.. my apologies if this not the appropriate place to post this, but I need help..the little battery door/flap that clips into place which holds the actual battery in place and covers the SIM card (not the black battery cover/antenna) has broken!!.. Now whenever the phone drops or is handled rough enough to cause the battery cover/antenna to come off, the battery slides out of place and the phone turns off.. this happens multiple times throughout the day..i'm ready to throw this phone into the far reaches of this galaxy to say the least... if thats not bad enough, the little chrome peice that surrounds the sensor part of the optical trackpad on the front of the phone has fallen out .. it really takes away from the beauty of the phone!.. any idea where I can find replacement parts for these???.. used or new, it doesn't matter ... If ANYONE can help me i'd be indebted to you for ever!!!
Try contacting HTC.. They make the phones and they should know.. And btw.. Handle your phone a little more careful..
Sent from my Legend using XDA App
Damn, i've always been afraid of that happening expirimenting and having to remove the battery frequently. Don't know anything to help you, sorry
I have the same broken part. Been looking around for this part for a while with no luck. HTC want £44 to replace it, only by sending it in for a repair. They will not sell me the part and I cannot find it anywhere.
I will keep an eye on this thread for more suggestions.
Tape? Although it would have to stick to the aluminum unibody. See if it works! My head's imagery seems like it could.
Yes, my Legend is basically held together with tape. Without it, the battery cover comes of very easily. It's been like this for about 6 weeks now.
I've also been in to my local Vodafone shop to see what they say. They will not repair it as it's a moving part.
Buy your Legend a silicone or rubber case. That should prevent black cover from falling off.
Sent from my HTC Legend
why don't u fill the gap between the black part and ur battery with a soft rubber?
i think it'll solve ur problem
I want this part too. The center clip mechanism has failed due to taking the cover off regularly.
Oh my goodness, I should stop switching SIMs every now and then. I'm scared, actually.
branch8 said:
Damn, i've always been afraid of that happening expirimenting and having to remove the battery frequently. Don't know anything to help you, sorry
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I was thinking of placing a secundairy antenna on that part, so you would stil have an small antena if the lid is missing. or maybe even better reception.
If you still have problems with the battery cover/flap, here's what i did on my legend: Take out the battery, look inside the battery compartment, you'll see the four battery contacts/pins, and right next to them you'll see there is a small black square rubber, glued to a metal spring underneath. The spring is heavily glued to the chassis/plastic body. I took a small (but strong) set of tweezers, and pulled the thing off the phone (the spring + the small rubber attached to it), and my phone works perfectly now, with the broken flap. The thing is that the spring is actually pushing the battery out, for "easier" removal, thus making the battery loose contact/fall out on every shake/impact.
I think that the design of this part is the worst about the legend. On mine I have experienced that the grip is weaker and weaker, and now comes off quite easily (unintended).
Related
Before we were so rudely interrupted in the original thread, we were discussing the G1 hardware keyboard replacements. Please folks, if you must flame each other do it via PMs to avoid locking legitimate threads.
I've been able to find some inexpensive after market replacements on eBay, but still am not sure how difficult it is to actually do that. All the sites I've been able to find on the subject only provide time-lapse dis-assembly instructions of the entire phone. If anyone has done the replacement themselves, I'd greatly appreciate pointers on how to keep my phone operational after I put it back together.
I replaced the white keyboard in my Dream with a black one. It was a scary operation as it takes a bit of force to dismantle. I accidently pulled my antenna off and disconnected a flylead. ment my phone had no signal at all. later when i got home (did it in work ) i took it apart again and fixed it.
Take your time and have patience, alot of it is plastic and clipped together so requires a bit of force.
May I ask what is wrong with the keys on the bronze one? I did a quick skim of the old post and gather that you can't see the keys in daylight but I don't get why?
I'm just genuinely interested, I have a black G1 so never had such a problem.
brummiesteven said:
May I ask what is wrong with the keys on the bronze one? I did a quick skim of the old post and gather that you can't see the keys in daylight but I don't get why?
I'm just genuinely interested, I have a black G1 so never had such a problem.
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Click to collapse
It's the combination of silver keys with light-silver backlight that make the lettering almost impossible to see in day light conditions. I'd take a picture if I had a camera with me today. Whoever came up with that color combination should be fired. Or at least made to stare at it every day for the next year. I have to tilt the keyboard at a weird angle just to distinguish the letters. From what I understand the white G1s suffer from the same problem.
