Develop Bugs

Potential Brick, Unsure How To Proceed

Hello all.
I am an HTC guy through and through and have never owned a Samsung device. I'm familiar with HTC's S-OFF/HBOOT/bootloader stuff, but I'm not really all that clear on how it works for Samsung devices. I promise I've tried to do some reading before hand before coming to you, including looking at other threads, but they don't seem to be the issue I'm having.
I'm trying to help a friend out who has an AT&T GS3 that I unlocked for him and put an AOSP ROM on it a few months ago (don't worry, I made damn sure it was the AT&T version and no other carrier/international ROM).
He came to me today telling me that his phone suddenly turned off, and was not turning on again. I figure it's probably just a corrupted partition, something that I could fix with a reflash or something like that.
However, when I look at it, it seems to be something potentially worse. The phone did nothing with the battery in, so I took it out and put it back in. The phone very briefly vibrates, the Samsung logo shows for about 1.5 - 2 seconds at most, and then the screen goes dark.
When I try to enter Download Mode, I'm able to get to the custom software "warning" page, where I press Volume Up, and it shows me Download Mode and "Waiting" (as I expect it to) but then the screen just goes black again after about a second or two.
It's roughly the same with Recovery Mode, I can catch a glimpse of what looks like CWM (but I'm not entirely sure) and then the screen goes black.
If I choose to forgo the battery altogether, and I plug it in straight to the wall, the red LED on the top right lights up for again maybe 3 - 4 seconds at most, the light goes away, and the phone briefly vibrates, shows me the Samsung logo, and then goes dark.
I'm confused. I don't know if it's a brick, but then again, to me as an HTC user, "brick" means Qualcomm USB Download mode. I've also read about this infamous Samsung Sudden Death Syndrome that struck some of the 16 GB models that Samsung sold (and yes, you guessed it, this is the white 16GB model).
I don't really know what other troubleshooting options there are (but as I said before, I'm an HTC guy). If any of you have any sort of advice I would love to hear it.
Thank you for your time.

I've seen several users on here in the last few months with this issue. I worked with one of them for awhile trying to get it straightened out but couldn't resolve the problem. Some of that was due to the nature of the problem and some was probably due to the fact I didn't have the phone in my hands to help the new user better. I believe the user was able to get an exchange at an at&t service center. Sorry I can't offer more assistance. Keep us posted if you get a fix.

xBeerdroiDx said:
I've seen several users on here in the last few months with this issue. I worked with one of them for awhile trying to get it straightened out but couldn't resolve the problem. Some of that was due to the nature of the problem and some was probably due to the fact I didn't have the phone in my hands to help the new user better. I believe the user was able to get an exchange at an at&t service center. Sorry I can't offer more assistance. Keep us posted if you get a fix.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I appreciate you trying. I know it's such an odd issue that it's really hard to diagnose. I thought perhaps it might have to do with the battery somehow being "bad", but then the problem would be gone when I go AC only.
He's not against the idea of going to AT&T, but I feel bad; I convinced him to unlock and let me flash a new ROM so I feel that I should at least put in a good effort to make sure there's nothing more I can do.

Yeah, the biggest problem is that once you get into recovery or download mode, the device reboots/loops. This eliminates the possibility of any kind of flashing or wiping.

You might have a bad motherboard. If I was you I'd take it to att for a replacement. BTW if he doesn't have insurance for the phone they do have open enrollment , I'd wait a day or two after enrolling to submit a claim.
Wish you the best.
Sent from my SGH-I747 using xda app-developers app

LiquidSolstice said:
I appreciate you trying. I know it's such an odd issue that it's really hard to diagnose. I thought perhaps it might have to do with the battery somehow being "bad", but then the problem would be gone when I go AC only.
He's not against the idea of going to AT&T, but I feel bad; I convinced him to unlock and let me flash a new ROM so I feel that I should at least put in a good effort to make sure there's nothing more I can do.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It's a realllly long shot but he could contact mobile tech videos and tell them his issue and see if a jtag repair would help. If it's hardware of course he is out of luck but it's worth a shot and a lot cheaper.

[Q] Bricked T999

I have a GS3 that was rooted with a CM rom. I was using it the other day and the screen just suddenly went black. I tried rebooting it and popping out the battery, but to no avail. I can't boot it into download or recovery mode either.
When I put in the battery, the phone vibrates but nothing else. When I plug in the USB cable with no battery, it vibrates and the LED comes on for a few seconds before flickering off.
My first priority is data recovery, I've been a bad boy and haven't backed up my data for a while. My second priority is making it so they can't tell I have a flashed ROM when I send it out for warranty service, though AFAIK, this may be a nonissue.
I tried to make a 300k jig, and it didn't work (assuming I got the pins right).

Have you tried KAsp3rd's debrick method?
Stickies in development.
Sent from my SGH-T999 using Tapatalk

DocHoliday77 said:
Have you tried KAsp3rd's debrick method?
Stickies in development.
Sent from my SGH-T999 using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm not stuck in QHSUSB-DLOAD as far as I can tell. Would it still be effective?

