[GUIDE] Fixing Micro-USB without soldering! - Android Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting

Hello all,
Two days ago, my phone gave up on me, at least the Micro-USB. I have had my Xperia X10i since release, which I believe was summer 2010. It made me very sad, since I no longer would have a phone and thinking back to all the ROMs, rooting and other fun stuff I used it for. It would not charge anymore.
Going in to several repair shops they told me the same. Changing the Micro-USB port that was soldered to the motherboard of the phone would be a pain, both in work and for the wallet. Everyone told me it was better to get a new one.
But I wouldn't accept that.
At writing moment, my phone is almost fully charged and I did this discovering a few tricks. That's why I want to help you to fix your phone and not lose hope just yet. First of all, my phone showed symptoms of battery draining very fast from times, charging would only do if it was connected in a specific way, etc. If you have the same or similar symptoms, follow me below;
1. First step is to find some Acetone. It is used for cleaning and I bought a bottle for around 3$. This might not be necessary, but it's worth a shot! I also used a flat screwdriver, preferably quite small. Put the screwdriver on a flat surface with paper or something underneath. Pour some Acetone on and wait for a few seconds. Now take out your battery and without battery in your phone, press the Power ON to discharge it.
You can preferably use a needle for cleaning, I just used a screwdriver since it was the thing I happened to have around. Clean inside the Micro-USB port very carefully for dust. Now put the battery in and try charging your phone again. If you still have problems, follow along...
2. Take out your charger and look at it. At the front of it you can see the metal part which is inserted into the Micro-USB. Take a small nipper and press the two sides together, forming a very slight bend on the metal. Alternatively, which I did, was to take my screwdriver previously and press the side of the metal with it, against the edge of the table or whatever (not very clever). The goal is still to form a slight bend and make the Micro-USB connector a bit tighter. Try plugging it in after doing so. If it still doesn't work, follow along...
3. Sometimes I guess it might just be the battery that might be the problem. I used mine for 3 years now, and the lifetime for an Iphone is normally around 2 years. Try changing the battery, best would be if your friend or a relative have a similar phone.
4. Last but not least, just because it doesn't start charging upon connecting to the phone doesn't mean it wont charge at all. I told you previously of my phone charging, but my charger will need to be inserted in a specific way and it needs a constant pressure on it. I have a few books stacked on it now while charging. So keep the Micro-USB clean, try bending your connector and good luck.
I just saved myself 220$.
- Synok.

