Related
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Introduction:
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Hey everyone, I'm just posting this tirade about my problems with the X1's build quality here in case anyone else is suffering from the same problems I had, as well as some tips regarding disassembling and re-assembling the phone if you're brave/foolhardy enough to attempt repairs yourself, like me.
With contributions from others this thread could become a compendium of common hardware problems with the X1 and how to identify or fix them, as well as pitfalls to watch out for when repairing the device by hand.
I don't have any diagrams yet because I simply couldn't stomach opening up the shoddy device again to take photos.
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My X1:
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I bought my X1 on eBay second-hand (my first major mistake) so I was always a bit worried what would happen when the day inevitably came when I'd have hardware problems with the phone.
However, I bought it very shortly after the phone's release and the seller described it as unused. The phone appeared mostly unused when I received it, apart from a couple of tiny scratches on the casing.
The phone was functionally fine when I received it and showed no problems whatsoever for the first few months.
Like seemingly everyone my first hardware problems with the phone (I won't even get into the device's software failings) that developed over time were an unresponsive keyboard, cracks in the case and a non-functioning vibration motor.
The 'r' key on my X1 took considerably greater force to register a press than any other key on the device, while other keys intermittently ignored presses or interpreted a single press as 2-5 presses while typing.
The spacebar also intermittently became unresponsive, as did the 'up' key on the front-mounted optical joystick.
The vibration motor worked at first, but eventually gave only a single loud 'click' when the phone should vibrate.
The problems worsened over time and despite taking good care of the phone, the casing started to look badly banged-up - This is not a phone that ages gracefully.
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Replacement Parts
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In early December I ordered a replacement casing & keyboard from a supplier in Hong Kong on eBay (mistake #2), happyhouse.cn .
The parts were suspiciously cheap compared to the ones from non-ebay suppliers, so I assumed they would be imitation/unofficial parts, not from SE.
At first glance, the new casing and keyboard seemed like the real deal, but when I attempted to re-assemble the phone with the new parts I found that the phone's original screws didn't properly fit the sockets of the new casing and that the new keyboard didn't fit either the new casing OR the old one.
I ended up using a mixture of new and old parts to rebuild the phone.
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My Repairs
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Over the course of 'fixing' the phone, a few other problems came to light within the device's internals.
A couple of these problems were apparent as soon as I examined the device internally, while others became apparent when I rebult the device and tried to use it.
Keyboard:
The R key on the old keyboard had cracked at first, then eventually split completely into 3 parts during use. One part fell away while the other two remained stuck to the flexible plastic backing of the keyboard structure.
As I mentioned above, the cheap new keyboard did not fit the casing whatsoever (the scale of its design was wrong and it was in total 3-6mm longer than the original part).
I cleaned the original board (the plastic layer with the keys, not the circuit layer) in warm, soapy water and removed the broken R key by plucking it off the flexible backing.
I then plucked the 'r' key off the new keyboard and used it to replace the missing key on the old keyboard, with the aid of some 'Bostik Impact' adhesive.
I finally refitted the old keyboard (with a new R key) to the casing and prayed that it would still work.
It did, in the end, but the R key has less travel and tactile response than the unreplaced keys.
---Tip:---
The unresponsive (or over-responsive) behaviour of the keyboard can primarily be attributed to poor design, but the grit and dirt that enters every keyboard known to man similarly affects that of the X1 and worsens the problem.
Removing the plastic portion of the keyboard unit and washing it in warm, soapy water is a good way to at least regain the functionality that the keyboard had when you first got the device.
Vibration Motor:
I saw the physical evidence of the claim that the camera light LED is badly designed and prone to overheating, in turn killing the vibration motor.
In the original phone casing, the plastic housing that surrounds the LED had melted and resolidified over the course of the phone's life and there was minor scorching on nearby components.
The vibration motor for the device is situated directly beside the LED (to the left, while the rear camera lens is to the right) and seemed unable to function with the melted plastic in its way.
I cleared away the melted plastic but the motor still only 'clicked' when I later tested the vibration.
It seems that the motor gets burned out by trying to work when obstructed by the plastic, or the heat from the LED kills the motor internally.
One way or the other, it's dead.
---Tip:---
The recommendation to not use the light for extended periods of time on the X1 still stands, it's worrying to think of how much worse the damage could get if the light were left on longer.
It is an especially worrying issue when you consider that the light LED is so close to the main Li-Polymer battery of the phone.
Broken Side-mounted buttons:
The next problem I encountered in the original phone casing was that of the weak rubber straps that hold the side-mounted buttons (power, camera, volume-rocker) in place.
These rubber components are quite thin and weak, as well as prone to snapping when stressed.
The purpose of these straps is to hold the button in place (flush-mounted) and to provide the spring action and make the buttons return after pressing.
In my case, the strap holding the power button had weakened and the button stopped working properly, while the phone behaved as if the button was being constantly held in.
The phone constantly brought up the "Are you sure you wish to power off the device?" prompt in WinMo.
When I set about trying to remove the old button to replace it with a new one from my pack of replacement parts, the old rubber strap almost instantly snapped!
I replaced the old button eventually, but even now there is less travel in the button and barely any tactile response when it hits the internal switch on the PCB.
---Tip:---
When re-inserting the PCB during re-assembly, keep an eye on all of the side-mounted buttons to make sure that their inwards-pointing nub sits *above* the PCB and is able to reach the board-mounted switch that the button controls!
Incompatible Screws:
Beware that the screws from the phone's original casing do not properly fit the cheaper replacement casing.
This means that you will have difficulty in forcing the screws to fit (and possibly shear the heads off the screws, which is a pretty major problem in a delicate device like this where they will be difficult to remove).
If you force the screws to fit due to a lack of any replacement screws to use, they will likely not sit properly flush-mounted with the original casing, particularly on the front (touchscreen) half of the device; and this may prove problematic for the sliding mechanism.
Additionally, it means that the casing will not close properly, resulting in gaps between the casing and touchscreen as well as gaps along the sides of the device.
---Tip:---
If you must do your own repairs on the device, try to get the official replacement parts from Sony Ericsson.
Buying the cheaper replacements from eBay is a false economy and a major headache, take my word for it!
Malfunctioning Antenna:
When I first rebuilt the phone after repairs I discovered that I could only get very weak intermittent radio signals in places that I previously had full signal strength.
This problem occured only because of incorrect re-assembly by me, but it represents a pitfall that might catch someone else out when re-assembling their X1.
---Tip:---
When reattaching the Antenna unit (the black shroud that sits around the rear camera lens and which also contains the camera LED), be sure to firmly press on the left side of the plastic (where there are visible metal strips in the plastic) until you hear a click to signify that the shroud is properly attached.
Otherwise, the antennae embedded in the plastic will not properly contact the main PCB of the device and your reception for all radio antennae in the device (GSM, WiFi, etc) will be weakened or lost completely.
This problem was caused solely by my inexperienced maintenance of the device, but may be related to the weak-signal problems some people experience with the X1, at a guess.
Ammendment:
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I may be mistaken on this one! I had originally thought that this component held the antennae, but after further experimentation I've come to think that the antennae may be housed alongside the speaker unit in the other end of the phone. The tip still stands, just to be on the safe side!
Malfunctioning Speaker/Microphone:
During use early in the phone's life I sometimes found that the phone's main speaker stopped working for apparently no reason and that squeezing the casing 'fixed' the problem until it occured again seemingly at random.
Within the rear plastic portion of the casing that forms the battery compartment there is a small module comprising the phone's primary speaker and in-call mic underneath the plastic piece that contains the SE circular logo.
These components make only surface contact with the main PCB of the phone and are not soldered in-place.
In my case, the small copper contacts that extend outwards from the speaker unit had become flattened somehow within the device and no longer reached their counterpart contacts on the main PCB when the device was closed-up.
---Tip:---
Extending the speaker contacts outwards with a fingernail seemed to rectify this problem for me.
Be sure to tightly screw the module back in when you're done, just to make sure of the circuit-contact.
Touchscreen Ribbon-cable:
This problem was mentioned by others in a thread here: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=561151
I very rarely encountered that problem in my typical usage of the X1, but after my repairs this issue seemed to become exacerbated (probably due to strains placed on the ribbon cable during my reassembly of the device numerous times).
Currently my touchscreen works as it should in portrait mode, but I cannot extend the keyboard, as this causes the screen to still display a signal, but not respond to any touches.
Upon sliding the keyboard back in, the touchscreen is out of the alignment by about 5-6mm every time until I re-align it under WinMo settings.
In an attempt to fix this problem I covered the exposed portion of the ribbon cable with thin insulating tape, in the hope that this would stop the traces of the cable shorting against the metal casing.
Unfortunately, this hasn't proven enough and I have not yet solved this issue.
It looks as though I need to buy a replacement ribbon cable and fix the device that way.
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---Other Tips:---
+ Make sure you have all the tools you need.
