[Q] Question About Swapping Motherboards - Droid Incredible Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting

I am one of the "lucky" few who have a phone that reboots when using GPS Navigation and now pretty much while doing anything intensive on the phone. When it reboots I get the 5 vibrations and flashing green LED. A battery pull and sometimes a long wait period are required to get it back up and running until it chooses to reboot again (same cycle). Flashing back to stock and un-rooting does not help, nor does flashing a different radio (I've tried them all). Anyway, this problem is all over the net and it seems the only cure is replacing the phone. I don't have that option because I have no warranty.
Enough of the background....
I am planning to purchase a 'for parts' Inc off Ebay. There are several where the screen is just broken but everything else supposedly works (clean ESNs). I intend to buy one of those and basically transplant the motherboard into mine. I've had mine apart already, so I know I can perform the task.
My questions...
1) What if the 'parts' phone I purchase has a SLCD screen? I plan to use my AMOLED screen. Would it work to use my AMOLED screen with a motherboard from a a phone that currently has an SLCD?
2) Any other reasons my proposed methodology won't work? I don't plan to replace anything that required soldering, so this should be pretty straight forward.

Epicardium said:
I am one of the "lucky" few who have a phone that reboots when using GPS Navigation and now pretty much while doing anything intensive on the phone. When it reboots I get the 5 vibrations and flashing green LED. A battery pull and sometimes a long wait period are required to get it back up and running until it chooses to reboot again (same cycle). Flashing back to stock and un-rooting does not help, nor does flashing a different radio (I've tried them all). Anyway, this problem is all over the net and it seems the only cure is replacing the phone. I don't have that option because I have no warranty.
Enough of the background....
I am planning to purchase a 'for parts' Inc off Ebay. There are several where the screen is just broken but everything else supposedly works (clean ESNs). I intend to buy one of those and basically transplant the motherboard into mine. I've had mine apart already, so I know I can perform the task.
My questions...
1) What if the 'parts' phone I purchase has a SLCD screen? I plan to use my AMOLED screen. Would it work to use my AMOLED screen with a motherboard from a a phone that currently has an SLCD?
2) Any other reasons my proposed methodology won't work? I don't plan to replace anything that required soldering, so this should be pretty straight forward.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The AMOLED device won't work in the SLCD device because the drive electronics integrated into the board for the AMOLED are different.

loonatik78 said:
The AMOLED device won't work in the SLCD device because the drive electronics integrated into the board for the AMOLED are different.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thank you. That's just the information I was looking for. <mashing the ty button>

My Dinc had the same problem as yours. Basically the ball array that connects the processor to the board is failing.
Take a look at this thread..
Solving the thermal problems of HD2 or other snapdragon
I heated my processor and managed to save my phone. It is definitely a last ditch effort, but if you are going to buy another motherboard it might be worth a shot.

HillsRider said:
My Dinc had the same problem as yours. Basically the ball array that connects the processor to the board is failing.
Take a look at this thread..
Solving the thermal problems of HD2 or other snapdragon
I heated my processor and managed to save my phone. It is definitely a last ditch effort, but if you are going to buy another motherboard it might be worth a shot.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Wow... That's pretty hard-core phone repair! Just...... Wow.

I had done just the basic pc builds & repairs until I attempted this. It was a little intimidating, but I love my phone again!

Related

What do i do now that HTC has screwed me over?

