Develop Bugs

[Q] Broken micro usb on g2

Wife's phone usb port is broke. It got mangled by a tough cord pull. It can't be straightened out. plastic is broken and contacts are mangled. After I did some research, I can see this issue happens on quite a few phones with micro usb such as the evo, but i have not seen too many people mention it about the g2.
Anyways, no warranty since I got the hardware from craigsist. Even if there was a warranty htc has not been covering this sort of damage on the evo.
From what i can tell there are a couple of possible fixes and a workaound.
fix one - new motherboard. too expensive
fix two - have a new replacement port soldered onto the existing board. i am not sure if this is worth it. i don't have much soldering experience, so i would probably have to send it somewhere. Does anyone have any idea of what that sort of thing would cost? is it pretty risky in terms of further damage to the board?
workaround - Get an external charger and possibly a second battery to reduce downtime while charging. This is probably what we will do for a while. Does anyone have a solid suggestion for an external charger for the g2? Is the battery the same format as other HTC phones such as the evo?
thanks!

Ah that sucks. From what i think if you know how to open the g2 then you wouldnt have a problem with fix 2 only thing i say is dont F..k up the motherboard lol... yoll have a fully broken phone. Dont know about fix 1.
Sent from my HTC Vision using XDA App

soreyes said:
Wife's phone usb port is broke. It got mangled by a tough cord pull. It can't be straightened out. plastic is broken and contacts are mangled. After I did some research, I can see this issue happens on quite a few phones with micro usb such as the evo, but i have not seen too many people mention it about the g2.
Anyways, no warranty since I got the hardware from craigsist. Even if there was a warranty htc has not been covering this sort of damage on the evo.
From what i can tell there are a couple of possible fixes and a workaound.
fix one - new motherboard. too expensive
fix two - have a new replacement port soldered onto the existing board. i am not sure if this is worth it. i don't have much soldering experience, so i would probably have to send it somewhere. Does anyone have any idea of what that sort of thing would cost? is it pretty risky in terms of further damage to the board?
workaround - Get an external charger and possibly a second battery to reduce downtime while charging. This is probably what we will do for a while. Does anyone have a solid suggestion for an external charger for the g2? Is the battery the same format as other HTC phones such as the evo?
thanks!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If you don't need a working micro USB port for connecting to your computer, just pick up one of those power mats that charge your devices by just placing them on the mat.
Sent from my T-Mobile G2 using XDA App

OriginalGabriel said:
If you don't need a working micro USB port for connecting to your computer, just pick up one of those power mats that charge your devices by just placing them on the mat.
Sent from my T-Mobile G2 using XDA App
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I looked into the powermat product last night. As far as I could tell, it seemed like they didn't have one for the G2. In that case, they provide a workaround, but it sounds like it also requites a working port of some sort.
"If your specific device is not listed in Step 1, we currently do not have a receiver for your model. By choosing "other" your solution will include a wireless Powercube universal receiver with 7 tips to allow your device to charge on a Powermat mat."
"The Powercube Universal Receiver Allows you to Charge Hundreds of Devices Wirelessly
The perfect accessory to your mat. Seven Interchangeable tips (micro USB, mini USB, Samsung, LG, Apple, Nintendo DSi, Sony PSP) allow you to wirelessly charge hundreds of mobile devices using just one receiver. Works with all Powermat mats."
After reading that, it stops sounding wireless at all. The universal powercube is wireless to the powermat, but it needs to attach to the handset with a cord. Pretty silly for $100. maybe there are other companies besides powermat?

I found a great thread about sanding chintech batteries. I ordered the two pack plus charger and will peel and sand them. So for now, I will use the external charging workaround.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=945090
In the meantime, if anyone else has a broken usb microport issue, post up your experience here. The issue seems rampant in the evo's, but maybe not so much on the G2. It is a heck of a small plastic tab in there holding the contacts.

Or get one of those 2 batteries + 1 charger deals on ebay and charge one while you're out and when you run out of battery just swap it. That's what I do and I think it's a hell of a lot more convenient.

Just chiming in
I have the same problem, except my micro usb connector still functions very testily. I have to plug and unplug it several times, and the slightest of jostles will disconnect it. Charging is more reliable than tethering, and I definitely use tethering, as I don't have a wired broadband connection at home. I'd love to get this repaired, if it's not too costly or difficult, so I'm going to watch this thread. Thanks for the suggestions on getting an external charger and extra batteries. If my connector continues to deteriorate, it makes me feel very relieved to know I'll have a backup. Thank heavens this phone has an sdcard slot!

