Related
Hi, All
Just bought a case for my Nexus one. The Case contains a Magnet to close the flap on the case.
I was just wondering can a Magnet harm a Nexus one!!?
Thanks
JAW$
Shouldn't you be asking this in the N1 forum?
Magnet cases are pretty common, but not necessarily perfectly safe. If your phone has a magnetic compass in it, you will definitely INTERFERE with it, you could even damage it if the field is strong enough.
I believe that N1 does have a magnetic compass.
If you don't care about the magnetic compass, you can go ahead and expose it to strong magnetic fields -- there's nothing else that could potentially be harmed by one.
lbcoder said:
Shouldn't you be asking this in the N1 forum?
Magnet cases are pretty common, but not necessarily perfectly safe. If your phone has a magnetic compass in it, you will definitely INTERFERE with it, you could even damage it if the field is strong enough.
I believe that N1 does have a magnetic compass.
If you don't care about the magnetic compass, you can go ahead and expose it to strong magnetic fields -- there's nothing else that could potentially be harmed by one.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for your response
I thought I was in the N1 Forum
This is the G1 forum
JAW$ said:
Hi, All
Just bought a case for my Nexus one. The Case contains a Magnet to close the flap on the case.
I was just wondering can a Magnet harm a Nexus one!!?
Thanks
JAW$
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Wrong place but you know that.
Asking if a magnet can hurt any electronic device is like saying will putting a bomb in a public place that is crowded will kill anything.
UberMario said:
Asking if a magnet can hurt any electronic device is like saying will putting a bomb in a public place that is crowded will kill anything.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Not correct.
Magnets typically will NOT affect/harm electronics unless the magnetic field is ***EXTREMELY*** strong -- so as to disrupt the flow of electrons.
Alternatively, if the electronics have some magnetic field sensitive apparatus, like a MAGNETIC DISK or a MAGNETIC COMPASS.
Phones do NOT HAVE magnetic disks.
The only magnetic field sensitive apparatus on these phones is the MAGNETIC COMPASS.
The only way to affect any component of the phone ASIDE from the compass is with an ****EXTREMELY**** strong magnetic field.... I.e. MRI strong.
lbcoder said:
Not correct.
Magnets typically will NOT affect/harm electronics unless the magnetic field is ***EXTREMELY*** strong -- so as to disrupt the flow of electrons.
Alternatively, if the electronics have some magnetic field sensitive apparatus, like a MAGNETIC DISK or a MAGNETIC COMPASS.
Phones do NOT HAVE magnetic disks.
The only magnetic field sensitive apparatus on these phones is the MAGNETIC COMPASS.
The only way to affect any component of the phone ASIDE from the compass is with an ****EXTREMELY**** strong magnetic field.... I.e. MRI strong.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Doesn't flash memory count as magnetic field sensitive?
My blackberry came with a magnetic case and although it didn't have a compass, the phone never had any side effects after years of use.
If your phone is under warranty or you have insurance, I'd say go for it. You're probably safe.
Moved to Nexus One forums.
And to repeat what has been said before (by those that are correct, I mean ), the magnet would have to be INCREDIBLY strong in order to damage the phone. It will interfere with the compass, but should not cause any serious harm.
Gary13579 said:
Moved to Nexus One forums.
And to repeat what has been said before (by those that are correct, I mean ), the magnet would have to be INCREDIBLY strong in order to damage the phone. It will interfere with the compass, but should not cause any serious harm.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks everybody for your responses & sorry for posting this thread in the G1 forum by accident.
If it does hurt it, somebody should tell this guy:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=646598
i have magnet closures on my hoodie pockets and i've been putting my phone in the pockets near the magnets for about a month now with no problems
LOL I thought the same
ccunningham83 said:
If it does hurt it, somebody should tell this guy:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=646598
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I don't often post here, and and I don't know if this issue has been addressed before, but but I'd like to tell you about my experience with the note:
I received the phone just today, and after bying it online.. All was good, and I already had a case (a faux-leather flip case), waiting, and and put it in immediately. After playing with it for a few hours, and I noticed that there was a dead spot on the screen. But only when using the s-pen, and a few hasty emails and a phone call to Kogan (off whom I bought the phone), revealed that this was a inhear-of-before phenomenon. As of writing, I've yet to receive word whethery they'll accept a return.
