Fixed my creaky/clicky home button - Sprint Samsung Galaxy Note 3

I know there has been discussion about how the home button moves and I have no fix for that. That actually doesn't bother me much because I have to really force my button to move for it to happen. The clicky/creaky crap from the button is unacceptable to me though and I had to fix it. For the first month I had my device the button was smooth to press and made no noise, but over time it became progressively creaky and harder to press. What I did to fix it isn't some Earth shattering solution, but it did work for me.
My Solution
Tools: WD-40 and a paper clip or a push pin(ones for sticking paper/posters into the wall) - I think a paper clip would work better than a push pin.
1. Spray some WD-40 into the cap that comes with the WD-40 or some other very small container. You don't need a lot; just enough where you have a very small puddle of oil.
2. Submerge the tip of your paper clip into the puddle you've created. When I did this the amount of oil on the tip of my paper clip was barely noticeable. I would suggest you keep your amount this low as well.
3. Now patiently take the paper clip and trace the surround of the home button. Lay the paper clip horizontal to the phone to reduce the risks of scratching the phone. If you can move your button it would be good to do so in order to gain more access to the side of the button.
4. Continue with steps 2 and 3 until the button becomes smooth to pressure.
My major tip for this is to be very patient and to use as little oil as possible. Like I said the amount of oil on the tip of my paper clip was barely noticeable to the eye. It took me about 4 passes to get the button to my desired smoothness.
Hopefully this helps someone out there.
Disclaimer - This is an electrical device and following the above steps to the exact specs could still ruin your expensive electronics. Certainly not following the exact steps could be an even worse outcome. I bare no responsibility for anyone ruining their expensive piece of equipment.

It's a good idea but I just bought a Otterbox commuter and it comes with a casing the wraps around the button so no condensation can get to the button which I think is happening. The oils and moisture from your fingers could be causing the rust issue..
Sent from my SM-N900P using Tapatalk

