[Guide]Taking apart the Streak 7 (wip) - Dell Streak 7

Introduction:
It's been over a year since the Streak 7 has been released, long enough that Dell has stopped selling it on their website, yet noone has released a legimitate disassembly guide yet.
Around launch time there was a video made showing the device being taken apart, what makes the video completely worthless is the fact they skipped all the most important steps of actually disassembling it and fast forwards though it till when it's nearly fully taken apart.
This guide will detail out all the steps to take it apart while attempting to minimize damage to it for reassembly.
Overall difficulty: 6/10
Without a guide: 11/10
Tools required:
Hair dryer [strongly recommended]
Very small torx screwdriver
Very fine plastic shim or xacto knife
Step 1: Removing the side bumpers
The two side bumpers cover the majority of the screws. The bumpers themselves are held on by a strip of adhesive tape and are also very brittle. The most obvious method to remove them is to heat each of the bumpers with a hair dryer to weaken the adhesive on them. After heating it multiple times it should hopefully weaken enough so that a thin plastic shim or xacto knife can be forced in from the edges.
Depending on the importance of minimizing cosmetic damage, this can be the longest step.
Summerized steps:
Heat bumpers until adhesive is weakened
Shove thing instrument underneath bumpers from outside edge
Pry off bumpers lengthwise to avoid snapping them
Caution:
The area near the capacitive buttons has an exposed ribbon cable, care must be used around that as the cable can be easily sliced.
The shiny plastic bumpers are VERY brittle and can easily snap if flexed any amount. It may take many re-heatings to remove them without damage
Excessive heat applied to the screen may damage the underlying LCD, it is recommended to slowly heat the bumpers in multiple runs to reduce the chance of damage.
Step 2: Removing the screws
List of screws:
2 visible screws under left bumper
3 visible screws under right bumper
1 screw hidden underneath capacitive sensing pad
2 screws hidden underneath white pads inside side flap
The screws underneath the flap might not be possible to remove without cosmetic damage. As they are underneath the flap this may be an acceptable trade-off.
Step 3: Seperating display from body
The display try is attached to the base by plastic clips on the tray, there are 3 clips on the left side that must be detached and then the display should be able to slide slightly leftwards(?) and then opened downwards.
Caution: When detaching the display be aware of the following cables:
One above the dock connector connecting the display itself
One towards the bottom left connecting the touch sensor
One just right of the buttons connecting their sensors
Step 4: Detach display cables
The cables are standard thin ribbon cables, the main display one has a latch while the two touch ones do not(?)
Step 5: Finish detaching the display from the base
The guide will end here and not go though removing the motherboard or other components from the base tray. They are all simply held on by multiple screws.
Step 6: Reassembly
Repeat steps 1-5 in reverse order.
Food for thought:
The differences between the Wifi and 3/4g models are:
Lack of modem
Lack of PCI-E slot for modem
Lack of sim card assembly
Lack of cell modem antenna assembly
It may be possible to solder on a new PCI-E and sim card assembly to turn a Wifi into a 3/4g model. The PCI-E slot is a standardized one while the sim card bay might be custom fitted to the S7. Swapping out the modems from the EU and US submodels is as simple as removing and replacing.
Acknowledgments:
Graffixnyc for donating a device to hack at with a screwdriver disassemble
FCC.gov for stock photos of the disassembeled pieces
Dell for making the Streak 7 held together ultimately by glue.
No thanks to the other teardown video for SKIPPING half of the most important steps
Shameless self-advertising:
The guide is still somewhat incomplete as when I recieved the donor S7 it was already badly damaged, also as I was working more or less blind it took even more damage in the disassembly. If I had a 2nd one to disassemble I might be able to do it with minimum damage.

-Reserved-

WOW!! Great job getting the Streak 7 apart. I would love to see the guts of the S7 in person.
Now we just need to get you a S7 that is in read-only mode so that you can try to open it up and figure out how to reset it. I am pretty sure that the Streak 7 I sent to Dell for a reset was the same one they sent back... but I do not see any physical signs of it being opened. I still have a hunch that they had to open it because they could not fix the problem over the phone. They had to re-flash it... I am not sure if the flash was required, but it makes me wonder if they had to replace the entire motherboard or internal storage drive.
Do you see the internal storage drive? Is it soldered on, or could it easily be replaced? Also, do you see a cmos type battery that could be removed and reinserted... or a jumper to reset the bios? I am not sure if tablet motherboards are anything like desktop motherboards.

Thanks theManii
I appreciate this, I have seen the video in question - and yeah, the most important sequences for disassembly were not included.
I do have a question in relation to #1. after warming the end trim pieces were you able to use your "shim" around the majority of the perimeter, or did you just come in from the inside by the screen to work these trim pieces loose?
I look forward to the pictures, it will make me a lot more comfortable in taking on the disassembly challenge, thanks again.

jydie said:
WOW!! Great job getting the Streak 7 apart. I would love to see the guts of the S7 in person.
Now we just need to get you a S7 that is in read-only mode so that you can try to open it up and figure out how to reset it. I am pretty sure that the Streak 7 I sent to Dell for a reset was the same one they sent back... but I do not see any physical signs of it being opened. I still have a hunch that they had to open it because they could not fix the problem over the phone. They had to re-flash it... I am not sure if the flash was required, but it makes me wonder if they had to replace the entire motherboard or internal storage drive.
Do you see the internal storage drive? Is it soldered on, or could it easily be replaced? Also, do you see a cmos type battery that could be removed and reinserted... or a jumper to reset the bios? I am not sure if tablet motherboards are anything like desktop motherboards.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Everything but the modem card is soldered onto the board and the board itself has no jumpers.
crockashat said:
I appreciate this, I have seen the video in question - and yeah, the most important sequences for disassembly were not included.
I do have a question in relation to #1. after warming the end trim pieces were you able to use your "shim" around the majority of the perimeter, or did you just come in from the inside by the screen to work these trim pieces loose?
I look forward to the pictures, it will make me a lot more comfortable in taking on the disassembly challenge, thanks again.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I went from the outside as I had a xacto knife and was afraid of scratching the screen, I was pretty agressive with it since it was already scratched up. If you dont go very slowly you might end up discoluring the black plastic (though it's black on black and not hugely noticible)
I used the FCC internal photos to work off of when I did it:
3/4g internals
wifi internals

