Develop Bugs

[Q] Phone Hard Bricked, Need JTAG Points

Hey Guys & Gals,
Long time lurker, first time poster.
I have hard bricked my Epic 4G. I was flashing the SPH-D700-EC05-8gb-REL.tar via Odin v 1.61. The flashing process froze on "datafs" portion of the flashing process.
The phone's screen went black after awhile, so I decided to pull the stock USB cable from the phone like a smart person. I then pulled the battery and put it back in the phone. When I tried to re-enter download mode I was unsuccessful.
The phone is now unresponsive. No red light when "charging" the phone. The phone will not go into download by holding the "1" on the keyboard while pressing the power button. No response from the phone at all. I have tried different batteries and USB cables with no avail.
I tried removing the battery, pressing the power button to discharge capacitors, etc then placing the USB cable in and trying to enter download mode and every incarnation of that process.
I even tried MysteryEmotions "Reset Button" trick.....which by the way, there is no button underneath the plastic as I even dismantled my phone to check.
I am looking for help in JTAGing my phone. I have experience with doing so on other devices.
First, is it possible to build you're own JTAG to low level flash the mainboard. I do not want to buy a RIFF Box. I have a JTAG I made that is a 20 Pin Serial to 5 pin JTAG with resistors soldered on for another project in the past.
Second, if I can use a homemade JTAG, is there software that can help or can I use the ressurector software from Riff Box?
Third, It looks like the JTAG pins are under the Camera Flex Ribbon, is this correct? Does anyone know the pinout for JTAg purposes?
I don't have the TEP insurance through Sprint. The phone was purchased 8 months ago but I do not have the receipt anymore.
I have considered going back to Sprint and getting a new one for $35 or sending it to Samsung to JTAG it.
How much does Samsung charge for JTAg...it sounded like $35 under the 1 yr warranty.
I have searched these forums extensively with no clear cut answers. Any help with these questions are greatly appreciated.
Thanks Again,
Green Andy

Pull out SD card and battery, put battery back but leave SD card out, boot into download mode (1 key + power button).

ghostrid3r said:
Pull out SD card and battery, put battery back but leave SD card out, boot into download mode (1 key + power button).
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Click to collapse
I appreciate your response ghostrid3r. Unfortunately, I had tried this tactic as well to no avail.
I am a man that never posts because I believe the answer is already out there and just need to google the [email protected] out of it until you find it, but this problem has me stumped. I tried your method for giggles again but it did not work. Thank you though it is appreciated.

I assume you tried to leave the battery out for about 10-30mins, then retried to get into download mode?

ghostrid3r said:
I assume you tried to leave the battery out for about 10-30mins, then retried to get into download mode?
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Click to collapse
Yes I did sir. I even left it out over night, pressed all the buttons to discharge any remaining power in the capcitors and used my wife's fully charged battery etc without success. Thanks again for the input however.

Sounds like time for a trip to the Sprint store. It is still under warranty so they will replace it.

kennyglass123 said:
Sounds like time for a trip to the Sprint store. It is still under warranty so they will replace it.
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Click to collapse
I'm starting to think that myself. Now since I do not have the "Equipment Protection" insurance plan but am still under manufacturer warranty, a sprint store would handle giving me a new phone and the would send my old phone back to Samsung? I thought I would have to send the phone back to Samsung. Is my thinking correct on this?

Green Andy said:
I'm starting to think that myself. Now since I do not have the "Equipment Protection" insurance plan but am still under manufacturer warranty, a sprint store would handle giving me a new phone and the would send my old phone back to Samsung? I thought I would have to send the phone back to Samsung. Is my thinking correct on this?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Most stores will order you a replacement. Tell them it was on the charger and when you took it off it would not come on.