Could be. It basically allows you to boot download mode from the sdcard. From there you Odin flash the firmware and hopefully that would fix it. But if it's a hardware failure, which it could be per your description, I doubt anything will work.
Sent from my SGH-T999 using Tapatalk

New update. I figured out that the 300k ohm resistor trick DOES work, but only for like three seconds. Meaning that they'll be able to see the custom binary count, but (as far as I know) I can't reset it to 0.
The weird part is that it only works if I plug the usb jig into the phone before putting the battery in, if I put the battery in first, it doesn't work. It almost seems like it constantly thinks the power button is being pressed or something.
I guess I'm opening it up and looking for a short. The power button operates normally tactile-y speaking.
EDIT: new new update. I wasn't able to find anything physical when I looked at the pcb. But I verified my theory, somewhat. When I hold home and volume up/down (without touching the power button) when I put the battery in, it boots into download mode for a second before shutting down.
It's not behaving exactly like it would if it was only that though, because I tried holding the power button down on the t999l I got as a replacement, while inserting the battery, and the boot screen shows up for a few, where a boot screen never shows up on the bad phone.
DOUBLE EDIT: can I swap that pcb with the one from the t999l, or are they too dissimilar? Would I be able to swap it with one from another t999, or does the board that has the power switch also have the onboard storage?
TRIPLE EDIT: I answered my own question, the eMMC and the power switch are on the same board. But if the fault is caused by something else (e.g. a camera), would I be able to plug all the other hardware from the t999l into the t999, or can I just boot up the t999 without most of the hardware connected as a test?

I would not risk going through all that trouble. Not quite sure why you would honestly. You got a T999L right? Warranty replacement I assume? It's a superior device so why my not just use it as is?
Sent from my SGH-T999 using Tapatalk

DocHoliday77 said:
I would not risk going through all that trouble. Not quite sure why you would honestly. You got a T999L right? Warranty replacement I assume? It's a superior device so why my not just use it as is?
Sent from my SGH-T999 using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
1. I really want my data back.
2. I risk getting charged for out of warranty if they see it was rooted and flashed.
3. I'm going to sell it anyways, I got a note 3 because the S3 was on backorder and I couldn't do my job without a smartphone.

1. I'm sorry to say, but plan on this not being possible.
2. If it won't boot there is little chance you'd have to worry about it. They aren't going to go to extraordinary measures to check k the counter. Many people have claimed they sent a dead device back and never got charged, even though the counter had been tripped.
If you damage the good hardware you won't have much to sell.
I don't understand why you'd be willing to attempt to Frankenstein the two devices, but not at least attempt the debrick method I mentioned.
Also, you should be aware, even if it's something else, not a bad chip, it probably won't work. Much of the hardware is in fact different between the two. Different camera, different radios, different SoC....
I wish you luck if you decide to try this, but imo you are taking an awful big risk to try something that probably won't work anyway.
If your data is really that important maybe you should look into a data recovery service.
And in the future, back up back up back up!
Good luck whatever you decide. Let us know what happens.
Sent from my SGH-T999 using Tapatalk

DocHoliday77 said:
1. I'm sorry to say, but plan on this not being possible.
2. If it won't boot there is little chance you'd have to worry about it. They aren't going to go to extraordinary measures to check k the counter. Many people have claimed they sent a dead device back and never got charged, even though the counter had been tripped.
If you damage the good hardware you won't have much to sell.
I don't understand why you'd be willing to attempt to Frankenstein the two devices, but not at least attempt the debrick method I mentioned.
Also, you should be aware, even if it's something else, not a bad chip, it probably won't work. Much of the hardware is in fact different between the two. Different camera, different radios, different SoC....
I wish you luck if you decide to try this, but imo you are taking an awful big risk to try something that probably won't work anyway.
If your data is really that important maybe you should look into a data recovery service.
And in the future, back up back up back up!
Good luck whatever you decide. Let us know what happens.
Sent from my SGH-T999 using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Reading through the whole thread, I am going to agree with the Doc. Why would you go to all that trouble ? Nobody is going to be able to salvage that data, let alone snoop in it. You are best move on rather than Creating that Frankenstein Monster as Doc aptly put it.

The frankenphone would only have been for if the phone didn't work without the camera/speaker/etc connected. However when I disconnect everything from the main board except for the screen, I get the same behavior. So I guess the only thing I would want to test would be the touchscreen. I can't find any info on if the t999l touchscreen is compatible with the t999 board, but if anyone knows, that would be great.
I'm still going to try the microsd card debrick method, I was concentrating on the usb jig last night since that got me further than anything else so far.
As to why, I have pictures and whatnot on the phone that I want to save, as well as a bunch of work crap that will take me dozens of hours to recreate, plus a bunch of other personal stuff. If I can't get it, then I can't get it, but I want to exhaust my resources (within reason) before giving up.

dubloe7 said:
I'm still going to try the microsd card debrick method, I was concentrating on the usb jig last night since that got me further than anything else so far.
As to why, I have pictures and whatnot on the phone that I want to save, as well as a bunch of work crap that will take me dozens of hours to recreate, plus a bunch of other personal stuff. If I can't get it, then I can't get it, but I want to exhaust my resources (within reason) before giving up.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Try JTAG instead of this if sdcard doesn't work. Most of t999l hardware is supposed to be identical. Since partition are potentially different. So phone may not boot. But you might be able to do adb. Good luck.

