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[Q] Samsung Galaxy SIII with Cracked Screen (Craigslist)

Hi there. I have a pebble blue16gb S3 that's currently on the fritz. Some people are recommending a jtag service to force a stock rom back onto my s3. I've got others that are telling me my emmc chip is probably bad and that a jtag probably won't help my issue at all. Anyway, I've been cruising craigslist and I found a 16gb pebble blue s3 that has a cracked screen. In the pictures I was sent the crack is right down the middle. The guy selling it says the LCD display wont show up at all, but in some pictures the back button and the other button light up as well as the blue notification light on top were working in the picture. He's selling the device for $90. I checked the IMEI he gave me on swappa.com/ESN and its said its ready for activation. I asked the craigslist seller how the device was damaged and he said he got into a car accident going 60mph and he was hit by a drunk driver and the phone hit the dash. I have a buddy of mine who is willing to take the motherboard from this phone and switch it out with my phone, but he expressed concern that the fact the LCD won't display anything and he thinks the motherboard may have suffered some kind of damage in the crash causing the device not to display. He also noted that he has seen phones with cracks all over and the lcd still displays something. Can anyone shed some light as to how much impact a Verizon SIII motherboard can absorb and if its possible for the screen to totally not work, but the board itself be fine? Thank you very much!

Im not sure if this was the right thread to post this question either, but I hope it is. Thanks!

Also just wondering, is the notification light at the top and the lighted back button and the function button by home at the bottom run through the same connection that controls the display?

MiamiDolFAN77 said:
Also just wondering, is the notification light at the top and the lighted back button and the function button by home at the bottom run through the same connection that controls the display?
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I repair these devices and I'll say that you should just stay away from an S3 with a blacked out LCD. The repair for the LCD is about $300. Just a cracked glass may run you anywhere from $80-$150 for repair. The motherboard could be damaged, but there is really no way to tell unless the screen is on. I doubt it would be broken, though... I would look at it to see if the metal frame around the screen were bent or warped. If not, I doubt it would be. If the soft keys light up, you should also hear the volume turn up.... this checks to see if the speaker works.
But with a busted LCD... too much cost to fix that and not worth it. May as well buy a new one.
Sent from my SCH-I535 using xda app-developers app

So should I just pass on this craigslist phone? All I wanted was the board from it and switch it out with my motherboard that is on the fritz.

HTC Sensation death after Digitizer replacement

Hello,
Touch screen glass was broken, due to my phone fallen on the ground. The LCD was still working perfectly so i've ordered a new genuine digitizer for my HTC Z710E.
After replacing it my GSM does nothing . When charging i see the charging light lighting up in red or either green when full, but besides that i won't do anything. I disassemblied the phone again twice, reconnect all the connectors and still nothing. Sometimes my phone vibrates and sometimes when i push the power button the charging light disappears but that are the only signs of living.
Is this a common failure after replacing the digitizer? Did i overlook something?
Hopefully you guys can help me out.
Thanks in advance!

If the LCD ribbon cable is, in fact, getting a good connection then I would probably lean towards the lcd itself having been damaged during the install. Due to the construction of the sensation, it can be difficult removing the lcd without damaging it even for an experienced tech like myself.
What I would suggest would be to go ahead and order a new lcd. This would also be a good time to double check that the part number on the new digitizer's ribbon cable matches that of the broken digitizer you removed, as the incorrect part will lag when the screen is turned on at best and will not work at all at worst. As far as I know, the sensation and kindle fire are the only devices like this where you will have slightly different parts even within the same model and region.

Duck Norris said:
If the LCD ribbon cable is, in fact, getting a good connection then I would probably lean towards the lcd itself having been damaged during the install. Due to the construction of the sensation, it can be difficult removing the lcd without damaging it even for an experienced tech like myself.
What I would suggest would be to go ahead and order a new lcd. This would also be a good time to double check that the part number on the new digitizer's ribbon cable matches that of the broken digitizer you removed, as the incorrect part will lag when the screen is turned on at best and will not work at all at worst. As far as I know, the sensation and kindle fire are the only devices like this where you will have slightly different parts even within the same model and region.
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Hmm i already thought so . I did it really really careful, but despite that it broke.
Time for getting another phone. Don't have much money now, but i shall see what's for sale

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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Click to collapse
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

No display on nexus 5 even after screen change

Recently, I purchased a Nexus 5 from a friend. The screen was completely shattered and nothing would appear on the display, but my computer was able to recognize the device. This morning I replaced the screen with a new one, however, there is still nothing appearing on the display even though the computer recognizes it and there is still life left inside of it.
Is there anything I am missing? I rechecked that everything is plugged in correctly several times and still nothing. I was thinking of replacing the flex cable, but I am low on funds so I don't want to waste money if its not going to work.
Attached, are photo's of the device.
Any help is greatly appreciated.

did you replace just the screen or the whole Assembly with the lcd and digitzer?

