My battery has gone to hell. After getting it down to 5% one day, it just would not hold a charge long. Then I got it down to 10% a week later, and it really got bad. Life is about 1/3 what it used to be. I also have some dust and even small hairs or flecks in the screen.
So...I ordered a new advance replacement unit from T-Mobile, and it just arrived. Simple enough? Well, I have the memory upgrade in mine, so I need to do some component swapping. What's the best way to go about this? What parts can be disconnected easily (or more importantly, reconnected)? Where is the damn battery (didn't see it in the disassembly photos on the site)?
Hi,
Carlos said:
So...I ordered a new advance replacement unit from T-Mobile, and it just arrived. Simple enough? Well, I have the memory upgrade in mine, so I need to do some component swapping. What's the best way to go about this? What parts can be disconnected easily (or more importantly, reconnected)? Where is the damn battery (didn't see it in the disassembly photos on the site)?
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Please specify 'component swapping' in more detail... Are you actually thinking about swapping the memory upgrade??? You do know that that would mean desoldering the 2 big memory chips on both boards, cleaning them and the boards, and soldering them back... How good are you at smd soldering??? We haven't dared doing that, yet... (some pics of upgrading memory of an iPaq are available at http://www.linearlogix.com/ipaq/upgradereview.html
There are commercial services doing the upgrade (32 -> 64 mb), if I were you I'd contact one of those.
Other than that, we're currently swapping lcd screens, touchpanels, mainboards from 3 broken units to create 2 working units and 1 very broken one. So, what do you need to know exactly?
BTW, the battery is stuck on the inside of the back cover.
XDA developer bigmac (taking pictures of the open units right now...)
No, no, I can solder normal stuff, but not that. I mean, I assume what I need to do is keep my own motherboard. I'd like the screen, case, and battery from the new unit. On the radio section, I suppose it doesn't matter either way. So I incorrectly said "component" when what I really meant was "board," and desired advice on doing that.
The hazards of posting in the middle of the night after too much work.
Carlos said:
No, no, I can solder normal stuff, but not that. I mean, I assume what I need to do is keep my own motherboard. I'd like the screen, case, and battery from the new unit. On the radio section, I suppose it doesn't matter either way. So I incorrectly said "component" when what I really meant was "board," and desired advice on doing that.
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Ok, so you want to use the screen/touchpanel/backlight assembly from the new one (smart move, not taking that apart; besides the fact that it's glued together and you need to separate it on the correct separation, that also leaves the risk of forgetting the correct orientation of the glass panel with little dots on it, used to distribute the backlight evently onto the lcd; and, there are slightly different assemblies out there which need slightly different panels...). You should keep all boards from the old unit (old mainboard including old radio unit, use the new screen/touchpanel/backlight assemly, and the new case (which includes the new battery).
You could consider swapping IMEI numbers on the units... Although _shops_ never register the numbers when they give out units, service departments might. You know where to find the tool to do that...
The screwing around of the parts should not take more than half an hour if it's the first time you take apart this unit (but have taken apart small electronics before) and less if you've done it before.
Beware of the really thin clear plastic rings used under the screws to screw down the display...
We won't be publishing a very detailed 'how to swap your screen' instruction any time soon but do have some raw unedited pictures of the operation. I'll see if we can get them online any time soon.
Have fun,
XDA developer bigmac
I ended up doing the change and ran into a snag--the plastic pin that sticks out of the top power button was loose or broken (probably happened in one of the many drops the unit has experienced). When I opened the case, I lost that. Had to send it to PPC Techs to have them solder in a new power switch.
Other than that, disassembly is pretty easy and straightforward. You mentioned you won't publish a how-to...is that because of not wanting to have it on the site, or that nobody wants to write one? If the latter, I'd be happy to write it up and include my detailed pics.
If you want to make a detailed howto on how to open and close the unit, and how to exchange certain parts, we will gladly put it on!
Do make sure to stress that people need a certain level of experience or be willing to risk losing the device though...
just as the thread says, my phone hit the ground and the inside part of the screen cracked (not the surface). What options do i have that wont rape my wallet?
Unless you have the ability to open it and fix it your self or a warranty still in place, I'll say just buy a new phone, though the vibrant is a sexy phone, I doubt you will find it.
This video explains and shows everything, how to do it...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vLUl9tlHSik
If you visit the store from the people who made the video, you will also find replacement parts...but...from my experience with Iphone repairs, they are totally overpriced...try to google for other shops...or try ebay.
