HI,
It appears that the usb port on my t-mobile vario is loose and so it does not charge on the mains charger or via the usb cable on a pc.
So the question is:- How do you open it up to replace / repair the usb port?
I had a look through all the threads I could find dealing with usb port, but none dealt with this particular problem.
A "how to" with pictures would be great, but even a step by step would be useful.
many thanks to all who use and help on this site, without it we would all be worse off!!
Regards,
John
(UK)
Replace USB port
Ok, It appears that no one has had to do this yet, or the ones who have are not online at present.
I have managed to work it out.
There are four torx screws holding the back cover on.
Two are easy to get at, they are the ones near the usb port. The only problem is that they are smaller than a size 4 torx driver!! I managed to get them undone using an ordinary flat blade screwdriver of the right size from a kit of mini flat and cross blade screwdrivers.
When you undo one of them it also holds in place the little metal bit which you use to put a necklace strap thorough - don't lose any bits!!
The next bit was a bit tricky but only because I did not know how it came apart!
There is a cover which goes over the section which has the camera in it. This needs to be "uncliped", you need to start the unclipping from the open end section near the battery, as there are two "prongs" which go in under the end near the sd slot.
There are two more torx screws at this end that need undoing as well.
The next bit is not really difficult but it is if you don't want to mark your case!
You have to "unclip" the back from the middle bit of the phone, it is held in place by clips that go from the back section into the middle section. I started at the bottom end near the usb port and just used the small flat bladed screwdrivers I had to ease the two sections apart.
At this point you will probably find a couple of bit are now loose inside between the two sections. One is a long black piece of plastic which is held in place by the one of the torx screws you removed earlier. Try and remember where it came from as it is easier when you put the case back together to know where it goes, than to try and work it out.
The second bit floating around will be the USB port! (If it has totaly come off like mine had).
Now you will probably see that the soldered joints are white and furry, this is because they are what is called "dry joints".
Now if you have a reasonably steady hand, good eyesight (or a good pair of magnifying glasses or something similar), you can see that there are four "legs" made from the metal cover of the usb port which no doubt will have come loose. These will need to be soldered back on to the circuit board again along with the 5 "TINY" usb wire connections. I had to modify my soldering iron tip with a file to make it small enough not to solder them all together!! Once they are securley soldered back in place, you can put your phone back together again!
I was told by two mobile phone shops I went into here in the UK that the phone would have to be sent back to HTC to be fixed. I fixed mine in a couple of hours......
I also noticed that it is possible to buy a replacement USB port on E-Bay for this phone if yours is to badly damaged or you just want to use a new one.
Well, I hope this is of help to someone.
Regards,
John
Related
Topic says all
If someone has (or had) the time to make a guide about this it would be nice
prodigyfied said:
Topic says all
If someone has (or had) the time to make a guide about this it would be nice
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have got the OS.nb , do you needed?
This can be of use We'll talk in skype about that
I'm also asking about physical disassembly of the device
I took one apart and put the good cover from one with a damaged screen onto the one I had with a scuffed cover.
It was successful but a real pain in the butt.
Take off back cover/battery cover. and unscrew the screws you can see.
Next bit is the hard bit and I just did it by brute force, but you then need to take off the white pearly bit around the camera, as other screws are hidden under there. I just used a small screwdriver and edged my way around the top, but it was pretty firm and took some getting off.
Once that was off, I undid two more screwsand that allowed me to edge off the black section where the battery sits from the main phone bit (green computery hardware bit sorry, I'm not very techy!! ) I again did this slowly but it needed some force as it's very very snugly fitted. There are some black clips as part of this middle section that you can push inwards to release the front with screen and keyboard and reveale the phone inards.
You immediately notice the ribbon attaching the camera to the main motherboard/phone and it pops out . I then unscrewed the 4 tiny tiny screws attaching the screen to the frontof the phone and very gently prised the whole phone guts out and immediately dropped it onto the new front I had ready. Screwed the screen back in place and also one other ribbon plugs into the motherboard from the keyboard Front section.
Trickiest part was re screwing the screen screws as they were teeny and I had to use tweezers to hold em in place. Then replugged in the bottom ribbon (Think it was power button? ) and placed the battery section back on top of the motherboard bit.
Another tricky bit was re attaching the ribbon from the camera as I had to almost close the black battery section and just leave a tiny gap and use the flat end of my tweezers to gently push the ribbon connector in. It's doable but bloomin fiddly.
