I thought this was worth sharing, this is my second thread ever on XDA and hope it helps somebody.
Quick story about my case:
I tried software fixes, ROMs, and made a lot of reading, when I finally figured it could be an antenna issue, I decided to give myself a try on my cellphone repair skills, turns out I turned a “nearly dead” GPS taking 10 minutes to lock into a “better than average” GPS taking 20 seconds to lock. Time taken for the task, 15 minutes, time suffering from bad GPS signal, 1 year, go figure.
Let’s see if you are a candidate to try this solution:
- You must be sure this isn’t a software related issue (i.e. my GPS works with X rom but it doesn’t with Y rom, that would certainly be a software issue).
- You CAN get a GPS lock but the signal is weak (i.e. constantly dropping signal in an area where you are sure another phone works fine) or GPS locks takes up to 5 minutes (and you already tried a software fix to speed up GPS lock).
- You’re phone is relatively old (i.e. it was bought when it came out, although I’m sure the quantity is low, I assume there are still E98X phones which are brand new and I would not recommend disassembling a brand new phone).
- You have experience opening cellphones (i.e. experience using small phillips screwdriver, gently popping frames/housing/covers, putting back in position plastic buttons before re-assebly).
Before we start, quick explanation on what may be happening to your phone if you are a candidate:
- Presumably, the GPS antenna (and Bluetooth, 3G/4G as well) is making poor contact with the springs on your phone.
- This phone uses contact springs for pretty much everything (see attached picture for springs locations of antennas), so these springs and/or the antenna contacts eventually bent away from each other and lower your GPS, Bluetooth, 3G/4G signals.
Here is what you need to do:
- Remove the back cover, and remove the back frame (See the following video from minute 0:00 to 1:50 for disassembly of backframe https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S9OJRtf39QA).
- Inspect every spring and antenna contacts (see attached pictures for antenna springs and pad locations), make sure they are not rusted or damaged, else you need a replacement part for it (for antenna pads, you may want to clean those with isopropyl alcohol if you have some).
- Using a soft, thin, *plastic* tool (thinner than a credit card, but sturdier than paper), lift every spring you see up to 10 degrees (see attached picture for reference) and wiggle it up and down to force it to stay tilted up about 10 degrees (don’t force it up more than 15 degrees when wiggling or you risk to break the spring, there are quite a few of springs, I remember at least 5 pairs, so make sure you get them all done).
- Revert all disassembly made (See the following video from minute 6:32 to 7:51 for reassembly https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9QxLa5rXX7Y), and VOILA!! your GPS signal came to life again (and hopefully your Bluetooth and 3G/4G are enjoying the new perks too!)
-Additionally, better 3G/4G signal does save battery, your cellphone amplifiers require less work and produces less heating too.
Disclaimer: I’m not responsible for damage to your phone, this guide is intended for an grown up audience who takes responsibilities of their own actions.
Reserved
Jose-MXL said:
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I was looking for something like this. Thanks very much..........
Let me know if you need anything else (i.e. more detailed instructions) and report back your results, unfortunately for the audience, I didn't take pictures of the process since I wasn't sure it was going to work (and then just took the picture of the NFC springs), so if you can take some pictures of how the contacts looks in the inside, that would awesome, I can update the main post with these, there is quite a few springs inside so you want to make sure you get them all in shape.
I forgot to say in the main post, better 3G/4G signals give a lot less of work to the amplifiers, which means less phone heating and less battery consumption, this is a nice service to do to a 2 year old phone like mine.
Enclosed is a picture from a replacement mid frame cover. Could you please use something like ms paint to circle which pins you bent upward? Looking at my Optimus G Pro 980 Mid frame cover and motherboard/logicboard I do not see these........
Jose-MXL said:
Let me know if you need anything else (i.e. more detailed instructions) and report back your results, unfortunately for the audience, I didn't take pictures of the process since I wasn't sure it was going to work (and then just took the picture of the NFC springs), so if you can take some pictures of how the contacts looks in the inside, that would awesome, I can update the main post with these, there is quite a few springs inside so you want to make sure you get them all in shape.
I forgot to say in the main post, better 3G/4G signals give a lot less of work to the amplifiers, which means less phone heating and less battery consumption, this is a nice service to do to a 2 year old phone like mine.
