[Q] swapping logic boards between 2 phones? - Epic 4G Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting

I have a samsung epic 4g with a broken usb port, I'm considering swapping the main board with another epic (I would buy one with a broken screen or something) would this cause conflict and make the phone unusable? Also, would it change the ESN of the phone?

ESN is tied to motherboard so as long as it is a clean one you can use it and transfer the account.
Sent from my PantechP4100 using xda premium

I actually did that quite recently and it worked fine. What you need is a #000 phillips head screw driver and some sort of prying tool, a guitar pic works well. Just unscrew the 7 screws on the back. 3 on each side one on top middle.
Then use the prying tool to pry off the black back.Take off the antenna and two flex cables. swap the now free motherboard and just reverse the process. You can find guides to do this online. Its an easy process but you need to remember 3 things.
1. Try not to lose any of the screws or buttons (they are tiny)
2. When prying the back make sure ur careful, along with taking out the antenna and flex cables. They can brake
3. Swap the sticker underneath the battery. The information relates to the motherboard not the phone/antenna.

Related

Can I replace the mic? Can't find replacement on eBay...

As title says. I have a problem with my HD, that the mic falls out now and then.
Sometimes just for a few secs, but also sometimes for longer periods which make it really hard to have normal conversations.
I've searched for a replacement mic on eBay, but can't find anything. Is the mic part of a "module" that need to be changed altogether?
Really appreciate any help on this matter.
Best regards
Kristian
Yes it's on the 'upper' circuit board (attached) and beneath a small rubber cover-right next to camera-I believe you need the whole circuit board-it could just be a dirty or loose connection though and may be worth checking where the upper board connects to the main board, A broken screen/parts only phone off ebay may be the best bet to repair it. Replace the upper board.
rootntootn said:
Yes it's on the 'upper' circuit board (attached) and beneath a small rubber cover-right next to camera-I believe you need the whole circuit board-it could just be a dirty or loose connection though and may be worth checking where the upper board connects to the main board, A broken screen/parts only phone off ebay may be the best bet to repair it. Replace the upper board.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Ummm... It isn't.
It is on the "Lower" circuit board, next to the headphone jack.
It is fixed to the mainboard and looks like a very precise and delicate procedure to replace.

Disassemble and reassemble of galaxy nexus :)

