Database Develop

Help, lost my antenna!

Can anybody please help me find that gray/black antenna thing?
I lost mine including the spring and don't know where to find a new/used one.
Thanks :wink:
_________________
The black antenna cover with a whole for the stylus is glued between the front and backcover. It is made of a rubber/plastic mix wich makes it bendable. It was already slightly lose and was accedentely bend a little bit again when in use. This made it come lose and I lost it.
It is realy just a cover with a whole in it where the stylus goes in but inside there is also a little spring for better reception.
_________________
Best regards,
Mark van der Have
Netherlands

????. you mean the stylus? (the thing that you write with?)
How can you "loose" the antenna?

Spring????

Same way
My XDA is the same way - periodically the black antenna plastic piece falls off and the spring pops away (I've spent my fair share of time searching the floor for it). My best guess would be to either get a broken XDA from ebay, or see if you can find a dummy model that stores use for display - they'll have the black part and if you're lucky, maybe the spring. Judging from the posts here, I guess this is fairly uncommon.
Jon.

Diamond Stopped vibrating

My Alltel Touch Diamond stopped vibrating. Since I did not get it from Alltel directly...they will not replace it even though it is only 3 months old. Contacted HTC as well as PCD and no help there. Is there anyway I can fix this myself?
TIA

Go to eBay and search for 'htc diamond vibrator'. There are around $45. I never use the ringer so not having vibrate mode is killing me too.

possiblility
the ebay "vibrators" for diamond are for the gsm versions, not the cdma. note that they are laid completely differently. here's a pic of cdma (ripped from someone who knows)
ftp://ppcgeeks.com/Diamond/Users/snovvman/DSCF2199.JPG
now, in my case, kind of neat. if you open the case up that far (four screws on inside, that's all), you'll notice that the vibrator motor can be detached from mainboard relatively easy through the two pin (black/red) header. you can test the vibrator motor with like some AAA 1.5V battery or something. in my case it worked, so drats, that means that the driver could be blown.
however, i looked real closely, above the header are discrete components, like a tantalum capacitor (surface mount), super tiny, and something that didn't make sense--a cold solder blob over one land pad (but not the other, ... perhaps there was one at manufacture time and it fell out??)
anyways, htc apparently intended for either an inductor or a short (0 ohm resistor) at that land pattern. sometimes they cheat and just manufacture it as with a blob of solder. in this case part of the blob fell out. hence, no connection to the vibrator motor header.
i put blob in and i was in business.
note that these are super tiny. DO NOT ATTEMPT without sufficient tools (magnifying jig, really fine tip soldering iron)
...
OF COURSE before you do ANY of this, try a hard reset first.

Thanks! I almost wasted $45.

pictures
Could you take some pictures of the areas you soldered? Im also trying to fix mine.
Also, to test the vibrator, did you just take two wires and put it on each end?

Sorry for bringing back to life this old threat but this appear to be a very common issue among diam500 owners and nobody knew what to do apart from swap it (if it still in warranty which by 3rd quarter 2010 i really doubt someone still has it)
i googled around lots of forums and this was the only one with a real answer surprisingly this was also the one with the less replies... i confirm what chnhnm said THERE IS A 0 OHM RESISTOR THAT FELL OFF(perhaps caused by the vibration itself and real poor quality soldering from htc in this specific resistor) when i gutted my diamond the resistor was still there sticked to the vibrating motor connector in the mainboard i tested it with a multimeter and confirmed it is a "0 ohm one" real tiny color black)
once again as chnhnm said i just put blob in and it worked like a charm
so there is a relatively easy fix here (if u have the tools and some soldering skills) i strongly recommend you to try this as your last resort
will post some pics later

im uploading a picture of it before i applied the blob (the resistor is missing) this is the best one i could get i hope u cant see it

elamodelmerol said:
im uploading a picture of it before i applied the blob (the resistor is missing) this is the best one i could get i hope u cant see it
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thank you for this! I will do this soon when I get a soldering iron.