Tethering and file transfer can be accomplished over wifi with some apps. Look for wireless tether and the samba or ftp apps

This is planned obsolescence at its worst. The switch from mini-USB to micro-USB doesn't save any space and makes the plug VERY VERY delicate.
Personally, I would take it apart, unsolder the micro-USB socket from the board, solder in a new MINI-USB socket, and reassemble. It is relatively low risk, as long as you are careful while soldering (use proper desoldering wick to disassemble). Be sure that you don't use too strong a soldering iron -- about 15 watt, and be sure to use one that is GROUNDED (three prong plug).

Thats some good advice. I was not aware you could swap out the interface in that way.

It's actually not quite that simple to change interface. You would first need to find a mini-USB connector having the same alignment pegs (to help with strain relief) and pad spacing as the current micro-USB connector. You will also need to hack the chassis of the phone some as well (and even then, a mini-USB connector will still probably stick out slightly).
Despite what was stated earlier, although both mini-USB and micro-USB have about the same width, mini-USB connectors are significantly thicker (or taller) and slightly longer (as far as depth). Micro-USB actually does give a pretty nice space savings for a hardware designer and can be more robust in design depending on the actual connector used.
Probably easier to just try and find the same connector HTC used if you are going to go through the trouble of replacing it.

I like to know all the great advise I was also worried about this when I just had the EVO. But to transfer files you could use a sdcard slot adapter for your pc or one of those usb sdcard readers I had used that when rooting my g1 along time ago LOL. Thanks for the backup ideas
Sent from my Desire HD using Tapatalk

soreyes said:
Tethering and file transfer can be accomplished over wifi with some apps. Look for wireless tether and the samba or ftp apps
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks, soreyes I already use the wifi tethering now and then, but it really drains the battery and makes the phone very hot. In fact, I accidentally left my wifi tethering on overnight the other night and woke up to a dead battery and a radio that wouldn't work for half the day. I was actually worried I had fried my phone and turned it into an expensive PDA. After turning it off for about 8 hours, it worked fine again, thank goodness.
I definitely hadn't thought of FTP or samba for file transfer, but thanks for the suggestion. I hate taking out the battery to get to the sdcard, just to transfer a file or two.

Having this problem with a G2 as well
I started having charging issues a few months ago, before my warranty ended, but now, I'm screwed and the phone will not charge at all. I know it is not the battery.
I have a G2 from T-Mobile. I took it apart and it looks like the job to get the port off and replace it would not be simple.
Has someone actually completed that task?
Does anyone have the part number on the port? I see several very similar ones on ebay. (search for microUSB and android)
Or, has someone sent theirs off to be fixed out of warranty? I've seen a place called Mission Repair mentioned here and there on the web...
Thanks!
-g

I had always thought (if mine usb port broke) about trying these guys ( www.cellulardr.com ), i mean if your phone is not really working you could check them out to see if the price is right.
I know I sent my itouch off for screen repair and it was worth it.
gelainest said:
I started having charging issues a few months ago, before my warranty ended, but now, I'm screwed and the phone will not charge at all. I know it is not the battery.
I have a G2 from T-Mobile. I took it apart and it looks like the job to get the port off and replace it would not be simple.
Has someone actually completed that task?
Does anyone have the part number on the port? I see several very similar ones on ebay. (search for microUSB and android)
Or, has someone sent theirs off to be fixed out of warranty? I've seen a place called Mission Repair mentioned here and there on the web...
Thanks!
-g
Click to expand...
Click to collapse

You might consider buying one of those G2's on eBay with the broken screen, and swapping out the motherboard, then along with that you'd get all kinds of other spare parts, including battery etc.
I've never taken apart the phone, so can't attest to the difficulty, but I've seen a few guides around.

