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READ THIS POST AND POST 74 AND FURTHER
Have you ever seen such quality in the GPS signals and the fixes? (picture 1)
Ever since I got my TFP in early January I have been trying to find a way to enhance the GPS and the Wifi. I read just about all the threads on these subjects and tried every tweak. Even the crazy ones ;-) But because of the form factor I wasn't going to drill holes and put antennas on the back (respect guys, awesome work)
It started with a poster that got flamed straight away. He put a phone on the top right hand corner and got a better GPS. I felt sorry for him because everyone treated him like a retard. Just for the sake of being able to put the flamers in their spot I gave his idea a chance.
And it worked!!! But it was not practical. I can't walk around with a phone pressed against my TFP. But it was a start. Something started happening.
Next came the screwdriver trick. Even better result. Then I discovered the paperclip trick. Again improvement. But still not good enough and certainly not stable. It was difficult to reproduce. It became clear to me that positioning was very critical.
On the Wifi side people started enhancing their signal by placing foil the right Wifi antenna. Then they started using beer cans. It worked for some. But for others it didn't work. Theory was that somehow the Wifi signal got shielded forcing the other Wifi antenna to kick in. Tried it. Worked sometimes and at other moments didn't work. But there was something. And again it became clear to me that positioning was very critical.
Furthermore I started fooling around with grounding to the back plate. It had a dramatic effect on Wifi and GPS. As soon as something touches the back plate the signals die. I got the impression that the Wifi and GPS antenna were to close to each other and with all the RF signals they were screwing each other.
But all together there were things happening. I started documenting exact positions and sizes of the tweaks I was applying. Wifi was reasonable for me as long as I had a good base signal. GPS had my attention. I could get an external GPS, I could tether from my phone, I could buy a map, I could ask directions.
But NO!!!!
I wanted the GPS inside the Prime to get a reasonable fix.
It has cost me a lot of hours of trying, tweaking, adapting, and documenting.
But......
I FOUND THE 10 CENTS SOLUTION!!!
You only need to buy a 1 mm stainless steel cable.
Instructions (also see diagram):
1. First get yourself a beer. And drink it (this is the best part)
2. Then cut yourself a square 15x25 mm from the can (carefull)
3. Stick it in the right place onto the glass
4. Make sure it is isolated with electical tape on the topside
5. Place steel cable across the isolated square (I don’t know if this matters but I used 9,75 mm length = 0,5 x wavelength of GPS)
6. Fix it in place with electrical tape
And ......
ENJOY A GOOD GPS (better than my HTC Sensation)
Up to now this is the best result I can get.
Probably sizes and locations can be optimized.
However my experience is that the cable has to extend outside the plane of the TFP. Either vertical or horizontal. As long as it is inside the confines and flat on the glass of the TFP the signal dies instantly
And the electrical tape on top can be exchanged for something better looking.
Customize it like a sticker of a mouse with the tail being the steel cable.
Or a droid sticker with antenna ears upwards.
Outside and in the car I get a 4 second lock and after 10 seconds 15 sats and 10 locked. Inside has improved but not really good enough.
I have reset the prime before testing, cleared AGPS and Wifi off.
I hope you guys enjoy and appreciate my solution.
And if someone finds a better or more elegant solution please post.
Have fun
Oh I forgot to mention. The trick also works with the paperclip. Use a small paperclip. When straightened the length is 95 mm. Also works. I turned to the steel cable because I wanted something flexible.
very cool.
I currently have a beer can piece myself on my prime
-not as precise as yours, but it improves my wifi
not a beer, but after this j i shall try!
You guys are awesome....I've been looking for this all day..... a reason to drink beer tonight ^_^ oh and a possible gps solution without opening my TFP
Does yours maintain GPS lock while moving at highways speeds?
wynand32 said:
Does yours maintain GPS lock while moving at highways speeds?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'll test that. Drink beer and going high speed on the autobahn
wynand32 said:
Does yours maintain GPS lock while moving at highways speeds?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
YEP
Perfect turn by turn navigation.
On the highway about 10 locks and in urban area a minimum of 6 locks.
