Develop Bugs

Keyboard ribbon connector on main board

I recently dismantled my BA to work on the LCD. I originally thought it would be necessary to disconnect the keyboard ribbon from the main board, so I removed the tape and black clip from the surface mount connector. However, it turned out I could leave the ribbon in place, so I didn't remove it.
After reassembly, only a few of the keyboard keys now work, and the blue LEDs no longer work at all.
I was careful not to force or twist the ribbon at all as I worked, so I don't think it's damaged, but I haven't been able to make the black clip go back on properly. I suspect this is the problem. I have tried to reseat the clip but without success and the keyboard is still the same.
Can someone please explain the role of this black clip and tape, and their relevance to the electrical connection. And can anyone direct me to a 1000x magnified picture of how the clip is supposed to fit!
Thanks in advance...

Hi there,
I had a similar problem when dissasembling one of my PPC6600 phones. The ribbon is quite dellicate, and I wound up ripping the outer conductor (it is the thicker one, and it happens to power the backlight LED's). Needless to say, I had to use a very fine tip soldering iron and some hair-fine wire to fix the mess. When I got my hands on a scrap one from EBAY (for like, 75 bucks because the ESN was locked out), I pulled the keyboard from it and replaced my hack.
Also, I have added to the WIKI a procedure to take apart the BA. I think you can find that HERE -> http://wiki.xda-developers.com/index.php?pagename=DIS_BA_PICS
Check out the one pic that is big that shows you how to flip up the clip.
The connector you are talking about has a little black (brown?) clip that flips up 90 degrees to allow the ribbon to come out. If you didn't flip it up, you might have been able to remove the ribbon, but tough luck getting it back in. You can stick your fingernail in there where the ribbon goes, and lift up on the clip. It should pop up ad remain connected quite easily. Also, when you re-insert the ribbon, you want to make sure that the two protruding tabs on the ribbon 'seat' fully against the connector before you push the clip back down onto the ribbon.
Have fun!

When I did the work I had already seen your exellent pics (thanks ) and my black clip came right off when I lifted it. So my problem is getting the black clip back on, so that it can be flipped up and down normally again. At no time did I try to remove the ribbon so I don't think it's damaged - but I'm wondering if the black clip needs to go back properly before the electrical connection is good again.
PS to anyone dismantling BA - remember to remove both the SIM and the SD card/blank, as these both jam the cover and prevent removal - shame if someone missed this and snapped something . (I tried to add this info to the page with pics but the Edit button wouldn't let me do it - gives a "page not found" error.)

Hi again,
My phone doesn't have a SIM card (is this a European thing or are there some carriers in USA that use SIM cards?)
Anyhow, I think I remember dealing with connectors like these before and having that clip pop off. There are two little tabs on the clip that have little round buttons on each side of the clip tabs, and these buttons prodtrude off the sides of the clip. They match a slot on the connector part that is surface mounted to your mainboard. So, you have to align the clip properly so that these protruding bumps 'pop' back into the white housing on both sides. Now, if these tabs broke off.... then I guess you're outa luck, unless I guess you find some very thin plastic that you can shove in on-top of the ribbon (underneath the part of the housing where the clip SHOULD have gone), so that it pushes the exposed conductors of the ribbon down onto the connector.
Hope this helps!

Many thanks, this helps a lot by confirming (a) how the clip fits and (b) its role in the electrical connection. This information is much appreciated as it gives me a fighting chance when I next have a go at fixing the thing!
How do you get by without SIMs? Does that mean a phone is forever tied to the one provider and phone number?

yodafreak said:
My phone doesn't have a SIM card (is this a European thing or are there some carriers in USA that use SIM cards?)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It's a GSM thing. GSM phones (like the PDA2K or SX66) use SIM cards, CDMA phones (like the PPC6600) don't.