After that I clicked as much of the battery/middle section back onto the front/screen and keyboard section, but inevitable it's not quite as fixed as it was, and there are signs that it's been taken appart as I found it impossible to take appart with out some force and some of the plastic clips were either bent ir broken in doing it. I screwed the screws back on and put back the white section round the camera - luckily everything started up and worked OK, but I'm sure I could have easily messed it up
Its a very fiddly thing to attempt. I only did it as I'd got two handsets reasonably cheaply and wasn't risking much. But it's a phone that obvioulsy wasn't made with cover changes in mind. LOL Once fully put together again it's robust and no loose bits, and everything working fine.
Daisy xx
i had one of those lovely phones (despite what everyone else says, i loved that mobile) and eventually, after a LOT of use, it became useless so i took it apart. i cant remember how i did it exactly, but it got to the point where i could take the entire thing apart, put enough parts together for it to work and then re-asemble it again. it was a great thing to show to friends at college as none of them really knows whats inside mobiles there.
i miss that phone
then again, i now have a vox
At last...
So glad to see someone has written down a guide on how to take the Lobster apart. I have been trying to dismantle mine and can only see me breaking it as I can't see any way in. I will try your step by step guide daisy...thanks for that. I'm also a proud owner of a vox now but I do have miss my Lobster and would quite happily use it again if need be. Thats if I can get it apart and fix it of course!
Thanks Dayzee, nice article
if anyone puts apart their lobby soon, please make some photos, and share them here, I think it'd be useful too
the data connector on the missus' new phone is *way* too stiff. I'm convinced it's going to break at some point.
Is there anything that can be done to make it fit a little less snugly? i thought it'd get better over time but it hasn't so far...
I know what you mean, if you look on the back of the plug you will see a little dimple of metal sticking up that does the locking part. What I did was very carefully file it flat and now the plug just slips in easily, it is very small so be careful with filing it down.
mine broke indeed... it pulled out with the charger... ended up putting a new core in from a parts phone off ebay... had to unlock, etc though... good call with the filing...
did the exact same thing batfrog,but I used the rough edge of a flathead screwdriver.Whenever I get to open the phone I might go in there and put in some epoxy behind the connector for kicks....
Unless you are swinging the phone around your head like a lasso..the connector is way too tight..it almost seems like it was designed to break..planned obsolescence anyone?
Wondering if anyone has seen or knows of a right angle 40 pin charging connector? Either that or im hacking up a keyboard if i can find one cheap enough. Im dead set on getting this tab in my dash =D
Sent from my Transformer
What do you mean right angle? Do you mean so the cable is lines to to right rather than at the bottom on the sync/charge cable?
In that case - no, never seen. But its not super-hard to do it yourself. It will still stick stick out around 1cm though, because theres a PCB inside.
Although the PCB can be removed as well, but that requires some very fine soldering (we're talking pins that are like 0.7mm, if not less, with like 0.5mm spacing)
I had a hell of a time to just resolder the data cables on the cable, and the points are located on the PCB so theres only 2 'pins' near there. Soldering those cables on the connector itself would be.. ugh... *nightmares*
Lol no, no micro soldering for me. Just wondering if there has been or is or what miss match parts could possible go together to go from the existing 40 pin port down and back. Like a right angle but coming down and away from you. The ipads have em. But we arent comparing that crap here. I want to make a dock of sorts, to have fiberglassed in. Tab slides down and plugs in to charge. Thats why i mentioned hacking up a keyboard if need be.
Sent from my Transformer
Yeah ok. No I dont think theres any such cable.
But if you just want to angle the cable its quite easy, and if youre careful wont require any soldering.
All you need to do is open the cable up, cut a new hole for the cable in the casing, align it and reassemble it (it will probably have to be glued together again, or plastic welded, simple stuff really).
And even if you would manage to rip off the cables, the + and - cables are (relatively) big. ground is just soldered directly onto the shielding, and + is soldered to 3 pins next to each other, and theres only 1 other pin nearby you have to look out for, but that pin is sortof protected by some plastic thing (which will probably melt from the heat of the soldering iron though lol).
The hardest part of all this is actually opening the damn casing without damaging it too much
So as many people here know, the rear camera is a sore point on the Transformer Prime, in that it's known to go bad early and often. Not to beat a dead horse, here's how we fix the situation:
Replacing the rear camera module:
Yes it seems logical that this would be all you would need, but I've just confirmed myself that in fact it is only the camera module with a problem. The main issue with the fix is FINDING a good camera. I was a bit discouraged on my first attempt as I bought a rear camera on ebay listed as "working" from a parted out Transformer Prime only to go to the hassle of installing it and it not working. I can't say I was surprised, but after trying to find one for so long I took the chance. Upon recieving my refund, I purchased another rear webcam that surprisingly also surfaced. The seller for this second camera had TONS of feedback, and mostly products with the word "foxconn" in the title, indicating this guy seems to have a line on foxconn surplus parts, which for us is awesome. The camera I received appears to be brand new and fired up immediately! Not trying to push a particular seller but since many people are probably looking for this part, I'll post the link http://www.ebay.com/itm/Asus-Eee-Pa...?pt=US_Tablet_Accessories&hash=item416a33f1f9. The seller is skyline27 and he appears to have one left right now (I bought the second). NOW, enough theory, onto the howto.
