[Q] Opening lower case plastic flap - HTC One S

Morning!
Has anyone yet taken a closer look at the lower plastic flap of the case? The upper one with the power key opens readily to accept the SIM Card, but there also is a gap of about the same size on the lower part of the phone, just below the beatsaudio logo. This one has no opening to pry open with the fingernail, but i could nudge and move it a little by ever so gently prying with a tiny flathead screwdriver. There also is a small hole pointing within this flap on the very bottom of the phone.
Q: What is the hole? Drainage hole in case the phone gets a soaking bath? Hardreset microswitch? Or is it maybe a releaser that unhooks the flap and allows for easy removal (similar to the holes beneath DVD-Drive trays to remove a disk if the Drive is broken)?
I am trying to figure this out as of now, but for the life of my I cannot find a slim enough needle to get into the hole. Guess I will need to grind / file something down to see if something happens when inserting it.
Has anyone investigated this yet? Anything interesting beyond or is it just a second flap with additional antennas and no access to interesting bits and pieces?

Wonder is it where the battery placed? Perhaps there are website trying to disassemble One S to see is it easy to replace the internal battery.

If you are referring to the tiny hole at the bottom of the phone, that hole is the mic. Wouldn't advice on putting anything in there

lol its the microphone. in almost all devices it is locates there

Funniest sunday topic
You made me laugh... I remember first iphone users were talking about " OMG one of two speakers under the phone doesnt work OMG OMG "...And someone told them " It is mic ! " LOL....

psych0t1c said:
Morning!
Has anyone yet taken a closer look at the lower plastic flap of the case? The upper one with the power key opens readily to accept the SIM Card, but there also is a gap of about the same size on the lower part of the phone, just below the beatsaudio logo. This one has no opening to pry open with the fingernail, but i could nudge and move it a little by ever so gently prying with a tiny flathead screwdriver. There also is a small hole pointing within this flap on the very bottom of the phone.
Q: What is the hole? Drainage hole in case the phone gets a soaking bath? Hardreset microswitch? Or is it maybe a releaser that unhooks the flap and allows for easy removal (similar to the holes beneath DVD-Drive trays to remove a disk if the Drive is broken)?
I am trying to figure this out as of now, but for the life of my I cannot find a slim enough needle to get into the hole. Guess I will need to grind / file something down to see if something happens when inserting it.
Has anyone investigated this yet? Anything interesting beyond or is it just a second flap with additional antennas and no access to interesting bits and pieces?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I don't yet have the HOS. But I can tell you that the little hole in the bottom of the HOS is the phone mic...
And be aware that doing what you intend to do will eventually void your warranty... but go right ahead... it's not my money if you screw things up...

I have taken apart enough devices to know what I am doing (except for the stupidity of not considering the mic hole because they have becme so invisible these days that its easy to just forget about them heh...).
I changed broken digitizers on DHD and did a complete disassembly / reassembly of a Desire Z that took an Soda bath and both devices work to this day. I am just hell of curios regarding the PCB layout of the One S, mainly for the storage question (soldered or aftermarket slotted microsd mounted under the hood)
And FYI, under the lower flap is just another boring antenna and another plastic cover, no more screws like behind the top flap. Do't have the right tools here to go any further without actually risking damage, but after easter I will have a closer look at it in the company. Unless iFixit comes out with a disassembly tutorial faster than that hehe.
Warranty? Well warranty. I've had a few devices now from HTC and none ever had to go to service. And with the knowledge of how to fix it comes the option of just paying for the OEM spare part from some retailer later on and fixing it yourself in 1 day instead of sending your phone in and waiting on it to come back for 1 week or 10 days.
But thanks for the hint, I might have actually forgotten about that.