The "Backlight Off" app definitely helps as it lets you toggle the backlight with a keyboard shortcut. I'm looking for a more hardware solution though.
I've been thinking about changing keyboards and housings too. But from what ppl are saying it seems to be pretty exhaustive. Do any of you guys have the service manual? I DL'ed it from somewhere and it goes through each step of disassembly and also shows assembly. I'm sure it would help out to give an idea of what you need. But like I said, even having read the service manual, it's still quite scary.
A full housing from my understanding is a bitc(....doing the KB I can see why. The LCD portions look ridiculously complex in comparison to other phones.
That said if you have the proper tools , good organization or memory , steady hands and patience really shouldnt be "that" tough to do the keyboard.
Heres the thing. Its really not that hard to unscrew things etc...but the piece you need to move in order to get proper access to the KB has 2 ribbons that are a PAIN IN THE ASS to take off and put back properly. Theres so little room for error.If youve never worked with ribbons before BE CAREFUL.
I will say G1 is pretty unique in how its put together , I swear they were determined to make it as complicated as possible
The really pain in the ass part is that the online manual/guide will merely tell you something like "remove part A" but no explanation how. Theres also 2 screws I swear it glossed over leading to frustration when I did the trackball/front keys.
Torx 5 and really good mini screw driver are mandatory.
Nice lil workstation is really helpful..(masking tape ,towel , table lamp or LED headlamp , vitamin/pill cases etc)
Im no mechanical engineer but Ive opened up damn near everything Ive ever owned at some point. Took me a solid 3 hours from start to finish. With major time spent on organizing the screws pieces and those damn ribbons.
I will say the black KB makes a HUGE difference. Black key on the front arent necessary but do look better and add much needed contrast.
KOF33 said:
I will say the black KB makes a HUGE difference. Black key on the front arent necessary but do look better and add much needed contrast.
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Click to collapse
Pics, or it didn't happen
Thanks for the tips!
Chahk said:
Pics, or it didn't happen
Thanks for the tips!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
As you can see I also replaced the trackball with a glowing white one.
lol at the trackball
doing a case swap is only bad the first time LMAO. I learned a lot, like for example the brass inserts that the screws go into...are not pre-installed. You must CUT Them out of the old housing and HAMMER them into the new oneBut in the end, it turned out very nice.
As far as just replacing the keyboard, it isnt too bad actually once you know what screws hold what down!
-Remove the 6 torx screws for the back housing
-GENTLY pry open the TOP of the casing with a plastic case tool, work your way down to the bottom of the housing. The bottom is a PITA to remove. I usually get it by rocking it gently back and forth
-remove the long and short coax leads from the motherboard side. swing them out of the way
-peel back the tape and GENTLY pull the bottom connector (mouthpiece module) from the motherboard.
-peel back more tape and lift the latch for the keyboard connector (the one on the side)
-Peel the camera module up SLOWLY (it is double side taped down) as well as the imei card. The cam cable is routed under it, lift it all as a unit. When you get to the motherboard, STOP
-Now, gently twist the whole camera and motherboard unit as a whole until it is free of the latch on the side. Gently lift the camera end exposing the 2 small ribbon connectors on the bottom.
-Peel back the tape and GENTLY lift the ribbon connectors out of the board. Place the motherboard/camera unit to the side for now.
-Remove all the black and silver screws for the metal piece. The lcd should stay in place as the mouthpiece plastics kinda hold it for you, but you should still support it to keep from hurting the connections.
-Viola, keyboard access. Remember when you put it back together be sure to re-tape all the connections, else when you drop your phone one of them may pop loose.
Keeping the motherboard and camera/imea plate all as one module saves you from a very difficult connection and will help you keep everything aligned when reassembling it.
I guess the spacebar has 2 functioning buttons, (left and right) ... well my right side just konked on me, and i was wondering if a replacement keyboard off ebay will fix this, or are they just the button "covers"?
the "buttons" are just plastic nubs that make contact on a board behind it. That board would be what you need. I dont know if there are any on eBay, but I have a spare one if you want to PM me for details.