Ok, I tried doing this, but it is hard to solder it. Everytime I try to put the blob there, the solder attaches to the iron and doesn't stick to the connection on the board.
Can I get some help on how to keep it on the connection instead of melting and sticking to my iron?

sorry for the late reply...
well i don't really know how to solder either but i have learnt something by just giving it a try(and a few youtube videos xD) ...this is how i did it.
first off make sure the surface is clean wipe it if needed with acetone(don't flood the board) and a cotton swab (that will remove the grease and dirt it may have)
be careful not to apply to much solder on the iron tip...just use a little bit more almost nothing than the needed to coat the tip...
do not overheat ur iron that will cause the metal to oxidize quicker (oxide prevent the metals from joining) unplug the iron as soon as it is hot enough to melt the solder
use some soldering flux be careful not to add too much just enough to cover that tiny area (u can use a needle) this cleans even more the area and prevents the metal oxidation
now u just need a steady hand and eagle like vision
even after following this directions i still find it hard to achieve for a noob like me maybe i just got lucky...xD
if you are out of luck maybe u can buy one of this conductive ink pens and that way u just have to draw fine line or should i say a dot. Or u can try using a pencil (graphite is a relative good conductor) but that didn't work for me...
Good Luck Mate

[Q] Hardware Help

Hi guys
Does anybody know what is the small battery soldered to pcb, and does anyone have schematic of it?

netto99 said:
Hi guys
Does anybody know what is the small battery soldered to pcb, and does anyone have schematic of it?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I am not getting what you wrote...

When you take off red back cover from a phone you'll see printed circuit board (pcb) or motherboard if you like. All chips, processors and ICs are soldered to it. In the bottom left corner there is a very small tablet battery soldered to the board (or at least this thing looks like battery). I'm trying to find out what it is, and is it possible to replace it, mine fell of.

netto99 said:
When you take off red back cover from a phone you'll see printed circuit board (pcb) or motherboard if you like. All chips, processors and ICs are soldered to it. In the bottom left corner there is a very small tablet battery soldered to the board (or at least this thing looks like battery). I'm trying to find out what it is, and is it possible to replace it, mine fell of.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If you are talking about the little rectangle thing at the bottom left that has a clear view to it, thats the vibrator.

I guess nobody have seen pcb of their phone.

It'll be as was said, the vibrator, I've had mine in pieces and there's no battery onboard or after reflashing or battery removal the internal clocks would not reset.
Schematics don't show an internal battery either although they're not HTC's in any case. Failing soldering it back on and it's still not working leave as is or remove it, probably make battery last longer
Bashing away with my Desire C

Check here: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2272612
It does look like a motherboard battery like you'd find on a pc motherboard, normally this would keep the time and date and bios settings.
Sent from my HTC One X using Tapatalk

If you're insisting it's a battery (I wonder why you lose all settings for WDOG, TCK etc within a couple of mins tops???) It's more than likely just a capacitor set for slow discharge whilst you put the actual battery back in, or it's just the vibrator ... No battery... It's not on the BOM either
Bashing away at my HTC Desire C

bottom speaker not working(NO SOUND)

hi everyone,
i'm trying to reassembly my Z3 compact but now the bottom speaker is not working even after i place back the middle frame to make contact. as you all knows, the bottom speaker only works when you put back the middle frame because the contact to mainboard are in there.
well, if you check the photos you'll see that one part of the middle frame is broken, even after i placed the middle frame back same as it was the bottom speaker still not working (no sound)
is that have to do with the broken part of the frame?
anyone knows how exactly the bottom speaker make contact to mainboard in order to work?
also what are the side pins surrounding the mainboard? (those pins make contact with the middle frame too)
PLEASE ANYONE HAVE ANY IDEA LET ME KNOW
THANKS FOR ALL.

If I'm not wrong 2 pins right next to speaker are those You are looking for and silver part of frame is used to connect speaker to those pins. Rest silver lines are GPS or WiFi antenna.

