Just curious. iFixIt did a teardown of the Verizon model but i am wondering what the guts of the Wifi model are.
In the iFixIt article they mention a spacer left for the LTE module and from what i have been reading the rest of the WiFi Hardware is supposed to be the exact same. If the WiFi has all the same hardware, what would the possibilities be of hacking in another carriers "modem" in?
The wifi model internals are different than the Verizon model. Trust me I have taken it apart already. I didn't get pics but I had to know cause firmware locks and underclocks are common in the technology industry. But nope its definitely different.
James
Related
It has been over 5 months since I purchased Nexus S but I've yet to found a person that owns Nexus S nor ran into a place that uses NFC technology.
I was wondering if there is a way to test NFC.. maybe like a purchase a chip or sticker (if there is, could anyone help link to a NFC that is compatible with Nexus S)?
Are these re-writeable too? And what are somethings I can do with it? Like turn on/off the light?
Thanks!
Well Portland, OR is a "test market" and I'll be there tomorrow, so I'll see what I find.
My guess is nothing more than NFC stickers on businesses similar to codes you can simply scan with your camera.
I mean you can hold your credit card (if it's a blink capable card on the back) and it will beep at you, but NFC is far in it's infancy to be useful.
This app can do stuff when comes in contact with certain NFC chips and can also rewrite them. At that thread you can find suggestions about which chips works fine with our phones and where to buy them from.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=980741
if your in the uk try smartcardfocus, i have used them for stickers and postage was very quick.
I'm in U.S.
I like these (http://www.tagstand.com/collections/mifare-classic-stickers/products/nfc_circle_25mm_l) but these are sold out at the moment.
Thanks for the app link. Now I have better understanding of what it can do!
Hi Guys!
I am the proud owner of a Moto G from Germany. Unfortunately there are no plans on releasing the dual sim version here in Germany, so I was wondering if maybe the dual sim functionality might already be on board, but hidden.
When you remove the back cover you can see, that there's some plastic where the second sim slot is supposed to be. Has someone maybe opened the back any further an can provide images of what's behind it. Maybe you just have to remove some plastic and it already works. But it might be that you'd have to flash one of the dual sim images (once they come out). I don't really know, but maybe one of you guys does and is willing to share his thoughts or experiments.
Thanks,
Sebastian
I think there isn't a funtional slot for a second sim card. Look at the picture in the link. I'm not allowed to post links (not enough messages). Add a dot after areamobile or google for areamobile moto g teardown.
areamobilede/b/2267-teardown-das-moto-g-und-die-speicher-frage-update#g.2267.24.3800
stibium said:
I think there isn't a funtional slot for a second sim card.
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Click to collapse
Thank you for the link. You might be right. It really seems, that the gray plastic part with the contacts for the sim-card ist missing there. You can see them in the image previous to the one you linked to.
It's clearly the same mainboard shared between single/dual sim parts, so I wonder what components, other than the sim reader, are missing from the board... If it is just that than I'm sure many Moto G owners, myself included, would be willing to source the sim reader part and, with a careful soldering session, attach it, flash the appropriate firmware and enjoy being able to use two sims a once (as easy as that... right?? :silly ... particularly those in the UK and US where the dual sim Moto G isn't as easy to come by, short of an expensive import.
Naturally if there are other passives (smd resistors/caps) that have been omitted from the single sim flavour of the board, that would probably place the effort required beyond being worth the hassle...
maybe...
that said, I'm a sucker for hacking a device to give additional functionality...
Any more detailed board shots of the Moto G out there, other than the teardown shown. Ideally looking for shots around the location of the 'potential' second sim (ideally with shield removed)?
Cheers,
Graysters
OK, to answer my own question,
I plucked up the courage to take the back off and take a closer look, and as feared, the are about 12 passive smd components that are present around the first sim connector, but not the, absent, second. it wouldn't be impossible to add these missing components, but we'd need to identify what each of them are. it may even be possible to 'jumper' them (i.e.just short the appropriate pins where the component would be sat to electrically connect the sim to whatever ASIC it ends up talking to), as seems to be a common practice for many mobile phones to fix sim connection issues... trouble is, we're still working a bit blind. I'd love to see a schematic for this phone...
One other issue that comes to mind: I'm pretty sure the dual sim Moto G would have two IMEI numbers to allow both sims to be in use at the same time, which begs the next question. is it possible to transfer a IMEI number from an old (and no longer in use) mobile phone to use for the second sim in the Moto G. if so, where is the IMEI stored on android devices, and is this modifiable, or is it in some read only memory?
It's not looking particularly feasible at the moment, and there's no point continuing this investigation, unless we can positively answer the above IMEI question...
I wish Motorola would just sell the dual sim Moto G more widely!
For anyone else that's interested, I've attached two snaps showing:
A shot of the single sim moto-g mainboard around sim1: (moto_g_single_sim_sim1.jpg)
A shot around the blank sim2: (moto_g_single_sim_sim2.jpg)
Note the 13 missing smd components around the blank shield... would need to figure out what these are... (these must be common interfacing components for a sim reader that are shared with many phones... anyone got any pointers to circuit diagrams of sim readers in other phones for reference??)