Related

WATER ON MY XDA

I dropped my xda in water!!!!!....HELP!!!! . I've been drying it out for a week.....Made sure it's been switched off, Tried charging it yesterday, yellow charging light came on while charging, but light switches off immediately I remove it from the cradle......H-E-L-P
The yellow light always turn off when you remove it from the cradle, because it is not charging anymore.
Or do you mean, the XDA turn off once you remove it from the charger.
water on my XDA
The yellow light goes off immediately I remove it from the cradle. I charged it for about 2 hours and it still doesn't respond to the power button
Can you switch it on while plugged into the cradle ?
water on my XDA
Tried switching it on , it didn't work
Wait
Wait, happends the same to me and after 20-30 days i put the pda to charge, do a hard reset and voila.
To be logical...
Did you try to do a hard reset?
You can also remove the bat from the xda, move the red part back in its orignal position without bat, this will definitly hardreset the xda.
Then try again with bat.
The charging curcuit has nothing to do the IC's inside, so this is not an indication for something at all.
I've done a hard reset, tried opening it from the back to access the battery but it just doesn't open after unscrewing at the back.......I am scared of forcing it open
It may be too late for you, but this is what should be done when you drop any electronics in water.
First off, IMMEDIATELY remove all power sources and batteries. If it was dropped in anything but clean fresh water, rinse it with clean fresh water. Disassemble it completely right away. Clean everything with Freon TF electronics components cleaner, or if not available, clean it with common household alcohol. Use plenty; you want to remove all traces of water. If there are parts you couldn't disassemble which may contain water, make sure you get alcohol into and back out of those areas.
Completely dry the device. If there are any places where moisture could be trapped, wait a few days. Otherwise, an hour or so should be fine.
As far as disassembling the XDA, there are some instructions here on the site somewhere. After removing the four screws, you will need to unsnap the case, which has tabs that lock together. I've found it easiest to start prying near the charge connectors and work my way around. Be careful, but firm, and the tabs will unsnap. Do be careful not to press any buttons while taking it apart; that's a good way to break an internal switch (ask me how I know :? ).
Thanks carlos, will try the alcohol method, wish me luck
You may have corrosion now or may have damaged components due to electrical short circuits across the water. Check for white powdery stuff on electrical parts, legs, pads, etc.
Trivia: Water is NOT electrically conductive... The impurities in water do that. 100% pure water won't conduct electricity.
I had the same accident with my XDA. I went climbing, water leaked in my backpack on my xda. XDA didn't do anything anymore. I dissassembled the XDA, let it dry for some days ... and it worked again!
Wash nothing in FREON cleaning fluids/solutions.
I'm a refrigeration designer - I know what the consumer freon-based evaporative solvent is, however it is not recommended.
You must clean the affected device with 'Isopropyl' ('isopropyl alcohol').
Take the greatest of care however; electrical items, especially semi-sealed liquid screens and digitisers may cause unexpected consequences.
My advice; remove the rear cover. You will have to force it, it is quite strongly held on. Simply unscrew all the screws and pull the rear (camera bit) slowly but firmly away from front/screen. Then submerse the electrical boards (after disconnecting the internal ribbons).
The alcohol will evaporate within a minute, leaving you with practically factory-fresh boards. Now look for corrosion (green 'rust') on the boards.
DO NOT POWER ON THE UNIT WHILE DOING THIS. YOU MUST ONLY REMOVE THE BACK COVER 30MINS after removing the battery; therefore minimising the risk of accidental shortcircuit with the backup battery supplying current to the volatile memory.
I know what the consumer freon-based evaporative solvent is, however it is not recommended.
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This is why every electronics store sells Freon TF as the recommended electronics cleaner, right...? :roll:
I didn't say Freon as in R134a/R12/R22. I have no idea what relationship Freon TF has to those, never looked into it.
I use alcohol as a last resort because, in the US at least, it is about impossible to get pure alcohol. The best you can find is something like 80% alcohol, so there is always some water. Maybe it's not an important amount, I don't know.
I finall succeded in disassembling my xda yesterday, my battery seems to be permanently attached to the back cover. I also cleaned out the electrical board with some methylated spirit (alcohol) and left it open to dry out. There was no evidence of corrosion. What do you guys think I should do next before resetting and charge it up.
You've done what you can. Make sure it is completely dry (even all the hidden spaces), then reassemble and test.
Sorry for having a go Carlos, that wasn't my intention.
Kayode, your problem can be solved easily; let the boards dry with an aid of a hair dryer (half an hour at about 30cm away).
All liquids would have evaporated, and the solvent will have dissolved and washed away electrical conductors.
Piece together and good luck.
Thanks , will do that...wish me luck
..And the moral of the story is dont use your XDA while on the toilet :shock: ....
I used a hair dryer on my xda after opening it, also did a hard reset before charging it. While charging, the phone doesn't come on when I press the power button......The amber charging light turned to green after charging for 3 hours but went off immediately I lifted it from the cradle. .........Any ideas on these issues?

