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?
Post-end edit and TL;DR for others having the sort of problems I was:
The power button will, if held in (or stuck engaged) for 10 seconds, reset the phone. Unconditionally. If your phone starts randomly resetting after the power button is pressed (or after you press it, the shutdown menu appears, then the phone resets), your power button is sticky and needs to be replaced. Save yourself some frustration and stop using the button to sleep/wake your phone. Pop the keyboard slider open half an inch to wake it up, use a widget or one of CM and SlimKat's many shortcuts to put it to sleep. Unless you're still on stock JB, in which case quit being on stock JB you square you're probably limited to widgets.
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Bought a D4 off ebay. According to the seller, there's nothing wrong with it, aside from "the power button occasionally does not work".
And until this afternoon, not even that. The phone was working flawlessly. So, I sat down and flashed it so I could transfer my PagePlus account over, which also seemed to be successful; 1x and 3g signals, nice and strong. And even after that, it was fine for a bit.
Then, I go to put the phone to sleep...and it wouldn't. The power switch problem that the seller described rearing its ugly head, seemingly. So I kept trying, and every few button presses, the shutdown menu came up, rather than the device sleeping. Seemed like a sticky button, easy enough to fix.
And then...the phone reset itself. And now, when it's woken with the button, there's a decent chance that it resets itself within 10 seconds of leaving the lock screen; assuming it even wakes up with the button, which seems to be rather hit-and-miss. Putting the phone to sleep with the button is equally fidgety, but doesn't seem to be able to reset it.
I'd already planned on replacing the button, if necessary; I'm not at all afraid of opening the phone up. What concerns me is the self-resetting, which as I understand the Droid 4 is only supposed to do if the power button and volume- buttons are held; I haven't so much as touched the volume buttons since this started.
Should I send it back for a refund, or is the self-reset behavior a symptom of a stuck/failing power button, and likely to go away if I open it up and replace it?
My power button did same thing a year ago.
The power button is two parts external and internal
I took it apart and pulled the external part off, it just pulls straight off.
Now need a pen or something to press button, but normally use a widget to turn screen off and use an volume button app to turn screen on
There are replacement power buttons on eBay but never got around to it.
Sent from my DROIDX using Tapatalk
sd_shadow said:
My power button did same thing a year ago.
The power button is two parts external and internal
I took it apart and pulled the external part off, it just pulls straight off.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
So wait. Despite how loose/flimsy it feels, it's actually the external plastic bit getting stuck/hung up? I figured it was the actual button being gunked up (poor-quality grease or somesuch) and sticking.
And, is the phone supposed to reboot if only the power button is "held", then? That's what I'm primarily worried about; whether the power button is responsible for the reboots, or it started at the same time by coincidence and something else is actually wrong.
With mine the exterior part was sticking and causing reboots, yours may be different
Sent from my DROIDX using Tapatalk
Hmm, seems to be different indeed. Out of curiosity, I very carefully slipped a screwdriver in above the plastic button to open a small gap, and clicked the actual hardware button with a small paperclip...nothing. Holding it long enough seems to eventually make contact and put the phone to sleep, clicking it repeatedly sometimes causes the shutdown menu to come up (and shortly thereafter a reboot)...
Very strange behavior. Think I have some electrical contact cleaner around here somewhere, maybe I can squirt some of that down into the button...failing that, I guess I can live with it, hoping it's just the button itself and not something wonky with the board logic, and eventually change the button for something a bit higher quality...
Septfox said:
Hmm, seems to be different indeed. Out of curiosity, I very carefully slipped a screwdriver in above the plastic button to open a small gap, and clicked the actual hardware button with a small paperclip...nothing. Holding it long enough seems to eventually make contact and put the phone to sleep, clicking it repeatedly sometimes causes the shutdown menu to come up (and shortly thereafter a reboot)...
Very strange behavior. Think I have some electrical contact cleaner around here somewhere, maybe I can squirt some of that down into the button...failing that, I guess I can live with it, hoping it's just the button itself and not something wonky with the board logic, and eventually change the button for something a bit higher quality...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This happened to my old SE XPERIA X2, the switch wore off. In this case I got the switch replaced under warranty claim.
Generally all the faulty micro switches I opened had somehow faulty flat spring inside. If it is the case, it won't click soundly when pressed. Then you need to replace the whole switch (or the spring if you can find the same), no cleaning can help.
I can't imagine any valid SW situation leading to reboot because of pressing only the power switch - unless you installed some utility to do it, which I doubt. Maybe the Vol Down button is faulty/sticky too?
I'd try to clean the insides first (if the cleaner gets inside the switches, even better), and if that doesn't help, get inside and check these two switches yourself. You can't get a refund then though
LuH said:
Generally all the faulty micro switches I opened had somehow faulty flat spring inside. If it is the case, it won't click soundly when pressed. Then you need to replace the whole switch (or the spring if you can find the same), no cleaning can help.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Mine makes a clicking sound and seems to return after being pressed. However, comparing it to the volume buttons (which look to be the same switch going by the teardown pictures I've seen), it does sound and feel slightly less "crisp".