Update on repair options
So I called a local shop and they said that it was too complex of a procedure for them and referred me to Mission Repair in KS.
Called Mission and they said they get several calls a day from folks with G2's/Evos/and Desires with this exact problem. The guy said that in 80% of the cases it is not fixable without replacing the logic board because the issue is often that the logic board connectors break. This is a known issue with these similar HTC phones.
On the other side of things, I called HTC and it turns out these phones have a warranty from 15 months of manufacture, which T-Mobile did NOT inform us about. They said they will take the phone and fix it for free if i hadn't voided the warranty.
Now if only I hadn't open the phone up after the T-mobile rep told me there was no hope. *arg*

[Q] Broken Usb Port

My Inc. USB port came completely off and i lost it. Can someone please link me to a replacement part and tell me ow to re-solder it to the board? I've done countless Google searches and nothing has come up for the incredible. Thanks.

You mean something like this?
http://www.ebay.com/itm/HTC-Droid-I...090?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item35bad9ea0a
I had a friend's Dinc here not too long ago with a busted port, but I pretty quickly came to the conclusion that replacing it is far beyond my limited soldering abilities. So I can't help you there.
Also, be careful not to get a port for the Dinc2, they are on their own little board and would be much easier to replace. On our OG Dincs' though, the connector is soldered right on the main board. Replacing that is not for the faint of heart (or the shaky of hands).

Radio shack sells a universal battery charger(I wanted to buy it locally and not have to wait days for shipping with no backup phone). I've been using one for months since my USB port is broken. I tried to resolder the piece back on but I'm really rusty at soldering and I didn't want to further damage the board and risk having to get a new phone $40 vs cost of a new phone. The universal charger works fine. Obvious down side is the phone is unusable when charging. Having no data cable is no big deal there are plenty of other ways to move sh!t about.
Sent from my ADR6300 using xda premium

MagnaCore said:
Radio shack sells a universal battery charger(I wanted to buy it locally and not have to wait days for shipping with no backup phone). I've been using one for months since my USB port is broken. I tried to resolder the piece back on but I'm really rusty at soldering and I didn't want to further damage the board and risk having to get a new phone $40 vs cost of a new phone. The universal charger works fine. Obvious down side is the phone is unusable when charging. Having no data cable is no big deal there are plenty of other ways to move sh!t about.
Sent from my ADR6300 using xda premium
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Just buy a seccond cheap battery to use, so you can use one while charging the other.

cmlusco said:
Just buy a seccond cheap battery to use, so you can use one while charging the other.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That WAS my original plan. I tried to order 2 extended batteries 1800mah + wall charger from htcexpress.com. Needless to say I got jerked in the whole process. 2 weeks went by I was charged for an item that never shipped. I called/email got no response. I had to open up a claim with Bank of America to get my money back. I said fu¢k it after that and settled for the universal charger I was already so freakin pissed. To make it worse the lady at radio shack kept dissin my phone.
I'm also back on your rom. Random side note. Pre 2am nonsense.
Sent from my ADR6300 using xda premium

I thought about buying an external charger for the Dinc with broken USB port I had in here, and I could have done that, but... the guy didn't really care about the phone, he had a bunch of pictures on it he wanted to recover. Apparently, when his phone quit charging, he was on the road, took it to a Verizon store (thinking a new battery or a new charger would fix it), and the lady there formatted his /emmc while trying to fix a battery charging issue??? Needless to say he was not happy. I was gonna try running some data recovery stuff on it to see what we could salvage, but without a working USB port we were out of luck. He was actually thinking about paying somebody to repair the thing in hopes we could save some of the pictures, but he must have decided against it as he hasn't mentioned it lately. I guess he got a painful lesson in the importance of backups...

Charging cord wont stay connected

Over the last few weeks the connection of the charging port and cord has gotten looser and looser, to the point where the cord wont hardly stay connected to charge it.
Is there anything i can do to make it tighter? i have tried different cords, and they are all the same.

Warranty - Get a new phone
Sent from my SGH-T999 using xda app-developers app

Try different good quality cable first.
Sent from my SGH-T999 using xda app-developers app

