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Chances that an LCD + digitizer will fix this?

A coworker I started working with a few months ago told me about the much-better Sensation he had before his MyTouch 3G. It seems that he still had it, but stopped using it "because the screen cracked." I correctly surmised that it was a simple and cheap to replace touch screen digitizer and described to him that it was "just the glass cover" and that it was "cheap to replace." I have done many such repairs on other phones and gadgets.
He then told me that he had continued to use it until the LCD went blank. There is no reason to think that the LCD inside suddenly cracked, but I can only assume that it also sustained some kind of damage and now also requires replacement. Knowing that the LCD isn't cracked, what are the chances that a replacement LCD + digitizer will restore the phone? I'm concerned because we've already purchased a kit for $65.

Nobody can tell you that off the internet. If we do, that would be pure guess, just as accurate as you would have guessed.

sawo said:
Nobody can tell you that off the internet. If we do, that would be pure guess, just as accurate as you would have guessed.
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Well, someone could have had the exact same problem and already tried it. I ran into people with the same problem already. I'm just looking for more because some, no doubt, have tried it and others may have an alternate explanation. Reasonable.

there is a good chance that will fix the problem. but since the LCD was working for a while until it blank out, it is possible the problem might be with the circuit board. only way to know is to try it out.

CZroe said:
Well, someone could have had the exact same problem and already tried it. I ran into people with the same problem already. I'm just looking for more because some, no doubt, have tried it and others may have an alternate explanation. Reasonable.
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The LCD could go blank for several reasons. Faulty LCD, loose cable, faulty board etc. etc. Even if someone had the same problem, the reason for it could be completely different, thefore this wont help you at all except for giving you hope. If this is what you need, then i would say "yes, the change of lcd & digitizer should fix the problem" but you never can be sure unless you try When you start the phone, do you hear the startup sound? This could at least indicate that the phone isnt completely faulty.

brabusamg55 said:
there is a good chance that will fix the problem. but since the LCD was working for a while until it blank out, it is possible the problem might be with the circuit board. only way to know is to try it out.
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The plus side is that you can't make it worse. So you've got nothing to lose by trying to repair it, other than the few bucks for the parts.

Well, I took it apart to re-seat all the cables and it's still blank. Reading online, I see that a lot of dropped Sensations/Pyramids develop a loose/broken SMT capacitor component near the headphone jack, but I'm not registered on any of the forums I see it discussed on and I can't see the pics. They describe a slightly different problem anyway (screen goes blank after standby). I needed sleep, so I put it all back together and I'll check that out when the parts get here. My hunch is that the LCD panel is fine and that I'll have an extra, assuming the capacitor problem is fixable. I've done some delicate soldering work before but I can't really say that I'm good at it! I didn't see any loose SMT components rattling around so I hope it didn't fall completely out somewhere.
Skipjacks said:
The plus side is that you can't make it worse. So you've got nothing to lose by trying to repair it, other than the few bucks for the parts.
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Thanks but it's almost $70 for the parts.

Works great! Well, it had the touchscreen sensitivity issue pretty badly but the T-Mobile OTA update fixed that. Transferring all the adhesive bits from one screen to another was down-right frustrating, but I pulled it off and I only see a single spec of dust inside. The dude will be thrilled. I broke the earhook on my Looxcie so I did not make a video but it was full of me tearing and ripping the things anyway and not a good example of how it should be done!
FWIW, there was no way to remove the old screen without denting up the backing plate and prying the heck out of it to free it from multiple adhesives and glues, so I would not have had two good LCDs after testing the replacement even if there was nothing wrong with the original. Good thing it was the LCD at fault! I didn't have to drill anything like the glass replacement video I watched instructed me to do. They didn't realize that the LCD removal allows the flex PCB through just fine. I forgot to thread it back through before seating the replacement LCD in the adhesives and tape left-overs but it flexed enough to allow it through without removing, which was quite a relief after seeing how the original fared after being removed.

