Develop Bugs

Disassembling the EPIC 4G?

Has anyone done it before? There is a video on youtube, but it only goes as far as the keyboard. I'm looking to get to the LCD to fix/replace it because of discoloration from water damage. Anyone thinks it's possible?

I remember a thread like this being made a while ago...if you're on a computer, just search and you should find it. I can't post a link, but I think the guy in that thread replaced it succesfully.
There was also alotta chatter about insurance covering it
Sent from my SPH-D700 using XDA App

Here's a tear down of the Epic 4G:
http://www.chipworks.com/en/technical-competitive-analysis/resources/recent-teardowns/2010/09/teardown-of-the-samsung-epic-4g-smart-phone/
Try asking a repair technician. The truth is, body repairs can be quite pricey - to the point where you might as well be getting a new phone in many cases.

I watched someone else take mine apart. There are an awful lot of little screws, but you can definitely seperate the case, the screen, and the actual guts in about 10 or 15 minutes.

DiGi760 said:
I watched someone else take mine apart. There are an awful lot of little screws, but you can definitely seperate the case, the screen, and the actual guts in about 10 or 15 minutes.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The question then is can you get it back together ;-)
Sent from my ext4 Epic 4G running Bonsai4all 1.1.3!

sauron0101 said:
Here's a tear down of the Epic 4G:
http://www.chipworks.com/en/technic.../teardown-of-the-samsung-epic-4g-smart-phone/
Try asking a repair technician. The truth is, body repairs can be quite pricey - to the point where you might as well be getting a new phone in many cases.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I had TEP with my BB curve and I smashed it [was REALLLLLLY angry at my gf...she wasn't worth the BB :'( ] and I took it to a corporate store, and he fixed the screen in front of my face and I walked right out lol but that was a couple years ago
Sent from my SPH-D700 using XDA App

The phone still works, I just wouldn't want to look at pictures or watch videos on it since the color is all messed up. It's been about 2 weeks since the accident and it's still going! I just want to study this just for reference just in case it does go out. The replacement cost $60 on ebay, so I'd definitely do that, especially when I don't have insurance with Sprint (I think it still costs more than DIY) and I don't think Samsung fixes water damage through its warranty.
Oh well.
Thanks for the link! I'll check it out!

being a technician at an indirect sprint store, its a pain in the ass to separate the LED screen and the glass itself. the very best way to do it is either go to a 3rd party sprint store that has a full service(repair) center and either have them do an exchange if the tech is a nice guy (considering its water damage) or replace the part (which would be free as long as you have TEP). PM me with more questions if you have them

kzn said:
Has anyone done it before? There is a video on youtube, but it only goes as far as the keyboard. I'm looking to get to the LCD to fix/replace it because of discoloration from water damage. Anyone thinks it's possible?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah, I've done it at least 20-30 times now. It's EXTREMELY difficult to get the lcd out and you'll more than likely end up breaking your phone.

br//0k3/n said:
Yeah, I've done it at least 20-30 times now. It's EXTREMELY difficult to get the lcd out and you'll more than likely end up breaking your phone.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yea, you're definitely right about the LED itself. It's close to paper thin and made of a glass type material. it will break if you try to get it out. it's glued pretty good.

flawlessbmxr said:
Yea, you're definitely right about the LED itself. It's close to paper thin and made of a glass type material. it will break if you try to get it out. it's glued pretty good.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I took mine apart, lots of screws. Honestly the hardest part was removing the back cover that goes over the motherboard. I used a very small flathead to pry up underneath where the little notches are on the side. There's a lot of clip points and 2 of them at the battery are very hard to get off. Once that's off, the rest is cake. Separating the screen was a non-issue, as mine was already broken/cracked.

just to chim,e in on this ancient thread. i used a guitar pick instead of a flat head. i thought a metal screwdriver would scuff and mar up the plastic cover over the board.

Another protip: the notches on the second to last plastic cover serve a purpose -getting that back half to snap onto the phone is a huge pain in the ass, - i put a flathead into the slits and pushed down and snap snap snap snap motherboard cover was back in and my battery case didn't bulge.

kzn said:
Has anyone done it before? There is a video on youtube, but it only goes as far as the keyboard. I'm looking to get to the LCD to fix/replace it because of discoloration from water damage. Anyone thinks it's possible?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I've replaced my LED screen before by myself, took a few hours. This video helped me.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IeO89VGAPuU

zvonkorp said:
I took mine apart, lots of screws. Honestly the hardest part was removing the back cover that goes over the motherboard. I used a very small flathead to pry up underneath where the little notches are on the side. There's a lot of clip points and 2 of them at the battery are very hard to get off. Once that's off, the rest is cake. Separating the screen was a non-issue, as mine was already broken/cracked.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Is there a water sensor inside the phone, I've always wondered if the battery was the only place
Sent from my SPH-D700 using Tapatalk