However, that would be rather pointless, and since I have since fixed the issue. It seems that the magnet holding the case flap closed was pretty powerful, powerful enough, in fact, to cause the active digitizer to stop working on that of the phone that the magnet was under. After I removed the case the s-pen worked in the spot, as well as the rest of the screen.
So be warned, test your cases if you can before you buy them, especially if they have a magnetic clasp or similar.
(sorry for the prose)
I have been avoiding magnets because of several posts on the subject. There have also been several stating there are no issues.
I prefer to remain safe, and I am grateful for your advice. Magnets near a device relying on magnetic resonance are probably not a good idea. Better safe than sorry IMO.
Strange how some people have this problem. My note has been sitting in a magnet case for 4 months now with no such problems. I guess it depends on the case and how strong the magnet is but I could not do without my case so I will carry on using it for now.
georgios73 said:
Strange how some people have this problem. My note has been sitting in a magnet case for 4 months now with no such problems. I guess it depends on the case and how strong the magnet is but I could not do without my case so I will carry on using it for now.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I think it also depends on where the magnet is. Mine was on the back, directly behind the device.
georgios73 said:
Strange how some people have this problem. My note has been sitting in a magnet case for 4 months now with no such problems. I guess it depends on the case and how strong the magnet is but I could not do without my case so I will carry on using it for now.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I agree. More testing, and definitely more information from Samsung, is required.
I wonder if it is the TYPE of magnet, not so much the size.
If it is one of those cheap magnets, maybe it won't bother it
as much as the stronger neodymium magnets?
thanks
thanks man.. for sharing this..
I also have avoided the magnet cases due to this fact and have been trying to find cases that use some other alternate means for closure, like maybe velcro instead. I was also even considering that Sweet Case made out of aluminum, but at ~$70, it is rather pricey. I have just been going case less and totally naked with it and so far no problems.
IIRC there is a comment about magnetic fields in the manual...
similarly too, there is a comment about electrostatic fields, so if you are in an environment where sparks fly off your fingertips at intervals be SURE to discharge yourself before touching your SGN.. you may kill the touch response of the screen..
been there, did that, luckily it was a $50 C/H digital thermostat.
EDIT: 2 April 3:00pm
found it: Page 25 of the GT-N7000 Quick start guide states
"Do not store your device near magnetic fields"; and inclusively states "Do not use carrying cases or accessories with magnetic closures"
Man, I guess I have to quit being a Dark Sith Lord. But I have so much fun using Force Lightning to kill all those annoying Jedi do-gooders
I have a Tridea case with a magnet. The magnet is in the part that locks the cover to the back of the phone.
If I fold that piece behind the phone, there is some influence from the magnet. The influence disappears if I leave some space between the magnet and the back of the phone.
It is only a small problem for me, and only noticeable when I play Draw something or similar apps.
My case:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=24121326&postcount=330
Sent from the Note taker with Tapatalk
magnets, how do they work??
I have the same issue, I strapped a powermat charging coil to the inside of my casemate tough case, the result is a dead spot directly above the magnet in terms of the spen.
My dilemma is whether to forgo use of the s-pen for the ease of wireless charging.
For the moment as I rarely use the s-pen, the inductive charging coil is staying in place.
The s-pen works as soon as the powermat coil is removed but I'm not sure if it could do lasting damage?
Sent from my GT-N7000 using xda premium
Mystic38 said:
IIRC there is a comment about magnetic fields in the manual...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
There's a manual? Who knew!
rhn said:
magnets, how do they work??
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That, my friend, is one of the great unanswered questions of the universe. Gravity is another one. We know what goes on, but not always how. It is mostly at the atomic level, although you have to look into the quantum level to find out more. One day we may figure it out!
Thanks for the warning! I doesn't use a case with magnets, but it's always good to know if I ever would.