And all the time average 14 sats in sight.
I have not tried it yet in an area with very tall buildings.
I think the highest buildings during my tests were 6 floors.
If this can be independently verified (and sounds like it can be), then someone could definitely make a little money with this. Not enough to retire on, but a little spending money.
A question: could this be made into something that could clip onto the Prime and so be easily added/removed? While I wouldn't tape anything to my Prime, I'd clip something on it if I were to want GPS to work (which I don't actually, but being speculative here).
wynand32 said:
If this can be independently verified (and sounds like it can be), then someone could definitely make a little money with this. Not enough to retire on, but a little spending money.
A question: could this be made into something that could clip onto the Prime and so be easily added/removed? While I wouldn't tape anything to my Prime, I'd clip something on it if I were to want GPS to work (which I don't actually, but being speculative here).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes can be done.
I have been trying some solutions myself.
But the positioning turned out to be a critical factor.
Had to work that out first.
Wanted to share those results first.
But some sort of minimized and customisable clip on device would be nice.
Either pimped or just simple
I'm thinking you could use a simple clip like we use at home for potato chip bags. Line the inside of one part of the clip with the require metal, add in the wire, and then you could simply clip it on when you need GPS. Those clips aren't particularly strong, either, so no worries about damaging the Prime.
I might give this a shot myself this week, if I get some time.
The 12 Steps to ruin.... and a Hangover
My attempt (not really but could be fun)
1. Drink one can, cut open and place on screen.
Tape was too old. Can kept falling off.
2. Get another can and drink then place on screen again.
New tape stayed on but can didn't work.
3. Get yet another beer. Had a brainstorm idea to try doing the same for Wifi... got another beer.
Drank beers, needed a pee. Wife threw out the empties.
4. Got another two beers. Rang friend to ask if he had a beeter metal cutter....
5. Got two more beers then forgot what I was doing.
6. Glot two more bbers. Needed another pee.... Came back stood on berr cans. They were hiding on the floor.
7. Grot a new crate of beers in from the sheller hic! Drunk clan cut finger with can opener. Oh Eck...
8. Opened nudder bleer. Got drill out and dilled lotsh of oles on can.
Bol*x.... need a pee.
9. Sloped can wid whisky bottle... Poored whiskey on wire... Sh1t.. where da fcuk did wire come ffrommm???
10. Passt hammmmer to schreen. Bloke grass an spong at glue.
11. Glue noo worrrk. Need beeerr. hic!
12. Shud not put fingerss in live lectric shockket!
Fin............. Dont work.
zzzzZZzzZzzzzZzzzzzz
So I guess the prime as a glorified beer coaster wasnt too far off since it can improve signal strength.
hey guys come on.
I'm trying to start a serious thread and now you are turning it into something hilarious.
Well they always say 'keep on smiling'.
Had a great laugh.
Great story.
Let's see if thereś any beer left.
Cheers guys
Jesus.. you couldn't pay me to do this.
BTW, I got better than you without this nasty hack. I have screenshots of 18ft right in my backyard. No tin foil, no duct tape, not guitar/bike wire.
But none of it matters... AS YOU CANT DRIVE AND GET IT TO WORK
Lock-N-Load said:
Jesus.. you couldn't pay me to do this.
BTW, I got better than you without this nasty hack. I have screenshots of 18ft right in my backyard. No tin foil, no duct tape, not guitar/bike wire.
But none of it matters... AS YOU CANT DRIVE AND GET IT TO WORK
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
VVVVVVVV
dingdonggggg said:
YEP
Perfect turn by turn navigation.
On the highway about 10 locks and in urban area a minimum of 6 locks.
And all the time average 14 sats in sight.
I have not tried it yet in an area with very tall buildings.
I think the highest buildings during my tests were 6 floors.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I actually just got 18 ft in my brother's front yard Same place I kept getting nada for a couple weeks. No mods, but not stable either. Soon I'll have external antenna and be done with it
*EDIT: Obviously with data on, but I was getting 1 bird in and out of view with the same setup pre-.15. That is not to say .15 in any way helped this.