Hardware problem (buttons), please help.

over the past few weeks some of the buttons (namely left soft key, up and left) have stopped working, i've tried numerous roms just incase but it's definatley a hardware issue, now, i've dismanted the phone using the diamantos guide to see if anything jumps out at me, gave the phone a damn good cleaning whilst i had the chance, put it back together....but nothing, everything seems to be in order, all components in their rightful place but i still cant work it out, does anyone know if this is a common problem or if theres a fix as i've been unsuccessful in my searches.

actually, i just found the solution and it worked a treat, thanks anyway people.
btw, if anyone would like to know what i did then i'll be more than happy to share the solution.

godofwap said:
actually, i just found the solution and it worked a treat, thanks anyway people.
btw, if anyone would like to know what i did then i'll be more than happy to share the solution.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'll be more than happy

please share your solution with us, I have the exact same problem

ok, no problem, heres what i did.
before you start please be aware that this is a very delicate procedure and you should take care as this may naff up your beloved trinity.
ok, i first disassembled my trinity using the dimantos guide located here http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=311463,
now, when you get to the keyboard / button pcb take it out if, you look closely you'll notice theres a thin adhesive plastic cover covering the metalic buttons, very very carefull peel this back (i used a sharp knife to get to it), making sure not to completely remove it, try to only expose the underneath of the buttons in question, you'll see that the buttons come away with the plasic leaving the underneath exposed, now, using a cotton bud and some lightly applied alcohol clean the contacts then when all is done, replace the plastic and make sure its firmly pressed back down you may notice it making a different, kind of sharper clicking noise when depressed than before meaning its worked, repeat for all buttons.
i think whats going on here is the gum or glue from the plastic film has "leaked" if you will, onto the plates meaning theres no contact from the buttons, this would also account for the very slight change in sound when you now press the button.
i found this info here http://forum.xda-developers.com/archive/index.php/t-289737.html

i have the same problem with the front hardware keys. They last around 1 year, i had them changed under warranty the first time but now they are failing again.
Thank you! now i just have check for tools and some courage because i fear damaging my good old trinity.

temp9300 said:
i have the same problem with the front hardware keys. They last around 1 year, i had them changed under warranty the first time but now they are failing again.
Thank you! now i just have check for tools and some courage because i fear damaging my good old trinity.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
....hi to all dear friends!!after half an year of very hard work my trinity has the same problem....only central botton working but,the superior two,works if I do an hard reset!very strange!changing a lot of different roms,from w 5 to w 6.5 the problems doesn't solve...!
- I'd like to make your same operation but I'd like to know first if you too have they working on hard reset before trying....
thanks a lot and merry christmas!

yes, even after a hard reset they work for me, its as if it was brand new, bare in mind you may have a different problem so if your gonna try this, TAKE YOUR TIME.

godofwap said:
now, when you get to the keyboard / button pcb take it out if, you look closely you'll notice theres a thin adhesive plastic cover covering the metalic buttons, very very carefull peel this back (i used a sharp knife to get to it), making sure not to completely remove it, try to only expose the underneath of the buttons in question, you'll see that the buttons come away with the plasic leaving the underneath exposed, now, using a cotton bud and some lightly applied alcohol clean the contacts then
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I tried doing this but found no plastic cover above the metallic buttons. Maybe it's because mine went for repair with this problem before, dunno.
I don't think i can mess with the metallic part so i guess i'm stuck with this unless i buy a new keyboard.

it's more of a very very thin laminate, like sticky back plastic than a cover, it should definately be there unless they replaced the PCB with a different model, otherwise the metalic buttons would just fall away. Again, they may have used a different version of the PCB. You can actually buy the PCB and replace it yourself. (here http://cnn.cn/shop/p3600dopod-d810-keypad-p-1825.html )

[SOLVED] Replace Defy Earpiece

Hit post #11 for a walkthrough on replacing the earpiece.