/ Jimmy
Signed up to say thanks OP. I too had this situation where i had dramatic penmark deviation on my note. I use notebook style case w/ magnet
I was considering getting it swapped under warranty but then realised the odd behaviour happened in s-memo but not in canvas/paint app. Now i know its the location of the rear magnet on my case. gj op
I just stumbled upon this:
http://www.irevivespray.com/
Supposedly it can bring water damaged devices back to life. They claim it removes the corrosion and hence any shorts that may have been caused. Looks like a total scam to me, but I was wondering if anyone has this or has any experience with similar products.
Also it would be great of one of the hardware savvy guys could comment on whether it's possible to "repair" water damaged devices at all. My (basic) understanding is that the electrical components in the phone/tablet etc. can be permanently damaged by exposure to water and all the minerals typically found in water. Moreover, even if they survive the initial submersion, there's no guarantee that they will not slowly corrode and fail in the future.
Here in Germany all official repair companies refuse to repair water damaged devices, because they are required by law to a guarantee for their work and they claim it's impossible to guarantee that a water damaged component will continue to function even after being properly cleaned.
Any comments?
Have to admit it does sound a bit dodgy, although I use something that may be similar on bearings - Skanunu Bearing Cleaner is good for cleaning rusted bearings (and I mean so rusted they didn't move), although I'm not sure I'd want to put anything like that on electronics. I can't seem to find any chemical info on it...
Iamnotacrook said:
Have to admit it does sound a bit dodgy, although I use something that may be similar on bearings - Skanunu Bearing Cleaner is good for cleaning rusted bearings (and I mean so rusted they didn't move), although I'm not sure I'd want to put anything like that on electronics. I can't seem to find any chemical info on it...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I suspect it's just branded 99% alcohol Still I am curious whether simply cleaning the salts and minerals left by the water can possibly "repair" a device.
Water damaged phones can be repairable depending on the level of submersion and whether the owner is enthusiastic with the power button or not. If I try to repair a water damaged phone I do a full stripdown and clean aggressively with a brush and pure alcohol. It can work sometimes but quite often water damage is terminal. I've had plenty of people phone me and say they dropped their phone in water so I say 'bring it to me and definitely don't turn it on' then they phone me back later and say 'i turned it on and it's ok now so don't worry' but it may work short term but water destroys electronic components very fast.
This spray, as el_commandante said is probably branded alcohol and while it may work in extracting water, it will not clean properly without any agitation.
Sent from my 1.8ghz Xperia Play!
BensJammin said:
Water damaged phones can be repairable depending on the level of submersion and whether the owner is enthusiastic with the power button or not. If I try to repair a water damaged phone I do a full stripdown and clean aggressively with a brush and pure alcohol. It can work sometimes but quite often water damage is terminal. I've had plenty of people phone me and say they dropped their phone in water so I say 'bring it to me and definitely don't turn it on' then they phone me back later and say 'i turned it on and it's ok now so don't worry' but it may work short term but water destroys electronic components very fast.
This spray, as el_commandante said is probably branded alcohol and while it may work in extracting water, it will not clean properly without any agitation.
Sent from my 1.8ghz Xperia Play!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If by agitation you mean cleaning the inside of the phone with a brush, they do say you should do that. In fact they have videos on YouTube in which they show you how to do that Still, it feels a little scammy to claim a $30 bottle of alcohol will fix your water damaged phone in 90% of the cases They even offer money back guarantee, which is pretty bold.
It seems to me that if you drop a working phone in water and the water finds its way to its internals and shorts one of the components it doesn't really matter how well you clean it Then again there are plenty of info online about devices that have successfully survived encounters with water so the policy of the manufacturers is indeed a little questionable...
el_commandante said:
If by agitation you mean cleaning the inside of the phone with a brush, they do say you should do that. In fact they have videos on YouTube in which they show you how to do that Still, it feels a little scammy to claim a $30 bottle of alcohol will fix your water damaged phone in 90% of the cases They even offer money back guarantee, which is pretty bold.