Replacement parts come with the necessary tools, but if you don't get those you're going to need a tiny phillips screwdriver, a tiny 6-point star-headed screwdriver and a thin, stiff implement such as a credit card or guitar plectrum to open the casing.
I also recommend a snipe-nose pliers and a tweezers for more delicate parts.
Adhesives & Bonding Agents can be useful in certain applications, but use them sparingly (or don't use them at all, to have any chance of making the phone look untampered for warranty purposes!).
+ Don't expect cheap replacement parts to fit perfectly!
They're cheaper for a reason, you get what you pay for, except in the case of the phone itself.
+ Be gentle with all of the components.
The Xperia X1 feels nice and sturdy when it's assembled, but the individual components can be flimsy and brittle when separated.
Everything from the plastic casing to the circuitry inside needs to be handled with care and treated gently to avoid being broken.
That's everything for now, but if I think of any more issues or tips I'll amend this post.
Please feel free to comment with other issues and any other maintenance tips you've discovered and we can build a useful list for people to refer to.
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Conclusion:
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Before opening my Xperia I didn't really know what to expect inside.
I'm very familiar with computers and I build my own systems as a hobby, but my knowledge of circuit-level electronics is limited and I have no prior experience of manually repairing devices like the Xperia.
My experiences show that some of the common hardware problems can be resolved by the end-user with some patience and the right tools or parts, but one needs to be extremely careful not to end up with more problems than one started with!
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Disclaimer:
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I won't be held responsible for any damage you do to your phone and I do NOT recommend that you actually perform any of these procedures.
It is better to let qualified technicians at SE's Warranty Service handle these issues.
I'm providing this information solely for those people who either want to do it or have no other choice to get their phone working again.
The information presented is a combination of information collated from guides that I've linked herein and my own experience but I cannot guarantee their accuracy beyond that.
Treat everything in these informational posts as opinion or observation, not fact!
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Links & Other Information:
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This post will contain any other helpful information or links pertaining to the disassembly, repair and reassembly of the X1.
This is Cellular Nationwide Network's selection of spare parts for the X1:
http://cnn.cn/shop/sonyericsson-xperia-c-28_638.html
This online store also offers the X1 replacement LCD/Digitizer unit:
http://www.formymobile.co.uk/proddetail.php?prod=x1lcd
I have not bought from either of these stores nor can I verify the quality or compatibility of the items they offer!
I'm just listing them here in case people have trouble finding anywhere to get parts!
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Disassembly Summary:
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The device needs to be disassembled in the correct order as laid out on this page: http://www.formymobile.co.uk/xperiadisassembly.php
-Remove battery cover, stylus, battery, sim card & micro sdhc card and put them aside.
-Remove the plastic portion of the bottom-rear of the phone (where the SE circle is), using the proper tool, a credit card or a plectrum.
-Unscrew and remove the speaker module
-Remove the screws where the speaker module was
-Remove the covers over the screws at the other end of the phone and then the screws themselves (using the star-headed screwdriver)
-Remove the plastic battery compartment (which also takes the camera cover and stylus slot with it)
-Lift the small black tape and disconnect the plug that powers the camera LED
-Remove the screw in the top-right, then left the black lens-shroud it was holding down.
-Remove the small plug on the ribbon cable at the top-right (this connects the keyboard unit to the main PCB
-Pull the clips around the edges of the green PCB back gently to release it (but do not pull it upwards).
-Lift the PCB gently and (Very) gently remove the orange tape that covers the touchscreen ribbon cable attached underneath, then pry that ribbon cable's connector away from the connector on the green PCB.
-Lift the PCB away and put it aside
-The keyboard circuit and plastic pad can now also be lifted away if necessary.
--- This is where you can stop if your repairs/maintenance only affect the rear portion of the device. Only go further if you need to perform repairs on the front/touchscreen portion. ---
-Remove the four shallow screws underneath where the green PCB previously lay to separate the rear housing from the slider mechanism.
-Remove the four screws in the front portion of the phone, then pry the casing open with the tool/card/plectrum as before.
-The main ribbon cable is attached to a small PCB and some other ribbon cables which are concealed underneath the grey fuzzy foil on the surface in front of you.
-That foil can be removed but it is not necessary to do so unless you are replacing the LCD screen unit, receiver-speaker, front-camera or the ribbon cable assembly itself.
-The Touchscreen component is held down with small grey braided straps at the corners, peel these back to release the touchscreen from the front fascia.
Then do all of that in reverse to put the phone back together!
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Videos:
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I found these videos on youtube, I didn't record or upload them.
Video guide to Disassembling the Rear half of the device:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AWDurQrRt-Y
Video guide to Disassembling the Front half of the device:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iyGUbxFqvyc
Video guide to Reassembling the Front half of the device:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RcDqyEyC_HY
Video guide to Reassembling the Rear half of the device:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V0sOaIo6724
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Personal Comment:
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It goes to show that, as many of us are already aware, you must pay a premium price for this phone but it is NOT manufactured like a premium product.
If my situation were rare or I had only one of the above mentioned hardware issues with a new phone I could accept it, but things got ridiculous with the X1.
The build quality is very poor overall and Sony Ericsson should be ashamed firstly for releasing a device onto the market that functioned as little more than a flawed prototype for the X2; and secondly for charging upwards of €600 for the 'privilege' of putting up with its many problems and shortcomings.
I for one, won't be buying any more SE phones.
My next smartphone will be an Android device such as a Motorola Milestone if I ever pluck up the courage to spend that much money on a phone again.
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Disclaimer:
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I won't be held responsible for any damage you do to your phone and I do NOT recommend that you actually perform any of these procedures.
It is better to let qualified technicians at SE's Warranty Service handle these issues.
I'm providing this information solely for those people who either want to do it or have no other choice to get their phone working again.
The information presented is a combination of information collated from guides that I've linked herein and my own experience but I cannot guarantee their accuracy beyond that.
Treat everything in these informational posts as opinion or observation, not fact!
Useful post, but it really seems that the majority of your issues were caused by the imitation housing that you purchased, not by poor SE build quality. Of all the issues you mentioned, the keyboard issues are an SE/HTC quality control problem, I've experienced them as have many. The rest seem to have been caused by the imitation housing. This begs the quesiton, why didn't you just use SE's warranty service? They don't require a reciept or that you be the original owner. And trust me, they are several times better than HTCs warranty service.
sonus said:
Useful post, but it really seems that the majority of your issues were caused by the imitation housing that you purchased, not by poor SE build quality. Of all the issues you mentioned, the keyboard issues are an SE/HTC quality control problem, I've experienced them as have many. The rest seem to have been caused by the imitation housing. This begs the quesiton, why didn't you just use SE's warranty service? They don't require a reciept or that you be the original owner. And trust me, they are several times better than HTCs warranty service.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'd hardly call the problem of the non-fitting screws a majority! The rest of the issues were unrelated to the cheap replacement housing.
Maybe my post is confusing, but the issues with the keyboard, vibration motor, ribbon cable, side-buttons & speaker all existed long before I ever ordered the replacement casing!
Some, such as the ribbon cable and antenna were issues that cropped up or were worsened due to my inexperienced maintenance, but everything else was a fault of the build quality of the original device.
The incompatibility of the screws was the only problem specifically caused by the new housing, while its own supplied keyboard didn't fit the chassis, but that was a non-issue since I used the original keyboard anyway.
It could be said that my repairs would have gone significantly smoother if I had bought and used an official replacement housing from SE, but that would only solve the issues of the screws and replacement keyboard.
I put emphasis on the problems related to the cheap replacement casing primarily to warn people away from wasting their money on them the way I did.
I'll edit the original post for clarity.
To answer your question, I didn't use the Warranty service because frankly I assumed they would need a proof of purchase for the warranty (since most warranties do in my experience) and I had bought the device second-hand on eBay.
Secondly, sending the device in for warranty would mean going through the hassle of reflashing a stock rom and SPL to the phone.
Thirdly and most importantly, I wanted to try doing it myself for the experience and potential savings.
Obviously, I wouldn't recommend anyone to try and repair their own phone as I did, but if someone has had a phone sent back to them marked as "tampered" by the warranty service and are left with the options of paying for repairs, paying for a new phone, or buying parts and repairing it themselves.. well that option is there and this thread might help them.
Also, off-topic but I couldn't agree more with your signature. I tried a myriad of fancy ROMs and shell replacements for my X1 but never found satisfaction until I flashed a basic blank WM6.5 ROM and installed PointUI Home2!
Thanks this post helped me out, I suddenly lost my mic, took a look under the hood and found I had the same issue as you, the mic pins not touching. The pins are very weak so had to be careful but it works now!
tumpin said:
Thanks this post helped me out, I suddenly lost my mic, took a look under the hood and found I had the same issue as you, the mic pins not touching. The pins are very weak so had to be careful but it works now!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Glad to help!
Definitely the most thorough repair and tips guide for the x1. A lot of the issues you had are the same as mine. Thanks to your suggestions I got my phone in almost working condition. Now I just need to find a way to get my keyboard working again.