Originally Posted by TheManii>
I used the FCC internal photos to work off of when I did it:
3/4g internals
wifi internals
Thanks for the information, I will be attempting some surgery of the DS7 in the near future.
when I tried to open the links, they come up as:
You are not authorized to access this page.
not a big deal, I am mechanically inclined so I can figure out most things without too much destruction

Hmm, that's odd, perhaps they dont like direct links to it
3/4g
wifi
it's the links labeled 'internal photo' on their respective pages

Rewrote the guide, it's nearly complete except the lack of pictures highlighting the various things. Placeholders have already been placed summerizing what they will be of

best diagrams/pics on the 3G/4G linked page
TheManii said:
Hmm, that's odd, perhaps they dont like direct links to it
3/4g
wifi
it's the links labeled 'internal photo' on their respective pages
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
These links did work.
Actually both the internal and external photo PDFs have some useful information, and it appears that the more detailed information is in the link for the 3G/4G model.
Thanks again The Manii, appreciate all the helpful information, ROMs, etc.

TheManii said:
Hmm, that's odd, perhaps they dont like direct links to it
3/4g
wifi
it's the links labeled 'internal photo' on their respective pages
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The FCC links work now! Thank you so much for fixing them. Those internal photos are very nice... still I would love to see one in person. I just love taking things apart to see whats inside... but I normally wait until they are dead or defective.
Looks like they use SanDisk for the internal storage... and it is indeed soldered to the board. So, I am not sure what they are doing when they "fix" Streak 7s stuck in read-only mode. Maybe they have to manually short out or complete a connection on the motherboard while re-flashing the internal storage?? Or... with the right equipment, could they actually remove the old flash drive and solder on a new one?
By the way, I like the redesigned layout for your guide. Thank you so, so much for taking the time to describe this process. I greatly appreciate it.

Did you happen to take a close look at the camera to see a S/N or make/model?

I havnt looked at any of the part numbers, I'll make a list when I make the photos to finish the guide

Unfortunately looking at the internal photos again, it looks like virtually all the major chips are underneath the two RF shields or have their own RF shield.
Pretty much the only visible chips are the touchscreen controller, possibly the sim card interface chip and one of the lcd driver chips.
I'm not willing to cut/remove the RF shields as they seem pretty secure, so I'm not gonna be able to pull part numbers off them.
What I'm left with now is a device with:
Demolished dock connector
Cut Capacitive button cable
Missing Flap
Extensive cosmetic damage
Only the cut cable was during the dissassembly though, rest was as-is.
I'm gonna take the final disassembly photos tomorrow then put the whole thing in storage.

hmmm...
I wonder if you would be interested in selling that poor streak for parts
I just bought a unit with a cracked digitizer...

finally added images to guide, I will have to go back some time later and double check it's accuracy.
It's been long enough I dont really remember the screw locations underneath the bumpers.

TheManii said:
finally added images to guide, I will have to go back some time later and double check it's accuracy.
It's been long enough I dont really remember the screw locations underneath the bumpers.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Is the glass and screen one piece or will the gorilla glass come apart? I cracked the glass today and the screen itself isn't damaged at all. The unit works perfectly but has cracks on the glass.
Have you heard about sources for parts?
thanks in advance,
DC

The glass and lcd arnt bonded, there's an air gap.
I dont know about getting replacement parts, beyond the scope of the guide.

can you see a maker/model of the lcd? also the battery.

TheManii said:
The glass and lcd arnt bonded, there's an air gap.
I dont know about getting replacement parts, beyond the scope of the guide.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for the guide, I'll use it when I find the glass to replace.

this is awesome.
been looking for such a guide since long time.
thanks!