Just to give you a brief rundown of everything that's happened..
I'm 17 and saved up for a few months to buy a HTC One X. Needless to say, it's probably the most expensive phone i've ever owned, since all my other phones were hand-me-downs and old phones from eBay.
This morning i wake up and go to work as usual. Just to find my phone's display won't switch on. As you can imagine, I'm tirelessly panicking and try the 3 button combo.. to no avail.
Using Fastboot to reboot didn't work either.
This phone turned into a brick overnight, and i have no idea what happened??
Just before i left for work, i did check my phone and it was working alright.. Then five minutes later, it won't display anything.
The thing is, I can't take it back to HTC either because this is my 5th replacement phone!
First one had black glue smudged on the LCD it's self,
Second one had the screen not glued down and wasn't aligned,
Third one didn't even have any glue applied and the case wasn't even attached properly,
Forth one had this problem where the screen's LCD would dilate if i touched it - even lightly,
and this one is my 5th, the antenna wasn't properly connected and now the screen doesn't work.
I've had terrible luck, and i don't know what i can do?
If you can give me any information to get me out of this, it would be much appreciated.
Although i still can receive text's and calls fine, it's just the display..
Since you’re unlocked and running a non-stock kernel and ROM, maybe some of the dev-ish folks can help you resuscitate it if it’s indeed a s/w problem.
If it’s a h/w problem, what to do depends on where you bought the phone and how old it is. If it’s within the remorse/DOA period maybe you can exchange it. It’ll be hard for whoever you bought it from to see you’ve unlocked it if nothing’s showing on the display.
If it’s outside of the exchange period you’ll have to send it in for repair. If you can’t bring it back to life to flash it back to stock you’ll have to throw yourself on the mercy of HTC Asia in getting it fixed unlocked. HTC's different repair centers seem to all have different policies related to warranty coverage for h/w faults on unlocked phones. If it is a dead display maybe you’ll get lucky.
You might want to put a note in with it telling your “I’m 17” story and how devastated you are something you’ve worked so hard for has failed. Repair techs are people too. Good luck.
BarryH_GEG said:
Since you’re unlocked and running a non-stock kernel and ROM, maybe some of the dev-ish folks can help you resuscitate it if it’s indeed a s/w problem.
If it’s a h/w problem, what to do depends on where you bought the phone and how old it is. If it’s within the remorse/DOA period maybe you can exchange it. It’ll be hard for whoever you bought it from to see you’ve unlocked it if nothing’s showing on the display.
If it’s outside of the exchange period you’ll have to send it in for repair. If you can’t bring it back to life to flash it back to stock you’ll have to throw yourself on the mercy of HTC Asia in getting it fixed unlocked. HTC's different repair centers seem to all have different policies related to warranty coverage for h/w faults on unlocked phones. If it is a dead display maybe you’ll get lucky.
You might want to put a note in with it telling your “I’m 17” story and how devastated you are something you’ve worked so hard for has failed. Repair techs are people too. Good luck.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I shook the device out of frustration.. and it started working for a few seconds.
What's going on here? Is it a faulty display/connection? Is there a way to possibly just send it to a nearby phone shop and get it fixed?
Sorry about all the questions, I'm shocked, happy, and devastated all at the same time.
