Captivate Teardown! (Step by Step, LOTS OF PICTURES) - Captivate General

***Disclaimer***
DO NOT attempt to disassemble your phone unless you can handle the possibility of breaking your phone, both financially and emotionally. Also keep in mind that this WILL void your warranty.
First thing's first! Remove your battery cover, battery, sim card, and sd card.
There are six screws on the back of the cover that we need to remove. Two of them are a little tricky to get to. What you need to do, is GENTLY pull up in the center of the battery latch, and then pull out, it should slide out relatively easily. The final two screws should now be reachable.
Screw locations:
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The final two screws:
Remove all six screws and keep them somewhere safe. Every last screw in this phone is identical, so no worries about getting them mixed up.
Start with the bottom end of the phone first, and begin to pry the screen out from the edges. The bezel and back cover of the phone are all one piece around the screen. The bottom edge should come off with out too much trouble:
Here comes the hardest part of this entire process, releasing the last clip at the top from the rest of the phone:
With a plastic tool or very small flathead screw driver, VERY carefully lift one side of the case as shown in the picture above, slide the driver head in and gently pry up. The last clip should come free without too much force.
As you can see, it is a very beefy clip.
Everything with a red arrow needs to come off of the mainboard to enable removal.
Once those are all disconnected, you should have something like this:
There's a couple more things to do before we can pull that mainboard off.
First, we need to unlatch the ribbon cable from the speaker. Flip the back clamp on the connector up to enable release of the cable, like so:
NOTE: There may be a piece of blue tape over the connector and cable. Carefully remove it before performing this step.
There's one last screw to take care of:
Once that is out, you can pull the right side of the board up, and the left should follow pretty easily, just be careful of your cables and be absolutely sure everything is disconnected before you pull that board off.
Here is the front side of the board with all of the shielding removed. This basically entails taking the micro sd and sim card board off. When doing this, be sure to disconnect the cable that runs from the top board to the underside of the main board.
Apparently I somehow missed getting better pictures of the underside.. >.<
Here's the backside of the screen assembly. This is applied with an adhesive, so please, for the sake of your phone, do not attempt to remove this unless you are a professional and know exactly what you're doing and how.
I am not one such person, so I made no attempt at removing anything else.
For those wondering about the bluetooth chipset and whether it is in fact the same chipset in the Galaxy S (meaning we would have FM support) I am sorry to say I could not find the bluetooth chipset. The Broadcom chip on the frontside of the main board is the BCM4751 which is only a GPS receiver.
i.e. there may still be hope for the FM receiver.
That completes the step by step teardown of the Samsung Captivate. Thanks for reading

Great job on the teardown. I was under the impression that the Captivate has fm radio built in. I guess i was getting that feature mixed up with the HTC Aria
-Robin

Finally! This is great, thanks much for doing the teardown. If you haven't reassembled yet, would it be possible to get a couple more high-res pics of both sides of the main board so we can read chip numbers?

Unfortunately I don't have an area where I can get a real even lighting so that I can get good pictures of those numbers, all 3 of the larger chips on the back are all Samsungs. If I pull it apart again, I will try to get better pictures of each of the chips.
the one to the left in the photo reads KLMAG8DEDD A101
The one with the white sticker on it is the hummingbird chipset.
The smaller chip in between, however is not a samsung chip.
Almost everything on the top side are TriQuint chips. Theres one square, covered with a black/blue tape. Then theres 3 rectangular chips along side it, 2 sideways and one vertical. Most likely the wireless chips for Edge, 3G and HSUPA and HSDPA.
EDIT: The SWB-B23 chip, responsible for WiFi and Bluetooth is found on the Galaxy S i9000, it is also here on the Captivate.
----------^^(Samsung Wifi Bluetooth)

Are there any tamper-proof stickers or what-not that could void the warranty that we need to watch out for? The BB Bold has this small sticker on top of the screws so that ATT or BB would know that it's been tampered with? Also, can the S-AMOLED screen itself be detached from the chassis? Reason is, there is dust build-up on the creases around the screen and would like to clean it once in a while. Thanks.

No tamper proof stickers, and taking the back cover off will give you access to clean what you want.
The super amoled is bonded to the screen.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I897 using XDA App

Guess there is no chance of removing the at&t logo then?
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I897 using XDA App

Unfortunately, no. I don't think there's any possibility of actually removing the logos from the glass.

Sorry, but I might have not made myself clear, what I meant was the screen including the s-amoled itself from the surrounding casing. Not the glass/screen on top of S-Amoled.

Yea, you can see how it separates from the bezel in the writeup
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I897 using XDA App

good writeup!

Nice tear down.
Looked through your pictures and compared the the Samsung I-9000 teardown pcitures. Looks like the camera plug in module is definitely different, though it uses the same chip. I was hoping that we may have been able to buy the module and replace the captivates and mod the housing to get a FFC. Doesnt look like we will.
Heres the link a I-9000 tear down
pfdownload.com/i9000-deassemble.html

It seems the BCM4329 Broadcom chip comprising 802.11n + Bluetooth 2.1/EDR + FM radio (transmit/receive) is integrated into SWB-23 as per h t t p: // www .angcore. com/YOSUN/DETAIL_SWB-B23.html
But the i9000 uses the FM radio from SI4709.
It is possible that Samsung is using the 802.11n Wifi functionality of the SWB-23. But that chip doesn't support BT3.0. However since both the i9000 and i897 are advertised as being bluetooth 3.0 capable, we need to find out which chip is actually doing the BT3.0 function. I could be wrong, but as far as I remember the only other chip carried by i9000 that is capable of BT3.0 is BCM20751. If that is the case, then I am inclined to say that BCM20751 must also be integrated somewhere in the Captivate.
It is a pity that Samsung had to use so many chips with redundant functionality.

It is possible that the Captivate carries that same BCM20751 chip, but I was not able to find it in my inspection of the phone.

Second picture from button, the circuit board in the hand, what's that little round connector on the top left corner? If you trace the circuit, does it go to the GPS? And can you see any other aerial wire for the GPS? Seeing the tear down also of the i9000, I see what looks like an aerial on the back plate, but it doesn't seem to be connected to the mainboard.

@sjdean: I think the connector you are referring to is the connector for external antenna extenders, which can easily be seen if you take the backplate off of the phone. Also, I don't know if anyone has noticed or mentioned it, but there are 2 specific contacts that protrude from the mainboard and make contact with the metal backplate. You can also see specific locations on the inside of the backplate where there is no paint, presumably to allow conductivity to the contacts.
I posted in the other thread about the Captivate teardown with some chips I managed to identify, but I'll go ahead and post them here too for reference.
The touch controller as an ATMEL MXT224
The modem chip as an Infineon BGA735.
There's also a TriQuint TQM6M9014 RF transceiver.
The broadcom chip on the front of the mainboard is confirmed as a BCM4571
And on the backside I managed to find another very small chip with the following markings:
MAX8998
EWQ 1012
EA89
I can't find out what it is. Possibly just a voltage regulator, but I'm not sure.

great post. i'll need this for my upcoming screen replacement...

Hi, do you have pics of the earpiece speaker? i think i need to replace mine and wondering if this was an easy thing to do.

The front speaker and rear speaker are all part of the same assembly. (That means its REALLY easy to replace. Pull out the old one and put the new one in)

IIRC, the speaker is hosed in Its own module just like the camera. that means as long as you can manage the first step of getting the back cover off all you've gotta do is pull the old speaker out and pop the new one in!