Related

Compressed air and screen dust

Has anyone tried taking a can of compressed air to the back of the Nexus One in order to try to clear dust away from the screen? I just want it off the center of the LCD screen, don't need to get it out as long as it's not that visible.
What about partially disassembling the phone (like taking out everything that doesn't require you to disconnect flex cables) and then blowing it with the air?
I managed to drop my phone a couple times and that seemed to have caused dust to get under the screen, but I don't want to take it apart completely until I've exhausted all other options. Returning it is also not an option in my geographic location.
Fancy meeting you here
How would the air get into the screen from the back? Isn't it supposed to be sealed?
I wonder if you could move the dust under the screen with static electricity. Get one of those plastic rods like they use for demonstrations in chemistry class and charge it up. Then drag it across the screen over the dust. Just be careful not to discharge the rod onto the metal body of the phone...
Even if you did attempt this...
It would probably leave an unremovable sticky film. That's one of the reasons they tell you not to use it to blow off camera sensors, lenses, and CCDs (you're supposed to use a blower bulb). The compressed air isn't just pure clean air, it's got a bunch of bull**** in it. Not to mention it could quickfreeze the OLED parts and ruin the screen permanently. I would NOT try it. In fact, if you clean the back (battery, SD, SIM area) make sure you hold a piece of CLEAN 100% cotton (best if it's from a t-shirt) over the camera sensor or it will blow off the IR filter. Hope this helps.
I have done it twice. I posted pictures up on here on a different thread the first time around, which was probably 3 months ago. Send me a pm if you want the pictures. It wasn't horrible to do, but I don't know that I'd recommend it unless you're already experienced in these type of exercises. I didn't have any adverse side affects to the screen.
Here's the before and after.. I have pictures of the dis-assembly as well.
Oh yeah, I also found that a can of compressed air wasn't strong enough. I used an actual compressor set at 60-80ish psi I think.
@enisoc lol...
The teardowns online haven't said that there was anything sealing the screen and the front cover, but the cellphone shops here that I've asked have said that they would apply a sealant if I paid them to take the phone apart for me.
It looks like I can't get to the dust with anything short of a complete teardown :-(. I took the canned air to the back of the phone and it didn't do anything, but I also didn't disassemble the battery tray (no torx screwdriver).
@dhendrix11 if you took the phone apart, why did you still have to use a compressor? Couldn't you then just take something and wipe the dust off?
hgcrpd said:
@enisoc lol...
The teardowns online haven't said that there was anything sealing the screen and the front cover, but the cellphone shops here that I've asked have said that they would apply a sealant if I paid them to take the phone apart for me.
It looks like I can't get to the dust with anything short of a complete teardown :-(. I took the canned air to the back of the phone and it didn't do anything, but I also didn't disassemble the battery tray (no torx screwdriver).
@dhendrix11 if you took the phone apart, why did you still have to use a compressor? Couldn't you then just take something and wipe the dust off?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I used a combination of compressed air and a microfiber cloth. I found that it was impossible to find an absolutely clean spot on the cloth, so it basically just put dust back on the phone. I mostly used the cloth to wipe off smudges when I accidentally touched the back side of the lens/touchpanel, and relied on the compressed air to remove the dust. Also, I didn't detach the lens from the phone frame, so it's hard to get into the corners (where most of the dust is) with a cloth.
The second time around I had a lot less dust and tried cleaning it without fully removing the LCD. If you take the phone apart, you'll understand why you might want to leave the LCD attached and simply lean it back from the lens. However, in the end, I didn't find that to be effective, so I took the LCD out both times. I've got a small amount of dust back in there again, but may 5-10% of what I had the first time, and I really haven't noticed it at all, even out in the bright sun, which was the environment that I typically found it most offensive.
As long as you have patience, it's certainly a do-able task. The main reason I did it myself is because it was early on before anyone was reporting confirmed success of getting HTC to fix the issue free of charge with an unlocked bootloader. I didn't want to chance getting billed for it so it was a nice little project instead. Now that many people have proven that HTC will honor hardware defects regardless of unlocked bootloader, I'd go the replacement route if there's not some other reason keeping you from it.
dhendrix11 said:
I have pictures of the dis-assembly as well.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Please could you post? Thanks
GyTe said:
Please could you post? Thanks
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Disassembly 1
Disassembly 2
Full breakdown and then put back together
Hi dhendrix11 thanks for the pictures... I've saved everything on my pc.
Cheers
well, I ended up taking my phone apart too, using the iFixit guide and the Youtube video. Actually not as painful as I expected it to be, but for some reason I did not have a rubber microphone channel under the bottom mainboard, and I didn't have a screw at the top left of the top mainboard.
I also didn't take the screen out completely, just pulled it up a bit and used tweezers and a cloth to wipe everything off.
Now I have a like-new screen!