Are HTC refusing then? That seems a bit off/ illegal... Surely under the faulty goods act (I assume the law isn't THAT different in Australia to UK) they have to take it back as it CAN'T be a year old and they can't prove the issue was caused by your mistreatment. It doesn't matter how many phones you've had... Also, where did you buy the phone from? I think you should be able to return it through the shop as THEY sold you the phone, not HTC... They are still under an obligation as they sold you the thing.
Plus, the 'I'm a 17 year old and saved up for ages thing' might work too! I'd try not to get too technical with the law if you go down this route though!
Best of luck sorting this out. It's within your rights to get a replacement (you bought the phone new, I assume?) so I'm sure this will eventually work out. Don't give up! You just need to speak/ write to the right person...
sent from my internet
What rom were you on?
I remember my One X not charging at all while it was turned off completely although it showed Orange charging led.
It could be that you ran out of battery and phone not turning on. Due to no charging effect.
@Op,
Reading your story there's one thing that's crossing my mind.
Could it be possible the battery run dry during the night?
It sounds stupid but those things you forget easy when you're in a hurry or stressed.
I don't read anything in your post you tried to charge.
Atrixx said:
Just to give you a brief rundown of everything that's happened..
I'm 17 and saved up for a few months to buy a HTC One X. Needless to say, it's probably the most expensive phone i've ever owned, since all my other phones were hand-me-downs and old phones from eBay.
This morning i wake up and go to work as usual. Just to find my phone's display won't switch on. As you can imagine, I'm tirelessly panicking and try the 3 button combo.. to no avail.
Using Fastboot to reboot didn't work either.
This phone turned into a brick overnight, and i have no idea what happened??
Just before i left for work, i did check my phone and it was working alright.. Then five minutes later, it won't display anything.
The thing is, I can't take it back to HTC either because this is my 5th replacement phone!
First one had black glue smudged on the LCD it's self,
Second one had the screen not glued down and wasn't aligned,
Third one didn't even have any glue applied and the case wasn't even attached properly,
Forth one had this problem where the screen's LCD would dilate if i touched it - even lightly,
and this one is my 5th, the antenna wasn't properly connected and now the screen doesn't work.
I've had terrible luck, and i don't know what i can do?
If you can give me any information to get me out of this, it would be much appreciated.
Although i still can receive text's and calls fine, it's just the display..
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
privatetrousers said:
Are HTC refusing then?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes. But not in every region (yet). Do a search. It's been disucssed. Also, it appears Samsung's going down the same path.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1745834
BarryH_GEG said:
Yes. But not in every region (yet). Do a search. It's been disucssed. Also, it appears Samsung's going down the same path.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1745834
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Aware of the discussion... Using the xda app and didn't pick up that the phone's been 'HTCdev'd (my fault for not reading properly - sorry, folks!). Still not sure HTC/ Samsung can legally 'sign your rights away' though. Still, not a discussion for here...
Hope you got the phone sorted anyway.
sent from my internet
Atrixx said:
I shook the device out of frustration.. and it started working for a few seconds.
What's going on here? Is it a faulty display/connection? Is there a way to possibly just send it to a nearby phone shop and get it fixed?
Sorry about all the questions, I'm shocked, happy, and devastated all at the same time.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
How or who fixed ur antenna problem, could be related if handset wasnt but back together properly.