Ok folks problem solved.
Went to the Sprint store and they were unabe to repair it. Since I do not have the TEP insurance, they charge $35 for a refurbished phone. I asked the sales rep what would I had done if my phone was out of the 1 yr manufacturer's warranty. He stated they would have replaced my phone with a refurb anyway for the $35.
So it's $35 for exchange. I did not have to send it back to Samsung on my own.
I also considered sending my phone to mobiletechvideos.com for $50. I learned about this business from the forums here....I would imagine this business is legit.
A riff box costs $150, which is a JTAG box for cell phones.
Moral of the story, is ODIN freezes.....DO NOT PULL YOUR USB CORD OUT OF THE PHONE! First see if it will eventually complete. If it does not, check the forums to see what to do but do not disconnect the USB cord.
Thanks again to ghostrid3r & kennyglass123 for your advice and help.

Hey there glad to see you found me before making your final decision. I definitely can JTAG the Epic back to life and repair it and would have loved to but hey glad you are back to going. To answer a few of your questions, nobody has developed a DIY JTAG solution, you can't use anything but a Riff Box with the Riff Software and the pinouts are available with the Riff software. Still though, the pins are around .2mm in size and require some decent skill to connect to but you may be familar with that size factor.

Thanks for the info regarding DIY JTAG's connexion2005. I've done the .2 mm size soldering contacts before with a very fine tipped 15 watt soldering iron, a steady hand and patience. It's a fun hobby and a good skill to learn especially since most components are surface mounted these days. You are in my Rolodex for future reference and services though.....thanks again.

For future reference re download all of your odin files pit, tar & rom. Also make sure your usb cable is good. Those are the only 2 things that make odin freeze. Odin itself usually doesn't freeze.

jbadboy2007 said:
For future reference re download all of your odin files pit, tar & rom. Also make sure your usb cable is good. Those are the only 2 things that make odin freeze. Odin itself usually doesn't freeze.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This seems to hold very true. I followed your advice and reflashed my wife's GB leak back to Stock EC05 and Odin behaved itself. The stock USB cables suck. Thanks Again!

[Q] Phone stopped charging?

My phone just doesn't charge anymore.. I've googled and googled. I found one page where a guy said to push up on the tongue of the port to get it centered, but that didnt help at all. I've tried multiple cords with no luck. So I have two questions. What is better to go to for help. My verizon store? Or talk to them on the phone? And if i do, would i need to return to stock? No wait, 3.. if i do need to return to stock, how would i do that with a dead phone? I posted a question on rootz aswell with no solutions yet, maybe y'all will have some ideas. Thanks ahead!
-Justin

Had the same problem recently. It's a hardware issue, the only way to fix is to change the board inside the phone than contains the USB port.
And there is unfortunately no way of re-locking the bootloader, since your phone won't get a connection to a computer due to the dead port.
I looked around in an local Android forum and found someone who could fix my phone for a very fair price. The USB board is not expensive, you can get one on ebay for about 10 dollars
Hop this helps.

flx-grafix said:
Had the same problem recently. It's a hardware issue, the only way to fix is to change the board inside the phone than contains the USB port.
And there is unfortunately no way of re-locking the bootloader, since your phone won't get a connection to a computer due to the dead port.
I looked around in an local Android forum and found someone who could fix my phone for a very fair price. The USB board is not expensive, you can get one on ebay for about 10 dollars
Hop this helps.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for the response, Im chatting with samsung support right now. Do you have the link of the repair guy?

nexus not charging

i know it is already posted but my issue is different. Some can charge their phone when it is off but mine cant charge even if its off.
When its off and i plug the charger the lightning logo appears, it indicates that its charging but when i turn it on the percentage of the battery remained the same. it didnt charge at all. Also my pc does not recognize my phone whether if its off or on.
i tried with no luck changing rom, kernel, used different cables and chargers (i even used one from LG).
i want to take it back to samsung but my bootloader is unlocked, im using costume rom, and rooted. They will not accept or repair it
EDIT: i want to install the stock rom and relock bootloader but how? since my pc doesnt connect to my phone