I dropped my G1 about 6 months ago and was devastated. After entirely too much research I finally got the guts to purchase a replacement digitizer and managed to install it successfully. However, in the process I managed to rip the LCD ribbon cable. I then had to order a replacement LCD screen. I've also damaged one of the black ribbon cables pretty severely causing the touchscreen to become unresponsive sporadically. I've just placed an order for one of those ribbon cables and will hopefully have that up and running soon. I've also purchased an entire new housing unit to rebuild the phone to make it look as new.
Now when I first took this thing apart I was by NO MEANS an expert or have ever done something like this before. I'm just an avid enthusiast who wanted to save a little money, feel a sense of accomplishment and to learn a few things along the way. I technically paid nearly the same amount of money it would have cost me to send the unit to HTC for repair, however i've learned everything there is to know about my phone's hardware. I know which board does what and are extremely confident about fixing ANY hardware problem in the future.
If you have the time, patience, and truly want to become confident about the workings of your phone, then I highly recommend fixing it yourself. I've bought my parts for VERY cheap off of reputable ebay buyers. You can find EVERY single piece for your phone on Ebay. My LCD has 1 dead pixel, but I guess that's the risk you take when you buy really cheap parts.
Hope this helps.
UPDATE: So, the digitizer I bought developed a massive dead zone. I already contacted the amazon store I bought it from, they're replacing it for me. Why does this matter? Because now I get to update this post with pictures/video! So, yeah, I guess this guide should get a lot more helpful soon.
Update 2: Ok, so, I don't even know how to express my anger and frustration. This girl at work shoved my phone out of my hands and into the leg of a table, completely destroying my phone. So, yeah, sorry, I guess I won't be updating with pictures/video, because the amazon store isn't going to take the screen back now.
Yo, guys. If anyone noticed that I was gone, I'm flattered, since I don't post a lot. But yeah, I havent had my Optimus G in about a month, so I havent been on this forum. In that time, I went through my Second Motorola Atrix HD, a broken Galaxy S3, and even lived through Google Voice on my computer. It's an extremely long story, and kind of ridiculous, so I'll spare the details.
HOWEVER, I did finally just buy a replacement Digitizer and LCD screen, and successfully installed it, and I want to share tips for anyone doing it themselves.
When removing the back, after you've removed torx screws, start prying the back off from in between where the Sim card and MicroSD go. Where the back of the phone and the chassis of the phone are separate is much more obvious in that cavity, PLUS dents/dings from jamming a screwdriver in there wont be noticeable when you put the bay cover back on.
Don't force anything off. Make sure you've removed every screw, unclipped every clip, and removed ribbons from everything you're trying to take off.
Removing the battery is tricky. Be careful not to deform it too much, cause that's dangerous. But there are 2 strips of double sided tape running horizontally beneath the battery. Try to get something between the top one and the battery, then carefully pull the battery off the second strip with your hands. sticking too much stuff beneath it to pry it up is going to cause some trouble, so lifting it with your fingers might be better.
Remove the motherboard. detatch all the ribbons, antennae, everything, then pull up from the left, then slide left and out. This is how I got it out with the least resistance, but there is no science to it. If you've gotten this far, you can figure out how to pull it out without breaking it in half.
Components that need to be removed before LCD+Digitizer removal:
Motherboard
Battery
Camera
Just put them off to the side, you don't want them damaged during the next part.
WARNING! If you plan on saving your LCD screen, DO NOT DO THIS. The high heat will cook your screen and make it unusable. Only do this to remove a broken or unsavable Digitizer+LCD.
Alright, now pull out the heat gun. Alternatively, you can do what I did, and use a hair dryer. Not even kidding, this will work fine, and will be hilarious when you tell your friends about it.
On a high heat, start heating the screen. If you're using a heat gun, just do your thing, you know how it works. Hair dryer folks, keep the dryer very low to the phone, low enough to feel the dryer being pushed up by the air, holding it just high enough so it sort of hovers. (You'll know what I mean when you try it. If you don't, just keep it about half an inch off the phone.) Move the dryer along the edges of the screen, all the way around, thats where the glue is. It should heat up pretty fast.
Using your pry tool, start at the speaker grill and pry all the way around the phone. lifting just slightly upwards. If it's not extremely easy, apply more heat. Work all the way around, then pull the screen off. Be careful, it's likely you'll shatter the screen even more at this part if you're not careful. User Bozwell had an excellent suggestion (post 4), cover your screen in tape, then begin separating the screen to keep from getting glass everywhere. Great idea, Boz!