Boblank said:
did you replace just the screen or the whole Assembly with the lcd and digitzer?
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Click to collapse
Yes, the entire assembly has been replaced which includes the LCD and digitizer.
Once again, I'm thinking its the flex cable as bad flex cables I've had with other phones have affected the functionality of the device.

Bump

LazyNDaCrazyDayz said:
Bump
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Why? Your question was answered.
Sent from my Nexus 5 using XDA Free mobile app

MrObvious said:
Why? Your question was answered.
Sent from my Nexus 5 using XDA Free mobile app
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Click to collapse
It was not.
In a nutshell, my original question was basically 'could there be another problem with the Nexus 5 that I am unaware of?' which was not answered.
The second poster simply asked me if I replaced the LCD and digitizer assembly in its entirety.
The third poster is me posting my suspicious about which piece of hardware is causing the trouble.

LazyNDaCrazyDayz said:
It was not.
In a nutshell, my original question was basically 'could there be another problem with the Nexus 5 that I am unaware of?' which was not answered.
The second poster simply asked me if I replaced the LCD and digitizer assembly in its entirety.
The third poster is me posting my suspicious about which piece of hardware is causing the trouble.
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Oh sorry you said flex cable. I was on my app. My apologies. Honestly it could be the flex cable. I replaced the screen in my Droid 3 and it didn't work because the flex cable was damaged.

Based on your photos it looks like what you replaced should have bean sufficient but of course with electrical components who knows... I wouldn't rule out a dead replacement display either. I'm in the middle of a similar situation, returning my replacement display today and trying another.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/google-nexus-5/help/color-issues-screen-replacement-t2993043

Could be a number of things with that physical damage, not just the screen

Oh sorry you said flex cable. I was on my app. My apologies. Honestly it could be the flex cable. I replaced the screen in my Droid 3 and it didn't work because the flex cable was damaged.
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So you were able to get a display after you changed the flex cable?
The odd thing though is that I'm still able to charge the phone...the flex cable also holds the usb port.
Anyway, I've ordered a new one so we'll see what happens.

If anyone was wondering the screen still does not work with the new flex cable. I'm assuming its a motherboard issue and am just going to sell it on eBay.
Before than, any other suggestions would be appreciated.

LazyNDaCrazyDayz said:
If anyone was wondering the screen still does not work with the new flex cable. I'm assuming its a motherboard issue and am just going to sell it on eBay.
Before than, any other suggestions would be appreciated.
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Click to collapse
Just ask your friend for a refund

dicecuber said:
Just ask your friend for a refund
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I bought it from him for a very cheap price ($30US). Even with it broken, I can still get more for it by selling it on eBay than I can by getting my money back.

Try to make preassure on the wide connector on the motherboard. If display backlights or displays temporarily it's micro distached pins between connector and motherboard. Heat Air is the easy solution! In my case I used hot air heatgun 350°C and 10sec on row near edge of the board. The solder melts and at that time PUT slight PREASSURE down to the connector for few seconds! It makes the legs got proper contact to the pads on the board. Solves problems with Mic and Loudspeaker too becouse it relay on this wide connector.
Good luck Tomáš

Nexus 5 Assembly! hardware problems or what??

So, hello everyone.
I recently Bought two broken nexus 5. One with cracked digitizer (and other minor issues) and another with a perfectly working digitizer/lcd/frame.
I transplanted all the bowels from the smashed screen nexus to the frame of the ok one.
but...when i push/touch more firmly on the back (right side) the phone turn off...
any hints?

Have a closer look at your cable connections and especially at the power button.

ok...but everything seems to be ok.
when i push near the nfc chip...shut off

Did the phone with the smashed screen suffer any impact damage near the nfc chip?

audit13 said:
Did the phone with the smashed screen suffer any impact damage near the nfc chip?
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who knows.... when I bought it I just turned it on to check whether was working...didn't (foooooooool) check anything else...

None of the internals from the phone with the good screen can be used on the frankenphone?

lol...I have the lcd+digitizer+frame part only...

i'll try to make a video of the problem later today...

pakgio said:
i'll try to make a video of the problem later today...
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Click to collapse
did you check with ifixit for help? They are my goto resource for help and great tutes and vids
here
hth
Zo0

well...I followed the ifixit guide and I have to say it's pretty easy...at least that's what I was thinking before the problem...

Disassembly and reassembly is pretty easy as long as you take your time.
I think there was a pre-existing problem with the phone that had a smashed screen.

yep. that's a possibility. another idea is some kind of issue with the battery. the battery was the only part of the phone that gave me problems during teardown..

believe me I can't believe it.
so I just put 2-3 mm of tape between the motherboard and the back cover on the corner near the front facing camera.
actually it's working (but don't say it too loud...)

When you say right side, do you mean the right side when you are looking at the front of the phone? If you are, then that is where the power button and camera connections are located. Maybe pressing on that area caused a slight short to power off the phone?

I mean, with the rear camera right in front of you, the upper right corner.