Funny but kinda looking for serious replies as it is quite important

Nokia AAC-0510 seems working. (Chinese) http://www.itfunz.com/thread-84490-1-1.html

Somewhere on this forum is a link to a Russian blogger who pulled one apart and (apparently) swapped out speakers.

post #157

Just to report back i received the k850i earpiece today and successfully replaced it with the original one from the Defy, works perfectly and no modding at all except flattening the terminals slightly, its a very snug fit but is working fine and is much clearer than the original one in terms of call quality. Maybe the mods could sticky this or something incase anyone else has the earpiece problem. Total cost of repair £1.99 for earpiece and about 30minutes of my time !! much better than sending to motorolla for weeks on end in my opinion.
Cheers
Wizard123

That is great info to know! I am more confident in getting a Defy now knowing I can fix it on my own.
Any guide with pictures for us?

well done wizard123
i hope i will never have to do what you did with your speaker but... who knows?
yes a detailed guide with picture and tools-to-use would be a nice idea - really useful for all the people who void the warranty

A quick question...
What's the waterproofing situation like? Is there a membrane between the earpiece and the outside world or is it built into the Defy earpiece?

No problem guys, i hope you never have the issues but i know it did hit alot of people including me and motorolla claim mines was out of warranty being only 3 months old ?! but hey i dont have time to argue or mess about as i need my phone.
I will try to get some pictures up but in the meantime follow these steps it is so so simple :
1. Remove battery & SIM card
2. Remove the 7 screws from around the phone casing and the 2 silver screws underneath the back cover. ( You will need very small torx bits )
3. Separate the two halfs of the casing, ( very stiff and fiddly but dont be affraid to use a little force )
4. Carefully lift off the 2 connectors on the main PCB board and lift it out ( careful not to lose the yellow rubber washers )
5. Use a small pair of pliers or long nosed pliers to gently grib either side of the earpiece and slowly wiggle side to side untill it comes loose and lifts out ( This takes patience as it is very well glued in but does free off )
6. Take your new K850i earpiece and place into the slot with the two springy copper terminals facing up towards the top of the phone ( you dont HAVE to but i did flatten the terminals a little bit so not to bend the PCB board when you place it back in ) having the springy terminals on these earpieces placed the correct way up creates a very solid connection to the board too unlike the original earpieces which dont have any at all just flat terminals.
7. Return the PCB board back into position and reattach the 2 connectors removed in step 4.
8. Return the casing back into place and install all the screws ( dont forget the 2 SILVER screws FIRST, these hold the PCB board down to the casing and hold the connection solid to the earpiece )
9. Place SIM card and battery back in and boot up your fresh earpieced Defy
Pictures to follow soon hopefully
Cheers
Wizard123
*EDIT*
Have attached some pictures to reference, hope they help

technome said:
A quick question...
What's the waterproofing situation like? Is there a membrane between the earpiece and the outside world or is it built into the Defy earpiece?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
There IS a tiny tiny membrane between the earpiece and the casing and does appear that it would still be waterproof but i have yet to test that and not sure if i will as it is a BIG BIG risk lol ( maybe though hmmm )

Thanks for that.
So the membrane stayed with the handset casing through the procedure?
wizard123 said:
*snip*
having the springy terminals on these earpieces placed the correct way up creates a very solid connection to the board too unlike the original earpieces which dont have any at all just flat terminals.
*snip*
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That's interesting. Maybe the failures are caused by poor connections in the first place. Perhaps a pre-emptive strike with some electrically conductive paint would save the day. It's claimed to function as an adhesive.
http(remove this bit)://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ELECTRICALLY-CONDUCTIVE-SILVER-PAINT-PINTURA-CONDUTORA-/110660756415?pt=UK_BOI_Electrical_Components_Supplies_ET&hash=item19c3e523bf#ht_1850wt_1062