Related

HTC Apache Audiovox PPC6700 LCD / Digitizer Replacement Instructions

All I have right now is this from someone online who said he had the instructions. If anyone has clear outlined pictures to do this, please post it.
Thank you!
"There are additional screws that need to be taken out. You have to pop off the housing on the top that covers the camera and the antenna port. there will be at least 2 more screws there. Then you will carefully have to pop off the back starting at the bottom by where the stylus is and pull that off. There is probably going to be another screw holding the board in place. It has been a few months since i have done this. Then the board comes out and you have 4 more screws these are phillips heads. That will take the back housing off of the front. Then 4 more screws to take the back plate off of the front housing."
Places i've tried to find LCD Digitizer replacement instructions for cracked LCD
The Audiovox PPC-6700 I have has a cracked screen. I got an LCD replacement, but have no detailed instructions on removing the cracked screen. Here are some useful places i've looked at to find the answer to this issue if it helps you:
http://forum.xda-developers.com ... of course why else would I post it here
http://buzzdev.net/component/option...tart,0/index.php?option=com_phorum&Itemid=125
http://forum.brighthand.com
http://www.mobiletechreview.com/ubbthreads/ubbthreads.php
Not the best...but better than nothing....
Here are my own instructions I started... maybe someone else can expand/refine/clean this up. I'm done with this finally. Changing this is possible, but not necessarily easy. There's this tinny like sticker on the OEM LCD in the phone that's a real pain to pull off of the LCD. The pictures are terrible too...sorry...again..something= better than nothing.
In the end, it works...everything except my toggle does not click in like it used to...that's probably because of that rubber piece I did not know about. (A rubber piece fell out when I was taking it apart and I never figured out where it was supposed to go..so if anyone knows where that belongs and how it should be oriented..please post it.)
I took the stylus out.
I took the miniSD plastic blank out/ or miniSD memory card out just in case.
I took the battery cover off.
I took the battery out.
I set the camera lens in between the picture of the flower and the sun in the back.
I took the rubber piece out..there's a little probe looking thing behind it. (Probably was not necessary to take out.)
I took the back camera cover off. (Remove two Philips head screws with a PH0 head.) There are 7 notches holding it in place. [One above sun/flower adjuster, one slightly to the right above the flash hole, one above the rubber piece, one a tiny bit below the rubber piece, 2 on the insides at the bottom of the philips head screws, and one to the right of the speakerphone.]
I took the green circuit board that has camera flash behind the camera cover off. (Pops up off slot after removing one philips head screw.)
I took the camera unit off. (Do not pull up on camera, just pull the green board up off. The camera is sitting there, the board is wired like the camera flash board was plugged in, just pop it off.)
I took the cell phone antenna philips head screw off that is above where the camera was.
I took the 4 torx .050 allen head type size screws out to remove the back plastic cover of the phone off. Be very careful prying this portion apart. There are probably about 14 notches maybe that holds the back plate on. Some say to start trying to pry it apart from the antenna, but I was able to pry it apart from the bottom part of the phone on the antenna side... not where the antenna is. Be extremely careful how you pry this apart. You have to watch out for the speakerphone wires, there is a plug for what I think might be the keyboard and or LCD, the vibrating weight, and the main board itself... you don't want to scratch or sever any of these parts.
I slid the antenna off of the main board. Lift the board and gently pull up and out the black antenna.
I did not take the speakerphone off, but it looks like you have to pull the wire from the board that would still be attached to the back plate. The vibrating weight is also on the backplate.
I took the main board out of the phone. Keep the slider in mind between the IE button and the recorder button on the side of the phone. The black portion on the main board needs to line up with the actual switch you would slide up or down with your thumb on the side of the phone. When pulling the main board out, slide open the keyboard fully/halfway. Watch for a black rubber piece.
I removed the 4 philips head screws that hold the keyboard portion of the phone to the LCD portion of the phone together and lifted them apart. There is a silver/grey tape that you need to pop up the data cable and pull the tape off to completely separate the LCD portion.
I removed the 4 torx screws from behind the LCD screen and carefully took the LCD portion apart.
...ok well it's getting quite annoying to try and write everything I did after this, but it's pretty self explanatory. If it's not, you probably should not be changing your LCD in the first place anyhow. In order to release the LCD ribbon, the plastic piece at the end will need to pop up at an angle..it's kind of like a winch.
Here's a similar phone that gets taken apart if that helps you out in any way.
.........http://www.mdatweak.com/downloads/Wizard_Service_Manual.pdf
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re
what is the toggle you are refering to? i took mine apart to clean around the screen without any instructions, and everything still works, but the digitizer has had it, where did you get your replacement from?
I got my replacement from eBay. goldelec
The LCD had a weird rainbow thing going on in the center of it, that you can see if you look at it at the right angle and the bottom corner looks bright white when the screen is on for an extensive period of time. Again, it works...better than what I had. I did not get great instructions, but what he sold me worked fine.
The toggle i'm talking about is the button in between the call and hangup buttons on the front face of the phone. That toggle switch just does not seem connected or stiff like it used to be. I can't "click" up/down/left/right or select anything. I am convinced the rubber piece goes behind it somewhere somehow. I just have to take it apart and figure out the orientation of it.
thanks for these pics & instructions, I just replaced with a part from goldelec on ebay as well (though the auction list instructions as part of the deal, they didn't come with my shipment, so your play-by-play was invaluable)...and there's no screws left afterward! Always a good sign.
Maybe this will help some people...
http://wiki.ppcgeeks.com/index.php?title=How_To:Disassemble_your_6700
lcd replacement instructions
www.htclcd.com has a lot of good lcd replacement instructions also
as well as the LCD's
I just took apart two 6700's today (had to replace the buttons on the face and the circuit board underneath so for now I scavenged the parts from my backup phone)
anyway the phone is surprisingly easy to take apart and surprisingly straight forward.
You do not even have to organize the screws as there is ONLY 2 kinds (I like that) and its obvious when to use each as they are very different in size.
a straight head will take out the star bits if your careful (if you have one of those many different jewlers drivers kits you will find one that fits just fine)
OK cover card stylus battery out.
4 screws. 2 dark large at the bottom 2 small silver at the top of the battery cavity (the one on the top right is hidden underneath a small white sticker)
Now the "top" plastic section comes apart. (the area with the camera) make sure the camera switch is ALL THE WAY one way first it will make things easier later.
Lift from the bottom LEFT there is a tab under the black antennae casing and a tab on the right next to the speaker. Pry gently and it will "pop free" don't YANK as the speaker is attached still.
Pop the speaker out (leave it attached no reason to mess with that wee connector.)
Remove the single screw from the center of those board. NOW caution there is a square white soft "seal" around the led do not lose it.
finger tail "pop" the boards out.
Camera module same thing finger nail "pop" the module pops out but those asside.
3 more larger dark screws remove them now.
Now you need to remove the back half the the shell. Lift with force till you have a small opening and start poking at the hold downs till you can work it free. the hang point is again the black antennae housing. This was the most difficult part to remove and it was not that hard. Use care so it will look clean when you put it back together if thats important to you.
Now you see the mother board. one single screw is left silver middle right side (away from antennae)
Time to remove the main board. you need to use CARE here as its "catched" on opposing side (the usb port and ear piece ports) and the Black antenna housing.) and also atached via a short ribbon cable.
Once you have it free SLIDE out the keyboard this will give you a lot more slack to lift up the main board and tilt it sideways.
Peel the tape carefully once its free it will "pop" free using the same style connector as the camera board etc.. used.
remove and put asside.
now remove the 4 screws holding the keyboard to the phone. its free put asside (those are the only 4 that are different just LEAVE them in there holes they will stay if you don't toss it around)
now remove the 4 black screws holding the back of the keyboard housing down. Pop it free (its not hard there are poke holes made for this like flat screwdriver slots)
once you do this the ribbon will slide through the opening no worries.
now act like your breaking a glow stick and "bend" the case sides so the screen can be popped up a little.
lift the orange tape and you will see a different kind of rubbon connector. its white with a tiny black flap. use a finger nail and lift it will ROTATE 90's to vertical. the ribbon cable will now pop free.
now remove the 2 screws holding down the circuit board. remove it and the button pad (this is why you had to lift the screen a little or these won't come out.
Thats it. I did not go further than this but I do not remember it "looking" like it would be hard at all to get the screen and digitizer out.
This is all straight from memory so read ALL this first and adapt as you progress. DO not take it verbatum.
If something does not want to give ASSUME you forgot a screw and be extra diligent to find it before attempting to increase the amount of force you use though sometimes it just "needs" a wee more force.
Good Luck
I should have taken pics which I usually do when I do this again I will take detailed pics.
Ohh dolt reassembly
do everything in reverse. thats it. here are some tips for the tricky spots.
Reinserting the button pad ribbon. IE reconnect the ribbon BEFORE you put it in. its a lot easier. make sure its in all the way push the flap back down push the tape back down. Easy
Rescrewing the keyboard into the main shell. Get it roughly lined up and LOOK INSIDE one of the holes as you wiggle it around. you will see the screw hole quite clearly when it appears. insert and screw down. Do one on the other side easy as pie.
When you put the main board back in you need to make sure the VOLUME slide switch is in the MIDDLE neutral position so it it lines up with the volume slider itself IE it has to move BOTH direction misalign this and it will be jammed one way or the other. Pop it apart and try again.
When you put the final cover back on make sure the SWITCH for the camera is in the same direction as the plastic lever (the actual switch) so that they line up when you snap them together.
thats it. Really not that hard.