At least you see it is possible...
Ok forget it, obviously Samsung won't sell any AMOLED screens to third parties till 2012, means, the replacement screens you might be able to buy are not really OEM and AMOLED...so be aware...at least thats what I all found out using google.
so my options are thin basically.. this sucks, i mean i could send it to samsung for $161 repair but **** man, i just can't afford the repair right now, been driving me nuts for the last two days
Did you have a case on it? If you're accident prone, an otterbox can save you from most falls as long as that fall isn't screen-first onto a big metal spike.
Yeah, not much you can do about the screen. However, used Vibrants are all over eBay ranging from $250 all the way down to a full working one for $160 from a 100% seller with many many sales (AKA reasonably reliable).
My condolences either way. Breaking the screen is one of my biggest fears.
Anyone know where the water sensor is? I deep sixed my phone, but I grabbed it out instantly. It does work perfectly fortunately. I want to check to see if the sensor is triggered.
Thanks!
Jeff
The battery has water sensor sticker.
sonysw said:
The battery has water sensor sticker.
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Really? none in the phone.. Cool.. is it by the contacts? What color is it supposed to be? Mine is red. Probably not good! lol
Thanks
Jeff
newalker91 said:
It's inside of the phone so people stop trying to peel it off and lie to us about whether or not it has gotten wet. I've seen too many phones come in with little red specs and glue residue where there used to be a litmus indicator, then when I ask if they've gotten it wet "Oh no, it's never even been near water!"
If you have a T6 you can open up the phone and check, but if it is removed I can promise you that most techs will automatically refer you to asurion. I'd rather see a slightly pink sticker than a missing one.
EDIT: With your sticker being red, it's been soaked. They'll be sending you to asurion if you step into any tech centers.
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Ok, If I use my friends battery , will they open the phone anyway for a exchange to see, I want another one?
Thanks
Doesn't matter we sprint techs don't go by the litmus paper anymore anyway. At some point if the liquid corrodes your circuit board, or sits standing somewhere in your phone w/o evaporating, it is then we will deem it Damaged Beyond Repair.
newalker91 said:
They will. Every phone gets completely dismantled before it gets exchanged to inspect for improper use. Red sticker or no sticker, you're pretty much screwed on that.
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Ok, I do have protection from sprint ($8 a month) , should I just claim lost or does it matter? Protection covers water damage too right?
newalker91 said:
Just tell them you sunk it in water. It'll be a $100 deductible that you can place on your bill or pay over the phone. If you say that you lost it they'll black out the ESN on the phone so it'll be of no use anyways. It's cheaper to swing by an electronics store, pick up a T6 screwdriver and a pry tool, get some denatured alcohol from a hardware store, and scrub the phone clean on the inside with a stuff bristle art brush. Denatured alcohol cleans away any corrosion and once its clean your phone will run perfectly fine.
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+1
10 char
Funny about water damage..i know people that just say it was lost now
Sent from my MB855 using XDA App
In the Atrix the water indicator is on the inside of the back plate, and if you look closely at the breakdown of the Photon in this video below, it seems that at time index 2:00 you also see a red looking water mark below the round disc at the bottom of the back plate.
At time index 2:44 it seems that on the circuit board itself it looks like there are 8 strips, but I can't tell if they are water indicators.
Bottom line, I doubt Sprint Tech would go through all this trouble to dismantle the Photon to see if the water indicator (if that's what those things are) do show any water damage.
(click on image for a bigger full size view)
Mind you the Teardown video is not for the faint of Heart. lol
TS out
newalker91 said:
As best practice, my techs are required to break a phone down completely and rebuild/repair it to try and fix any issues prior to ordering a new one. This may require the customer to wait an hour, but it's best for everyone involved. They won't have to set up a new phone or be exposed to new problems, and it keeps our exchange rate down. In this process they will find anything like that.
(Have to meet a load of ridiculous quotas set by Sprint to make any commission. We're the largest third party dealer in the midwest, yet our techs get minimum wage + commission if they meet Sprint's nearly impossible requirements. It's pretty bogus and get's frustrating when customers throw a ***** fit when we try to protect our paychecks before handing them a new phone on a silver platter.)
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I am within the 30 days, I wonder if they will tear down the phone. Normally, I got a replacement fast.
I'm going to borrow my friends battery and try.