It seems to me that if you drop a working phone in water and the water finds its way to its internals and shorts one of the components it doesn't really matter how well you clean it Then again there are plenty of info online about devices that have successfully survived encounters with water so the policy of the manufacturers is indeed a little questionable...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
For the most part you are right. I do phone repairs as a side business but I will rarely touch a water damaged one. Phones can be repaired provided no damage was done when it shorted, and providing no power is applied until it is totally dried 100%. I use a brush to agitate the board with alcohol and this removes and conductive materials on the board (which could even just be damp dust). I have rescued a couple, but for the most part I leave them alone. I would be very dubious about this spray though. I'm sure there's some small print regarding the money back guarantee!
Sent from my 1.8ghz Xperia Play!
I've repaired many Android, & non-Android phones, & I can tell you this... Water damage is completely random, & completely various. Many times, it is not as terrifying as everyone makes it out to be. There was a point in time when I was actually hunting for water damaged phones to repair.
As I said, it's completely random, & is determined on a case by case basis. The damage will not always be the same. Maybe the speaker will blow out... replace the speaker. The hardware buttons are malfunctioning now... replace the ribbon cable for the buttons. Many times, people say the phone died & won't turn on anymore, when really, the LCD screen blew out... replace the screen, problem solved. Many times, the main ribbon cable is not good, causing the device to not turn on, or other multiple problems... replace the ribbon cable. Sometimes, it can be a headache though, because many different components will all blow out at that time, or, you'll fix some, & others will go or malfunction soon after.
As far as the cpu itself, from what I've seen, these things are BGA components. They are soldered on with a BGA interface. Not only that, they are also plastered down with a ridiculously strong super glue adhesive as well. They are completely airtight. NO water will EVER get underneath there.
Yes, it is always very important to clean everything off with pure alcohol & a q-tip. Alcohol is best for cleaning off electronic components, & it evaporates very fast too. About that spray you've posted, I didn't even look at it, but I've seen plenty of those same type of marketing schemes for a long time. Basically, it's just alcohol they pour into a bottle with their fancy looking label, & sell it to you for a ridiculously high price, claiming that it's magic. A page right out of apple's book, in my opinion.
3ndymion218 said:
A page right out of apple's book, in my opinion.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Haha, absolutely! But as we all know, there are plenty of suckers in the world
Thank you for your detailed explanation. The bigger question for me at least is whether you could really be sure that a phone has been repaired once water has entered inside. It sounds like there's some merit to the claim that once water enters the device, you can never be sure that some components will not fail in the near future. Now the next question is how hard it actually is to water proof the key components inside. It seems to me that it's relatively trivial to do a relatively good job water proof most of the phone to a good degree...
Sent from my GT-N7100 using Tapatalk 2
el_commandante said:
Haha, absolutely! But as we all know, there are plenty of suckers in the world
Thank you for your detailed explanation. The bigger question for me at least is whether you could really be sure that a phone has been repaired once water has entered inside. It sounds like there's some merit to the claim that once water enters the device, you can never be sure that some components will not fail in the near future. Now the next question is how hard it actually is to water proof the key components inside. It seems to me that it's relatively trivial to do a relatively good job water proof most of the phone to a good degree...
Sent from my GT-N7100 using Tapatalk 2
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
From what I've seen, it is true that there could always be headaches down the line with some components starting to give out, but I've never seen the most important things take any damage. Those being the cpu & other memory chips. The cpu is really plastered on there, & I think the other important chips too. It's usually only components that take damage, such as buttons & the main ribbon cable.
Then again, most of my experience is with various HTC devices, which relied more & more on ribbon cables the newer they got. I believe some manufactures still use a big board with everything on it. I don't know how bad those would take to water damage, or if they have main ribbon cables that can be replaced. As far as water proofing a phone, I don't think it's really possible without some kind of exterior, water proof case. The housings have way too many opportunities for water to pour right in.
3ndymion218 said:
From what I've seen, it is true that there could always be headaches down the line with some components starting to give out, but I've never seen the most important things take any damage. Those being the cpu & other memory chips. The cpu is really plastered on there, & I think the other important chips too. It's usually only components that take damage, such as buttons & the main ribbon cable.