Stylus magnet gone

The magnet holding the stylus seems to have either come off its usual spot or is turned in another direction. But the stylus wasn't holding anymore. Today, I got to work and noticed I had lost the stylus. Is there any known fix for this? I never dropped the phone, it just wouldn't work one day.
Thanks for any help.
Did you open the Stylus? You can srew it (upper black part) up, where you can see the magnet that is hold by a plastic part: it cant move .... did someone fool you?
Greetz
Boris
Well, my stylus is lost now so it's too late. No, nobody was trying to trick me. Are you saying that the only magnet is in the tip of the stylus? The end that you write with? Because I believe I have another one.
with mine you cant write like a pencil only on the touch screen without ink ;-), its a touch pro without branding original from HTC. the magnet in it is placed in the inner stylus ca. 3 cm upwards from the "tip" ..., you can say just in the middle ..
Greetz
Boris
Well, mystylus was going into it's sleeve and not staying in, it was just sliding out. So, I don't know where the magnet was at all.
For me it seems that the contra part in the inner of your device (ferrum or magnetic) has moved or is broken so the magnetic stylus "found nothing to be magnetic with" hope you understand me, my english is worst .... You know that you need a little Power to remove the stylus from his hole. if you could test it with the other stylus that you still own (but must be for the TP!!), wether the stylus is hold or not.... and have a look in the inner of the stylus wether the magnet is there...
good night.... perhaps till tomorrow.... If you need a plan from the inner parts of the TP: i have one
Greetz
Boris
P.S. If you shake your device: Do you hear anything ??
Well, I tried but my replacement stylus didn't work. There is definitely a magnet missing inside the phone. At first it was tight, then it seemed blocked and now it just glides in and out.
So, can anyone give me any hints about what I can do to fix my stylus not sticking in its sleeve? I really need this fixed. Is it safe to open up a Fuze?
This happened to me today...
i have removed the battery, chip, microsd and then the back cover... a bit tricky but it was easy (folowing the dis/assembly guide), for mine the lower part didnt want to go out, so i pull out the speaker connector and then push it out.
and the other magnet was there... and it have a place in the back cover that i think it may be seen if you take the battery out... it have like a dent
now my problem is with the polarity... i dont know how to glue it ... it have 2 positions vertical or horizontal
the vertical position will attract the stylus but it seems not to enter completely
the horizontal will push it, but i dont know if it will hold it as is very hard to test it without adding glue and i will use exposy...
EDIT1: found where it go... its in the vertical position but it need to be tested (because the polarity is different dont know why) if you are going to glue it
EDIT2: i used a plastic card (old medic card, visa, ect) to pry out the back cover from the keyboard
Thanks
Many,many thanks to you.
Same situation so easy but the lose magnet not easy to find except by your tips. Ha, ha I love this forum, So many thanks to the people here who contribute helping each other
jorgepr13 said:
This happened to me today...
i have removed the battery, chip, microsd and then the back cover... a bit tricky but it was easy (folowing the dis/assembly guide), for mine the lower part didnt want to go out, so i pull out the speaker connector and then push it out.
and the other magnet was there... and it have a place in the back cover that i think it may be seen if you take the battery out... it have like a dent
now my problem is with the polarity... i dont know how to glue it ... it have 2 positions vertical or horizontal
the vertical position will attract the stylus but it seems not to enter completely
the horizontal will push it, but i dont know if it will hold it as is very hard to test it without adding glue and i will use exposy...
EDIT: found where it go... its in the vertical position but it need to be tested (because the polarity is different dont know why) if you are going to glue it
Click to expand...
Click to collapse