[HELP] My Milestone xt720 didint respond after digitizer replacement

I had a problem with my touchscreen in my Motorola Milestone xt720. I found it out becouse few areas of screen didnt respond. So i bought the Isopropanol and i washed every single part carefully. After drying and putting parts together it still was the same, additionally I noticed, that when pushing the screen near the ear speaker the touchscreen behaves otherwise, or works as it should. Than i took the parts off again and watched the tape. It was torn (or broken). Than i ordered new digitizer on Ebay. After replacing the digitizer and connecting parts again it doesnt power on, and even do not enter in bootlaoder mode. I think the LCD or any single part isnt connected wrong, becouse phone should vibrate and give sound while staring. What can i do with home remedies? Thank you in advance for the answers

If you were the one who did the assembly yourself, you should be aware of ESD. Have you tried reconnecting the old digitizer? And this time, ensure that you are shielded if you weren't (ESD straps). ESD can turn your unit into one real brick, so be careful.

i think you have bought a different digitizer that is not compatible with xt720,
there are similar digitizer with milestone xt720, like;
motoroi xt720 - looks the same but different hardware.
moto xt711 - looks the same but different hardware.
moto xt701 - looks the same but different hardware.
or maybe you have bought a damage digitizer. :-(

@Similya: I dont think so that digitizer is wrong, becouse it looks not the same at the visual point of the front but 100% the same from the back while watching the touch paths, and the tape with connector. Anyway there is not any other looking like my stock on ebay (mirror effect, and other button icons on the top), and the seller got ~99% positive grades with comments reffering to the "Milestone XT720 Digitizer Auction" as "It fits well and works great", "A++ Grade. Fits fine and working.", etc. So i think i have chosen the good one.
@pakpaker: I dont know what is it but i will google about the ESD, i hope it isnt too late ;/
And i cannot connect the old diditizer couse i threw it to the trash after comparison to the new one. Should it start when i just disconnect it and run?
edit: ok i know what ESD straps are, but i was replacing some parts in phones without it and everyone works fine ;/ and the digitizer looks more like the 701 / 711 one but everyone who is selling them says that fits to 720 and customers who buy it gives positive opinion and comment like "it works well". So what is going on? If it is not the proper one, shouldnt it start but just digitizer does not work?

just to make it sure, just bring your phone to a cellphone technician for a better check up. just avoid touching the chips and board. it might catch an ESD from your body. ESD can damage the cpu, ram and all CMOS chips.
by the way, what rom you are using.?

I was using stock rom 2.1 + root and some mods
Ok i will try to find someone but just cant believe that ESD may cause any damage. It has very high voltage, but extremaly low current, so that charge may not pass over any integrated circuit. I think it is only balancing the charge between item and hand, and those ESD straps protects technician against high current from other items which are working atm ;]

[Q] Touch unresponsive at #456 on phone

Picked up this phone from CL. The person was claiming that part of the screen is not responding to touch.
I have seen it when I picked it up, but I thought that I will deal with it when I get home.
I was keep playing with the phone almost everything it's working on it except the volume buttons and that horizontal line where the #456 is on the dial pad.
I have removed the battery and noticed that the white sticker it was pink, water damage.
Now I don't know what could be the damage here? There is a shadow across the screen also, but it's not a crack.
I have seen this before on a digital camera, it was the aluminum sheet metal under the LCD, had a smudge across on that aluminum finish too.
Couldn't remove it though. Replaced the screen on the camera and it was as new.
Not sure what could be the problem with the phone?
Should I replace the digitizer, since the LCD shows everything correctly? It could be something shorted internally? I have the phone apart, but I don't see anything wrong. Cleaned all the contact with electronic cleaner, no change.
Any help would be appreciated.

Please post all questions in the Q & A section. Thanks! Thread moved.
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk 2

I think I would replace the LCD and digitizer as a unit. The slightly higher cost would be easier to accept than having to do it more than once, which would probably end up costing more. Either way is a gamble, though, because that might not be the issue.
Volume buttons are notorious on this phone. I have not known or read about someone fixing them. You can get around the problem for the most part by using software to control the volume, using roms that will restart to recovery or boot loader, and the occasional use of ADB commands, but some bootloop situations require the hardware to work.
Good luck with your project and let us know how it works out.
Not just a pretty Pickle.

