[Q] Strange USB port hardware issue? - Sony Xperia Z Ultra

Hey guys,
Something strange is happening with my ZU - it seems plugging in a USB cable causes erratic behavior which prevents me from charging and/or copying stuff to it any more. I'd love to hear any ideas you may have as I'm all out of them. More details below:
Specs:
Non-GPe Xperia Z Ultra that's running SlimKat. Had one other hardware issue with it detailed here but I'm not sure they are related - the USB connection worked up until perhaps a month ago or less (after I flashed SlimKat). I don't know exactly since I often use the magnetic port.
What happens:
When I connect a usb cable to the phone it starts acting like I'm constantly plugging in/removing the cable. So it vibrates/beeps every second, the screen doesn't stay off (even if I press the power button), etc. It doesn't matter if I'm using a wall charger or a computer. On the other hand, if I use the magnetic charger there are no issues.
What I've tried:
Multiple cables.
Multiple wall chargers.
Multiple computers.
Wiggling the cable/jack.

Why arent you posting this in the questions and answers subforum?

Oh my bad, I was under the impression I posted in Q&A. Could one of the mods please move this thread?

Since you started having this issue at some point after installing SlimKat, I would probably flash the stock rom, and see if that fixes the issue. I'm just throwing stuff out here, but if this turns out to be a hardware issue, and not software, you're probably boned.

Related

[Q] USB Connected - Screen Accuracy Drops to Zero?

Hey guys.
Any time I connect the phone to my computer via USB, the phone's touchscreen goes bonkers. It wont register my touch in the correct location, it jumps around and registers button-presses that I never pressed, or won't register a firm screen-press at all!
If the USB is unplugged, everything zips along accurately.
Any idea what might be causing this, and how I might fix it?
Just a quick background:
I rooted and installed the lag-fix. I encountered a problem with the lag-fix, restored factory settings, and root/lag-fixed again. The problem cropped up after the factory restore.
BTownTKD said:
Hey guys.
Any time I connect the phone to my computer via USB, the phone's touchscreen goes bonkers. It wont register my touch in the correct location, it jumps around and registers button-presses that I never pressed...
Any idea what might be causing this, and how I might fix it?
Just a quick background:
I rooted and installed the lag-fix. I encountered a problem with the lag-fix, restored factory settings, and root/lag-fixed again. The problem cropped up after the factory restore.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That's wacky. Since you've already done it once, I'd just restore again and see if that fixes it.
Also... not sure if this is a side-effect of the factory restore, but guess what suddenly appeared in my Widgets list??
Google Search!
BTownTKD said:
Also... not sure if this is a side-effect of the factory restore, but guess what suddenly appeared in my Widgets list??
Google Search!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Using LauncherPro by any chance? It's been showing up with LP since Day 1.. If not, that's pretty darn cool then.
namebrandon said:
Using LauncherPro by any chance? It's been showing up with LP since Day 1.. If not, that's pretty darn cool then.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Oops... launcherPro.
I've since reset the factory settings again; no luck. Still all wonky when USB is plugged in.
I'm considering taking it back to best buy and simply exchanging it for a different one, since I've only had it for a day. I would think that resetting everything to factory defaults would have fixed any software problem. Maybe this is a hardware problem that I just now noticed.
I have heard roomer, that if your usb is to low or to high of a voltage it will bork up the touch screen while plugged in.
it seems a common occurrence on many Android phones that use our style of USB port that if you use a 3rd party usb cable (i.e. one other than what shipped with the phone) as well as many 3rd party usb wall chargers that the touchscreen will either go bonkers or freeze up alltogether.
I've seen the exact same thing happen with my friends HTC MT3G and Motorola CliqXT using certain cables and chargers. Any cables/chargers that do this to my Vibrant do it to their phones too.
Interesting. I'm glad I read all this before I decided to take it back;
the laptop I had it plugged into is so fubar'd, that it would not surprise me to find that it has incorrect voltage...
This happens all the time on my Droid 2, Nexus and Fascinate. I just swipe very quickly and press lightly. However, no matter how many "tricks" I try it's still hard to flip through screens or open the correct app. Hardest task would be to navigate a website. Considering it happens on multiple Android devices and computers I never really put too much thought into it. Just figured it to be a Android bug.
Wow, never seen this. Now I do use the cable that came with my fascinate to plug into my computer, however car charger, wall chargers, and a USB charger (in my truck), I just use the cables from my Droid1. All my chargers are generics... Hmmm..
my htc touch pro 2 did the same thing when i used a gps car charger... screen went crazy
chargers
Ok. So for anyone wanting to know what's going on in the background to cause problems with your phone with crappy chargers....
I first discovered this with another touch screen player *cough*ipodTouch*cough*cough when I was trying to make a universal 4-port USB charging bay that would work with my sansa and my ...other player.
The specification that most device-manufacturing companies use nowadays for charging states that for a device to recognize a charger (and to start accepting a charge from the charger), the data pins must be shorted (connected together). This is what Sandisk, Apple, and several others are using. That is how I built my 4 port USB charger and it works flawlessly (with my sansa, ipod, galaxy, and Cowon S9).
NOW, somewhere floating around on the net are specs that state that some data must be sent/received through the USB's data cable (i believe it claims to need any 2.5V) which basically puts some resistors in to make a voltage divider.with the power and ground and data pins. THESE ARE BAD SPECS. They might have been legit in the past for some other device, but they are NOT what our phones need.
So some of the cheap, off-brand chargers are actually sending random messages to our Phones through the data pins (non-sense 2.5 volts). I haven't heard any reports of this damaging the phone or mp3 players yet, but whenever I plug mine into a charger and I lose the ability to control the screen, I get nervous b/c I know there is voltage on the data pins, and I don't know if it's the correct amount. So I get nervous
...does that make sense?
I had the Droid and the first time I saw that, it freaked me out. It seems to be an issue with touch screen android phones when they don't receive the correct voltage, whether because of a 3rd party cable, or a different computer voltage or something. I was using my blackberry mini usb charger and it would act like it had rabies. Nothing is wrong with your phone.
The charger included is plugged in next to my bed, and I'm using my Droid's USB cable in the computer without issues. That's very strange. I've never heard of this problem.
Kamar234 said:
I had the Droid and the first time I saw that, it freaked me out. It seems to be an issue with touch screen android phones when they don't receive the correct voltage, whether because of a 3rd party cable, or a different computer voltage or something. I was using my blackberry mini usb charger and it would act like it had rabies. Nothing is wrong with your phone.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sorry dude. It's not just android handsets, and it doesn't (seem) to have anything to do with the proper voltage. I've taken multimeters to the chargers. They are providing the proper ~4.5-5V range. It has to be the data pins.
Although, that's just the chargers I've had. Take a voltmeter to your usb chargers (don't touch the casing at the same time!) and see what their voltage is. But a low voltage just wouldn't charge your phone, and a high voltage would damage it.