I have some troubles with my Cingular 3125

1- it's reboot many times without any reason(I read one thread about it but i dont understand what to do!!)
2-sometimes 2gb microSd card loosing?(i cant open it from phone...only rebooting helps!!)On other devices card works good!
The usual reason for a 3125 rebooting is that the battery cover has gotten worn down to the point that the micro-switch under it is not fully depressed. There are multiple potential wear-down points. The hooks on either side and the tabs at the bottom can get worn or even broken. There is also a raised pad at the lower left (looking at the cover from the inside) than can get worn, as can the contact point on the switch.
Typical solution, providing the hooks and/or tabs are not totally broken off, is to put a thin piece of plastic or cardstock between the microswitch (lower right of the batter compartment) and the cover. It's a temporary solution (it tends to get continually worse), so if this fixes it, you should check eBay for a replacement cover.
That said, I had a phone that reset for another reason, which I never found. So it could be something else. I ended up buying a phone with a bad keyboard and doing a keyboard transplant from my old one.
I had the same problem and I'll tell you what I did. Open the back cover and you will see a little black switch next to the sim card/below the battery. I took a pair of needle-nose pliers and just twisted that sucker right out like a bad tooth (carefully though, you don’t want to tear up the foil on the board). Then I put a small spot of solder on the two contacts that the switch used to connect to. Never had a random reboot ever again. From then on, just make sure you take the battery out first before ever messing with the sim/sd card.
That worked for me.
Thanks
dexx40steve said:
I had the same problem and I'll tell you what I did. Open the back cover and you will see a little black switch next to the sim card/below the battery. I took a pair of needle-nose pliers and just twisted that sucker right out like a bad tooth (carefully though, you don’t want to tear up the foil on the board). Then I put a small spot of solder on the two contacts that the switch used to connect to. Never had a random reboot ever again. From then on, just make sure you take the battery out first before ever messing with the sim/sd card.
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i have the very same problem and this sounds like a perfect long term solution.. any chance of getting picture of ur mod for morons like me who need visual stimulation?
regards,

Question about powering an HTC HD2...