Related

[Q] Potential for antenna mod?

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What do you guys suppose this is? Could it be a Mic? Or maybe an antenna attachment? I'd assume if it is an antenna attachment, it would be intended for the Wi-Fi (which seems to have some signal issues with the NS). So any thoughts on potential mods with this?
QuantumRand said:
View attachment 479124
What do you guys suppose this is? Could it be a Mic? Or maybe an antenna attachment? I'd assume if it is an antenna attachment, it would be intended for the Wi-Fi (which seems to have some signal issues with the NS). So any thoughts on potential mods with this?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes that's definitely an antenna jack. In another thread some guy says it's for an external cellular antenna, but when I questioned him for clarification he never answered.
No need to show a picture of the guts. It's visible with the battery cover off.
Thats a MCX jack for sure
slowz3r said:
Thats a MCX jack for sure
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes, and what's interesting is that I took apart my i9000 a couple of times (I was experimenting with a hardware mod involving the earphone jack), and this mcx jack is in just about the exact same location as one on the i9000. The one on the i9000 is underneath the plastic that covers the internals, and is connected by a small cable down to the bottom of the phone where the hump is (the antennas(?)).
Interesting that this model has the jack open, and exposed, with no explanation.
edit, not my teardown, but here's a link to the pic of one showing the jack on the i9000.
why put an MCX jack when it isnt used, maybe it isnt MCX at all. maybe its diagnostic?
slowz3r said:
why put an MCX jack when it isnt used, maybe it isnt MCX at all. maybe its diagnostic?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It is a mystery...it's a terrible location (underneath the battery cover) for a consumer usable external antenna; you'd not be able to reattach the cover.
If you look at an enlarged photo of the circuit board, you can follow the circuit traces on it down to the bottom of the phone, but still no clue what it's for from the picture.
distortedloop said:
It is a mystery...it's a terrible location (underneath the battery cover) for a consumer usable external antenna; you'd not be able to reattach the cover.
If you look at an enlarged photo of the circuit board, you can follow the circuit traces on it down to the bottom of the phone, but still no clue what it's for from the picture.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
weird, now its realy going to bug me, anyone happen to have an MCX antenna they wanna use to test
I used to have a 12 inch antenna with an MCX connector i used for when i used to wardrive , but i have no idea where that went
might be for an future accessory back cover with inbuilt antenna?
or any thing like that.
or it might have maintenance/repair purpose?
slowz3r said:
why put an MCX jack when it isnt used, maybe it isnt MCX at all. maybe its diagnostic?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That's what I think too.
When the Droid 1 first came out, and people messed them up with roms and rooting, some people reported that Verizon re-flashed them via a very similar connector that the droid has in its battery compartment.
distortedloop said:
The one on the i9000 is underneath the plastic that covers the internals, and is connected by a small cable down to the bottom of the phone where the hump is (the antennas(?)).
Interesting that this model has the jack open, and exposed, with no explanation.
edit, not my teardown, but here's a link to the pic of one showing the jack on the i9000.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If you compare that to my picture, that gray wire that's connected is NOT the MCX. Look to the left bottom of that and that is the MCX, looks exactly like on our nS.
ghost010 said:
might be for an future accessory back cover with inbuilt antenna?
or any thing like that.
or it might have maintenance/repair purpose?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Umm... am I mistaken or isn't the battery cover already functioning as an antenna? Those leads on the phone line up perfectly with ones in on the inside of the cover... looks pretty no-brainer to me that it's the antenna.
I want a way to boost signal using it but don't know anything about GSM antenna technology. Can you just use regular wire and hook them up to those 2 prongs and extend it out for better signal?
Obviously this isn't for walking around town but stationary signal boosting... i.e. in a building at work or something
Zenoran said:
Umm... am I mistaken or isn't the battery cover already functioning as an antenna? Those leads on the phone line up perfectly with ones in on the inside of the cover... looks pretty no-brainer to me that it's the antenna.
I want a way to boost signal using it but don't know anything about GSM antenna technology. Can you just use regular wire and hook them up to those 2 prongs and extend it out for better signal?
Obviously this isn't for walking around town but stationary signal boosting... i.e. in a building at work or something
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
ummm those connectors are for the NFC chip since that is the part of the phone you have to wave at to read a near field chip.
nxt said:
If you compare that to my picture, that gray wire that's connected is NOT the MCX. Look to the left bottom of that and that is the MCX, looks exactly like on our nS.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Perhaps. I did miss that.
Next time I take apart my i9000 I'll compare side-by-side and post a photo (don't hold your breath, though).
What I find interesting is that if you follow the circuit board traces on the picture you posted, they run to almost the exact same location on the bottom of the board as the white wire on the i9000. Granted, there's a lot going on down there, so who know until Samsung tells us...
Ooh that useless nfc chip =O
RogerPodacter said:
ummm those connectors are for the NFC chip since that is the part of the phone you have to wave at to read a near field chip.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Did anyone find out what this connector is for?
yup
yup.
The usual antenna on my galaxy s seems to have stopped working. I tried to find a solution to sort it and in doing so I can confirm that the thing in that picture is for external antennas. I haven't used a proper antenna to confirm though.
Simply get a thin wire (I tried the bike brake cable) and shove it in the thin hole. Use a long wire to test and sit in your house where you'd normally get poor signal and you'd be pleasantly surprised to find that your getting full signal and HSDPA!
Only problem is that the wire for me eventually snapped. I didnt glue it in or anything so each time I removed the cover it'd come out. Now i'm in search of a metal case that I can attach the wire to permanently etc etc.
Now for some questions:
For anyone in the know, what type of wire is best for catching signals and what shape etc? strangely a plastic coated wire (those that are used in packaging to tie wires and stuff down/together) worked better than a bare one.
Can I get a custom metal case manufactured from somewhere cheap?
I did this mod with a thin piece of wire and actually broke my internal antenna. So if I remove my external antenna my phone is a nice Iandroid/MP3 player(touch). I don't have insurance and i'm basically screwed. It still works in really good reception areas but not in an area you bearly get 3g. This is the second phone in the last 6 months that i've broken. My atrix bit the dust, but didn't like it anyway. I need to learn to leave stuff alone. lol. But for now my makeshift external antenna combined with a ballistic case works.. Just regret ever trying this.
On another note, probably won't ever stop tinkering. That's how I learn.
Those antenna ports have been tuned at the factory for the best case scenario in the field. If you add wires or alter the jacks you are asking for trouble. Do a search in this forum for antenna mod I believe, you will see. Best of luck.
Sent from my Nexus S 4G using xda premium
If your external antenna is not properly tuned to your radio transmitter, you run a high risk of blowing your radio and getting NO signal. I highly recommend against anyone testing external antennas, unless you know exactly what you're doing. If you fry your phone, don't blame me, because I told you so.
That being said, the first thing you have to consider is the wavelength you're transmitting on. Meters = 300 / MHz, so a full wavelength 850/1900 antenna would be around 8 19/32 inches long (or 7 9/32" for tri-band 850/1900/2400 (wimax)). The next critical part is the lead wires. I think the inside is usually for the antenna and the outside for the ground. They have to be the right resistance, too. 50 Ohms is the standard for CBs. I don't know if its the same for phones. The only safe way to test any antenna is with an SWR meter. (I don't know what kind of adapter you'd need for that goofy little plug, or if there's a special kind of meter you'd need). If your Standing Wave Ratio is over 2.5 or so, most of the power you're putting out is feeding back into your transmitter, rather than going out from your antenna. That's when you run the risk of damaging your equipment. Under 1.5 is decent; 1.2 is good. 1.0 is perfect.
Personally, I'll leave homebrew cell antennas to the rich, the expert, and the crazy.
Happy modding!