Look in the development section and download the nexus toolkit.
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using xda app-developers app

ticholas said:
Look in the development section and download the nexus toolkit.
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using xda app-developers app
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Click to collapse
How can i use it if my pc can't recognize my phone? Driver is already installed and it was working before
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using xda app-developers app

Use a cocktail stick and try push the chipinside your phone slot upwards a little (if the phone were laid faceup on a table). Be delicate as you dont want to force it, but a little nudge up and your problems should aaaaall be resolved.

ive already done that no luck.

bump!
if i can restore my phone to stock recovery, stock rom, stock kernel, remove root will they accept it(warranty)? or do they have something to know that i modified my phone?
EDIT: because im planning to return in back to samsung

Please read forum rules before posting
Questions go in Q&A
Thread moved
Thanks
FNM

Is it a play store model or international? If it is international and you are located in the USA, Samsung will not do it. You can replace the usb port yourself..

mine too
Mine did the exact same thing. Good luck sending it in and having them actually fix it. I'm beginning to think their tech guys are really just a room full of chimps randomly putting stuff together.
I told them exactly what the problem was (because I looked it up before sending it in and my problem was the exact same as everyone else's) and they ignored me and just switched out the battery. That didn't work, so I sent it back again. Then, they updated the software. Since it's a hardware issue, obviously that did nothing. Now, they have repaired the PBA. I don't know what a PBA is or what it has to do with my USB port, but I'm betting the issue still will not be fixed and I'll have to send it back, yet again. After all this mess, I think I'm done with Samsung entirely.

turtlemama said:
Mine did the exact same thing. Good luck sending it in and having them actually fix it. I'm beginning to think their tech guys are really just a room full of chimps randomly putting stuff together.
I told them exactly what the problem was (because I looked it up before sending it in and my problem was the exact same as everyone else's) and they ignored me and just switched out the battery. That didn't work, so I sent it back again. Then, they updated the software. Since it's a hardware issue, obviously that did nothing. Now, they have repaired the PBA. I don't know what a PBA is or what it has to do with my USB port, but I'm betting the issue still will not be fixed and I'll have to send it back, yet again. After all this mess, I think I'm done with Samsung entirely.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
i have sent it already. fortunately i was able to return to stock without USB. Hope they cant detect that ive done a mess on my phone.
probably the repair shop where you took your phone are just too lazy to repair. I hope they wont do the mess they did to you but i think it depends on tech guys if they are lazy enough to repair.
lowandbehold said:
Is it a play store model or international? If it is international and you are located in the USA, Samsung will not do it. You can replace the usb port yourself..
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
it is international and im in Italy. i took it back to the shop where ive bought and they'ce accepted it. The problem is that this shop will send my phone to samsung and i afraid that they will call me and ask me if i did something that voids my warranty

silverhunk said:
i have sent it already. fortunately i was able to return to stock without USB. Hope they cant detect that ive done a mess on my phone.
probably the repair shop where you took your phone are just too lazy to repair. I hope they wont do the mess they did to you but i think it depends on tech guys if they are lazy enough to repair.
it is international and im in Italy. i took it back to the shop where ive bought and they'ce accepted it. The problem is that this shop will send my phone to samsung and i afraid that they will call me and ask me if i did something that voids my warranty
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Did you get it fixed?

This is kind of what my phone is doing too (here's the thread i've made)
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2059289
It will charge, but only to a certain point, regardless of rom, kernel, on or off, etc
over the past few days the maximum charge has gone down and down. Now it only charges to a max of 82%. I have 2 batteries and it does the same thing on each. My (hopeful) solution is that i bought an external wall battery charger and will charge batteries that way. I have the verizon model so if i wanted to do some sort of warranty work i'd probably have to go through them (not even sure if im still covered). I really dont want to deal with it. It boggles my mind why my phone is doing this though, charges fine but not to full. Oh well c'est la vie.