[Q] Samsung Captivate Blank Display

Hello,
Captivate Glide i927 replaced cracked screen
I replaced the cracked screen assembly and installed a new ribbon. The lower lights (home, search, back button etc) work and also the keyboard lights. The ATT chime sound works too but the display does not light up when powered on.
Connected the phone after replacing ribbon/ screen to the comp for Kies to back up and it is saying the phone is locked. It is the lock code that you set to keep others from accessing. Since the display does not light, the correct code can not be placed in. Can someone please place a picture of the unlock screen mode here? The display touch pad works so if the position of the numbers can be acquired, this may help me to get the phone files accessed and reset hoping to get the display working.
The phone is not rooted and upgraded to the ICS as of October 2012.
Up $86 for the ribbon and new screen and the repair shops want $100 plus the cost of possible parts needed. Would like to try my best so this route can be avoided.
Cheers,
Robert
By now the phone SIM is locked out. I believe there is a way to reboot the phone through a computer?
mer80cedes said:
By now the phone SIM is locked out. I believe there is a way to reboot the phone through a computer?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The only way I can think of is rebooting via adb. If you're not rooted (the "reboot" command in shell requires root, i don't know if "adb reboot" wants it), or haven't even turned on USB Debugging at all, then you're doomed.
However, since Odin-ing is not that hard (only requires several key pressing), you could try Odin in a custom recovery (or not, if you already have one), back your system up to external SD in tar or other formats, and then extract the data you want from the backed-up packages (I've done this with tar packages). If you ever need the screenshot of a particular version of recovery, ask again in this thread and I think we'll be more active (and easier) to help.
Sent from Samsung Captivate Glide @ CM10.1.2
AndyYan said:
The only way I can think of is rebooting via adb. If you're not rooted (the "reboot" command in shell requires root, i don't know if "adb reboot" wants it), or haven't even turned on USB Debugging at all, then you're doomed.
However, since Odin-ing is not that hard (only requires several key pressing), you could try Odin in a custom recovery (or not, if you already have one), back your system up to external SD in tar or other formats, and then extract the data you want from the backed-up packages (I've done this with tar packages). If you ever need the screenshot of a particular version of recovery, ask again in this thread and I think we'll be more active (and easier) to help.
Sent from Samsung Captivate Glide @ CM10.1.2
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thank you AndYan.
This Captivate has only been upgraded to the Sandwich version. Non-rooted nor modified in any other way. The only reason to remove the files is due to it having solar cell module prototype designs and concepts on it (Reason why it can not be shipped out for professional repairs). Since most of the information was wrote on paper, it's best to just wipe the phone out completely to get it back to working condition for use again.
This is quite interesting learning about programming and such since I have never done this before. Just like building cars, took many many years to do and this programming is just another cool thing to learn about
It takes a special knowledge and experience to understand the programming of Odin and phones which I do not comprehend, I will be destroying the motherboard with a hammer and tossing it out. It is way too much to understand how to set coding and such. Best off investing in another phone and moving on.
The parts that will be saved if anyone can use will be the ribbon strip and also brand new display screen.
Paid $86 for the display and will sell for $75 free shipping with insurance.
Ribbon strip will be $20 free shipping with insurance. If both are wanted $95 free shipping.
Since I do love the Captivate so much another will be purchased.
mer80cedes said:
It takes a special knowledge and experience to understand the programming of Odin and phones which I do not comprehend, I will be destroying the motherboard with a hammer and tossing it out. It is way too much to understand how to set coding and such. Best off investing in another phone and moving on.
The parts that will be saved if anyone can use will be the ribbon strip and also brand new display screen.
Paid $86 for the display and will sell for $75 free shipping with insurance.
Ribbon strip will be $20 free shipping with insurance. If both are wanted $95 free shipping.
Since I do love the Captivate so much another will be purchased.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You mean you smashed your Glide?! God, I just had mine 5 days ago. Anyway, hope my tip still helps when you're in any smaller trouble next time.
AndyYan said:
You mean you smashed your Glide?! God, I just had mine 5 days ago. Anyway, hope my tip still helps when you're in any smaller trouble next time.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No way lol! Only the mother board will be smashed to save the data on it from being used again. All of the other parts will be saved since another Captivate will be getting purchased.
mer80cedes said:
No way lol! Only the mother board will be smashed to save the data on it from being used again. All of the other parts will be saved since another Captivate will be getting purchased.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That's still sad to see. Why not just solder off the storage chip, somehow destroy it, and find a similar model chip to replace it?
EDIT: I guess the Samsung-proprietary partition table and some data on special partitions like EFS are not reconstructible on a blank new chip. Then you did the easiest choice possible.
Sent from Google Nexus 4 @ CM10.2
Is it cool for someone to take a photo of their Captivate i927 when it is at the display for the personal unlock code (PIN). It will make a good reference point enough to possibly use my touch screen to unlock my cell to reboot. Just have to get the location of the numbers and also the OK button.
After many hours research (great learning experience), the phone was done on master reset without needing to see the screen. At least now it can be sent out to get repaired without the personal information being potentially taken by another.
Done
mer80cedes said:
After many hours research (great learning experience), the phone was done on master reset without needing to see the screen. At least now it can be sent out to get repaired without the personal information being potentially taken by another.
Done
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Woohoo, so no need to smash anything? You did an awesome deed to keep a nice phone alive