All u need is some basic soldering skills and thin wires to connect the speaker directly from the board (don't have the images but my speaker is connected like this). It's very easy.And for the broken middle frame-u gonna need to glue it together and work on those gray antennas (use the wire again and solder it again)

Chamelleon said:
If I'm not wrong 2 pins right next to speaker are those You are looking for and silver part of frame is used to connect speaker to those pins. Rest silver lines are GPS or WiFi antenna.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
yeah, you were right, i connected two wires to the pins next to the speaker and it worked.. i might solder it if im not gonna buy a new frame!
thanks for the help

dulexetina said:
All u need is some basic soldering skills and thin wires to connect the speaker directly from the board (don't have the images but my speaker is connected like this). It's very easy.And for the broken middle frame-u gonna need to glue it together and work on those gray antennas (use the wire again and solder it again)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
yeah, i tested the wiring and the speaker worked. i can do soldering.. i've been doing that 10s of years ago!
well, for the antenna if i leave it like that u think i'll get a bad wifi signal?
i might order a new frame, i found it as OEM SONY for $11 + $3 shipping fees.
do you think when i buy the new frame the speaker will work again after i place that frame firmly ?
thx

Nidhal AKA the king said:
yeah, i tested the wiring and the speaker worked. i can do soldering.. i've been doing that 10s of years ago!
well, for the antenna if i leave it like that u think i'll get a bad wifi signal?
i might order a new frame, i found it as OEM SONY for $11 + $3 shipping fees.
do you think when i buy the new frame the speaker will work again after i place that frame firmly ?
thx
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I am not sure for either of those questions :/ U just might solder it and it's good to go (speaker) As for antenna, just reassemble it and see how's the signal. Maybe you don't need another frame at all

Sure, You can wire it but then You must insulate silver contacts on frame to avoid short circuit. Other way ~15$ for frame is not that much if You want to be done like it should.

Chamelleon said:
Sure, You can wire it but then You must insulate silver contacts on frame to avoid short circuit. Other way ~15$ for frame is not that much if You want to be done like it should.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
@dulexetina
The frame became a bit messed it up after i tried to remove the silver contacts of the speaker with the soldering gun, the plastic became a bit popped, and bumpy, and it's not as flat as it should be, so it might bother the back cover from being sealed firmly, and there would be pressure that could risk cracking it, so i'm deciding to get me a new replacement frame
thanks for your time and advises guys...
i really appreciate it! IT WAS SO HELPFUL

Saying insulate I meant seal it with some tape or scrape with some knife.
---------- Post added at 21:12 ---------- Previous post was at 21:11 ----------
Anyway I hope it will be working with new frame.

Chamelleon said:
Saying insulate I meant seal it with some tape or scrape with some knife.
---------- Post added at 21:12 ---------- Previous post was at 21:11 ----------
Anyway I hope it will be working with new frame.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
yeah...
thanks

Nidhal AKA the king said:
@dulexetina
The frame became a bit messed it up after i tried to remove the silver contacts of the speaker with the soldering gun, the plastic became a bit popped, and bumpy, and it's not as flat as it should be, so it might bother the back cover from being sealed firmly, and there would be pressure that could risk cracking it, so i'm deciding to get me a new replacement frame
thanks for your time and advises guys...
i really appreciate it! IT WAS SO HELPFUL
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Glad to help if I can. Good luck

still no sound....
Hey all
I have no sound on bottom speaker even after replacing the plastic frame and the bottom speaker. I suspect I have no sound on the bottom speaker after I dropped the phone once. Any ideas at all?

lastdim said:
Hey all
I have no sound on bottom speaker even after replacing the plastic frame and the bottom speaker. I suspect I have no sound on the bottom speaker after I dropped the phone once. Any ideas at all?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
make sure the 2 pins on the mainboard aren't bent down, because this would prevent them (or one of them) to make contact with the silver part of the frame that make bottom speaker works!

Nidhal AKA the king said:
make sure the 2 pins on the mainboard aren't bent down, because this would prevent them (or one of them) to make contact with the silver part of the frame that make bottom speaker works!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hi
while I was trying to make sure that the pins are not bent and the make contact with the metal in the plastic frame, I have managed to unstick one from the motherboard. so now definitely I know that I have one more problem. before I break anymore more, I will give up trying to fix it. Thank you for your answer!

lastdim said:
Hi
while I was trying to make sure that the pins are not bent and the make contact with the metal in the plastic frame, I have managed to unstick one from the motherboard. so now definitely I know that I have one more problem. before I break anymore more, I will give up trying to fix it. Thank you for your answer!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
yeah, i know, same what happened to me with my z3c... one of the pins got broken so i had to solder the contact with wires.. and the speaker back to work!
good luck and you welcome!