cymru said:
Use a cocktail stick and try push the chipinside your phone slot upwards a little (if the phone were laid faceup on a table). Be delicate as you dont want to force it, but a little nudge up and your problems should aaaaall be resolved.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
i wouldnt recommend that to people, for me it went from a phone with "phantom charging" (ie flashing on and off for charging) and issues charging to a short circuit on the usb connection, so that the phone switches off when a usb cable is plugged in. What is well worth trying first is simply giving the port a good clean, a little bit of alcohol and that same cocktail stick may well solve your issue. I've been left charging via a chopped up usb cable to the dock connectors.
i dont doubt that forcing the tab in the port may have worked for you, but it has failed badly for others (ie me), so just be careful suggesting it

I had a similar problem as my micro usb socket was damaged. Don't worry about sending it for repair, do it yourself. The circuit board with a new micro usb socket is available on ebay, I paid £5 for mine. Watch a tear-down video or 2 on youtube and you will be sorted.
The GNex is easy to take apart requiring just a small philips head screwdriver and a pry tool, i used a guitar pik, and these are also available on ebay for just a few ££'s.
Can do the whole job in 15 minutes.

[Q] tried flasing rom and phone is dead..

i got a samsung gs3 yesterday, i loved everything but battery life, lastnight i used George Holtz's "towel root" and rooted my phone, added super user and rom toolbox, upgraded my recovery to clockwork mod basic, and proceded to flash to "flashingdroid version 2.2" it went thru everything and installed the rom, when it tried to reboot, it went black... now it does nothing, computer tries to recognize it, abut i cant get it to download mode, and i cant get it into recovery mode... it does not show charge picture when plugged in and if i take the battery out, plug it in, then insert the battery i get a red light... PLEASE HELP!!!!!!!

noobbrokes3 said:
i got a samsung gs3 yesterday, i loved everything but battery life, lastnight i used George Holtz's "towel root" and rooted my phone, added super user and rom toolbox, upgraded my recovery to clockwork mod basic, and proceded to flash to "flashingdroid version 2.2" it went thru everything and installed the rom, when it tried to reboot, it went black... now it does nothing, computer tries to recognize it, abut i cant get it to download mode, and i cant get it into recovery mode... it does not show charge picture when plugged in and if i take the battery out, plug it in, then insert the battery i get a red light... PLEASE HELP!!!!!!!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
What model is your phone? You flashed a i9300 ROM, this is the sub-forum for the i747.

its the i747, i before looking today never knew there were more than 1 model of the GS3, is it possible to fix it?

This may help:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2549068

audit13 said:
This may help:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2549068
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
my problem is my phone does NOT vibrate when power button is pressed, it isnt doing ANYTHING at ALL, the red charging light only comes on when battery is left out and the phone is plugged in, light turns off after a minute or so of the battery being installed, to me it seems like less rom flash related, and more failure in the board, but im not good at this stuff so im probably wrong, i bought a verizon one (i535) for 50 bucks (pretty banged up touchscreen is cracked in several places i got it without a back cover,but it works,) to get me by but i miss my 4g on straight talk =( i wish i had just left it alone, it was clean just 1 crack in the touch screen wires ans such for lcdanddigitizer got cut by accient while trying to modify midframe for verizon board, i sure as hell cant afford the att version for a while 150-260 for a decent i747, is it possible that a JTAG service would be able to bring it to life or even one of those dongles to force recovery?

noobbrokes3 said:
my problem is my phone does NOT vibrate when power button is pressed, it isnt doing ANYTHING at ALL, the red charging light only comes on when battery is left out and the phone is plugged in, light turns off after a minute or so of the battery being installed, to me it seems like less rom flash related, and more failure in the board, but im not good at this stuff so im probably wrong, i bought a verizon one (i535) for 50 bucks (pretty banged up touchscreen is cracked in several places i got it without a back cover,but it works,) to get me by but i miss my 4g on straight talk =( i wish i had just left it alone, it was clean just 1 crack in the touch screen wires ans such for lcdanddigitizer got cut by accient while trying to modify midframe for verizon board, i sure as hell cant afford the att version for a while 150-260 for a decent i747, is it possible that a JTAG service would be able to bring it to life or even one of those dongles to force recovery?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It could be a board failure but it happened right after you flashed the ROM which leads me to believe it is software related.
A dongle is not going to help since the phone won't even power up. A jtag service would be your best and quickest option. You should try and find a shop that will guarantee to revive the phone or you pay nothing.
This might help with your current phone: http://www.xda-developers.com/android/how-to-make-your-verizon-galaxy-s-iii-a-world-phone/