LuH said:
I can't imagine any valid SW situation leading to reboot because of pressing only the power switch - unless you installed some utility to do it, which I doubt. Maybe the Vol Down button is faulty/sticky too?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yea, completely stock, since I was flashing the phone over to PP before doing anything else.
I was kind of hoping someone on stock or modified stock would come in and test it for me; hold the button down for a good 10-20 seconds, see what happens. It's not supposed to happen, but I've read elsewhere online that it's one of the symptoms of a sticky button.
Curiously, the Volume- key seems to be working perfectly, sounds and feels like I would expect.
LuH said:
I'd try to clean the insides first (if the cleaner gets inside the switches, even better), and if that doesn't help, get inside and check these two switches yourself. You can't get a refund then though
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I actually have some "QR Electrical Cleaner" here that I obtained from Walmart a while back...unfortunately someone lost the nozzle, so I can't get a concentrated blast down around the switch stem :\
Wedging the plastic external button aside and spraying it in the general direction of the top of the switch doesn't seem to have done anything, unfortunately. I think these switches are probably semi-sealed unless in the pressed position, which is going to make things interesting...
And yes, you're right, doing anything further would technically void the warranty. Thinking about it, though, I actually did get a pretty good deal; the phone is obviously a return from a customer who found the problem early on, as it's basically new in condition with a completely unscratched screen. Even if I can't get the button working right, the phone wakes up with the keyboard, and a notification widget puts it to sleep...and if the button isn't used to wake it, it doesn't seem to stick (or at least register as it), so the phone continues working properly. So, a mostly-perfect phone, for all of $27.50, with the potential to be perfect.
Once my screen protector gets here and I'm not afraid of scratching the glass up, I think I'll open it and see what I can find out. It should be easy enough to short the contacts at the rear of the switch and see that the board is working properly; if so, then I can go hunting for a compatible switch. I can't seem to find any direct replacements, unfortunately.
Which reminds me, any guesses as to why there are three poles on the switch rather than two?
Edit: nevermind, looking at pictures it seems that the two "outer" pins attach to the common pad on the board, while the center pin is attached to the appropriate circuitry.
Septfox said:
Mine makes a clicking sound and seems to return after being pressed. However, comparing it to the volume buttons (which look to be the same switch going by the teardown pictures I've seen), it does sound and feel slightly less "crisp".
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sounds like a swan's song...
Septfox said:
Yea, completely stock, since I was flashing the phone over to PP before doing anything else.
I was kind of hoping someone on stock or modified stock would come in and test it for me; hold the button down for a good 10-20 seconds, see what happens. It's not supposed to happen, but I've read elsewhere online that it's one of the symptoms of a sticky button.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Luckily I just fastbooted mine Completely stock 188, only rooted and with SS installed - which should make no difference. To my complete surprise, while holding the power down, it shows the Power menu after 2 secs and forcibly reboots after 10 seconds. So I guess your only problem is the power button :good:
Septfox said:
And yes, you're right, doing anything further would technically void the warranty. Thinking about it, though, I actually did get a pretty good deal; the phone is obviously a return from a customer who found the problem early on, as it's basically new in condition with a completely unscratched screen. Even if I can't get the button working right, the phone wakes up with the keyboard, and a notification widget puts it to sleep...and if the button isn't used to wake it, it doesn't seem to stick (or at least register as it), so the phone continues working properly. So, a mostly-perfect phone, for all of $27.50, with the potential to be perfect.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Great catch If you find another, let me know
Septfox said:
Once my screen protector gets here and I'm not afraid of scratching the glass up, I think I'll open it and see what I can find out. It should be easy enough to short the contacts at the rear of the switch and see that the board is working properly; if so, then I can go hunting for a compatible switch. I can't seem to find any direct replacements, unfortunately.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I actually bought one two years ago while buying mine D4 to have the whole package stuffed with all imaginable replacement parts sent from the US - postage to Europe was about 1/3 of the whole price. I never used any of the replacement parts yet, guess I got lucky I don't have it on me now though...
Septfox said:
Which reminds me, any guesses as to why there are three poles on the switch rather than two?
Edit: nevermind, looking at pictures it seems that the two "outer" pins attach to the common pad on the board, while the center pin is attached to the appropriate circuitry.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
My guess is in some other devices the switch may switch between two circuits, not just break/connect the circuit. I think most of the switches I saw had the unnecessary third leg. Also it may help it hold tighter to the PCB.
LuH said:
Luckily I just fastbooted mine Completely stock 188, only rooted and with SS installed - which should make no difference. To my complete surprise, while holding the power down, it shows the Power menu after 2 secs and forcibly reboots after 10 seconds. So I guess your only problem is the power button :good:
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Awesome, thank you! Now I don't have to strip it down until I have a new switch in hand...though I'm still tempted to, just for fun. Strange that the phone can be rebooted by only holding the power button, though.