Sent from my xperia x1 using XDA App
Thanks Zurechial for this thorough post. I for one, have been lucky in finding a repair guy (non-SE) who is an expert with devices like the X1. I had a problem that some water/moisture/sweat had seeped in the charging port and I could not get the phone to charge. He fixed it for me.
Now the only problem I face is that the camera is not working, and wifi is disabled. Any tips to get the Wifi working? It is shown as disabled in the Comm Manager and there is no WLAN MAC Address also for it.
brilliant post, thank you very much indeed. I have just ordered a cheap housing off ebay, i know what to expect now
What worries me the most though, is how the keyboard WILL fail eventually ><
The qwerty keyboard is one of the main reasons why i got the phone.
time to snatch back our lives suckers
Apparently, it's taken less than 20 years, to destroy the Consumer Electronics Industries, ability to Repair products, sold in this country. I saw the writing on the wall, in the early 80's, with the first lines of "off shore", throw away VCR's, that were priced cheaper than they'd cost to repair. The theory, if it breaks, throw it away & buy a new one. Who cares if it winds up in a land fill somewhere.
Now, we're up to $500 Cell Phones, with the state of repair being either, unit replacement, or, cannibalization of parts. And apparently no one cares. Is it our complacency or can we really afford as a society, to buy a new phone every time one breaks? God knows we're all desperate, for our phone usage.
It's time to snatch back the repair ability we once had. This is the age of recycling, and the highest form of recycling is repair.
As consumers, start demanding access to schematics, and, access to sources of component level repair parts.
IM
You help me...
I'm almost freaking out when signal on my phone show only 2 bars...
Anyway...
it's for additional information,
use handscoon, it gives somewhat confident and when using tweezer, hold it like using pen (I learnt it when I studied as paramedic) because it will give me strength while holdin it.
AND ask the seller to send housing with screw. I bought 2 housings, from ebay and another hongkong shop. Ebay is s%ck but that other hongkong shop is more fit.
Hi there,
I broke my touch screen and tried to replace it by myself.
To make a long story short, I failed miserably (I broke the screen under).
However, I learned a few things I didn't met in the forum.
A- Disassembly of the case.
1- The Legend is glued. So, you have first to use hoven to melt the glue before being able to do anything useful.
15min/ 60 degree in the oven. Or use an hair dryer (I used the former).
2- Don't forget to remove ALL the screws (even the one behind the IMEI notice).
3- Don't try to open the camera lid before loosening the glue or you'll damage the aluminium body.
4- You have to unplug all the différent cables, so take notes to remember where all of them goes.
5- You must disassemble all the boards. There are 2 boards. One supporting the sim / SD connector, and one supporting the screen/touchscreen.
6- When disassembling the screen board, remove it by pulling the touchscreen at the bottom, and lift it up. don't pass a tool on the sides to remove it or worse, under the touchscreen, you'r tool will touch the screen under and break it (like I did). The screen is very, very fragile
Now, I'm stuck here because I can't remove the connector of the legent which is passed under the shield on the back of the screen.
I'm not able to remove the screen so I would like to know how to remove this shielding or get back the touchscreen connector to be able to replace it.
Once I figure out how to remove this shiled, I may be able to remove the screen too.
But now, I'm clueless (it was 2 in the morning when I gave up).
Maybe, some of you knew the trick to open this phone further.
I'd like to hear about it.
A little up to my post for the ones who did not read it till the end:
I can't remove the connector of the legend which is goind under the shield on the back of the screen.
I would like to know how to remove this shielding or get back the touchscreen connector to be able to replace it.
Once I figure out how to remove this shield, I may be able to remove the screen too.
But now, I'm clueless (it was 2 in the morning when I gave up).
mate it sounds like you have trashed your phone.they are built NOT to be taken apart.They require special tools and process to be repaired. The only thing i would suggest is contacting your insurance company and let them know that your phone was crushed under a car or something and then crush it under the car and you can get it replaced. If you dont have insurance, take some out and make a claim in say a month or two.
Its not an honest thing to do but your phone sounds busted and its the cheapest way of replacing that handset.
Post a pic of it if you can
Unfortunately, I have no rights to post a link or some put some pics.
Something about spam and profile that should be reviewed before being able show any pics.
This device is glued. No specialized tools are able to open it without removing it.
That would mean that the phone cannot be repaired, only replaced. My phone's motherboard was replaced, so at the service stations they should have special tools.
Fixed it!
Bottom right hand corner:
Bend the shielding back just enough to allow you to slip the connector in & then use a little glue to stick it back.
Maybe I was lucky, but my phones working as good as new again
I fixed my Legend
Guys, I know it's been a while since you talked but in case someone else is looking for this info, that's what happened to me:
I cracked the display of my legend and purchased a new one on eBay (roughly 40 pounds) - obviously delivered from Hong Kong but a genuine Samsung (in case you didn't know the Legen's screen as well as most of the AMOLED screens are Samsung's).
Then I used the above information plus some YouTube videos to give myself an idea as to what should I do. The result follows:
I used a hair dryer to heat up the back of the phone (camera and loudspeaker cover). Perhaps I should have been more patient as in the end I decided to use a knife with a very thin blade to lift it and I scratched the plastic and the aluminium body a bit. Anyways - the back clicks in but is glued in addition to that so you have to use both the heat and gently applied force.
Once you remove the back cover (which took me the longest out of everything) you should start removing screws. There's two behind the back cover and six behind the bottom cover (where the battery is). At this stage you don't have to remove all the screws - the bottom two, the one behind the IMEI and the one under the VOID sticker hold the main board but the two screws sitting deeper inside the phone's body hold the front buttons so you may leave them for now.
Now comes the trickiest part so read carefully: the main board is held inside the unibody by the screws (which we already removed), but is also glued right below the camera lens and along the sides. You should probably heat it up as much as you can and for a long time. I decided to do it the hard way. My dislplay was already cracked and it's the most delicate part of the phone so I said "whatever" and used the same knife as before - moved it alongside the screen (pushed it in gently from the front) until there was no resistance (the glue let go). Then I pushed and I heated the thing up and pushed and tried from every angle until finally the board slid out of the unibody. I hope you'll find it easier then I did as it seems that everyone describing it found it quite doable.
Now everything becomes easy-peasy. Remove the remaining screws to put the buttons aside (you'll have both the actul buttons and the tiny board with sensors - the latter sticks to the screen but once you remove the connectors, yu can take it off too). All the connectors are quite easy to remove if you hav a needle or something (just pull them out gently). I didn't worry about noting which is which as ther is practically no way you can mix them up - they're very different.
The rubbery plastic black surrounding of the board clicks in, so once you find the right spots you can lift them gently and take the thing off. You'll be left with the display covered by the shielding from the top and a thin metal board from the bottom. You have to remove two more screws to disconnect the main display plug.
And the final bit (that's where the thread's author had a problem I believe). My display was cracked but the shielding - fine. These two are glued together so I had to find some space for my finger nail and lift the shield. By slowly and gently pulling it apart I detached one from the other - and had to do the same thing with the metal board. Don't forget there's some extra stuff to remove from the back of the display - they're all glued but the glue will remain fresh enough for you to glue them again - this time to the new screen. The same applies to the front shield. I hope you won't let any dust sit on it in the meantime. You should have a screen protector on your new display if you bought it like I did. Remove it now and the display will be happy to stick to the old front shield just as if it was always there. The metal back will also fit in.
Now you can go through the above process backwards - just remember to connect all the connectors.
What I didn't do: I didn't use ANY glue putting the phone back together. As an effect the front shield is sticking out a bit (doesn't sit in the unibody tightly). It doesn't affect the phone itself but it gives you the funny feeling that something isn't 100% right. But I prefer that than screwing something up with a misuse of glue (glue can be disobedient).
The most important piece of information: the phone is working 100% correctly as if it was never disassembled by an amateur. Apart from two scatches on the back, the VOID sticker missing, the front sticking out slightly (less than a mm) and the missing battery slider (which I forgot to put back in and didn't bother to repeat the whole process for the sake of it) - there is nothing wrong with the phone. So if you ever crack you ever crack your Legend's screen - you can try fixing it yourself if you have the courage.
I would like to see some photos too But I'm never gonna take my phone apart - can't see the point
Foto's
Nice thread, i myself am wondering, if a better gsm antenna can be fixed inside the phone. and connect them to the 2 connections.
Do you have any pictures of the inside housing etc?
So I've been using my N7 on and off since I bought it in January. I would've used it more if it wasn't for the fact that the touchscreen responded really bad to touch and freaked out every now and then. It even almost bought an app on its own in the play store once. As I bought it through a retailer in another country I figured I would try to fix the problem myself - and I did kind of.
I tried a lot of things that people suggested in other threads here on xda, reddit, youtube, etc. but the only thing that seemed to work somewhat was tightening the screws around the edges after opening it up. The problem still persisted to some degree and got worse again after a few weeks.