[Project] [05/29/11] [99.90%] Custom dock for the G2/Desire Z that fits with Otterbox

Updates are Bolded. Scroll down to see it.
So looking around, it is obvious that there is no such thing as a dock that fits the G2/Desire Z equipped with an Otterbox. I have heard of a material called Friendly Plastic which is very malleable when prepped but when it hardens, it becomes a very strong plastic. I'm thinking of creating a custom cradle that will fit the Desire Z with the otterbox which will include a charger as well. So I'm going to be buying the material from Amazon and see if I can mold the plastic into a dock that custom fits my phone with the otterbox on.
I'll give updates as I work on this project. It might take a month or two since I am doing my Master's degree, an internship and also working on a film for school (we go into production this week [in fact equipment check out is tommorrow and we shoot thursday]). I'll try to get this thread updated as I work on it so stay tuned.
03/01/11
Ordered parts to create a custom dock. I looked around for Friendly Plastic which is extremely hard to find in California (specifically in the LA area). I found on amazon.com a similar item called Instamorph which I checked their website. It is extremely well planned and pretty much the same item but much cheaper.
http://www.instamorph.com/
Now if you delve into their site, they show you how to do it and towards the bottom of the page, there is also a "techniques" page where you can do some pretty cool stuff with the material at an advanced level:
http://www.instamorph.com/instructions/
They sell specifically via Amazon. If you spend over 25 bucks in on amazon, you might be able to get the super saver shipping, so if you plan any shopping, add this along for free shipping.
another item I bought is a Left Angle Micro USB Extender.
Now this guy is extremely rare and pretty expensive if you get it custom made.
I found a site called www.usbfirewire.com which sells various types of usb and firewire cables for an ok price. I'm saying that it is ok because it is a very unique type of cable that I am looking for therefor it seems to work best for me. This is the one I got:
http://www.usbfirewire.com/Parts/rr-mcbl-ext-xxg.html
2 things to note here: a custom made cable would cost $50, but the one I got cost me a little under 13 bucks.
Another note is that I got the 5inch length cable because I don't want to spend too much time trying to fit 3 feet of cable inside a dock of malleable plastic. I plan on utilizing as little space as humanly possible to give it the cleanest look.
Currently I have spent: $22.45 + $16.45 = $38.90
This seems like alot but it's because again, it is custom.
Once I get it, I will give more updates.
03/04/11
I just received the stuff, both of them. So I can say that they shipped really fast. I'm going to start making a test trial run of the Instamorph pellets and get used to it before I make the actual dock.
This is the Instamorph and what the pellets look like:
The 5 Inch Micro USB Extender:
2 hours later:
Lessons Learned:
1) 150 degrees Fahrenheit is a very low heat level. On my electric stove, it was around a 3 or 3.5 out of 10.
2) Do NOT, I repeat, do NOT have any of the Instamorph beads touch ANYTHING PLASTIC (this includes the otterbox, plastic cutting sheets, saran wrap, anything that you even think might be plastic). Instamorph can and will stick itself to any plastic material especially when it's closer to the 140-150 degree temperature. It is much safer when it's much much cooler. (you can find this out by touch. if it starts to resist molding, then it is probably safe to attempt an imprint, but you should test it with the smooth side of your otterbox. It will take several tries)
This is what happens when you get impatient:
3) Find a surface that is smooth (glazed surface is good).
4) Use metal equipment. Instamorph will NOT stick to metals, so using any material such as a metal spatula or a metal ruler to get hard edges. if you have a good non plastic cutting surface, you can use a knife or blade to cut it for corners and use your fingers to give it an edge.
5) find a curved edge (again non plastic) that you can mold the initial part of the plastic to get a rough shape.
6) You will constantly place the plastic back into the pot to make it soft again if you're doing alot of changes and shaping. You get on average 2 minutes of molding until it gets too hard to mess with.
1 hour later (dinner):
Ok, now that I am back from dinner:
Today I focused on creating the rough shape of the dock. I'm starting from the part that cradles the phone.
First of all, I set my stove on low. I am at 140 degrees Fahrenheit. When you boil the pellets, this is when you pull it out:
Use tongs or something to take out the mass. If you think you're a badass and want to do it with your bare hands, you are most certainly welcome to do so. Here's another look of it when it's pulled out:
I then use the backing piece as a reference. I treated this mass like play-do. I rolled it and then spread it out on the counter surface. Here I force it into a larger mass that is about 3/4 cm thick.
I waited for the mass to cool down to a semiwhite color before I take a spatula to press down on the edges to get a flat boundary. This is what it looks like when it cools down completely:
Note that you see a notch on the bottom right. This is because when you open up the silicone port for the micro USB, it is a small flap. I use this as a reference piece so that I can create a gap for the flap to slide in so it goes straight into the slot without damaging anything.
The next part is to create the side guides to help you glide the phone in when you lock it down.The first part that I worked on is the right side of the cradle which is the bottom part of the phone. Here i created a long rectangle piece. I then use the edge of my kitchen counter (which is rounded, almost circular) to create a preliminary curve. I then measured the general area of it to how high it would guide the phone.
Originally I was planning to have it go all the way up to the end of the phone but I decided it was a bad idea and cut the side down to about halfway to allow me to grab it from the top half.
Now I worked on the left side (top of the phone). Here I noticed that there is a silicone cover for the headphones, so I decided to have the guide as tall as where the silicone port is at.
Now that I have done all that, This is all extremely rough work. Once I assemble the pieces that does not have the Micro USB port, I'll be sanding them down and smoothing it out so it looks better. Here's the general look of how it will be fitted in for now.
First of all this is only the part that the back of the phone will be sliding down. I am planning to create the bottom part that will house the Micro USB cable and the back piece that will hold the backing upright as the back base.
END OF DAY 1.
I will update on a later time. I am on set from 5:30am to 5:30pm so I might have time to work on the next step, but right now I might update this thread next week depending on how much time I have. I am currently juggling an internship, class, film production, post production, and moving to a new apartment (has to be done by the end of this month) so I might not update for a while. Hopefully I can work on it soon.