LuH said:
Great catch If you find another, let me know
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Certainly. FYI, the seller I got it it from is named "soonersoft" if you want to use ebay's Follow Seller thing, by the looks of their listings they seem to mainly do business in items returned under warranty for damage/defects.
LuH said:
I actually bought one two years ago while buying mine D4 to have the whole package stuffed with all imaginable replacement parts sent from the US - postage to Europe was about 1/3 of the whole price. I never used any of the replacement parts yet, guess I got lucky I don't have it on me now though...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I've been thinking about it, and even if I could find a 1:1 replacement, it might be better to just replace it with an entirely different, more common switch. Having looked it up, power switch failures aren't incredibly frequent, but they are enough that I would rather have a more reliable (or at least, cheaper to replace), more standard design. Ebay is full of cheap bulk lots of microswitches, just gotta find one small enough.
LuH said:
My guess is in some other devices the switch may switch between two circuits, not just break/connect the circuit.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yea, maybe. I just had the thought that it might alternatively be a dual-stage switch (e.g. as are used for cameras), with one of the stages disabled or defective to the extent that it could only be sold as a single-stage switch. Such would be a good way to get rid of components that would otherwise be garbage.
Whichever it is, it seems to me that such a small switch with so many moving parts inside, in a location and with a role that it sees a lot of use and abuse, is just asking for trouble...that the problem isn't more widespread is a testament to the quality of the switch manufacturer's design and assembly, I guess.
Regardless, it looks like only a dual-pole switch is actually needed, so that considerably widens the range of possibilities.
Thanks for the assistance, it has been invaluable. Now I can continue loading up and enjoying my phone without worrying that it's going to suddenly drop dead...well, more than the usual worrying, anyway
Septfox said:
Awesome, thank you! Now I don't have to strip it down until I have a new switch in hand...though I'm still tempted to, just for fun. Strange that the phone can be rebooted by only holding the power button, though.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I know your feelings, even though I waited for a first issue to rationalize opening it up, which was only this summer, after almost two years. I'm still a student and the phone was ****load of money for me. Now that they are so cheap (and I don't see any potential replacement on the market as QWERTY devices vaporized) I'm not that cautious.
BTW most breakdown instructions or videos specify you'll only need T5 screwdriver but if you want to disassemble the display part as well, which you will need to, you'll need T3 as well (T4 still kinda fits to the screws, but it's T3). When you slide the diplay (or keyboard, depending on your point of view) out, you can see the small screws next to the outer rim.
Also, the phone heavily relies on adhesive - be sure to have plenty and be aware that after first opening the see-through plastic piece with rear camera, flash LED, hole for opening the back door and with two screws underneath will never look the same, you'll be lucky to have it somehow stick with most parts looking OK. I never saw anywhere replacement for this printed adhesive, the "HD 720p" sign gets semi-destroyed when opening it...
Septfox said:
Certainly. FYI, the seller I got it it from is named "soonersoft" if you want to use ebay's Follow Seller thing, by the looks of their listings they seem to mainly do business in items returned under warranty for damage/defects.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks
Septfox said:
I've been thinking about it, and even if I could find a 1:1 replacement, it might be better to just replace it with an entirely different, more common switch. Having looked it up, power switch failures aren't incredibly frequent, but they are enough that I would rather have a more reliable (or at least, cheaper to replace), more standard design. Ebay is full of cheap bulk lots of microswitches, just gotta find one small enough.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Or you can do it the hardcore and noticeable way I used to fix out old home LCD monitor's faulty power switch - solder wires to the PCB, take it out the hole left after the switch plastic and solder to them a switch of your choosing that will hang outside the phone... You can tell people that it's an antenna that helps with bad reception in your area
Septfox said:
Yea, maybe. I just had the thought that it might alternatively be a dual-stage switch (e.g. as are used for cameras), with one of the stages disabled or defective to the extent that it could only be sold as a single-stage switch. Such would be a good way to get rid of components that would otherwise be garbage.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Not likely IMO. This was marketed as luxurious device, I don't think they'd do it. Also the new switch isn't as expensive I guess, especially compared to all the advanced electronics inside.
Septfox said:
Whichever it is, it seems to me that such a small switch with so many moving parts inside, in a location and with a role that it sees a lot of use and abuse, is just asking for trouble...that the problem isn't more widespread is a testament to the quality of the switch manufacturer's design and assembly, I guess.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yup, I never understood how microswitches, especially those used in mouses, could take so much...
Septfox said:
Regardless, it looks like only a dual-pole switch is actually needed, so that considerably widens the range of possibilities.