I'm thinking of buying the whole LCD as a unit, but that is why I'm asking that maybe somebody could tell me if it's the LCD or other hardware.
The volume button it's together with the upper camera board and I guess it has to be replaced together.

[Q] Touchscreen not working, digitizer probably not the issue, what else could it be?

I dropped my phone a few weeks ago, and the touchscreen stopped responding to touches in approximately the top third of the screen. If I run Screen Touch Test on the phone and I scribble all over the screen, my scribbles don't show in the top third of the screen, except where they are bunched together in in three straight lines. Being a noob on xda, I can't post an actual link to an image of this failure, but you can find one at imgur.com/DenQepu&Jj7dq5g
It looked like it was caused by a broken digitizer so I replaced it, but this didn't fix the problem. The second image in the above URL shows the phone in the same test with the new digitizer. It basically looks the same as the first image, though.
The digitizer vendor shipped me a digitizer which simply didn't work at all, the first time through, so it is possible that they shipped me a digitizer with the exact same issue as the original one. How common is this failure mode? And if it's likely that the new digitizer is fully functional, is there anything else I might have broken by dropping the phone which could be causing this failure? Having torn down and reassembled the phone quite a few times now, I can't imagine what else it could be...

The first thing you should do is check out THIS THREAD. Also I've had Bad Digitizers sent to me from shady vendors. So I would suggest going with a reputable vendor.

Thanks, prboy. I read through the thread, and it suggests it could be a problem with the ribbon cable. It had occurred to me that the problem might be with the cabling, so I have been looking at it pretty carefully. I don't notice anything obviously wrong with it. No tears, and the cable junctions seem to be working nicely, as best my naked eye can tell. :cyclops: No crunching sound when I open the keyboard. All cables were securely affixed to solid components when I first opened the phone, so it's also hard to see how dropping it could have damaged the cable.
All that said, I am a complete noob at this. This is the first time I've attempted such an intricate project. So I welcome critical feedback. Does a cable failure seem more likely at this point, given the touchscreen identical failure with the two different digitizers? Or does identical failure in the digitizers seem more likely?

It's hard to tell given that I don't have the Device in front of me. But that being said. As long as the Digitizer Vendor is reputable. I'd say that the Cable failure is a definite possibility. It would not be unheard of having a Flex Cable failure, even though it looks good. I've had them be bad, and still look good. Were you 100% sure the Digitizers were bad ? Make sure You and the Work surface are grounded. Also wear Latex No Powder Gloves. You will be very happy you did.

Thanks again, prboy. Found an otherwise functional evo 4g shift with a cracked screen on ebay for $25, so I will swap in my screen/new digitzer onto it, and see what happens. If all is well, it was definitely the digitizer which broke. Otherwise, I've got yet another digitizer to return to the vendor, and they will be getting very bad feedback from me. Will let you know how it goes. (After it arrives some time next week.)

Ok kool. Keep us posted
TEAM MiK
MikROMs Since 3/13/11

digitizer or LCD screen.

So my photon Q is rather old. Shocking I'm sure. Recently the screen has started behaving very oddly. Flickers, sensitivity is weird, blacks out etc..
I thought perhaps flex ribbon due to keyboard sliding and closing but now I think may be digitizer or the lcd. I"m leaning towards digitizer becasue when it does work it looks perfectly clear. But there will be the one time i push the power to check if I have anything and nothing happens. Reset it and can see the screen wants to do something but can't decide what. Reset over and over and eventually boots up fine.
Digitizer?
Thanks for any info.

Anybody able to chime in

Flickering screen can't have anything to do with the digitizer. The digitizer is just there for input.
It could be that the connector is a bit loose on the mainboard. The way the Photon is designed I wouldn't think it's the ribbon. I could be, but very unlikely. Anyway it's worth looking into the connectors and just to be sure the ribbon as well. But that would take a full dismantle. The connector is just 5 minutes work.
Next time try booting into recovery. If that goes well (and regular boot not) i'm pretty sure it's a hardware problem (GPU).