Is it possible to power an HTC HD2 without a battery or the back cover? I found one about an hour ago in my downtown area, missing a SIM card and missing the microSD card. As noted it doesn't have a back cover or a battery, so my intention was to attach a "standard" 5V/1A cell phone battery charger. I figured out from a picture of the battery that if I've got the HD2 flat on the display and I'm looking at the back, the positive terminal will be the one on the left but, when I attach the power supply (which I tested before this attempt, it works) leads using micro-alligator clips and push the power button (front of display, button furthest on the right, I think, never used one of these HD2's before) I get no response.
Now, the question is either a) am I not getting any response at all because the HD2 can't be powered up in this manner because there's no back cover or b) it's more likely to be completely toast because of the damage it apparently suffered in the drop that shattered the glass. The only damage (aside from the glass) is a very tiny scrape/scuff mark on the top right corner of the bezel - obviously that's where it hit the ground.
I don't own any of these apparently micro-USB style connectors (or is it mini-USB, I can't figure out which is which I suppose). Bleh, I just looked at a pic I found with Google Images, apparently it IS a micro-USB connector.
All blabbering aside, even if I had such a connector or a power supply using such a connector, is the phone going to even power up without a back cover on it or battery inside? I know a lot of devices become totally disabled when the back cover is removed (as my Dell Axim X51v does; as soon as I even throw the lock switch to unlock the back cover that disables the device totally.
Anyone able to provide some tips or suggestions? I have no way of knowing who it belongs to so I'm claiming it, and if I can verify it might work or does still function I might be willing to put some money into getting the glass/digitizer replaced, a new battery, power adapter, etc.
Anything at all would probably be quite helpful.
Thanks...
The HD2 works without back cover!
The HD2 doesnt work without battery...!! I've never heard of a mod to enable switching it on through micro-usb.
Be carefull you could be scammed...buying a phone in that state, because of the hit some other components may be damaged!! It depends on the price and money you're willing to risk!
no problem with powering on without the backcover. did that many times before.
but i guess its not possible without a battery...
DN41
Ah, ok, so the fact that there's the two metal 'dots' on the HD2 that apparently become a connection when the metal battery cover is in place don't affect powering it up, but no battery keeps it dead? Hrmmm...
Ok, if someone that owns an HD2 can confirm that it becomes very useful info. Take the back cover off, take the battery out, and tell me if plugging in a micro-USB cable (either from a computer USB port or from the AC adapter) allows it to function at all, and then try the same thing with the cover on (don't put the battery in, however).
So there's 3 possibilities:
1) It'll work off the micro-USB power with no battery and no cover
2) It'll work off the micro-USB power with just the cover installed but no battery
3) It'll work off the micro-USB power with no cover but with a battery installed
and actually the fourth possibility which doesn't matter in my case:
4) It'll work off the micro-USB power with the cover and the battery installed
Dammit I hate it when I find stuff like this and can't get it functional.
Again, thanks for any suggestions - and I didn't buy this phone, I found it a few hours ago, on the ground as I was walking home. I wouldn't buy something in this cosmetic condition unless I knew it was working even in spite of the cracked glass. I've owned iPhones with horribly shattered glass on them but they still function, even all the multitouch functionality is still working - that's my hope here, that this device will still work just fine and if it does then I'll pay to replace the glass/digitizer.
Thanks
Edit:
I think I just realized that the metal contacts on the inside of the back cover and those 'dots' could be because the HD2 is using that battery cover as a Wi-Fi antenna, plate-style antenna.
I just tested it for you. Without the battery in there is no starting it, period.
Might I suggest though that you ask around and find a mate with a microUSB, (you must have someone that has one), and plug it in when the battery contacts are jumped. It will probably work that way. I'm not going to try it because I have a perfectly good phone and have always mistrusted elec-trickery...
those spring loaded studs have been the subject of much discussion, with no definitive answer,, stop the cover rattling, grounding plate for the antenna, remnants of an unreleased car kit,,, who knows. certainly signal doesn't appear diminished with the cover off, and on the inside of the cover there is no coating on the metal where they connect, indicating a signal being passed so who knows.
i suspect simply attaching power to two contacts isn't enough because the third contact is expecting a signal of some kind? perhaps a connection from the battery charge protection circuits?
you could always buy a cheap copy battery from ebay, and just resell it if it doesn't work, or run a scam on your insurance with it? (did i just say that out loud??)
I'll say this again: I found the phone on the ground on the side of the street while walking home a few hours ago.