HOWTO (the good stuff)
0. Turn off Tablet (thanks whycali)
1. Remove screen as instructed in other disassembly threads (wifi fix threads, etc) Advice for this includes working from the bottom first, being vary carefly to NEVER use the pry tool at either the latch holes or the bottom port, as these very thin pieces of aluminum will bend. Get your tool in (heh heh) to the left or right of these "holes" in the case, then slide the tool sideways past them to avoid prying outwards. Get the entire bottom free, then slowly work up the sides with your plastic tools/credit card. When you get to the top, try gently pulling the screen "Down" or the port. You can also pull up like the rest, but when I disassembled I saw what looked like "hooks" that made me want to slide the top out last by pulling it towards the dock port.
1.2 (I forgot) Flip switch on right side of motherboard (top board) that will disconnect power to the motherboard before disconnecting the battery. Don't forget to switch it back when finished, or it won't turn on. (thanks whycali)
1.5 (I forgot) unscrew and remove flash and microphone at top
2. You can either disconnect the screen ribbon cable from the motherboard *top board* (makes your life easier) or simply set the screen upside down, rotated 90, and to the left of the opened prime. This allows the cables to sit fairly easily, though since you'll be removing the motherboard anyways it may be easier to unplug
3. Unscrew 8 battery screws, carefully unplug wide connector (I used precision flathead to the left and right of plug as to not 'yank'). Set battery aside.
4. Be sure every cable is unplugged from the Motherboard. This includes a small battery on the left side, the power button/volume cable top left, as well as the speaker cable on the right side.
5. Remove all motherboard screws. Be sure you get them all, you don't want to snap the motherboard in half in a minute because we'll be pulling against a little adhesive.
6. Be careful. REMOVE MOTHERBOARD This is the step you're most likely to have an issue, but it's still really easy. Time to remove the motherboard. This is easy if you know what to expect.
6a Both cameras are slightly adhesived into their holes, also plugged to back of motherboard. You can either try and pull these with the mobo, or let them stay where they are and pull them out later (probably easier for beginners)
6b There is a thermal pad about 1/3 away from the left where the CPU is. It is a bit adhesive, but not too much
6c MOST IMPORTANT - The motherboard is sort of "sandwiched" into the ports on the sides. That is, it doesn't want to pull straight up and out, the hdmi and headphone jacks are in the way. I believe it's very easy to break the HDMI and/or headphone jack here, yet I haven't yet. 2 ways to approach, one is to pull the side of the tablet outward slightly at the headphone jack to slide it up, allowing you to lift that side of the board, then sliding to the right to clear the hdmi. The second method which I prefer, is pulling up on the mobo from the center, causing the outer edges to pull inward slightly as the board flexes a bit. Choose whichever you prefer
7. Replace the camera. If you're this far along, I really shouldn't have to explain this. The front and rear sit side by side, your front is probably good, there's a piece of tape over the connectors, pull up, replace rear, make sure plugged in firmly on both, replace tape.
Installation is reverse of removal. I recommend plugging the screen ribbon (and all ribbon cables) into the motherboard before reinstalling it, as the connectors are on the bottom of the board and very difficult to get at once installed in the prime. Again, flex the motherboard or prime slightly to clear the ports going back in. Be sure cameras are attached to the motherboard, when installing, be sure to double check one last time that they're still plugged into the board before putting the board down and letting the cameras sit in their plastic holders. And don't forget that internal power switch on the right side of the motherboard.
FWIW, and I'm sure many will disagree with me, but I typically check everything before snapping the screen back up by booting it up with a few sheets of paper between the screen and internals as an extra safety insulator. Check screen, touch screen, both cameras, SD card, speaker, then I snap it shut.
If anyone really needs pictures I think I have a few, though not really specifically of what I was doing, but I could highlight/circle the pics I have if anyone gets stuck.
I really hope I can help others get a working camera who can't/won't RMA for the issue. Now time to UNLOCK MUAHAHAHA!!!
One thing I mostly remember to do when I plan to disassemble the ribbon cables is to turn off the internal power switch first.