After opening it up again a few weeks ago to fiddle around with the screws again I realized something - the phantom touch problem was gone and the screen had perfect response whenever I was handling it with the back cover off. So I put it in a case without putting the cover on first and I've been using it like that ever since - this leaves the wifi/gps/etc. without a grounding connection though, and I also prefer to use it without a case so my question is this:
Has anyone had the back cover apply pressure/mess with the touch screen in any way?
I have no screen lift at all, but these are the methods I have tried:
Tightening screws(worked somewhat)
Loosening screws(didn't work)
Putting a small piece of paper between the black cable that apparently connects the touch screen and the circuit board in case it was causing a short there due to pressure or something(didn't work)
Additional info: Whenever I remove the back cover, the only place where I have to apply some extra pressure to get it loose is right around where the aforementioned black cable is.
erikkr said:
So I've been using my N7 on and off since I bought it in January. I would've used it more if it wasn't for the fact that the touchscreen responded really bad to touch and freaked out every now and then. It even almost bought an app on its own in the play store once. As I bought it through a retailer in another country I figured I would try to fix the problem myself - and I did kind of.
I tried a lot of things that people suggested in other threads here on xda, reddit, youtube, etc. but the only thing that seemed to work somewhat was tightening the screws around the edges after opening it up. The problem still persisted to some degree and got worse again after a few weeks.
After opening it up again a few weeks ago to fiddle around with the screws again I realized something - the phantom touch problem was gone and the screen had perfect response whenever I was handling it with the back cover off. So I put it in a case without putting the cover on first and I've been using it like that ever since - this leaves the wifi/gps/etc. without a grounding connection though, and I also prefer to use it without a case so my question is this:
Has anyone had the back cover apply pressure/mess with the touch screen in any way?
I have no screen lift at all, but these are the methods I have tried:
Tightening screws(worked somewhat)
Loosening screws(didn't work)
Putting a small piece of paper between the black cable that apparently connects the touch screen and the circuit board in case it was causing a short there due to pressure or something(didn't work)
Additional info: Whenever I remove the back cover, the only place where I have to apply some extra pressure to get it loose is right around where the aforementioned black cable is.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hmm, have you checked the N7 under a florescent tube light? You should try to view the light's reflection on the n7's screen. It should be 'mirrored perfectly'. If the reflection of the light is crooked/bent, this means your screen is no longer flat. Ie. A flat mirror should show your reflection as it is. A curved mirror will distort the reflection.
If the screen is heavily distorted, this could mean the touch sensors are also 'bent' and touching the screen internals.
Check the reflection with cover on, and also cover off.
If with the cover off the n7, the screen seems to be 'flatter'. Then we could conclude the screen is fatigued by stress somehow by the attachment of the covers. If it somewhat same, then the problem is something else.
Since the cover provides ground points for the n7 circuit and it's antennas, maybe you should try cleaning the contact points on the cover side. There should be grooves made by the contact pins from the n7 on the cover, over time they might oxidize and cause a short circuit.
It is possible the touch mechanism is not being properly grounded somehow.
PLEASE BE EXTREMELY CAREFUL if you are going to clean the contact pins on the n7 side, they are small and very brittle.
Try to see if anything on the cover is touching the circuit board or creating a short circuit somewhere when installed.
These are the 2 causes i can think of. I had this problem too, i loosen some screws and re-check under a florescent light to see it's reflection, and i re-loosen or tighten until the reflection is nearly perfect (screen should be flat and reflecting like a mirror), if not it is bent by stress from screws being too tight or loose at some points.
Then i also cleaned the contact points and pressed the aluminum 'heatsinks' on the n7 side to make sure they dont contact anything else. I did both the same time, following by a switch in ROM and Kernel. So i'm not sure which actually helped. I'm sure i took some stress off the screen by the reflection thing. The grounding also makes sense as an intermittent ground causes stuff to f-up (my car) lol. But you may try n see how it goes. Cheers.
_____________________________________________
!!! 25+ ESTIMATED SUCCESSES!!! (Either reported or from thanks on this post)
_____________________________________________
For TL;DR - start at [[ WILL THIS HELP YOU? ]]
This ABSOLUTELY fixed my AT&T Note 3's GPS. However:
:::: DISCLAIMER :::: I had an unusual chain of events leading up to this fix. I hope it fixes your Note 3's GPS, but there's really no way to tell - unless you decide to try it. It may not help you at all. So, what have you got to lose? Well, take a look at [[ WILL THIS HELP YOU? ]] and [[ RISKS ]].
[[ INTRO ]]
If you're here, most likely your Note 3's GPS doesn't work, and you're desperate like I was for a fix. Here's the chain of events that led to my fix:
1. Got AT&T Note 3 - **out of the box** it had the 'blurry' camera issue, but outstanding GPS (consistent 3 second satlock).
2. Sent Note 3 in for Samsung Warranty Repair to fix the 'blurry' camera.
3. Samsung fixed the camera.
4. Disappointingly, Samsung broke the GPS (by bending the 'leaf' pin circled RED in my pic below, I assume inadvertently during reassembly).
5. Got Note 3 back - camera fixed, GPS broken by Samsung.
6. After observing an iFixit teardown, I followed this chain of logic: A - Since Samsung replaced my camera, and B - the camera is separate from the main board that the GPS is on, then C - Samsung must have only replaced the camera, and left the GPS alone. D - Therefore, Samsung did not replace my exceptional GPS, that, sadly, is now broken. E - Something else must have broken the GPS. F - I read a thread suggesting that tightening the 12 screws on the back fixes the GPS, then G - I decided it's time to check on the leaf pins after looking at the iFixit teardown. Below is what I found.
[[ WILL THIS HELP YOU? ]]
Hopefully. I have no idea. Maybe. Decide if the [[ RISKS ]] are worth it to find out if one of your 'leaf' pins are bent or damaged (mine was bent by Samsung Warranty Repair, as explained above).
[ 1 ] Yes, if one of the 'leaf pins' is bent, dislodged, or otherwise not making contact.
[ 2 ] Yes, if one of the contacts that the leaf pins touch is oxidized. (Remove oxidation by scraping it off.)
--- Thanks to evilpotatoman for reporting this fix! ---
[ 3 ] Yes, if one of the 'leaf pins' is squished and is not pressing hard enough against the contact. (Bend "leaf pin" outward to make tighter contact.)
--- As suggested by evilpotatoman ---
Also, perhaps adding a small piece of stock paper under the offending leaf pin will make it keep contact better. ( !!!! Be careful - don't add too much paper, which could stress the pin or contact !!!! )
--- As suggested by superdookie67 ---
[4] Yes, if a screw is loose. This may happen if you remove the back cover frequently, which loosens the screw that keeps a solid connection between the leaf pin and contact near the back cover fingernail hole.
--- As suggested by yedidi2006 ---
Let's be honest: since Samsung Warranty Repair dislodged my Note 3's leaf pin, isn't it plausible that a maybe even a few Note 3's shipped with bent leaf pins?
I'M WILLING TO BET YES. So please reply and let everyone know if this fixes it.
[[ RISKS ]] (Honestly, this is a pretty basic procedure. But here goes)
1. Potentially voiding warranty, though I have no idea how it can be proven (put some new Loctite on the screws afterward if you're paranoid.)
2. (Only a risk for those who are completely careless) Potential damage to internal equipment.
3. Losing 30 minutes of your life. Personally, I love tearing stuff apart whenever I have an excuse, so for me this wasn't a risk.
[[ INSTRUCTIONS ]] (See attached pics for details)
1. See your favorite teardown site for even more details. Remove the back cover, stylus, SIM, and microSD.
2. Remove the 12 Phillips screws on the back. They are sealed with Loctite, so don't damage your phone with too much force.
3. !!!Carefully!!! remove the inner plastic shell (clipped in).
3a. !!!Only lift up!!!, perpendicularly from the screen to avoid damaging the leaf pins.
3b. !!!Take your time!!! Gently open around the edges until all edges and clips are loose.
4. Observe the leaf pin locations shown below.
5. Samsung bent my leaf pin circled in RED below. This one is clearly related to the GPS, because bending it back restored my GPS to perfect functionality.
6. !!!!Extra Carefully!!!! bend the leaf pin back into position, if you find a dislocated leaf pin.
7. Replace the inner plastic shell, making sure to not damage the leaf pins.
8. Replace the 12 screws (with new Loctite, at your discretion).
9. Obviously, replace the SIM, microSD, stylus, and back cover.
10. Fire it up.
11. MOST IMPORTANTLY, reply back if this helps - maybe this is a fix for many of the Note 3's that shipped with terrible GPS reception.
________________________
Nope, I looked in and my 'leaf' pins were all properly shaped. I even slightly bent it to look more like yours, and still having GPS issues.
Sorry to hear that didn't fix it for you. Thanks for posting your results though.