[Q] Working device, dead screen

A friend recently sent me her "retired" Galaxy Note II. She replaced it because at some point the screen stopped turning on altogether, but she still wanted me to see if I can salvage it somehow. I've tried, with no luck, and searches on the topic don't seem to suggest any solutions other than the fact that it may be a hardware issue. While I can accept this possibility, I'm really hoping that it is not the case because at this point I don't think it would be worth investing the time and money to buy the parts, learn how to replace them, and attempt it. If anyone has any ideas I'd be very grateful. Here are the symptoms:
The display NEVER turns on. It is in a constant state of pitch black.
The sounds are working fine. When I get an email, for example, it notifies me.
The hardware button works
The software buttons do not work
Upon connecting the device to a monitor, keyboard and mouse, the monitor works, however the keyboard and mouse do not. (I use the same monitor, keyboard and mouse with my Galaxy S4 and they all work fine.)
Touch interaction with the screen is working properly. Using the monitor, I am able to use the device, but it is very tricky, as it is simply a matter of trial and error. I tap on a black screen and have to look on the monitor to see if I hit my target.
The device is on the stock TouchWiz that came with it, and is not rooted. Since I am pretty sure that doing any mods without a working display would be more difficult than I could tolerate, I opted to take an OTA instead, despite the fact that it may make rooting and flashing ROM's impossible in the future. I hope I didn't screw myself by doing that but I had to make an executive decision. Here is what I've tried so far:
Factory reset
Update to the latest software (Android 4.3)
Pulled battery, held power button for 10 seconds while battery was out, replaced battery and powered device on.
I'd greatly appreciate any suggestions. Ideally, here is what I'd like to happen: get the display to turn on and restore functionality to the software buttons. This may not be possible without replacing some hardware components, which as I mentioned is not an option, but if it is I'd really like to give it a shot. Thanks in advance for any suggestions.
My initial guess would be a digitizer failure...
A phone drop or water damage can easily render a phone dead...
You have the option of replacing the screen and digitizer at a cost of about $225.00 for the needed parts...but it's still no guarantee that the fix would be 100% successful...
My honest opinion is this...
Given the unknown history of the device...you are taking an expensive chance in attempting a repair...
And given the age of the device....the repair if performed by a qualified repair service would push the cost very near to the overall value of the device...
For the same dollars spent...you can obtain any number of working devices and save yourself the hassle...and the unknowns associated with a repair that will likely work...but again may not...
You are of course free to attempt the repair...but....
The skill level needed to perform a "proper" repair of the device is high...and you would need to study up on the process extensively before cracking open that case...
If I were in your situation...the choice would be to sell the device for parts....and put that cash back into a working device...
Others will chime in I'm sure with their recommendations....but I would choose to move on...g
Sent from my NOTE 2.750...
Courtesy of our amazing developers...
gregsarg said:
My initial guess would be a digitizer failure...
A phone drop or water damage can easily render a phone dead...
You have the option of replacing the screen and digitizer at a cost of about $225.00 for the needed parts...but it's still no guarantee that the fix would be 100% successful...
My honest opinion is this...
Given the unknown history of the device...you are taking an expensive chance in attempting a repair...
And given the age of the device....the repair if performed by a qualified repair service would push the cost very near to the overall value of the device...
For the same dollars spent...you can obtain any number of working devices and save yourself the hassle...and the unknowns associated with a repair that will likely work...but again may not...
You are of course free to attempt the repair...but....
The skill level needed to perform a "proper" repair of the device is high...and you would need to study up on the process extensively before cracking open that case...
If I were in your situation...the choice would be to sell the device for parts....and put that cash back into a working device...
Others will chime in I'm sure with their recommendations....but I would choose to move on...g
Sent from my NOTE 2.750...
Courtesy of our amazing developers...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for the reply, and sorry I didn't see it sooner (I always forget to subscribe to threads). I figured this was probably not a fixable problem (at least not easily/economically fixable). But I wanted to see if there were any quick fixes I could try, and it sounds like there aren't. With that said, if anyone does want it for parts I'd let it go for a reasonable price (considering the damage and lack of functionality) through Swappa. (Sorry if I'm not supposed to make these kinds of offers here, if that is the case I'll gladly remove it.)

[Q] SDS? Hardware or Software Issue?