Adhesive/glue for a digitzer/touch screen replacement

Long story short, phone falls out of my pocket about 1ft onto a laminate floor and the whole digitizer decided to crack (so much for really strong screens). I've ordered a replacement digitizer but i cant seem to find anywhere on this ever so vast internet, what adhesive I need to attach the new digitizer.
the phone is running cm7 so i really don't want to go through the hassle of re-flashing it with a stock ROM in the hopes of getting it repaired under warranty.
very stressfull week, and now this think im gna go sit in a corner and cry
Any help is really appreciated

Any retail strong glue would do the job as what I see here. Just the case of how details is your work would come. If you do it slow and details without any rush or interuption, I think it will turn out like new you wouldn't notice it has changed the screen.
I've seen a video clip, a guy changing the Defy crack screen and it turned out very dirty. The glue just spread out all over the side of the screen.
You could just do a few practice of using the glue on a different object that required sharp and details hands/fingers and then only come back to work with your delicate DEFY.

Thanks for the quick reply
if the video is the 3 part one where fixes the screen and forgets he hasn't charged it then i watched that a few Min b4 my first post.
Google'd the names on the adhesive he used and got no results besides music cd's lol.
Would using the wrong kind of glue affect the touch screen? I don't really care about the waterproofing as it will be inside my wrist strap all of the time whilst im on my bike, but i just want to ensure that using the wrong glue wont render my new screen absolutely useless.
My town is riddled with phone repair shops. I got quotes from 4 of them, for just simply glueing the digitizer to the faceplate. Lowest quote i got for 5 min work was £20......... daylight robbery!!!
And my fingers are very accurate for some reason (apart from when trying to hit a link on the defy browser without zooming in grrrrrrrr), glued the trim on my les paul guitar easily, still give it a few practises tho
again, thanks for the quick reply

Good...
A good practise is to pour the glue like a water drop on a paper and use a sharp holder like twiser or a pin and take it a little and spreading it along the side of the Defy screen frame evenly.

[Q] LCD Replacement???

Hi guys, I got my hands on a MT4G with a broken LCD.
First Q, is it worthy getting a replacement off cheapbay? What other options are there?
Second Q, is it hard to replace it? Is it possible to do it myself?
Thanks for your advise...

I haven't replaced an LCD myself but I am looking to replace a digitizer for my wife's phone.
Someone posted up this link for me in another thread I started.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/FULL-LCD-DI...984?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item2a12834fe0
This should take out the hard part of disassembling the digitizer from the lcd and reattaching and the adhesive itself.
It's the complete the front housing, digitizer AND LCD in one. Already assembled.
I haven't ordered it myself yet but I AM tempted. Especially after watching some of these disassembling videos.
Let me know what you decide and how it worked out.
Just PM me.
Thanks bro and good luck.

Thanks a lot, I will check it out, the adhesive part really has me in doubt.

I've replaced the LCD without the digitizer attached and you are both correct. It can be done but the finished product is not factory quality. I looked at the ebay part posted in the link and that would be the way to do it. Otherwise you have to use a hair dryer to heat the glue and its not fun.
If you are not familiar with taking electronics apart look for a video tutorial via google; I used one to take the MT4G apart. Also label the screws as they come out by drawing the phone on a piece of paper and placing the screw accordingly on the paper. Makes assembly much easier!
Hope you take on the challenge and good luck.

allenmehrer said:
I've replaced the LCD without the digitizer attached and you are both correct. It can be done but the finished product is not factory quality. I looked at the ebay part posted in the link and that would be the way to do it. Otherwise you have to use a hair dryer to heat the glue and its not fun.
If you are not familiar with taking electronics apart look for a video tutorial via google; I used one to take the MT4G apart. Also label the screws as they come out by drawing the phone on a piece of paper and placing the screw accordingly on the paper. Makes assembly much easier!
Hope you take on the challenge and good luck.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah my only thing about ordering this complete assembly is that my wife's phone has the SO screen and I don't want to replace with an SH, which I'm sure that part is going to be. (99.99% sure)
Add to that, she doesn't even need a new LCD and the digitizer alone is just 25 bucks.
Decisions, decisions.

nguyendqh said:
Yeah my only thing about ordering this complete assembly is that my wife's phone has the SO screen and I don't want to replace with an SH, which I'm sure that part is going to be. (99.99% sure)
Add to that, she doesn't even need a new LCD and the digitizer alone is just 25 bucks.
Decisions, decisions.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have to clean the dirt out between my digitizer and lcd! Can't tell you how annoying that is. Suppose someone could do a better job resealing it... It would be nice if a digitizer/lcd kit came with new adhesive.

http://www.papadigitals.com/advance...uch+4g&sgmid=aa6a532f59b343f82afc0aaa2d55c02d
I saw lcd screen and touch screen digitizer for HTC mytouch 4G there.