wizard123 said:
No problem guys, i hope you never have the issues but i know it did hit alot of people including me and motorolla claim mines was out of warranty being only 3 months old ?! but hey i dont have time to argue or mess about as i need my phone.
I will try to get some pictures up but in the meantime follow these steps it is so so simple :
1. Remove battery & SIM card
2. Remove the 7 screws from around the phone casing and the 2 silver screws underneath the back cover. ( You will need very small torx bits )
3. Separate the two halfs of the casing, ( very stiff and fiddly but dont be affraid to use a little force )
4. Carefully lift off the 2 connectors on the main PCB board and lift it out ( careful not to lose the yellow rubber washers )
5. Use a small pair of pliers or long nosed pliers to gently grib either side of the earpiece and slowly wiggle side to side untill it comes loose and lifts out ( This takes patience as it is very well glued in but does free off )
6. Take your new K850i earpiece and place into the slot with the two springy copper terminals facing up towards the top of the phone ( you dont HAVE to but i did flatten the terminals a little bit so not to bend the PCB board when you place it back in ) having the springy terminals on these earpieces placed the correct way up creates a very solid connection to the board too unlike the original earpieces which dont have any at all just flat terminals.
7. Return the PCB board back into position and reattach the 2 connectors removed in step 4.
8. Return the casing back into place and install all the screws ( dont forget the 2 SILVER screws FIRST, these hold the PCB board down to the casing and hold the connection solid to the earpiece )
9. Place SIM card and battery back in and boot up your fresh earpieced Defy
Pictures to follow soon hopefully
Cheers
Wizard123
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Great guide there - may well help quite a few people

technome said:
Thanks for that.
So the membrane stayed with the handset casing through the procedure?
That's interesting. Maybe the failures are caused by poor connections in the first place. Perhaps a pre-emptive strike with some electrically conductive paint would save the day. It's claimed to function as an adhesive.
http(remove this bit)://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ELECTRICALLY-CONDUCTIVE-SILVER-PAINT-PINTURA-CONDUTORA-/110660756415?pt=UK_BOI_Electrical_Components_Supplies_ET&hash=item19c3e523bf#ht_1850wt_1062
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes only the earpiece came away from the casing using the method i applied but again i can't swear by the membrane as it could possibly be different with other variants of the phone ( although i doubt it ).
And plus for me atleast, i'd rather have a working phone than a waterproof phone ( just me though )
I am nearly certain its an actual defect with the earpieces because if you blow the earpiece with some canned air it will function for 5-10 seconds before going off again.
I do think there may be a problem with both the connections and earpieces though as the way the oem connections are designed in the Defy for the earpiece contacts are piss poor, excuse my french lol.

Well, I'm sending my Defy in for repair today, after my earpiece started playing-up intermittently over the weekend. I tried to insist on a replacement but Motorola's support team were adamant that a repair is my only option under the terms of my warranty. Ah, well. I've got a spare phone.
That said, I will likely "paint" the earpiece connections upon its return and it's good to know that the K850i part works. I may buy a couple as a precaution.

technome said:
Well, I'm sending my Defy in for repair today, after my earpiece started playing-up intermittently over the weekend. I tried to insist on a replacement but Motorola's support team were adamant that a repair is my only option under the terms of my warranty. Ah, well. I've got a spare phone.
That said, I will likely "paint" the earpiece connections upon its return and it's good to know that the K850i part works. I may buy a couple as a precaution.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That sucks man sorry to hear that, it seems to be not if it will happen but when it will happen with these earpieces, yep motorola sucks for customer support to be fair. I hope your phone comes back ok though, alot of people have had it repair only for it to fail again a few weeks later.

Can I just double check which seller you got yours from as I've had a look on ebay & the three that are for sale look different styles - unless the pics are not of actual items?
Cheers

sp8y said:
Can I just double check which seller you got yours from as I've had a look on ebay & the three that are for sale look different styles - unless the pics are not of actual items?
Cheers
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The actual one i used is this one :
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=300370841729&ssPageName=STRK:MEWNX:IT
There is an actual motorola one that has the same terminals as the original but ( my opinion i would not trust another earpiece from them ) :
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=220640434368&ssPageName=STRK:MEWNX:IT
I wouldnt worry too much if they look slightly different aslong as they are for the k850i as it will most likely be because they are from different manufacturers
Hope that helps

That's great thanks very much
Might just order one to keep as you never know when it'll stop working.

I had my earpiece replaced by the company, you should really send it to motorola and don't mess around with the device.