If they do bomb it out, can I pay the deductible and get a new one right there?
newalker91 said:
As best practice, my techs are required to break a phone down completely and rebuild/repair it to try and fix any issues prior to ordering a new one. This may require the customer to wait an hour, but it's best for everyone involved. They won't have to set up a new phone or be exposed to new problems, and it keeps our exchange rate down. In this process they will find anything like that.
(Have to meet a load of ridiculous quotas set by Sprint to make any commission. We're the largest third party dealer in the midwest, yet our techs get minimum wage + commission if they meet Sprint's nearly impossible requirements. It's pretty bogus and get's frustrating when customers throw a ***** fit when we try to protect our paychecks before handing them a new phone on a silver platter.)
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I had know Idea that it was like that. I be more aware of that in the future, although I have never thrown a fit over it. Can we have a little more insight on your quotas, just to better understand?
newalker91 said:
Under your 30 days it's worth a shot. Tell them you were having issues with the phone randomly shutting off and it's a known issue.
This budget includes all of the phones that we receive from the factory that are already defective and have to bounce back to order another, which I've been fighting since day one. In addition to this, we also have to main 80% customer satisfaction (random survey calls to customers on a 5 point scale) which is really difficult because they take out their frustrations with Sprint on us regardless of us explaining the survey to them.
In all of this, if we miss our exchange budget 3 months in a row, we go onto a performance plan. Miss it again, you're fired. In order to get paid a bonus, we have to be 10% under our budget, not just hit it. Plus we have to hit our repair rate, 80% CSAT, 75% ReadyNow participation and hit a top profit level. In the end, our commission with all of this being hit is only about $250-300 on top of our minimum wage. For the most part, we only get minimum wage.
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"This budget includes all of the phones that we receive from the factory that are already defective and have to bounce back to order another, which I've been fighting since day one."
Can I get a little more clarification on this?
Do sprint stores go threw techs like theirs no tomorrow? I always give 5*, unless someone from ACS wants to lie to me and said they have taken care of something and it takes talking to 3 others to get it cleared up.
How can techs be held responsible for unrepairable phones. Do you just limit the tickets that are processed for repairs until a tech can determine weather or not the phone can be fixed?
Just curious, been with sprint since 2002, and I feel the more one knows how a company works, the better it is on working with customer service.
Wow. I feel your frustration. Why can't the manufacture/or warehouse be held more responsible for what they ship as a "New or Refurbished Phones". And why are their not more "loner phones" to keep exchange rates down, until a phone can be repaired. I know overhead has to be kept down, but having 50 to 75 loner phones would be ideal, wouldnt it?
Is it possible to have customer service take the hit on these promises that it can be exchanged? And "like for like" phones seems like a waste of resources.
I got a couple of more question but I will just PM you tomorrow. I don't want to change the focus of the thread.
Thank you for the insight.
newalker91 said:
I'm still fighting to get the warehouses to be more responsible, but it's a fruitless battle. Every Sprint store in America faces the issue of lazy refurbishing.
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I feel your pain. We do 7-800 ticket a month with only FT two techs and one part timer. The last thing we need is defective replacements. The joke in my shop is that "Does it work" is not on the checklist.
Lokifish Marz said:
joke in my shop is that "Does it work" is not on the checklist.
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qft! I cant believe how many defective units come in, and my store is only 6 months old - were not super busy but still see a large number of bounces.
newalker91 said:
Under your 30 days it's worth a shot. Tell them you were having issues with the phone randomly shutting off and it's a known issue.
Our quotas are like this: They base it on your number of tickets you process per month, and my store does about 600 tickets per month. There are three types of transactions, triage (fixes that require no parts), repair (parts) and exchanges. Your repair rate must exceed 35%. Your exchanges must not exceed your budget. The budget varies by store, but is normally around 22% of your tickets. My store's budget is 122. This budget includes all of the phones that we receive from the factory that are already defective and have to bounce back to order another, which I've been fighting since day one. In addition to this, we also have to main 80% customer satisfaction (random survey calls to customers on a 5 point scale) which is really difficult because they take out their frustrations with Sprint on us regardless of us explaining the survey to them. We also must have 75% in ReadyNow participation, where we have to set up their phone and teach them features on it. I dislike this greatly as this is something only the sales end should be held accountable for because I don't have time to teach people their phone when I have a line of customers. Most people will say no we didn't do ReadyNow with them on the survey even when I tell them we did. In all of this, if we miss our exchange budget 3 months in a row, we go onto a performance plan. Miss it again, you're fired. In order to get paid a bonus, we have to be 10% under our budget, not just hit it. Plus we have to hit our repair rate, 80% CSAT, 75% ReadyNow participation and hit a top profit level. In the end, our commission with all of this being hit is only about $250-300 on top of our minimum wage. For the most part, we only get minimum wage.