If someone is feeling ambitious (and somehow doesn't care about their warranty), the other thing I was thinking is to clean off / polish the contacts that the leaf pins touch, but that's almost certainly a warranty-voider. Not to mention it could possibly damage or ruin the contacts.
Sent from my SM-N900A using xda app-developers app
Switched my rom back to stock NB4 rooted, having no gps issues now (if I remember, it worked just fine on NB4 before). Bent pins may be a problem for others though.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-N900A using Tapatalk
Interesting, well at least it's working again.
I'd be stoked if someone else fixed their GPS because of a bent leaf pin, since it's such an easy and decisive fix.
Sent from my SM-N900A using xda app-developers app
wish i had seen this earlier. I had mine done just like what you did plus the pins from the backside of the motherboard. mine wont lock unless i am outside and had clear view of the sky (no signal if inside the car). and had to conclude that its the hardware and not the software. after doing all of those pins. i got lock in less than 3 secs!
damn note 3.
also, i had to spray those pins with an electronic contact cleaner before I put them back together
jay185 said:
wish i had seen this earlier. I had mine done just like what you did plus the pins from the backside of the motherboard. mine wont lock unless i am outside and had clear view of the sky (no signal if inside the car). and had to conclude that its the hardware and not the software. after doing all of those pins. i got lock in less than 3 secs!
damn note 3.
also, i had to spray those pins with an electronic contact cleaner before I put them back together
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Fantastic, glad to hear it worked :good: Thanks for posting your results.
Is there a fix for the compass not working correctly? Sometimes when I'm driving, it makes it look like I'm traveling sideways. This is on GoogleMap. My GPS has been working fine since the first day.
hp79 said:
Is there a fix for the compass not working correctly? Sometimes when I'm driving, it makes it look like I'm traveling sideways. This is on GoogleMap. My GPS has been working fine since the first day.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
My guess is that this fix should work for any subsystem that uses one of the leaf pins (of course only if said subsystem has a bent leaf pin).
We'd have to determine where the compass is located and if it uses the pins. Otherwise, I'm not aware of a compass fix. Mine has exhibited that behavior too. I'll report back if I find anything.
Sent from my SM-N900A using XDA Free mobile app
Thanks!
I was suffering from little to no GPS fix. Opened it up per your instructions to find that my gps pin wasn't bent, but the terminal to which it contacts was oxidized. I bent the pin up to ensure a tight fit and I marred the terminal with a razor to remove the oxidation. My GPS works flawlessly now.
would anyone know among those pins, where exactly is the gps antenna connected to?
ok nevermind. i figured it out. its the 2 pin at the top right (where the volume keys are)
SchecterRocker said:
For TL;DR - start at [[ WILL THIS HELP YOU? ]]
This ABSOLUTELY fixed my AT&T Note 3's GPS. However:
:::: DISCLAIMER :::: I had an unusual chain of events leading up to this fix. I hope it fixes your Note 3's GPS, but there's really no way to tell - unless you decide to try it. It may not help you at all. So, what have you got to lose? Well, take a look at [[ WILL THIS HELP YOU? ]] and [[ RISKS ]].
[[ INTRO ]]
If you're here, most likely your Note 3's GPS doesn't work, and you're desperate like I was for a fix. Here's the chain of events that led to my fix:
1. Got AT&T Note 3 - **out of the box** it had the 'blurry' camera issue, but outstanding GPS (consistent 3 second satlock).
2. Sent Note 3 in for Samsung Warranty Repair to fix the 'blurry' camera.
3. Samsung fixed the camera.
4. Disappointingly, Samsung broke the GPS (by bending the 'leaf' pin circled RED in my pic below, I assume inadvertently during reassembly).
5. Got Note 3 back - camera fixed, GPS broken by Samsung.
6. After observing an iFixit teardown, I followed this chain of logic: A - Since Samsung replaced my camera, and B - the camera is separate from the main board that the GPS is on, then C - Samsung must have only replaced the camera, and left the GPS alone. D - Therefore, Samsung did not replace my exceptional GPS, that, sadly, is now broken. E - Something else must have broken the GPS. F - I read a thread suggesting that tightening the 12 screws on the back fixes the GPS, then G - I decided it's time to check on the leaf pins after looking at the iFixit teardown. Below is what I found.
[[ WILL THIS HELP YOU? ]]
Hopefully. I have no idea. Maybe. Decide if the [[ RISKS ]] are worth it to find out if one of your 'leaf' pins are bent or damaged (mine was bent by Samsung Warranty Repair, as explained above).
Let's be honest: since Samsung Warranty Repair dislodged my Note 3's leaf pin, isn't it plausible that a maybe even a few Note 3's shipped with bent leaf pins?
I'M WILLING TO BET YES. So please reply and let everyone know if this fixes it.
[[ RISKS ]] (Honestly, this is a pretty basic procedure. But here goes)
1. Potentially voiding warranty, though I have no idea how it can be proven (put some new Loctite on the screws afterward if you're paranoid.)
2. (Only a risk for those who are completely careless) Potential damage to internal equipment.
3. Losing 30 minutes of your life. Personally, I love tearing stuff apart whenever I have an excuse, so for me this wasn't a risk.
[[ INSTRUCTIONS ]] (See attached pics for details)
1. See your favorite teardown site for even more details. Remove the back cover, stylus, SIM, and microSD.
2. Remove the 12 Phillips screws on the back. They are sealed with Loctite, so don't damage your phone with too much force.
3. !!!Carefully!!! remove the inner plastic shell (clipped in).
3a. !!!Only lift up!!!, perpendicularly from the screen to avoid damaging the leaf pins.
3b. !!!Take your time!!! Gently open around the edges until all edges and clips are loose.
4. Observe the leaf pin locations shown below.
5. Samsung bent my leaf pin circled in RED below. This one is clearly related to the GPS, because bending it back restored my GPS to perfect functionality.
6. !!!!Extra Carefully!!!! bend the leaf pin back into position, if you find a dislocated leaf pin.
7. Replace the inner plastic shell, making sure to not damage the leaf pins.
8. Replace the 12 screws (with new Loctite, at your discretion).
9. Obviously, replace the SIM, microSD, stylus, and back cover.
10. Fire it up.
11. MOST IMPORTANTLY, reply back if this helps - maybe this is a fix for many of the Note 3's that shipped with terrible GPS reception.
________________________
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Where did you go? To an AT&T store or bestbuy?
My phone had no GPS issues at all until a couple of days ago after I dropped it flat on its back (with a thin cover on it) and picked it up with no scratch on it. Now I have NO GPS at all (I'm not sure it is because of the fall or something else. It fell several times before and it didn't mess my GPS). I tried every single GPS fix app in the Play Store that used to actually solve my GPS issues and nothing. I downgraded from KK to JB thinking it might have been KK that was causing the problem and also nothing. Now when I try to use my GPS, it hangs on "searching for GPS" forever. I'm thinking of re-flashing stock and un-rooting to take It back to them (I need your advice on where I should go, please). I don't want to start disassembling my phone first.
Thanks man.
from my 3rd beast of a phone..!!
I'm genuinely glad to hear this has helped at least 2 or 3 others! It was such an annoying issue for me that I hoped it would help someone else.
evilpotatoman said:
Thanks!
I was suffering from little to no GPS fix. Opened it up per your instructions to find that my gps pin wasn't bent, but the terminal to which it contacts was oxidized. I bent the pin up to ensure a tight fit and I marred the terminal with a razor to remove the oxidation. My GPS works flawlessly now.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Great news! Let's just say that your MJ5 restoration thread has saved me more than once, so I'm glad if I can pay it forward in any way. :good: I'll modify the instructions to suggest checking for oxidized contacts like yours were. Thanks!
jay185 said:
would anyone know among those pins, where exactly is the gps antenna connected to?
ok nevermind. i figured it out. its the 2 pin at the top right (where the volume keys are)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for reporting this. I actually bent the top left pin (where the power key is) to fix mine, so it would appear that either the top right or left pins could be causing issues for people.
K-Alzwayed said:
Where did you go? To an AT&T store or bestbuy?
My phone had no GPS issues at all until a couple of days ago after I dropped it flat on its back (with a thin cover on it) and picked it up with no scratch on it. Now I have NO GPS at all (I'm not sure it is because of the fall or something else. It fell several times before and it didn't mess my GPS). I tried every single GPS fix app in the Play Store that used to actually solve my GPS issues and nothing. I downgraded from KK to JB thinking it might have been KK that was causing the problem and also nothing. Now when I try to use my GPS, it hangs on "searching for GPS" forever. I'm thinking of re-flashing stock and un-rooting to take It back to them (I need your advice on where I should go, please). I don't want to start disassembling my phone first.