I don't use T-Mobile service and I have no intentions of using it as a phone; I already have a phone so I was going to use it as a portable media player sorta like an iPod touch if I can verify it works 100% and just needs a battery/back cover/replacement glass and digitizer. That's my intention at this point.
And I was thinking that yes it won't work at all without a battery so, thanks again for the info. I'll head out this morning to a T-Mobile store (actual T-Mobile and not a reseller) and see what they can tell me. Surely they'll have a battery/back cover and potentially an AC adapter to verify if it's 100% dead of somewhat functional even in spite of the busted glass.
Let's hope it works...
what about searching the owner?
DN41
Well, let's see:
- I can't power it up
- It has no SIM card
- It has no microSD card
- The only way to track the owner would be using the IMEI and I'd have to go to a T-Mobile store to do that, when that's done and they get the number, if the phone was stolen and then dumped in the trash/on the street where I found it, they call the police and I get in a bit of trouble for no good reason
That pretty much covers it.
okay, you're right...
i cant imagine how it landed there...
who would throw it just away?
sure that its a real phone and not a dummy?
DN41
DN41 said:
okay, you're right...
i cant imagine how it landed there...
who would throw it just away?
sure that its a real phone and not a dummy?
DN41
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
i was in a thread yesterday where some guy talked about how he dropped his phone by accident whilst 'driving along with it in his hand, with his arm out of teh window', so yea, some people are , , well, insert your own noun here
oh no...how can you hold your arm out of the windows with a 500€ phone in your hand?
i just cant understand some people...that doestn go in my mind...
DN41
samsamuel said:
i was in a thread yesterday where some guy talked about how he dropped his phone by accident whilst 'driving along with it in his hand, with his arm out of teh window', so yea, some people are , , well, insert your own noun here
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Click to collapse
I thought the same!
br0adband said:
they call the police and I get in a bit of trouble for no good reason
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Click to collapse
Not really mate. I found an iphone 4 yesterday and managed to get it back to its rightful owner. Took a couple of hours out of my day but what else could i do?
sike222 said:
Not really mate. I found an iphone 4 yesterday and managed to get it back to its rightful owner. Took a couple of hours out of my day but what else could i do?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well, Yeah, with an iPhone 4 what else WOULD you do if you don't want the surgery to be able to use it! LOL
Also think if it was your phone! I'd be absolutely gutted, and very glad to get it back. But maybe it's unregistered (through the IMEI) or not been reported as missing.
In the UK (don't know about elsewhere) if you report that you found something to the police (I found a £50 note) and no one can show that they own it then it's yours after about 28 days.
Unless you have really dumb cops then you shouldn't get into trouble if you take it in!
On the other hand you may find the battery and/or cover if you look carefully in the area where you found the phone.
Sam.
br0adband said:
Ah, ok, so the fact that there's the two metal 'dots' on the HD2 that apparently become a connection when the metal battery cover is in place don't affect powering it up, but no battery keeps it dead? Hrmmm...
Ok, if someone that owns an HD2 can confirm that it becomes very useful info. Take the back cover off, take the battery out, and tell me if plugging in a micro-USB cable (either from a computer USB port or from the AC adapter) allows it to function at all, and then try the same thing with the cover on (don't put the battery in, however).
So there's 3 possibilities:
1) It'll work off the micro-USB power with no battery and no cover
2) It'll work off the micro-USB power with just the cover installed but no battery
3) It'll work off the micro-USB power with no cover but with a battery installed
[snip]
Thanks
Edit:
I think I just realized that the metal contacts on the inside of the back cover and those 'dots' could be because the HD2 is using that battery cover as a Wi-Fi antenna, plate-style antenna.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I think those contacts are just to ground the back cover to stop it causing interference. It doesn't seem to affect the phone if I don't have it on or am using the plastic cover with my big battery.
On a similar theme, does anyone know if it is possible to power the HD2 from the micro USB supply while I swap batteries. I don't want to have to do a soft reset which loses what you are doing. But I'm worried that without the battery to absorb the power there is a risk of damaging the circuits?
I don't want to just try it because I already blew my main board by powering the USB through a cheep adapter and a Nokia charger that supplied too much power and had I to get it repaired/replaced. I'm hoping someone already knows
Sam
samsamuel said:
i was in a thread yesterday where some guy talked about how he dropped his phone by accident whilst 'driving along with it in his hand, with his arm out of teh window', so yea, some people are , , well, insert your own noun here
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Click to collapse
did we ever get an answer as to why that, im going to select the noun "twat" was dangling his hd2 out of the window @ 40mph??
I need closure on that one.....