Lol. This is exactly what happened with my phone's speaker. Thanks to you guys now i realize why me speaker doesnt work even after replacing it with a new one... Thank you !

Any other N950N owners suddenly have terrible cell signal? Look at this...

So a few of you have seen me mention that my cell signal suddenly became awful after a few days of use, and at first I thought it might be related to flashing CSCs or a 950F ROM but ruled that out since Odining back to full stock didn't have any effect.
I became convinced that something must be loose with the internal antenna wires, and also observed that the signal seemed to be a little better on hot days and a little worse on cold days.
Well after watching a couple YouTube videos of how to pull the back off this thing I fired up the microwave oven with a rice-filled sock for heat and..... it didn't help. BUT! a hair dryer worked wonders, and very quickly. I only had to heat up a small section and use a little blue plastic prying tool in my ifixit kit to really easily get the back of the phone off.
Next, I pulled the plastic pieces off the circuit boards to get to the antenna connectors, fully expecting something to be loose. Sadly I was mistaken. both wires ends were securely snapped down, but I disconnected and reconnected "just in case". I decided to do a real battery pull discharge while I was in here since it couldn't hurt.
-------
Not to be foiled, I decided to fire the phone up naked and just fiddle with the connectors to see if somehow they were still involved.
I was right - sort of. If I apply pressure in certain angles on this connector, the LTE strength will go up to about -82 dBa from bouncing between -98 to -125 dBa - and as a reference point my Note 5 in the same position sits at -82 or -83 dBa
Now I just need to decide on the best way to fix it, I think it might just be bad solder joints on the socket on the circuit board since it appears to be temperature-dependent (on hot days everything expands to make slightly better connections, cold days the parts contract and the connection gap becomes worse). Any other 950N owners experienced this?

Also does anyone know if those antenna connector sockets are surface mount, or if they go through the board completely?

Kalm_Traveler said:
So a few of you have seen me mention that my cell signal suddenly became awful after a few days of use, and at first I thought it might be related to flashing CSCs or a 950F ROM but ruled that out since Odining back to full stock didn't have any effect.
I became convinced that something must be loose with the internal antenna wires, and also observed that the signal seemed to be a little better on hot days and a little worse on cold days.
Well after watching a couple YouTube videos of how to pull the back off this thing I fired up the microwave oven with a rice-filled sock for heat and..... it didn't help. BUT! a hair dryer worked wonders, and very quickly. I only had to heat up a small section and use a little blue plastic prying tool in my ifixit kit to really easily get the back of the phone off.
Next, I pulled the plastic pieces off the circuit boards to get to the antenna connectors, fully expecting something to be loose. Sadly I was mistaken. both wires ends were securely snapped down, but I disconnected and reconnected "just in case". I decided to do a real battery pull discharge while I was in here since it couldn't hurt.
-------
Not to be foiled, I decided to fire the phone up naked and just fiddle with the connectors to see if somehow they were still involved.
I was right - sort of. If I apply pressure in certain angles on this connector, the LTE strength will go up to about -82 dBa from bouncing between -98 to -125 dBa - and as a reference point my Note 5 in the same position sits at -82 or -83 dBa
Now I just need to decide on the best way to fix it, I think it might just be bad solder joints on the socket on the circuit board since it appears to be temperature-dependent (on hot days everything expands to make slightly better connections, cold days the parts contract and the connection gap becomes worse). Any other 950N owners experienced this?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I commend you for doing what you are doing. Kudo's as they as say here in America.
Just out of interest, I am aware that Samsung doesn't support foreign devices for warranty. But would they support a foreign device for out of warranty work?
Sent from my SM-N950U using Tapatalk