Thanks man.
from my 3rd beast of a phone..!!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I shipped my Note 3 to be repaired by Samsung Warranty Repair somewhere in Texas (free of charge, since it's still under warranty) (if that's what you're asking - I didn't get it repaired at AT&T or BestBuy). I am by no means an expert on this, but from what you've described my first guess is one of your pins got dislodged somehow (presumably from the fall). Honestly this procedure isn't overly difficult, but I understand if you don't want to crack open your phone. Until I did open my phone though, I was having nearly identical issues as you are (hanging on "searching for GPS" , the GPS Status app could only find 2 or 3 satellites instead of the usual 12-19, etc, etc, etc).
Samsung Warranty Repair bent my GPS pin, causing it to malfunction. While I sincerely want to recommend that you send it to Samsung to fix, just be aware that things can go wrong - I speak from experience.
Thanks again for everyone's responses!
SchecterRocker said:
I'm genuinely glad to hear this has helped at least 2 or 3 others! It was such an annoying issue for me that I hoped it would help someone else.
Great news! Let's just say that your MJ5 restoration thread has saved me more than once, so I'm glad if I can pay it forward in any way. :good: I'll modify the instructions to suggest checking for oxidized contacts like yours were. Thanks!
Thanks for reporting this. I actually bent the top left pin (where the power key is) to fix mine, so it would appear that either the top right or left pins could be causing issues for people.
I shipped my Note 3 to be repaired by Samsung Warranty Repair somewhere in Texas (free of charge, since it's still under warranty) (if that's what you're asking - I didn't get it repaired at AT&T or BestBuy). I am by no means an expert on this, but from what you've described my first guess is one of your pins got dislodged somehow (presumably from the fall). Honestly this procedure isn't overly difficult, but I understand if you don't want to crack open your phone. Until I did open my phone though, I was having nearly identical issues as you are (hanging on "searching for GPS" , the GPS Status app could only find 2 or 3 satellites instead of the usual 12-19, etc, etc, etc).
Samsung Warranty Repair bent my GPS pin, causing it to malfunction. While I sincerely want to recommend that you send it to Samsung to fix, just be aware that things can go wrong - I speak from experience.
Thanks again for everyone's responses!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I appreciate it, man. I heard from some friends that it could be this http://www.androidpolice.com/2014/0...-services-are-experiencing-outages-right-now/
So before shipping my phone, I'm going to wait a little bit longer to see if this is the issue. I still have a long while on the warranty
I would like to say this fixed my GPS on my AT&T Note 3.
I didn't have to un-clip the complete back, just the top left section enough to see the two antennas.
Now my GPS works normally.
Funny thing is my Note 1 had the same problem, which I fixed in the same way over 2 years ago..
What I am guessing is that when we put pressure on the phone we squish the antennas down so when the pressure is relieved they are no longer in contact.
Seems to be a design flaw in all generations of the Note phone.
Samsung should change how this connection is made, as the flaw will continue to occur.
thank you for the post!
Itworked but only for a few minutes
SchecterRocker said:
For TL;DR - start at [[ WILL THIS HELP YOU? ]]
This ABSOLUTELY fixed my AT&T Note 3's GPS. However:
....
[[ INSTRUCTIONS ]] (See attached pics for details)
1. See your favorite teardown site for even more details. Remove the back cover, stylus, SIM, and microSD.
2. Remove the 12 Phillips screws on the back. They are sealed with Loctite, so don't damage your phone with too much force.
3. !!!Carefully!!! remove the inner plastic shell (clipped in).
3a. !!!Only lift up!!!, perpendicularly from the screen to avoid damaging the leaf pins.
3b. !!!Take your time!!! Gently open around the edges until all edges and clips are loose.
4. Observe the leaf pin locations shown below.
5. Samsung bent my leaf pin circled in RED below. This one is clearly related to the GPS, because bending it back restored my GPS to perfect functionality.
6. !!!!Extra Carefully!!!! bend the leaf pin back into position, if you find a dislocated leaf pin.
7. Replace the inner plastic shell, making sure to not damage the leaf pins.
8. Replace the 12 screws (with new Loctite, at your discretion).
9. Obviously, replace the SIM, microSD, stylus, and back cover.
10. Fire it up.
11. MOST IMPORTANTLY, reply back if this helps - maybe this is a fix for many of the Note 3's that shipped with terrible GPS reception.
________________________
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Unfortunately it didn't work... I also found that my note 3 is a little different to your photos where the two leaf-pins are mounted side by side.
I followed your procedure, found what I think must be the same leaf pins you refer to, but they didn't seem to be bent or misshaped. I bent them up slightly anyway,since I'd gone to so much trouble to tear it down, before reassembling the device.
When I first switched it on I thought I'd had a win: Using the 'GPS Status' app I quickly acquired 4/ 23 satellites, where normally I see 0/23 (or 0/xx) the xx number varies.
That soon increased to 11/ 19 and I thought yes its fixed AT LAST!!
For once I was even able to locate my device in Google Android Device Manager too - it rarely ever works. The only one that does is 'Where's My Droid' as it can find it using the WLAN and the mobile phone towers that my SIM is connected to. It appears that Google's ADM MUST use GPS only, because whenever Where's My Droid finds it via GPS (which isn't too often), Android Device Manager also works (finds it ok)... It was this constant failing of ADM which eventually brought me to the conclusion that the problem is to do with GPS (I've tried EVERYTHING to fix this over several months) and how I eventually found your post, which unfortunately doesn't seem to have helped me.
It does seem a bit odd though, that it worked for a few minutes after firing up the phone.
I just wonder if some component is failing once it reaches a certain temperature?
If so, I might was well forget it (warranty void - had to remove a sticker that was over screw # 12) and buy a new phone, but NOT a note 3!
I checked this with the recent gps trouble I've had with my tmobile version. I noticed mine were smashed down as low as they could be. Pulling them back up a bit, my gps does seem to be better now. I was wondering, would sticking some stock paper or anything under them help to keep them raised and connected to the other side?
And thanks so much for this post, I had been working on this problem forever.
ko9pora said:
Unfortunately it didn't work... I also found that my note 3 is a little different to your photos where the two leaf-pins are mounted side by side.
I followed your procedure, found what I think must be the same leaf pins you refer to, but they didn't seem to be bent or misshaped. I bent them up slightly anyway,since I'd gone to so much trouble to tear it down, before reassembling the device.
When I first switched it on I thought I'd had a win: Using the 'GPS Status' app I quickly acquired 4/ 23 satellites, where normally I see 0/23 (or 0/xx) the xx number varies.
That soon increased to 11/ 19 and I thought yes its fixed AT LAST!!
For once I was even able to locate my device in Google Android Device Manager too - it rarely ever works. The only one that does is 'Where's My Droid' as it can find it using the WLAN and the mobile phone towers that my SIM is connected to. It appears that Google's ADM MUST use GPS only, because whenever Where's My Droid finds it via GPS (which isn't too often), Android Device Manager also works (finds it ok)... It was this constant failing of ADM which eventually brought me to the conclusion that the problem is to do with GPS (I've tried EVERYTHING to fix this over several months) and how I eventually found your post, which unfortunately doesn't seem to have helped me.
It does seem a bit odd though, that it worked for a few minutes after firing up the phone.
I just wonder if some component is failing once it reaches a certain temperature?
If so, I might was well forget it (warranty void - had to remove a sticker that was over screw # 12) and buy a new phone, but NOT a note 3!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have to take it back... It worked!
When I wrote the above reply, I didn't realize that I was too far inside my house (under it's steel roof). As soon as I went outside or even near a window it all worked great and still does, but I guess no GPS works too well when its effectively shielded under an iron roof...:laugh:
superdookie67 said:
I checked this with the recent gps trouble I've had with my tmobile version. I noticed mine were smashed down as low as they could be. Pulling them back up a bit, my gps does seem to be better now. I was wondering, would sticking some stock paper or anything under them help to keep them raised and connected to the other side?
And thanks so much for this post, I had been working on this problem forever.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Glad to hear it worked! I agree, perhaps sticking a little paper under the pin that's causing trouble may help it keep contact. I'll add that suggestion into the original post.
ko9pora said:
I have to take it back... It worked!
When I wrote the above reply, I didn't realize that I was too far inside my house (under it's steel roof). As soon as I went outside or even near a window it all worked great and still does, but I guess no GPS works too well when its effectively shielded under an iron roof...:laugh:
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Good deal! I'm in the same situation - under a steel roof. Basically, my house similar to a Faraday cage, blocking out almost all radio communication (cell, AM/FM, TV, you name it.)
Sounds good, looks like we've got about 5 successes so far!
YES! I had absolutely no GPS, popped open the phone - the leaf was already bent back as in your "after" picture, but I just propped it up to get better connection, and now I finally have a GPS signal, 13/25 satellites within 30 seconds of my first test. Thank you so much for posting this.
PREFACE
So, I figure I'd type this up for posterity in case anyone else wants to perform this repair. If software has not resolved your FP issues, there is a pretty good chance it falls to a hardware problem. Thankfully, once you've dealt with the screen, this phone is actually mercifully easy to repair. As there are no guides in English I was able to find, I decided I would take pictures as I did this (no way to setup a useful recording, sadly) and do a bit of a write up with some instructions and my experience doing it. If you already know how to do this sort of thing - you can probably skip past this, it's not terribly enlightening. For those doing it for the first time or as a novelty, however, I suspect you'll be pleased to have some degree of guidance in a language you understand.