I've been taking electronics apart since I was 7 tears old. The MyTouch 4g finally beat me.
There are a lot of really delicate connectors that break easily. Be careful

dr_tracker said:
is it worthy getting a replacement off cheapbay? What other options are there? Second Q, is it hard to replace
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You'd better to buy non-working phone (maybe from ebay) and make one from two phones. You should have the screwdriver. Easy to replace.

It is not really hard i saw a vid on youtube just search it up super easy actually

I bought a digitizer LCD already together for like 75 and it wasn't too bad to exchange and put this new one in but when I powered the phone the bottom left of the screen didn't work and it impossible to take it back out of the silver bezel without breaking it so I sent it back to get my money and lost the bezel. Its not too hard but be careful take your time and don't pull or yank anything.
Sent from my SGH-T959 using xda premium

I replaced my digitizer. I agree, there are many delicate connectors, but nothing to be afraid of. You should watch the YouTube video over and over. Also, be careful not to push on the bottom buttons while taking it apart. This was the most frustrating thing because they wouldn't sit properly when reassembled. I took it apart 5 times before I forgot to detach the power ribbon and ripped it off! There are motherboards available to fix this, but saving it for another day.
Sent from my HTC Glacier using Tapatalk

That's funny that's the same exact thing I did pulled the power ribbon right out so I just said screw it and just bought a new phone on eBay
Sent from my SGH-T959 using xda premium

Replacement screen glass?

Like an idiot, I dropped my phone this morning flat on its screen. :thumbdown::thumbdown:
First, has anyone replaced just the glass? was it hard? tips? tricks?
Second, can anyone recommend a site to buy just the glass?
I have faith in you XDA to help me out. Thank you so much!!!
Sent from my Incredible 2 running Zeus 1.3

There are a few vids on youtube that show the process. It's pretty straight forward. The only hard part looks to be heating the glass to remove it.
The new digitizer is fairly cheap though. I've seen them at a few online stores such as Amazon, click me.
YouTube Vid, click me

PacerguyDon said:
There are a few vids on youtube that show the process. It's pretty straight forward. The only hard part looks to be heating the glass to remove it.
The new digitizer is fairly cheap though. I've seen them at a few online stores such as Amazon, click me.
YouTube Vid, click me
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for the info. I did do some research for a quick bit but I've been at work all day so I can't do much till I get home.
I've taken apart a few phones in my lifetime so I'm not too worried. Plus my deductible is 100 so if it doesn't work out I'll be out 20 something dollars + deductible if it does work out, I save 80 and don't have to use my last insurance claim
Sent from my Incredible 2 running Zeus 1.3

also, does anyone know how to glue the new digitizer on?

I'm gonna bump this since I just did this yesterday. I'll post more details on it but as of now all I have to say is that heating the glass and screen isn't as easy as the video shows.. Its a pain in the rear and I thought I broke my screen a few times. Also from the heat my lcd separated in 5 layers.
Only tip I have for others is take your time. This process should take about 3 or 4 hours for someone doing it the first time.
Also the video doesn't show it but when disconnecting the ribbons, they have a yellow tape over them that you have to remove first and the screen has a silver tape on the back that you have to remove.
Taking apart the phone is really simple, like I said the only hard part was heating the digitizer and lcd screen.
If anyone has any questions feel free to ask
Sent from my Incredible 2 running Zeus 1.3

Thanks for the follow up. I thought heating the screen was going to be the hard part. Did you use a heat gun or a hair dryer? I have a heat gun, but I'm almost afraid that it may be to hot, and melt something that it shouldn't