I am in need of help! My phone is dead. Here's the rundown
AT&T Samsung Galaxy Note II (i317)
Used on the Straight Talk Network
Running the latest Unofficial CM12, Lollipop 5.01 for the last week and loved every bit of it. No problems.
I cracked my screen in July and never got it fixed. The cracks spread and I was planning on getting it fixed, but haven't yet. I dropped it two days ago and then the screen wouldn't come back on. The buttons lit up and it would even ring when called. So I thought my screen was finally gone and started looking for a replacement. I took the battery out because I didn't want it ringing without the ability to answer it. Yesterday I put the fully charged battery in and attempted to turn the phone back on. It will not come back on and I think it's more than just the screen now.
Red LED blinks. Half of the screen seems like it is turning on, but then it all goes dark again. Will not enter Download or Recovery. I've been reading and thinking this is more of a hardware issue than software. I've flashed dozens of Roms with only minor issues here and there. I haven't had any issue with Lollipop and can't see it being related, although I could really be wrong.
My question is, is my phone dead? Do I need a new motherboard, along with the screen I was already gonna replace? If that's the case, I will just replace the phone and start over, unless anyone has free parts they want to donate, LOL! Seriously, just looking for input and suggestions.
Thanks
dirtyalphaman said:
I am in need of help! My phone is dead. Here's the rundown
AT&T Samsung Galaxy Note II (i317)
Used on the Straight Talk Network
Running the latest Unofficial CM12, Lollipop 5.01 for the last week and loved every bit of it. No problems.
I cracked my screen in July and never got it fixed. The cracks spread and I was planning on getting it fixed, but haven't yet. I dropped it two days ago and then the screen wouldn't come back on. The buttons lit up and it would even ring when called. So I thought my screen was finally gone and started looking for a replacement. I took the battery out because I didn't want it ringing without the ability to answer it. Yesterday I put the fully charged battery in and attempted to turn the phone back on. It will not come back on and I think it's more than just the screen now.
Red LED blinks. Half of the screen seems like it is turning on, but then it all goes dark again. Will not enter Download or Recovery. I've been reading and thinking this is more of a hardware issue than software. I've flashed dozens of Roms with only minor issues here and there. I haven't had any issue with Lollipop and can't see it being related, although I could really be wrong.
My question is, is my phone dead? Do I need a new motherboard, along with the screen I was already gonna replace? If that's the case, I will just replace the phone and start over, unless anyone has free parts they want to donate, LOL! Seriously, just looking for input and suggestions.
Thanks
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I see a bunch of views................but not replies. Please Help............Bump!
dirtyalphaman said:
I see a bunch of views................but not replies. Please Help............Bump!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
There's pretty much nothing to say, but I guess I will.
You can't get to download mode, can't get to recovery mode, you can't see the screen......
If you're looking for a second opinion to say you're f*cked, then consider this it.
If you could get to download mode or recovery mode, it has a chance. But you still have hardware issues like the screen to replace. Which is not fun.
Possible yes. But unless you really know what you're doing and careful as hell, you take the chance of hosing something else up. Like ripping a ribbon cable or yanking a soldered wire out....
I tried replacing a Motorola Atrix screen. The result of that was me buying an Atrix 2.
Unless you are emotionally attached to this phone, bury it.
If not,
https://www.ifixit.com/Device/Samsung_Galaxy_Note_II#guideList
http://www.sw-box.com/Samsung-Galaxy-Note-2-Replacement-Parts.html?p=1
I did some quick searches and doesn't appear to be any kind souls out there with spare parts. You may want to try CraigList or something like that.
Good luck to you
dicksteele said:
There's pretty much nothing to say, but I guess I will.
You can't get to download mode, can't get to recovery mode, you can't see the screen......
If you're looking for a second opinion to say you're f*cked, then consider this it.
If you could get to download mode or recovery mode, it has a chance. But you still have hardware issues like the screen to replace. Which is not fun.
Possible yes. But unless you really know what you're doing and careful as hell, you take the chance of hosing something else up. Like ripping a ribbon cable or yanking a soldered wire out....
I tried replacing a Motorola Atrix screen. The result of that was me buying an Atrix 2.
Unless you are emotionally attached to this phone, bury it.
If not,
https://www.ifixit.com/Device/Samsung_Galaxy_Note_II#guideList
http://www.sw-box.com/Samsung-Galaxy-Note-2-Replacement-Parts.html?p=1
I did some quick searches and doesn't appear to be any kind souls out there with spare parts. You may want to try CraigList or something like that.
Good luck to you
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hey, Thanks man! That's what I needed to hear. I have been flashing Roms since I had a Sprint PPC 6700 and I have enough experience to now I was f#@$ed, but I really needed to hear it from someone else. Someone with developer experience. A screen assembly and motherboard cost more than another phone on ebay or Swappa. Welp, back to the drawing board. Anyone got a note 2 they wanna sell cheap?
dirtyalphaman said:
Hey, Thanks man! That's what I needed to hear. I have been flashing Roms since I had a Sprint PPC 6700 and I have enough experience to now I was f#@$ed, but I really needed to hear it from someone else. Someone with developer experience. A screen assembly and motherboard cost more than another phone on ebay or Swappa. Welp, back to the drawing board. Anyone got a note 2 they wanna sell cheap?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No worries.
Feb 3 I'll be on 2 years with my Note 2. Longest I've kept one. Only have one smallish crack on the lower left corner.
With everything I've done to it I'm amazed it's still working.

Severe brightness issue (screen largely unusable)

