[Q] CLNR Thunderbolt Serial Mismatch - Thunderbolt Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting

I'm on my third CLNR Thunderbolt (first one wouldn't hold a data signal other than 1x and the second one had a non working microphone). I was just poking around in the settings menu and I noticed something funny.
The serial number reported by Settings -> About Phone -> Phone Identity and the serial number printed on the sticker under the battery don't match. The one the phone is reporting starts with "MB" while the one under the sticker starts with "HT". The numbers afterward are completely different too.
The phone seems to work fine but differing serial numbers seems a bit fishy to me. Does anyone know a reasonable explanation for this?

Additionally the MEID the phone is self reporting and the IMEI number on the sticker in the battery compartment match with the exception of a trailing digit in the IMEI.
Don't know what that information is worth, but I thought it might spur some thought as to how I ended up with mis-matched serial numbers.

Just throwing thoughts around.
Could it be that they chopped up several thunderbolts and gave you a FrankenBolt? They could have just switched a fried motherboard and forgot to change the sticker.

Related

Design flaws causes NO GSM Radios?

I have a HERM200 (TYTN HTC Branded). I definately have a hardware error that seems to be related to motherboard pressure. Totally took the phone apart - cleaned everything and reseated connections. I initially did have problems flashing a radio/OS Rom due to NO GSM errors - but I did get a complete working flash. For a week the phone has been sitting on my desk without a SIM card on standby. Power cycled it a few times and the radio will always come on. Can turn the radio on and off with flight mode. Always comes back. Turned on WIFI and Bluetooth no problems. Do have a Dpad problem where the direction button will stop working unless I move the scroll wheel. Other than that it doesn't freeze even under load and don't have white screens or no return from standby. So doesn't seem to be heat related - ie processor heat.
OK, put a sim card that works fine in a 2125 and I can make and receive calls. Did it for many calls last night - received and made the calls. Send text messages. Opened the slider several times. No problems. Battery was down so I charged it though a USB connection. Got the battery up to about 50% Still can make and receive calls doesn't seem to "hunt" for a signal which the phone would do if the radio was failing.
Removed the SIM card this morning and put the battery back in - received the first NO GSM after about a week. Removed the battery and touched the metal plate behind the battery and the GSM came back on bootup. The case screws are snug not super tight.
Is is possible that the motherboard is either faulty - removing the SIM caused it to flex or touching the battery back plate flexed or reconnected some chip.
IMHO the battery plate backer is WAY too close to the motherboard and is either putting undue pressure on the motherboard chips or when the battery is charging it somehow expands slightly causing pressure points. Seems like the battery backer plate is sitting directly on the chipsets.
Any thoughts - seems like there are way too many NO GSM errors for this phone.
same problem here probably
Same problem here... I've tried to flash the radio, but it stucks after a while..
Please help me, my Dopod 838 Pro has No GSM!
There is probably little you can do. Either the chip on the motherboard is fried or you did a bad flash. Explain the situation - did it just happen or did you flash something and it went bad. If it "just" went bad the radio is more than likely defective and no amount of software fixes will correct it. You will need another motherboard or a new phone. There are tons of articles about no GSM errors and sometimes it will come back but not for long. Known problem with this phone unfortunately.

[Q] Frequent loss of signal - CLOSED!!