I have a few pictures of my galaxy nexus broken down if anyone would like to ask me questions on how and where things go they can. I actually find this phone to be very easy to get apart and if careful can be reassembled in 15 minutes. I was actually replacing my speaker with some old parts I bought off a guy. No more crackling! Anyways in the process grabbed some pics
U can see the first three are the screen bottom speaker, main board, vibe, etc. The last pic she's all back together
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using xda premium
Somehow I imagined a picture of me tearing down a smartphone where I was photoshopped out and replaced with a picture of a dog in a labcoat saying: "I have no idea what I'm doing"
Yep this phone is one of the easiest ive worked with. had to open mine to replace the earpiece. the only thing to take care of is the volume ribbon and vibrator wires, they can snap off really easily.
IINexusII said:
Yep this phone is one of the easiest ive worked with. had to open mine to replace the earpiece. the only thing to take care of is the volume ribbon and vibrator wires, they can snap off really easily.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
is the imei sticker that is attached onto the black plastic removable from the main board?
IINexusII said:
Yep this phone is one of the easiest ive worked with. had to open mine to replace the earpiece. the only thing to take care of is the volume ribbon and vibrator wires, they can snap off really easily.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes sir....I just stuck a razor blade between them and the housing and they come right off connected to a gel like glue. This was good because sticking them back in place they actually stayed. U also have to remove the vibrator motor and the long black wire running down alongside the battery compartment (it has connectors on each end) then of course your two ribbon connectors for main board then one ribbon connector for bottom speaker. Didn't touch cams no need to.....very very easy job in fact it was to easy.
I have to replace my USB board (my USB port was damaged) and I am a newbie doing this kind of service myself. I bought it on ebay:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/OEM-Charger...ltDomain_0&hash=item35bc2f9280#ht_3392wt_1052
Do you think it is possible for someone with no experience to make it? I think I will try it myself, not in the mood to send it to some repair shop and wait 30 days..
juliano_q said:
I have to replace my USB board (my USB port was damaged) and I am a newbie doing this kind of service myself. I bought it on ebay:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/OEM-Charger...ltDomain_0&hash=item35bc2f9280#ht_3392wt_1052
Do you think it is possible for someone with no experience to make it? I think I will try it myself, not in the mood to send it to some repair shop and wait 30 days..
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes for sure...but if u do not feel safe doing it then take it in. I know to get to the usb the whole speaker and housing comes off of the top of that. Which is one screw then a ribbon fairly easy....then u just work something thin in between that and housing like a guitar pic or Mac card. I would go with guitar pic tho so u don't mess the corners of your card up. I know that once the speaker portion is off u see in my first pic the USB I think has its on board. I truthfully did not take that portion of it out thought it was kind of pointless. If u need help I will assist u if u decide to do it yourself
sarni84 said:
Yes for sure...but if u do not feel safe doing it then take it in. I know to get to the usb the whole speaker and housing comes off of the top of that. Which is one screw then a ribbon fairly easy....then u just work something thin in between that and housing like a guitar pic or Mac card. I would go with guitar pic tho so u don't mess the corners of your card up. I know that once the speaker portion is off u see in my first pic the USB I think has its on board. I truthfully did not take that portion of it out thought it was kind of pointless. If u need help I will assist u if u decide to do it yourself
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks, I think I will try it myself, just have to wait for it to arrive.
juliano_q said:
Thanks, I think I will try it myself, just have to wait for it to arrive.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yea dude pm me and I'll definitely help out
Thats pretty neat man, do you know where the GPS chip is?
I replaced my back cover and apparently I damaged the GPS chip cause I have NO gps lock, software side its ruled out (I flashed many diff ROMS, kernels and Radios and it used to work well before I opened up my Gnex)
Thank you.
where is the VZ LTE radio? maybe i can swap mine out for one that doesnt cause signal drops.
Sergio PC said:
Thats pretty neat man, do you know where the GPS chip is?
I replaced my back cover and apparently I damaged the GPS chip cause I have NO gps lock, software side its ruled out (I flashed many diff ROMS, kernels and Radios and it used to work well before I opened up my Gnex)
Thank you.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The battery cover? Hmmmm. I am pretty sure the GPS chip is on the opposite side of motherboard. Looking at ifixit photos it says right by rear camera on the opposite side of motherboard.
Edit...also if u look at first pic in my pictures look on right side of battery compartment . See the black wire with the connectors on each end? I wonder if the connector closest to bottom came loose or has something to do with it
10roller said:
where is the VZ LTE radio? maybe i can swap mine out for one that doesnt cause signal drops.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Not sure I have GSM model. And dude good luck with that unless u know how to solder chips on to motherboards that is nearly impossible and I think swapping a lte chip for another lte chip won't solve your problem
sarni84 said:
The battery cover? Hmmmm. I am pretty sure the GPS chip is on the opposite side of motherboard. Looking at ifixit photos it says right by rear camera on the opposite side of motherboard.
Edit...also if u look at first pic in my pictures look on right side of battery compartment . See the black wire with the connectors on each end? I wonder if the connector closest to bottom came loose or has something to do with it
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks, appreciate your time.
I checked out ifixit, thinking that in the process of removing the cover I could of hit the GPS chip or something, but since you pointed out that its on the opposite side of the motherboard that's not a possibility. Since I have not removed the mother board.
I have not opened it again, afraid of ruining something else.
But I guess I will have to in order to check the wire you speak about.
Salutations
I sent my phone in for repair to Samsung via Expansys for a bad external speaker. Back when it went bad, phone was too new to have all parts available as spares on the net plus the phone was still under warranty so I send it back to Samsung via Expansys-usa. But what I think happened is that Expansys didn't send it to Samsung and repaired it inhouse. I can say that because all screws inside the phone had chewed up heads and the repair didn't look good however the external speaker was working. First thing I found out that external volume rocker was not working anymore. So I send it back again to Expansys and I just received it back today with a note saying that the volume rocker ribbon pins have come away from the main board and taken the pin with them.
Bottom line is that they didn't repair the phone. Any ideas on how I can get this fixed? Do I have to change the ribbon? if I want to do it myself or this sort of damage requires a new board?
Any ideas comments are appreciated.
Edit: Link to photo showing the pins that are separated from the board
sarni84 said:
I have a few pictures of my galaxy nexus broken down if anyone would like to ask me questions on how and where things go they can. I actually find this phone to be very easy to get apart and if careful can be reassembled in 15 minutes. I was actually replacing my speaker with some old parts I bought off a guy. No more crackling! Anyways in the process grabbed some pics
U can see the first three are the screen bottom speaker, main board, vibe, etc. The last pic she's all back together
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using xda premium
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hi Sarni,
I accidentally snapped the ribbon (refer to attached pic, circled in red), and now my speaker is not working anymore. I guess that ribbon was for connecting the speaker and headphone jack? . What do you think i should do now, replace the whole piece?
I also intend to replace my damaged charge port, but not sure how to proceed for that.
Thanks,
Dennis