Still no wiser on the 2nd IMEI situation (see my post above)...
Cheers,
Graysters
Graysters said:
For anyone else that's interested, I've attached two snaps showing:
A shot of the single sim moto-g mainboard around sim1: (moto_g_single_sim_sim1.jpg)
A shot around the blank sim2: (moto_g_single_sim_sim2.jpg)
Note the 13 missing smd components around the blank shield... would need to figure out what these are... (these must be common interfacing components for a sim reader that are shared with many phones... anyone got any pointers to circuit diagrams of sim readers in other phones for reference??)
Still no wiser on the 2nd IMEI situation (see my post above)...
Cheers,
Graysters
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half decent job pays €30/hour if you spend more than 5 hours researching and trying to modify your phone, plus the cost of parts, you should have just bought a second phone, or sourced a dual sim version from ebay. I love these kind of projects, but sadly you have already shown it to be too much work to be worth it
helppme said:
half decent job pays €30/hour if you spend more than 5 hours researching and trying to modify your phone, plus the cost of parts, you should have just bought a second phone, or sourced a dual sim version from ebay. I love these kind of projects, but sadly you have already shown it to be too much work to be worth it
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Click to collapse
You cant tell your friends that you fixed a dual sim phone by you selves then
Yberhydro said:
You cant tell your friends that you fixed a dual sim phone by you selves then
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Click to collapse
Interesting thread.
I am interested in the dual sim version of the phone and also possible hardware modification to enable this feature. Does anybody know if the dual sim version is the active type where both sims can be active at the same time in the phone and calls can be switched between one sim and the other without dropping either call?
I am surprised dual sim phones are not in higher demand in the UK. I have always expected this to be the future for business/personal users. Nobody likes carrying around two mobile phones really. What is the difference in cost in the regions where one can purchase the dual sim version, vs the single sim version? I suspect it is not a huge amount anyway, so it is more about the availability world wide.
In terms of hardware modifications...as you said above Grayster, it will depend on the IMEI issue first and foremost?
I have struggled to compare images etc. online in order to answer this. I am sorry if this has been asked, but I have googled and searched within these forums before posting this.
Let's say I got an N915P (Sprint) in great condition and obscenely cheap, but with a bad ESN.
Would the space inside and the components me compatible with the logic board from the N915A (AT&T, preferred) or N915V (Verizon, workable)?
If so I can have a working Note Edge up and running for (relative) peanuts. But I don't want to spend a lot on a logic-board that will not fit, or will have different cable fittings.
It looks so far like they are all very similar. Does anyone have experience with this?
Kind regards,
John
EDIT: Currently bidding on an n915a motherboard, if it stays at a good price and I win, I can update this with my experience.
I still highly appreciate all/any response, as it might discover that I should stop bidding immediately
Important update to anyone who needs to know the outcome of this:
I was able to swap the Verizon and Sprint motherboards very easily thanks to the phone's design, and everything works completely naturally. This feels like it has always been a Verizon device.
I swapped the charger port / mic setup at the same time, in case there are any differences, as there often are.
I hope this is useful to someone.
yablokosmonaut said:
Important update to anyone who needs to know the outcome of this:
I was able to swap the Verizon and Sprint motherboards very easily thanks to the phone's design, and everything works completely naturally. This feels like it has always been a Verizon device.
I swapped the charger port / mic setup at the same time, in case there are any differences, as there often are.
I hope this is useful to someone.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
My friend, you made my day.
I was wondering swap the same model parts it would works, and you post is the best answer.-
Thanks for sharing your experience with us.
Over the course of the past month and a half, I've tried a total of 8 Samsung Galaxy S7's. I didn't set out to exchange so many phones and I really didn't need the inconvenience of all the swapping involved, much less of all the inspecting, testing and comparing I've done. I'm not a reviewer or a device tester. I'm only someone who wants (and expects) good and consistent quality among relatively expensive products if and when I purchase them.
Having stated the above, I've found that certain variants of the S7 do not perform equally in some ways (such as involving certain SoC functionality). On one model, the API necessary to activate and utilize a certain hardware capability (that's indeed supported by said device's circuitry) is not supported by its factory-flashed firmware. Moreover, there's an absence of information available addressing this issue on the Internet or even from Samsung itself. So it can be quite difficult to gain direction on the possibility of a resolution.
Here's my case in point concerning the above mentioned missing API. While the unlocked US variant of the S7 (i.e., the SM-G930U) genuinely comes with a built-in, fully functional FM broadcast receiver chip, phone buyers are not able to easily access the chip's functionality. I suppose I should clarify by adding that the FM chip would be fully functional if Samsung chose to enable it within the firmware that comes on this model. But they have chosen not to do so and it's not entirely clear why.