Then again, most of my experience is with various HTC devices, which relied more & more on ribbon cables the newer they got. I believe some manufactures still use a big board with everything on it. I don't know how bad those would take to water damage, or if they have main ribbon cables that can be replaced. As far as water proofing a phone, I don't think it's really possible without some kind of exterior, water proof case. The housings have way too many opportunities for water to pour right in.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The problem I have found is that if you get it working again easy enough, your customer comes back saying there's something wrong with it again in a week or so. Most of my experience is with iPhones and although a lot can be repaired, there's usually more that needs replacing, headphone jacks, mics etc and it gets expensive which is why I avoid water damage repairs now.
There's always Liquipel though. The sooner manufacturers start investing in this the better!!
Sent from my 1.8ghz Xperia Play!
el_commandante said:
I just stumbled upon this:
Supposedly it can bring water damaged devices back to life. They claim it removes the corrosion and hence any shorts that may have been caused. Looks like a total scam to me, but I was wondering if anyone has this or has any experience with similar products.
Also it would be great of one of the hardware savvy guys could comment on whether it's possible to "repair" water damaged devices at all. My (basic) understanding is that the electrical components in the phone/tablet etc. can be permanently damaged by exposure to water and all the minerals typically found in water. Moreover, even if they survive the initial submersion, there's no guarantee that they will not slowly corrode and fail in the future.
Here in Germany all official repair companies refuse to repair water damaged devices, because they are required by law to a guarantee for their work and they claim it's impossible to guarantee that a water damaged component will continue to function even after being properly cleaned.
Any comments?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I would like to get my hands on this
BensJammin said:
The problem I have found is that if you get it working again easy enough, your customer comes back saying there's something wrong with it again in a week or so. Most of my experience is with iPhones and although a lot can be repaired, there's usually more that needs replacing, headphone jacks, mics etc and it gets expensive which is why I avoid water damage repairs now.
There's always Liquipel though. The sooner manufacturers start investing in this the better!!
Sent from my 1.8ghz Xperia Play!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes, that is true. The headaches will come from people, & not so much from the device itself. If it's your phone, no problem. You can always replace whatever else starts to go. But when you're fixing things for other people, whether it be phones, or cars, or whatever, it's ALWAYS your fault. Once you touch it, anything that happens is blamed on you. It gets really annoying after a while.
Didn't some of the motorola tablets use Liquipel?
Hobbzey said:
Didn't some of the motorola tablets use Liquipel?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Not sure but I'm surprised more companies haven't jumped on the waterproof bandwagon. I would love a waterproof tablet as I read magazines in the bath and most publications are going digital now due to costs and there will definitely be a need for waterproofing. Although capacitive touch screens can react awkwardly when they're wet though.
The Sony xperia z is totally waterproof already so the technology to do this is already there. Just not sure if I trust it.
Sent from my 1.8ghz Xperia Play!
BensJammin said:
Not sure but I'm surprised more companies haven't jumped on the waterproof bandwagon. I would love a waterproof tablet as I read magazines in the bath and most publications are going digital now due to costs and there will definitely be a need for waterproofing. Although capacitive touch screens can react awkwardly when they're wet though.
The Sony xperia z is totally waterproof already so the technology to do this is already there. Just not sure if I trust it.
Sent from my 1.8ghz Xperia Play!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I don't think it's so much having to do with technology, but more in how they design the casing. Other things, like watches, use o-rings to seal the casing & make it waterproof. I wonder how Sony did it??? I especially wonder what they did about the speaker & mic openings. I'd really like to see that phone opened up. Yes, it would be nice if other companies joined in too. They probably don't want to spend the money researching how to make their cases watertight.
it sounds too good to be true
3ndymion218 said:
I don't think it's so much having to do with technology, but more in how they design the casing. Other things, like watches, use o-rings to seal the casing & make it waterproof. I wonder how Sony did it??? I especially wonder what they did about the speaker & mic openings. I'd really like to see that phone opened up. Yes, it would be nice if other companies joined in too. They probably don't want to spend the money researching how to make their cases watertight.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
On the mass scale that these companies sell their phones I wouldn't think it would cost them too much in the long run to invest in liquipel. That protects the mics, speakers and even jacks. I'm sure someone I know will smash their xperia z soon so I look forward to ripping that apart
Sent from my 1.8ghz Xperia Play!