Limeybastard said:
I commend you for doing what you are doing. Kudo's as they as say here in America.
Just out of interest, I am aware that Samsung doesn't support foreign devices for warranty. But would they support a foreign device for out of warranty work?
Sent from my SM-N950U using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Why would they not? They will be charging you.
Sent from my SM-N950F using Tapatalk

vadimo said:
Why would they not? They will be charging you.
Sent from my SM-N950F using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I don't know that's why I asked the question.
Sent from my SM-N950U using Tapatalk

vadimo said:
Why would they not? They will be charging you.
Sent from my SM-N950F using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Limeybastard said:
I don't know that's why I asked the question.
Sent from my SM-N950U using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
My best guess is that they might not because they would claim that they don't have the parts or training to service a foreign variant. On the plus side, it's nice to see that the internal layout is identical to the Snapdragon version so I didn't have to do any guess work.

No experience myself but I have seen online numerous times that they will not even if you pay. Lots of manufacturer's do this, it not just with phones. Like Seiko watches for example, you purchase a Seiko say for the Japanese market, Seiko USA will not touch it.

shouren04 said:
No experience myself but I have seen online numerous times that they will not even if you pay. Lots of manufacturer's do this, it not just with phones. Like Seiko watches for example, you purchase a Seiko say for the Japanese market, Seiko USA will not touch it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah it's unfortunate since you know they have access to the schematics, repair data etc but refuse to take your money.
As far as my phone goes, I tried reflowing the solder on that antenna connector but it didn't seem to make any difference, and now I can't get the signal to improve back to normal at all (even applying pressure as I did originally).
Funny thing is that my 3G HSPA and HSPA+ (that T-Mobile calls 4g) signals are just fine. If I turn off LTE, it drops to "4G" and aside from being slower than functioning LTE everything works fine. My guess is either something is faulty with that bottom circuit board, LTE modem which is on the main circuit board, or the LTE radio amplifier chip (also on the main circuit board). Once I can get a new replacement USB board I'll swap it out and see if that helps. If not, I'm kind of SOL because if it's something on the main board I would likely just need to get a new phone (can't imagine how expensive a 256gb internal storage board would be brand new but for the price I would feel safer just buying an entire phone).
Really wish there was some way to get Samsung Korea to repair it for me but I don't speak Korean well enough to have that kind of discussion yet, and who knows if they would even agree to it.

Kalm_Traveler said:
Yeah it's unfortunate since you know they have access to the schematics, repair data etc but refuse to take your money.
As far as my phone goes, I tried reflowing the solder on that antenna connector but it didn't seem to make any difference, and now I can't get the signal to improve back to normal at all (even applying pressure as I did originally).
Funny thing is that my 3G HSPA and HSPA+ (that T-Mobile calls 4g) signals are just fine. If I turn off LTE, it drops to "4G" and aside from being slower than functioning LTE everything works fine. My guess is either something is faulty with that bottom circuit board, LTE modem which is on the main circuit board, or the LTE radio amplifier chip (also on the main circuit board). Once I can get a new replacement USB board I'll swap it out and see if that helps. If not, I'm kind of SOL because if it's something on the main board I would likely just need to get a new phone (can't imagine how expensive a 256gb internal storage board would be brand new but for the price I would feel safer just buying an entire phone).
Really wish there was some way to get Samsung Korea to repair it for me but I don't speak Korean well enough to have that kind of discussion yet, and who knows if they would even agree to it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I hear but unfortunately sometimes they really don't have access to repair info & techs that are trained for non domestic market models. Samsung USA may actually not have easy access to Samsung Korea info & parts although I'm sure someone high up on the ladder could get it.
I used to work in electronic depot repair. One of our customers was Sony VAIO, we were one of their authorized repair centers. Not easy to get that kind of relationship as Sony is very secretive, well all OEMs are very protective about internal engineering info. We could get most info for all their laptops & worked with their engineering team. However when we started working on Sony Playstations, Sony Entertainment would not give us the time of day even though we were an authorized provider for Sony VAIO.
I know the case is a bit different but big corporations have regions or different divisions that won't or can not easily work with each other other than on a corporate level even though they are all part of the same parent company.
I'm sure there are lots of people at Samsung Korea that speak english. Whether or not they will help you or if you can get in contact with the right people is the issue. Worth a try. I'm sure parts will be available on ebay someday but probably not for a while.