[Q] Dead volume buttons

Hey everyone,
So today, I was changing the housing for my GNex and I forgot to remove the SIM card (I know, silly me.) By removeing the housing with the SIM card stuck there, I ended up severing the connectors for the volume buttons beyond repair.
The connectors are soldered to the main board, and it doesn't look very replaceable, so I'm wondering if its possible to order replacements for the broken part? And is the repair very difficult so I'm better off taking it to a repair shop?
Thanks for any information.
So I figured that the broken part is called a volume flex cable. Can't seem to find any info on installation though...
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using xda app-developers app
You can find the part here:
http://www.dealrepairs.com/samsung-galaxy-nexus-i9250-volume-flex-cable_p2335.html
And see that it's soldered with tiny 3 points here:
http://www.ifixit.com/Teardown/Samsung-Galaxy-Nexus-Teardown/7182/1
I believe the repair is possible with a steady hand and a good solder iron.

Replacing the charging port

Hey all,
I just replaced the charging port on my m8 and wanted to let people know it is straight forward. My port got corroded and was shorting out, melting the adapter and not charging the phone. I sent it in hoping for warranty, but the replacement quote was $400! (due to S-off they "had" to replace the entire motherboard). The phone has a separate pcb with the micro usb charge port and headphone input.
example:
http://www.witrigs.com/media/catalo...a71cb48e3d52cb890e76f9e6353/1/0/109063-01.jpg
To remove this board you need to do a few easy things:
1) disconnect the ribbon and remove the insulating tape (to reattach to new part)
2) unsnap the small white power cable
3) loosen the screw on the motherboard near the headphone input. This is clamping down the assembly a bit
tools required:
phillips 00
t5 torx bit
spudger/guitar picks
I would recommend prying the phone out of the frame starting from the bottom. I started from the top and bent the thin strip of aluminum above the sim slot when prying it out.
Also, you can pry the bracket/spring off the top of the old usb port to give the new one a tight fit if your replacement didnt come with it (like mine)
Lastly, just note that power button fell out as soon as I pried the frame apart from the guts. This made it a bit of a pain to reassemble - just be sure to reassemble with the top in first. That will keep the power button in place.
The replacement part cost me $30, so it was definitely worth it! phone now works great.
bookfast said:
Hey all,
I just replaced the charging port on my m8 and wanted to let people know it is straight forward. My port got corroded and was shorting out, melting the adapter and not charging the phone. I sent it in hoping for warranty, but the replacement quote was $400! (due to S-off they "had" to replace the entire motherboard). The phone has a separate pcb with the micro usb charge port and headphone input.
example:
http://www.witrigs.com/media/catalo...a71cb48e3d52cb890e76f9e6353/1/0/109063-01.jpg
To remove this board you need to do a few easy things:
1) disconnect the ribbon and remove the insulating tape (to reattach to new part)
2) unsnap the small white power cable
3) loosen the screw on the motherboard near the headphone input. This is clamping down the assembly a bit
tools required:
phillips 00
t5 torx bit
spudger/guitar picks
I would recommend prying the phone out of the frame starting from the bottom. I started from the top and bent the thin strip of aluminum above the sim slot when prying it out.
Also, you can pry the bracket/spring off the top of the old usb port to give the new one a tight fit if your replacement didnt come with it (like mine)
Lastly, just note that power button fell out as soon as I pried the frame apart from the guts. This made it a bit of a pain to reassemble - just be sure to reassemble with the top in first. That will keep the power button in place.
The replacement part cost me $30, so it was definitely worth it! phone now works great.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hey there. Interesting to know that you replaced it all your self . Did you put everything back perfectly ? I mean the display being aligned properly to the body, the speaker grills being flushed with the body; ? Weird to ask, but did you damage anything while doing it all yourself ? Like the screen scratches, or something else ? Sorry, for asking these... Thanks in advance :good:
Tej XFire said:
Hey there. Interesting to know that you replaced it all your self . Did you put everything back perfectly ? I mean the display being aligned properly to the body, the speaker grills being flushed with the body; ? Weird to ask, but did you damage anything while doing it all yourself ? Like the screen scratches, or something else ? Sorry, for asking these... Thanks in advance :good:
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I haven't re-glued the speaker covers back on yet so I dont know if they will be perfectly flush or not, although they still look flat so I think it will look good.
The only damage is a slight bend in the frame on the screen side of the sim tray slot. The metal is thin, and I pried against it to get the hardware out of the frame. That is why I recommended to start from the bottom when separating the two. Doing this should allow others to avoid this problem. It is slight, maybe 1/4mm gap where it used to be flush along the side of the screen above the sim tray.