HTC MyTouch 4G Slide Take Apart Repair Guide

This take apart repair guide will show the method on how to quickly and safely open your MyTouch 4G Slide so you can install a replacement LCD screen and glass touchscreen digitizer.
This guide will help you replace the following parts:
HTC MyTouch 4G Slide Touch Screen Digitizer Replacement
HTC MyTouch 4G Slide LCD Screen Replacement
And Other HTC MyTouch 4G Slide Repair Parts
Tools Required:
Safe Open Pry Tool
Torx T5 Screwdriver
Small Phillips Screwdriver
Adhesive Strips (For Touch Screen Replacements)
Hot Air Gun / Hair Dryer
MyTouch 4G Slide Take Apart/Repair Guide:
Remove the battery back door has it cover simply using a safe open pry tool and slide all around the sides. Once it has been removed you need to remove the battery, micro sd card, and sim card from the phone.
Next, using a Torx 5 screwdriver, you need to remove four (4) screws - two on top and two on bottom.. Remove the two (2) screws in the middle of the phone using a small Phillip screwdriver.
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Figure 1​
Next using a safe open pry tool you will remove the little plastic housing on the bottom of the phone. Once removed you can now release the bezel around the sides of the phone using the safe open pry tool and simply just go around all the sides of the phone releasing the bezel clips safely.
Remove two (2) additional screws on a top left as well as one screw on the top right , the two (2) on the left or Torx 5 screws (located in red on Figure 2) and the one (1) screw on the right is a small Phillip screw (located in orange). With those screws are removed you can now release three flex cables along the sides of the phone that are holding with adhesive one being the power cable, the volume up down ribbon and the third one is in the other side of the phone and that one should be release as well. These are held in place with adhesive and simply need to be released from the housing.
Once those three cables are release you can now release one more flex cable on the right side of the motherboard using a safe open pry tool and pop it right off.
Figure 2​
Next you can now release the motherboard from the actual phone, go along the sides releasing the clips holding the motherboard in place (being very careful not to actually damage your motherboard). Underneath you motherboard is a flex cable from the keyboard which is under your phone. You would need to release the flex cable and pop it right off. You can now separate the motherboard from the LCD display housing.
Release the eight (8) Phillip head screws on the back of the keyboard housing. Once removed you can now separate the keyboard from the actual LCD display monitor (be careful as the keyboard is still holding with the flex cable so you would need to release the flex cable very careful as it is holding on two sides, there is also an adhesive on the black portion so you would need to pry it very slowly).
Figure 3​
Next, using a safe open pry tool you will need to release the silver frame around the side of the phone this cover up two screws that you would need to remove as well. Once the frame is release you can go ahead and remove the two screws on the top as well as the two screws on the bottom of the back panel.
Release the bezel frame from the back of the phone. You may want to use a hair dryer or heat gun to warm the adhesive a bit, as it can be a strong bond. Simply use your heat on a medium setting and move quickly around the edges for about 30-45 seconds.
Release the digitizer cable holding into the back of the phone, slowly pulled back the tape and release the jaw connector, pushing it with upward with the safe open pry tool and pop out the digitizer flex cable of your touch screen.
Using a hot hair heat gun heat up the front as well as a little bit of the back of your screen, this will loosen up the adhesive securing your LCD touch screen and display together.
Once adequate heat has been applied use a safe open pry tool and run along the sides of the touch screen glass (be very careful not to damage the LCD during the process as it is very delicate piece of equipment). Once it is complete you can go ahead and replace your touch screen glass or your LCD display monitor.
Figure 4​Now you will be able to replace any parts on your HTC MyTouch 4G Slide. Simply replace the damaged parts with the new ones and reverse the order to put your phone back together again.
Pictures of the process above:
ifixsmartphone teardown of the doubleshot.
More pictures:
Internal Pics! Thanks dillalade!
Thanks for posting this repair guide!!!
Added to the dev reference here:
Device Specs and Manuals under hardware specifications near the top of that post.
Here's a nice video of the phone teardown as well.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d9CG7QU36pg
Very detailed and easy to follow
We also have a details video too -http://www.repairsuniverse.com/htc-mytouch-4g-slide-screen-repair-take-apart.html
We found tearing apart the MyTouch 4G Slide using our downloadable written guide in correlation with our Mytouch 4G Slide video repair guide will make for a great and easy repair. Let us know what you think!
I wonder if I can use led screen or if there is any?
Sent from my myTouch_4G_Slide using CM9
crimedave1987 said:
I wonder if I can use led screen or if there is any?
Sent from my myTouch_4G_Slide using CM9
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You can only use the original screens on this. You can't upgrade the screen. You can find the screen replacements here - HTC MyTouch 4G Slide Screen Replacements
[deleted]
[deleted. i felt the question wasn't appropriate here. sorry ]
So I've been having all kinds of issues with my beat up device, when I went to get to the LCD and digitizer......the LCD literally fell out of the phone in 4 pieces wow right, would be reason for some issues but thanks for the guide
Sent from my myTouch_4G_Slide using Tapatalk 2
strapped365 said:
So I've been having all kinds of issues with my beat up device, when I went to get to the LCD and digitizer......the LCD literally fell out of the phone in 4 pieces wow right, would be reason for some issues but thanks for the guide
Sent from my myTouch_4G_Slide using Tapatalk 2
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That poor Frankenstein phone of yours Hopefully, you can piece something together.
Fuzi0719 said:
That poor Frankenstein phone of yours Hopefully, you can piece something together.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Its all good now thanks to jkilo. The device he sent me should arrive soon so I gave my mobo to cybot for his bricked device, the digitizer had hardly any adhesive holding it on along with all the other parts that were supposed to so I'm guessing this isn't the first time its been apart ( no void sticker either )
Sent from my myTouch_4G_Slide using Tapatalk 2