LG Bootloop? Only when plugged in? / Battery pull. Pics inside.

I recently flashed Mysteryemotionz v4.1 kernel and about an hour through bench-marking I came back to find my phone rebooting. I assumed it overheated or bugged out during testing and didn't think much of it until it went through the LG logo 3 times.
I noticed it would not turn on at all without the USB plugged in, my first instinct was that the battery became disconnected somehow. I could get to the fast boot and download screens, but any attempt to vol down into CWM was met with failure, and a fresh LG screen over again.
Any combination of buttons that included pressing power would result in the notification LED eventually flashing, approx 10 times. Sometimes slowly for 10x then slightly faster.
It is worth noting the phone would not charge while doing this, but the battery was full prior.
I tried leaving it unplugged overnight, same problem in the morning. Tried leaving it looping all day while at work, no dice. Finally figured I would attempt to see what was with the battery itself. I suppose if you were very patient, you could wait until your battery discharged completely, thus performing a "soft" battery pull, but this will take 4+ weeks at a full charge.
As the other battery pull thread is Sprint specific, here is a refresh for AT&T's LG E970.
I HIGHLY recommend you take a look at nericus' original thread in the Sprint LG Optimus G forum as this is only supplementary.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2108154
The tools I used: {{Picture 0}}View attachment 1931288
T-6 Torx bit - Your mileage may vary, 4's and 5's may also work, start big and do not strip your screws.
P00 Phillips screwdriver to remove the battery plate / connector.
Fingernails
Sewing needle or similar
Optional:
Business Cards (the phone has a tendency to re-engage the plastic clips when removing the back, these were used as shims to place in between the case and the phone while working the other sides)
Magnet (not only to hold the screws but you can magnetize your screwdriver / bits which will help when removing and inserting)
Also, for a little preview of what to expect, user Xiutehcuhtli has made a YouTube video, this is also Sprint specific but a good visual reference.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j3DPxzH3l2c
One of the main differences is that your power and volume buttons will NOT fall out, so you won't need to tape them in place.
Be sure to clear them with the back cover when re-installing it.
Also, you will notice that I did not include a spudger as you most likely will not need it.
Our phone is somewhat "inside out" compared to the original article, our back plate is very shallow and our phone is the cradle compared to the Sprint version. This also means there is different risk areas, and pry methods.
{{Picture 1}}View attachment 1931289
Once you have removed the Torx screws, my initial plan of attack was through the SD Card / SIM card cover. You will notice there is a hairline slit toward the volume buttons on the bottom side of the phone, you can very easily trace this with your fingernail and pop the first tab.
Alternatively, you can spread the phone apart gently from the two surfaces revealed by opening the SD/SIM cover and then work your fingernail or a flat object gently into the gap you created.
View attachment 1931290
Patience is key, the last thing you want is to apply too much force to the back cover in any one spot, it is deceptively thin and you risk cracking the glass.
In my personal experience, once I had a few tabs good on the side I simply traced the outline of the back cover toward the top of the phone, across and back down the opposite side, saving the bottom for last. I noticed after two traces around the perimeter of the phone that the back was still very snug and in random spots, as our tabs tend to re-engage themselves much more readily than the Sprint LG.
View attachment 1931291
My solution was to place business cards under the most exposed tabs and gently work it to cover as many tabs as possible and moving along. You shouldn't need more than two, as this can cover an entire side as well as the top and bottom simultaneously, allowing you to focus on the last side. Again, patience and determination will get you there after some time.
{{Picture 4}}View attachment 1931292
I cannot stress enough to come through at the shallowest angle possible when prying the battery cover with the sewing needle or similar tool.
I have highlighted the points of attack in green, be sure to get in between the two plastic pieces, and gently pry them apart.
Do not get under the entire assembly on accident or try to remove with your finger, it will pop the bottom connector off of the motherboard at the solder points leaving you in a bad situation.
After leaving the battery disconnected for about a minute, and then holding power for a good 10 seconds, I reconnected it and attempted to power on. SUCCESS!! - You can test this with the cover off, so don't make double work for yourself by closing it first.
I hope this helps for a few AT&T LG Optimus G specifics.
Attached should be a zip with a few very large originals if you need a better view.
View attachment 1931327
v/r
Christopher Hurley
SGT, USA
a.k.a [r.]GimP (R - Dot as in Red Dot Society)
YOU SIR ARE A SAINT> i had the exact problem you detailed here with my at&t LGOG, i LGNPST flashed multiple e970 stock roms, and after pulling my hair straight from the follicle, i went out and grabbed the tools, followed your method here and it worked PERFECTLY! THANK YOU GOOD SIR.
So if I pull the battery, wait a minute or two, hold the power down for ten seconds, and then reconnect and nothing happens, and plugging it into a wall charger shows a red flash, does that mean my battery is actually literally dead?
Edit: Also I would recommend following this dude's guide for his plan of attack: http://bit.ly/10VlQWK
I snapped the little bits along the power button and volume. Not a big deal, only aesthetic.. but its something that is avoidable.
Nice. Any idea what caused the boot loop?
i was struggling with ME kernel and rom for about a month. No matter how i wipe and reflash always had reboot/kernel crash/bootloop issues. ME kernel wouldnt even work with the stock rom for me. Now i just run stock rom and kernel, not many issues so far.
swashy said:
So if I pull the battery, wait a minute or two, hold the power down for ten seconds, and then reconnect and nothing happens, and plugging it into a wall charger shows a red flash, does that mean my battery is actually literally dead?
Edit: Also I would recommend following this dude's guide for his plan of attack: http://bit.ly/10VlQWK
I snapped the little bits along the power button and volume. Not a big deal, only aesthetic.. but its something that is avoidable.
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Click to collapse
I would disregard 90% of that video because our back comes straight off, this video is not an AT&T Optimus G.
Especially the part where he is prying by the screen. Someone is going to take that literally and destroy their stuff lol.
Anyway. My guess for your question is that you might have ripped the connector off of the board. Check continuity of those pins in the connector and make sure they didn't come off.
Sent from my Optimus G using xda app-developers app

[Q] Found a phone with massive corrosion inside, what to do?