How to replace Nexus Digitizier/Glass

So last week I cracked the glass on my poor Nexus. It took a horrible drop. Well I can't afford another Nexus and I can imagine having any other phone so I figured I'd repair this one. Read up alot on it and watched a video on Youtube. Ordered all the parts I needed I tackled it today.
Well I decided to do a How-To for any other Nexus owner with broken screens.
New digitizer - $40
Torx screwdriver -$5
Philips screwdriver -$5
Plastic tools - Free
Total - $50
Sure beats the $125 some online sites charge.
I would like to thank ifixit and slickromeo.
1. Gather all your tools and replacement glass (known as a digitizer).
Note: Needed tools are a Philips #00, a Torx T4, and a plastic pry tool (Mine was included with the new screen)
2. Set up a clean comfortable area to work in. You may be here for awhile and you're going to want to reduce the amount of dust that could potentially get on the new glass.
Note: I used a folded over microfiber towel to keep the area clean and also add some padding to the hard counter top to prevent even more damage while working with the phone.
3. Power phone off and remove battery cover, battery, SIM card, and Micro SD card. Set aside in a safe place.
4.Our first obstacle is going to be the antennae cover at the bottom of the phone. There are three plastic clips holding it in place (Circled in red). Use a combination of the pry tool, a guitar pick, butter knife, and any other instrument you need to shove in there. It is a pain in the ass... the video I watched online made it seem like it was going to be alot harder than it was, but if you work from left to right, or right to left, and get the outside one unclipped the other two come off pretty easy. Once you get it off set it aside with the battery cover and other things.
Note: Be careful not to break these tiny, fragile clips as they are the only things holding this cover in place.
5. Scream profanities and wipe the sweat off your brow from the previous step. I know it was frustrating and nerve racking trying not to break your precious Nexus.
6. Ok good job now to start the real deconstruction. I'm going to start with the battery tray and then move down to the antennae. There are three screws holding the tray down, but before we start on those there is this tiny ridiculous little "VOID" sticker covering up one of them. I wasn't able to remove it intake, partly because I don't really care about my warranty, but I'm sure with alot of patience and tweezers one could take it off intake and put it back. But screw that just get it off to get to the screw underneath.
7. Now two of these screws is a Torx and the third is a Philips (All in green). Remove them and put them somewhere very safe.
Note: I have four plastic cups set up to place my screws into. These are going into the first one.
8.Next you need to remove the battery tray. There are seven tabs (yellow circles) around it that you need to release using your plastic pry tool. Once those are released gently pull away form the bottom of the phone to remove the tray. Set the tray aside.
9. Now for the antennae cover. There are two more screws to remove, a Torx and a Philips (Orange circles). These screws are going in the second bowl. After the screws are out, gently lift up on the bottom of that cover and it should remove easily. Be very careful not to damage the circuit board during removal.
10. Next to come out is the logic board. there are two more very tiny screws to remove (White circles). Into the third bowl with those. Next you need to disconnect three connections (purple circles). Then carefully go around the perimeter of it with your pry tool and VERY CAREFULLY remove all the little tabs holding it in place. Then simply push up form the bottom of the logic board and slide it out. Set it somewhere very safe.
11. Now onto the actual case of the Nexus. Remove the six Philips screws, 1 at the top and 5 at the bottom . Again there are a series of little clips, five of em, around the perimeter that need to be undone and then the case very easily separates from the screen. Set the case aside.
12. Very simply pry the LCD screen away form the glass digitizer. There it is... the broken glass.
13. Now take your pry tool and from the back of the glass (not the side you would touch if you were using the phone) wedge it between the frame and the glass to separate to adhesive. Once the pry tool is in you can just slide it around the edge of the glass to separate the whole thing. TA-DA your broken glass is forever gone.
Note: The glass is broken and very sharp. Take extreme caution not to cut yourself.
14. Now we just have to put the whole thing back together. Start with the new glass/digitizer. Peel off the plastic protector to expose the adhesive and very carefully put it in place.
15. Wrap the connector that is part of the digitizer around and secure it in place with its adhesive.
16. Take the whole screen assembly and slide it back into the case. Push to secure the clips then replace the six screws that you removed.
17. Slide the logic board carefully back into place. You may have to hold down/more out of the way a few of the connectors. Take it a little at a time and see where it is getting caught up. You got this far don't lose your patience.
18. Snap the back antennae cover back in and replace its screws.
19. Slide the battery tray into place and replace its screws.
20. Snap the gray antennae cover back on.
21. Replace Micro SD card, battery, and battery cover.
22. Enjoy the beauty of your Nexus without a broken screen.
23. Place Nexus in Otterbox Defender case so this never happens again.
I have pictures that document each step but need to be approved by a moderator before it lets me post em... sorry guys
Hey, awesome job on fixing your screen. I would love to see them, my Nexus just went through the same thing 30 min ago. I had it on my lap, and upon stepping out of the car, SMACK, is all I heard. It landed face down and this is the aftermath. It's much worse than it looks in the picture.
Man, that sucks. I know that feeling.
I'll try to put the pictures up to help you out. Or at least a link to my photobucket.
Sent from my Nexus One using Tapatalk
thanks! I just cracked mine yesterday after the phone fell out of my pocket onto a concrete floor. Ouch. I'm giving this a whirl.
Nice, I'll keep this in mind for the day I accidentally break my n1.
I just wish we could somehow jury-rig the Incredible digitizer to our phones =/
I just recently converted to the n1, bought the phone for cheap off craigslists, but notice burn in on the screen, will changing the digitizier also fix the burn in?
Thank you so much for taking the time to do this write up. I just dropped my phone and smashed the screen on concrete 30 mins ago. All is working but the glass is cracked. I've ordered a new Digitizer/Glass from ebay for £30, I just hope it comes by tomorrow.
you can post picture after 5 posts so it should be good now you have 8 posts
I've just completed the work of replacing the broken glass.
I used your guide throughout, it's a shame you haven't been able to post the pictures as it definitely would have helped. I managed to google some dismantling pictures to help with your talk through as it was hard going some times.
Many thanks again.
Another useful tip: run an air purifier aimed at your work station to minimize the risk of getting dust in the glass.
blueboymj: Any chance you can edit your original post and add your pictures so others can use them? I searched quite a lot for a specific procedure to change the digitizer on my poor N1; This was the best, most accurate guide I found. I've done digitizers on a few iPhones (sorry for the profanity) using the ifixit guides, but alas, the ifixit guides were better for them than they are for the N1.
On a side note: The end cap that gives people so much trouble fell off of my N1 in the initial drop. I pushed it back on, and continued using the phone even though the glass was shattered. Removing it the first time was not so hard, I think it was not back on as well as it should have been. Removing it the second time (another story) was much harder. There are two little plastic "bars" on the end cap (step 4 above) that fit into small grooves on the "antenna cover". (step 7) I think the trick may be to possibly pinch the edges of the end cap, while sliding it toward the bottom of the phone. I looked at it after it was open, to see why it was so hard to remove, and realized I had been inadvertently helping it hold itself closed while trying to pry it open. Maybe one of the videos addresses this; I did not watch them.
Thank you to the OP and the responders for this post!
So where exactly did u order the new digitizier and parts from?
Sent from my Nexus One using XDA App
This thread should be added to the N1 wiki. Thanks for the instructions.
DrewOntheMYT said:
I just recently converted to the n1, bought the phone for cheap off craigslists, but notice burn in on the screen, will changing the digitizier also fix the burn in?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Burn in? Like shadowing on the LCD? Nope.
Thats the LCD, and is completely different than the digitizer. The digitizer is just a clear plastic/glass layer that goes OVER the lcd to detect touch.
I had the digitizer and a new case and was going to have a local phone store replace this for me. However, they just gave me some BS story about how you cannot replace the digitizer without also replacing the LCD screen, which I did not provide.
So I've been without a phone (since they have it) for no reason and have to drive out of my way to retrieve it.
Hey crappy phone store, if you're too scared to do the job just say so, don't try to make up a bunch of manure and say it can't be done.
Anyway, I just ordered the required tools that I don't have and am going to give this a whirl.
OP, if you can't post your pics, can you email them to me?
does it fix the multitouch problem?

[Q] Hardware fixes - anyone tried...