I am seeing random/frequent/constant loss of signal on my S2 even while sitting on my office desk for hours. Either I have to reboot or have to switch on and off the airplane mode to bring the signals back.
I dropped this phone in water on last friday and once it was dried up it was working totally fine. At that time I was using Chameleon ROM(4.1.2), Dori Kernel 8.43.v76 and MS4 radio. I flashed XXLS8 modem/radio as I had seen good results on this modem. On Monday I flashed Sentinel ROM v4.6 (4.2.2), stock kernel and I have started facing the signal drops. Blaming it to the modem, I flashed another one XXLS6 (about which I have read good reviews for my location) and I was still getting signla drops. I had been on Sentinel ROM couple of times and never faced such issue. Still, blaming it on ROM, I flashed AOSB Kitkat (another fav of mine) today and I am still getting the signal drops.
I am unable to pinpoint the source of this issue and cant keep on flashing modems when I actually know that XXLS8 and XXLS6 are really good ones for me.
A search on xda led me to this link http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2739573 which suggests deleting CellBroadcastReceiver.apk from /system/app. Tried even that, but didnt work out.
I am ruling out the waterboarding as a cause because I saw it working perfectly for 2 days after it was dried up.
Any help/suggestion/information is appreciated.
EDIT: I thought it was solved as it didnt appear for few hours. But since last night its back and its kinda frequent. It displays blank triangle in this case. recently it has also started showing full signal (emergency calls only and without 2g/3g signals) and i am unable to receive or make calls.
:BUMP:
Now there are no signals at all. Am getting desperate. Flashed stock rom again to no avail. Tried Different kernels/roms but no success. Anything?
You sound like you have been very thorough in what you have tried....
The fact that you have flashed different ROMs/kernels/modems without any change kinda rules out a software issue. I'm afraid (from what I've read) you ARE facing a hardware issue. Water penetration will cause a whole collection of issues that may/may not appear immediately. It will cause corrosion......and corrosion is a gradual process......so a part of the phone that *may* have appeared unaffected, may well work for a time before it actually fails......
My wife says I'm a phone geek....She's probably right
keithross39 said:
You sound like you have been very thorough in what you have tried....
The fact that you have flashed different ROMs/kernels/modems without any change kinda rules out a software issue. I'm afraid (from what I've read) you ARE facing a hardware issue. Water penetration will cause a whole collection of issues that may/may not appear immediately. It will cause corrosion......and corrosion is a gradual process......so a part of the phone that *may* have appeared unaffected, may well work for a time before it actually fails......
My wife says I'm a phone geek....She's probably right
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for replying. Finally a senior member looked at this thread
I agree that corrosion, being gradual process, can screw up a lot of things but its kinda indigestible for me that in one week its condition will be deteriorated to this level. anyways, if i visit a service center, what parts I might get changed for this? I know you havent seen my phone from inside, and you cant say anything at a concrete level but just want to know that someone with this kinda problem is looking at what kinda parts to be changed and what kinda bill?
The components on these boards are in general, tiny.....and their connectors are even smaller.....so corrosion at this pace is entirely possible.
The symptoms tally with this too....increasing corrosion = worsening performance.
It's either going to be really good news......or it's going to be chuck the phone away and start again news.
There is a white connecting cable in the phone that carries the network signal from the antenna to the main board.....
The cost depends where the fault is......
If the fault is on the board housing the antenna, it's pocket change....
If it's the mainboard side.......
The good news is that both of these boards can be independently sourced and easily DIY replaced.
The problem with micro electronics is that it is virtually impossible to replace individual components on a given board....and any authorised repairer won't even consider it....they'll just replace the entire board.
My wife says I'm a phone geek....She's probably right
---------- Post added at 06:54 PM ---------- Previous post was at 06:46 PM ----------
Take a look at this thread.....
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2335961
there's a video linked in it which will give you an idea of what you're looking at if you decide to DIY it....
You will also find links to part suppliers.
My wife says I'm a phone geek....She's probably right
keithross39 said:
The components on these boards are in general, tiny.....and their connectors are even smaller.....so corrosion at this pace is entirely possible.
The symptoms tally with this too....increasing corrosion = worsening performance.
It's either going to be really good news......or it's going to be chuck the phone away and start again news.
There is a white connecting cable in the phone that carries the network signal from the antenna to the main board.....
The cost depends where the fault is......
If the fault is on the board housing the antenna, it's pocket change....
If it's the mainboard side.......
The good news is that both of these boards can be independently sourced and easily DIY replaced.