probably have to get new or re-conditioned cell.
Might have to pay Deductible on insurance if you have it. when i bought my SGS3 last month, i asked at purchase, they said under insurance it would be reconditioned (not new replacement) which turned me off and i think it was high deductible (like 50-150)... i have no insurance on 4 sgs3's and will break even if no problems in 7 months, so i'm not worried. (figured 7 months x 4 cell's insurance)
if you have cell phone in 1st 20 days you should be able to get exchanged for free of work something out..after 20 days your 2 yr contract will be finalized. you might be able to use that info, take advantage, and your not stuck in contract yet and want phone problem fix'd
at this point from here on out use Stock cable that came with cell, and no Aftermarket ones.
troubleshooting : do you have any other android or MICRO USB devices, that you check to see if cable problem or android device problem.
hopefully a cable probelm.
NONE of this is below is recomended (unless you understand what your doing)...
___________________________________________________________________
if your stuck with the cell, and you have nothing to loose...
I'd be careful and use a PRECISION TOOL set (usually have 6 small screwdrivers in a case for cheap)
A) use smallest screw driver and carefully pry the female outer metal cage in so it's tight fit...
or
B) notice that micro USB cords (on male end have 2 pointy pieces that stick out on Flat side...inspect your cable to see if defective
(understand those 2 points and what they do, so you can fix cell)
but way before all this, inspect the MICRO USB port on cell... the center piece is electrical, don't pry that, that is sensative. Understand what your doing, never rush anything, ask a friend if you must.

[FYI]Forget about self repairing the charging port

Thinking about repairing your galaxy SIII charging port? Forget it. Unless you are some kind of wizard with a soldering pen, you aren't going to be able to do this. Took my GS3 apart yesterday, and quickly found out that it's more probable that I'd burn a hole in the motherboard. lol. So i just wanted to post this to ward off people from wasting their time and money.

WindroidApps said:
Thinking about repairing your galaxy SIII charging port? Forget it. Unless you are some kind of wizard with a soldering pen, you aren't going to be able to do this. Took my GS3 apart yesterday, and quickly found out that it's more probable that I'd burn a hole in the motherboard. lol. So i just wanted to post this to ward off people from wasting their time and money.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Time to invest in an external battery charger? I hardly ever use the charging port... I just swap my two batteries out. For me USB is for hooking up to the computer and that is even a last resort. Most times I just use dropbox unless it is gigs of info I am transferring.

Krazy_Calvin said:
Time to invest in an external battery charger? I hardly ever use the charging port... I just swap my two batteries out. For me USB is for hooking up to the computer and that is even a last resort. Most times I just use dropbox unless it is gigs of info I am transferring.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It would be possible to get by that way for a while. My wife had to do this for about two months when she broke the USB port on her Evo before she could upgrade to the GS3.
It might actually be easier to build up one of the wireless charging mods for the S3 rather than try to repair the USB connector.

The OG HTC EVO used to have a lot of charging port issues. I used to be able to fix them when I worked for sprint with a rubber baking mat and a heatgun.
Go to any home/kitchen store and buy a small baking mat, its a thin heat resistant rubbery material that you can put in the oven and such.
Open the phone up to expose the charging port.
Cut a small opening in the baking mat the size of the charging port and lay it over the phone leaving the hole over the charging port (the mat protects the rest of the board)
Take your heat gun and warm up the charging port, moving the heatgun around to keep the heat spread without overheating.
I used to do this for about 30 seconds or so, heatguns get real hot so it doesnt take long.
Put the phone back together and profit
The heatgun gets hot enough to melt the solder and reconnect the charging port. This doesn't work 100% of the time, depends really what the issue is, but it saved us from replacing a lot of phones!

I have one but I'm just gonna take it to sprint and pay 35 bucks, then build up a wireless charging mod.
Sent from my SPH-L710 using xda app-developers app

And yeah, it's the port not the solder. But thanks for the suggestion!
Sent from my SPH-L710 using xda app-developers app

USB jack replacement

The USB Mini-B jack (the USB port) on my LG P930 Nitro HD needs replacement. (This is partly because the battery life on the device is so short I have had to connect the thing constantly, using a variety of cables). The metal guides in the socket first appeared to separate from the male plug and are now a mangled mess, mostly at the back of the connector.
Does anyone have experience with do-it-yourself (DIY) replacement of this port?
The phone is rooted and running a custom ROM, so I can't take it for warranty.
I find many tutorials on screen replacement, but all I can find online are the replacement parts (such as this). Not a word, anywhere it seems, on replacing that port.
It's not easy to tell from either phone teardown video or the part itself, but it appears the socket is soldered to the board. . If that's true, I won't attempt it.
Also, does anyone have experience with the national myPhoneMD franchises regarding hardware repair ?