In terms of how this is going to work:
Throughout the guide I will be posting the unedited images and additionally images with colour overlays on them. Please do not take these as absolute gospel as I'm working from memory, particularly in regards to screws. I will reference colours when I refer to specific components, screws exempted for obvious reasons.
Please at least take a quick scan of the guide before commencing work. I know I'd have appreciated it if the portuguese tutorial I was forced to follow on YT hadn't skipped much of this information. It added extra trouble for no good reason. Plus, it's good to do this because it lets you frame each instruction in context, and avoid silly mistakes.
And while I wish I didn't have to say this, here you have it.:
<Standard Disclaimer>
You're doing this yourself, of your own volition. I am not an expert and I do not represent myself to be. My only prior experience is repairing iPhones at a red-themed office retailer. Don't expect much. I am giving you a rough guide on how to do this which you may choose to follow or not to varied consequences. I do not assume any liability for any damage or mistakes, even if such should come from errors in this guide. Basically, if something goes badly, leave me out of it, I assume no responsibility for it whatsoever. Be safe, use common sense, and don't force anything you don't think should be forced. If you don't feel comfortable doing this, don't. It's not hard, but it is easy to screw up.
This project may well violate your warranty depending on applicable statutes. And inapplicable ones - let's be honest, I don't think any of us bought this expecting full service. If you break the warranty sticker, you will almost certainly be denied should anything go wrong in the future, irregardless of cause. It's going to China, so.... don't expect them to humour you when you mention that warranty is supposed to be based only on actual provable damage. Blah blah, if you're looking at this you already know that. In sum: consider your warranty to be null and void.
TOOLS
Note: All prices given in CAD. Shipping not included. No affiliate links - I'm literally just saving you time on the search. This stuff is all based on things I've used, so it's solid enough for the price.
First things first, you will definitely want to ensure you have some very basic tools. You can find most of these extremely cheap on Aliexpress.
1. Watch Tools Screwdriver, specifically Phillips ( + )
2. Suction cup
So, very basic, but you can either use just the generic kind with the metal loop for pulling - this is what comes in the kit I will link below. Alternatively, you can use a clamp-style one (like this ($4.38)), which I would probably suggest as it allows you to use it like a handle when holding the screen and avoids touching near the back of the screen.3. Narrow flat things; guitar picks, etc.
Ideally, these should be made out of a material with a bit of give, like plastic. You won't have much travel room between the edge of the phone and the sensitive part of the screen when opening it, and metal will possibly do some damage if you screw this up. I unfortunately have some minor damage on my screen now. More on that later.4. Spudger/Flat implement like a Slot Screwdriver
There are lots of flex cables with their caps, along with some narrower parts that could use a gentler plastic tool for prying them off. Prying is a strong word - they're designed to come off readily, but still.
If you need these tools, a cheap kit can be had at a solid price here ($12 CAD as of posting)
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It does come with some other stuff, but I didn't really find those to be useful. Check the listing for a full accounting.
5. Heat Gun/Hair Dryer
Get a heat gun - this project actually benefits quite a bit from having a solid supply of heat. A hair dryer could probably do it, but it costs about the same, so.....
6. ADB/Fastboot
It seems that you need to load EUI in some capacity (aka, the stock OS) before the FP sensor will take. It needs at least one calibration done from the EUI rom, after which point I was free to flash it. Currently using AOSPEx 8.1 on the D66 modem. If you, inexcusably, do not have ADB or Fastboot, I would recommend downloading it here. For other tools of this nature, search the XDA forum for this phone. It's not that hard. Thx.
Extras:
Heat resistant gloves
You could probably use like gardening gloves or something for this. Basically, the phone frame is metal. Metal gets hot quickly, and more than once during this did I pick it up and recoil because I forgot about that. Having gloves that let you manipulate it while its hot would probably be much to your benefit.
If you want a clamp style suction cup for this project, it can be had by searching "suction tool phone" or at the link, here ($3.29 CAD as of posting).
Not required, but I would very strongly recommend a working mat with magnetism. One solid option w/ dry erase marker surface available here ($7.96)
Screen/repair adhesive. None to recommend, as I opted for the cheap route, but if you do this properly and carefully the adhesive will still be perfectly sufficient to put the screen back in without adding any more. If you want professional/clean, however, you may wish to consider getting a decent tube of this stuff.
PART(S)
Only one. You'll need a fingerprint scanner!
This is the one I used, this is a recent repair though, so YMMV. See the link here ($6.73) only 12 days from China to my front door here in Canada! Not bad.
INSTRUCTIONS
Alrighty, so into the meat of it then. Please be very careful to be deliberate about doing this repair. As I said, once the screen is off, the rest comes fairly easy, but that first part is the real challenge here, and you don't want to mess up if you can avoid it. New screens seem to go for about $30 with shipping on Aliexpress, though, should you need it.
Some updates:
- Do be careful with that screen. Sadly I seem to have been a little hard on mine and cracked something. It's now.... spastic. New screen arriving soon though, I'll post that too.
- I'd wear gloves doing the screen thing, even just standard latex ones. They won't help with heat, but you really do not want to be touching the back end of the screen if you can avoid it.
- The FP sensor is still working quite nicely, at least! Seems like the repair took. [07/14/2018] Still working fine, survived several AOSPEx updates.
Also, a critical note for newbies: DO NOT STRIP THE SCREWS. If they are not coming, they are not coming. Maybe try some heat first or something. But as far as fixing a phone goes, the single worst thing you can do outside of obviously breaking it is to strip a screw, because that basically necessitates the first thing, AND YOU DON'T WANT THAT. Happened on my first iPhone repair, and we had to smash the screen (thankfully that was what was being repaired) to get the screw we needed out. It's serious, do not force the issue.
Part 1: Prep
1. Delineate an area you can work in, with some space. Later in the repair you will likely need space for your screen, your fingerprint scanner, the metal backplate, and the upper motherboard, along with screws, tools, etc. Allow space to SAFELY set down the heat gun, as it will be hot and you don't want things burning your house down or damaging other items in your workspace.
2. Get all your tools you will need close and nearby. Nothing sucks more than having a screen you need to hold attached to the phone while your pliers are across the room. Or whatever. That didn't happen, but yea, keep your tools close.
3. BACK UP YOUR DATA. Sudden data loss is not an expected result of this repair, but it is always possible, and you should be backing your stuff up anyway.
4. Remove your SIM tray and sim cards. Put these aside.
5. Power off the device.
Part 2: Removing the Screen
WARNING
- DO NOT TOUCH THE SHINY BACK PART OF THE SCREEN. OR WEAR GLOVES, BUT YOU SHOULD STILL TRY AND AVOID TOUCHING IT.
- IF YOU ARE USING A MAGNETIC MAT OR HAVE MAGNETS, DO NOT PUT THEM IN CONTACT WITH THE LCD SCREEN.
- The screen is fairly fragile and has limited flexibility
- Do not use the heat gun directly on the screen. It's a great way to kill pixels.
- This phone does not use screws that are all the same size, but they do share thread widths. To avoid possible damage, make certain to remember or note where each screw came from.
- The metal frame gets HOT QUICKLY. You should wear gloves or otherwise be careful touching the phone after using the heat gun.
- Do not use the heat gun on its high setting. You should be able to get your hand about 1.5' to 2' away before it starts to feel "burny".
- Most entry space into the phone is around the bottom capacitive keys. DO NOT GO IN FROM THE SIDES OR TOP, UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES.
- Try to stay vertical, and do not go too deep with the picks
Continuing On:
So you know where you're putting your tools, here's what the back of the screen looks like:
That blue area is the shiny part (I lifted this from a seller's listing, it's protective film). This matches almost exactly with the margins you see on the front side of the screen. No touchy this part. The chip at the lower end seems to be for the capacitive keys. Be gentle when you're getting the screen off. There's more room at the bottom, but you don't want to damage anything. Nothing else of interest really. The narrow side margins in particular are why I say to avoid sticking the pick under the screen; try keeping it perpendicular.
1. Use the heat gun around the frame of the phone, for a while. Give it controlled bursts and be careful not to damage the screen, keep it moving and don't focus long in one place. If you see any distortions forming, STOP.
2. Focus particularly on the bottom; direct most of the heat toward the frame, rather than the screen. There is lots of adhesive on the flipside, and it needs to be fairly warm before it'll be compliant.
3. At the BOTTOM (Side with Capacitive Keys + Charging Port) of the phone place your suction tool of choice. The phone should still be warm to the touch, if you can keep it a bit warmer and have gloves, all the better.
4. Start pulling away from the main phone body with the suction cup on the bottom of the screen. You should see it start raising up from the frame, first some grey, and then black space.