The problem with micro electronics is that it is virtually impossible to replace individual components on a given board....and any authorised repairer won't even consider it....they'll just replace the entire board.
My wife says I'm a phone geek....She's probably right
---------- Post added at 06:54 PM ---------- Previous post was at 06:46 PM ----------
Take a look at this thread.....
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2335961
there's a video linked in it which will give you an idea of what you're looking at if you decide to DIY it....
You will also find links to part suppliers.
My wife says I'm a phone geek....She's probably right
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Many many thanks. DIY won't bug me, i have steady hands
But how would i know which components are faulty?
Ha....that's the million dollar question ain't it......
Having viewed that video I linked to, to refresh my memory, there are 3 modules that potentially could be giving you issues......
Antenna/speaker module
USB port module
Mainboard
It's going to be a case of replacing each one, one at a time, until the issue resolves itself. The first two are the cheaper side of things, and are where my gut instinct says the problem lies......
Sorry mate...it's the only way without taking it to a service centre.
My wife says I'm a phone geek....She's probably right
Your link talks about changing the usb port. There i read that it hosts aerial connector too. Is it the part responsible for receiving signals or is it antenna module?
Btw, awesome guide you got there.:good:
Meanwhile i flashed stock rom again and after ten minutes of booting it finally got signals. I dont know for how long its gonna stay but i m glad that it saw signals after 2 days of struggle.
The speaker module houses the actual antenna. It has a couple of sprung connectors which press on corresponding plates on the USB module. Some people have said that modifying the USB board has had an effect on the signal strength.
The speaker / antenna module is the cheapest part to replace....best to start there......
My wife says I'm a phone geek....She's probably right
Thanks a lot. I really appreciate it.
This whole fiasco was a great learning for me. Lost imei and baseband on my way and recovered them too. And looks like it will end in me performing a DIY on my phone.
For now the signals are stable for more than 12 hours which is like the most I have seen since 3 days. I will see if I can utilize your guide this weekend.
Thanks again for your help and time.
Can loosing imei/baseband be the cause of loosing connectivity?
EDIT 1: And my troubles are far from over. It still needs to be switched to aeroplane mode and switch it off to get the connectivity back or a reboot is required. The worst problem is that now the signal shows full in the status bar but with "No connectivity" or "Emergency calls only" which is even worse to handle.
Looks like it can connect to the network provider normally but cant hold the connection for long and requires a reset. Will changing USB port help in this kind of case?
EDIT 2: After a whole day of being on stock and switching the phone into aeroplane mode again and again, I thought of giving custom roms another try. On a KK ROM and on another JB ROM (4.1.2) it was a total struggle to even connect to a network. Tried various modes - wcdma, gsm, auto but nothing worked. Tried different modems too but it just ended up in making the phone really hot. Experimented so much that even when the sim was in, i got the message - "insert sim card to access network". Back to stock rom now.
I don't know whether there is any circuitry inside the speaker / antenna module that will cause issues with signal.....the fact that some people say that modifying the USB board affects signal leads me to think that there probably isn't and that it's all housed on the USB board........
And I'd advise that you back up your IMEI and EFS folder while it is intact.....before you attempt to flash anything else.....
A good app for this is ktool on the play store.......
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=net.hellcat.droiddev.ktool
My wife says I'm a phone geek....She's probably right
Backed up everything a long time back itself when I saw myself become flash maniac. thanks for the advice though.
I checked up USB port on eBay and it is not available in my country. From US shipping and all makes it unaffordable . Will be visiting a service center today or tomorrow.
Eventually Waterboarding was the culprit. Got a call from service center today that they found waterlogging on mainboard. Getting it replaced now.
Heavy on pockets but still cheaper than an equally capable new phone.
Thanks keithross39 for all the help. Appreciate it.
No problem fella......just be prepared for other issues too (might never happen.....but......)
If the water damaged the main board, other boards might have been affected too......
My wife says I'm a phone geek....She's probably right
I was starting to feel relieved after knowing mainboard issue, but here you are, scaring me more
Alright, I will keep an eye on the day to day activities of my phone for few days once its back. I just hope it comes out alive.
Lol...just mentioning the "worst case scenario*......but on the bright side, every other board in the phone costs pocket change.......
My wife says I'm a phone geek....She's probably right
Asked the service center guys and they say everything is fine with other components. Looks like they are not interested in my pocket change
One last question, does changing the mainboard changes your imei number?
An authorised service centre should be able to re write your IMEI....but under normal circumstances it will change.....
My wife says I'm a phone geek....She's probably right