noobbrokes3 said:
my problem is my phone does NOT vibrate when power button is pressed, it isnt doing ANYTHING at ALL, the red charging light only comes on when battery is left out and the phone is plugged in, light turns off after a minute or so of the battery being installed, to me it seems like less rom flash related, and more failure in the board, but im not good at this stuff so im probably wrong, i bought a verizon one (i535) for 50 bucks (pretty banged up touchscreen is cracked in several places i got it without a back cover,but it works,) to get me by but i miss my 4g on straight talk =( i wish i had just left it alone, it was clean just 1 crack in the touch screen wires ans such for lcdanddigitizer got cut by accient while trying to modify midframe for verizon board, i sure as hell cant afford the att version for a while 150-260 for a decent i747, is it possible that a JTAG service would be able to bring it to life or even one of those dongles to force recovery?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Flashing an i9300 rom is guaranteed to hard brick the device and cause exactly what you described. If you follow the instructions in the thread linked in an above post it probably has a 90% chance of fixing it.
I am 99% certain it is not a hardware failure. Others have done the exact same thing and were able to fix it by using the instructions in that thread.

audit13 said:
It could be a board failure but it happened right after you flashed the ROM which leads me to believe it is software related.
A dongle is not going to help since the phone won't even power up. A jtag service would be your best and quickest option. You should try and find a shop that will guarantee to revive the phone or you pay nothing.
This might help with your current phone: http://www.xda-developers.com/android/how-to-make-your-verizon-galaxy-s-iii-a-world-phone/
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
i found one on ebay, full refund short of a 5 dollar shipping cost for return shipping, once i have money that i can spend ill sure as hell be giving it a shot

Or you can attempt to fix it for free.....but I suppose that is up to you.

DocHoliday77 said:
Or you can attempt to fix it for free.....but I suppose that is up to you.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
either way its gonna cost me a little cash, i dont have a 16 gig sd card, forgive me for being so noob but the sd card trick CAN work for my case?? i know for a fact i cant do anythingto my phone right now as it wont even power on, but if you BELIEVE it will work ill gove it a try

Unless you updated with the kk ota, you are probably on 4.3 firmware. I cannot guarantee it will work, but I believe the chances are pretty good that it will.
Just remember, if it doesn't work, dont give up on the first try. Many have had to run through the process several times before it would actually boot up again.
The only other tip I can think to give is to make sure you buy a decent sd card. It doesn't have to be top of the line, but there are tons of fake ones out there that would be less likely to work. If you can, try to buy one from an authorized dealer for whatever brand you are considering. This greatly reduces the chance of getting a bad card.

DocHoliday77 said:
Unless you updated with the kk ota, you are probably on 4.3 firmware. I cannot guarantee it will work, but I believe the chances are pretty good that it will.
Just remember, if it doesn't work, dont give up on the first try. Many have had to run through the process several times before it would actually boot up again.
The only other tip I can think to give is to make sure you buy a decent sd card. It doesn't have to be top of the line, but there are tons of fake ones out there that would be less likely to work. If you can, try to buy one from an authorized dealer for whatever brand you are considering. This greatly reduces the chance of getting a bad card.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
4.0.x was the last firmware, i never got to update it. i bought a PNY 16gb microSD HC class 4, it was 25 bucks at the local drug store, i was hoping for a class 6 - 10 but i believe it is a good quality card, maybe you would know better?