Guys I have done many screen repairs. Please just make sure you can do this in the most sterile area. The last thing you want is dust under the screen after all your hard work. Also I recommend gloves or finger tip covers so you do not get finger prints in between the screens.
Sent from my Incredible 2 using xda premium

zax10 said:
Guys I have done many screen repairs. Please just make sure you can do this in the most sterile area. The last thing you want is dust under the screen after all your hard work. Also I recommend gloves or finger tip covers so you do not get finger prints in between the screens.
Sent from my Incredible 2 using xda premium
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have done many HTC 6800's and it went quite well.
If I had a screen shattered as bad as the one in the U Tube vid, I would put some high temp heat glue on the worst parts BUT avoid getting any of it near the edges or where it might run through the cracks onto the digitizer.
Use the hot air blower on low or a hair dryer on high and blow away from the middle in long even strokes.
An old metal serving turntable would help or a lazy Susan made of wood NOT plastic.
And like zax10 advised, keep it clean and avoid getting any skin oil from your fingers on the surfaces.
Most kits include the adhesive for re assembly.
Enjoy...

PacerguyDon said:
Thanks for the follow up. I thought heating the screen was going to be the hard part. Did you use a heat gun or a hair dryer? I have a heat gun, but I'm almost afraid that it may be to hot, and melt something that it shouldn't
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I used a heat gun but I think a hair dryer would work better.. The heat gun heater up the metal a little too hot and the glue wasn't even that soft yet.. A hair dryer would probably take longer but soften up the glue faster.
cac2us said:
I have done many HTC 6800's and it went quite well.
If I had a screen shattered as bad as the one in the U Tube vid, I would put some high temp heat glue on the worst parts BUT avoid getting any of it near the edges or where it might run through the cracks onto the digitizer.
Use the hot air blower on low or a hair dryer on high and blow away from the middle in long even strokes.
An old metal serving turntable would help or a lazy Susan made of wood NOT plastic.
And like zax10 advised, keep it clean and avoid getting any skin oil from your fingers on the surfaces.
Most kits include the adhesive for re assembly.
Enjoy...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If that isn't acomplishable, you can use a soft glass cleaning cloth and a compressor/air blower
Sent from my Incredible 2 running Zeus 1.3

[Resolved] Digitizer Dead-zone...?

So I got this nice (albeit beat-up, but 100% functional) G2 from a friend, and for about 3 weeks it had no problems. I rooted it, put CyanogenMod 7.2 on it, worked fine.
About 3 days ago, it started behaving really weird while I was using it. Interfaces not responding, at times opening things when I didn't have my finger on the screen, usual possessed phone behavior) I did some investigating with the Developer Tools' Pointer Location display, and there's this massive dead-zone on my digitizer! The dead-zone (while holding the phone in landscape) goes from X=255.1 to X=401.1, and covers all the Y-values in that range. if I move my finger slowly enough through the deadzone from one fo the sides of it, it will register as being directly in the center of it. Other times it will show a very light touch on the right side of the zone, activating interface elements and the like.
What happened? Do I have to replace the digitizer? I don't have a warranty on it, seeing as I got it second-hand. Possible fixes, if it's not a serious hardware issue?
I don't have money to spare, so buying things to fix it might take a lot of saving.
EDIT: Got it in the mail finally, replaced it in 45 minutes. I had to use the dorm's heated-air hand-dryer to get it off, and I kinda messed up the glue a bit, but it's working just fine.

If you have to replace the digitizer, I would not worry. I just got done replacing the lcd on my G2, and it works. I bought the lcd (in your case it would be a digitizer) off ebay and my purchased also included the screw drivers and plastic tip thingy to open the phone. For the digitizer you might need to also get double sided tape.
There is a youtube video showing how to take a part and put back the phone. I think the video was like 30min, but when I did it, the time was 1.5hrs totally.
good luck if you go that route.

Previous post is spot on, for most people I would assume this won't be a hard task, I have opened and repaired dozens of g2s (and many other phones) and although sliders tend to be the most complicated its really straight forward
Find a YouTube video or other instructions online and look at it ahead of time to see if its something you feel comfortable with. Then if so, order the digitizer (90% this is the cause 10% the main flex) for around 15-20$ and all you need is a #0 Philips and a t5 torx and a hairdryer/heat gun
You won't need tape as there is more than enough sticky left after prying of the digitizer. Expect about that hour in half if your new to this, but can be done in less than 20 if you do it a lot Here is a link to info on your phone including repair guides
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?p=43195539
Best of luck!
Sent from my Nexus 4 using Tapatalk 2

Aw. Was hoping this wouldn't be the solution.
That sucks. Just went and ordered one, it came with screwdrivers and the prying tool, but I don't have any double-sided tape. Let's hope it's still sticky. Well, it supposedly gets here on the 9th, so I'll read up on replacing from these links. Thanks for the support. Hope I don't break the thing. :/