[SOLVED] Dell venue Sim card issue / problem again and again. Call screen freeze

Hi All
I know this is too late to post as Dell Venue is complete extinct in market but still i know many people own this device and love it
ISSUE
SIM card issue, Suddenly this phone pops up that SIM card is not inserted or unavailable, Network go away and automatically get resolved after restart or after re assembling battery.
RUMORS
Many people believe that this issue is happening because they loaded a custom ROM on device and THIS IS NOT CORRECT.
I own Dell Venue and facing this issue from last 8-9 months. I tried MIUI, CM7 various version but issue was always same..
Some people think its a network IC issue, That is wrong because phone can still show you available networks.
ACTUAL REASON
Dell Device motherboard doesn't have all the component soldered on it and they are just assembled in such a way that it stay in physical contact with motherboard, SIM card holder is one of them. SIM card holder is a small PCB placed over motherboard and pushed against motherboard with the help of its case. Once your phone is few months old or fell down several times, The body of phone becomes slightly loose and cause the issue that SIM card holder lose contact from main motherboard and phone pops that SIM card issue.
SOLUTION
1. UNSCREW your phone. There are 5 screws on phone. 4 are visible and 1 is under a white cap.
2. Open the case. Be CAREFUL of its small component and antennas
3. You will get SIM holder, Flash and antenna completely out of motherboard.
4. Now you will find all these components are connected to motherboard by golden colored metal (Like battery contact metals in every phone).
5. Use a pin and push all those metals litle out (like you used to do in your nokia phone when your battery used to loose contact with phone)
6. Clean all the component safely (Optional) - But i did because there was a lot of dust got collected in case causing it to get loose.
7. Assemble your phone back and tight the screws really well.
Turn on the phone and your phone is new again.
These steps will resolved WIFI and network issues as Antennas of phone are also connected in same way.
NOTE. Antennas are tiny metal plates placed under side silver plastic case. DO place them back else WIFI and GSM will show very low network.
I did this two weeks back and not a single time i got sim issue again, moreover my WIFI and GSM range is improved.
Thanks
Hope this will help.

[Q] Is my s4 best clone?

I have purchased samsung galaxy s4 verizon sch I 545 for rs 14000. I am not sure if this phone is Clone.
The phone looks genuine from the configuration it shows 1.77 gb of ram 9.72 gb of rom but the led light looks little unusual. I can clearly see three different led's which I could not see on the original Phone. The Original s4 Of my friend shows shades of light in circles that fades around led. But my s4 shows no shades also the light doesn't looks to be in perfect circle. When I opened black cover these is no serial number on the sticker only imei no is there. Also there sticker on the back of phone and 'wang zi jie' is written on it. The imei sticker is having half circle marked just below it with marker. (Is it manufacturer refurbished?). There is no info of my phone imei no on websites like imei info. I checked for *#0*# and temp humidity check accuracy never even reaches to 1. The box with which phone came is of different model no and my phone has different model number. but my phone has same imei no as that was on the seal of the box and the seal was loosely packed. So surely seller has sent different phone.
All the accessories are fake including battery. Phone heats up heats up high when using data. I hope it will work with original battery. I think this may be the best copy. I am not sure though. Please tell me to identify if my phone is real or not.
Please suggest me some tests to verify it's authenticity.
It's a copy.. Out of luck man
how come?
XxD34THxX said:
It's a copy.. Out of luck man
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Please tell me how this is Clone. Phone works excellent. Touch is very sensitive.
It is probably a touchwiz ROM modded for the device.The fact that only the IMEI is there doesn't make sense. Also, the box and phone are different. I highly doubt it is legitimate.
Download "Samsung Info" app from the play store. It has a test that will check authenticity of the phone.
Sent from my SCH-I545 using XDA mobile app

Random contact/number appears on my phone

So this morning I'm scrolling through my contacts and I notice a random contact name and number that I don't recognize or remember adding. After Googling the number and looking around, it turns out it's a random person I've never seen or met before that lives hundreds of miles away.
Though after thinking about it over and over, the number does seem familiar, and I suspect it may have been an old phone number of mine from years ago.
Any idea how or why this number would randomly appear in my contacts? As it's puzzling and slightly frightening/unsettling.

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