Thanks for the assistance, it has been invaluable. Now I can continue loading up and enjoying my phone without worrying that it's going to suddenly drop dead...well, more than the usual worrying, anyway
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm glad I helped Enjoy your "brand new" slider
LuH said:
BTW most breakdown instructions or videos specify you'll only need T5 screwdriver but if you want to disassemble the display part as well, which you will need to, you'll need T3 as well (T4 still kinda fits to the screws, but it's T3).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Good to know. As it turns out, I don't have anything below a T6 or 7, so no adventures in disassembly for me today.
LuH said:
Also, the phone heavily relies on adhesive - be sure to have plenty and be aware that after first opening the see-through plastic piece with rear camera, flash LED, hole for opening the back door and with two screws underneath will never look the same, you'll be lucky to have it somehow stick with most parts looking OK. I never saw anywhere replacement for this printed adhesive, the "HD 720p" sign gets semi-destroyed when opening it...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Fond memories of stripping my Ally down to the digitizer come back to me; everything simply snaps or bolts together and there's nary a drop of glue to be seen :<
I wonder if I can eyeball pictures of a removed plastic bit and use a straightblade bit to simply "drill" through mine to the screws...will have to keep it in mind when I evenetually open it up.
Any suggestions on what kind of glue to get? All I have around are hot glue and Gorilla Glue, neither of which strike me as particularly appropriate for this sort of thing.
LuH said:
Or you can do it the hardcore and noticeable way I used to fix out old home LCD monitor's faulty power switch - solder wires to the PCB, take it out the hole left after the switch plastic and solder to them a switch of your choosing that will hang outside the phone... You can tell people that it's an antenna that helps with bad reception in your area
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The sad thing is, I would have actually done this with my first flip-phone. Heck, my current computer is a collection of loosely-assembled parts kind of haphazardly spread out on a nearby endtable, so I can say I would definitely do this to a phone ; \
LuH said:
Not likely IMO. This was marketed as luxurious device, I don't think they'd do it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes, a luxurious device with a Pentile TFT display, non-removable battery, entirely plastic casing and no dedicated camera button :v
There's no denying that it's a nice phone, but I see a lot of cut corners; what's another one that the majority of users will be fortunate enough to never notice?
Septfox said:
Fond memories of stripping my Ally down to the digitizer come back to me; everything simply snaps or bolts together and there's nary a drop of glue to be seen :<
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I too hate this adhesive hell
Septfox said:
I wonder if I can eyeball pictures of a removed plastic bit and use a straightblade bit to simply "drill" through mine to the screws...will have to keep it in mind when I eventually open it up.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I was thinking the same. Don't know what straightblade is, but I wouldn't recommend any blade - the plastic is pretty thick. My plan would be to really cautiously drill it by an actual power drill. There's a bit of space between screws and the plastic piece, so I think it's safe to drill.
Septfox said:
Any suggestions on what kind of glue to get? All I have around are hot glue and Gorilla Glue, neither of which strike me as particularly appropriate for this sort of thing.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Double-sided adhesive tape I bought cheap 3mm wide one off eBay, works like charm. Also I thought they say it's 3M as in 3 meters long, but actually got a 3M branded one, possibly 3 meters long
Septfox said:
The sad thing is, I would have actually done this with my first flip-phone. Heck, my current computer is a collection of loosely-assembled parts kind of haphazardly spread out on a nearby endtable, so I can say I would definitely do this to a phone ; \
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I don't see how it's a bad thing The phone would look badass
Septfox said:
Yes, a luxurious device with a Pentile TFT display, non-removable battery, entirely plastic casing and no dedicated camera button :v
There's no denying that it's a nice phone, but I see a lot of cut corners; what's another one that the majority of users will be fortunate enough to never notice?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
True...
LuH said:
I was thinking the same. Don't know what straightblade is, but I wouldn't recommend any blade - the plastic is pretty thick.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sorry, what I was referring to was a flat-edge screwdriver bit, in the same style as one of these for example. A small, sharp one makes a surprisingly good boring tool once you get it started.
LuH said:
Double-sided adhesive tape I bought cheap 3mm wide one off eBay, works like charm. Also I thought they say it's 3M as in 3 meters long, but actually got a 3M branded one, possibly 3 meters long
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Ah, double-sided tape. I probably would have gone for rubber cement or somesuch, but this is a much better idea...far less messy.
LuH said:
I don't see how it's a bad thing The phone would look badass
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And cats everywhere would instantly be huge fans of it.
Septfox said:
Sorry, what I was referring to was a flat-edge screwdriver bit, in the same style as one of these for example. A small, sharp one makes a surprisingly good boring tool once you get it started.
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That's an interesting idea
Septfox said:
Ah, double-sided tape. I probably would have gone for rubber cement or somesuch, but this is a much better idea...far less messy.