Actually it's the other way around. Partition layout is the same (though firmware incompatible) and hardware is definitely different.
Sent from my SGH-T999 using Tapatalk

SD card didn't work, looking for jtag instructions.
EDIT: The more I look, the more it looks like a faulty power switch. Unfortunately, it doesn't look like I have a way to short the power switch or something in a way that doesn't void the warranty...
Any help on this is appreciated.

Well, I think I'm completely screwed now.
I found this, http://androidforums.com/samsung-ga...-help-black-screen-vibrating.html#post5262715 and somehow managed to lift the freaking solder pads.
What do you think the chances that they won't charge me a couple hundred dollars for "out of warranty service" are?
EDIT: good news: Confirmed that the cable that I lifted the solder pads on, which I assume is an antenna, probably isn't the problem (unplugged it on the t999l, and it works fine).
bad news: I also confirmed the power switch itself isn't the problem either. The left and right hand side aren't connected (according to my multimeter) when the button isn't pressed, but they are when it is.
Another edit: I unconfirmed the power switch part. It looks like the button only needs the slightest contact in order to short. I removed the power button from the case, surprisingly difficult since I saw people complaining about it falling out. Now the difficult part is making it think the switch is closed for long enough to not turn it on, but not long enough to turn it back off. I've gotten it to the boot logo, but I haven't gotten it to fully boot.
Yet another EDIT: the only way I can get it to turn on long enough to see the boot logo is by smacking it in my hand after it turns on, which seems to interrupt the constant button press signal. From the metering on the switch, it seems that even less contact is needed to turn on the phone than to signal the multimeter. Any suggestions as to somewhere to cut the power switch signal other than the power switch?

Nexus 5x shut off and won't turn on

If I posted this in the incorrect place or there is something related to my issue, I apologize in advance.
I've been searching here and all over the internet and no progress yet so I decided to make a new account here just to see if anyone can help me because I'm out of ideas right now.
This morning my Nexus 5x (Non-rooted Nougat) woke me up like every morning, after dismissing the alarm I left it on my bed and when I came back to grab it later I noticed it shut off.
Here are the facts and what I have tried so far:
- Battery level was almost full
- I tried to turn it on but nothing happened, not even the Google logo
- Connected it to power and no icons or any response at all
- Left it connected for like an hour and tried to get it into recovery mode
- I was able to get into fastboot mode a few times but after electing "start" or "recovery mode" the Google logo comes up and then shuts off again right after.
- Tried getting into recovery mode after leaving it charging for a while again but I couldn't even get into fastboot this time, no signs of life at all.
- Disconnected the battery for a few minutes and tried to get into fastboot mode again, this time it worked but same thing happened. (Google logo then shuts off)
- Tried connecting it to my PC but doesn't show up on Linux nor Windows, on Windows it makes the sound like I connected a peripheral but that's pretty much it.
- I have USB debugging enable but never accessed my stuff through usb connection because I have had this issue before where it is connected but it won't show up or it shows up but won't let me access the files even though the phone is unlocked.
At this point it just won't do anything and I ran out of ideas. I just want to at least recover some pictures and information I have in it that isn't backed up, if anyone can help me I would greatly appreciate it.
Thanks in advance

It sounds like you might have encountered the hardware bootloop issue. This is theorized to be caused by bad solder for the eMMC chip or bad eMMC chip. This was an acknowledge problem on a related model LG phone, but hasn't been acknowledged for N5x.
If you are under warranty, you should start the replacement process before it runs out.
If you want to try something that sounds crazy but has worked for some people, put the phone in the freezer for 15 minutes then see if it boots. If it does, quickly back up as much data as you can, then wipe the phone in preparation to RMA exchange.

Just boot to bootloader (fastboot) then unlock it and flash a factory image... u can find many guides to this operation on the XDA

sfhub said:
It sounds like you might have encountered the hardware bootloop issue. This is theorized to be caused by bad solder for the eMMC chip or bad eMMC chip. This was an acknowledge problem on a related model LG phone, but hasn't been acknowledged for N5x.
If you are under warranty, you should start the replacement process before it runs out.
If you want to try something that sounds crazy but has worked for some people, put the phone in the freezer for 15 minutes then see if it boots. If it does, quickly back up as much data as you can, then wipe the phone in preparation to RMA exchange.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
At this point, I'm willing to try anything. Thanks

driss.sadok said:
Just boot to bootloader (fastboot) then unlock it and flash a factory image... u can find many guides to this operation on the XDA
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If it's a hardware issue like sfhub suggested, I don't think this will fix it.

PennyScissors said:
If it's a hardware issue like sfhub suggested, I don't think this will fix it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Same here... cannot enter recovery mode, so flashed new rom stock rom.
The flashing was fine but it didn't help.

guys if u can get to the bootloader, sure it can be fixed.. everything is possible with the fastboot, u can fix any issue. if it's a hardware issue the bootloader wouldn't work as well.