Small Update: 04/05/11:
After having an extremely hard time molding the material with a spatula and the kitchen counter, I finally caved in and bought a set of clay sculpting tool. (Link: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000SVRSRY ). I'm waiting for it to come in the mail.
Another update to this is that I switched my method for creating the dock. I decided to start from the bottom first. I created the base for the dock by creating the first layer, this is where the general layout of where the microUSB cable will be laying on. Then I worked on creating smaller pieces that fit around the first base that sculpts itself around the cable. I'll be posting some pictures sometime later when I have more time.
April 26 2011:
I should've updated this a long time ago, but my internship has finally come to an end so I had enough time to give an update.
First thing I did was make use of the tool set that I received via Amazon from the above mentioned link:
Now with the use of these tools, I start to put the dock in parts and layers.
The first thing I did was create parts of the first layer, combined them into one piece, then finally heat them in the water pot just long enough to get a small amount of the whole surface moldable without damaging the core structure.
From that I create the next layer which is the top layer:
note here that the top piece (with the weird looking hole in it is made to accommodate the silicone flap that covers the port that comes with the otterbox case.
the last piece hasn't been change too much because I'm still trying to decide if I should have a backing piece for the phone or have a "well" that holds the phone just from the bottom.
the layers will be secured through 4 small metal bolts (the ones that you get from Ikea furniture that feature adjustable shelves [the small metal bolt thingies that you can remove and adjust.])
Another thing to note with this is that when using the pottery tools, you can easily dip the tips in the hot water for 5-10 seconds to heat it up and allow custom targeted molding at parts you specifically want.
Here are some more pics of the parts as I molded them.
5/27/11
So for the past few days I've been tweaking with the design and finding methods to give it a more defined look. While I was at Ikea, I came across these handle pieces that were meant for a particular furniture. They had 90degree angles, metal, straight. So I bought that and use it as a partial mold when I shaped the edges. After working about 6 hours over the course of 2 days, I have come pretty close to what I want before I finish it with sanding and a way to put it together.
Here are the pics of what I have ended up with so far. I still need to sand it, and also figure out a way to combine the pieces without encasing the cable permanently.
Here are the two pieces separated:
This is the bottom piece on where the connector pointed upwards
This is the bottom with the cable in it
This is what the pieces will look when put together (assuming that I can find out a way to combine them together [non permanently])
This is the dock with my phone in it (notice the rubber bands. It's only a temporary measure to keep it together). And It's charging! that means the connection is secure!
This is the side view from the right side
This is the side view from the left side
top view of the dock
From this point, I'd like to ask your help and suggestions as to how I can put the two pieces together to so that if anything happens, I can open it up and replace the cable again. I'm also considering the opportunity if in the far future when I happen to replace my Desire Z I can always remold the piece without doing extensive damage to the cable if it happens to survive.
My next steps are as follows:
Add a piece in the back to support the weight of the phone.
Sand and prep the surface to make it smooth.
Create a method to hold the 2 pieces together
potentially spray paint it to a specific color
Any suggestions would be great since this is my first ever project that is building a custom material.
Thanks!
5/29/11 - 99.90% completed!!!!!
After spending roughly 6 hours on it, I have managed to finish the dock!!!
The first thing I did was to drill 5 holes into the dock to place the metal pin. I started by drilling with a 1/16 drill bit as a guide. and finally followed up with a 3/16 drill bit. I drilled from the bottom piece with the 2 pieces together but stopped part of the way through the top piece because it was unnecessary to drill all the way through. This is for the metal pins to place in between the pieces.
After that I worked on just the top piece and drilled just deep enough for the pin to fit in flush.
Went back to the bottom piece to cover up the holes by using the plastic pieces that got pulled up as I drill to fill in the bottom hole and using the rounded end of one of the clay sculpting tools to jam pack it back down to the bottom to ensure a strong fit.
I then combine the 2 pieces together to see the fit. I noticed that I failed to account for the notch between the pin so I went back to the hot pot and heated up the inside surface of the bottom piece and placed the metal pins in and pushed it in so the notch sinks below the surface (with the help of a hammer [and no, don't go "HULK SMASH" on it, just tap it lightly]).
From that point, I tweaked the fit with the cable inside of it and by looking through the gap, I either added or removed plastic parts so that it finally closes completely.
After that is all done, I started with a 60 grit sand paper (with a hand sanding tool) and worked on ALL the surfaces and sanded until I got 99% of the surfaces rough
I then go back and refit the metal pins to make sure that the pieces still fit and see if I need to make tweaks (which I did since at 60grit, it takes away quite abit of plastic).
I did a little more tweaking with the plastic. Adding and removing as necessary to make it fit flush.
After all that is done, I go back and worked on all the surfaces again with a 150grit sandpaper to give it a smoother finish. and finally finished it off with a 220 grit sand paper.
A good hour and a half later of hand sanding it and sore back and arms the surface is as smooth as a 220grit sand paper can offer.
The last thing I did was reheated the hot pot to around 145 degrees Fahrenheit. I took apart the dock again and this time placed it in the hotpot for around 10 seconds. Just enough for the malleable plastic to "shrink" back into the plastic and give it a smooth finish.
After it's done, I ran the pieces through cold water to set the plastic and put the whole thing together.
Below are the pics of what I have done (again, these are thumbnails. Click on it for full size):
All the pieces completely disassembled. 5 metal pins. 2 plastic parts. Left Angle micro usb extender
Metal pins inserted into the bottom piece
Dock completely assembled
My phone on it
Plugged in!!!!
Landscape mode! (and notice that it's charging! So the cables work!)
More angles