Hi all, I have a problem with my stock T-Mobile US S9. A few months ago this weird thing happened where if I turned on my screen immediately after it turned itself off, only the top few lines would be visible. The whole screen would take input, but you could only see a little below the status bar, maybe. If I waited a bit and then turned the screen on, it would work normally, with the whole screen visible and looking fine.
It's gotten progressively worse to the point where this happens most of the time I turn the screen on. However, I've found two workarounds:
1) My Always On Display is set to turn on when I tap the phone. If I do that, the AOD works as normal, and if I then turn on the phone screen the phone screen works fine. This only works when Always on display is set to turn on on tap. It does not work if AOD is set to always be on.
2) If, when my screen is glitching out I hold the screen up to a reeaally bright light (like inches from a lightbulb), the rest of the screen turns on. It's weirdly green tinted and kind of stuttery.
Turning off automatic brightness does not fix this issue. If tried booting in safe mode and even factory resetting the phone. Issue still persists, including on screens like when the phone enters recovery mode.
The fact that I can get the screen working normally using workaround #1 makes me think this is a software issue, but the fact that it happens on the recovery screen makes me think it's pretty low-level. Any ideas? Anyone else had a similar issue?
I gave Samsung tech support a call and the level 1 tech I spoke with seemed to think that it was a software issue and that I should bring it in to be looked at by a technician. I'm in Maine at the moment and there's no Samsung or UBreakIFix stores within two hours, so she suggested taking it to Best Buy to look at. Not amazingly helpful or surprising.
If it's a software issue though... I mean this is my fourth Android phone and I've rooted and flashed ROMs on all the previous phones anyway. I don't want to lose Samsung Pay, so I'd rather not unlock the bootloader, but is there a way to flash the stock operating system or something? The exact model number is SM-G960U
It's a firmware or hardware issue not software as a reload* would have fixed it.
The firmware has been corrupted (needs reflashed) or there's been a hardware failure.
Best to send it in for repair or take it the a Samsung Experience Center as they can reflash the stock rom and have advanced diagnostic tools.
*make sure all system apks are running on factory load and have not been updated after the reload.
Updates, destroyers of worlds...
blackhawk said:
It's a firmware or hardware issue not software as a reload* would have fixed it.
The firmware has been corrupted (needs reflashed) or there's been a hardware failure.
Best to send it in for repair or take it the a Samsung Experience Center as they can reflash the stock rom and have advanced diagnostic tools.
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Click to collapse
If that’s really necessary I’ll do it. But the closest place is out of state and when I called them said it would take 4 hours just to do a diagnostic. That plus the round trip... if there’s a way I can save some time, I’d like to.
For example, if one possibility is a stock firmware reflash, that’s something I’ve never done before on a Samsung device, but not very different from things I feel comfortable doing. I've flashed roms and rooted many android devices in the past. From a preliminary search , it looks like there's even a leaked tool online to do so from Samsung called Odin and that I just need to find the latest SM-G960U image with the right "csc" code for my carrier (I think TMB for T Mobile US). What would be even better is if one of those diagnostic tools you mentioned leaked the same way that Odin did.
Any recommendations on either diagnostic software or firmware reflashing? Or would you strongly advise leaving that kind of thing alone? I would like to still use things like Samsung Pay at the end of all this.
jptiger said:
If that’s really necessary I’ll do it. But the closest place is out of state and when I called them said it would take 4 hours just to do a diagnostic. That plus the round trip... if there’s a way I can save some time, I’d like to.
For example, if one possibility is a stock firmware reflash, that’s something I’ve never done before on a Samsung device, but not very different from things I feel comfortable doing. I've flashed roms and rooted many android devices in the past. From a preliminary search , it looks like there's even a leaked tool online to do so from Samsung called Odin and that I just need to find the latest SM-G960U image with the right "csc" code for my carrier (I think TMB for T Mobile US). What would be even better is if one of those diagnostic tools you mentioned leaked the same way that Odin did.
Any recommendations on either diagnostic software or firmware reflashing? Or would you strongly advise leaving that kind of thing alone? I would like to still use things like Samsung Pay at the end of all this.
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Click to collapse
If it's under warranty let Samsung deal with it. A good tech with experience is invaluable.
Rather then waste time the extra ride might end up being the easiest solution. You could also next or 2nd day it to the center and back, make sure it's insured and packaged well.
blackhawk said:
If it's under warranty let Samsung deal with it. A good tech with experience is invaluable.
Rather then waste time the extra ride might end up being the easiest solution. You could also next or 2nd day it to the center and back, make sure it's insured and packaged well.
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Click to collapse