Alright, so from here on out, it's just reassembling your phone correctly. Piece o cake.
Firstly, put your new screen in. If it came with adhesive, it's up to you if you want to apply it now. I'd think you probably have to, but up to you.
If you're like me, and no adhesive was provided, hold off on doing anything for now. Just put the screen in the hole, and thread the ribbons through.
The motherboard lines up with some contacts on the chassis in a few places, but most importantly, there is a connection on the top left corner of the body, and the UNDERSIDE of the motherboard that needs to be made. I believe it's proximity sensor, but not sure. It's very difficult to tell if its attached, but look at what I'm describing, and try your best to mate them.
Don't forget ANY cables. Like, that's pretty obvious, but even when you're sure you didnt forget any, check again. The camera's ribbon is underneath the screen's, don't forget that one. I reassebled the whole thing, everything was working perfectly, except I no longer had any mobile connection. I couldn't imagine what I'd broken, since that's a whole different area, but going to phone status and checking my signal strength revealed I forgot to reconnect the white antennae (status showed my signal at -200,000 dbm). So, double check, because the more often you have to reopen your phone, the more flimsy it's going to get.
Alright, screw the plastic shielding back on, reconnect your battery, then flip the phone to be face up. Power it on, test the screen to make sure it's functional. If all is well, power off and glue the screen in. What I did, and I welcome anyone to tell me a better glue type or method, is plain ol Super glue along all the edges where the old glue was. Press it in, flip it over, and while it's drying, finish reassembling the phone (should just be make sure everything is screwed in inside, then put back glass back on.
If your screen wasn't functional, I guess try to get it replaced by whoever you bought it from, and leave your phone disassembled for when it gets to your house.
Alright, that's pretty much the thick and thin of it, it genuinely isn't that hard of a replacement. I've done a number of digitizer/lcd replacements, not bad at all. I hope this helped anyone stuck or wondering about anything. This video can be used as a rough example, but it goes really fast.
Good Luck!
replacement of lcd/digitzer
the removal was a nightmare for me. It was hilarious when the glass cracked it was exploding into a million little bitty pieces. I didnt use much heat, and there lied my problem. But yeah mine cracked in a way that it was completely unresponsive.
gruiz3 said:
the removal was a nightmare for me. It was hilarious when the glass cracked it was exploding into a million little bitty pieces. I didnt use much heat, and there lied my problem. But yeah mine cracked in a way that it was completely unresponsive.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Haha that's crazy, it bothers me how fragile this phone seems to be.
To keep the glass shards from going everywhere try covering the screen in tape before you start.
bozwell said:
To keep the glass shards from going everywhere try covering the screen in tape before you start.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Great idea, OP updated!
So, what would I do if the screen itself is ok and it's just the glass (and digitizer) that is broken?
MoFoQ said:
So, what would I do if the screen itself is ok and it's just the glass (and digitizer) that is broken?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You'll need a real heat gun, I think. You'll have to find a heat just hot enough to soften the glue, but not cook your lcd. Hair dryer method might work if you are extremely careful and very quick, but not sure exactly what the best method would be. Sorry
ripin150 said:
You'll need a real heat gun, I think. You'll have to find a heat just hot enough to soften the glue, but not cook your lcd. Hair dryer method might work if you are extremely careful and very quick, but not sure exactly what the best method would be. Sorry
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I figured...though I've been eye-ing using the screen+digitizer+front housing if and when they get back into stock.
(digitizer only is also out-of-stock)
I have had my Ultra Z since January. Zero problems, but this morning I removed my USB charger at work and a rubber gasket (see pic) fell out. Now the door does not close properly. I have the gasket and tried to work it back in but it would not go. There is a small tab and I cannot tell if it goes up (towards the screen) or down. I think I can get it back in with a toothpick or similar but want it to stay (and not lose it) and for it to re-seal the door properly. Not being able to close the USB door is a BIG deal to me.
I had been meaning to get a docking charger but bought some from China and they were crap. Guess I'll have to break down and get a real DK30.
The o-ring goes on the door.
Tab to back by the looks
Glue it back? What kind of glue?