I am the proud owner of a new I9000, the b*&tard love child of 2 ebay purchases. Just wondering whether the leftover entrails are worth keeping. Specifically:
- broken USB port. I have a replacement part and looks easy enough to de/solder. Anyone tried??
- vol down button. Looks a nightmare to try to replace. Anyone tried??
- chip in screen. Not worried about it being perfect but its too deep to polish out and when you put a screen protector on it a bubble appears. Any ideas?
- chrome bezel. WOWOW didn't Samsung make it a separate element easy to replace...?? Has anyone done these successfully (first time, every time), or is there any way to make it look good? Other than hiding with a case which I have already done!
Thank you for all, any, or even no help.
H.
ihartley said:
Thank you for all, any, or even no help.
H.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
look at manuals and guides in My Android collections for your answers
If you're handy with a soldering iron and have a good one (not one of those fire-starting ones that plugs straight into the wall with a handle like five inches away from the tip) then the micro USB and button shouldn't be too tricky to replace. The button isn't that terribly important anyway depending on how you use your phone.
As far as the screen chip, I'd be tempted to use one of the screen protector methods using alcohol, perhaps the alcohol would fill the gap and stay there? Probably wouldn't work, but it might be worth a try.
I replaced the chrome bezel with a cheap, crappy gold one from china (and a gold battery cover) and it's totally pimp. The bezel is actually the very last piece in the phone though. You have to take EVERYTHING apart to get it out, it's a huge pain. I ended up slipping with a knife while I was doing it and cutting the vibrator off so I spent a few weeks waiting for the replacement touch button/vibrator/microphone board to come in.

Nexus 7 2012 fix touchscreen issues / grounding issue / ghost touches - HARDWARE FIX

OK, I have found the issue that causes the touchscreen ghost touches, unresponsive touchscreen, etc. This guide is short and simple, and is provided with NO WARRANTY, TO BE FOLLOWED AT YOUR OWN RISK. This guide requires that you open your device WHICH VOIDS THE WARRANTY. Those of us with the original grouper/WiFi/2012 version are well outside our warranties, so that really doesn't matter now.
To explain, our devices use (to my knowledge) an actively driven capacitive touchscreen sensor. It has been narrowed down that a significant number of devices suffer from a grounding issue where the voltage potentials between the case and screen will cause a number of touchscreen issues when the device is electrically insulated from the person touching the screen. There are many YouTube videos and guides on how to diagnose if your touchscreen has this issue; I will not detail those here. To be simple, if you set your device on an insulated surface like a wood table and touch the screen with ONE HAND while not touching the device with your other hand, the touchscreen will go ape**** on you.
For those of us suffering these issues, it can ruin the entire experience of the tablet. I have deduced through a logical process the location and cause of this issue, which I will detail in the guide below.
The nexus 7 uses a filmed metal back, which is mechanically grounded to the motherboard via two "blind" gold spring contacts on the motherboard which touch the filmed metal backing of the case back. I call these "blind" contacts because there is no corresponding electrical contact for them to sit upon, simply the material of the case itself is what they contact when the case is closed.
What you will do by following this guide, is physically break these tabs off the motherboard, thereby breaking the circuit of the faulty ground point. The reasons this is successful in resolving the touchscreen issue appear to be twofold; first the ground points wear off the filmed metal of the back QUICKLY due to flexion of the plastic case back and therefore end up forming a SECOND capacitor on the device case back. This causes electrical potential to build between the plastic case back and the device itself, causing unreliable reading and operation of the capacitive touchscreen. Second, the intermittent ground connection causes unreliable grounding of this capacitive potential, which is worse than no ground at all in the respect of a capacitive coupling of the case back and the device.
These issues could not and cannot be resolved by a firmware flash, because it is a physical problem. Asus could not resolve the issue completely, because even if all components involved are replaced the issue will arise again due to the way the device is constructed. It was simply a poor design.
So, to get to the meat and potatoes of the fix;
1.) Pop the back off your nexus 7. Locate and REMOVE THE BATTERY CONNECTOR to prevent any possibility of a short while you follow the rest of the guide.
2.) Locate the two blind gold spring pins on the bottom right corner as circled in red on my attached picture. Note how they do not have any corresponding connection on the case back as the WiFi GPS Bluetooth and NFC antennas do. This is because these points were meant to found the case back to prevent exactly the issues we are seeing. However due to poor design they have become the CAUSE of the issue.
3.) Most simple step: break BOTH connectors completely off the board by gently bending them back and forth until they snap cleanly off the board. There is no chance of trace damage when doing this - the solder is MUCH stronger than the super thin spring connectors and they will easily break cleanly at the solder joint. If you do not break BOTH off, the touchscreen will get WORSE because you have simply enhanced the ability of the case back to form a capacitive coupling with the case back. So break both, or do not bother.
4.) Replace the battery connector and case back, ensuring you do NOT damage any of the other fragile gold spring connections, if you do you will lose some of your antennas and these connectors are a pain in the ass to replace.
I have attached a picture that shows the two points that need broken off the board circled in RED.
That's it, you're done. Reboot the device and enjoy a touchscreen that actually ****ing works. You're welcome.