5. Take your narrow implement (guitar picks, etc.) and ON THE BOTTOM SIDE, start to gently pry along the edge. It should be coming up - make sure that you've heated all the sides of the phone though.
6. Once you can get the pick fairly vertical, (facing toward the back of the phone, perpendicular to the screen face), start SLOWLY inching along the sides. Be careful not to let the screen re-settle for the parts you've already finished - I'd keep extra picks on hand for this.
7. Apply heat as needed and slowly inch around the perimeter of the phone. Try and avoid the urge to pry upward - there isn't a lot of space between the sides and the sensitive area of the screen.
8. It's glue, so the screen will feel like it's sticking in. Pay attention to the screen to make sure it's not warping, but otherwise, pry it as required. It should come off without *too* much trouble, make sure most of the work is coming from the suction tool.
9. Only lift the screen up a bit - it has a flex cable attaching it to the main body you'll have to deal with.
10. Remove the screws holding in the metal plate above the end of the flex cable. Take off the plate, and using a FLAT item, such as the spudger pictured above, gently pry away the connector. It should not require much force at all. See image:
Set your screen aside, SAFELY, and again, DO NOT TOUCH THE SHINY PART
NOTE: DO NOT TAKE THIS AS GOSPEL, but I filmed it when I replaced my screen with a new one due to damage I caused trying this the first time around. Read the instructions, don't just watch the video.
Oh.. and a spoiler, I won't be back with the installation, because I forgot to record that xD
Part 3: Removing the Metal Back Plate
Congrats! You've made it through what is arguably the hardest part of this repair.
WARNING
- Screws are of varying lengths. Ensure you keep them where they belong and use the same screw for the same slot.
Continuing On....
1. See the light blue dots in the diagram below. Remove these screws.
Note: You will see a screw about 2/3 from the bottom on the right that is slightly sunken from the others. This is for the part holding the buttons in place - it will not obstruct your work, so I would suggest not removing it.
Note: The screw surrounded in red has been cleverly hidden under a warranty sticker, at least in the x829. Poke into it, unscrew, and revel in your freedom.
2. Note the small red thing in the top left area, to the left of the camera. This has a flex cable, but it is threaded through a hole in the metal plate. Be nice taking the plate off, and push it out through that hole. We can get it back in later, easy.
3. Provided you have removed all applicable screws (and confirm this visually - I may have forgotten some), you need to lift this plate off the phone. I would suggest (gently) putting the spudger into that squarish hole toward the bottom left and using it for some leverage.
4. Metal plate off. Excellent. Proceed.
Part 4: Removing the Mainboard
No real warnings here. Basically, there's a lot of flex cables, you'll need to unhook them from the mainboard. Some screws too, at which point the mainboard should come off easy peasy.
Note, you are only working in the upper half of the phone. Don't go pulling anything from the bottom half.
Diagram (note, I'll probably reference these colours when referring to stuff):
Unedited:
Do not remove the screws from orange. You don't need to remove this part, and honestly putting the buttons back in properly is a PITA, so just don't. Note: in future images this is missing, because I accidentally did. Do not do that.
To remove flex cables, find the metal cap and GENTLY pry it upward and off. You should not be using much force. Good order:
1. Remove red (lower mainboard) and yellow (battery)
2. Remove blue (this is the antenna! Be gentle. Don't do it so hard it comes out of orange, you'll see it's sort of locked in there).
3. Remove green (buttons panel)
4. Remove Light-blue (fp scanner. This cable wraps around underneath the board. You'll see.)
5. Magenta - you can remove this if you want. It's that thing I mentioned threads through the backplate previously.
6. They're somewhat blurry in the image, but notice the two pink spots. These are screws that need to go. You will also need to remove any remaining screws from the very top of the phone, by the camera assembly.
7. Good, once the screws and flex cables have been removed, try and find a point of leverage (careful of the battery!) to lift up the board. It should come off totally. Per usual, be gentle. This is purely because our fingers are fat and we probably can't grip it well enough that way.
8. Place the board aside. We're going to be whipping out the heat gun again, and the last thing we want is our camera near that. Keep the camera on the board, don't remove any plates.
Part 5: Removing the FP Scanner
Excellent! Almost there!
Basically, the FP scanner has lots of adhesive on it, so get things hot. Most of it should probably be done from the back of the phone, but you'll wanna heat it a bit from the inside too. BEWARE THE BATTERY. BATTERIES LIKE TO EXPLODE IF THEY GET HOT OR COME FROM SAMSUNG. TRY TO AVOID THAT.
Once you've got enough heat, using a clever combination of scraping (a razor blade would probably work nicely here) and pushing through the FP sensor on the back (since it's just held in with now-weakened glue) should get the thing out.
Your phone should look like this. Keep in mind I removed that button cover at right. Don't do that, but just so you don't freak when yours is still there (it is re-attachable, but it's a PITA, so just don't). You're good. Breathe.
Hurrah!
Part 6: Putting in the New Scanner
I think common sense dictates this part, but it is technically the crowning moment, so....
Basically, the one you got from your supplier of choice should have a bunch of tape on its outward (aka, toward the spot you press, back of the phone location) face, and a little more on the actual scanner. Remove these protective films, carefully orient the scanner so it matches the pre-removal picture above, and then press it in and let the adhesive do its thing. The squarish bit on the blue (not light blue) should stick down slightly. You could always use some basic adhesive or something, but it's really not a problem.
Part 7: Putting it Back Together
So, I'll skimp a bit (do ask if you really need me to expand) on this, as it's basically just this tutorial in reverse. However, I do feel it important to mention a few notes so it goes smoothly for you.
- The FP scanner wraps around onto the mainboard; make sure you've got it through when placing the board.
- The battery (yellow) and lower-mainboard (red) connectors really like to get underneath the mainboard as you're sliding it back in. Maybe use some tape or something as a temporary measure to prevent that.
- I've found sliding the board in from the left-bottom toward the right-top seems to work well. Be careful of the buttons flex connector (green). It really likes getting trapped in there - keep in mind it goes ABOVE the board.
Provided you've gotten the board put back in properly again, screw it in, and mount the flex cables.
The general trick with these is get them close to the location. Try and press them in (nicely!) with your fingers until you get a click. If you do, use the spudger and sort of press along its top like you would on a zip-loc bag or such. They should all click right in. Make sure they're all attached before going further. You may need some pliers for putting the antenna back on. It basically just squeezes onto the little peg you took it off of.
Once the mainboard is seated, push the front-facing camera a bit to make sure it's stuck cozily in; if you took it off, at this point make sure to reattach the proximity sensor (magenta in the cable diagram). It'll feed up through a hole in the top leftish area of the metal backplate. Once the plate is in place, push this around a little too, it should be like the camera and fit cozily in.
For the screen, Try it out before putting the backplate back on, just to avoid anything stupid. Once it's good, take it out, put the backplate on (careful of the proximity sensor! Make sure you thread it through the hole as you're doing this), and put the screen cable back in.
Careful with the orientation at the bottom - I sort of don't get such great LED on the capacitive keys anymore. It's probably a bit misaligned. You may wish to heat around the edges of the phone fairly briefly just to make the adhesive stickier again.
Screen on!
Part 8: Software and Getting it to Work
Provided it's not a bad scanner (factory defect when it was sent or something) you should have a working scanner.
Depending on your software, particularly with custom roms, you may not feel like it. That's OK. What you need to do is:
BACK UP YOUR DATA (I told you! See! I told you!)
Flash one of the EUI stock roms. Wipe all data on the phone.
Skip through the setup, and go into settings. Clean your scanner, and click "Calibrate Scanner" in the Fingerprint and Security menu. Try setting up an FP. IF it works, wonderful! If not... well.... hopefully your scanner you just bought isn't bad. I don't really know much about this part of things, so... you're on your own. Let's assume it works. Positive thoughts.
Once you've done this and you've successfully added/tested a fingerprint, you should be at liberty to flash what you like - provided it's not what killed it in the first place. I'm using AOSPEx 8.1 at the moment, and the FP is actually more responsive on that than stock EUI.
Follow rooting tutorials and stuff for this part. I've already written enough.
END OF GUIDE
I hope this helps anyone looking to replace the scanner. Let me know if it can be improved or I'm missing things/clarifications. If you need additional assistance there are tons of Hindi or Portuguese repair guides on YouTube that you can at least follow in principle. If you speak either of those languages fluently, probably best to use those instead of this guide as those people seem to do it for a living. There are tons of offers for parts on Aliexpress, so just look through and pick something that looks good - make sure it has plenty of feedback though, and actually read it where possible.
Good luck!
very nice! thanks!
Excellent post!
I kinda messed up and now my **** is stuck in my car's exhaust system. ?? Please help.
Can we please not junk this up with unoriginal jokes? I'd prefer the only content is clarifications/suggestions or legitimate help requests.
I am happy to se this precisious tutorial with screenshots, thanks for your work for community ! )