UNDER NO CIRCUMSTANCES ARE YOU PERMITTED TO REPOST ANY IMAGES OR TEXT FROM THIS GUIDE, DIGITALLY OR OTHERWISE, WITHOUT MY WRITTEN CONSENT.
I can only offer limited advice as I currently do not have an LCD. That said, I have a better understanding of the layout of the board now.
I have had several messages asking 'Where can I buy this part?' Unless it is already posted in this thread, I do not know where you can buy it.
Possible parts sellers: (I cannot confirm details are correct. Purchase at your own risk!)
LCD: http://s.taobao.com/search?q=fpc-a50...l-b&rsclick=13
An EXPERIMENTAL antenna guide can be found in this post: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=46020544&postcount=61
Results of this here: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=46309271&postcount=68
I'm in the UK, using the O2 network so I do not know how it will affect US networks as they use a different frequency.
This guide is currently incomplete and will be updated as progress is made. Thanks to @henrykins111 and @PerisH-es for the helpful information.
Please note: This will void your warranty. I do not accept responsibility for this or any data loss or damage that may occur directly or indirectly as a result of attempting to follow any of the steps in this guide. Please take care and follow these steps at your own risk.
Tools required for the disassembly:
- Small (2-3mm?) Phillips head screwdriver
- Plastic pry tool or thin guitar plectrum.
Firstly, remove the back case, battery, microSD card and SIM card. Put these safely to one side.
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Remove the 9 screws that surround the edges of the back of the phone. Put these in a small box or something, I've lost countless screws by just leaving them on the side.
Insert the plectrum (or pry tool) between the chrome and the brushed style sections of the phone. Take care not to use too much force or push the plectrum in too far as this could damage some of the ribbon cables, situated mostly towards the top of the phone.
You'll be left with two parts. The grey piece you just removed will have the ribbon antennas for wifi and cellular signal attached, as well as the loudspeaker and the camera lens and flash diffuser. The board is now also exposed.
To remove the camera, using the plectrum to carefully unplug the ribbon cable. The main camera unit can then be lifted out, but be aware that it is held down by some tape so be aware that a small amount of force may be required.
Now using the same method unplug the small black ribbon cable that is attached to the SIM and microSD card slots.
The card slots are held in with a little glue, and these can now be removed.
To remove the board, first undo the 2 screws located in opposite corners that hold it down. Make a note of their location as it is easy to confuse which holes to put them in. Then, remove this small strip of tape, being VERY careful not to tear the ribbon cables beneath.
Using the plectrum, you can now remove these. The bottom cable is a data cable that links to the bottom board and the top cable is the screen cable (I think - not sure)
Just above the socket for the SIM and microSD card slots is another socket. This has a small, black, hinged plastic tab that you must lift until it is 90degrees to the board. You can then slowly slide out the ribbon cable from the socket. Underneath this cable is another plug type socket. Unplug this.
Another antenna cable can now be removed. This can be quite stiff but be very careful not to dent the metal on the connections and also be aware that it is possible to pull the socket itself from the board.
After unplugging another small ribbon cable located on the top edge of the phone, the board can now be lifted. Lift the board as smoothly as possible, making sure to not tear any of the ribbon cables.
To remove the first infrared sensor and light sensor, simply pull it vertically out from the casing of the phone.
Just underneath the top of the headphone jack is a small indent in the white plastic. Use this to remove the headphone jack, but be careful not to apply to much force as joined by another thin ribbon cable is the LED and second infrared sensor. This may take some slight wriggling to remove as it is all held in with a small amount of glue.
Unplug the ribbon cable from the bottom left hand side of the board.
The other end of the metal antenna cable can now be unplugged. being careful of the components underneath and the round thing (microphone?) the board should now only be held in by a couple of strips of tape and a little glue.
The other side of the bottom board. This helps explain a few things. The round object connected via the wires appears to be the vibration motor. There are no numbers or letters written on it. Those of you having problems, it may simply be a broken connection on this wire, so it's worth checking.
The microphone is the small surface mounted silver box located next to the solder points for the wires.
The LCD/digitizer/glass assembly is now held in with a little glue. Use the plectrum to remove the screen. If it's stubborn, gently heat with a heat gun or hair dryer on low heat in a circular motion over the device. You may need to apply a small amount of pressure to the back of the LCD, where the battery would normally be. There is a risk of breaking it if you do this, but this won't matter if you're replacing it anyway.