shouren04 said:
I hear but unfortunately sometimes they really don't have access to repair info & techs that are trained for non domestic market models. Samsung USA may actually not have easy access to Samsung Korea info & parts although I'm sure someone high up on the ladder could get it.
I used to work in electronic depot repair. One of our customers was Sony VAIO, we were one of their authorized repair centers. Not easy to get that kind of relationship as Sony is very secretive, well all OEMs are very protective about internal engineering info. We could get most info for all their laptops & worked with their engineering team. However when we started working on Sony Playstations, Sony Entertainment would not give us the time of day even though we were an authorized provider for Sony VAIO.
I know the case is a bit different but big corporations have regions or different divisions that won't or can not easily work with each other other than on a corporate level even though they are all part of the same parent company.
I'm sure there are lots of people at Samsung Korea that speak english. Whether or not they will help you or if you can get in contact with the right people is the issue. Worth a try. I'm sure parts will be available on ebay someday but probably not for a while.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Very good points. I'm even more sure it is just something faulty with that board. Heated it up for a few minutes with a blow dryer before reassembling the phone again and now my LTE signal is just stable low instead of jumping between low and unusable. Also comparing it to the one from ifixit's USA model Note 8 teardown, they revised it a few days after mine was made, possibly to address whatever caused mine to go bad after a few days of use. The only change I can see is the placement of two chips on the antenna connector side.
Since I can't find parts yet I may just keep trying to fix this one but it's good to know that the usb boards are dirt cheap, for other Samsung models it looks like they go for $5 to $10 on eBay new. Of course if the problem is a break in one of the circuits inside the pcb i can't really fix that (assuming I could even see it, everything on this board is so tiny I need a magnifying glass to work on it).

Kalm_Traveler said:
Very good points. I'm even more sure it is just something faulty with that board. Heated it up for a few minutes with a blow dryer before reassembling the phone again and now my LTE signal is just stable low instead of jumping between low and unusable. Also comparing it to the one from ifixit's USA model Note 8 teardown, they revised it a few days after mine was made, possibly to address whatever caused mine to go bad after a few days of use. The only change I can see is the placement of two chips on the antenna connector side.
Since I can't find parts yet I may just keep trying to fix this one but it's good to know that the usb boards are dirt cheap, for other Samsung models it looks like they go for $5 to $10 on eBay new. Of course if the problem is a break in one of the circuits inside the pcb i can't really fix that (assuming I could even see it, everything on this board is so tiny I need a magnifying glass to work on it).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah, it's incredible how small they are able to make things these days. I can relate as I have worked on stuff that small also.
Oh so it it looks like they revised the board? Maybe they just added better filtering? Hopefully it'll be available soon. It could very well be a bad solder joint or defective PCB. The PCB is so thin & can easily get damage by flexing. And all that crap lead free solder they use these days.
I wonder if the parts they sell on ebay are OEM parts? Whatever, as long as they work. They sure do look OEM though. On my N5 the USB port stopped working. It doesn't have any notice physical damage but it doesn't work. Sometimes if I plug in a cable a gear vr screen will pop up. Won't ever fast charge, sometimes it will cahrge normal, & can't transfer data.
I bought a replacement USB port for $5 on ebay along with a replacement back cover in case I broke it. But the damn board also has the front touch screen buttons by the home button. So to install I basically have to disassemble the entire phone, front screen and all. Ah I don't feel like doing all that. Maybe someday but for what, I have this N8 now.