Again this guide is provided at your own risk, I am not responsible for anyone who breaks the wrong connector despite my detailed guide, and I am not responsible for any other damage your fat fingers might cause while dicking around inside a sensitive electronic device.
I understand if some are too squeamish to attempt this guide, but I respectfully request that those afraid to attempt do not bother ****ting up the thread with useless posts. Constructive comments are always welcomed.
If this works for you as it did for me (I.E. perfectly) please hit the THANKS button!
I'm also currently unemployed, so if I've helped you and you are better off than I am then donations to my google wallet account are HUGELY APPRECIATED!
Once confirmed, I would ask that the mods sticky this thread.
Post reserved for future use.
And the dumb ****s at Asus tech dept. of course couldn't figure this out. Never again will I give Asus a dollar for anything.
ChristianJay said:
And the dumb ****s at Asus tech dept. of course couldn't figure this out. Never again will I give Asus a dollar for anything.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Even if they knew exactly what to do the company is not going to allow them to "damage" devices in order to fix them. That's how Asus would see it, as damage. It is against the original, albeit flawed, design.
fwayfarer said:
Even if they knew exactly what to do the company is not going to allow them to "damage" devices in order to fix them. That's how Asus would see it, as damage. It is against the original, albeit flawed, design.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
They don't do **** to fix anything, I sent them one, a 2012 N7 and they did absolutely nothing to remedy it, re-flashed the O/s or some such crap. I came up with a partial fix myself.
Just out of curiosity, have you done my fix and can you post confirmation so we can get the mods to sticky this thread?
As much as I'd love to get everyone's old n7 for dirt cheap when they think its "broken", I'd also like to see us snub Asus with our own permanent real fix as opposed to their bs runaround they pull until the warranty is up.
So please do confirm if possible.
fwayfarer said:
Just out of curiosity, have you done my fix and can you post confirmation so we can get the mods to sticky this thread?
As much as I'd love to get everyone's old n7 for dirt cheap when they think its "broken", I'd also like to see us snub Asus with our own permanent real fix as opposed to their bs runaround they pull until the warranty is up.
So please do confirm if possible.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hi, Just replaced a broken screen few days on it with a new one and got lots of ghost touches and non responsive spots.
So I tried your suggestion and it works for me , I took a less destructive approach and just put some tiny pieces of duct tape on the back cover where the connectors touch it instead of breaking them off.
My new screen is in place and working properly :good: .
Thanks.
yefet2000 said:
Hi, Just replaced a broken screen few days on it with a new one and got lots of ghost touches and non responsive spots.
So I tried your suggestion and it works for me , I took a less destructive approach and just put some tiny pieces of duct tape on the back cover where the connectors touch it instead of breaking them off.
My new screen is in place and working properly :good: .
Thanks.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Mods please make this a sticky thread at your convenience, I believe this info will help a large number of N7 users, and it seems like according to the user above that it works when done in a non destructive way as well.
I ve had the same problem with my touch screen, it only happened when i connected the back cover of the nexus( i had a screen change)... so before i try to break the 2 pins i ve just put some electric isolation tape (plastic) and touch works like a charm.... thanks!!!
Be careful what kind of tape you use, some tape could make it worse.
You're welcome.
If anyone else has succeeded using this method or using tape, please post your results. I'm going to assume it hasn't harmed anyone or I'd have heard about it already.
Will attempt this tomorrow and confirm back. Using tape method.
Carried out the tape option, along with other additional fixes. Wipe cache, turn off animations, limit background processes to 3 and others. Seems to be working for me perfectly now.
fwayfarer said:
To explain, our devices use (to my knowledge) an actively driven capacitive touchscreen sensor. It has been narrowed down that a significant number of devices suffer from a grounding issue where the voltage potentials between the case and screen will cause a number of touchscreen issues when the device is electrically insulated from the person touching the screen. There are many YouTube videos and guides on how to diagnose if your touchscreen has this issue; I will not detail those here.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Can someone please refer me to a YouTube video that shows how to diagnose if the touchscreen has this issue? Thanks.
It's so simple to type into google search "nexus 7 2012 touch screen problem video" you'll need to do it yourself.
Sorry.
Brilliant!
Finally I can now use my Nexus 7. At first I thought the erratic touches were due to the oil on the screen but upon replacing the screen protector, the erratic touches are still present.
Tried taping the contacts with a tape (A simple electrical tape would do), and much to my surprise, the device is usable now.
Also working for me, i just broke the pins. Much better now!
Gesendet von meinem Nexus 7 mit Tapatalk
Tested the tape/isolator option (less hardcode) in my "bad" N7 (the other works flawlessly and they were both bough day 1, maybe different revisions, not gonna open that one incase!), and the ghosting hits and touchscreen ignore problems seem to be completely gone.
Thanks a lot!!
Thanks so much for the fix, it's a new tablet now. I confirm this works by using isolator tape over the pins. Very easy fix, took me 2 mins to do it... would have liked to know about it sooner
Thanks, I already had managed to solve partially the problem placing an aluminium foil into the tablet (risky and complicated so didn't posted), but this is easier and WiFi reception is better too. Anyway it is not perfect yet, same problem than my solution: try crossing axis vertically or horizontally (only one hand, tablet on a table) and weird things happen like no touch detected, very fast touchs, etc... I will post here if I figure out something else.