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This is why I'm a tech for a corporate store
We process just as many phones, but our metrics are a little easier. CSAT is only 73%, ReadyNow isn't even a metric as far as techs are concerned, and exchanges aren't budgeted as a gross total, we just can't allow our exchange rate to go above 35%. We also have the Slate diagnostics test, which we have to hit 50% being run on compatible devices.
That being said, I've only been with sprint since the end of june, and I've hit these numbers and then some without really trying. Individually I've worked on about 150 phones this month, and the other two techs are also right around that number, with even better metrics.
Sent from my SPH-D700 using XDA Premium App
squshy 7 said:
This is why I'm a tech for a corporate store
We process just as many phones, but our metrics are a little easier. CSAT is only 73%, ReadyNow isn't even a metric as far as techs are concerned, and exchanges aren't budgeted as a gross total, we just can't allow our exchange rate to go above 35%. We also have the Slate diagnostics test, which we have to hit 50% being run on compatible devices.
That being said, I've only been with sprint since the end of june, and I've hit these numbers and then some without really trying. Individually I've worked on about 150 phones this month, and the other two techs are also right around that number, with even better metrics.
Sent from my SPH-D700 using XDA Premium App
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Those numbers are changing again. That said, you can only imagine what mine look like at a store like mine that does 2000+ tickets a month, and this is my 7th year, I'm pre-merger Sprint. I amaze myself at keeping my exchange rate under 22% each month. I hit 18% at one point last year...but I harvest like a mad scientist and I still solder things with my lvl 3 cert. And no one gets Lvl 3 certified anymore.
On top of that, we are a Discovery Store, so our direct line of management is about 2 rings under direction of Dan Hesse himself. So you can imagine the programs WE run.
Don't know if your question has truly been answered, but on the Atrix there are 3 water sensors that I personally know of... I took a swim with my phone about 2 months ago... It is working perfectly to this day except for the front facing camera. There is one on the battery. One behind the back cover next to the sim card and memory card... And one on the underside of the motherboard closest to the camera. You have to loosen the motherboard completely to see this one. Hope this helps. I know it is where the Atrix's are located, but may help.
This thread is definitely interesting reading. In fact, it made me pop open the back of my phone for the first time (I've had my phone for about 5 days). I was surprised to see that the battery indicator has red + symbols because the phone is so new and I have not had it anywhere near water (no, really).
It makes me wonder if the other water sensors are also tripped. I purchased the phone at Best Buy and they put it all together for me, otherwise I probably would have noticed it before. Should I ask Best Buy to replace the phone, or just the battery? Not sure where I should go from here. Every thing works perfectly...
EDIT**** taken. Sorry guys. Deadlocked was on it quick
First of all, i will say this: i know this is the wrong section. I'm not some dumb noob posting here because i am ignorant. If you are not a noob, you will know why.
lol... ok so getting into it... i have a perfectly good 4,000 mAh seido battery that i do not need/want anymore. I dropped my phone, cracked the back case, so i have nothing to hold it in. i'm sure i could get one through seido, some dealer, who the hell knows. i just don't care to. i went to a local wireless dealer and just picked up a 2500 mAh empire battery for 30 bucks to save the hassle.
The thing here is, I just don’t care to go through the trouble to contact them, wait for it to come, give em a credit card number, then have it not show up for 2weeks because it’s the holidays.
So my proposition here is simple. Somebody who DOES want to go through the trouble to get one, you are staring at a golden opportunity… because I am giving it away… free of charge. I will mail it, ship it, teleport it, whatever you want. Just send me a couple bucks in the mail AFTER you receive the package with your new battery inside. And really, if you don’t feel like sending anything, merry Christmas. The bottom line here is I simply don’t care to keep it around. lol
So somebody shoot me a PM so we can figure this out. First one gets it.
Checking now I will let you know man. If you were the first one then yup you got it
yumadtho?
Taken... Sorry guys
yumadtho?