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jmacguire said:
Enclosed is a picture from a replacement mid frame cover. Could you please use something like ms paint to circle which pins you bent upward? Looking at my Optimus G Pro 980 Mid frame cover and motherboard/logicboard I do not see these........
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UPDATE:
See main post, I got a picture from somewhere else for the spring locations.
Actually my friend, that picture only shows the pads for the antennas, try to match it with your phone and see where they contact, these are going to be the springs, they don't look like spiral springs, these are other type of springs which I don't recall the name but they are more like a V shape, and one of the sides is attached to the board and the other one "springs" up and down, let me know if you got it or I will open my phone again, just for you! (no kidding)
Also, if I were you I would try to do the same for all pairs of springs I see on the motherboard, there is a pair for the speakerphone and one more down the board for something else.
GPS finally fixing
Thank you so much for this post. Before this solution, I tried different roms, gps fixing apps, disabling carrierIQ, editing the gps.conf file to add "better" servers, etc. This is the only solution that really worked. Now I am getting a GPS fix in 10 to 15 seconds where before it was up to a minute or more. I have an LG E980 (ATT Version).
As directed, I turned off the phone, removed the rear case back, removed the battery+sd card+sim card, removed the screws in the back panel of the phone and then separated the back panel from the front panel to expose the circuit boards and spring contacts. Then, I cleaned all the spring contacts and their mating flat contacts on the back panel with alcohol. Then I bent all of the spring contacts up slightly, re-seated the back panel making sure the side buttons were in the correct place (I do not believe the quickmemo and power buttons are interchangeable even though they are the same size fyi), and then secured the screws back in place.
Thank you!
Way to go buddy, I'm glad I could help you and that you were able to follow those horrendous instructions, I can't be sure on your case since yours wasn't as bad as mine, but on my case it also improved 4G reception overall, these antennas are used for pretty much everything so it would only be logical to get better signal on all the services, this is a "must" service on old E98X phones, perhaps nearly half of the GPS and bluetooth issues on the forum are due to this plus a weak or faulty software filtering not helping.
any info how to increase the wifi antenna? could this be the white cable?
Sent from my LG-E980 using XDA Free mobile app
I've quit using my OG Pro because the GPS is so poor. Hard to get a fix and drops constantly. Glad I stumbled on this, and will give it a try.
Can you point out which springs are specific to the GPS antenna? I suppose I can try to work with all the springs, but with my luck, I 'll break something that was working fine.
fungo45 said:
I've quit using my OG Pro because the GPS is so poor. Hard to get a fix and drops constantly. Glad I stumbled on this, and will give it a try.
Can you point out which springs are specific to the GPS antenna? I suppose I can try to work with all the springs, but with my luck, I 'll break something that was working fine.
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I don't know which ones they are. I did all of them. They are a lever type spring contact so it is hard to break them. Just do so lightly.
Wow fairly simple fix with great results, thanks!
Jose-MXL said:
Before we start, quick explanation on what may be happening to your phone if you are a candidate:
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Just tightening all the screws fixed all my GPS issues. No disassembly required! Add this into OP.
Thanks
Just did this, really improved the speed and reliability of everything- gps, wifi, etc. Thanks.
A quick tip for those doing this the first time. be careful of the buttons. I've taken apart my optimus g pro a few times now, and those dern things like to fly out of you're not careful when taking it apart. Also, when putting back together, use a small piece of scotch tape on the exterior of the frame to hold the buttons in place when you put the frame back in place. make sure the tabs of the tape stay on the outside, and pul them gently as you snap the screen back on. It's easier to have the frame on the table on put the screen down onto the frame when done this way, and save those dern buttons from coming out of their slots.
I have two OG Pro (E980) developed same broken GPS issue.
Now, I think the problem is the two soft contact pads, when I bent little bit, the GPS 's issue got fixed.
Also, the method not to improve any 4g/Wi-Fi/Bluetooth.
LG made such low quality contact PINs
Two years have passed and this thread is still helping people with their now "ancient" G Pros. My problem was that the coax cable had popped loose. Still I went ahead and re-tensioned all the contact springs. GPS is now functioning like new. Thanks to all who contributed.