BensJammin said:
On the mass scale that these companies sell their phones I wouldn't think it would cost them too much in the long run to invest in liquipel. That protects the mics, speakers and even jacks. I'm sure someone I know will smash their xperia z soon so I look forward to ripping that apart
Sent from my 1.8ghz Xperia Play!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I think it was the Motorola Xyboard's that used it...?
Hobbzey said:
Didn't some of the motorola tablets use Liquipel?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I wish my xoom had it, my son dropped it in the bath tub, it got nearly no water in it worked for about a week more
then died completely. I'd almost be willing to try this if it really did work
I know there's a rust to primer stuff out there, but that's a bit simpler
---
I hate jelly beans, Google's jellybean is alright though.
Sent from my sickeningly sweet Galaxy Note II
I think it works,becoz all service centers will have this.
................................................................................................
Dropped my phone the other night putting it back in my pocket at the beach. Was a fairly small drop, maybe about 2 feet, phone is in a UAG case, and from what I could tell it landed on the side. Some water did get on it, but more like splashed on the screen and very very little. Didn't activate the water sensors and everything seemed to be fine.
The only thing that I found that I am having issues with is that ALL sensors, minus the proximity sensors, appear to be dead. It is the only thing that isn't working on the phone, EVERYTHING else works wonderfully as it has in the past. As far as I know, these sensors are all on the same board, so I am wondering if during the fall I knocked something loose.
I downloaded Androsensor, and it is confirming that all those sensors are dead. I factory reset, changed roms, and kernels (though I already knew that it shouldn't matter as it worked just fine before), so I am looking for any suggestions, before I contact Samsung to replace.
Kind of baffling to me that a small fall would kill the sensors like that, not a single mark on the phone, a little heartbroken, and kicking myself for not being a bit more careful, but at the same time was being careful. Not sure anything would have saved me other than wrapping the phone up in bubble wrap, and leaving it in a safe. But now I am rambling.
*EDIT*
Ok, I am wondering if it was water damaged now, I took it a part a bit and discovered this, not 100% positive, but I think the water damage sensors are activated. Anyone confirm?
*Edit 2*
I might be premature on the water sensor, just looked a bit closer at iFixit's website, unless they dunked theirs in water, their sensors look exactly the same,so maybe a sigh of relief, I don't know. I am completely unfamiliar with what they should look like and google isn't giving me my answer. Pic included for reference.
No ideas then?
taking it apart voided the warranty as did rooting/ROM flashing, and yeah looks like your water indicator is showing. can you buy/replace just the component with the sensors?
Slade8525 said:
taking it apart voided the warranty as did rooting/ROM flashing, and yeah looks like your water indicator is showing. can you buy/replace just the component with the sensors?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
So what are you basing on with the water sensor? I agree they are showing, but what are yhe showing? And taking it apart is a bit moot as there isn't any indication I did, and i can unroot and restrore to factory.
Not trying to sound like a buttwipe btw. I did look into the sensors and apparently can't purchase yet. At least not that I found. Att is shipping a new one out.
AnthomX said:
So what are you basing on with the water sensor? I agree they are showing, but what are yhe showing? And taking it apart is a bit moot as there isn't any indication I did, and i can unroot and restrore to factory.
Not trying to sound like a buttwipe btw. I did look into the sensors and apparently can't purchase yet. At least not that I found. Att is shipping a new one out.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
top left of your pic (vs ifixit pic) iirc the blue x's on that water damage detector pad SHOULD mean its been dunked. you COULD try to swap that sticker out for an all white sticker...