Finally, I have one thing to ask of you guys. Should I leave the dock to look as it is or should I do something about it?
I am thinking about either spray painting it or buy a "skin" (think DecalGirl skins) and cut out the pieces to fit around it.
Tell me what you guys think and what you can think of to make it better! Thanks!
oh yeah, and I finally did something about the back piece of my otterbox when it got screwed up. I did the sandpaper treatment on it and here's what it looks like now:
Sounds interesting, looking forward to seeing your progress/results.
I'm currently in the process of ordering parts. So here's a question for everyone:
Which would be the best extension port for the dock. Standard USB, Mini USB, or Micro USB.
My plan is to mold a Micro USB male head to another adapter to give it the most commonly used female port. The idea is to plug in a cable into the dock to minimize the chance of the inner cord being damaged and moved unncessarily. (think of the docks you get off ebay that just have a male port to plug in the phone and a female port out the back end so you can plug in a cable of your choice (length, brand, etc)
Here's a poll of what your preference:
http://www.polljunkie.com/bA7AA5/Poll10601.aspx
Updated: 3/4/11
Any progress/updates?
Sent from my T-Mobile G2 using XDA App
Unfortunetly, not yet. I have to get through this month first. I need to have a first cut of my film out very soon, internship, finish moving to a new apartment and deal with classes. I will be promptly resuming this project when this month is over.
Sent from my Desire Z via XDA App
small Update. Check bolded txt in OP
Updated April 26. Bolded text in OP
Updated May 27. Bolded txt in OP
mputtr said:
From this point, I'd like to ask your help and suggestions as to how I can put the two pieces together to so that if anything happens, I can open it up and replace the cable again.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Why not try Moulding little tabs onto one side & then a hole on the other so it kinda snaps/slides together. That way you can always reopen it at a later date
KarlosTheJackal said:
Why not try Moulding little tabs onto one side & then a hole on the other so it kinda snaps/slides together. That way you can always reopen it at a later date
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
so you're saying to have one of the pieces have tabs that extends to the other piece and add a hole to kind of screw it in? Sounds like a good idea as well!
I'm a little fuzzy on the visual of it, is it possible for you to provide a visual example so I might be able to replicate it? Thanks!
Updated! 99.90% done!
does anyone have suggestions or comments on how I can improve on the dock?
The finished project looks awesome man! I think, like you said, if you added some type of black texture or skin to it that it would look fantastic and even store purchased. Great craftmanship.
Sent from my HTC Vision using XDA Premium App
PatrickHuey said:
The finished project looks awesome man! I think, like you said, if you added some type of black texture or skin to it that it would look fantastic and even store purchased. Great craftmanship.
Sent from my HTC Vision using XDA Premium App
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
ah, so you think a black coloring to the dock would work? I'll test that out!
I'm also thinking of maybe taking the top piece back into work and take out more of the recess/well for the phone and maybe fashion a silicone or softer piece for the phone to rest in and might look better. (that or get a sanding head bit and sand it down till it's smooth)
Would you suggest using a skin (like a sticker type material) or just spray paint the darn thing?
as usual for those who have read any of this, I would like to get suggestions on what I can do to improve upon it.
Currently I'm also researching a method on how to activate the phone's "dock" mode. As far as my research goes, some android phones have a special magnet inside of it that reacts to polarity (one polarity for car mode and the other for home dock). I also read that potentially, HTC made a special micro usb cable that has 1 additional pit that "activates" the feature. I do not really know much of this so I'm trying to figure out how to make this happen. If someone here happens to know, and it can be something I can physically manipulate, I'll modify the dock to include the manipulation.
and again, Thanks for the praise and your suggestions!
nice work and detailed instructions are always nice. I would definitely spraypaint it black. Did you form the top and bottom parts by hand? they look a litte bumpy to me.I thought about doing this for mine and integrate it into my desk.
As for the docking mode (deskclock) i use Alarm Clock Plus. It switches into dockmode when you plug it in. I think they getting the info if its docked either from the orientation of the phone and its usb connection or the poweradapter - maybe both. Maybe its the dock im using but i did't notice some special wiring oder plug.
dieterxy said:
nice work and detailed instructions are always nice. I would definitely spraypaint it black. Did you form the top and bottom parts by hand? they look a litte bumpy to me.I thought about doing this for mine and integrate it into my desk.
As for the docking mode (deskclock) i use Alarm Clock Plus. It switches into dockmode when you plug it in. I think they getting the info if its docked either from the orientation of the phone and its usb connection or the poweradapter - maybe both. Maybe its the dock im using but i did't notice some special wiring oder plug.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
everything is formed by hand mostly. the curved parts had to be done by hand, but I did take down alot of the uneven by sanding it down for a good hour and half.
I'm currently using Alarm Clock Extreme and it does not have the dock mode, which bums me out, but I'm supplementing it with Night Clock which is a really neat app. I also paired it up with Automate It by adding a kill app on unplug action so it's sorta kinda like dock mode.
do you have any suggestions as how I can make the surfaces smoother? Is there something that I can do or get to remove the bumps more effectively?
i would use some kind of metalblocks and put the dock between them but that only works before putting it all together. Or maybe just wrap the plastic around the metalblock so that its hollow.
I probably wont be doing anything like messing with metal material since I do not have the necessary equipment nor do I have the time and money to afford that.
But I'm thinking of potentially using a skin type material and spraypaint it + my own design for it.
I had some fun with the dremel tool at my schools workshop room so I was able to get the right depth and well for the phone to slid in.
I wonder if there is anything like silicone material that can be injected on top of the material so I can make an impression (safely) and so when it sets it actually is cushioned rather than placed on the hard plastic.
I'll see if I can post more pics if I deem that the extra sanding I did made any difference.
Any updates to this?