**EDIT:
PM'd you
VVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVV
Buxtahuda,
So what antenna will you be using?
dingdonggggg said:
Have you ever seen such quality in the GPS signals and the fixes? (picture 1)
Ever since I got my TFP in early January I have been trying to find a way to enhance the GPS and the Wifi. I read just about all the threads on these subjects and tried every tweak. Even the crazy ones ;-) But because of the form factor I wasn't going to drill holes and put antennas on the back (respect guys, awesome work)
It started with a poster that got flamed straight away. He put a phone on the top right hand corner and got a better GPS. I felt sorry for him because everyone treated him like a retard. Just for the sake of being able to put the flamers in their spot I gave his idea a chance.
And it worked!!! But it was not practical. I can't walk around with a phone pressed against my TFP. But it was a start. Something started happening.
Next came the screwdriver trick. Even better result. Then I discovered the paperclip trick. Again improvement. But still not good enough and certainly not stable. It was difficult to reproduce. It became clear to me that positioning was very critical.
On the Wifi side people started enhancing their signal by placing foil the right Wifi antenna. Then they started using beer cans. It worked for some. But for others it didn't work. Theory was that somehow the Wifi signal got shielded forcing the other Wifi antenna to kick in. Tried it. Worked sometimes and at other moments didn't work. But there was something. And again it became clear to me that positioning was very critical.
Furthermore I started fooling around with grounding to the back plate. It had a dramatic effect on Wifi and GPS. As soon as something touches the back plate the signals die. I got the impression that the Wifi and GPS antenna were to close to each other and with all the RF signals they were screwing each other.
But all together there were things happening. I started documenting exact positions and sizes of the tweaks I was applying. Wifi was reasonable for me as long as I had a good base signal. GPS had my attention. I could get an external GPS, I could tether from my phone, I could buy a map, I could ask directions.
But NO!!!!
I wanted the GPS inside the Prime to get a reasonable fix.
It has cost me a lot of hours of trying, tweaking, adapting, and documenting.
But......
I FOUND THE 10 CENTS SOLUTION!!!
You only need to buy a 1 mm stainless steel cable.
Instructions (also see diagram):
1. First get yourself a beer. And drink it (this is the best part)
2. Then cut yourself a square 15x25 mm from the can (carefull)
3. Stick it in the right place onto the glass
4. Make sure it is isolated with electical tape on the topside
5. Place steel cable across the isolated square (I don’t know if this matters but I used 9,75 mm length = 0,5 x wavelength of GPS)
6. Fix it in place with electrical tape
And ......
ENJOY A GOOD GPS (better than my HTC Sensation)
Up to now this is the best result I can get.
Probably sizes and locations can be optimized.
However my experience is that the cable has to extend outside the plane of the TFP. Either vertical or horizontal. As long as it is inside the confines and flat on the glass of the TFP the signal dies instantly
And the electrical tape on top can be exchanged for something better looking.
Customize it like a sticker of a mouse with the tail being the steel cable.
Or a droid sticker with antenna ears upwards.
Outside and in the car I get a 4 second lock and after 10 seconds 15 sats and 10 locked. Inside has improved but not really good enough.
I have reset the prime before testing, cleared AGPS and Wifi off.
I hope you guys enjoy and appreciate my solution.
And if someone finds a better or more elegant solution please post.
Have fun
Oh I forgot to mention. The trick also works with the paperclip. Use a small paperclip. When straightened the length is 95 mm. Also works. I turned to the steel cable because I wanted something flexible.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Looks like it close to the location for the Easy Wifi Improvement Mod only with the added wire.
PolishPoet said:
Looks like it close to the location for the Easy Wifi Improvement Mod only with the added wire.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I think that's the point.
Kill the primary WiFi (if that's what it does... and I think it does) with the aluminum, then use the wire as a conductor for the GPS signal, just kind of funneling it to the right area for the internal antenna to get a concentrated blast. Per RF theory I've seen around here, the signal then doesn't need a hard line to the antenna, it'll travel that little gap from covered wire to antenna easily.
hey! That crazy asian with the phone on the corner was me! I've been meaning to post my further investigation on this and this is what I did.