shouren04 said:
Yeah, it's incredible how small they are able to make things these days. I can relate as I have worked on stuff that small also.
Oh so it it looks like they revised the board? Maybe they just added better filtering? Hopefully it'll be available soon. It could very well be a bad solder joint or defective PCB. The PCB is so thin & can easily get damage by flexing. And all that crap lead free solder they use these days.
I wonder if the parts they sell on ebay are OEM parts? Whatever, as long as they work. They sure do look OEM though. On my N5 the USB port stopped working. It doesn't have any notice physical damage but it doesn't work. Sometimes if I plug in a cable a gear vr screen will pop up. Won't ever fast charge, sometimes it will cahrge normal, & can't transfer data.
I bought a replacement USB port for $5 on ebay along with a replacement back cover in case I broke it. But the damn board also has the front touch screen buttons by the home button. So to install I basically have to disassemble the entire phone, front screen and all. Ah I don't feel like doing all that. Maybe someday but for what, I have this N8 now.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Oddly my Note 5 still works just fine... The main reason I wanted to upgrade is that the battery life is definitely not what it used to be.
Fortunately with the Note 8 most of the goodies are accessible once you remove the pain in the butt rear glass but i figured out that a hair dryer, suction cup and thin plastic pry tool makes the job relatively easy. For the time being I'm just keeping the case on so I don't have to pull the glass off again (granted this means not being able to use the fingerprint sensor)

Kalm_Traveler said:
Oddly my Note 5 still works just fine... The main reason I wanted to upgrade is that the battery life is definitely not what it used to be.
Fortunately with the Note 8 most of the goodies are accessible once you remove the pain in the butt rear glass but i figured out that a hair dryer, suction cup and thin plastic pry tool makes the job relatively easy. For the time being I'm just keeping the case on so I don't have to pull the glass off again (granted this means not being able to use the fingerprint sensor)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I see, I also purchased a replacement battery for my N5 at the same time. I didn'tbget an aftermarket one though, I got one from a teardown. It was cheap too, under $10. I've been using wireless to charge it. At one point I thought the battery was going bad. It wouldnxt charge past 86%. For a week or so. Then mysteriously it started charging to 100% fine & still does.
I still use it at home for browsing when my N8 is charging wireless. I'm trying to avoid using the USB whenever I can now since my N5 USB port crapped out on me. Odd, this is the first phone I've ever had to have tbe USB port go bad on me. I'm pretty good with taking care of my phones. Hopefully when I open it up it might just be a loose flex cable or something.

Kalm_Traveler said:
Yeah it's unfortunate since you know they have access to the schematics, repair data etc but refuse to take your money.
As far as my phone goes, I tried reflowing the solder on that antenna connector but it didn't seem to make any difference, and now I can't get the signal to improve back to normal at all (even applying pressure as I did originally).
Funny thing is that my 3G HSPA and HSPA+ (that T-Mobile calls 4g) signals are just fine. If I turn off LTE, it drops to "4G" and aside from being slower than functioning LTE everything works fine. My guess is either something is faulty with that bottom circuit board, LTE modem which is on the main circuit board, or the LTE radio amplifier chip (also on the main circuit board). Once I can get a new replacement USB board I'll swap it out and see if that helps. If not, I'm kind of SOL because if it's something on the main board I would likely just need to get a new phone (can't imagine how expensive a 256gb internal storage board would be brand new but for the price I would feel safer just buying an entire phone).
Really wish there was some way to get Samsung Korea to repair it for me but I don't speak Korean well enough to have that kind of discussion yet, and who knows if they would even agree to it.
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I have same problem my 4g 3g works fine but no 2g signal at all my operator 2g frequency is pgsm 900mhz.. I checked with other operators 2g working fine on 1800mhz... It's dual sim phone. Changing slot doesn't help either... So what's the possible cause...? My phone is in warranty but service center is 250 kms away.

there is a possibility you touching the connections could be amplifying the signal. Did you insulate yourself to disprove this?

bonerp said:
there is a possibility you touching the connections could be amplifying the signal. Did you insulate yourself to disprove this?
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Possibly, but since it was affecting only when I applied pressure in a specific angle I don't think I was acting as an antenna. Also, since heating up half of it with a hair dryer seems to have stabilized the connection a bit (it sits around -90 dBA where it was bouncing between that and -130 prior) it seems very likely that something with the board itself is flawed. I'm going to put just the usb / antenna board in the oven tonight to try and reflow all the solder and see if that will fix the connection issue since I can't yet buy a new replacement piece.