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I tried it and turns out while it works great for the main body (the first frame that probably wouldn't even need it in the first place), the tape I bought is a disaster for the digitizer. Since there is a pressure contact for the ear speaker being pressed by the adhesive connection only, it gets pressed away all the time. I got to re-assemble it with new tape every like two or three weeks, which is unbearable. Any alternative idea? I don't think we have rubber cement here - tried to google it and it seems it's used only in the US. I don't want to use any solution that's too permanent though - the time may come when I shatter the glass and need to replace it.
Also the display screws may actually be T4 - it seems my T3 and T4 screwdrivers are a tad more thick than they are supposed to be, compared to my brother's bit more expensive set.
LuH said:
I tried it and turns out while it works great for the main body (the first frame that probably wouldn't even need it in the first place), the tape I bought is a disaster for the digitizer. Since there is a pressure contact for the ear speaker being pressed by the adhesive connection only, it gets pressed away all the time. I got to re-assemble it with new tape every like two or three weeks, which is unbearable. Any alternative idea? I don't think we have rubber cement here - tried to google it and it seems it's used only in the US. I don't want to use any solution that's too permanent though - the time may come when I shatter the glass and need to replace it.
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Hmm.
I haven't taken mine apart yet - waiting on soldering wick so I can replace the power button with minimal mess - and wasn't planning on stripping it down that far anyway, so all I have to look at is the teardown guide. It looks to me like you could:
Press in the screen glass at the top to where it's supposed to be (to align the speaker with the frame as best as possible)
Get some sort of thin material to fill in/bridge the gap between the sides of the speaker and the frame
Inject a small amount of superglue into the gaps between frame/material/speaker
Finding something to bridge the gaps shouldn't be too difficult, anything will work (the superglue will just soak and make it rock hard anyway), it's only there so there's not enough of a gap for the superglue to shrink and void as it dries.
Just don't use enough glue that it works its way down to the glass, or it'll be a pain to detach later.
Like so (blue: spacer/shim, red: glue):
{
"lightbox_close": "Close",
"lightbox_next": "Next",
"lightbox_previous": "Previous",
"lightbox_error": "The requested content cannot be loaded. Please try again later.",
"lightbox_start_slideshow": "Start slideshow",
"lightbox_stop_slideshow": "Stop slideshow",
"lightbox_full_screen": "Full screen",
"lightbox_thumbnails": "Thumbnails",
"lightbox_download": "Download",
"lightbox_share": "Share",
"lightbox_zoom": "Zoom",
"lightbox_new_window": "New window",
"lightbox_toggle_sidebar": "Toggle sidebar"
}
Alternatively, gluing the speaker directly to the board it interfaces with (using a small shim between them to make room for the contacts)...but the positioning might be trickier to get right.
'course, these both have the problem of being rather permanent...and while I haven't read that there are widespread problems with the ear speaker going out, it does seem to occasionally happen. I just don't really know of any adhesives that are both strong enough to hold without eventually coming apart, and weak enough to be somewhat easily removed if needed : \
LuH said:
Also the display screws may actually be T4 - it seems my T3 and T4 screwdrivers are a tad more thick than they are supposed to be, compared to my brother's bit more expensive set.
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I bought a cheap set off ebay that includes T3-T6, so I should be good to go for when I eventually get around to opening the whole thing up (it is certain to happen at some point, if for no other reason than curiosity). At the moment I'm just enjoying customizing SlimKat and playing with the phone; it's so much more able in every way than the old LG I came from, it's ridiculous. Curiosity can, in this case, wait a while~
Septfox said:
It looks to me like you could:
Press in the screen glass at the top to where it's supposed to be (to align the speaker with the frame as best as possible)
Get some sort of thin material to fill in/bridge the gap between the sides of the speaker and the frame
Inject a small amount of superglue into the gaps between frame/material/speaker
Finding something to bridge the gaps shouldn't be too difficult, anything will work (the superglue will just soak and make it rock hard anyway), it's only there so there's not enough of a gap for the superglue to shrink and void as it dries.
Just don't use enough glue that it works its way down to the glass, or it'll be a pain to detach later.
Like so (blue: spacer/shim, red: glue):
[picture shown in above post]
Alternatively, gluing the speaker directly to the board it interfaces with (using a small shim between them to make room for the contacts)...but the positioning might be trickier to get right.
'course, these both have the problem of being rather permanent...and while I haven't read that there are widespread problems with the ear speaker going out, it does seem to occasionally happen. I just don't really know of any adhesives that are both strong enough to hold without eventually coming apart, and weak enough to be somewhat easily removed if needed : \
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Well, I think when I bought the phone in summer 2012 I was like "cool, the only known issue is not showing up in my unit", and almost two years later when earpiece problems started, I was like "****, it finally caught me"...