1. Bought a Moco case on Amazon for like $12.
2. Put Prime in case.
3. Cut a 5 inch speaker wire. The tiny ones, not monster cable but them average size wire about 22 gauge (?).
4. Place the wire under the case but above the Prime in same location as yours. It stuck out so I bent the end and tucked it into the headphone opening.
5. Went for a drive. I drive a bronco and with the case set up to stand the Prime up, I was able to watch GPS test as I drove. Kept very steady GPS lock with no less than 4 at a time. Tried Google maps with Bluetooth data tethering to my phone to draw map and now I have a 10.1 in screen gps !
I think getting a case (any case) is a good investment for your Prime. It can also very casually and discreetly hide any of these " additions" to your Prime to enhance certain features like those with the foil wifi "mod".
So I didn't get to drink any beer but I sure will not drink scotch out a can!
OMG beard, too funny ...lmao....
So it happened this morning when my alarm went off and it vibrated. I heard a plastic part vibrating also. The sharp loud noise was disgusting. I shut off my alarm thikning it was my cheap SGP case.
Later today I played around trying to find out if the silicone had a hole or something where the plastic frame was touching the SGS2 phone itself. Nope. I took the whole case off. Each time it vibrates it sounds like... ahh what the hell. I will film it for you guys now.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_GoIrBmMC1U
WTF is that? I took the cover off. I took the SIM card out on another occasion too. It sounds like something on the upper left. If I push my finger down on the panel, it stops. If you notice the few seconds it is sitting on the table flat, it's fine. Just a little weight seems to calm it down. Not sure if its the vibrating motor itself because it is vibrating properly. Sounds like something is loose inside though...
Anyone experienced this before? Should I go for RMA?
Second part of the question:
Obviously being an XDA-er I'm rooted. I will flash back to stock and unroot. I bought this off of Expansys-USA so I should get *some* reasonable attempt by them to send it back. What are the chances that my warranty gets denied? I don't have a USB jig to reset the counter, but I'll of course get rid of the yellow triangle.
*grrrr... I need to dig up my Nexus S now if I have to go through warranty... I'm guessing I'll be phoneless for weeks*
I don't know if it would invalidate the warrenty or not (technically rooting/custom roms is supposed to), but when I had a problem with my stereo jack not working rather than risking it I just replaced the part myself.
The vibration motor, stereo jack and earphone speaker are all on the same part.
(I got it from this guy on ebay for about $7 if you're curious.)
Random6 said:
I don't know if it would invalidate the warrenty or not (technically rooting/custom roms is supposed to), but when I had a problem with my stereo jack not working rather than risking it I just replaced the part myself.
The vibration motor, stereo jack and call speaker are all on the same part.
(I got it from this guy on ebay for about $7 if you're curious.)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I see. I'm not sure whats broken really. When I shake my SGS2 I hear something rattling inside. I'm just afraid to open the thing up... is it difficult?
Just watched your video. It sort of sounds as if somehow the vibration motor came loose from its proper spot and is now moving around vibrating against the plastic. Its normally held in with some adhesive (basically double sided tape) within a cutout area.
When I had mine apart I actually took a photo, http://i.imgur.com/fgN9F.jpg, if that makes it any more clear.
I actually recorded the process of me reinstalling the new part (excluding the disassembly, there are lots of clips of that from other people on youtube) but havent gotten around to uploading it yet since my internet connection sucks and the file is nearly 2GB.
Edit to add:
No it wasn't really all that difficult to dissassemble, it was actually pretty easy. That said I enjoy taking things apart and trying to fix them. This was the first time I've dissassembled anything as small as a cell phone, but I'm used to taking things apart and trying to fix them when they break. If you don't have any experience taking apart electronics you might want to think twice or just pay someone who fix's cell phones to do it.
If you're thinking about it, heres a video where someone shows taking it apart to get a rough idea of whats involved.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QKztg1ra4-0
I decided to try and upload the video I took, once it finishes (in about 2.5 hours) it should be viewable here:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=-ud1upGzLBs
Random6 said:
I decided to try and upload the video I took, once it finishes (in about 2.5 hours) it should be viewable here:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=-ud1upGzLBs
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
thank you for your detailed writeup. im going to try this. ive taken apart my macbook pro to install an SSD before, and a few other electronics, but i'm not the very best (i feel clumsy sometimes), but i'm willing to give this a shot.