I won't lie, I am not a big fan of PNY, but as long as its the real thing, I think it should work. Class 6 or better is recommended, but it has worked on class 4 cards too. At this point, the only thing left to do is give it a shot. Good luck!

[Q] My s3's motherboard fried?

Last week,before going to sleep, I put my s3 phone to charge before going to class. When i woke up in the morning i knew something was wrong because my alarm never rang.
Because i live in india now, I first called samsung and they told me I would have to pay 70$ just to ship it to texas center and then have to pay whatever the cost is to fix the problem.
Naturally, I took it to a mobile repair shop down the road. They first said my phone had some boot problem. After a week they said nothing could be done and that the motherboard is fried.
Here are the problems.. When i woke up, the phone was off and the charging light wasnt even showing. I kept trying to turn thr phone on and it tuened on once all the way to the samsung logo and sound and then shut off again. After that, it hasnt turned on since. Boot menu doesnr work. Download menu also doesnt work.
It doesnt turn on but the charging light shows uo when i insert thr charging cable.
What do you guys think? What should i do? Is my motherboard really fried? Should i try to find a new motherboard on amazon and try setting it up myself? I dont think my warranty is still active with at&t if that makes any difference.
Looking forward to any help,thanks.

Plug into a computer and check device manager. If it says qhsusb_dload or something similar it may just be bricked. If so try the debrick method in this section. Worth a shot before spending money on it.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-T999 using Tapatalk

DocHoliday77 said:
Plug into a computer and check device manager. If it says qhsusb_dload or something similar it may just be bricked. If so try the debrick method in this section. Worth a shot before spending money on it.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-T999 using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
After I plug into the computer..nothing happens.
Ill try again after i get home.
The phone is rooted. Though i havnt updated it in a very long time.
Also i should mention that sometimes the red charging light comes on and sometimes it doesnt. Also when i connected it to a different computer it showed a message rhat something failed to download.

Which charging adapter did you use? Was it the stock samsung adapter or an aftermarket one?

so after plugging in the phone to the computer, I tried to look for anything in the device manager, however have come up empty handed.
So, its safe to assume, its not bricked (as that is semi-reversible).
And that the phone is most likely motherboard fried...which sucks and means I have to get a new phone.
Is there anyway to extract the information from internal storage? like documents and pdfs and possibly notes? Or is that option not available aswell?

I am thinking it is a hardware failure at this point. I would say to check the USB port as those to tend to get damaged sometimes, but you took it to a shop already and they should've noticed it if that were the case. These devices are getting old though, and I've been seeing more and more hw failures lately, so considering all that you said in the op, what the shop told you and what has been discussed here I am thinking that will be the most likely conclusion.
As for getting your data back, I kind of doubt it will be possible. If a shop can't get to it with special equipment and programs, you won't be able to do much more on your own. If its very important/valuable data, you could always try a professional data recovery service, but you're probably going to pay a good bit for that.
I am sorry that this happened and that I can't be any better help to you. Good luck with whatever you decide to do. And feel free to ask for a second opinion. Its always possible I could've overlooked something.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-T999 using Tapatalk

Have you tried a fully charged different battery. You're USB port could be bad not allowing your battery to charge or connect to the computer. If this is the case, your battery didn't charge and went dead during the night and it also may not be getting power from the computer when plugged in. With another battery you might power up and retrieve your data.

S3 motherboard replacement
Hi guys,
I hope somebody here can be of any help. my i9300 (s3) got fried while charging last month. while i was planning to dispose the phone. due i cannot use it anymore and i bought one for good which currently in use, my co-worker just broke the screen of His phone too (s3), fortunately,he agreed to give me his and ask a friend of mine to replaced the motherboard on my s3 with the one from my co-workers phone. the replacement proceeded successfully but upon testing any sim card does not work. it display it has a coverage bar signal, but the notification on top says no sim card.
anybody who would share a thought about what will be the solution is much appreciated!
thanks in Advance