I dropped my phone yesterday and cracked the digitizer. I have a "spare" MT4GS I picked up that I thought was soft bricked. I tried swapping the mainboards but the spare LCD appeared to be shot. Then I pulled the phones completely apart and found that the spare digitizer was also shot. Great....
Parts are on order.
Warning! Easy to damage LCD
That step of removing the bezel frame from behind the LCD? Yeah, I ruined my screen doing that. As I gather have a bunch of other people. The problem is that there's so much adhesive, and on an older phone it gets really stiff, such that even if you heat it up quite a bit it's really easy to accidentally pull apart/bend/otherwise ruin the LCD trying to get that bezel off. My suggestion: don't do this yourself. Have a professional repair it or just get a new phone
Blue6IX said:
Pictures of the process above:
ifixsmartphone teardown of the doubleshot.
More pictures:
Internal Pics! Thanks dillalade!
Thanks for posting this repair guide!!!
Added to the dev reference here:
Device Specs and Manuals under hardware specifications near the top of that post.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You're most welcome! Glad we could help!
Keyboard slide-out sensor?
I've been searching all over this forum and google regarding a hardware related problem I've been having. Although my problem isn't specifically related to the original post, I figured this thread might be the best place to ask, since my issue will involve disassembling my phone and locating a specific component.
This problem started 2 days ago during normal use (didn't drop it or get it wet):
Whenever my keyboard is closed, the screen works in portrait mode just fine. But after starting to slide out the keyboard, the screen freezes in portrait view and doesn't respond. Then if I slide the keyboard back in, the screen unfreezes and is working as if nothing happened.
If my screen is in standby and I open the keyboard, my screen does that multi-color pixelated thing where it almost looks grey, and then I close it and the screen is fine once again. (I know, it's most likely a loose connection)
**One factor worth noting is that the screen doesn't simply freeze/unfreeze at just any random point when sliding out the keyboard. Anyone who uses this phone knows how the keyboard kinda snaps open and snaps shut. After testing this problem countless times, I've noticed that the screen freezes EXACTLY after unsnapping the slide, stays frozen no matter how far I open the keyboard and finally only unfreezes exactly after the keyboard is snapped shut again. This is a very small and specific area, and this never changes.
So, the first logical conclusion I'd made was that the keyboard slide-mechanism had caused one of the screen ribbons to come loose whenever it slides out. But after thinking about how specific it was that this problem only happens within that tiny margin (snap/unsnap) and nowhere else, I'm starting to think it may not be one of those ribbons afterall.
And now I'm starting to wonder, what internal sensor/switch is responsible for telling the screen to switch to landscape once the keyboard is open?
I've watched quite a few youtube how-to videos, studied diagrams & close-ups up internal parts, but all I've seen so far are stationary-connections. There are so many different ways to design these tiny things that it helps to have an idea what I'm looking for.
So does anyone know exactly where this slide sensor/switch is, and what it looks like?
(I always prefer to research thoroughly & redundantly before attempting risky endeavors)
Thanks in advance.
Off hand I would say there is a small magnet, I know there is in other HTC phones and although I have opened my doubleshot many times I can't recall one, but I'm fairly certain there would be.
But I'm thinking you need the main flex cable
Sent from my Nexus 4 using XDA Premium 4 mobile app
demkantor said:
Off hand I would say there is a small magnet, I know there is in other HTC phones and although I have opened my doubleshot many times I can't recall one, but I'm fairly certain there would be.
But I'm thinking you need the main flex cable
Sent from my Nexus 4 using XDA Premium 4 mobile app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Alright, I wasn't sure. I wanted to consider any other possibilities and what to look for. And I'm quite possibly over-thinking this, but it seems like whenever I go in assuming I'll figure it out, I end up making things worse...
(...Like the time I tried to reflow the CPU on an Xbox motherboard; lets just say I'm never trying that again)
Thanks
My Doubleshot of 2 years just got this problem about a month ago. Whenever I slide out the screen goes black... but not right away! it takes it about 1 second before it goes black. Also when the error was just developing (for about 1 or 2 days) the screen would turn black when slid out, but then if the screen was turned off and back on it would work perfectly! Clearly this wasn't just a simple torn flex cable...
Sorry I can't be more help... but there's definitely something else failing in our phones!
Ziida said:
My Doubleshot of 2 years just got this problem about a month ago. Whenever I slide out the screen goes black... but not right away! it takes it about 1 second before it goes black. Also when the error was just developing (for about 1 or 2 days) the screen would turn black when slid out, but then if the screen was turned off and back on it would work perfectly! Clearly this wasn't just a simple torn flex cable...
Sorry I can't be more help... but there's definitely something else failing in our phones!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hmm, it kinda would seem that something (not sure what) is sending a 'Standby' signal to your screen instead of the 'Landscape' signal; like a strange glitch between the power button and the slide-out sensor, crossed signals or something. But who knows, especially if the device is rooted (mine is, but my biggest problems are hardware related); I've had custom ROMs in the past that, over time, would develop a sort of 'hiccup' and cause certain common functions to misbehave. My point was, your issue could be either software or hardware related and without 1st-hand experience I can't say.
Mine is most likely hardware related because there were no recent software changes, and this just happened between text conversations; about 2 mins apart. Now it seems to be a condition that needs to be physically repaired and I really don't want to.... I kinda want to go all "Ol' Yeller" on the poor bastard and introduce it to my Walther P99. Nah, I couldn't do that.
F**kin phones. Hate em, can't live without em.
Mine's not software. I've flashed other ROMs and it even happens to the boot screen / recovery. I think HTC wanted $100 to repair it, too
ALMOST feels like a case of "planned obsolescence" except it doesn't seem to be happening to many people.