NOTE: The LCD cables will not fit through the slot they are in without removing the small black divider to the right hand side of the slot, where the top speaker would be.
!Potentially important information!
As I broke the LCD I thought I would have a go at separating the LCD from the digitizer/glass. Turns out it is possible BUT almost impossible to do without breaking the LCD.
If your LCD is broken but your glass/digitizer is fine, then you could try removing it. The LCD is glued to the glass only around the edge. To remove it, you simply have to pull the LCD from the glue. Before you do this, be ABSOLUTELY sure that you are only pulling the LCD off and not the digitizer. The easiest way to check is to remove the LCD from the top down, as here you can use the ribbon cable as a reference to which layer is the digitizer. Picture of this to come.
As mentioned by @henrykins111, gently heating the screen and using a thin metal spudger or xacto knife will really help with this.
Nice, on wich picture can you see the vibration engine?
splashboy said:
Nice, on wich picture can you see the vibration engine?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm not sure where it is if I'm honest. I'll strip the phone down and power it up in parts to try and locate it.
Sent from my GT-I9500 using XDA Premium 4 mobile app
I was looking for the microphone part, i think in my phone it's defect and trying to repair it myself.
Maybe you have some shots of it?
Thanks for posting this. I'm also looking for the vibration engine as it seems to be faulty on mine, it stops working sometimes and shaking the phone a bit seems to fix it temporarily, which makes me think there's a loose connection. I'm also suffering from a poor wifi signal as I move away from the router - do you know where the wifi antenna is?
Original post has been updated with further information about the bottom board, microphone and vibration motor.
Firefly0 said:
do you know where the wifi antenna is?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It looks like the wifi antenna is the black cable with gold metal connections that runs down the right hand side (volume button side) and connects to the bottom board. This in turn connects to a grey flat ribbon style antenna which can be seen glued flat to the bottom of the phone simply by removeing the battery cover.
That said, I have the same problem. Different ROMs don't solve the problem. I'm wondering if it simply is weak, and maybe a strip of conductive tape or foil or similar on top of this antenna would help. Either that or have the complete opposite effect and it refelct signals around inside the phone. Might be worth a try though.
Really helpful, I thank you!
splashboy said:
Really helpful, I thank you!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Glad I could offer something useful to the community :laugh:
Firefly0 said:
Thanks for posting this. I'm also looking for the vibration engine as it seems to be faulty on mine, it stops working sometimes and shaking the phone a bit seems to fix it temporarily, which makes me think there's a loose connection.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Let me know if you fixed it and how you did
Thanks!
Does anyone have any idea why I can't update the original post with images? If i copy the exact same code into a new post, it allows me to do it.
Example:
rynbrgss said:
Original post has been updated with further information about the bottom board, microphone and vibration motor.
It looks like the wifi antenna is the black cable with gold metal connections that runs down the right hand side (volume button side) and connects to the bottom board. This in turn connects to a grey flat ribbon style antenna which can be seen glued flat to the bottom of the phone simply by removeing the battery cover.
That said, I have the same problem. Different ROMs don't solve the problem. I'm wondering if it simply is weak, and maybe a strip of conductive tape or foil or similar on top of this antenna would help. Either that or have the complete opposite effect and it refelct signals around inside the phone. Might be worth a try though.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for the reply. That sounds like it could work, let me know the results if you try it. I've messaged the seller I bought the phone from about the poor wifi signal to see if they have any advice, I'll post back if I have any luck.
splashboy said:
Let me know if you fixed it and how you did
Thanks!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It seems to be OK now after shaking the phone a bit. Pulling out the battery also seemed to temporarily fix it once, but I think that may have just been a coincidence. I'll probably try opening it up if it stops working again to see if there is a loose connection.
Firefly0 said:
Thanks for the reply. That sounds like it could work, let me know the results if you try it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I've been having a play but no luck. I tried simply inserting a small strip of foil between the antenna and back case and no change. I then true different sizes an locations still the same. Even made an antenna from the foil that ran just love halfway up the phone and wired it into the pins on the board, and no significant change there either I'm afraid.