I have a One X which i have converted to the new layout. I was running Lollipop and i noticed that the GPS signal was very VERY poor. It never gets any fix and can only see 2 - 5 satelites, where as my Sone Z3 Compact in the very same spot can see over 20 satelites and gets a fix almost instantly.
I have tried a few things.
I have tried to do what is described in the following guides two guides:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1930094
and
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1239713
Which didnt work. Then tried to install the following rom for the new layout:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/htc-one-x/development/stck-rom-sense-5-debloated-4-18-401-4-t3111605
Both with the stock kernel and with the sweep2wake,doubletap2wake, etc. but same result.. Only getting 2 - 5 satelites and never get any fix
What can i do at this point? Should i try another Radio rom if such even exist and if so where can i get it ( I'm running 5.1204.167.31 now ) ?
Pulling up the tabs wont solve the problem permanently. The tabs will with time retard to their original position or lower because of metal fatigue.
Pulling them up again will make them break after off after ~ three times of bending. They are fragile.
My original solution for the GPS antenna some years ago was to cut a credit card to small rectangle pieces that fit right below the connector.
Carefully glued into place with Loctite 401. This prevents the tab to retard any further than the thickness of the card. I was lucky to find out that the thickness was just right. I got a lock in about 30 seconds after this mod being outdoor.
Some years later for the wifi antenna I instead soldered a thin cable from the board to the antenna. The wifi reception is as good as it can get.
If you have some thin cable that you can use. Must be around 3mm OD (outer diameter) or thinner. Or you wont be able to fit the case back again.
This would be the better option to solder cables between the antenna on the case and the board.
One X never had good gps ...don't expect it to compete with other devices.
GPS is working fine for me. But I have to say that I disassembled HOX (screen replacement months ago) so I put those GPS pins a bit higher. Other thing that might help is to enable all location services (google, GPS etc.) in settings, then reboot phone and use GPS Status & Toolbox app (first, delete A-GPS data and then download A-GPS data). First fix might take some time, but other are fast (I only leave GPS sensor checked after first GPS fix - so no Google Location services enabled).
I bought a supposedly new HTC 10 off ebay a few months ago, and just realized on a recent trip that location service is using only wi-fi & cell. Once I am out of signal range, I get no location data, and GPS not working.
The phone came S-OFF and running WWE software, which I have changed to US unlocked using RUU, currently running 2.51.617.32, baseband [email protected]_76.02_F.
From a previous contact with HTC, they told me the serial number is that of a Sprint phone. I am assuming that this is a refurb of some kind.
I have installed GPS Status and tools, and the app can see the satellites, but cannot get a fix. Hardware check says that the sensor is OK. I have cleared AGPS and that made no difference.
Changing data from 3G to LTE to Auto, or on & off (per a couple threads at xda) made no difference.
I am unsure what to do next. Phone works well otherwise. Would flashing a Sprint radio help? perhaps a different kernel?
Any advice appreciated. TIA.
I had this issue after a battery replacement. Essentially this thread worked for me. Once the HTC 10 was opened up and the rear casing removed, there's a v. small copper prong located next to the headphone socket and it needed a bit of careful prying so that it could make contact with the back plate of the phone once rehoused.
So it could be that your new phone off ebay is a refurb and has been previously opened?
I would try a Sprint ROM before opening it.
dwgallery said:
I had this issue after a battery replacement. Essentially this thread worked for me. Once the HTC 10 was opened up and the rear casing removed, there's a v. small copper prong located next to the headphone socket and it needed a bit of careful prying so that it could make contact with the back plate of the phone once rehoused.
So it could be that your new phone off ebay is a refurb and has been previously opened?
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finally found someone with some 10 repair experience haha. I just noticed my GPS won't lock, assuming it's due to screen/battery repair. I have over 5yrs phone repair experience, so salty i am in this spot.... But I have been many times with HTC repairs, and eventually figure out hte querk. Any other insights? I opened it up yesterday and couldn't get a lock still even without back frame shell on. I then noticed the top pin above the headphone jack was depressed most likely due to prying when opening, i carefully bent up and it didn't break, now making connection with back cover frame but still no gps lock.... also try reconnection of the top daughter board flex where hard gps chip lives....
Update: Twas the pin at top, and flashing RUU that got me up and running GPS again! woohoo!
Thanks by the help!