Re Nexus 5X won't turn on - I've had same issue
PennyScissors said:
This morning my Nexus 5x (Non-rooted Nougat) woke me up like every morning, after dismissing the alarm I left it on my bed and when I came back to grab it later I noticed it shut off.
Here are the facts and what I have tried so far:
- Battery level was almost full
- I tried to turn it on but nothing happened, not even the Google logo
- Connected it to power and no icons or any response at all
- Left it connected for like an hour and tried to get it into recovery mode
- I was able to get into fastboot mode a few times but after electing "start" or "recovery mode" the Google logo comes up and then shuts off again right after.
- Tried getting into recovery mode after leaving it charging for a while again but I couldn't even get into fastboot this time, no signs of life at all.
- Disconnected the battery for a few minutes and tried to get into fastboot mode again, this time it worked but same thing happened. (Google logo then shuts off)
- Tried connecting it to my PC but doesn't show up on Linux nor Windows, on Windows it makes the sound like I connected a peripheral but that's pretty much it.
- I have USB debugging enable but never accessed my stuff through usb connection because I have had this issue before where it is connected but it won't show up or it shows up but won't let me access the files even though the phone is unlocked.
At this point it just won't do anything and I ran out of ideas...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I've had the same problem with my 5X, except my alarm didn't even go off! I woke up 15 minutes late to see the boot screen "enter your pattern to start Android". I entered my pattern and it looked like it was going to boot up but when I went back to it it was blank. Tried again, got to the Google loading dots and it switched off again and I haven't been able to power it up since. No bootloader, nothing. Tried all the troubleshooting steps on the Nexus Google Support pages (I did post a link but because I'm new it won't show, so just Google "Nexus Support") and nothing worked. I also knew the battery was fully charged because it had been on charge overnight and when I did get to the 'enter your pattern' screen, the battery icon in the notification bar was full.
I requested a call back from Google and nothing happened so I tried the chat and they said it sounded like a hardware issue and are sending me a replacement device within the next 3-5 working days. Good that they're replacing it. Bad that it happened on a device less than a year old and they only offered £10 Play Store credit by way of compensation, when I've had to spend £15+ on a PAYG sim card to use in my old phone in the meantime because the nano sim in my 5X was too small and I've spent over an hour and half this afternoon wasting my time with troubleshooting and waiting for a call back... Not really the customer service I expected from Google for what appears to be a hardware issue. If you bought the phone from Google, my advice would be to get in touch with Google Support and they should replace it under warranty.

danielledowns01 said:
I've had the same problem with my 5X, except my alarm didn't even go off! I woke up 15 minutes late to see the boot screen "enter your pattern to start Android". I entered my pattern and it looked like it was going to boot up but when I went back to it it was blank. Tried again, got to the Google loading dots and it switched off again and I haven't been able to power it up since. No bootloader, nothing. Tried all the troubleshooting steps on the Nexus Google Support pages (I did post a link but because I'm new it won't show, so just Google "Nexus Support") and nothing worked. I also knew the battery was fully charged because it had been on charge overnight and when I did get to the 'enter your pattern' screen, the battery icon in the notification bar was full.
I requested a call back from Google and nothing happened so I tried the chat and they said it sounded like a hardware issue and are sending me a replacement device within the next 3-5 working days. Good that they're replacing it. Bad that it happened on a device less than a year old and they only offered £10 Play Store credit by way of compensation, when I've had to spend £15+ on a PAYG sim card to use in my old phone in the meantime because the nano sim in my 5X was too small and I've spent over an hour and half this afternoon wasting my time with troubleshooting and waiting for a call back... Not really the customer service I expected from Google for what appears to be a hardware issue. If you bought the phone from Google, my advice would be to get in touch with Google Support and they should replace it under warranty.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I contacted Google and they didn't help me at all because my warranty expired last month, they literally just told me to put in a repair request at the LG repair webpage....this sucks

My experience exactly...
My wife's Nexus 5 exhibited the exact same symptoms this morning. It's been running perfectly for 20 months and today it died, and we're unable to even get into the bootloader screen or power on the phone.
Taking your advice, we put it in the freezer for 15 minutes and were able to perform a factory reset wiping all data from the phone. We are going to take advantage of Google's Christmas 2017 promotion and return the Nexus 5X and buy a Moto 4X. They require you perform a factory reset before returning the phone in order to receive a credit for the returned Nexus 5. Thank you so much for the help!
Dennis
sfhub said:
It sounds like you might have encountered the hardware bootloop issue. This is theorized to be caused by bad solder for the eMMC chip or bad eMMC chip. This was an acknowledge problem on a related model LG phone, but hasn't been acknowledged for N5x.
If you are under warranty, you should start the replacement process before it runs out.
If you want to try something that sounds crazy but has worked for some people, put the phone in the freezer for 15 minutes then see if it boots. If it does, quickly back up as much data as you can, then wipe the phone in preparation to RMA exchange.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse

https://forum.xda-developers.com/nexus-5x/help/help-nexus-5x-lg-off-to-t3729739
I've just posted this thread overlooking yours. I think this is becoming another common issue. Has the freezer trick worked with anybody else?

I am having the same issue described here. My Nexus 5x went into a Bootloop about one month ago, but I was able to get it working again by going into Recovery Mode. About 4 days ago it went into a constant Bootloop, just showing the Google screen, and I couldnt get back in to recovery mode. I ordered a new phone on Tuesday (Pixel 2) and as long as I am able to do a factory reset I should get a $150 credit when I send this phone back. So, in desperation, I took a chance on the 15 minute freezer trick, and it worked! I was able to get into recovery mode (power + volume down, select Recovery Mode, little dude on his back came up, pushed power + volume up once) and cleared the cache and applied the factory reset. Ridiculous that this phone only lasted 18 months, but if I get the $150 credit I will be happy.