Die Bruine said:
Flickering screen can't have anything to do with the digitizer. The digitizer is just there for input.
It could be that the connector is a bit loose on the mainboard. The way the Photon is designed I wouldn't think it's the ribbon. I could be, but very unlikely. Anyway it's worth looking into the connectors and just to be sure the ribbon as well. But that would take a full dismantle. The connector is just 5 minutes work.
Next time try booting into recovery. If that goes well (and regular boot not) i'm pretty sure it's a hardware problem (GPU).
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When boot in any mode Ican't see anything.. A fading circle of grey lines runs vertically down the front. Sometimes after many reboots it fixes itself though. Good to know not digitizer. So take apart and check ribbon and maybe replace LCD likely?

I wonder if it is possible to simply replace the LCD if it's defective or if you have to replace the whole LCD-digitizer-speaker-etc set (which is expensive).

Loader009 said:
I wonder if it is possible to simply replace the LCD if it's defective or if you have to replace the whole LCD-digitizer-speaker-etc set (which is expensive).
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I ordered a replacement lcd screen so will find out. I also ordered the digitizer and flex cable.

So i'm thinking it may be more hardware involved than screen inolved. When it does work everything is usable and it works fine. This is only about 10% of the time at this point. Otherwise it boots up to show some vertical lines traveling down the middle of the screen but only in a circle in the middle of the screen that fades as it gets close to the edges. I'll try taking apart tomorrow night to see if ribbon and what not looks ok. But so far i've invested about $70 into parts and i'm thinkin about just snagging an S5 for $100. I will miss the keyboard though although I can hope that like the s3 and s4, the s5 will get a keyboard attachment. Thoughts?

If I remember correctly the LCD comes with the ribbon and camera connected. The digitizer is connected via a ribbon to a board in the top of the front panel. You could try to disable the pin. When the phone doesn't seem to work, reboot and try calling yourself. If it rings, there's something wrong with the screen and not the phone.
If there was something seriously wrong with the phone, it wouldn't boot. But that's just me guessing/assuming.
My daughter's Photon has had a digitzer replacement twice. And it looks like it's been used to play football. But that one still rocks. No quirks or any strange behavior for that matter.
What I'm trying to say is that the Photon is a decent piece of hardware. A family of four, we all have a Photon. Three of which have had their digitizer replaced and one an LCD (scratched it when replacing digitizer).
I swapped my Razr HD for an Z2. It was time for a new corporate phone. So that, and the camera, is the reason why I went for a Z2. My options were 930/G3/S5/Z2. S5 is not my cup of tea. The G3 has no ruggedness whatsoever. The 930, apart from WP maybe I should have went for it.
So it came down to the Z2. To be honest I'm looking to trade it when the Z3 compact arrives. We'll see.
@Loader009
Digitizer is a part, board for speaker is a part, the speaker itself is a part (adhesive, watch out, btw 100% the same as Droid4), and the LCD is a part on it's own.

Going to open up my phone tonight after work. I was bored and was just playing with the keyboard sliding it open and closed a bunch and now the screen looks perfectly clear.. although sometimes it will still black out and I have to reboot it a few times to get it back. I feel its more a connection inside like you stated earlier. I love my Photon and really don't want to have to get a non slider phone. New phone's are so friggin huge lol.

The good thing is, the PQ has gotten pretty cheap, so you might want to get a used one at ebay if the part to replace is too expensive.

flickering screen (backlight) is not lcd problem.
for 70% is it problem on mainboard - backlight ic. This problem is caused by using unoriginal charger.
and 30% flex problem

I had my screen become un-responsive etc, it was due to a crack in the ribbon. Swapped it out & all ok.
Easier to swap the whole screen assy than to change the ribbon, but depends on what spares you have/can get.
You'd need to have a good look at the ribbon for any damage.
Sent from my SIM-modded Photon Q