The last week I change the battery and I lost the GPS signal. After reopen the phone, the GPS pin it was in bad position. After move the pin, the GPS it is working again!
So currently I'm having a major issue with my gps since it was so difficult to find any gps even outdoor, and even sometimes it didn't even found any gps at all. I've tried to reboot, change gps.config, change roms, reflash miui. Any of it doesn't solve the problem.
So I did some research a little bit about extending the gps antenna using wires. Then I peel the casing.
Before attaching the wire, I just try to test the gps. And surprisingly, the gps works very well. I even managed to connect to the gps indoor. The screenshot attached is the result of indoor gps test without the phone casing and antenna extension.
So what's the exact problem anyway with vince?
Does the metal casing interfere with the gps?
Do I need to use the phone without the casing?
In my case, yes I did found that that's the best solution. But it will not be practical to do so
Improvement workaround
Here is another method I used to improve the gps reception. The more practical way.
Simply take a small flathead screwdriver and scratch the contact point at the phone casing. I'm not sure which one is used for gps so just scratch every contact point in the picture.
Make sure the contact pin in high enough in order to make full contact with the phone casing.
Install the casing and the gps worked wonderfully just like without the casing earlier.
What definitive (and practical) solution did you find?
Actually, all you need to do is to press the case from behind, around camera 1 cm from top x 1cm from left/right + 3cm from top/1cm left/right.
My signal went from 0 inside, to 5 meters accuracy. Outside 3 meters. Device only. You can literally delete gps.conf and flp.conf file on redmi 5 plus, and it won't affect gps SNR ratio at all. It's like it isn't reading them. I've been messing around with fixing the issue for 3 days, read all possible posts on the subject, rooted my phone, experimented with everything available till this date. It's just upgraded version of what you have here
It seems there's a design flaw, because GPS antenna and contacts are on the back, and during time, that back seems to bend upwards, which is causing loose connection. One push restored everything in it's place.
Hi,
I have an old s4mini (LTE) which I have been using as car and bike GPS for many yrs. The GPS was always great but last autumn it stopped working. I put it in the drawer and have been using my old ASUS Z00ED since then which has a better performance, a larger screen and a perfectly working GPS.
Still, the ASUS is way too big to use it as bike GPS while the s4mini's size is perfect, so I want to revive it.
Currently, the phone sees some satellites (with a very bad signal strength or SNR or whatever it is) but is unable to use them, even after trying to get a fix for a long time. The screenshot was taken on my balcony outside where my other phones easily get > 10 sats fix. I am quite sure this is a hardware problem as there was no software update before the problem occured. The phone then was on the latest official LOS 14.1, now I have test installed AOKP 2019-10-25 with no change. It may be a corrosion problem as the phone lay in the mud and rain for an hour after a severe car accident, but after cleaning it, it had worked for 2,5 years without any issues...
So now my question: Where is the s4mini's GPS connector and antenna? I would like to try and fix these. I have a second s4mini with cracked screen which could serve as a spare parts donator.
Take a look at this video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4sOKKoxu3L4&t=275s
At about 2:40 and 9:15 this guy explaines the location. Maybe skip ahead a few seconds.
I had also an bad GPS receiption and I "cleaned" with a screwdriver the part at 2:40 in the video. Afterwards it was shiny again. Also I "cleaned" the part (of clips) on the board and I did also lift up the board a bit and put a piece of paper behind it so (I was hoping) I get an better connection between those two parts. I am pretening that that helped.
Godapol said:
Take a look at this video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4sOKKoxu3L4&t=275s
At about 2:40 and 9:15 this guy explaines the location. Maybe skip ahead a few seconds.
I had also an bad GPS receiption and I "cleaned" with a screwdriver the part at 2:40 in the video. Afterwards it was shiny again. Also I "cleaned" the part (of clips) on the board and I did also lift up the board a bit and put a piece of paper behind it so (I was hoping) I get an better connection between those two parts. I am pretening that that helped.
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Thanks, at the moment I have it back working. I'm afraid the problem was more due to the GPS rollover than due to the antenna.
jdr_85 said:
Thanks, at the moment I have it back working. I'm afraid the problem was more due to the GPS rollover than due to the antenna.
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I've heard the GPS Rollover isn't an issue on most devices, and a lot of patches are softwrae based. The epoch is set entirely in software iirc.