Otherwise everything was smooth. The screen/frame etc are still mint.
bookfast said:
I haven't re-glued the speaker covers back on yet so I dont know if they will be perfectly flush or not, although they still look flat so I think it will look good.
The only damage is a slight bend in the frame on the screen side of the sim tray slot. The metal is thin, and I pried against it to get the hardware out of the frame. That is why I recommended to start from the bottom when separating the two. Doing this should allow others to avoid this problem. It is slight, maybe 1/4mm gap where it used to be flush along the side of the screen above the sim tray.
Otherwise everything was smooth. The screen/frame etc are still mint.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Cool, you've done it like a pro then. :good: .Any picture describing the damage would be helpful, if you can provide. Is the display mint ? No scuffs/scratches on it ? But, my speaker grills were damaged onto the edges after the repair was carried out. Does yours show the same sign ? I don't mean the flatness of the grills, but the damage that should be done, while prying out the grills. A picture showing your damage would be helpful to me. I could do the same, if you insist. Thanks ! :good:
Mine is busted. But I cannot find the PCB. The link in the op is dead.
Any ideas?
http://www.witrigs.com/oem-charging-port-flex-for-htc-one-m8
bookfast said:
http://www.witrigs.com/oem-charging-port-flex-for-htc-one-m8
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I actually got one off eBay for $17.21. Works perfectly.
Just wondering....
Sounds like you were able to avoid some steps in the teardown guide, if I recall it was damn near a total disassemble. Do you have a lot of experience with phones? I want to fix mine, but don't need a tedious project right now. If I repair mine I'd like to put a mini USB in place of the micro if possible, I've seen too many damaged micro usb to trust or like them. As for the speaker grills, if you're picky buy replacements, they're cheap.
microphone on charging port?
bookfast said:
Hey all,
I just replaced the charging port on my m8 and wanted to let people know it is straight forward. My port got corroded and was shorting out, melting the adapter and not charging the phone. I sent it in hoping for warranty, but the replacement quote was $400! (due to S-off they "had" to replace the entire motherboard). The phone has a separate pcb with the micro usb charge port and headphone input.
example:
link
To remove this board you need to do a few easy things:
1) disconnect the ribbon and remove the insulating tape (to reattach to new part)
2) unsnap the small white power cable
3) loosen the screw on the motherboard near the headphone input. This is clamping down the assembly a bit
tools required:
phillips 00
t5 torx bit
spudger/guitar picks
I would recommend prying the phone out of the frame starting from the bottom. I started from the top and bent the thin strip of aluminum above the sim slot when prying it out.
Also, you can pry the bracket/spring off the top of the old usb port to give the new one a tight fit if your replacement didnt come with it (like mine)
Lastly, just note that power button fell out as soon as I pried the frame apart from the guts. This made it a bit of a pain to reassemble - just be sure to reassemble with the top in first. That will keep the power button in place.
The replacement part cost me $30, so it was definitely worth it! phone now works great.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
My HTC M8's main call microphone has stopped working, and through searches on Google it seems that perhaps that this mic (first mic, non-speakerphone mic) is built into the charging port. Is this the case? I cannot find anything that explicitly says this, and I'd love to get the phone back in working condition.
dm8233 said:
My HTC M8's main call microphone has stopped working, and through searches on Google it seems that perhaps that this mic (first mic, non-speakerphone mic) is built into the charging port. Is this the case? I cannot find anything that explicitly says this, and I'd love to get the phone back in working condition.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I too am also curious if the mic is on the usb part because my mic doesnt wrk when i make calls.
Will replacing the usb port fix the problem?
Harvey02 said:
I too am also curious if the mic is on the usb part because my mic doesnt wrk when i make calls.
Will replacing the usb port fix the problem?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I called HTC, the mic is on the USB port, although you should make sure that it's not a software issue first. There are several threads on the internet easily found through Google which discuss doing a factory reset to resolve this if it turns out to be a software problem.
Thanks for your reply. I did a factory reset when I got the phone but it still doesn't work. Does that mean it's not a software problem and that if I replace the usb it should work?
Harvey02 said:
Thanks for your reply. I did a factory reset when I got the phone but it still doesn't work. Does that mean it's not a software problem and that if I replace the usb it should work?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I would think so, yes.
Thanks! Do you know of any online source confirming that?
Harvey02 said:
Thanks! Do you know of any online source confirming that?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No, but from what I've studied about it, it should work. Feel free to contact HTC, they actually have a live chat available somewhere on their website. Good luck to you.