How To Fix HTC One S Screen

A written repair guide from RepairsUniverse to fully disassemble your HTC One S quickly and safely. This written repair guide will walk you through each step necessary to quickly repair a damaged screen and get your HTC smartphone working like new again!
This guide will help you install the following HTC One S part (s):
HTC One S Touch Screen Replacement
Required Tools
Safe Pry Opening Tool
Small Phillips Screwdriver
T5 Torx Screwdriver
Adhesive Strips (For Touch Screen Repair)
Heat Gun/Hair Dryer
HTC One S take apart repair guide:
The first step will be to power off your device. From there you will need to remove the upper back cover, using upward pressue, remove the cover. Remove the sim card.
Remove the bottom cover using safe pry tool. There will be a adhesive holding the cover in place.
With both covers removed you will need to remove 6 screws located under the covers, 2 will be Torx T5 (red; figure 1) screws and 4 will be Small Phillips (yellow; figure 1) screws.
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Figure 1​
Use safe pry tool to separate the silver metal housing.
Pull the motherboard and screen assembly from the housing.
Figure 2​
Once the housing is removed you now have access to the battery and motherboard. Release the upper battery connector (orange in figure 2). Now use a safe open pry tool to remove the battery.
Witht he battery removed you will need to release the 5 connections (red) as shown in figure 2. There will also be 2 screws that will need to be removed (yellow; figure 2).
With the screws released, removee the upper cover around the camera. You can now remove the mothereboard from the screen assembly.
Flip the phone over and use a heat gun or hair dryer to warm the adhesive hold the screen assembly in place. Use a safe open pry tool to separate the screen assembly from the front housing. Reheat the adhesive if necessary.
Once all 4 sides are released, carefully feed the screen assembly flex cable through the slots in the housing. You can now fully remove the screen assembly.
Separate the screen assembly by using your heat gun or hair dryer and warm the outside edges of the LCD screen. You can then carefully use a pry tool to separate the two screens.
Simply replace the damaged parts with the new ones and reverse the order to put your phone back together again.
Notice:
Repairs Universe's guides are for informational purposes only. Please click here for details.
Learn about restrictions on reproduction and re-use of Repairs Universe's repair/take-apart/installation guides, and about creating hyperlinks to our guides.
droped it and cracked only the digitizer
ive searched all over but there are never any instructions on how to remove the screen from the digitizer or even if its possible, is it?
chrism154 said:
ive searched all over but there are never any instructions on how to remove the screen from the digitizer or even if its possible, is it?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hi,
On this model the digitizer and LCD screen are fused together. Its hard to separate without damaging the parts. This is why we strongly recommend the full screen replacement which can be found here - HTC One S Screen Replacement
Tip of the hat for this amazing guide, just repaired my partners phone in record time. Thanks :good:
pr1vate piles said:
Tip of the hat for this amazing guide, just repaired my partners phone in record time. Thanks :good:
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That's what we love to hear! Glad everything worked out for you.
Are there any less expensive LCD+digitizer screens available anywhere? $130 is absurdly expensive - I can buy a brand new Nexus phone for just a little more.
htc one s screen available in very less cost [email protected]
gomulkaaa said:
Are there any less expensive LCD+digitizer screens available anywhere? $130 is absurdly expensive - I can buy a brand new Nexus phone for just a little more.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
htc one s screen available in very less cost [email protected]
So after replacing my screen I have no sound from ear speaker aux port or loudspeaker any ideas?
Sent from my HTC VLE_U using xda app-developers app
sideWaYsanonymous said:
So after replacing my screen I have no sound from ear speaker aux port or loudspeaker any ideas?
Sent from my HTC VLE_U using xda app-developers app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sounds like a flex cable or a jawbone connection is not connected . Take the phone apart again. Re-Check all the connections and reassemble the phone again. See if that fixes the problem. Most of the time is something very small.
thankss!!!!! very usefull
Touch here to try
I've changed my LCD +Digitizer following your guide and it worked great!
There is one thing I can't get my head around though:
When the screen is on, I see a transparent text on the top of the screen that says Touch here to try
It's not very irritating, because it mostly disappears since the icons cover most of the text. But I do wonder why I get that text, and what I can do to get rid of it.
jodo2017 said:
I've changed my LCD +Digitizer following your guide and it worked great!
There is one thing I can't get my head around though:
When the screen is on, I see a transparent text on the top of the screen that says Touch here to try
It's not very irritating, because it mostly disappears since the icons cover most of the text. But I do wonder why I get that text, and what I can do to get rid of it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hello,
Happy to hear that the screen is working the way it should. As for the words at the top of the screen. There can be a couple different explanations, 1. You may need to adjust the touch screen in settings, 2. There may be a protective film that was left on the screen. 3. The phone may be in Safe Mode. As the phone is working correctly I would try to do a Factory Data Reset. You will loose ALL your info. Back up all your info. Adjust the screen sensitivity you should be okay from there.
my htc one s is different
ok the back of my htc one is differnt to the one pictured under the bottom cover there are no screws there are only scres at the top 2 torx 5 and 2 philips
struttas2010 said:
ok the back of my htc one is differnt to the one pictured under the bottom cover there are no screws there are only scres at the top 2 torx 5 and 2 philips
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Can you post a picture? Are you 100% sure you have a HTC one S?
Very nicely written. I hope I wont need the replacement... But you can never know This link is bookmarked! :good:
DarwinOS said:
Very nicely written. I hope I wont need the replacement... But you can never know This link is bookmarked! :good:
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks! If you ever need any help with any repair, we will be here!
Hey,
A few months ago I unfortunately dropped my phone so the screen was up to no good.
I left it for some time until I found a new screen on the ebay for decent money.
I changed the screen (LCD + glass) by the guides on the youtube.
Unfortunately there is no screen activity or any other interaction after that.
I can get the blinking orange led when connected to a charger or PC and after a night of charging the led turned green.
When I try to turn it on theres no ordinary bottom row buttons flashing or anything else.
I tried booting it into bootloader via PC but still no luck. Computer can't connect to the phone.
The motherboard gets warm and the led blinks so it shouldn't be dead.
Does anybody have experience with that type of situation? Would hate to lose my phone.
repairsuniverse said:
Can you post a picture? Are you 100% sure you have a HTC one S?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This is how it looks.
This link says it's a cover for Z520e (S4), and my phone is supposed to be S3 (unless someone flashed wrong hboot and bootloader on it, and it's actually a defective S4 now). http://rounded.com/htc-one-s-z520e-antenna-cover-antenna-housing-black-spare-part-antc.html?sl=en
I don't know how to remove this, all of the tutorials I can find online are for the version that has bottom in two parts.
Is that the S3/S4 physical difference?
Atrax2010 said:
This is how it looks.
This link says it's a cover for Z520e (S4), and my phone is supposed to be S3 (unless someone flashed wrong hboot and bootloader on it, and it's actually a defective S4 now). http://rounded.com/htc-one-s-z520e-antenna-cover-antenna-housing-black-spare-part-antc.html?sl=en
I don't know how to remove this, all of the tutorials I can find online are for the version that has bottom in two parts.
Is that the S3/S4 physical difference?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The bottom cover will come off. Use a small pry tool to persuade the cover to come loose. There are small notches in the cover start at the far left notch and work your way around. It may feel like you are going to break something, but keep going! Once you have the cover off disassemble the rest of the phone just as we did in the video. If you have any other issues please let us know.
repairsuniverse said:
The bottom cover will come off. Use a small pry tool to persuade the cover to come loose. There are small notches in the cover start at the far left notch and work your way around. It may feel like you are going to break something, but keep going! Once you have the cover off disassemble the rest of the phone just as we did in the video. If you have any other issues please let us know.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thnx, but I sent it to HTC repair shop, because I couldn't boot it with stock software, and with rooted wifi didn't work. So I gave up, and took it to them. They'll fix it for free, since it was returned to stock and all void stickers were undamaged.
Funny thing, the guy entered my IMEI and S/N into his database, and it came out as Ville(S4), not VilleC2(S3). I doubt it's an S4, but still it's strange.
Anyways, thanks for your answer, it will come in handy in future if I need to disassemble it. That little black plastic is really difficult to remove, it really seems as if you are breaking it, like you're pulling the entire board with it. Scary.

So I took it apart... Here's how it went.