USB port problem (charging issues)

I haven't seen any similar threads and I'm sorry if there is already an existing one.
My X10 USB port has suddenly gone wonky. At first the phone had no problems charging, but when trying to connect to the computer, the cable had to be held in a certain position or it would not connect. This later began to affect charging as the usb cable had to be held in a certain position to charge. Now even after wiggling around the USB cable and reinserting the battery, the phone will not charge.
Given that the USB port used to work while being held in a certain position, it seems that this is a hardware issue. After finding nothing here, I searched the interwebs and found that poorly soldered USB ports are actually a fairly common problem on the X10.
I was wondering if anyone else has experienced this problem or has any insights?
tinythetiger said:
I haven't seen any similar threads and I'm sorry if there is already an existing one.
My X10 USB port has suddenly gone wonky. At first the phone had no problems charging, but when trying to connect to the computer, the cable had to be held in a certain position or it would not connect. This later began to affect charging as the usb cable had to be held in a certain position to charge. Now even after wiggling around the USB cable and reinserting the battery, the phone will not charge.
Given that the USB port used to work while being held in a certain position, it seems that this is a hardware issue. After finding nothing here, I searched the interwebs and found that poorly soldered USB ports are actually a fairly common problem on the X10.
I was wondering if anyone else has experienced this problem or has any insights?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
this happened to me too, are you using the usb that came with your phone? because when mine broke i bought a new cable and everything worked fine so try the cable on a different phone and see if it charges
Sent from my X10a using XDA App
I have tried 3 different USB cables, including the one that is included with the phone. Thanks for your input.
My last x10 went down the same way. I had to buy an external battery charger which was a royal pain. SE refused all knowledge of this defect.
tinythetiger said:
I have tried 3 different USB cables, including the one that is included with the phone. Thanks for your input.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
whoa not cool how long have u had your device?? will se fix it?
Sent from my X10a using XDA App
The problem is most likely due the actual design of the phone, where the USB connector is not properly strain-relief. This causes the solder joints to break, and ripping off the solder pads after a while. You used to be able to charge your phone because the pads very only "lifted" but after a while they become completely broken. I'm currently still in the process of trying to figure out whether it would be possible to repair those connections by finding an alternate location to solder the connector pins.
I've had my x10 since April when it launched. Other than this it has been rock solid, but this is really disappointing considering how tank my old W810i was.
I also think that there is either a problem with the design or the manufacture of the phone because it's somewhat common, as it does appear that the soldering of the USB port is not very good.
Looking around the internet, it doesn't seem like SE acknowledges this problem, but luckily it's still under warranty with Rogers for a replacement. I still want to get this issue out on this forum though, because I think it should be something that people are aware of.
I had the same problem a while ago. Called Orange France and they replaced my phone without any comments. If your phone is still under warranty you should go to your provider.
Hey guys. I need help returning my x10 back to stock without a usb cable. I have an AT&T x10a, but unfortunately the other day one of the pins in my usb module (ground, I believe-pin 1) snapped off. I can't charge or connect my phone at all.
Is there any way of flashing the phone back to stock AT&T firmware using like a terminal emulator so I can send it back to AT&T? Btw - the phone is running Nordic 2.1 and it's rooted. Thanks for anyone who can help.
Sent from my X10a
I was looking through the forums for a method like this too but couldn't find one so far. Perhaps you could figure out what makes it look like it's on stock firmware:
i.e. change the boot screen, change the model to x10a, unroot and make it look as much as possible like stock.
Look at the "broken usb connector" thread
Sent from my X10i using XDA App

