable coming from the display's glass-like surface to the back of it. It sits pretty tight around one edge of the screen. It connects the TFT matrix to the processing part (column&row controllers) on the back of the display (or on the flex cable/phone motherboard .. ). If a phone is hit from one side, the case and display housing can press hard on this flex cable and break it, or puncture it. In this case, some of the signals needed to drive some specific areas of the tft matrix aren't getting to the matrix itself so you see some lines on the screen (plus color rendering errors). Sometimes, improper manipulation of the screen when assembling back the phone can also cause the problem.
I give more chances to this scenario.
If number 1 could be fixed by a simple phone disassemble and connector checking, number 2 will indeed require a new display as there isn't any way to service that broken flex cable.
My previous posts about display problems tried to focus on "naturally occurring" problems, not ones induced by electric/mechanical shocks. So in this case, my above scenarios will be more suited as likely suspects for your problem.

Screen replacement problems

So my g/f droped my phone and my touch screen completly stoped working. So I went on a limb and replaced the digitizer and I thought all was well. Unforunatley only parts of the screen if you were to break the screen into 1/4s the top quarter doesnt work nor does the third down. So im thinking either the digitizer i recieved is defective or the ribon cable on the phone side is damaged. I have tried to reconnect everything all seems well.I have also tried a hard reset to no avail Any ideas guys could use some help!

Does anyone have a breakdown of the phone with part numbers and names. Im going to try and get the ribbon cable that connects the digitizer to the phone the one that runs under the power button.

xxiamdrewxx said:
Does anyone have a breakdown of the phone with part numbers and names. Im going to try and get the ribbon cable that connects the digitizer to the phone the one that runs under the power button.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Unless you really know what you're doing, this will be impossible. The screen and that ribbon are connected. Best bet is to just replace the entire digitizer again. Or do like I did, warranty it out. My screen shattered, door met phone, and I replaced it but had a dead spot, so I just called att and had them replace under warranty.

never mind found it the ribbon cable is one big piece for all connections! 15 bucks.

replacement screen issue

hi everyone, I decided to replace the cracked screen of my n4, I ordered one with housing (much easier), I thought it s goona be an easy task giving I did it like five times with no problems, but I noticed at the end the screen was working but yellowish horizontal stripes appeared in the background, and I couldn't get rid of them, I dismantled and I reassembled it with no success, I couldn't find any satisfying answer on line. please any help to get my phone back to normal will be appreciated.

dihcar said:
hi everyone, I decided to replace the cracked screen of my n4, I ordered one with housing (much easier), I thought it s goona be an easy task giving I did it like five times with no problems, but I noticed at the end the screen was working but yellowish horizontal stripes appeared in the background, and I couldn't get rid of them, I dismantled and I reassembled it with no success, I couldn't find any satisfying answer on line. please any help to get my phone back to normal will be appreciated.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Have you contacted your vendor about a replacement?

If your old LCD still works connect that back up and check if it has the same problem, if not you know it's a problem with the new part.

DrFredPhD said:
If your old LCD still works connect that back up and check if it has the same problem, if not you know it's a problem with the new part.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Old one if dead, that's why I replaced it.
A and my phone was bought from Craigslist, no guarantee.
Anyway it seems like static, because it starts very strong but fades away without disappearing completely. I hope it's not the part.

bad part
Sounds like a faulty part to me. If reseating the connectors didn't solve it I'd inquire about swapping that replacement part for another.
One question though. It has yellowish horizontal stripes.. are they blotchy or are they uniform top to bottom on the screen? There's a possibility something isn't seated properly or a screw too tight or some debris caught in between that would but pressure on the LCD and cause the discolouration.

Electrospaz said:
Sounds like a faulty part to me. If reseating the connectors didn't solve it I'd inquire about swapping that replacement part for another.
One question though. It has yellowish horizontal stripes.. are they blotchy or are they uniform top to bottom on the screen? There's a possibility something isn't seated properly or a screw too tight or some debris caught in between that would but pressure on the LCD and cause the discolouration.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
i don't think it's the part, because when i installed the first time the screen worked fine no yellow lines, but i had to reopen it a second time for some reason (i forgot what) and when i reassembled it the lines appeared for first time. since then they stayed there despite opening it and reassembling it many times. now i found out i have a proximity sensor issue when screen goes black during calls and speaker is not working at all.
so that's it for i'm done with nexus 4, it's pretty and well designed but troubleshooting is a b**ch!