Sent from my GT-I9500 using XDA Premium 4 mobile app
rynbrgss said:
I've been having a play but no luck. I tried simply inserting a small strip of foil between the antenna and back case and no change. I then true different sizes an locations still the same. Even made an antenna from the foil that ran just love halfway up the phone and wired it into the pins on the board, and no significant change there either I'm afraid.
Sent from my GT-I9500 using XDA Premium 4 mobile app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It will be interesting, to see, if any parts from the real s4 are compatible with this legend, i see many users will pay an extra buck to replace de rear and front camera, and also the wifi, because these parts are relatively cheap..., in another angle, maybe someone will also wanted to change for the real s4 screen but i doubt that will be compatible .
I see many people with poor wifi, could an original flez cable be the solution?
ebay.co.uk/itm/New-Internal-Antenna-Signal-WIFI-Flex-Cable-Part-for-Samsung-Galaxy-S4-i9500-/290931180790?pt=UK_Replacement_Parts_Tools&hash=item43bcd984f6
rynbrgss said:
Does anyone have any idea why I can't update the original post with images? If i copy the exact same code into a new post, it allows me to do it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I think you have to load up the pictures again, not only try to link the pictures.
Thanks for your work on the Legend! :good:
Picture links fixed
lvieira76 said:
It will be interesting, to see, if any parts from the real s4 are compatible with this legend, i see many users will pay an extra buck to replace de rear and front camera, and also the wifi, because these parts are relatively cheap..., in another angle, maybe someone will also wanted to change for the real s4 screen but i doubt that will be compatible .
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
While the wifi flex replacement should fit, I can't see it making any real difference. The wifi antenna itself is different from the S4; on our phones there is a thin grey ribbon antenna underneath the battery. It looks just like a sticker but on the other side of it it has a thin copper circuit. This is what is potentially the problem as it may not be very well designed. (I'm no expert when it comes to antenna designs themselves).
I'd be reluctant to try the camera but if you do let us know how it goes. The same with the screen.
I think the wifi antenna is the antenna in the top. The little one at the right-corner. You can try with that.
I believe that the botton antenna is the mobile antenna (GSM).
Hope it helps.
@rynbrgss Did you get to check the lcd model?
i sure hope that someone gets an fix for wifi, because, i receive my legend today and didnt pick the wireless 10 meters away...lol
PerisH-es said:
I think the wifi antenna is the antenna in the top. The little one at the right-corner. You can try with that.
I believe that the botton antenna is the mobile antenna (GSM).
Hope it helps.
@rynbrgss Did you get to check the lcd model?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I haven't, I need to work out how to get to it without damaging the phone.
Ill have a play with the other antenna too, thanks for the heads
up.
lvieira76 said:
i sure hope that someone gets an fix for wifi, because, i receive my legend today and didnt pick the wireless 10 meters away...lol
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Have you tried fluffy's Rom? That helped a lot wwith mine.
Sent from my GT-I9500 using XDA Premium 4 mobile app
So I ended up cracking my screen and installed a replacement last night. Everything seemed fine but I noticed, after putting it back together, that any slight bit of pressure or shock to the top causes my N5 to shut off.
I took it apart again to make sure all of the ribbons were properly connected and to take a second look and everything appears fine. I didn't have this problem prior to the replacement and I was very gentle during the tear down and reassembly so I don't the the CPU or anything on it is damaged. Other than the top being hyper sensitive the phone works perfectly.
Any ideas on what the problem is or could be?
SOLVED(sorry, I don't know how to change the title)
I just wanted to fill in anyone curious or running into this problem in the future on how I resolved the issue.
So after some time I narrowed the problem down to the second back cover (the one with the camera lens and beneath the Nexus branded cover) making contact with the motherboard. More specifically, compressing the power management IC with its aluminum cover. You want to make sure that chip is laid flush which was a PITA, for me at least, because the headphone jack and earpiece speaker wants to push it up and out. What I did was put the jack in, lay the board on top, then gradually adjusted the jack with tweezers while gently pushing the motherboard down until the board was flush, then placing the earpiece speaker in.
I then placed the second back cover on and tightened the screws until I could feel them just slightly putting pressure on the cover. I can't stress how light this pressure is as it is the key in resolving this issue. To compare it to changing your oil filter on your car; when you can feel the filter make solid contact with the block and you then turn it about another half turn to seal it; it's like that but without that half turn.