Back cover crackling

Hello everybody, I've just bought this phone yesterday and I already have a problem. I was using my phone and suddenly the back cover started making noises when pressed in the battery area and sim/sd card slot area. It's looks like the cover somehow won't attach itself completely on the left side where the microusb port is. The right side seems ok except at the bottom where it also makes that crackling sound. For now I have fixed the problem by putting paper between the cover and the phone, but that solution is not really practical because I will have to repeat the process everytime i remove the back cover.
Any ideas what could cause this?

It's just weak build quality, mine has the exact same problem.
This isn't exactly a high-end device afterall.
Sh0m1 said:
Hello everybody, I've just bought this phone yesterday and I already have a problem. I was using my phone and suddenly the back cover started making noises when pressed in the battery area and sim/sd card slot area. It's looks like the cover somehow won't attach itself completely on the left side where the microusb port is. The right side seems ok except at the bottom where it also makes that crackling sound. For now I have fixed the problem by putting paper between the cover and the phone, but that solution is not really practical because I will have to repeat the process everytime i remove the back cover.
Any ideas what could cause this?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse

So no way to fix it unless to replace the cover?
I might just go buy a replacement cover, the squeaking is driving me nuts.

Sh0m1 said:
So no way to fix it unless to replace the cover?
I might just go buy a replacement cover, the squeaking is driving me nuts.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Putting a piece of paper inside the cover should mostly fix the problem.

Vibrate no longer working

Hey guys, I hope someone can help!
My phone no longer vibrates, if I do *#*#3424#*#* and do the vibration test, it doesn't do anything unless I tap the top right corner of the phone.
Obviously this is a hardware defect, but if I send it off to repair through carphone warehouse, should I take the phone back to stock? Has anyone has experience of using them and being rooted causing an issue?
Thanks guys!

I had the same issue. I had to open up the phone to fix it, but didn't need to do much more than actually opening it.
Bear in mind this will void your warranty.
Here's what I did:
Turn off the phone.
Remove the SIM and SD card trays.
Take a guitar pick or thin plastic object and gently (but with a small amount of pressure), pry up the black plastic piece on the top of the phone, it's held down with some adhesive, so you might need to peel it a bit.
You will find two size 4 torx screws under there, one on each side, recessed into the housing. Remove them.
Now use your plastic implement to start peeling off the back of the case. It works best if you dig it into the seam, then once you have it in there, run it around the edge to release the clips holding the case together.
Once the back is off, you will find the vibration module in the upper right of the circuitry you find inside, it's a small black cylinder with a silver head on it.
It's held in place with rubber bumpers on either side. Take your plastic implement and gently lift it from its housing.
Now rotate the head a few times between your fingers to loosen it up, also giving the head a very gentle push and pull - VERY GENTLE.
Now put the vibration unit carefully back into its housing.
Clip the rear casing of the phone back on. This can very tricky to get all the clips to snap back into place. Don't do what I did and use pliers. My phone now has a small dent in it. Whoops!
Once the rear casing is back in place, replace the two screws in the top of the phone, followed by the black plastic piece you removed at the beginning.
Power the phone back on, and with a bit of luck, your vibration unit will be unstuck and working again.

I sent it in for warranty repair... Hopefully they don't care it's rooted!
Thanks for this though, very useful if/when it happens again

my vibration was not working also, even in the service menu to test vibration. had all the work to go back to stock to send it do warranty, but the format to stock was enough for him to start vibrating again...
Who the hell knows!

Don't worry- List of answers found Vibrate not work

It ended up being a hardware issue. Sent it off to carphone warehouse in the UK. They agreed with the fault being hardware and sent me a replacement under HTC warranty.
I sent the phone in whilst rooted, s-off and ARHD installed
Sent from my HTC One M9 using Tapatalk

aliveanddead86 said:
It ended up being a hardware issue. Sent it off to carphone warehouse in the UK. They agreed with the fault being hardware and sent me a replacement under HTC warranty.
I sent the phone in whilst rooted, s-off and ARHD installed
Sent from my HTC One M9 using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
How long was the turnaround time? I sent mine through the carrier here (vodafone PT) 19/12 and still haven't heard anything from them...