Slade8525 said:
top left of your pic (vs ifixit pic) iirc the blue x's on that water damage detector pad SHOULD mean its been dunked. you COULD try to swap that sticker out for an all white sticker...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I thought that too until I ran into this, so I am unsure. Definitely odd.
oh snap; couldnt see the blue x's at first. well send it back, and insure it on the way. carrier could have dunked it on its way back to samsung
Everything started a while ago, sd card stopped working properly with error "sd card unexpectedly removed", then wifi begins to drop connection.
Nothing to lose, i thought. I read that baking helped some G4 users. Disassembled the phone, took out motherboard and put it in an oven for 7mins (185C/365F)
Results: It worked! Sd card works fine, wifi is good. But effect lasted only for 4 days =). This morning I’ve got "sd card unexpectedly removed" again. Wifi is still working though.
This is my experience I’d like to share.
PSA: I've googled much for sd-card and wifi issues with g3, and if you've experience any of these: sdcard, sim card, wifi, display issues - it's the beginning of the end. You'd better start looking for a replacement.
Also, I’d strongly recommend you not to buy used G3. The risk you'll get phone that won't last long is very high.
(sorry for poor english)
Hi mate, sorry to read this story, but exactly same situation happrned with my fiancee g3. Exact the same order of things, i was also trying to bake it but it didnt helped.
PS. It was also bought 2nd hand.
This makes no logical sense at all. Could someone please explain to me what you think baking the mainboard does?
The only possible reason for doing this that I can think of is to dry it out if it got submerged in water for an extended period of time. However, the phone naturally gets hot enough to evaporate any internal moisture quite quickly so there goes that theory.
I think what is happening for the strange folks that do this, is just the process of disassembling and reassembling the phone cleans up the ribbon connections and helps dirty contacts.
I strongly recommend no one with any common sense bake their mainboard.
The only possible reason for doing this that I can think of is to dry it out if it got submerged in water
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The idea is to reflow solder joints. (at least google says so =)
think what is happening for the strange folks that do this, is just the process of disassembling and reassembling the phone cleans up the ribbon connections and helps dirty contacts.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No. The phone was reassembled millions times before with no such effect. And it never been in water.
Anyway, this is quite popular recipe to "fix" G3 and G4. I'm not claiming it will help. Just share my experience.
https://www.reddit.com/r/LGG3/comments/550a3u/just_bake_it_in_the_oven/
https://www.reddit.com/r/LGG3/comments/5e0nx7/info_for_those_thinking_about_baking_their/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ikFbhcyO3Nk
UvarovG said:
The idea is to reflow solder joints. (at least google says so =)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yea, sorry, you can't believe everything you see on the internet. Even this! lol. But, anyone experienced in soldering will tell ya that to repair a bad solder you need to remove all existing solder, re-apply flux, and re-solder (usually on a room temp bread board! lol). If you just re-heat existing solder you will usually increase resistance and weaken the solder contact even more.
Furthermore, I'm not aware of any solder points on the G3 board that sustain any kind of wear or movement. AND, when you bake the board you're also baking the SoC! :crying: If you got bad solder contacts because of overheating, then your SoC is probably fried anyways.
Whole thing smells bad to me, and I caution others to stay away from this.
There might not be enough heat inside a mobile phone to melt the solder joints, however the continuous stress from heating up and cooling down will weaken the crystaline structure and eventually make the solder joint break.
If you can manage to apply flux to the cracked solder you can usually recover the joint by reflowing it, however in case of BGAs (Ball Grid Array) microchips with hundreds of contacts (balls), where all solder joints are "sandwiched" between the PCB and chip , it's very hard to do so without the access to professional tools.
Reflowing in a household oven is usually just a temporary fix, as no flux manages to reach the broken joint, so all you do with reflowing is melting the cracked solder, which will stay weakend after cooling down again. New cracks in the crystaline structure will form pretty quickly. That's why baking will make the device work for a limited period of time.
The use of less reliable / proven solder compositions (aka leadfree vs leaded solder) also plays a role in this. Leaded solder is usually superior to lead free solder in regards to long time solder joint stability.
A better type of fix would be to reball the BGA, however this usually involves the ues of special tools. When you reball a chip you remove it from the circuit board (usually using hot air) and remove all the old weakend solder and put new, healthy solder blobs (balls) on the chip and then reassemble it.