Same problem here -- just froze for a few seconds, powered off, and won't turn back on. Not a boot loop issue as there is no response at all from any buttons. Swapping the mainboard from a working phone powered up without a problem, but obviously that's the other phone's emmc.
I tried the freezer thing and it sort of worked- LCD powered on for a couple seconds, but then shut back off again and even that only happened once. That's progress over the usual absolutely no response though... Anyone have insight into why the temperature would matter? something is overheating that this gives a bit of wiggle room since it starts much colder than usual? maybe a more complex analog electronic situation?
I would happily pull the flash chip off and put it in a emmc reader, but I think I'm out of luck because from what I've read the dm-crypt key is generated from some data stored in in the processor's trust zone thing. I know the "password" but if that's only part of what makes the key and the rest isn't on the flash chip I suppose there's no point in going that route.
I don't care about the hardware surviving; mostly just looking to recover my data. Anyone have suggestions? Hardware debugging direction? I'm willing to buy some electronics test equipment (within reason of course; not picking up a 10000USD rework station for some old photos and contact list...)

d_ckhole said:
Same problem here -- just froze for a few seconds, powered off, and won't turn back on. Not a boot loop issue as there is no response at all from any buttons. Swapping the mainboard from a working phone powered up without a problem, but obviously that's the other phone's emmc.
I tried the freezer thing and it sort of worked- LCD powered on for a couple seconds, but then shut back off again and even that only happened once. That's progress over the usual absolutely no response though... Anyone have insight into why the temperature would matter? something is overheating that this gives a bit of wiggle room since it starts much colder than usual? maybe a more complex analog electronic situation?
I would happily pull the flash chip off and put it in a emmc reader, but I think I'm out of luck because from what I've read the dm-crypt key is generated from some data stored in in the processor's trust zone thing. I know the "password" but if that's only part of what makes the key and the rest isn't on the flash chip I suppose there's no point in going that route.
I don't care about the hardware surviving; mostly just looking to recover my data. Anyone have suggestions? Hardware debugging direction? I'm willing to buy some electronics test equipment (within reason of course; not picking up a 10000USD rework station for some old photos and contact list...)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The only way to connect that buddy to PC is to get SoC (CPU) working, so theoretically you can go towards reballing the chip. But I guess it's not an easy thing for such a little chip. Also u will need kinda plate for balls, i think there are no common ones, so u can make it yourself if have a technical education.
Another way is to connect memory right to PC without a phone but with some connector. IDK if there are any available, but this looks much more simple. I actually got the same happened, and tried to heat the plate, but with particular success.
IMHO

orcgoblinsupply said:
Another way is to connect memory right to PC without a phone but with some connector. IDK if there are any available, but this looks much more simple. I actually got the same happened, and tried to heat the plate, but with particular success.
IMHO
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Here's the reader
https://www.amazon.com/ALLSOCKET-eMMC169-Programmer-Kingston-Interface/dp/B06Y55DKND/
But I assume the problem is I will not be able to generate the encryption key because part of it is in the processor.
If someone has tried this and it definitely works, I'll give it a go. Just don't want to buy the emmc reader and heat gun this chip off if it's certainly a waste of time.

d_ckhole said:
Here's the reader
https://www.amazon.com/ALLSOCKET-eMMC169-Programmer-Kingston-Interface/dp/B06Y55DKND/
But I assume the problem is I will not be able to generate the encryption key because part of it is in the processor.
If someone has tried this and it definitely works, I'll give it a go. Just don't want to buy the emmc reader and heat gun this chip off if it's certainly a waste of time.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I've seen a post of a guy who sent his motherboard to china and got reballed it and gained 4gb of ram. Can be wrong, but it was around $50 and a month of time.
---------- Post added at 04:46 PM ---------- Previous post was at 04:40 PM ----------
Actually found the post itself: https://4pda.ru/forum/index.php?showtopic=722679&st=3440#entry68093395 (it's in russian, so u're welcome at translate.google.com) In short - a guy fount a Chinese service and men in the middle who could resend his motherboard to china, it cost him $100

Help collecting phone components i.e. ROM, bootloader, modem, kernel....?

Lemme start off by saying I've got a SM-N910P that's getting the fabled eMMC_write failed error.
Because of its intermittent behavior, it REALLY seems possible it's due to a corrupt file or sector of memory somewhere. Can't say for sure but I'd love to try everything I can, which leads us to...
I know of these portions of software that can be flashed(?) onto a phone:
ROM
modem
kernel
bootloader
EFS?
Pit (re-partition)
Am I missing anything at all? And most importantly... I know (think) these items, if flashed, have to match up to each other. Like, bootloaders matching roms matching kernels, etc... the hard part is figuring out what matches what in an attempt to flash and reformat and wipe as much as possible. It seems to vary what a ROM comes with- some with, some without bootloaders or kernels.... I dunno how to tell for sure??
Anyone got any insight on how to collect and complete these things? Pick any rom, doesn't matter... it's on PK1 at the moment, but had taken the official PL1 update before i flashed PK1 back onto it. It will boot sometimes, but always eventually crashes. If it has to be rolled back to LP, it is what it is lol.
I'm aware of wake-lock bandaid, and other odd suggestions that do not fix this issue. Cleaning house as much as possible just might work- and if it does, someone could be a hero. There's HUNDREDS of devices suffering out there after MM came out.