The idea of hard-fixing the earpiece is nice, I actually thought of it before. I'd love it to be fixed to the PCB, thinking of some non-sticky insulation to be put between the earpiece and the digitizer. It's holding really tight on the digitizer though. I'll see what I can do when I open it up next time - I fixed it this Saturday, so I think it should hold itself somehow at least till the weekend
I was thinking of soldering it to PCB, but was quite scared of messing it up. Super glue is interesting alternative idea But I'm a bit afraid that it will tear the PCB's top layer apart when being pushed away continuously by the pressure contacts. I'll probably first try gluing it to the frame as you indicated in the picture and see then Hope I'll get to send pictures here, although it's a hard thing to do with a phone (my only camera) taken apart...
LuH said:
The idea of hard-fixing the earpiece is nice, I actually thought of it before. I'd love it to be fixed to the PCB, thinking of some non-sticky insulation to be put between the earpiece and the digitizer.
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Paper~
alternatively, thinner and clear, plastic/saran wrap. Stick it down in there, then simply tear the little bit out that covers the speaker hole (or probably easier and cleaner, take a craft knife to it).
LuH said:
I was thinking of soldering it to PCB, but was quite scared of messing it up. Super glue is interesting alternative idea But I'm a bit afraid that it will tear the PCB's top layer apart when being pushed away continuously by the pressure contacts.
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That's a good point, PCB pads aren't strong at all (found that out while pulling a replacement switch off another phone, which is why I'm waiting on wick; don't want to tear my traces up).
I'd like to propose a combination alternative, then
Get some of your double-sided tape, stick a small strip to where the speaker sits on the PCB, try not to get stuck to it
Find a pair of lengths of small-gauge wire, an inch apiece should be enough
On each side, solder one wire to the copper interface pads
Using a small pair of wire snips, snip off the sprung sections of the contacts on the earpiece speaker, leaving enough to solder to
Solder the other ends of the wires to the remainder of the contacts on the speaker
Carefully align the speaker with the PCB, and stick it to the double-sided tape
Finally, tuck the wires out of the way so they don't get pinched and severed when the front assembly is bolted back on
The double-sided tape should be under little to no strain, so it ought to be fine for this task. The digitizer won't be receiving spring pressure from the speaker anymore, so it should stay put. Everything should be oK.
The only potential problems I can think of are that the lack of a seal between digitizer and speaker might reduce the earpiece volume somewhat, and the extra sound movement in the top of the phone casing might have some interesting interactions with the second mic up top.
Of course, this is only if you decide to add something to insulate/destick the digitizer, which actually might not be necessary without the glass being sprung outwards all the time.
It's completely reversible regardless (just need a new speaker and clean up the solder and tape on the PCB), so...might be a better alternative than just straight gluing everything together.
So after all I came up with an alternative solution: since I succeeded on fastening the digitizer with two layers of adhesive tape so well it still holds together for over two months now, I just needed to make the contacts hold so I don't lose the earpiece sound when they don't. The contact for pressure pins is actually not on display's PCB, but on a T-shaped strip of metal, attached to the display, so I just bent the arms in and it works like charm since
Heh, two layers.
Glad to hear you got it worked out. Now I know what to do in the (hopefully unlikely) event that I ever have this issue.
For my end of things, my adventures in power button repair have unfortunately met a disappointing end; the power button completely quit working for normal functions shortly after my last post. The tools I ordered came in, I opened up the phone and tried shorting the leads on the button, to make sure it was indeed the button that was bad. Nothing, nada, no response. I then performed some exploratory surgery on the button (as I have a suitable replacement sitting here), and found it to be of a somewhat simple, rugged design (typical metal-dome design, center pops down to make contact, sides/pins 1 and 3 are common). No manufacturing faults evident.
Working theory is that somewhere in the circuit that it completes, there is a defect. A component that overheated each time the button was used until the point of complete failure, perhaps. Curiously, the button (or rather the pads, no more button at this point) can still be used in combination with Volume - to reset the device. It just...won't respond to normal short/longpresses. I'd imagine there's another trace that splits off before the defective component, leading to the Volume - button and creating a sort of hardware AND condition that triggers a reboot.
Don't know. Don't have the knowledge, nor the equipment, to really diagnose it properly, let alone affect repairs. Guess I'm stuck with popping the keyboard open to wake it until the glorious day that the Droid 5 comes around~
This morning I was cleaning my phone (getting rid of the finger prints/smudges) while standing up when it slipped out of my hand and hit the tiled floor. Everything is fine except the screen (which is cracked). Screen works fine but is unresponsive no matter where I press or touch the screen. How much does a Z3 Compact replacement screen cost? I searched around and it seems it is about $100?
Screen replacement costs in Poland +/- 135$
(authorised sony service)
Yes' it's hard to get original one cheaper than 100-120$. You can search for some Chinese replacement cause sometimes it looks quite similar to original one but You must check it before buying. Last time I had a client with Z1c replacement screen which he bought for 40$ and there was no white color, everything what should be white was purple.
Voids warranty, cheap replacement
Got mine from here replacebase dot co dot uk (can not post links ), of course you void your warranty if you do it yourself.