That makes complete sense for something under warranty, but unfortunately my phone isn't. The S9 is about three years old now, and the Samsung rep was quick to tell me that the device was no longer covered. It looks like a mail-in repair service would cost about $175, which I'm theoretically willing to pay, but not if I can just handle on my own for free.
jptiger said:
That makes complete sense for something under warranty, but unfortunately my phone isn't. The S9 is about three years old now, and the Samsung rep was quick to tell me that the device was no longer covered. It looks like a mail-in repair service would cost about $175, which I'm theoretically willing to pay, but not if I can just handle on my own for free.
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In that case you have nothing to lose by reflashing it. Hopefully that gets it.
Otherwise it be hardware... probably a good chance this actually the cause.
The good news is the 9's are available for a couple hundred in good condition if need be.
I was considering getting the 9 as a second phone (have the 10+) as the 10+'s haven't come down much in price.
Samsung current lineup sucks.
Huh. Well, before reflashing, I tried something I found other people suggesting for a related problem: https://eu.community.samsung.com/t5...t-bars-black-screen-issue/td-p/1745470/page/7
It's an app called OLED Saver. It's not perfect, the screen still has an odd green tint to it unless I use one of the tricks I was describing above. But I no longer have the issue where most of the screen isn't visible.
I might try reflashing anyway, will post results if I do.
Yeah, no joy. Reflashed by downloading the latest firmware using Frija for SM-G960U with TMB as the CSC, and flashed using Odin v3.13.3. If anything the problem is slightly worse now, but OLED Saver still mostly seems to fix it. I guess it's just a hardware issue with a weird software workaround...
Same type of brightness problem here as you describe, on my new S9 (G960U) - - Model starqltesq - CSS XAA
The product is under guarantee, but as it is imported from Hongkong to France, I don't have accesss to the Samsung local representatives and have probably to send it back to Hongkong ...
I will keep you updated if I learn something about the problem and the solution ....
Wiping the cache partition stopped this happening for me for around 24 hours but it came back this morning. On the Note9 forums someone posted that setting animations to .5 in dev options fixes this. I will try it.
Bhonka said:
Wiping the cache partition stopped this happening for me for around 24 hours but it came back this morning. On the Note9 forums someone posted that setting animations to .5 in dev options fixes this. I will try it.
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Click to collapse
Disable animations instead. It wastes resources. Personally I like seeing a fast, snappy OS do it's thing with no middle man needed. Lol, you end up waiting for the animations rather than the OS.
I've heard of people flashing custom roms and that resolved the issue permenetly, but can't find anyone willing to give some real feedback. I posted a topic asking this question, but haven't gotten any replies..
Not very helpful, but a work around could be to use Screen Filter
I temporary fixing my S9+ green screen issue by uninstalling the NFC module.
Unfortunately, this option make us cant charging the phone.
Maybe some one expert in hardware mod can do better.
Eve&Me said:
I temporary fixing my S9+ green screen issue by uninstalling the NFC module.
Unfortunately, this option make us cant charging the phone.
Maybe some one expert in hardware mod can do better.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hey could you explain what exactly did you uninstall and how?
After uninstalling it wireless charing stopped working or what did you mean by cant charge the phone?
Did it fully resolve the green screen issue?
Some people noticed that problem after upgrade Android 9 to 10.
At this moment we have some facts:
1) OLED saver temporary solves problem
2) disconnect NFC module solves problem, some people on xda and on the yt confirm that
3) heating back cover using heat gun can help - I Discovered that some weeks ago
Interesting comment from the yt:
Sour Words
Sorry to say this, but green screen issue is a hardware fault not something an update can fix. One of the updates from Samsung is causing the CPU to over heat and in return permanently damaging the oled screen. Not only that but also compromising the battery as well. The only fix is the replacement of both the oled screen and battery. This repair is entirely the fault of Samsung due to a faulty update that over works the CPU capacity. Therefore my advice is for you to return your device back to Samsung and lodge an assessment request. They charge a small fee for the assessment, but the entire repair should be compensated by Samsung. Be firm and keep the pressure via emailing them to insist on Samsung covering the repair costs. My Note 9 is almost 3 years old when green screen issue happened. They fixed the entire thing free of charge. But I kept firm and didn't let them bully me into charging me for the repairs, which was their fault in the first place. I must admit, my phone despite its age, is in perfect condition. Not a scratch on it. Which I know contributed winning my argument for the repairs. So if you have psychical damage, I doubt you will have a chance. Good luck to all who will give this successful method a go.
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Click to collapse
mreminemfan4ewver said:
Hey could you explain what exactly did you uninstall and how?
After uninstalling it wireless charing stopped working or what did you mean by cant charge the phone?
Did it fully resolve the green screen issue?
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Click to collapse
When we disassembly NFC Module, the phone will give LOW TEMPERATURE warning. And make us cant charge the phone

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