I have personally confirmed that the FM chip on the 930U can be activated, and that it will thus receive local FM broadcast signals. One merely need flash a major carrier variant of the S7 firmware onto their 930U. Or at least I can confirm that the SM-G930P (SPR) firmware will achieve this end. That's all it took to get my last 930U up and running on the local FM broadcast band. Once the flash had completed my 930U began receiving local FM radio stations via its headphone jack antenna input and the NextRadio application. Note: I had trouble with the first flash attempt because the stock 930U partition was too small to accept the 930P firmware image and thus required an adjustment.
I personally find it discouraging that Samsung doesn't give owners of the 930U a convenient way to activate the device's built-in FM receiver function. Since it appears there have been no instructions published yet on this topic, 930U owners who want access to the device's FM receiver will have to rely upon the trial and error approach and attempt to resolve the matter with a firmware flash (as I did). I believe it's currently the only option. I'm guessing the reason the receiver is not enabled by default in the factory supplied firmware is because the cellular carriers have no real incentive to request that Samsung incorporate the necessary API component. And Samsung itself obviously doesn't care enough to simply include it. And I suppose Google may fit in there somewhere as well. The result is of course that the average S7 owner is neither supplied with the knowledge nor the choice to enable FM reception on the 930U. Granted, most phone users aren't terribly interested in gaining FM broadcast reception capability. But it can be a big deal for those of us who are.
Yet another difference between the 930U variant and the cellular carrier variants, and even the 930U variant and the international unlocked variant, is that the 930U seems to have a persistent wifi sensitivity issue. That is, the device can't see wifi signals that are below a moderate signal level. This conclusion is based upon my comparative testing of three 930U devices to several 930P devices (Sprint variant), and one 930F device (international unlocked variant). This wifi concern, by the way, is the main reason the 930U has been ruled out as an option for my personal situation. I like the absence of bloatware (well mostly - I want to retain Sprint Zone functionality) and I like the potential for interchangeability between major US cellular carriers, be they GSM or CDMA based. But I can't handle the crippled wifi reception! Any device I use needs to be able to see and establish connections with wifi nodes that produce signals below a moderate level ( i.e., less than -85 dBm) at locations where I may need such capability.
Still further concerns for me are various inconsistencies between new S7's within a single variant group. Some of these inconsistencies include the following: 1. Obvious display color differences (e.g., some S7's produce vivid and bright colors, while others seem to display colors that are noticeably washed out). 2. Some S7 camera's seems to see better in extremely low lighting environments (clearer, brighter detail and less graininess) than do others at the same ambient light levels. 3. Most of the S7's that I've possessed have poorly aligned overlay ports around the front and back camera lenses. In most cases, this is purely an aesthetic annoyance. But for a phone that costs $650 to $700, I personally expect better quality control. 4. On some S7's the very same cellular network signal levels will produce more signal bars than on other S7's.
I understand that issues like the ones I've observed on the S7's I've assessed may be present on mobile devices produced by other manufacturers as well. I have to say, though, that I tend to expect a bit more from a rather expensive device that's touted so highly by so many
What I've noticed with mine is the awful quality of video indoors with light, especially in 1080p60fps. Also indoors I noticed a yellowish tint in the center of the screen and a darker ring around it that's visible in pics and videos. None of them are visible outside in day, but mostly at night with artificial light.
If you search Google for "Gear S3 Teardown" the results return various websites detailing a single set of internal components with different cases (Classic and Frontier) for the Gear S3.
Does this mean that ALL variants of the Gear S3 contain an LTE modem and embedded sim?
Could it mean that the LTE modem has just been disabled in the BT/Wifi model or is the hardware actually missing from that model?
Did you actually found some teardown, or you`re referring to Samsung`s commercial images showing Gear S3`s internal layers...?
Anyway, while I would really hope for a *possibly working* LTE modem and eSIM inside my bluetooth version, I`m not sure how likely is that. I`m emphasizing "working" here as sometimes companies do really include some parts that are not in use, as parts themselves might be overall cheaper than making a separate production flow to exclude them, but it also happens that not really all the parts needed are there.
For example, I remember reading that many phones that do not have (plain old) radio signal receiving ability actually do have the receiver inside their internals (as it`s simple and cheap, and integrated into some bigger chip), but the wire/line that should finally connect it to something in order for it to be useful is missing (as that is easy to omit, in comparison to integrated circles).
Also, something that you don`t advertise as available (even if it might be present in a way) doesn`t need to be tested/supported, which cuts down some costs, too.
So, I wouldn`t really be surprised if LTE modem or eSIM are really in there in bluetooth versions as well, but I would be a bit surprised if all the accompanying hardware is in there, too, making it possible to be enabled through software only... but we can still hope
Yes I am just reffering to Samsung's commercial images. I have not found another website where they actually performed a real teardown of the Gear S3 range and listed the details of the internal parts.
Well, the R765A rom is available in the Roms Forum. A brave soul could try flashing that to a Bluetooth model and WATCH (pun alert) what happens.
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