So a bought my tablet, without the dock. Being a modder/hacker/tweaker, I knew I had to root and learn the flash process specific to my device ASAP.
Horrified to find that I would lose my warranty, and that I would be on my own from that moment when I would have unlocked it an beyond.
So I hesitated... For a week... and unlocked, rooted, and flashed a couple ROMs. All is well.
Fast forward 4 months...
I started getting issues with the touch screen on my device. I was heartbroken. I knew that nobody would fix it, despite it being a hardware defect of some kind.
The issue I was having was the "Ghost Touches" which would swipe up and down rapidly and randomly on the left half of the screen.
It would happen seemingly at random, and progressively became so bad that I couldn't use my TF700 any longer.
Shelving it for a few weeks, I finally became inspired and motivated to try to fix it myself, or at least discover wtf was wrong with it.
I found that pressing on the bottom of the tablet (the sections that surround the screen itself) would actually make the problem go away, but also make half of my screen unresponsive until I screen locked/unlocked it.
That made me feel that it was software related seeing that a simple lock/unlock via the top left button would make it stop for a few seconds, but this wasn't the case despite this glaring fact.
So I knew I had to open it, and I had no resources, couldn't find any videos, no information on opening this thing was available, at least at the time.
The steps I took were:
1) Turning off the device of course.
2) Flipped it over and with a flashlight looked down into the two slots for mounting it on the dock.
2a) I peeled away the squishy stickery thingy from each slot.
2b) There are little circles, one in each, that using something sturdy, you must slide to the tablet's left. (I used a nail...)
3) Using some kind of plastic yet sturdy wedge, you must unsnap all of the clasps under the screen to free it.
3a) I used a guitar pick, starting from one of the slots on the bottom, I ran the pick around the edges of the screen after carefully forcing it between the aluminium case and the glass.
3b) With somewhat violent prying motions I was able to free all of the snaps. (You need not unsnap the top side, only the bottom, left, and right sides. If I recall correctly)
4) There's 2 ribbons, they're sneaky, one is copper colored, the other is white. The white one is the scary one.
I turned on my tablet at this point, everything worked fine, I was VERY thankful at that point.
Now I looked around on the inside of the device and noticed that the point where the copper ribbon meets the digitizer/lcd screen was dented a bit, and when I ran my finger across it, the phantom touch problem went absolutely crazy. Bingo.
I found the pressing the ribbon flat against the screen, and firmly holding it in place fixed the problem.
So with a piece of tape I found next to me, I carefully rolled the tape over the dented area of the ribbon, and firmly secured the ribbon to the back of the screen preventing it from moving at all.
Upon reassembling my device, all has worked well, though when I shake the tablet, or press on certain points (takes a fair bit of pressure, nothing you'd ever do intentionally) the "Ghost Touch" comes back, but is easily remedied by a quick lock/unlock. This happens only once or twice a week at best, and I use this tablet HEAVILY.
Sorry for the messy post, and the lack of pictures, I didn't take any, and am not doing this again until I have to.
I really hope anyone who read this can gain from it.
Regards,
~HNx
That is some good info there.
Thanks for taking the time to put that together. I'm sure this will be very useful/helpful to those with similar/same symptoms.
Good job on doing it on your own like that. :thumbup:
Sent from my ADR6400L using xda app-developers app
Wow thank you for the post very very much.
I have had the ghost touch problem ever since the start, but it only came about with the dock connected. Through trial and error i figured that the dock is pressing on the bottom of the screen when you open/close it and causes persistent ghost touch. Simple on/off screen would fix it until i adjust the dock angle again. Never had it without dock connected.
Mine is also unlocked so no warranty. Although i am planning to rma the dock as its started to make clicking noises when open/closes.
Will definitely do your fix soon. How long would you say the whole process took you the first time?
Any idea what is causing the ghosting after the fix? My thought is that it was the gorilla glass bending that was creating some interference inside of it, hope i'm wrong.
Also, since we are on the fixing it from the inside page, the clicking noises (i get slight ones if i press/squeeze by audio jack), could they be fixed with some filing. ?
And the big one, could we solder on / replace the inner sdcard chip? perhaps hack a flash/ssd in there if possible?
There are pictures of the TF700's internal components on the iFixIt web site.
I don't think you can replace a BGA chip without damaging the board.
Took me a while to get to it but i opened her up today.
Firstly i recently received my dock back from RMA because the left top corner kept opening up when i tilt the tablet and i had to press on dock to click it back together. RMA people sent it back saying "works as intended, no problems found" with an added touch of removing right side rubber protector (left and bottom still there). Thank you for that..
So i decided to take matter in my own hands and lifted the top left rubber foothold of the dock only to find the warranty "void" screw just fall out... apparently it was never screwed in. OK easy fix, touch of screwdriver and dock is now better than new. Nice quality control there ASUS.
So now excited with first fix, i got to the tablet.
The ghost touch has been plaguing me with the dock attached every time.
I had tf700 unlocked to get the extra performance due to slow flash so no warranty.
Used 2 guitar picks, managed to get the screen off no problems. Tested if it still works, fine there too.
As noted by OP, the orange ribbon causes ghost touches as you press on it.
The white ribbon was in the way so I unplugged it from the screen.
This is the trouble causing area:
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It was obviously insecurely connected to the touch screen. I tried to stuff some tinfoil to the edges to hold in better, however, upon testing my solution, had a fatal (to the screen) accident.
The white ribbon killed lcd power and I couldnt tell if device was on (which it was). Upon attempting to connect the ribbon back, some contacts touch other contacts on the connector, small electrical flash, and lcd screen is dead... :crying:
tablet still works with dock and hdmi out:
Well since screen was broken already i decided to remove it from the touch glass to further investigate the ghost touch.
This is the problem, the orange ribbon was just glued to the touch screen (pressed between 2 screens) and has no secure connection hold. perhaps the glue unglued or air bubbles get in the way or the 2 screens not hold it tightly enough. It is obviously a design fault.
Whoever decided to use this method and then use same badly secured connection area to apply force to keyboard dock to open/close the device, did poor job...
Sure it is my fault i ruined the screen but i cant help but to feel cheated from ASUS.
I loved the idea of transformer tablet and was a very loyal ASUS fan. Bought it first month it came out, used for a year already.
They advertized a premium top of the line product, use a cheap memory solution which makes customers unlock and
void warranty. And when design failures arise, well, you are on your own.
Every TF700 tablet has this "ghost touch" problem, by design. Some may be better than others. It is just a failed product execution.
Not sure what i will do with the tablet now, have mixed feelings about it.