The only thing I'm worried about is that I could potentially mess up the phone in other ways in disassembly such that my warranty won't be honored if I need to resort to that... We'll see tonight. It looks like you used two screwdrivers? Which ones will I need? I have a #000 that I see will be needed for the back plate at least...
k. opened my phone up.
i just took the screws out and the backplate. i pushd around to make sure things are tight, and they seem to be.
put it together and the vibrate thing happens VERY rarely now..
I shook my phone around and still heard something shaking (please tell me if this happens).
I opened up my phone and the camera module seems to be loose. Is it supposed to be glued down?
Just to let you know, you say you don't have a USB jig so your Flash counter may make your warranty void, but, if you flash to an ice cream sandwich ROM (Cyanogenmod 9) you can install an app called 'Triangle Away' which will basically get rid of the Flash count and yellow triangle - it needs root by the way. (search it up on XDA, it's by chainfire')
Then you can flash stock and send in for warranty.
Sent from my GT-I9100 using XDA
dmo580 said:
k. opened my phone up.
I shook my phone around and still heard something shaking (please tell me if this happens).
I opened up my phone and the camera module seems to be loose. Is it supposed to be glued down?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I don't remember it being glued down. Its been a few month since I fixed mine but if I recall correctly it just fit snugly in place between some plastic fitted walls.
This is the camera module you mean right?
Edit: I also don't hear anything shaking with mine, did you mabe leave a screw loose inside?
Random6 said:
I don't remember it being glued down. Its been a few month since I fixed mine but if I recall correctly it just fit snugly in place between some plastic fitted walls.
This is the camera module you mean right?
Edit: I also don't hear anything shaking with mine, did you mabe leave a screw loose inside?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah. Camera module. That's the one. The main 8MP shooter. It's not glued down or anything. It shakes around inside. I definitely did not leave a screw inside because I only opened the back panel and I put all the screws back in.
It's weird because something making noise while shaking the phone has been documented here:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1254520
And I noticed that when you activate camera it goes away. Quite strange but as an engineer this makes me wonder HOW that even happens? Shrug.
I'm waiting for my Samsung Focus S phone to come from the Windows Phone challenge and I'm contemplating using that for a month while my i9100 goes out for warranty. Of course I can always use my Nexus S as a backup, but part of me wants to force myself on a new platform for a month and see how that goes... Hahahaha.
Random6 said:
No it wasn't really all that difficult to dissassemble, it was actually pretty easy.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hey Random6, did you happen to find that after replacing the vibrator motor with a new one, the intensity is now less than when new? I used double sided tape, but with 1.5mm, I guess the motor won't vibrate AT ALL.
Also I found that if I don't screw the one that seems to be closest to the vibrator motor all the way in, it obviously vibrates harder, but not hard enough.
I also used two very thin copper plates to sandwich the motor between the plastic plates, but once again, that was too much and the vibrations were not transfered to the phone's body, but I could hear it doing its job.
Any suggestions?
Thanks!
I have a very specific question with regards to replacing the charging port on the i777. I have searched threads discussing charging port replacement, but was unable to find anything about this specific issue. I am currently going through my first repair on my i777 that needs a new charging port. I bought the replacement on ebay, but something stood out once I compared it to the original charging port I took out. On the original there is a small rubber piece hanging down (around where the screw holes are). On the replacement piece it's just a metal piece hanging down in the same place. Do I need to have that rubber piece on the replacement charging port? Would it even affect the functionality of the phone? Is there a way to take the rubber piece off the original and transfer it to the replacement, or should I just buy one with the rubber piece on? If someone has asked this question already forgive me, but I did not see it in the thread I skimmed through.
Here is a pic of both them side by side. The top one is the original and the bottom is the replacement I got from ebay.
farm8.staticflickr (.com) /7281/9735538853_4e701482f8_o (.jpg)
It would not let me post link yet so just remove parentesis and spaces to view picture link.