Sent from my C6833 using XDA Free mobile app
mknewman said:
Glue it back? What kind of glue?
Sent from my C6833 using XDA Free mobile app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Try crazy glue very very small amount and please let it dry fully before putting the cap back into the phone!!!
Jammol said:
Try crazy glue very very small amount and please let it dry fully before putting the cap back into the phone!!!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks Jammol. I'll try to figure this out. When I place it in the position it appears to belong in (now that I look closely I can see the small tab indention on the cap) but the part is so small I cannot even handle it with my big fat fingers, and don't really have a magnification station and stability setup to do it.
Big question is for the people who have had the cap break off, is there a source for the whole cap? Is it possible to install without taking the whole phone apart? Would it make sense to just throw it away and forget it was there?
mknewman said:
Thanks Jammol. I'll try to figure this out. When I place it in the position it appears to belong in (now that I look closely I can see the small tab indention on the cap) but the part is so small I cannot even handle it with my big fat fingers, and don't really have a magnification station and stability setup to do it.
Big question is for the people who have had the cap break off, is there a source for the whole cap? Is it possible to install without taking the whole phone apart? Would it make sense to just throw it away and forget it was there?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I don't know what part of the world you are in but you can check these out. Couple folks have bought them:
http://www.ebay.de/itm/Original-Son...zer_Ersatzteile_Werkzeuge&hash=item2339fdd95e
I say just replaced the entire cap with one of those and call it good. Mine is experiencing the same thing, tearing off little by little. I think that is where water might be getting into my phone, but I'll be replacing the phone soon anyways. Just not sure what to get yet.
I have not gotten mine wet yet other than rain in my pocket but the lines are much better with the cap on than removed, and I'd worry about the edge material getting pulled off the rest of the phone. I appreciate the ebay refrence and will try to find a US version. So is there a way to remove the old cap without breaking it off internally and having the tab rattling around inside?
I ordered a couple of the caps and a magnetic charger off thEbay US, but seller was in Spain so it will be a while. Crappy design trying to get rubber to adhere to plastic.
Does anyone know how to safely remove the old one? Just yank? slip something very thin in to try to get the tab to ride over the notch?
Thanks,
Marc
Super glue is what bonds o-rings to other materials because of the greasy slippery surface. Mine has also come loose. Contact glue, industrial glue or anything else wont bite on that thing because of its chemical resistance that the o-ring has.
try to get a hold of a bottle of Loctite 401 meanwhile if you can't wait for the parts
http://www.ebay.com/itm/LOCTITE-401...Instant-Adhesive-Super-Glue-20g-/121407567300
to remove the old one just pull..just a bit harder ...its kind of some bend at the end of the flap that's holding the thing in place inside the device.
Apply with a pin or paper clip I take it?
SÜPERUSER said:
Super glue is what bonds o-rings to other materials because of the greasy slippery surface. Mine has also come loose. Contact glue, industrial glue or anything else wont bite on that thing because of its chemical resistance that the o-ring has.
try to get a hold of a bottle of Loctite 401 meanwhile if you can't wait for the parts
http://www.ebay.com/itm/LOCTITE-401...Instant-Adhesive-Super-Glue-20g-/121407567300
to remove the old one just pull..just a bit harder ...its kind of some bend at the end of the flap that's holding the thing in place inside the device.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
mknewman said:
Apply with a pin or paper clip I take it?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
mmm something like that I dunno really.. I've yet have to figure this out myself lol. Use your imagination! :laugh:
At my moms work when I was young they had superglue bottles from loctite with really tiny metal pipes attached on them I wonder what loctite model that is. They could be used to do any precision work!
So it's possible to get the new one in properly once I get the old one out? From this picture it appears the new tab should slide in but I'm worried if you have to tug hard to get the old one out.
SÜPERUSER said:
to remove the old one just pull..just a bit harder ...its kind of some bend at the end of the flap that's holding the thing in place inside the device.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
calm down...just pull on it. You won't break anything
edit: its no big deal to get the new one in
Great! Thanks, that's a relief. I'll let ya'll know how it goes when I get it. May buy a few extras too.
I got the replacement parts from thEbay tonight. Pulled on the old one and it came right out. Took 2-3 tries to get new one in. Tether was bunching up. Turns out if you hold it at about 45 regress it goes right in.
Thanks for the help everyone.