But as a long time ASUS customer / fan, can no longer recommend their products. Their new "direction" of passing bad designs as premium products, just not what I expected.
0.02
upon further review, the lcd connection wire had some pins burned out from the short, so hopefully lcd screen is alive.
[EDIT]
WOW they sell from china for 45 dollars!! for a tiny piece of wire like that...
anyone with a broken/replacement lcd which has a working wire be willing to salvage/sell theirs?
Just as an update, I've yet to need to take my TF700 apart again. The "Ghost Touch" problem hasactually gone away entirely even with
pressure applied to the effected areas.
Further I've tracked the problem down to the tablet getting hot, very hot. As dankens points out, the glue is all that holds the ribbon in place. It's my suspicion that the glue becomes loose. The ribbon most likely shifts a bit at this point, and the problem arises.
Be careful tf700 owners, once it starts, it doesn't just go away.
dankens said:
upon further review, the lcd connection wire had some pins burned out from the short, so hopefully lcd screen is alive.
[EDIT]
WOW they sell from china for 45 dollars!! for a tiny piece of wire like that...
anyone with a broken/replacement lcd which has a working wire be willing to salvage/sell theirs?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
First I'd like to apologize if my post played any role in the eventual damaging of your tablet.
I hate to see such an expensive device broken.
You said it was just some burnt out pins that are problem. I'm pretty sure that I could repair it if you havn't yet bought a new screen.
If you're interested, you can drop me an email -- [email protected]
Well, i went out and got the parts from china/ebay, i think they ship them on wales from china because it took forever!
Started off with the damn white ribbon which cost me $41 for a 4 inch piece of wire!!
LCD was still dead, so i figured it got fried as well. new LCD (no digitizer) cost another $88. After assembling (now i make sure the battery is unplugged first thing, and connected last) i could see the lcd lamp turn on but screen was black.
Next to go was the mobo (i think GPU fried as well), they dont really sell those much, cheapest one was $80 (refurbished).
connected all and viola, back to normal. cost of parts: 209, worth it? not sure.
Definitely a learning experience, damn parts cost more than the tablet itself.
Looking forward to Dell Venue 11 pro (i5 version).
dankens said:
Well, i went out and got the parts from china/ebay, i think they ship them on wales from china because it took forever!
Started off with the damn white ribbon which cost me $41 for a 4 inch piece of wire!!
LCD was still dead, so i figured it got fried as well. new LCD (no digitizer) cost another $88. After assembling (now i make sure the battery is unplugged first thing, and connected last) i could see the lcd lamp turn on but screen was black.
Next to go was the mobo (i think GPU fried as well), they dont really sell those much, cheapest one was $80 (refurbished).
connected all and viola, back to normal. cost of parts: 209, worth it? not sure.
Definitely a learning experience, damn parts cost more than the tablet itself.
Looking forward to Dell Venue 11 pro (i5 version).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
For those of you who will attempt to fix the same problem reported in the OP, my 2 cents:
1. After you successfully open the tab, but BEFORE doing anything, turn off the switch in the area circled red in the attached thumbs. This will cut off all electrical current to the components and prevent accidental shorts. It's called "service switch" for that reason;
2. The information given earlier about how the ribbon was bonded to the glass was incorrect. So I deleted that part. I examined under a microscope and it appeared a chemical strip of some kind was applied to the glass for bonding. Apparently, it worked in my case since I put a piece of kapton tape where the ribbon came off the glass, More likely, it was a part of the ribbon that had no function in the operation of the touchscreen. Thus, there ain't no way one can re-bond it once the ribbon's ripped off the glass, undamaged though it might be.
It looks like I'm having the same issue, but I'm confused about where to put the tape. Should I be removing the digitizer for this? Does the tape go RIGHT WHERE the ribbon connects to the glass? Or do I simply fold the ribbon over top of the computer chips on the back of the digitizer and do it there and tape it there?
jneuffer said:
It looks like I'm having the same issue, but I'm confused about where to put the tape. Should I be removing the digitizer for this? Does the tape go RIGHT WHERE the ribbon connects to the glass? Or do I simply fold the ribbon over top of the computer chips on the back of the digitizer and do it there and tape it there?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I hope someone can answer this. I can't figure out where to put the tape from all these posts either. I am about to embark on this journey. I have never disassembled a tablet or smartphone before. I am not that scared because I haven't really used this tablet due to all the problems I have had with it and have moved on the the Nexus 7. I would like to have it back in service though since now it is unusable due to the ghost touches.
Edit:
This might be the info I was looking for from a post above. Thanks.
"So with a piece of tape I found next to me, I carefully rolled the tape over the dented area of the ribbon, and firmly secured the ribbon to the back of the screen preventing it from moving at all."
echardcore said:
I hope someone can answer this. I can't figure out where to put the tape from all these posts either. I am about to embark on this journey. I have never disassembled a tablet or smartphone before. I am not that scared because I haven't really used this tablet due to all the problems I have had with it and have moved on the the Nexus 7. I would like to have it back in service though since now it is unusable due to the ghost touches.
Edit:
This might be the info I was looking for from a post above. Thanks.
"So with a piece of tape I found next to me, I carefully rolled the tape over the dented area of the ribbon, and firmly secured the ribbon to the back of the screen preventing it from moving at all."
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I successfully opened it up and taped the white and gold wires down but the problem didnt go away. I am able to reproduce it more now though. I didnt tape the gold wire to the edge of the screen because when I pressed on that with the unit on it didn't cause the issue. I was able to make it happen while opened by touching the gold wire near where the problem spot seems to be but not on it.
Wondering if I build up a protective bump of material like tape inside so the case cant be compressed to cause the issue if that will help. I refuse to send it anywhere or purchase parts. I've spent too much time and effort on this thing. Really sucks to have a tablet that I cant use. I guess I could sell it on ebay for parts.
I'm going to keep bumping this as I discover more.
So I took it apart again trying to rig it up to work.
I found that the gold cable doesn't like being bent the way it is bent from the factory. If you straighten it out and fiddle with it, the ghost touches go away. I have been doing all my testing with the tablet powered on making sure not to disconnect anything. This way I can really get a feel for what is causing the ghost touches. If you intend on doing this look for the service switch and shut it off. Its hard to find even though its right in the middle of everything.
Cable with "33" written on it is the issue. I cut away some of the black plastic they used to keep things neat.
Pulling away the problem cable for your viewing pleasure
Tried to add some foam padding which helped with the case open.
Too much padding to close the case. Might try again with less padding.