How can I remove the back from a Doogee Y6?

Need to disassemble my Doogee Y6 (not Y6 Max) to replace the USB port.
If anybody has successfully removed the back, some brief instructions would be really appreciated.
Best wishes, Ron.
kiwironnie said:
Need to disassemble my Doogee Y6 (not Y6 Max) to replace the USB port.
If anybody has successfully removed the back, some brief instructions would be really appreciated.
Best wishes, Ron.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'll bet you can find a video on YouTube explaining how to disassemble your device.
I DO NOT PROVIDE HELP IN PM, KEEP IT IN THE THREADS WHERE EVERYONE CAN SHARE
Droidriven said:
I'll bet you can find a video on YouTube explaining how to disassemble your device.
I DO NOT PROVIDE HELP IN PM, KEEP IT IN THE THREADS WHERE EVERYONE CAN SHARE
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Already search extensively, no luck so far. Prefer not to 'experiment' and wreck the thing!
kiwironnie said:
Need to disassemble my Doogee Y6 (not Y6 Max) to replace the USB port.
If anybody has successfully removed the back, some brief instructions would be really appreciated.
Best wishes, Ron.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Bro check YouTube very well... it there
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro
I can help you.
kiwironnie said:
Need to disassemble my Doogee Y6 (not Y6 Max) to replace the USB port.
If anybody has successfully removed the back, some brief instructions would be really appreciated.
Best wishes, Ron.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Did u fix it? I can help you. I opened the phone like 10+ times.
Hi, I have the same problem, I need to open the phone to replace the camera but did not manage to find anything on youtube. Would u please help me? Thanks
Monster 00 said:
Did u fix it? I can help you. I opened the phone like 10+ times.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sorry for the later reply Monster. Thought this thread had gone dead!
If you've got some tips about how to open the case without destroying it that would be really helpful.
There's a few videos etc on opening Doogees around (Y6 Max etc) but none that I've found for the Y6, which is quite a different case.
Cheers, Ron
kiwironnie said:
Sorry for the later reply Monster. Thought this thread had gone dead!
If you've got some tips about how to open the case without destroying it that would be really helpful.
There's a few videos etc on opening Doogees around (Y6 Max etc) but none that I've found for the Y6, which is quite a different case.
Cheers, Ron
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
So to start take a flat screwdriver. You may turn off the phone it's not necessary. Remove the sim tray. To open the phone read carefully. Don't try to remove the back metal plate, you're doing it all wrong. There is a plastic surround that meets with the glass. You need to insert your flat screwdriver in the corner(I prefer bottom right) of the plastic case/surround and the phone screen must be facing you. Now there is a super thin black plastic that separate the glass and the surround, you need to put your screwdriver between the thin black plastic and the surround (mine is gold). The plastic will wear a little bit but if you do it properly, you won't notice any scratch or paint damage. Put your screwdriver in and pull it apart trying to lift the back cover. Don't be scared but be careful, go until you hear a click then you may use your finger nail or the screwdriver and pass it all around the phone. You will hear many clicks. Don't be scared for the fingerprint sensor because it is stick to the phone. After having done that for the first time you will be able to open the phone like previous phones used to be, that is removing it like a removable back cover using your fingernails. I hope I could do a video. Tell me if you did not understand a thing because I can use my phone only on Saturday and Sunday( exams are near).
Monster 00 said:
So to start take a flat screwdriver. You may turn off the phone it's not necessary. Remove the sim tray. To open the phone read carefully. Don't try to remove the back metal plate, you're doing it all wrong. There is a plastic surround that meets with the glass. You need to insert your flat screwdriver in the corner(I prefer bottom right) of the plastic case/surround and the phone screen must be facing you. Now there is a super thin black plastic that separate the glass and the surround, you need to put your screwdriver between the thin black plastic and the surround (mine is gold). The plastic will wear a little bit but if you do it properly, you won't notice any scratch or paint damage. Put your screwdriver in and pull it apart trying to lift the back cover. Don't be scared but be careful, go until you hear a click then you may use your finger nail or the screwdriver and pass it all around the phone. You will hear many clicks. Don't be scared for the fingerprint sensor because it is stick to the phone. After having done that for the first time you will be able to open the phone like previous phones used to be, that is removing it like a removable back cover using your fingernails. I hope I could do a video. Tell me if you did not understand a thing because I can use my phone only on Saturday and Sunday( exams are near).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Brilliant! Thanks Monster. For me you provide a remarkably clear explanation. Used a very small, flat bladed jewellers screwdriver to lever the black plastic surround away until it clicked, just as you describe, then used an old credit card as a helper, to slide along the gap, to separate the metal back from the rest of the phone. Now just need to figure out how to actually make the repair!
Very best of luck with your exams. (so glad to be largely done with such things!)
Best wishes, Ron.
kiwironnie said:
Brilliant! Thanks Monster. For me you provide a remarkably clear explanation. Used a very small, flat bladed jewellers screwdriver to lever the black plastic surround away until it clicked, just as you describe, then used an old credit card as a helper, to slide along the gap, to separate the metal back from the rest of the phone. Now just need to figure out how to actually make the repair!
Very best of luck with your exams. (so glad to be largely done with such things!)
Best wishes, Ron.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I was about to make a video to help you. I'm glad you succeeded to open the phone. Now tell me what do you need to repair.
Monster 00 said:
I was about to make a video to help you. I'm glad you succeeded to open the phone. Now tell me what do you need to repair.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
A video would no doubt be tremendously helpful to others anyway.
The problem with the phone is the micro USB socket is stuffed. The plug is loose and difficult to get a connection, due to continual pushing on it by the USB cover flap on the flexible plastic case that came with the phone. Have cut the flap off but the damage has been done (warning to others!).
At first glance it looks like the circuit board will have to come out to have any reasonable chance of de-soldering the socket.
Cheers Ron.
kiwironnie said:
A video would no doubt be tremendously helpful to others anyway.
The problem with the phone is the micro USB socket is stuffed. The plug is loose and difficult to get a connection, due to continual pushing on it by the USB cover flap on the flexible plastic case that came with the phone. Have cut the flap off but the damage has been done (warning to others!).
At first glance it looks like the circuit board will have to come out to have any reasonable chance of de-soldering the socket.
Cheers Ron.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I would prefer replacing the charging board itself. Changing the USB connector seems difficult for me. I can do a teardown video but the problem is the camera. I only have a Samsung galaxy core to make video as I can't take the y6 itself to make a video. The galaxy core does not support focusing while filming and the videos turn out blurry.
Monster 00 said:
I would prefer replacing the charging board itself. Changing the USB connector seems difficult for me. I can do a teardown video but the problem is the camera. I only have a Samsung galaxy core to make video as I can't take the y6 itself to make a video. The galaxy core does not support focusing while filming and the videos turn out blurry.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Great advice, makes sense. I now see that it is a separate board and that there are several sellers of Doogee Y6 charging boards. So the plan now is to purchase and try to replace the board, perhaps also replacing the USB connector on the old board as a spare.
Do you know if the ribbon cable(s) have a lock, or does it just pull out? Although a video would have been great, some basic advice on removing the board could be a life saver.
kiwironnie said:
Great advice, makes sense. I now see that it is a separate board and that there are several sellers of Doogee Y6 charging boards. So the plan now is to purchase and try to replace the board, perhaps also replacing the USB connector on the old board as a spare.
Do you know if the ribbon cable(s) have a lock, or does it just pull out? Although a video would have been great, some basic advice on removing the board could be a life saver.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'll try my best to make a video as I can't do it in front of my parents and as I told you I can only get the phone Saturday and Sunday. Today is Sunday, I'll try my best to help you. If I can't make a video then I'll post the instructions here. I forgot if it has a lock or not.
Monster 00 said:
I'll try my best to make a video as I can't do it in front of my parents and as I told you I can only get the phone Saturday and Sunday. Today is Sunday, I'll try my best to help you. If I can't make a video then I'll post the instructions here. I forgot if it has a lock or not.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks again Monster. The part's on order now now. So whatever you manage will be really appreciated. No rush as it's coming from China, at least a couple of weeks away. Cheers Ron.
kiwironnie said:
Thanks again Monster. The part's on order now now. So whatever you manage will be really appreciated. No rush as it's coming from China, at least a couple of weeks away. Cheers Ron.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hey I opened the phone and checked the flex cable. It has a lock hidden under some cover, cloth like material. I'm sorry it I won't be able to do a video because it is super blurry. Now that u know how to open the phone you have to unscrew 4 screws at the bottom. After that gently lift the plastic cover because you may damage the speaker and/or the vibrator. You will see the speaker is actually low quality. As for the charging board, it's pretty easy to remove. Once you remove the plastic cover open the lock by gentle lifting the flap and disconnect the cable. I think that you will need to remove the battery too because the cable is too short and maybe be tricky for you to remove it. You must be really carefully when removing the battery. Take a flat object( I used the same flat screwdriver) and try to lift the battery. Make sure not to puncture it. There's a lot of glue underneath. When you remove the battery then it will be easy to remove the cable. There is two clips holding the board in place and you will need to move one of them to take out the board. Mime is a bit damaged but it's OK. The plastic cover protects it. Don't hesistate to ask questions if you don't understand. Thanks.
Monster 00 said:
Hey I opened the phone and checked the flex cable. It has a lock hidden under some cover, cloth like material. I'm sorry it I won't be able to do a video because it is super blurry. Now that u know how to open the phone you have to unscrew 4 screws at the bottom. After that gently lift the plastic cover because you may damage the speaker and/or the vibrator. You will see the speaker is actually low quality. As for the charging board, it's pretty easy to remove. Once you remove the plastic cover open the lock by gentle lifting the flap and disconnect the cable. I think that you will need to remove the battery too because the cable is too short and maybe be tricky for you to remove it. You must be really carefully when removing the battery. Take a flat object( I used the same flat screwdriver) and try to lift the battery. Make sure not to puncture it. There's a lot of glue underneath. When you remove the battery then it will be easy to remove the cable. There is two clips holding the board in place and you will need to move one of them to take out the board. Mime is a bit damaged but it's OK. The plastic cover protects it. Don't hesistate to ask questions if you don't understand. Thanks.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Brilliant, thanks again! No need for a video, as your explanation is very clear and should be obvious to others after they get the back off the phone. Having recently removed a glued battery from a Kindle, it was a hell of an arm wrestle! Hopefully it will be a bit easier with the Y6. I have a flat nylon spudger with a rounded edge, which should be able to lift the battery without puncturing it. Upgrading the speaker at the same time could be a useful hack, if a better one can be found that fits. Although don't know if the impedance is the same for most phone speakers.
Will post results here including any lessons learnt. Cheers Ron.
The replacement usb charge board arrived, purchased from this guy: http://www.ebay.com/itm/New-Origina...e=STRK:MEBIDX:IT&_trksid=p2057872.m2749.l2649 Posting the url as the service was excellent. Very well packed in its own cardboard box and sent by registered post. So I would buy from him again, even if he is a little more expensive than some on AliExpress.
To fit the new board, the case was opened, as described above and the battery removed. To remove the battery, two screws need to be removed from a metal plate covering the battery connector. The battery ribbon cable connector can then be levered up with a small flat screwdriver blade. It's a effectively a plug with a push fit onto the connector so just pops off.
To remove the battery I used an old credit card, sliding it underneath at one edge of the battery, then gently pushing it forward to release the battery bit by bit, from it being glued to the base. This shouldn't need a lot of force and it is important to avoid snagging the ribbon cable that runs under the battery.
The black plastic cover that houses the speaker and covers the charging board was then removed by unscrewing 4 screws. On my phone one screw had a white plastic covering, into which a cross head jewellers screwdriver can be pushed to grip the screw. The charger board was then exposed and the two speaker wires and two wires from the vibrator were unsoldered using a fine tip iron. The plastic cover was then fully removed. The black rubber tape covering the ribbon cable connector was scraped away, the connector unlocked and the ribbon cable removed. The antenna connector attached to the charger board was then levered off using a small flat bladed screwdriver. The charger board itself was then pulled out. It is held in place by tiny plastic tabs on either side and was a bit of a fiddle to remove.
The old charger board has some Kapton or similar tape underneath, which the new board didn't have. So I applied some similar tape to the new board, but this may not be essential. The new board was then fitted back in, again a bit of a fiddle. I found the best way was was to insert the right hand side of the board first under its tab (looking at the inside of the phone from the charger end), with the board rotated slightly anti clockwise, then pushing the left hand side forward (rotating clockwise) and under the left hand tab so that it effectively clicks into place (not much of a click). The rest of assembly was the reverse of disassembly. Soldering the 4 wires (polarity is marked on the board), pushing the ribbon cable squarely into the connector and locking it. Nearly forgot to push the antenna connector back on!
Replaced the back and the new charge board worked perfectly. What a relief! Thanks again to Monster for getting me started. Cheers Ron.
Hello everyone,
I have every tool needed to fix any problems on any mobile phones. But after fixing my y6, I have thought that a T5S would be piece of cake. But it's not.
Any ideas if I can just remove the broken digitizer to attach the new one or is it glued to the LCD like all new Samsung models?

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