Sent from my C6833 using XDA Free mobile app
gutted!
I am so gutted i didn't see this thread before I sent my phone to Sony for warranty repair.
My gasket didn't fall off, it started to come unstuck so was hanging off and when closing the lid the gasket would unroll and the lid would open.
I sent it to Sony as I think this is there fault. The gasket should stay attached for the duration of the warranty.
They want to charge me £55 for repair, handling and shipping!! I have had my claim escalated and now they say 'upon further inspection the device is bent'!! They are willing to send it back free of charge should I not want to have it repaired...... But should I now expect the device they send back to me to bent when I know full well it was in near perfect condition when I sent to them?!?!
The bottom line is follow instructions from this thread. DO NOT send your phone to Sony.
Sony use 'authorised repair centres' so they don't even know what is going on with your device and the trust you put in Sony to give your device to a respected engineer is misplaced.
Hi guys,
I have my z2 for a while now (2 years I think), and he has tried to beat down the floor sometimes and until now, hasn't been victorious.
So the thing is, after the last try, he has the back cover a little openned in the middle (I can see a little of the glue and can stick something between the cover and the phone), and also, has a little opening in the screen, just like the cover. After this, the buttons got a little strage too, need to press power and up too hard to work, down is ok.
I would like to now, if anyone has experienced that, and know what could it be, I haven't openned it yet as it need the adhesive to put the cover back and I don't have access to it in my city, have to order it online.
Thanks!!!
And sorry for the bad english.
It could be the battery swelling as its on it's last legs.
If it was mine I would remove the back cover to inspect the battery, before things got (possibly) much worse.
My Z2 is over two years old and the back cover started to lift adjacent to the charging port. The cause was the pcb spring contacts for the NFC antenna pushing against the cover,which I've subsequently remedied. The physical appearance and size of the battery is all good so I have no safety worries although it will need replacing simply due to its age and noticeable decrease in capacity.
The back cover was only raised about a millimetre but it was noticeable enough and annoying. There is no problem with screen separation.
If my problems were similar to yours I would immediately take off the back cover, remove the battery and fully inspect it for signs of swelling. A new rear gasket / seal is easier to remedy than a complete phone wrecked by a screwed battery.
Good luck :good:
I see, can I use it without the back cover?
Cause it would take something like 2 weeks to get the seal from internet.
Your problem is kind of like mine, but mine isn't in the nfc point, but in the battery point, just above her, I thought about it at first too, I'll see about it then! Tnks!
Google "Xperia Z2 teardown" and you will see that the battery occupies more-or-less the mid-to-lower part of the phone. If your screen and rear cover are bulging from the centre outwards then it *probably* is the battery swelling.
I removed my rear cover about 6 weeks ago and the gasket was mostly intact so after sorting the NFC contacts I just reattached it as-is. It's stayed in place so far, but I also have a CASE-MATE transparent polycarbonate rear cover that adds further protection.
Once I find a genuine Sony battery and replacement gasket at reasonable prices I will get them ordered. So far things are fine.
If you manage to keep the gasket intact like I did it should be fine to reattach the cover until you get a new one.
And even if your battery hasn't swelled it may also be worth replacing that too, considering it's 2 years old.
I see, I also use a case-mate to protect more, cant handle it without it, I guess I'll try to do it then, seriously? I thought that battery would last longer, I'll see into that, now it makes sense, the battery started to die faster a while ago, nice to know.
Thanks!
Just oppened it, It was the battery as discussed above. Thanks!
Now you know what the problem is its easy to sort it out.
Would be good if you post a pic of the battery.
Here it go:
http://imgur.com/a/5Z48h
Got pic from the the battery and the back curved.
Yeah it's obvious from the pics. I think you've caught it just in time.
A new gasket and battery and your Z2 will live maybe another 2 years :good:
Okay, story time. Some time ago, the battery in my Z5c swelled up and pushed the battery cover off the back of the phone. I replace the battery myself, & also order new (supposedly OEM) adhesive for the back glass. It does NOT stick on well, popping off one side or the other every few minutes. After fighting it for a while (ordering additional replacement adhesive and trying to re-clean and re-apply it a couple more times), it seems to finally stay in place.