[Q] cracking the transformer open, need ideas

im trying to crack the transformer open and do u think the back is glued on or is it screwed on? im thinking theres probrably some screws behind the lable but cant seams to find anything here that wont scratch it to remove it. hit me up with ideas and hopfully I can post some kind of video on how to dissacemble the transformer.
It will most likely be fastened with screws. I think if it had been glue peoples cases wouldnt be 'creaky'. There were some pics on a Chinese site showing it open. I saved them to my pc, If I find them I'll upload.
Edit: Well I found them but they're not really showing the case. I'll attach them anyways and you can see if they help or not. It looks like once you get the bezel off the back just slides clean off.
Ok well scratch screws under the asus logo, thanks very much for those pics. I already have the screws out from the bottom. I'm guessing the back seals with some type of clips
Looking at there tools in second picture seams they used a guitar pic to losses it from its edges
cowballz69 said:
Looking at there tools in second picture seams they used a guitar pic to losses it from its edges
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Maybe try a credit card?
Ha tore up my room looking for my guitar pic lol. Ill try my credit card
When in doubt use a hammer.
stuntdouble said:
When in doubt use a hammer.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Lol, tryed to use a credit card but its to thick, going to stop at the store tomorrow and pick one up
cowballz69, pm sent
If you have one, your best bet is a Stanley knife (boxcutter, I think you call them). Should be thin enough, you'll just have to be careful not to nick any internal crap.
If it were me, I'd use a scalpel, but I know most people don't have one handy.
ok well heres my mini review untill i get a guitar pick, i got the bottom half to crack open with a credit card(to thick but i did it), i was then able to slide the card from one end to the other. The plastic clips holding the metal are very very crappy. the metal was extreemly easy to bend and by just putting the card threw the bottom was enough to bend it. i was however; able to put it back together with out making it look as if i opened it, but u would need a ULTRA Thin piece of plastic to complete the mission(DO NOT USE ANYTHING ELSE BUT PLASTIC,,THE METAL AROUND THE EDGE IS SUPER FRAGLE). seams all ASUS does is pop the plastic backing in and screw the bottom and its off to who every buys it.
(Losining the bottom screws lowerd the light bleed that was there by 30% ( i was a full brightness and back screen and loosining the screwes made a big impact so the issue with the light bleed is to much pressure on those areas)
seams this is easy enough just need the right tools.
cowballz69 said:
(Losining the bottom screws lowerd the light bleed that was there by 30% ( i was a full brightness and back screen and loosining the screwes made a big impact so the issue with the light bleed is to much pressure on those areas)
seams this is easy enough just need the right tools.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Interesting. That seems to be the very spot where my screen has a little backlight bleeding. I'll try it out in a few minutes.
Youtube it
If this is the fix. A youtube vid would be awesome. Ready set go
paleridr said:
If this is the fix. A youtube vid would be awesome. Ready set go
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
thats not the only spot i have light bleed, i also have bleeding on the top portion and theres no screw to losen so must be on to tight from the inside. however this does prove that the bleeding is from pressure not the screen itself
You need these spudgers,
http://www.dealextreme.com/p/professional-premium-precision-phone-disassembly-tool-7-piece-set-23050
Get a few sets (if you're planning on opening up electronics on a regular basis). These are soft plastic, and will wear out after a few uses. You don't want to use anything harder like a knife, as then you will mar the 'lips' on the device shells. Aesthetics aside, that will show up as evidence of tampering, meaning goodbye warranty.
Most electronics use plastic snap-in clips to hold the shells, along with screws and possibly soft glue. Going slow will prevent the clips from snapping off, but not always.
You can find these same tools on Amazon and eBay. Just search on 'spudger', which is their name.
Use the guitar pick to get the initial crease, push one of the thicker wedges into the crease, and slide it along the seam. This assumes you've gotten all of the (hidden) screws.
e.mote said:
You need these spudgers,
http://www.dealextreme.com/p/professional-premium-precision-phone-disassembly-tool-7-piece-set-23050
Get a few sets (if you're planning on opening up electronics on a regular basis). These are soft plastic, and will wear out after a few uses. You don't want to use anything harder like a knife, as then you will mar the 'lips' on the device shells. Aesthetics aside, that will show up as evidence of tampering, meaning goodbye warranty.
Most electronics use plastic snap-in clips to hold the shells, along with screws and possibly soft glue. Going slow will prevent the clips from snapping off, but not always.
You can find these same tools on Amazon and eBay. Just search on 'spudger', which is their name.
Use the guitar pick to get the initial crease, push one of the thicker wedges into the crease, and slide it along the seam. This assumes you've gotten all of the (hidden) screws.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
breaking a clip is def possible in this case
How did you get the screws on the bottom off? Do you have the right screw driver (any ideas where I can get one)?
jrac86 said:
How did you get the screws on the bottom off? Do you have the right screw driver (any ideas where I can get one)?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
it's a torx.
jrac86 said:
How did you get the screws on the bottom off? Do you have the right screw driver (any ideas where I can get one)?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Use a Torx T6 bit.
When you opened it up, was there anything to suggest there was any way Asus would know you had opened it up please (if you hadnt bent the bezel ofc) if you needed to send it back under warranty for some reason?
opening is not recomended threw my experiance * I used the thinnest guitar pic today*,and the metal around the edge;any slight flex and it ends up staying that way and wont go back on straight no matter how carefull u are, also the clips that hold the plastic back to the bezil is ULTRA CRAPPY to a point u have a 50 50 chance of it not holding the plastic cover anymore. ON the plus side; if u loosen the bolts in the bottom, u can relieve the light bleed there. so reguarding the light bleed its best to just send it back to ASUS to get it fixed.
MY Next step is having ASUS fix my light bleed on my own tablet and not have them give me a replacement.
I will be posting a before picture of the light bleed when i send it out , and a After picture on when i recieve it back from them. good idea??