I may have chosen a bad title LOL. If anyone reads this.... A huge help would be just to know for certain all the components and what they're called that I can completely wipe and replace. If it helps, I have 3 more of these phones exactly same model and carrier that are active use phones at my disposal (sorta...my wife, my brother....lol).
If I understand correctly, there's an EFS ...partition?...that I must preserve? Kinda like the phone's identity, but complicated. If I could back that up, how much closer could I get to a full, complete, 100% wipe of the phone's internal memory? If ya see where I'm going with this....I believe there's data stuck somewhere that's corrupt and causing this eMMC issue. Lemme know if I'm just completely ignorant and wrong tho lol.
Thx for looking, anyone.

There's lots of theories of what's happening, that's true. But I think evidence points directly to the eMMC.
You can find how to videos on YouTube for replacing eMMC chip on main board or just main board replacement. There are many places on Amazon and eBay to buy main board replacement for Note 4.
I asked my local uBreakItiFixIt for an estimate on main board replacement. They don't stock eMMC or main board but gave me a $10 labor quote for board replacement that I would bring in myself.
There was a poster that was trying to localize the issue through a developer online. Sent his phone to him to flash the recovery, claiming the partition was corrupt but he got his phone back with same issue. I do believe many happy ending threads in our forum are incomplete.
There was a thread in another site that had numerous phones exhibiting eMMC failure that were Odin flashed with PIT loaded, repartition with PIT, nand erase all and stock tar loaded all at once and I don't think there was a happy ending anywhere to be found where reports after flash were followed up.
That suggests it's not corruption but component failure. And also suggests this shouldn't be happening with normal flash or update. I think the update places a burden on weak components is where the correlation to update is coming from.
From my own experience, only few issues have happened that a reboot wouldn't fix. Twice over the entire life of my phone- picked up on launch day as a pre-order and kept in continual service since-, I've had to Odin TWRP because the phone wouldn't boot into recovery from system boot, when commanded.
The times I've flashed ROM again or wiped cache and dalvik-cache and rebooted were mostly my doing that caused unexpected results. I also crashed marshmallow twice early on while modifying stock and wasn't sure how I did that but all in all, I think I'm to blame for mistakes rather than the phone or OS updates. My phone has remained healthy but I've also replaced the battery frequently.
How's your battery? If you can Odin stock tar successfully, I'd try it again but only with a fresh battery. I'm suspicious of replacement battery's shelf life if ordering a replacement battery has it arriving with very low capacity. Research has shown batteries last longer for users when they're stored at 50% capacity and maintained at that capacity. But they're low drain batteries but imagine they could have made in bulk when Note 4 was first manufactured. If left to drain and not maintained, you may not get a year's worth of normal use from that battery. The original battery received new with these phones were notably failing at 12 months. Also depends on use. Others may fail sooner; they're rated at 500 full charge and discharge cycles. Depending on use, they may not last as long as rated or get the cycles used up prior to a year. They can become erratic and unstable at that point, whenever that is.
Nonetheless, if you want to try procedure I described earlier, a post is linked below for reference. Consider also that the more you flash a failed or intermittent eMMC, you're more likely to induce its demise to permanent or persistent failure; unusable.
https://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?p=70181377
As far as EFS partition, I wouldn't try to restore a backup if replacing eMMC or main board. Phone should activate easily if you're a Sprint subscriber. Just Odin stock tar.
Sent from my SM-N920P using Tapatalk

Marshmallow broke my phone so I...

Installed CyanogenMOD and it still resets, locks up and has other performance related issues.
I did an OTA update to Marshmallow originally. This corrupted my SD card and then caused about 10 resets a day, ranging from when I was using it lightly to heavily or even when it was sleeping/screen off. If I woke it up it would reset or I could feel it reset when it was in my pocket.
First thing I did was a factory reset. I tried other tricks such as swapping out the battery, SD card (or none at all), clearing cache, etc.... Nothing worked. So I tried installing CyanogenMOD, and I failed. But I got the phone back to BPA1. I updated back to marshmallow via my computer and the Verizon software updater.
About a day later the resets and lockups came back. I kept it light of apps but did slowly begin to reinstall some of my usuals (from the play store).
I had some more time so I tried installing Cyan again and was successful. It took a long time to load and optimize but it worked. I used gapps mini and the only step I did not follow in the guide was I did not install xposed.
It's been running for about 12 hours and has hanged, locked up and rebooted on me multiple times. Chrome even locks up (it will stop resounding, I'll get the message asking if I want to wait or close at the same time it starts responding again.)
When it reboots, it still takes forever and even optimizes apps (that I assume have already been optimized). I've seen two boot screens for it, one the little alien guy and the other with gears turning. It did the gears the second time I booted and then I haven't seen them again.
I'm not sure what my next step should be. Maybe I'll try reflashing Cyanogen. I have a feeling it's a hardware issue at this point, but I'm open to ideas. Are there any good diagnostic tools that could help my situation?
The phone is out of warranty and I'm sure that now that I've installed Cyanogen, the warranty was voided anyway. It's a shame because this phone was perfect up until the marshmallow update. I probably had 5 lockup/boots in the year or two I've had it.

Why are you using cyanogenmod in the first place. The support for that has ended. Go to the lineage os nougat thread and use that instead.