Fast-forward a few months. I see the back glass coming off again. Oh, great, here we go again. I peel it off, and find that the replacement battery is a *little* inflated. Not by much, and not nearly as much as the original battery, but even though it seems to barely be a problem, it's also clear that the battery cover is not skin-tight as it was when it went in. Perhaps it was "enough" that given the tolerances inside, it still managed to push the back glass off. Okay, fine: I bought 2 replacement batteries at the time, so I'll put the other one in.
Fast-forward another few months to a couple of weeks ago. SAME BLASTED THING. Battery barely inflated, back cover coming off, but not really 100% clear whether the battery *really* is the culprit, or whether this adhesive I keep buying is just crap, or if I'm not applying it correctly.
Well, this time I'm running into the same problem trying to re-apply it that I did the first time around: it simply Will. Not. Stay. Put. I've tried the usual tricks I have read about: namely, making sure everything is squeaky-clean, and warming up the adhesive before pressing the back glass onto the phone, and then giving it a little time to cure with something heavy on top of the phone (if I had some clamps, I might try to use those instead). It helps for a couple of hours, but then the back cover just comes RIGHT off again.
Here is my hypothesis: either my phone's chassis is was not quite up to manufacturing standards, or I keep re-assembling it wrong, or something along those lines, because the battery sticks up slightly above the surrounding black frame. And what I can see when the back first starts coming off is that it is slightly "bowing" a bit...the top and bottom are sunk slightly below the plastic frame, but the middle bows out to the point where it rises slightly ABOVE the plastic frame. It's as if either the battery is sitting too high inside the phone, or the frame around the battery is sitting too low.
I have tried taking it all apart again and putting it all back together, but no dice.
Has anybody ever experienced anything like this? It's super frustrating. It seems clearly like a design defect. I just wish I could understand how things are different right now vs. when it was originally assembled at the factory.
Right now I'm sitting here seriously thinking that maybe the answer to this is to layer TWO back adhesive stickers on top of each other, in order to raise the edges of the glass back up enough above the battery that the back won't bow out anymore...
Argh!
...oh, also: and are genuine Sony batteries REALLY this crap in terms of quality?? If so, they should be ashamed and should have recalled many of these phones. I have yet to run into a genuine Sony Z5c battery that doesn't have at least a small build-up of gases within the battery pack after a few short months of use. I have been shying away from third-party batteries by no-name companies, but at this point I'm thinking that those could only be worse if they managed to spontaneously burst into flames.
In case anybody else who is struggling with the same thing ever ends up stumbling across this in the future, I seem to have finally managed to successfully tackle this problem. I finally got more pre-cut adhesive in, and yes: at least in my case, stacking two of them on top of each other has done the trick. (It's not easy lining them up in order to apply them to each other, either...I can tell you that much.)
I don't know if maybe all the adhesive that is out on the market is not "genuine" Sony and so not built to the same spec (maybe the genuine article is much thicker?), or if my particular phone's manufacturing tolerances are just outside the norm (either the battery is sticking up farther than it should, or the edges of the frame are sunk in further than they should be), or what. But using 2 stacked on top of each other instead of 1 seems to be the perfect thickness, allowing for the back glass to remain flush with the plastic frame's edges while also remaining perfectly flat.
I can tell you that at least on my phone, this is still not enough to ensure a tight water seal (pressure sensor doesn't change with increasing outside pressure). But it's hard to know if that's due to the way the back is applied, or some other issue elsewhere that's entirely unrelated.
ARGH. Nope. It lasted a lot longer than previous attempts, but now the upper-left corner, where the camera lens is, is already starting to lift off again.
This is *such* a stupid design.
Try using B7000 industrial glue from Aliexpress or other vendors, it can still be unglued by heat if repairs are needed, but should stay glued better and longer then these precut adhesives which are low in quality...
Thanks for your thread. I can feel your frustration! I'm having problems with the flash LED making weird green shadows in photos (like here https://forum.xda-developers.com/t/camera-flash-bleed.3368004/) I was thinking about opening the back cover to try and fix this and maybe install a new battery and a new camera lens while I'm at it. But now I'm afraid to open it up. I am pretty sure that a this point all "original" replacement parts that are available are fake. Should I ever find the courage: Is the back cover and camera lens made from one piece or must they be replaced separately?
Try to get the OEM adhesive strips and battery.
3m makes all sorts of industrial double sided strips. Get the right thickness if you go that route.