Cheers.
AlwaysLucky said:
Yea, sorry, you can't believe everything you see on the internet. Even this! lol. But, anyone experienced in soldering will tell ya that to repair a bad solder you need to remove all existing solder, re-apply flux, and re-solder (usually on a room temp bread board! lol). If you just re-heat existing solder you will usually increase resistance and weaken the solder contact even more.
Furthermore, I'm not aware of any solder points on the G3 board that sustain any kind of wear or movement. AND, when you bake the board you're also baking the SoC! :crying: If you got bad solder contacts because of overheating, then your SoC is probably fried anyways.
Whole thing smells bad to me, and I caution others to stay away from this.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Might as well bake away...because the phone is going to be dead soon anyway.
It's probably not a wear/movement issue - it's an LG quality issue. They had a bad run of boards that made it into the field. Anything from board contamination/improper handling, poor soldering techniques, bad solder, etc. can cause faulty solder joints that fail over time as the soc heats and cools over and over. Better R&D and higher quality standards at the manufacturing plants should prevent issues like this, but hey - sh*t happens sometimes. At least we didn't have the G4 bootloop issue caused by... "After a prolonged investigation, LG has identified the source of the problem as a “loose contact between components” and vowed to repair it..." http://www.androidauthority.com/lg-admits-g4-bootloop-problem-hardware-fault-669603/
Some people "fixed" their issues temporarily by either: a)putting tape on strategic parts of the board which then creates enough pressure when the phone is reassembeld to temporarily "fix" the faulty solder joint(s); or b) by - frighteningly (but doing so as a last resort, so I get the reason for trying it) - baking the mother board for another temporary "fix" of the faulty solder joints. And yes, from personal experience trying to repair a friend's phone, it does actually work for a short time until the solder joints fail again.
I agree with you that the only way to truly fix it is to remove the old solder, clean everything up, reflux and resolder - but that isn't cost feasible for most people who don't have a bga solder machine laying around. Bottom line is once the G3 acts up and re-soldering is the only way to bring it back to life - it's time to start shopping for a new phone.
startswithPendswithOOH said:
Might as well bake away...because the phone is going to be dead soon anyway.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes, and you will kill it much faster by baking it at 185C to soften the lead-free solder. If you do that, you will ruin the SoC which is only meant to handle temps up to 80C. Not to mention you will increase electrical resistance at the solder points.
I know, that would be sooo cool if this had any kind of possibility of doing any good at all. But, the science and physics is simply not there. This is an old-wives tale, a myth, a hoax. Call it what you will, but never encourage anyone to do this. Ever.
AlwaysLucky said:
Call it what you will, but never encourage anyone to do this. Ever.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Agreed. Never bake electronics. It's common sense.
Now if the phone is dead anyway and someone has nothing to lose & wants to give it a shot that's up to them, but even if it does help it won't be long lasting. Just buy a new phone and save the frustration.
relevant link https://www.reddit.com/r/Android/comments/5tw0ev/fix_your_nexus_5x_by_tossing_the_board_in_the_oven/
While using an "oven" to solder components is an actual technique, it's certainly not done in a home oven, and certainly not done the way most of those guides show.
I have repeated countless times in countless LG G3 threads with issues but no one wants to listen -- DO NOT PUT YOUR MOTHERBOARD IN THE OVEN.
This is not actual, proper repair steps. You might get lucky, and start working for a few days, and then it will be worse. As explained by many others in this thread, if not done properly, you will only further weaken the bad solder connections.
It has been caused that problems in the phone are caused by connections getting loose/overheating over time. Not all phones are prone to it, and surely use scenario will have something to do with it.
A better repairing technique for this would be applying pressure with a thermal pad to the SoC. This technique can also be found in many places around the forum. Another small non-conductive piece like paper or plastic from an old debit card would work as well, but thermal pads are best suited so they can help with the heat dissipation.
@UvarovG linked a great thread with a lot of relevant content in it if you are actually interested in learning.
Here are some links:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Shn7LdIrViQ
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1AcEt073Uds
And others.