HORIZONx720 said:
Why are you using cyanogenmod in the first place. The support for that has ended. Go to the lineage os nougat thread and use that instead.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Admittedly, I did not even know about lineage until my phone was wiped with no OS. I did a quick Google search for it but could not find a Verizon note 4 mod. Now that I am not pressured to find a fix, I'll research it a bit more. Thank you.

I tried EmotionOS and NSeven, but both share the same error.
Emotion FCs random processes sporadically and then when my cell/data switches to Searching, it crashes multiple processes until the UI (trebuchet is default for Emotion?) and/or settings FCs and I have to restart. I am also stuck on 3G on that platform. I'm guessing network connectivity / switching is the root of the problems.
Nseven installed and right at the Welcome Screen where I pick my language, Google Play Services started crashing. I only had the option to click OK and then every 5 seconds after that, it kept crashing. I set up the phone, restarted and Google Play Services started crashing again. I am in the process of restoring back to Emotion, as it is the most stable platform so far.
I tried a new SIM card, hoping this was the problem but to no avail.
Does anyone have any other suggestions? I'm guessing its hardware at this point, but since it happened on an OTA Update and I can reproduce the same errors every time, I'm hoping there's still an option left for a fix.
Holy crap. As I was typing this and restoring Emotion, it fully installed and booted. I have 4G! I don't know if that will fix the FC issues, but I have regained a little hope!

I'm still getting FCs and restarts. The more I use it the more it happens, but at least with EmotionOS, It's more limited. Only about 3 or 4 a day compared to 10-20.
I'll try one more flash and I guess tough it out until my contract is up in April.

I can't help you with EmotionOS (haven't tried it yet), but if you want to stop the Google Play Services crashing in NSeven you can make your way to Settings - Applications, then select Google Play Services - Permissions and give it all permissions. It's a bit of a chore to get there when the warning pops up every five seconds, but it will stop once you do that.

So my plan is up and I'm probably switching away from Samsung after this incident. Looking into the pixel or XL. If the v20 is out for Verizon, I might get that but I'll see what looks good when I go to the store today or tomorrow.
I think I've narrowed down my issue to a heat issue. I fixed the 4g and Google play crashes but my phone still locks up or apps start a cascade of crashes. If I power down, I can't restart the phone. If I restart, it powers down but does not turn back on. I remove the battery for 10+ seconds, put it back in for 10+ seconds and it won't turn back on. I'll leave the battery out for minutes to an hour and its a crap shoot.
I can only boot normally or to download mode. TWRP no longer loads. I tried reflashing it and I get a no pit fail. I'd probably look into fixing this but at this point it's not worth it.
What I discovered works is putting the battery and phone on a cool surface, putting the battery back in and placing that on a cool surface and then try to boot up. However, neither my phone nor the battery feel warm to the touch. So that indicates to me something is either off in the sensors, preventing it from turning on or more likely it's a power issue or at least a hardware issue, preventing a constant current or something along those lines. Dips in power could explain apps crashing and the system inexplicably turning off. It would also explain why I can't turn it on easily.
It's really a shame because I liked this phone so much and if the new note was out, I might give it the benefit of the doubt. But last night my Samsung tablet decided to install the updates I've been putting off because they're the same ones that broke this phone. So timing wise, I'm done with Samsung and will try a new brand. Only issue I see with pixel is it doesn't have a removable battery so hopefully I don't run into this issue on that device!
Thanks for all the help xda. If it was a solvable problem, I'm sure I could have fixed it with your help.

Final entry.
I got the v20, and spent a day trying to get my note back to factory. I thought I was doing something wrong, but eventually flashed a kernel, recovery, bootloader and then full Rom (I think it was BPA1 but it could have been CPF3, I don't have it in front of me). I was getting error after error, no PIT partition, mmc check fail, use the Samsung Recovery Assistant, and a few others (again, it's not in front of me so I may have gotten it wrong). The big one was a write disk failure when I was trying to flash the full Rom. I fixed that by flashing kernel, bootloader, recovery, then sticking the battery and the phone on the freezer for ~5 minutes before trying to flash the full Rom.
I updated via USB after that using recovery assistant. Probably completely unnecessary, they just needed to get to the factory reset screen, but when I bought my phone, I couldn't trade in the note because i couldn't turn it on. They gave me $86 for it. Anything less and i would have considered just taking a hammer and microwave to it. Good riddance!
Still a little sad, I loved this phone right up until marshmallow dishonored and killed her.

trickyvinny said:
Final entry.
I got the v20, and spent a day trying to get my note back to factory. I thought I was doing something wrong, but eventually flashed a kernel, recovery, bootloader and then full Rom (I think it was BPA1 but it could have been CPF3, I don't have it in front of me). I was getting error after error, no PIT partition, mmc check fail, use the Samsung Recovery Assistant, and a few others (again, it's not in front of me so I may have gotten it wrong). The big one was a write disk failure when I was trying to flash the full Rom. I fixed that by flashing kernel, bootloader, recovery, then sticking the battery and the phone on the freezer for ~5 minutes before trying to flash the full Rom.
I updated via USB after that using recovery assistant. Probably completely unnecessary, they just needed to get to the factory reset screen, but when I bought my phone, I couldn't trade in the note because i couldn't turn it on. They gave me $86 for it. Anything less and i would have considered just taking a hammer and microwave to it. Good riddance!
Still a little sad, I loved this phone right up until marshmallow dishonored and killed her.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I know a lot of people are blaming software, but I'm fairly certain that the problems in many cases are caused by failing hardware. I went through many of the same trials and tribulations with my Note 4 (except I never rooted the phone). I finally contacted Samsung Customer Support and sent the phone in for repair. They replaced a lot of the hardware including the motherboard and returned the phone in "like new" condition. I've been using it for a few weeks now and the performance is flawless.
I was planning to get either the V20 or the G6 if I wasn't able to get the phone fixed. How do you like the V20?