Parts are good quality till now. I advice to order a back glass too, I broke mine when taking it out and had to reorder again (costs approx 6 pound).
Next time just heat up back glass with hair dryer and You wont break it.
Chamelleon said:
Next time just heat up back glass with hair dryer and You wont break it.
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Thanks for the input
The problem was a small crack which did not matter until you have to remove it, you can not pull on it when its cracked. Anyway I will use a hair dryer to put it back together (assemble, heat up, press with books).
Thanks for the replies.
I'll be getting the repair done from the official Sony shop/distributor I bought the phone from. Just wanted to get an idea of how much it "should" cost before I approach them.
m4mbax said:
Thanks for the input
The problem was a small crack which did not matter until you have to remove it, you can not pull on it when its cracked. Anyway I will use a hair dryer to put it back together (assemble, heat up, press with books).
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Hello
I have tried to change my backglass 3 times but after a few hours the glass falls off... (Yes, I cleaned the phone removing all the old adhesive - and yes, I had pressure on it over night ) But all the instructions I have found on the internet never mentioned anything about putting the glass on, and HEATING it up, and the putting pressure on it... Where have you found that advice? You could imagine that heating up would ruin the adhesive/making it thinner and thereby not waterproof...? But on the other hand your succesrate probably beats mine...
Foxhunter123 said:
Hello
I have tried to change my backglass 3 times but after a few hours the glass falls off... (Yes, I cleaned the phone removing all the old adhesive - and yes, I had pressure on it over night ) But all the instructions I have found on the internet never mentioned anything about putting the glass on, and HEATING it up, and the putting pressure on it... Where have you found that advice? You could imagine that heating up would ruin the adhesive/making it thinner and thereby not waterproof...? But on the other hand your succesrate probably beats mine...
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I think it was a comment below the iFixit tutorial. But one big warning here, I did extra maximally stupid and put it to 'press' under my table (with books around it). The table was too heavy and cracked my front screen once again :crying:
+ The rear glass sits fixed and has not loosened.
- Don't put too much pressure or you destroy it yet again like stupid me
m4mbax said:
I think it was a comment below the iFixit tutorial. But one big warning here, I did extra maximally stupid and put it to 'press' under my table (with books around it). The table was too heavy and cracked my front screen once again :crying:
+ The rear glass sits fixed and has not loosened.
- Don't put too much pressure or you destroy it yet again like stupid me
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Doh!!! ? I have also read on Ifixit and can see there are different opinions about if it is nessesary to heat or not. But I think I will follow your advice and heat the new back before putting it under (less pressure) ?.
Another thing I read on Ifixit is that someone writes that you should put on an adhesive sticker - eventhough the new back comes with adhesive already on...? What is your advice on this?
Most pre-glued adhesive stickers on back are useless. Now everytime I change back in Xperia Z, Z1, Z2, Z3 and compacts I need to remove pre-glued sticker and change it to original one. Many times I had complaint on it from my clients saying that back glass came off. So it's better to order original back glass or just original adhesive.
Foxhunter123 said:
Doh!!! I have also read on Ifixit and can see there are different opinions about if it is nessesary to heat or not. But I think I will follow your advice and heat the new back before putting it under (less pressure) .
Another thing I read on Ifixit is that someone writes that you should put on an adhesive sticker - eventhough the new back comes with adhesive already on...? What is your advice on this?
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Good
Mine came with the adhesive ON the screen, I used that one, I didn't have a separate one. Be extra careful when 'placing' the adhesive where it belongs because you can not remove it once place (okay maybe slightly). Its important that it fits on the first to first and a half try. More adhesive means thicker layer --> glass will stick out
Anyway, most of the stories you read online are partially BS, the phone will work even when the glass is a tiny bit loose or when the adhesive rotated and is a bit thicker in one place. In my eyes, when you dared to order, you are very much capable of assemble the parts.
In btw, ordered new glasses today, hope my two left hands fix it this time.
PS: A lesson I learned on a friends Galaxy S2, do NEVER EVER try to use force when something sticks or is not as loose as in a video. Google or ask another person maybe you just dont do the trick. A connector didnt want to come off so we used a lever to lift it, CLICK, the place where the lever levered broke the board... :silly:
Edit 1: I think its not necessary to HEAT it, it just has to be a lil bit warmer than in your pocket or when calculating heavily. 30s under a hairdryer will be more than enough i guess.
Forgot to update this thread. I received my fixed phone last week. They replaced the screen and even the "bumpers" around the phone for $98. They even delivered the phone to my home free of charge. Looks brand new, all the minor dings I had on the phone are gone.
On another note, I also bought my first iPhone. Got an Space Gray iPhone 6s 128 GB with the official/Apple leather case for the 6s. Got it last Thursday. Been playing around with it a lot and, overall, I love it. Deciding on whether to keep my Z3 Compact as a back-up phone or just sell it. But geez, does the iPhone 6s load games and other apps fast (thanks to its NVMe storage).