I know this is an older thread but does anybody know where to get a new camera. The one that is linked to in the above post is no longer available. Thanks
Sent from my Transformer Prime TF201 using Tapatalk 2
MY XZU Cable fault ;-c
I try to fix
But, the cable is attached to the motherboard
I do not know what I soldered or heat ;-c
Help the person to fix cables
Attachments Photo!!!
HEXAHN said:
MY XZU Cable fault ;-c
I try to fix
But, the cable is attached to the motherboard
I do not know what I soldered or heat ;-c
Help the person to fix cables
Attachments Photo!!!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You can't fix this by yourself, unfortunately. It's glued on with some special adhesive, the contacts are to tiny to solder. The glue you buy on ebay (i assume), next problem is getting the flex cable on the right place and keep it their while glueing.....
You can look for a motherboard replacement, only last time i checked it's almost as expensive as a new phone.
Some manufacturers use small clamps for the flex cable, i assume glue is the trade off for this tiny device...
I've been to this hassle myself, i ended up on buying a new ultra
Has someone have any other suggestions? Have detached the main flex from the board. Had the main flex broken, wanted to fix, but know it's just disassembled. Had display problems before.
Can someone have some ideas? like those clamps you mentioned.
Bro your beating a dead horse, just buy a used one online
hot bar soldering attachment, anisotropic adhesive film/tape( apparently you can buy this for whole sale only. lucky for me the company I work with has spare trimmings of this), microscope or powerful magnifying glass and a lot of patience.
bump, i am in this boat, there must be a dozen lines on the cable, i cant imagine soldering it without shorting it out....
Why do they sell those toys that cannot be repaired by the way?
I'm in the same boat an all y'all being no help are no help so bump outta here already cuz everyone else in this boat looking for the answer doesn't wanna WASTE THEIR TIME on your helpless posts.
To recap we have the solder method which sounds like rubbish as flex cables melt.
Then there's that kind of adhesive glue and/or tape. Clamping is the reason phone companies profits dwindled until they switched to this new clampless method. I'm not gonna buy in bulk cuz I'm not about to start up a cell phone chop shop so maybe get a magnifying headset, some Walmart super glue that says mess free, and use a needle to dab the glue on in the right points but don't cover any contacts!
Did anyone ever managed to get this done?
I also recently experienced, looking at google solution does not get the information.
Try YouTube? I'm sure it applies to other z models
jigzerx said:
Did anyone ever managed to get this done?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I just did this. I didnt use that ADH* glue some people are talking about. I simply inspected how the old one is soldered on. Then removed the old one. There will be slight residue of the glue people are mentioning. I just simply took the solder tip OFF my soldering iron. then used a magnify glass to align the new ribbon. I also used clear tape to hold half of the ribbon down. Meaning i did 1 side at a time. So i taped from the middle to the far left to hold the ribbon down. I then used the blunt end of my soldering iron with the tip removed to press down with some force. Stayed in one location and counted to 20 the slid a little bit to the left. repeated this till the right 50% of the ribbon seemed glued down. I then applied clear tape over this portion and moved over to the previously taped left side. Repeating what I did on the right. after about 10 minutes of work. attached battery, press on button, phone came on. Then tested volume up and down and all worked.
lesterine said:
I just did this. I didnt use that ADH* glue some people are talking about. I simply inspected how the old one is soldered on. Then removed the old one. There will be slight residue of the glue people are mentioning. I just simply took the solder tip OFF my soldering iron. then used a magnify glass to align the new ribbon. I also used clear tape to hold half of the ribbon down. Meaning i did 1 side at a time. So i taped from the middle to the far left to hold the ribbon down. I then used the blunt end of my soldering iron with the tip removed to press down with some force. Stayed in one location and counted to 20 the slid a little bit to the left. repeated this till the right 50% of the ribbon seemed glued down. I then applied clear tape over this portion and moved over to the previously taped left side. Repeating what I did on the right. after about 10 minutes of work. attached battery, press on button, phone came on. Then tested volume up and down and all worked.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Can u explain me how u attached the flex cable back to its place. I didnt full understud this explanation. Have the same problem hoping u can help me.
using the soldering iron t shape tip, step 1 using the scraper to scrap away the glue then install the silicone strip to heat the flex cable on the board. hope this help.
Have same problem too! When I transferred the board with the power/volume button flex cable to a new housing, I accidentally lifted part of the flex cable causing my XZU C6833 not to boot up, no vibration and no screen image.
And can't seem to find any tutorial on how to properly attach the said cable onto the main board.
Will try lesterine's solution.