Related

Secure Ram Mount AQ3 Bike and 4x4 mount for Touch HD - Detailed Mod

Hi All
When I looked around for a bike and car mount for my Touch HD I wasn't very happy with what was available.
Specifically I wanted a 'protective' mount that would keep the phone dry and dirt/mud free, I also wanted to be able to leave the phone in the unit and step away without someone being able to grab the phone easily (I realise if someone wants to steal it they'll do it, however I want to at least slow them down if they try).
After searching I found the Ram Mount AQ3. It seemed perfect as it had a clear cover and was lockable, however it was 2mm too narrow to fit the phone.
Dremel time.
http://www.ram-mount-uk.com/ram-hol-aq3.htm
To achieve the following you need about an hour of time, a Dremel with standard fittings, a steady hand and a bit of concentration. If you've not used a dremel on plastic before I'd suggest practising on other tough plastic to get an idea of how the dremel reacts before going to work on your RAM Mount.
Please follow all the standard safety precautions using your Dremel, it's not my fault if you cut off your finger or an exploding bit blinds you.
The plan was to increase the internal width of the mount by about 1mm on each side and to have a cutaway that would allow a mini usb connector to fit the phone while it is in the mount.
IMPORTANT NOTE
Do NOT use the Dremel on a high speed setting, this generates heat and causes melting rather then the grinding you need. I used my Dremel on the lowest speed setting and constantly moved the area being worked on, after about 2-3 minutes on a 'side' I'd change to the other side to ensure the plastic didn't get heat buildup that would cause melting.
I decided to use a Dremel grinding tip to achieve my objective, specifically...
http://www.dremel.com/en-us/AttachmentsAndAccessories/Pages/AttachmentsDetail.aspx?pid=932
Make sure the Ram Mount is securely positioned and that you have good access to allow you to work across both the internal sides you want to grind. TAKE YOUR TIME.
You want the whole side of the Dremel bit to be in contact with the plastic, try to avoid angling the bit as you'll find that either just the top edge or bottom edge of the bit will be grinding the plastic.
Working in a smooth consistent way start to grind the internal area of the mount on one side, work gently from side to side on the area and do not stay on one part too long, heat buildup and melting happen surprising quickly and plastic will not grind if it's melting. Do not press down on the plastic too hard, let the bit do the work for you.
After working both sides say 5 times get a vacuum cleaner and remove all the ground residue that is in the area, use your finger to rub the internal areas to remove any small particles and vacuum thoroughly again.
Install the two thin padding sheets supplied with the mount and then install the phone.
Test to see if your phone now fits flush, if not try to identify the areas where you need extra grinding and rework them, try to ensure you remove equal amounts from both sides of the Mount. Always vacuum before trying to mount the phone, the dust grinding produces is extremely small and could get inside your phone if you're not careful.
When you're satisfied with the flush fit you then have to remove some extra plastic from the area near the volume buttons, with the phone fitted visually identify the top and bottom position where the buttons sit and spend maybe 2 minutes further grinding that area. Vacuum and install the phone to ensure the buttons are not pressed when the phone is fitted, repeat till you're happy.
You should now be able to mount your phone, fit the clear plastic cover and close and lock the lid, this should all be possible without the volume buttons reacting inside the case.
If you've got here well done, the next step is fairly straightforward.
With the phone fitted identify where the mini usb connector is on the phone, mark or score the plastic at both ends of the connector, remove the phone from the mount.
Using the following cut off wheel cut into the mount at the previous two marks.
http://www.dremel.com/en-us/AttachmentsAndAccessories/Pages/AttachmentsDetail.aspx?pid=409
Again be careful using the cutting tool, the plastic will heat up and melt quite quickly.
Once you've cut down into the plastic on both the marks then cut at a 45 degree angle into the plastic that's going to be removed, you want to cut a V shape within the marks. Using the cutting tool keep working to remove blocks of plastic within the marks until you can mount your phone and connect a mini usb connector.
That's it, you should now have a secure lockable box that your Touch HD fits in perfectly.
Good Luck
Sorry about the photo quality, my flash camera is elsewhere at the moment.....If people are interested I'll take detailed photo's next week.
Case Closed
Case Closed with Cover in Place
Mini USB Cable attached
Any pics of the result ???
Thank you very much for this tips.
Photo's added above
i got this one crackinbg box
http://www.otterbox.com/handheld-pda-cases/1900-series-pda-case/
jez

reduce back cover creak

Not sure who has this problem, but my phone tended to "creak" when pressed at certain points. I decided to figure out why this was happening. Turns out the battery itself has a little more motion than ideal and the phone was making the creak noise with the back cover off when i pushed on the battery.
My simple fix was to cut out a few pieces of paper the size of the battery and put them between the back cover and the battery.
This makes the phone feel much more solid. I'm sure tape would do the same thing. The trick is to find the right thickness between stopping the noise and still allowing the cover to fit on tightly.
mark9876 said:
Not sure who has this problem, but my phone tended to "creak" when pressed at certain points. I decided to figure out why this was happening. Turns out the battery itself has a little more motion than ideal and the phone was making the creak noise with the back cover off when i pushed on the battery.
My simple fix was to cut out a few pieces of paper the size of the battery and put them between the back cover and the battery.
This makes the phone feel much more solid. I'm sure tape would do the same thing. The trick is to find the right thickness between stopping the noise and still allowing the cover to fit on tightly.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I haven't had the same issue, but on my first Dinc 4G, the back case immediately next to the volume rocker was slightly loose, and I could press on it and feel a similar creak to what you're talking about. I traded it in after a week because of a few other issues, and this new one doesn't have that same problem. I didn't do anything to try to remedy it, so I don't know the best solution.
theres now 4 inc4g ltes within my family lol.
the creek is only noticeable on two of them.
My solution to the creaky problem was to take the cover off and cover the little dimple thingies with electrical tape.
Works like a champ.
Sent from my ADR6410LVW using Tapatalk 2
I take a more simplistic approach for all the phones i purchase and issue here at work. Peel off 3 of the small postit notes, stick it on the battery, no creaks, groans or otherwise irritating sounds.