[Q] Problem with my phone

Hey!
I have a strange problem. I can get my phone to start first by taking out the battery, hooking it up with pc or ac adapter and then it turns on. Even if I disconnect with the usb or ac its still working. Why cant I turn it on normally.
please do not post multiple threads. list all your problems in one thread. Do not open a new thread.
How old is the phone, it sounds like you may have hardware issues.

Help: Only seeing "USB" when charging from wall chargers (multiple)

Does anyone know what might cause this? Is it a problem with my USB port? I noticed it with my home and my work wall chargers.
Before I call Verizon (whom it has been reported is out of Rezounds, and I'm unlocked/rooted), I was hoping for some advice.
Thanks.
An update -- now after I unplug it from an actual PC, sometimes the USB/Charge and USB Debugging symbols remain in the Notifications bar. Could that mean the pins on my actual microUSB port are defective? I've now tested with a 2.1A wall unit too, and every charger I've tried has been a new USB cord.
Oh and just to rule out software I tried in Safe Mode too, no help. Anyone have an idea aside from calling up Verizon (which I will do after my long weekend out of town)?
I've developed the same issue on both of mine I've had. My solution was to simply run a kernel with a Force AC Charge option built in. Have to be careful, however, as the option may cause excessive heating of the battery if you do any intense usage under charging status (playing a game, trying to run GPS navigation, etc.) It rarely poses an issue, but just a heads-up.
You should never use your phone while charging it alwYs turn it off and set it down. When you are charging ylur phone resistors and capacitors are heatingbup your phone now if you are on it talking on it basicly you are heating up the whole board and if it gets hit enough it will losen the solder from the joint and may cause a chip creep effect on the board causi ng varios problems that are very hard to troubleshoot
Sent from my SGH-T999 using xda premium
USB cable
Gig103 said:
Does anyone know what might cause this? Is it a problem with my USB port? I noticed it with my home and my work wall chargers.
Before I call Verizon (whom it has been reported is out of Rezounds, and I'm unlocked/rooted), I was hoping for some advice.
Thanks.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Try a different USB cable. I've had cables that would charge only, no data. Drove me nuts, I thought it was HTC drivers. Swapped cables fixed it.
The charger is presenting itself in a way that looks like USB. This is very common because iDevices will not charge at all unless the charger does this, so if a manufacturer wants to support iPhones/iPads, they make the charger in this way. Unfortunately, Android devices limit themselves to 500mA when the charger is made like this. Yes, many kernels have fast charge options that make the phone ignore this, but my advice is to get a charger made specifically for Android. Use the one that came in your HTC box as a wall charger if you can. Get the Verizon branded car charger...it charges Android devices correctly.
Yeah, there are many chargers that leave the USB contacts active. Thing is, I've had an HTC branded one that used to show AC at first turn USB on me... Everything else shows USB too unless I force AC in the kernel. Seems like some other condition, degradation or something.
Thanks for the responses so far. I have tried three different wall chargers, each with a different USB cable. Other phones show AC but not mine. At the moment, plugged into the HTC wall wart, I am being asked of I want "charge only" or "disk drive".
Could this be a software related issue? It was mentioned that some ROMS have a force - AC but I am on the newest non Global RUU, unlocked S On, and rooted with TWRP as recovery.
Bump -- is there any chance the RUU and then unlocking and putting TWRP on could cause this issue? Verizon is trying to get me to run a factory reset to "fix it".
Ugh.