Hi, I have an almost 2 year old Moto G6 (just the G6, not Play or Plus). Had it in the same case that length of time. About a month ago, found it was hard to press the power button. I finally just took it out of the case, and in doing so, found the allegedly permanently sealed back cover was coming loose on the side with the power button as well as the bottom where the USB-C jack is. Looks like the adhesive is stretchy but no longer very tacky, and trying to manually press the back cover into place is futile as it won't stay and won't even go all the way in. The phone still works, and after removing it from the case, I now see the power button is fine. I assume it's out of warranty now, I think 1 year and I have no add-on protection plan on my T-Mobile bill. I seen videos of people removing the back cover with a heat gun and razor blade to replace the battery. On what I can see, doesn't look like my battery is bulging. Tempted to crazy glue where the cover is separating, but I doubt that would hold with the pressure that makes the cover pull out again once pushed down. I would think at this point I could carefully just manually remove the whole back cover by hand.My dexterity is awful on repairing small delicate things. Can a shop repair this fairly cheaply? Any advice? I'm in Ohio/USA. Thanks!
I took mine out of the case tonight to clean it and discovered I have exactly the same problem! My case is such that if I put the phone back in it, the case "snaps" together and hence keeps the phone together. Mine is probably two years old too, so I'm sure no fix is possible (but I'll keep my eye on this thread). I'll leave the case on and begin looking for a new phone.
I'm with Sprint so I'm anticipating the conversion to TMo, so I'd rather wait until that happens before I buy a new one.
dannykewl said:
Hi, I have an almost 2 year old Moto G6 (just the G6, not Play or Plus). Had it in the same case that length of time. About a month ago, found it was hard to press the power button. I finally just took it out of the case, and in doing so, found the allegedly permanently sealed back cover was coming loose on the side with the power button as well as the bottom where the USB-C jack is. Looks like the adhesive is stretchy but no longer very tacky, and trying to manually press the back cover into place is futile as it won't stay and won't even go all the way in. The phone still works, and after removing it from the case, I now see the power button is fine. I assume it's out of warranty now, I think 1 year and I have no add-on protection plan on my T-Mobile bill. I seen videos of people removing the back cover with a heat gun and razor blade to replace the battery. On what I can see, doesn't look like my battery is bulging. Tempted to crazy glue where the cover is separating, but I doubt that would hold with the pressure that makes the cover pull out again once pushed down. I would think at this point I could carefully just manually remove the whole back cover by hand.My dexterity is awful on repairing small delicate things. Can a shop repair this fairly cheaply? Any advice? I'm in Ohio/USA. Thanks!
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You could try using a hair dryer to heat up the glue to make it stick together again.
You could try using a hair dryer to heat up the glue to make it stick together again.
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I thought maybe excessive heat and sweat from being in my pocket on hot days loosened it up.
Thanks for the replies FrogFan and Ragarianok. Sorry for the long delay. In the meantime, I got the back case half off, and indeed a swollen battery. I am going to order a new battery for $4 from Mobile Defenders in MI, battery image says Motorola on it, and they say authorized OEM. A nearby repair shop said they will put it in for $20. They said a decent battery should run $20+, but all those higher priced ones on ebay and Amazon are no-names.
Thanks for coming back, dannykewl. I wasted some time inquiring about a fix from Motorola and found out that their "fix" would cost more than the phone was worth. A local shop quoted a ridiculously high price to fix it, too, but they did say the problem could be caused by a swollen battery. I will check with other local shops to see what they'd charge to replace the battery and seal it back up.
Did you get yours fixed?
POP!
My phone separated today and it is a swollen battery. I suspected for about 2 months the battery was swelling because of pressure points showing up on the screen as bright circles. I was just going to buy a new phone as this was a cheap phone and 2 years old, but the battery did the hard work for me by separating the phone from it's back, so I decided to fix. I removed the battery, ordered replacement battery on ebay and will put back together myself for $12. The $4 batteries are out of stock. The phone has enough stickiness left to hold the backplate and phone together on it's own, and it'll be in the phone case so no worries. Might apply a little Elmers to the surround. From what I read online, and saw on Youtube, be careful with the back, it's actually a glass metal hybrid and not safety glass at that. It will shatter off the metal and into little tiny razors and knives. The screen artifacts disappeared when the back was removed, relieving pressure on the components mashing up against the screen from the inside.. No permanent damage. This new battery should tide me over long enough for the affordable 5g phones to come out. I don't buy pricey phones. Oh, fyi... this is a SUPER easy repair. Have faith and go for it.
I took mine to a local repair shop today and confirmed my problem was also a swelling battery. They will replace the battery for me for $75.
Oh, fyi... this is a SUPER easy repair. Have faith and go for it.
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I checked out a YouTube video on this topic and quickly confirmed that this repair is way over my head. I don't have the tools or the patience to change the battery in this phone.