pmoreirac said:
How long was the turnaround time? I sent mine through the carrier here (vodafone PT) 19/12 and still haven't heard anything from them...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It took about a week to get there, then a few days sat around at their place, then they sent me a new one. So around 2 weeks.
But it wasn't over the Xmas period!
It also depends what Vodafone do with it, they might send it off to HTC direct. I have had bad experiences of them before with my desire HD. They basically lost the phone and took 3 months to replace it. "We've just moved warehouses so it'll take a bit longer than normal" was the constant line I had from them!
Sent from my HTC One M9 using Tapatalk

aliveanddead86 said:
It took about a week to get there, then a few days sat around at their place, then they sent me a new one. So around 2 weeks.
But it wasn't over the Xmas period!
It also depends what Vodafone do with it, they might send it off to HTC direct. I have had bad experiences of them before with my desire HD. They basically lost the phone and took 3 months to replace it. "We've just moved warehouses so it'll take a bit longer than normal" was the constant line I had from them!
Sent from my HTC One M9 using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
So strange because I've just noticed my vibrate has stopped working too. Tried running the diagnostic test and it doesn't work. The really bizarre part to me is that if you restart/power on the phone, it has a quick vibration buzz so that must imply my motor isn't broken but it's the software causing an issue. I'm running ARHD 14, but MIke's about to release the new Android M update so when that's out, I'll clean wipe and report if it's fixed

kash20 said:
So strange because I've just noticed my vibrate has stopped working too. Tried running the diagnostic test and it doesn't work. The really bizarre part to me is that if you restart/power on the phone, it has a quick vibration buzz so that must imply my motor isn't broken but it's the software causing an issue. I'm running ARHD 14, but MIke's about to release the new Android M update so when that's out, I'll clean wipe and report if it's fixed
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You haven't put power saver on? As I know that disables vibrate
Sent from my HTC One M9 using Tapatalk

I've noticed banging the top of your phone agaisnt a hard surface provides a temporary fix (please don't do this and damage your device. I'm not responsible enough) it actually fixed my issue for a minute. Hopefully with enough banging I won't have to open the device up to fix it
Sent from my HTC One M9 using Tapatalk

Didn't help mine
bilibox said:
I've noticed banging the top of your phone agaisnt a hard surface provides a temporary fix (please don't do this and damage your device. I'm not responsible enough) it actually fixed my issue for a minute. Hopefully with enough banging I won't have to open the device up to fix it
Sent from my HTC One M9 using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Contacted HTC have to put up $600 until they get old phone. So maybe i wait until M10 is out replace and just sale it new...

Look out of nowhere my phone also presented this problem, I will try here.
kutuup said:
I had the same issue. I had to open up the phone to fix it, but didn't need to do much more than actually opening it.
Bear in mind this will void your warranty.
Here's what I did:
Turn off the phone.
Remove the SIM and SD card trays.
Take a guitar pick or thin plastic object and gently (but with a small amount of pressure), pry up the black plastic piece on the top of the phone, it's held down with some adhesive, so you might need to peel it a bit.
You will find two size 4 torx screws under there, one on each side, recessed into the housing. Remove them.
Now use your plastic implement to start peeling off the back of the case. It works best if you dig it into the seam, then once you have it in there, run it around the edge to release the clips holding the case together.
Once the back is off, you will find the vibration module in the upper right of the circuitry you find inside, it's a small black cylinder with a silver head on it.
It's held in place with rubber bumpers on either side. Take your plastic implement and gently lift it from its housing.
Now rotate the head a few times between your fingers to loosen it up, also giving the head a very gentle push and pull - VERY GENTLE.
Now put the vibration unit carefully back into its housing.
Clip the rear casing of the phone back on. This can very tricky to get all the clips to snap back into place. Don't do what I did and use pliers. My phone now has a small dent in it. Whoops!
Once the rear casing is back in place, replace the two screws in the top of the phone, followed by the black plastic piece you removed at the beginning.
Power the phone back on, and with a bit of luck, your vibration unit will be unstuck and working again.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
...