I'd agree that it's most likely hardware and having to put everything in the freezer for it to when confirms it for me although I have no real expertise to say so. But I'd argue that the update created the hardware issue, it was night and day with the update. It was working 100% and then directly after the update to marshmallow, it started having catastrophic issues. Oh well, it's nice not having to pull the battery every hour or so.
V20 is pretty nice. Having used EmotionOS for a few months the switch to the Nougat was pretty smooth. The xda forums for it are a little more limited but I didn't start messing with my phone until it broke and I'm hesitant to try with a new phone given my limited knowhow.
To be honest it's not a big difference in day to day usage from the note 4. Which I like!
+ I never used the finger print scanner but really like it on the v20. I didn't bother with a screen lock before but now I'm protected and have a just as quick access.
-the grip is too slick, I feel like I will drop it. The note had that rougher back which I liked better. A case or a replacement cover should fix that though.
+ I like this top menu screen, I have quick access to a few select apps or can turn the flashlight on or whatever. I'd like it more customizable, I find I switch screens too much when trying to just pull my top menu down. If I could put everything on one tab and combine their special buttons (ie the flashlight button) with apps, it would be perfect.
-the back button and menu button are switched. I can probably customize that but I don't yet know how and by the time I figure it out, I will have relearned that habit. It actually is probably a better placement for how I hold the phone but I'm a big fan of choices.
+ upgraded camera, sound, storage. I don't notice the screen size difference, but it is a lighter phone.
-bloatware
All in all its a good shift from the note 4. I'm happy to be off of Samsung and still have the same basic user experience.

trickyvinny said:
So my plan is up and I'm probably switching away from Samsung after this incident. Looking into the pixel or XL. If the v20 is out for Verizon, I might get that but I'll see what looks good when I go to the store today or tomorrow.
I think I've narrowed down my issue to a heat issue. I fixed the 4g and Google play crashes but my phone still locks up or apps start a cascade of crashes. If I power down, I can't restart the phone. If I restart, it powers down but does not turn back on. I remove the battery for 10+ seconds, put it back in for 10+ seconds and it won't turn back on. I'll leave the battery out for minutes to an hour and its a crap shoot.
I can only boot normally or to download mode. TWRP no longer loads. I tried reflashing it and I get a no pit fail. I'd probably look into fixing this but at this point it's not worth it.
What I discovered works is putting the battery and phone on a cool surface, putting the battery back in and placing that on a cool surface and then try to boot up. However, neither my phone nor the battery feel warm to the touch. So that indicates to me something is either off in the sensors, preventing it from turning on or more likely it's a power issue or at least a hardware issue, preventing a constant current or something along those lines. Dips in power could explain apps crashing and the system inexplicably turning off. It would also explain why I can't turn it on easily.
It's really a shame because I liked this phone so much and if the new note was out, I might give it the benefit of the doubt. But last night my Samsung tablet decided to install the updates I've been putting off because they're the same ones that broke this phone. So timing wise, I'm done with Samsung and will try a new brand. Only issue I see with pixel is it doesn't have a removable battery so hopefully I don't run into this issue on that device!
Thanks for all the help xda. If it was a solvable problem, I'm sure I could have fixed it with your help.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have had the exact same problem with my note 4. It wouldn't last 30 seconds at a lock screen from a cold battery before it would start boot looping, and the longer you left it in, the worse it got. Google told me I needed a new battery from several other forums and places I read. So I ordered one and replaced with a genuine Samsung one direct from them, and it didn't change anything.
I figured out it was heat related and I had it sit on an ice pack and it would run and work fine as long as the ice pack held out, about 2 hours. I've down graded, flashed, rooted the boot loader, installed a recovery console, flashed to different versions, all have the same problem. So I've kind of reserved myself to the fact it must be a hardware problem. Perhaps it was caused by the update, but nothing software change wise seems to be able to fix it. Did wake-loc fix as well. I've spent the last week with mine trying everything in the world and every evening having it on the ice pack hooked up trying whatever I could think of or read up on doing, and basically as soon as it warms up, it starts doing it again.
Heres a pic; http://imgur.com/a/5L64V

In my experience, it gets worse and worse. The day I bought my v20, I tried to trade it into Verizon but couldn't even turn it on in front of the rep. I thought I had timed the new phone perfectly but still wanted the $80! Fortunately I got it working after the weekend and just stuck everything in the freezer before I walked to Verizon.

trickyvinny said:
In my experience, it gets worse and worse. The day I bought my v20, I tried to trade it into Verizon but couldn't even turn it on in front of the rep. I thought I had timed the new phone perfectly but still wanted the $80! Fortunately I got it working after the weekend and just stuck everything in the freezer before I walked to Verizon.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Just out of curiosity, what phone did you wind up going to?

The LG v20 and so far so good!