Basically, I found a phone on the side of a road (a Galaxy S2) that has a cracked screen, obvious drop damage (there was a case near it too that I assume took some of the impact), and a bit of water damage. No idea how long it was there, but I'd estimate between a few hours or a day.
I'm somewhat hoping I could get it powered up and use it, but I imagine there isn't much hope at all for it.
I read some guides online, and noticed a few that mentioned vinegar could remove corrosion. I disassembled the S2 as far as I could, and then just dropped it in a small container of ACV, and plan to leave it overnight. There was a good bit of bubble activity when I left, so I assume the vinegar is doing it's work on the corrosion quite nicely.
I'm not really expecting the phone to work at all, but who knows. As long as there isn't any physical motherboard damage and no short-circuiting occured, I would think it would be fine.
As for what happened to the phone, I assume it was dropped, but it's possible it was ran over as well. Ideally, I'd hope the phone was just dropped and the battery came out instantly to reduce the chance of short circuiting.
My plan for now is to just let it sit in the vinegar for about 8 hours, and then check on it in the morning. Depending on how much corrosion is left, i'll either just try to clean up the rest with a tiny brush, or just let it soak some more in fresh vinegar. I'm hoping the vinegar itself doesn't damage anything crucial though.
Potential Water Damage Fix
espionage724 said:
Basically, I found a phone on the side of a road (a Galaxy S2) that has a cracked screen, obvious drop damage (there was a case near it too that I assume took some of the impact), and a bit of water damage. No idea how long it was there, but I'd estimate between a few hours or a day.
I'm somewhat hoping I could get it powered up and use it, but I imagine there isn't much hope at all for it.
I read some guides online, and noticed a few that mentioned vinegar could remove corrosion. I disassembled the S2 as far as I could, and then just dropped it in a small container of ACV, and plan to leave it overnight. There was a good bit of bubble activity when I left, so I assume the vinegar is doing it's work on the corrosion quite nicely.
I'm not really expecting the phone to work at all, but who knows. As long as there isn't any physical motherboard damage and no short-circuiting occured, I would think it would be fine.
As for what happened to the phone, I assume it was dropped, but it's possible it was ran over as well. Ideally, I'd hope the phone was just dropped and the battery came out instantly to reduce the chance of short circuiting.
My plan for now is to just let it sit in the vinegar for about 8 hours, and then check on it in the morning. Depending on how much corrosion is left, i'll either just try to clean up the rest with a tiny brush, or just let it soak some more in fresh vinegar. I'm hoping the vinegar itself doesn't damage anything crucial though.
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I'd love to know how this turned out. I was planning on trying something like this myself. I have a mildly water damaged s2 lte that still works except for 3 issues:
1. Needs external power to turn on
2. Crashes whenever I use Gallery and occasionally if i switch apps fast.
3. Battery meter always reads 1.
I think this is because there's some mild corrosion somewhere causing a short circuit in certain areas.
Some things I've found through research(but untested):
1. Soak in salt+vinegar solution for < 10min
2. Rinse out with water/baking soda solution
3. Repeat a couple times if necessary.
4. Soak in isopropyl alcohol(99% rubbing alcohol) overnight
5. Dry off in air for 24hours
Scrub lightly with a toothbrush any visible corrosion during steps 1-2.
Optional attach one of those suction cup speakers that vibrates(turning anything into a speaker) to the soaking basin and play some high frequency sounds. Vibrations are supposed to help, but i don't know exact frequency.

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