S4 Home Button Click Solved

Have you ran into that annoying click that just started on your S4 every time you press the home button?
Don't worry, there is a fix!! I had this same problem on my S4 and I have horrible OCD so this was not kosher. I found that the cause for the clicking is the button sticking, causing it to click when you press on it. Anything you may get on your screen and wipe away, oils from your hands, dust, and plenty of other things can cause this to happen. The material gets between the button and the case and causes it to stick and click every time you press it. Temp solutions are to blow on it, or press on it really hard. All you need to do is get an electronics cleaning cloth, a business card, and some hand sanitizer. This will save you from having to send the phone in for repair or get a refurbished device.
Put some hand sanitizer on the cleaning cloth. Not too much, just enough to make it damp.
Put the cloth over the business card
Use the combination of the cloth and the card and using a little pressure, stick it between the button and the case and go all the way around the button.
If you didn't fix it the first time around, repeat until you are able to press the button without a click.
See the following images: (I can't post outside images, yet.)
pinsoa.com/images/clean1.jpg
pinsoa.com/images/clean2.jpg
EDIT - If a business card doesn't work for you, then find another object that will work to support the cloth. Only very thick business cards work without folding and bending. I used the object pictured below.
pinsoa.com/images/clean3.jpg
Note -- If you are mental, and use too much hand sanitizer you will damage your phone. You just need the cloth to be damp. I use hand sanitizer because it dries extremely fast. I am NOT responsible if you screw up your phone.
Let me know if this works for you!!:good:
Happy cleaning

Anyone replaced a cracked screen themselves?

Came to my phone to find a huge crack across the middle of it! I've changed no end of screens before on other devices so Ill do the same with this phone.
Looking on eBay you can get the screen by itself or with the frame. I'm going to guess that purchasing the screen and frame is the easier option. Has anyone done it before? Any tips?
Definitely do the screen with frame.
Patience is key take your time with the heat gun when getting the visor and plastic bottom out.
And also with the battery. I went slowly and with constant pressure and managed to get the battery out without bending it.
Also don't forget to transfer everything over like. Some things I almost missed were the Power and Volume button ribbon cable and the vibration module.
Oh and also a red piece toward the bottom of the phone that I think channels sound from the bottom speaker.
Also, considering shells for the phone are relatively cheap, I wouldn't sweat marring the finish when doing this, especially since they usually include the visor.
I'm actually considering mixing up the colors as I have seen others do.

Checking water resistance / potential leaky places

Hello everyone.
I was looking for a non-damaging way for checking if the phone is still watertight with front glass cracked.
I supposed that increasing/decreasing the air pressure inside the phone and waiting how long it will stay deformed would be quite a good idea. (I understand that air-tight != water-tight)
To my surprise, blowing a compressed air into the microphone port causes to increase the pressure inside and deforms back panel, and then stays like this for a few seconds or more. (However I can't simply pump it with my mouth). Related video:
Then I tried to pump it and submerge in water to see where are potential leaking places. Here is the result (starts at 0:10):
It appears that most of the air goes through the microphone port, but there are also bubbles around panel, however the cracked screen seems tight.
My questions are:
1) Is it normal that you can pump the phone through microphone port like this and that the air comes out that quickly?
2) Should I improve the sealing of the back panel?
I'm not going to swim, just feel safer in case of rainy day or accidental splash.
Thanks in advance.
great vid. I'm a little bit surprised when I see the bubbles coming out when you did the waterproof test. I don't think that's supposed to happen.. but I believe it'll survive a rain and other watery splash. anyway does the phone functions normally after that? and how do you improve the sealing if I may know? thank you.
The phone seems fine. So far no problems occurred at all and I haven't seen any signs of moisture.
I assume that the sealing is made of heat-based glue, so I'll try heating edges (as you do before disassembly) and squeeze for some time. If that won't work, it would be necessary to take off the panel and replace the whole seal.

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