That gray part is for waterproofing the microphone I believe. It just slides off of the old part and onto the new one, just be careful. Also if you have no signal, by now you may have already found the following thread. I had to do this a couple of weeks ago to get a signal: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1950114&page=5 I'll try harder to match up the part numbers next time!
iXNyNe, please let us know if the newegg part works, or if you end up needing to modify it (see link in above post), or purchase another.
iXNyNe said:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=9SIA2C51D87922 just ordered this. [...]
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
cyril279 said:
iXNyNe, please let us know if the newegg part works, or if you end up needing to modify it (see link in above post), or purchase another.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
i'll report back once i have them
i already took the phone apart just to peek around inside, the part looks just like what's already there. the picture shows some teal/aqua colored tabs towards the bottom, im assuming these are peel off for an adhesive (there did seem to be an adhesive holding the part in place).
based on that link mentioned i would say that cutting is a little extreme, it looks like they cut the board in half, which is definitely NOT how it comes stock.
again i'll report back once i've got the chips. and for under $8 with free shipping i cant really complain even if they dont work out.
The only thing you're actually cutting (electronically) is the ground plane of the board shared by the antenna/radio and the charge port. In short, there's a super low risk of messing anything up, unless you use a sawzall to complete the job.
I assume that it was more cost effective for Samsung to put those items on the same board, but it's a punk move to attach a known replacement part to an antenna that varies by region. Either way, I'm glad to know that the hack is an option but I'd be happier to know that the hack isn't necessary.
iXNyNe said:
i'll report back once i have them
i already took the phone apart just to peek around inside, the part looks just like what's already there. the picture shows some teal/aqua colored tabs towards the bottom, im assuming these are peel off for an adhesive (there did seem to be an adhesive holding the part in place).
based on that link mentioned i would say that cutting is a little extreme, it looks like they cut the board in half, which is definitely NOT how it comes stock.
again i'll report back once i've got the chips. and for under $8 with free shipping i cant really complain even if they dont work out.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Just wanted to report success. The part from new egg worked and was really easy to swap.
I don't have the right size sim card anymore since switching my primary carry, so I can't test reception, but otherwise everything is working (charging, wifi, Bluetooth, etc)
P.s. I did not modify the item I received (no cutting) and it is a 2.3 where the original I removed was a 2.2. I've saved the 2.2 just in case something comes up.
Sent from my LG-D800 using Tapatalk
Thanks, but I'm afraid that we won't know whether the replacement part is a proper replacement until there is a sim-card involved. Reception is the rub (see post below from the board-mod thread).
underhuggare said:
[...]I also replaced the original rev 2.2 with rev 2.3 which fixed the usb port but gave me very unstable and poor reception. [...]
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
iXNyNe said:
Just wanted to report success. The part from new egg worked and was really easy to swap.
I don't have the right size sim card anymore since switching my primary carry, so I can't test reception, but otherwise everything is working (charging, wifi, Bluetooth, etc)
P.s. I did not modify the item I received (no cutting) and it is a 2.3 where the original I removed was a 2.2. I've saved the 2.2 just in case something comes up.
Sent from my LG-D800 using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
cyril279 said:
Thanks, but I'm afraid that we won't know whether the replacement part is a proper replacement until there is a sim-card involved. Reception is the rub (see post below from the board-mod thread).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'll see if I can find a friend with a full size Sim over the next few days and test the reliability. But honestly I'd have to it may be better for people to find a rev 2.2
But for anyone who no longer uses the phone for cell service, the new egg part works great for a cheap and easy charge port replacement.
Sent from my LG-D800 using Tapatalk
I have not been able to have any calls where the person is able to hear me properly. Is this a lost cause?
The mic works fine, clear and with good volume, on mine. There might be some white sealant clogging up the mic pinhole on yours. There was on mine, but I removed it carefully while cleaning the sim slot. If you are not really careful, you can puncture the seal at the back of the mic pinhole, destroying any hope your watch would have of surviving even a brief immersion, so you have to be really careful !
Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk
Thanks...that is helpful. I seem to have poor quality on phone calls and Google search, but reasonable on the voice record function. What did you clean it with? From the outside or inside (back off)? Any advice was helpful...I was considering puncturing the seal in hopes of improving sound!
That might actually help, but probably is unnecessary and is irreversible. I am glad I did not puncture the seal.
I cleared mine out when I first got it, back really early in February with a sewing needle. I had to clean the sim slot out anyway because the same stuff was spilled or overflowed into it so I couldn't get my T-Mobile micro sim to seat. I cleaned it with a bright light shining into the hole from the outside and did not open the back. I was able to pry out of the pinhole a couple of mm of the white stuff that seemed to be almost completely blocking the pinhole, then I noticed a grayer flat material at the back of the hole and stopped then.
Mic works flawlessly now, still, for all uses. Even my mother can understand me clearly when I use the TrueSmart as a standalone phone w/o headphones (though BT headphones work too). OK Google is as accurate as on my Nexus devices, which is pretty accurate. Good luck, and proceed with caution.
Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk
trent999 said:
That might actually help, but probably is unnecessary and is irreversible. I am glad I did not puncture the seal.
I cleared mine out when I first got it, back really early in February with a sewing needle. I had to clean the sim slot out anyway because the same stuff was spilled or overflowed into it so I couldn't get my T-Mobile micro sim to seat. I cleaned it with a bright light shining into the hole from the outside and did not open the back. I was able to pry out of the pinhole a couple of mm of the white stuff that seemed to be almost completely blocking the pinhole, then I noticed a grayer flat material at the back of the hole and stopped then.
Mic works flawlessly now, still, for all uses. Even my mother can understand me clearly when I use the TrueSmart as a standalone phone w/o headphones (though BT headphones work too). OK Google is as accurate as on my Nexus devices, which is pretty accurate. Good luck, and proceed with caution.
Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Okay that was miraculous! Followed your suggestion and used a sewing needle to remove any white stuff down the mic hole, and it went from crackly mess to crystal clear call quality just like that. Thanks for the suggestion.
Uh-huh ! Really good. Told you so, Mr. Lokifish !
(You were right about the seal though. I had missed that...)
Sent from my Nexus 5 using Tapatalk
umm... you guys are all removing the sealant? half of it? based on Lokifish photo there is maybe 2mm of it. Do you care about "water resistant"? I am not going to use a needle on it... I hope the firmware gets fixed. Thanks all.
trent999 said:
That might actually help, but probably is unnecessary and is irreversible. I am glad I did not puncture the seal.
I cleared mine out when I first got it, back really early in February with a sewing needle. I had to clean the sim slot out anyway because the same stuff was spilled or overflowed into it so I couldn't get my T-Mobile micro sim to seat. I cleaned it with a bright light shining into the hole from the outside and did not open the back. I was able to pry out of the pinhole a couple of mm of the white stuff that seemed to be almost completely blocking the pinhole, then I noticed a grayer flat material at the back of the hole and stopped then.
Mic works flawlessly now, still, for all uses. Even my mother can understand me clearly when I use the TrueSmart as a standalone phone w/o headphones (though BT headphones work too). OK Google is as accurate as on my Nexus devices, which is pretty accurate. Good luck, and proceed with caution.
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What's the "white" stuff you mention. Sealant? I haven't come across any of this on my EU 1/8/2100 version. Is it visible at all from the outside on the mic slot as I don't see it at all. I would adjust it but everyone I've spoken to with my device can hear me perfectly so I probably won't play around with it.
DaBountyHunter said:
What's the "white" stuff you mention. Sealant? I haven't come across any of this on my EU 1/8/2100 version. Is it visible at all from the outside on the mic slot as I don't see it at all. I would adjust it but everyone I've spoken to with my device can hear me perfectly so I probably won't play around with it.
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You would see it if you removed the back plate - it is the stuff used to seal where the antennas run through the watch body into the band.
Sometimes the worker assembling a particular TrueSmart got sloppy and the same stuff winds up fouling the sim slot or the mic pinhole or both. If it is blocking the mic pinhole, the audio picked up can sound to someone hearing your voice on a call muffled or garbled. Carefully cleaning out the mic pinhole without damaging the special plastic seal at the very back end of it can immensely improve the mic audio quality.