[GUIDE]HDC Galaxy S4 Legend Disassembly + Antenna Modifications!

UNDER NO CIRCUMSTANCES ARE YOU PERMITTED TO REPOST ANY IMAGES OR TEXT FROM THIS GUIDE, DIGITALLY OR OTHERWISE, WITHOUT MY WRITTEN CONSENT.
I can only offer limited advice as I currently do not have an LCD. That said, I have a better understanding of the layout of the board now.
I have had several messages asking 'Where can I buy this part?' Unless it is already posted in this thread, I do not know where you can buy it.
Possible parts sellers: (I cannot confirm details are correct. Purchase at your own risk!)
LCD: http://s.taobao.com/search?q=fpc-a50...l-b&rsclick=13
An EXPERIMENTAL antenna guide can be found in this post: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=46020544&postcount=61
Results of this here: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=46309271&postcount=68
I'm in the UK, using the O2 network so I do not know how it will affect US networks as they use a different frequency.
This guide is currently incomplete and will be updated as progress is made. Thanks to @henrykins111 and @PerisH-es for the helpful information.
Please note: This will void your warranty. I do not accept responsibility for this or any data loss or damage that may occur directly or indirectly as a result of attempting to follow any of the steps in this guide. Please take care and follow these steps at your own risk.
Tools required for the disassembly:
- Small (2-3mm?) Phillips head screwdriver
- Plastic pry tool or thin guitar plectrum.
Firstly, remove the back case, battery, microSD card and SIM card. Put these safely to one side.
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Remove the 9 screws that surround the edges of the back of the phone. Put these in a small box or something, I've lost countless screws by just leaving them on the side.
Insert the plectrum (or pry tool) between the chrome and the brushed style sections of the phone. Take care not to use too much force or push the plectrum in too far as this could damage some of the ribbon cables, situated mostly towards the top of the phone.
You'll be left with two parts. The grey piece you just removed will have the ribbon antennas for wifi and cellular signal attached, as well as the loudspeaker and the camera lens and flash diffuser. The board is now also exposed.
To remove the camera, using the plectrum to carefully unplug the ribbon cable. The main camera unit can then be lifted out, but be aware that it is held down by some tape so be aware that a small amount of force may be required.
Now using the same method unplug the small black ribbon cable that is attached to the SIM and microSD card slots.
The card slots are held in with a little glue, and these can now be removed.
To remove the board, first undo the 2 screws located in opposite corners that hold it down. Make a note of their location as it is easy to confuse which holes to put them in. Then, remove this small strip of tape, being VERY careful not to tear the ribbon cables beneath.
Using the plectrum, you can now remove these. The bottom cable is a data cable that links to the bottom board and the top cable is the screen cable (I think - not sure)
Just above the socket for the SIM and microSD card slots is another socket. This has a small, black, hinged plastic tab that you must lift until it is 90degrees to the board. You can then slowly slide out the ribbon cable from the socket. Underneath this cable is another plug type socket. Unplug this.
Another antenna cable can now be removed. This can be quite stiff but be very careful not to dent the metal on the connections and also be aware that it is possible to pull the socket itself from the board.
After unplugging another small ribbon cable located on the top edge of the phone, the board can now be lifted. Lift the board as smoothly as possible, making sure to not tear any of the ribbon cables.
To remove the first infrared sensor and light sensor, simply pull it vertically out from the casing of the phone.
Just underneath the top of the headphone jack is a small indent in the white plastic. Use this to remove the headphone jack, but be careful not to apply to much force as joined by another thin ribbon cable is the LED and second infrared sensor. This may take some slight wriggling to remove as it is all held in with a small amount of glue.
Unplug the ribbon cable from the bottom left hand side of the board.
The other end of the metal antenna cable can now be unplugged. being careful of the components underneath and the round thing (microphone?) the board should now only be held in by a couple of strips of tape and a little glue.
The other side of the bottom board. This helps explain a few things. The round object connected via the wires appears to be the vibration motor. There are no numbers or letters written on it. Those of you having problems, it may simply be a broken connection on this wire, so it's worth checking.
The microphone is the small surface mounted silver box located next to the solder points for the wires.
The LCD/digitizer/glass assembly is now held in with a little glue. Use the plectrum to remove the screen. If it's stubborn, gently heat with a heat gun or hair dryer on low heat in a circular motion over the device. You may need to apply a small amount of pressure to the back of the LCD, where the battery would normally be. There is a risk of breaking it if you do this, but this won't matter if you're replacing it anyway.
NOTE: The LCD cables will not fit through the slot they are in without removing the small black divider to the right hand side of the slot, where the top speaker would be.
!Potentially important information!
As I broke the LCD I thought I would have a go at separating the LCD from the digitizer/glass. Turns out it is possible BUT almost impossible to do without breaking the LCD.
If your LCD is broken but your glass/digitizer is fine, then you could try removing it. The LCD is glued to the glass only around the edge. To remove it, you simply have to pull the LCD from the glue. Before you do this, be ABSOLUTELY sure that you are only pulling the LCD off and not the digitizer. The easiest way to check is to remove the LCD from the top down, as here you can use the ribbon cable as a reference to which layer is the digitizer. Picture of this to come.
As mentioned by @henrykins111, gently heating the screen and using a thin metal spudger or xacto knife will really help with this.
Nice, on wich picture can you see the vibration engine?
splashboy said:
Nice, on wich picture can you see the vibration engine?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm not sure where it is if I'm honest. I'll strip the phone down and power it up in parts to try and locate it.
Sent from my GT-I9500 using XDA Premium 4 mobile app
I was looking for the microphone part, i think in my phone it's defect and trying to repair it myself.
Maybe you have some shots of it?
Thanks for posting this. I'm also looking for the vibration engine as it seems to be faulty on mine, it stops working sometimes and shaking the phone a bit seems to fix it temporarily, which makes me think there's a loose connection. I'm also suffering from a poor wifi signal as I move away from the router - do you know where the wifi antenna is?
Original post has been updated with further information about the bottom board, microphone and vibration motor.
Firefly0 said:
do you know where the wifi antenna is?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It looks like the wifi antenna is the black cable with gold metal connections that runs down the right hand side (volume button side) and connects to the bottom board. This in turn connects to a grey flat ribbon style antenna which can be seen glued flat to the bottom of the phone simply by removeing the battery cover.
That said, I have the same problem. Different ROMs don't solve the problem. I'm wondering if it simply is weak, and maybe a strip of conductive tape or foil or similar on top of this antenna would help. Either that or have the complete opposite effect and it refelct signals around inside the phone. Might be worth a try though.
Really helpful, I thank you!
splashboy said:
Really helpful, I thank you!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Glad I could offer something useful to the community :laugh:
Firefly0 said:
Thanks for posting this. I'm also looking for the vibration engine as it seems to be faulty on mine, it stops working sometimes and shaking the phone a bit seems to fix it temporarily, which makes me think there's a loose connection.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Let me know if you fixed it and how you did
Thanks!
Does anyone have any idea why I can't update the original post with images? If i copy the exact same code into a new post, it allows me to do it.
Example:
rynbrgss said:
Original post has been updated with further information about the bottom board, microphone and vibration motor.
It looks like the wifi antenna is the black cable with gold metal connections that runs down the right hand side (volume button side) and connects to the bottom board. This in turn connects to a grey flat ribbon style antenna which can be seen glued flat to the bottom of the phone simply by removeing the battery cover.
That said, I have the same problem. Different ROMs don't solve the problem. I'm wondering if it simply is weak, and maybe a strip of conductive tape or foil or similar on top of this antenna would help. Either that or have the complete opposite effect and it refelct signals around inside the phone. Might be worth a try though.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for the reply. That sounds like it could work, let me know the results if you try it. I've messaged the seller I bought the phone from about the poor wifi signal to see if they have any advice, I'll post back if I have any luck.
splashboy said:
Let me know if you fixed it and how you did
Thanks!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It seems to be OK now after shaking the phone a bit. Pulling out the battery also seemed to temporarily fix it once, but I think that may have just been a coincidence. I'll probably try opening it up if it stops working again to see if there is a loose connection.
Firefly0 said:
Thanks for the reply. That sounds like it could work, let me know the results if you try it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I've been having a play but no luck. I tried simply inserting a small strip of foil between the antenna and back case and no change. I then true different sizes an locations still the same. Even made an antenna from the foil that ran just love halfway up the phone and wired it into the pins on the board, and no significant change there either I'm afraid.
Sent from my GT-I9500 using XDA Premium 4 mobile app
rynbrgss said:
I've been having a play but no luck. I tried simply inserting a small strip of foil between the antenna and back case and no change. I then true different sizes an locations still the same. Even made an antenna from the foil that ran just love halfway up the phone and wired it into the pins on the board, and no significant change there either I'm afraid.
Sent from my GT-I9500 using XDA Premium 4 mobile app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It will be interesting, to see, if any parts from the real s4 are compatible with this legend, i see many users will pay an extra buck to replace de rear and front camera, and also the wifi, because these parts are relatively cheap..., in another angle, maybe someone will also wanted to change for the real s4 screen but i doubt that will be compatible .
I see many people with poor wifi, could an original flez cable be the solution?
ebay.co.uk/itm/New-Internal-Antenna-Signal-WIFI-Flex-Cable-Part-for-Samsung-Galaxy-S4-i9500-/290931180790?pt=UK_Replacement_Parts_Tools&hash=item43bcd984f6
rynbrgss said:
Does anyone have any idea why I can't update the original post with images? If i copy the exact same code into a new post, it allows me to do it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I think you have to load up the pictures again, not only try to link the pictures.
Thanks for your work on the Legend! :good:
Picture links fixed
lvieira76 said:
It will be interesting, to see, if any parts from the real s4 are compatible with this legend, i see many users will pay an extra buck to replace de rear and front camera, and also the wifi, because these parts are relatively cheap..., in another angle, maybe someone will also wanted to change for the real s4 screen but i doubt that will be compatible .
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
While the wifi flex replacement should fit, I can't see it making any real difference. The wifi antenna itself is different from the S4; on our phones there is a thin grey ribbon antenna underneath the battery. It looks just like a sticker but on the other side of it it has a thin copper circuit. This is what is potentially the problem as it may not be very well designed. (I'm no expert when it comes to antenna designs themselves).
I'd be reluctant to try the camera but if you do let us know how it goes. The same with the screen.
I think the wifi antenna is the antenna in the top. The little one at the right-corner. You can try with that.
I believe that the botton antenna is the mobile antenna (GSM).
Hope it helps.
@rynbrgss Did you get to check the lcd model?
i sure hope that someone gets an fix for wifi, because, i receive my legend today and didnt pick the wireless 10 meters away...lol
PerisH-es said:
I think the wifi antenna is the antenna in the top. The little one at the right-corner. You can try with that.
I believe that the botton antenna is the mobile antenna (GSM).
Hope it helps.
@rynbrgss Did you get to check the lcd model?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I haven't, I need to work out how to get to it without damaging the phone.
Ill have a play with the other antenna too, thanks for the heads
up.
lvieira76 said:
i sure hope that someone gets an fix for wifi, because, i receive my legend today and didnt pick the wireless 10 meters away...lol
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Have you tried fluffy's Rom? That helped a lot wwith mine.
Sent from my GT-I9500 using XDA Premium 4 mobile app

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