[FIX] Annoying creaking noise

I just started developing this odd creaking noise near the bottom and sides of my S4G. Even with a Seidio Active case wrapped around it, the creaking can be felt and heard when hitting the bottom buttons.
The fix is pretty easy. You just need to decrease the amount of movement the back cover has.
I had some .010 mil fiber (fish) paper laying around so I cut a small square that covers the sim card and microsd card area. You can probably use something else, but hey, why not use some insulated paper if you have it.
Lay the paper on top of the area and then slowly place the back cover back on. No holes are in that area above the sim and microsd, so no worries there. You should see an immediate improvement
I needed more than that to stop the creaking/screen movement.
Pathetic we have to go to these lengths
jlevy73 said:
I needed more than that to stop the creaking/screen movement.
Pathetic we have to go to these lengths
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
What did you have to do?
I tried used two squares of paper, but that made the back bulge out a little too much to my liking.
GideonX said:
What did you have to do?
I tried used two squares of paper, but that made the back bulge out a little too much to my liking.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I took a post-it and folded it twice. Then placed it on the bottom right area and closed up the cover. For me when I press down on the bottom right side of the screen the whole screen sort of depresses a bit. Only way I could get rid of that was to place the paper in that region. Problem solved.
Post it would have been my backup method
Sent from my HTC Sensation 4G
buy another battery, i recently got an anker also had the creaking problems, noticed the anker is a TINY bit thicker than the stock battery and it removed that problem completely. and that anker battery was DIRT cheap
I just lined the case with some scotch tape. from the bottom to about 3/4 of the way up. I just went around the antenna nubs and the usb hole.
Posted this in another thread, but felt it was valuable here too...
Got the creaking here also, definitely a design flaw. Being obsessive with my devices i couldnt live with it!
I do not recommend putting paper in the cover to fill the gap, as this is just expanding the cover further making it even MORE loose when the paper is not in there. Also i wouldn't recommend it because the paper pushes the back cover out a little more, you may loose a connection for the ground. Which is the little metal springy thing, half way up the right hand side. Obviously its not a good idea to 'push' the cover further away from this ground spot. I have heard that people have had issues with screen responsiveness due to a static build up from not grounding properly.
What i did to fix this problem was a bit of a kitbash of sorts.
Mine was creaking on the bottom right area, like most. The problem is there is too much play between the little black catches on the battery cover and the latch on the handset. Instead of filling up the gap between the phone and the cover (Ala paper, card in the cover) I closed it!
What you need to do is get some very thin plastic film. Like that on kids toy packaging etc. Not the thicker stuff though. This stuff would be under 1mm thick. It came as a viewing window in the box my new wallet came in. So you can sorta imagine what im talking about.
I cut a piece about 10mm long and as wide as one of the two little black catches. I applied a VERY thin coat of super glue to one end of the film. Just enough to cover the area under the catch. Then i carefully placed the film with the superglue on it under the catch, and then quickly applied some pressure to it with some tweezers. Then i carefully cut the excess off with a pair of finely tipped nail scissors.
The result is that it now PULLS the screen/phone INTO the cover more by making the little black catch thicker. Not the opposite (paper method), which pushes the cover out, creating a further problem of adding more paper under the cover over time as the cover expands/loosens to compensate. Not to mention a possible grounding loss and resulting damage.
Hope this helps some people that have had multiple replacements or could not be bothered replacing for such a cosmetic issue. (Like me). It definitely works, just got to get your surgeon on and be accurate with your placement of the film.
Apply this to what ever side creaks the most, and bam its gone. Nice. Solid phone... again.
If anyone wants more specific details etc, im all ears.
Regards,
Matt.
will try it with an double side film ...
i mean a film that hold back cover and phone together ;-) i think doing paper in there will do damage with time
I contacted HTC and they sent me another/new one. No more creaking!
RaptorRVL said:
I contacted HTC and they sent me another/new one. No more creaking!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Back cover or whole phone?
I have the same problem too. And it just seems to get more and more "cracking"

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