Has anyone successfully recovered from the sudden no charging/USB connection issue?

I'm wondering if anyone has suffered with and recovered from the sudden case of no charging/USB>PC recognition?
I've seen countless similar stories across the web, covering many of the Z Family. Some were simple reset jobbies, and I've seen as in-depth as what I'm assuming is an IC being removed, flux cleaned and re-applied (w ww .you tube. com/watch?v=ZyCeNfc99a0).
I purchased a new charger port and also a new battery, as I figured with all the insane constant burning of my pocket, it could use a new one. I'd hoped it was just a charger port issue, but much to my dismay, the issue still persists after fitting them.
I've tried every single button combination "fix", and all to no avail. Multiple leads, charger units, all that polava. Checked and cleaned connections with isopropyl alcohol, checked for burned-out looking mainboard components, at least those that are visible.
I was having minor inconsistent charging issues for a while, up until last Friday. I figured it was the USB port on the phone or the leads, and put it down to general wear and tear.
Last Friday I was at my mates house with super low battery, popped it on charge round his and I noticed it had died completely and kept boot cycling, like the charger was being plugged in and taken out over and over.
I took it out and tried it when I got home with the regular charger, and nothing. My phone is otherwise in mint condition and has been looked after since day one release in the UK.
I'm wondering if some super helpful person here would possibly have some other alternatives that haven't been mentioned, whether a hardware bypass or some trick that isn't amidst the countless cries for help out there.
Many thanks in advance.
Hello,
I have a problem when connecting to a charger it will go in strange charging mode that actually does not charge. It makes the sound like a charger is connected, no charging animation on battery though...
The problem for me it was the USB cable used for charging (i have changed 5 of them in 1 and a half years). Also same behavior happens when using a under 1A wall charger.
P.S. : The USB cables that i have changed they still work fine with other devices/phones .... but not with my Z5C. I`m not sure what but is definetly something wrong withe phone usb port (and it is not dirt).
no, but
I cannot get a usable USB connection to my computer, but if I hold Volume Up while connecting the USB cable to the computer, the charger LED turns red for a moment, then blue. It WILL charge in this mode, which I think is fastboot mode. Someone said it bypasses the charge circuitry or software, which makes me think that maybe I could go into developer mode and turn on OEM unlocking to see if I can stop it from trying to optimize charging. I also have not tried all the USB connection modes yet.
I tried to charge with this blue light technique on the wall charger, but that did not work. Just ran the battery down again and I could not boot the phone.
I know if I press Volume Down while connecting the USB cable to my computer that the charger LED turns green, but I am not sure it will charge in that mode. I think this is for flashing or something, but since my computer does not recognize the USB device no matter what I do, I don't think flashing is an option.
Oh, and when I do charge the phone with the blue light special (old obscure USA discount retailer reference), for some reason the charger LED flashes white every 4 to 5 seconds, but it seems to keep enough charge to get me through at least the day until I can charge again by same method.
Maybe we can keep pooling info here. I got the blue light technique from someone else on this site, so there are people here who know quite a bit about this phone, thankfully.
Well, I had that issue, too (at least it sounds pretty familiar).
https://forum.xda-developers.com/z5-compact/help/wont-off-issues-t3485575
Does your phone also believe to be connected to "something" all the time?
I fear there is some IC fried, although I never dared to open my phone.
My "solution" was to talk my local salesman into giving me a (used, but working) replacement phone, and I did not want him to find any traces of DIY
So, no, I never found a technical solution, probably they just scrapped my phone for spare parts, idk.
The root cause for my error (probably) was a faulty charger, therefore I am pretty sure I fried something hardware-like, but depending on your cause, ymmv.
Anyway, trying to clean your USB port, re-soldering the connector and/or replacing the battery sounds like being worth a try, anyway.
// edit: "cat /sys/class/power_supply/usb/present" used to always output 1, even when not connected. On my now-good Z5C this works like it should (connected ->1, not connected -> 0)
Hey people. I have tried all the tricks for several days. Tried several charging cables. Nothing worked for me. I just brought a new phone, and it came with a cheapo charging cable. Decided to plug it into my Xperia and it worked. Maybe a little fairy fixed my phone when I was out buying a new one. Anyway, I'm love my Xperia Z5. Using it right now. Good luck people

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