Very interesting, I contacted htc and we went through diagnostics together and the rep said that I have to send it in. I asked him if the mic was on the usb assembly and he said that it wasn't and rather it was on the motherboard, and I clarified that we were talking about the primary mic which is located near the usb port. Confusing bec everywhere I saw online said that the mic is on the usb assembly. Go figure!
Harvey02 said:
Very interesting, I contacted htc and we went through diagnostics together and the rep said that I have to send it in. I asked him if the mic was on the usb assembly and he said that it wasn't and rather it was on the motherboard, and I clarified that we were talking about the primary mic which is located near the usb port. Confusing bec everywhere I saw online said that the mic is on the usb assembly. Go figure!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
What did you end up doing? Did you discover if it was on the motherboard or the part with the USB port? I've waited a while to repair mine for other reasons, and I am now prepared to fix it. Any information would be helpful.
Just a few notes on my own experience.
I replaced the screen in my friend's M8 a few months ago. Seemed like everything went ok, except after I got done, the mic didn't work anymore. This is strange because it worked fine before, and all I did was remove/replace the circuit board in the process (yes, the small one at the bottom with the uUSB port). However, the upper rear microphone was still working I believe, because people on the other end of the line could still hear if the phone was put into speakerphone mode. I don't know why it would stop working all of a sudden.... Ran the HTC audio test using *#*#3424*#* to confirm main mic wasn't working and that the aux rear mic was.
Fast forward to this week, with my own M8. The uUSB connector was going bad, and I was having trouble charging, so I figured it was time to replace that circuit board. Ordered a new one and replaced, but when I got it back together, the USB port was fine of course, but my mic wasn't working now, just like my friends! On top of that, the headphone jack didn't work at all. Most likely the "cable inserted" signal wasn't getting back up to the motherboard, but didn't check. So pissed off. Also, the new board I got didn't have the bottom left RF connector/circuitry populated. Thinking from research that it might be for the GPS? I should have tested when the board was in there, but didn't. Fixed a bad solder joint on the original board's uUSB connector, which helped, but still charging is a bit messed up. I'd rather have a working mic and headphone jack and have to play with the cable to get to charge for a while until I get another board (from another supplier, jerks).
Yes, the mic is the small chip on the very left side of the board. It has a hole underneath the chip, going through the board and to the front face to receive the acoustics.
I don't know why the mic not working is so common after an HTC One M8 tear down, as it seems many others are having the same issue. One theory I have is that pulling the circuit board from the motherboard while power is still applied (not unplugging the battery first) might be jacking the microphone somehow. Just a theory, but I'd recommend to be safe that anyone replacing the board should unplug the battery cable before replacing the USB/mic circuit board.
I'd just like to chime in to say that I've read about some people having problems with the mic not working after replacing the USB board. From what I understand, there are two different versions of it, and replacing it with the wrong one can cause that very issue. You should look into it.
EDIT: Source - http://www.witrigs.com/blog/htc-one-m8-audio-jack-not-work-after-charging-board-replacement/
Mic broken after USB repair
Old thread but I have the same problem. Replaced USB board and now my mic does not work. However I am pretty certain I did order the correct board (had 2x connectors for my Verizon HTC m8). And my microphone jack work great which others indicate is often broken along with the mic. Anyone have any workarounds?

Mainboard connector port broken - replacement available?

It seems that I have either been too careless when changing my broken display, or I have a typical monday example from the production floor... Because the big flat cable connector mounted on the mainboard has cracked and a corner piece has broken off completely.
I managed to glue it back into place, but there's some plastic missing between the wired connection points. This means (seems to anyway) that my MicroSD slot is busted and is currently short circuiting the whole phone if any MicroSD is mounted.
Now my question:
Is there anyway to buy an entirely new one of these connector ports?
I've looked high and low online (eBay and otherwise), however I really don't know the proper terminology to search accurately.
I work in electronic manufacturing and we actually have connectors in stock, very similar to the one I need, but obviously similar doesn't cut it - I need the exact model used. If I had one I could easily solder it in place at work...
Does anyone have any ideas of how to find one?
I include one picture to clarify which connector I am talking about. It is not a pic of my actual mainboard, but a pic from eBay that I marked, just to give a general idea.

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