Since your mic pinhole is clear, there is no reason to stick a needle in there ! Also, your mic seems to be working fine already, which makes sense because its pinhole is not plugged by sloppy assembly work.
If you don't see that the pinhole is blocked inside up to near the surface with white stuff, and your mic is working fine, you don't have this problem that many others do have.
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk
trent999 said:
You would see it if you removed the back plate - it is the stuff used to seal where the antennas run through the watch body into the band.
Sometimes the worker assembling a particular TrueSmart got sloppy and the same stuff winds up fouling the sim slot or the mic pinhole or both. If it is blocking the mic pinhole, the audio picked up can sound to someone hearing your voice on a call muffled or garbled. Carefully cleaning out the mic pinhole without damaging the special plastic seal at the very back end of it can immensely improve the mic audio quality.
Since your mic pinhole is clear, there is no reason to stick a needle in there ! Also, your mic seems to be working fine already, which makes sense because its pinhole is not plugged by sloppy assembly work.
If you don't see that the pinhole is blocked inside up to near the surface with white stuff, and your mic is working fine, you don't have this problem that many others do have.
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I haven't opened up the back yet so was wondering if this was visible from the outside of the watch! Thanks for letting me know what to look for though
Yes, you can see it, if its there, by shining a bright light into that pinhole from the outside, but it's hard to tell if what you are seeing is really the flat plastic seal that is supposed to be there at the very back end, a mm or two inside, or if it is really blocking debris !
You don't want to damage that real seal ! Its all the way through the body at the back, though.
In my case, the misapplied white sealant had pretty nearly filled the pinhole to the outer edge. It came out as a little mm long plug, using a needle and tweezers.YMMV...
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Yeah ok I've definitely got nothing of the sort then from observing the outside. Looks like it's more a QA issue with the build quality. Also I almost had a minor heart attack I scrapped the screen face of my watch along a metal frame. I thought sh*t it's scratched it. Went to look at screen in the light NOTHING. Still perfect so I'm glad to report the Sapphire Glass does it's job. Haven't worn a watch in years I got to remember not to walk too close to walls etc! :silly:
trent999 said:
The mic works fine, clear and with good volume, on mine. There might be some white sealant clogging up the mic pinhole on yours. There was on mine, but I removed it carefully while cleaning the sim slot. If you are not really careful, you can puncture the seal at the back of the mic pinhole, destroying any hope your watch would have of surviving even a brief immersion, so you have to be really careful !
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Thanks trent999, after cleaning out the mic pinhole on my truesmart the mic actually works pretty good now.:good:
The Omate Truesmart project in theory was a terrific idea, and had it implemented, marketed, produced under quality control, and supported the product I believe it could have been the beginning of good things to come for Omate.
But instead Omate simply bungled badly their first project to the point I think it's reputation is so damaged Omate will simply fade into the sunset. Such a shame.
Had it not been for the support of all the individual xda developers hours of thankless support of this device most of the truesmarts would be now residing in landfills.
Again thanks trent999 and a BIG SHOUT OUT THANK YOU to everyone at xda who supported this project.
Hey all -
My wife, deep in the midst of pregnancy-brain, washed her beloved Fireball a couple weeks ago. Long story short, she tried to power it up too soon, and now the LCD backlight is dead.
Everything else seems to function fine, so I decided to see if there was something obvious that could be fixed. Sure enough, at one of the connections between screen and mainboard, there looked to be some small electrical POOF type scarring. One of the traces on the ribbon cable is missing a chunk of conductive material right next to the connection, so it would seem replacing the whole assembly (digitizer/LCD) should restore function. Except - right next to that spot on the mainboard is what looks like it might be a diode that might have seen better days. I'm not sure, and I haven't been able to find any closeups of the inside of the phone to verify what it's supposed to look like.
So what I'm wondering is if anyone here can take a peek at these pics, note the potential damaged area, and tell me if that little bit of badness means I have to toss the phone.
Thanks!