I can't speak to the level of complexity for doing this replacement, but I can tell you that indeed it requires soldering and not your run-of-the-mill soldering that you can do with any hobby soldering iron either. The 4 posts from that part you linked are just to hold the component in place...(If I'm not mistaken) there's still the actual USB connectors and they're likely surface-mount (magnifying glass and pinpoint soldering skills required here).
You might be better off with buying extra spare batteries and using apps like WiFi Explorer for accessing files on the SD Card remotely.

micro soldering definitely required
Namuna said:
I can't speak to the level of complexity for doing this replacement, but I can tell you that indeed it requires soldering and not your run-of-the-mill soldering that you can do with any hobby soldering iron either. The 4 posts from that part you linked are just to hold the component in place...(If I'm not mistaken) there's still the actual USB connectors and they're likely surface-mount
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Interesting idea using batteries & WiFi ADB, but this device gets heavy field use and serves as my GPS on long trips. Plus, removing and replacing the Ballistic case is time-consuming. It's really too bad because after the better part of a year, I finally found a stable ROM where the battery would not drain in 2 hours or where the phone spent 1/4 of the time rebooting.
I found a close up photo confirming your observation. The signal lead connections are definitely smaller than my hobby-level solder skill can manage. The part is available from multiple suppliers, so someone somewhere has the skill set to replace it. I just hope it's not a three-week ordeal.

I feel your pain. My young son has been playing with my Nitro and he's nowhere near as anal as I am about not straining the USB cable when connected. Lately I've been noticing that I'm not getting good connections with all the USB cables I usually use (won't charge from the car adapter anymore. )
I'm glad you're even able to use the GPS for extended periods. I'm using a Hyperion fatty and CM10.1 ROM and when the car adapter *was* working, it couldn't keep my Nitro charged while using the GPS...If I couldn't get there within a couple/few of hours, I was screwed....And it's a high-capacity car adapter too.
...These guys need to get this magnetic USB connector to market, ASAP!!!
http://outsmartingtechnologies.com/project/magnetic-usb-connection/

Namuna said:
I'm using a Hyperion fatty and CM10.1 ROM and when the car adapter *was* working, it couldn't keep my Nitro charged while using the GPS...If I couldn't get there within a couple/few of hours, I was screwed....And it's a high-capacity car adapter too.
...These guys need to get this magnetic USB connector to market, ASAP!!!
http://outsmartingtechnologies.com/project/magnetic-usb-connection/
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
GPS: I have the same problem with battery longevity on trips. I could not run the phone continuously--even with the screen off--without going to 0%. On long trips there has to be a "refractory period" for the phone either off or in minimal consumption mode, if I want some battery left at the end of the journey or when I really need the GPS. I've tried a variety of DC chargers, but even the Stanley PC1A09 inverter powering the stock LG A/C adapter ultimately loses the battery fight. I am guessing that the inverter's output does not provide the A/C waveform as a wall outlet.
That magnetic connector looks great, but there would have to be a micro-format version.
None of the local repair shops in New Orleans, Louisiana will take on solder work at this scale. I ordered the $6 part but probably won't even try to install it, as I might destroy the board. Now I'm deciding between a local used locked phone, or a "new" unlocked phone on eBay. One particular seller with the best price has 99% positive reviews, but nearly all the negatives are from people who got used when they paid for new.

Have you tried bringing it to an actual AT&T store? I think we can give up the hope that they'll fix it under warranty, but at least they should be able to fix it at a cost...And if it ends up being cheaper than buying another Nitro used, then you've got a better deal.

My quit working I can charge it by putting something under the cord u might want give that a try it work for me
Sent from my LG-P930 using xda premium

stickman1981 said:
My quit working I can charge it by putting something under the cord u might want give that a try it work for me
Sent from my LG-P930 using xda premium
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That's been my mode for a couple of months. I had ordered a Monoprice cable that didn't fit tightly, but just on my phone (all the other Androids in the house worked fine with it). In retrospect, that was an early sign of trouble.
I think the housing was stretched or distorted by an accidental cable yank months ago, and the socket just deteriorated from there. The short battery life made for more frequent connect-disconnect cycles on the hardware than I would have liked.
I ended up ordering a new replacement with a warranty that I'll probably trade with my son, and then he'll have a plan-protected phone to take to college. He's going to be in Canada and will need an unlocked phone (or else win the lottery). I'll take his locked AT&T phone for myself.
And I will take the bad-socket phone to the AT&T Device store in my area and see what it will cost to replace that port. If it's under $80-100, I'll probably go for it.