Anyway, I hope this helps anyone else unfortunate enough to both break their screen and then have their phone randomly shut down when any pressure is applied after fixing it.
hello
TCGUK said:
So I ended up cracking my screen and installed a replacement last night. Everything seemed fine but I noticed, after putting it back together, that any slight bit of pressure or shock to the top causes my N5 to shut off.
I took it apart again to make sure all of the ribbons were properly connected and to take a second look and everything appears fine. I didn't have this problem prior to the replacement and I was very gentle during the tear down and reassembly so I don't the the CPU or anything on it is damaged. Other than the top being hyper sensitive the phone works perfectly.
Any ideas on what the problem is or could be?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
hello where didu buy the screen for your new n5 ? there is any king of intrusion to do it .
thank:good:
josedecuba said:
hello where didu buy the screen for your new n5 ? there is any king of intrusion to do it .
thank:good:
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I bought mine off of eBay and it cost me $150. I could be wrong but it looked like the screen can't be separated from the frame. You might want to keep that in mind when purchasing because there are sellers that sell the screen without a frame. Tearing down the N5 was pretty simple. The hardest part for me was getting the back cover off as there are 4 (two on each side) large clips. If you end up bending the clips any, you can push them back to shape to keep the back from creaking like every Samsung I've ever owned. There's a nice guide on iFixit if you want to look at the process prior to ordering a new part.
I've read from others that you can send your phone into LG and they'll repair the screen for you. When you send it in they'll email a quote to you within a day. The price I keep seeing is $146 and I have no idea what the turn around on that is.
So on my Nexus 5, the backlight started going off randomly... tapping phone would bring it back..
Then eventually it went out and i had to bend/flex the phone and it would keep working a while..
I contacted support then, but one time i bent it a little to get it on and the frame (plastic outer edge cracked), doh.. Now, of course, they will not give me a warranty repair because the device is physically damaged. So i tried a new screen, no dice. Now i have two good screens and a phone that still wont work unless i bend the crap out of it. Anyone else see this problem? Worth trying to replace motherboard? or should i just sell parts (new screen i bought, old screen, battery, etc) and buy a whole new phone... There is one specific point where i can bend it and backlight comes on, but i cant find a short or loose connection anywhere. I have had the thing COMPLETELY apart and back together multiple times. I should mention, it works totally fine when backlight is off, just no backlight so i can only see it in super bright direct illumination.
Any ideas???
Take it to a mobile phone repair shop.
Sent from my Nexus 5 using Tapatalk
Fixed for now! Woohoo! Based on the position of where i had to flex it, i tried a little gap filler... a folded piece of paper, between the SIM slot and the back frame. With everything screwed back together, it just puts a little pressure on that area of the main board.
Now the only problem is the screen i bought is defective (lines all up and down it) so now i have to disassemble again to put the old one back in.... oh joy, now to return it through ebay... I'm sure that will work well. Either way, phone working again! FYI, this phone is REALLLY easy to take apart and put back together.
EDIT: F.. snapped the end off one of the little antenna cables (the black one, on the right when looking at the uncovered back of the phone) when redoing the screen. Anyone know what that is for? WiFi and cell data signals seem ok.. Looks like a diversity antenna for something, because of all the others at the tope. Maybe google will have an answer.
ramerco said:
EDIT: F.. snapped the end off one of the little antenna cables (the black one, on the right when looking at the uncovered back of the phone) when redoing the screen. Anyone know what that is for? WiFi and cell data signals seem ok.. Looks like a diversity antenna for something, because of all the others at the tope. Maybe google will have an answer.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Check Bluetooth/try calling/using data just to be sure.
Do not discuss something on how to make fool of insurance company or even an warranty, It's not allowed here. Thanks
My N5 just got dropped in a wet place (definitely wasn't the toilet!). I grabbed it real quick and switched it off.
I have taken the back panel off to dry it out (will leave for several days before I touch it again).
When prising off the back panel, I have damaged one of the contacts on what appears to be the speaker module.
Can anyone tell me what the metal strip in the attached is connected to? Is it the mic?
Thanks.
I have just discovered it's part of the antenna loop.
Any bright ideas of what I can repair it with?
And which antenna is it (it's the one with the black wire on the right hand side when viewed from the rear).
krs360 said:
I have just discovered it's part of the antenna loop.
Any bright ideas of what I can repair it with?
And which antenna is it (it's the one with the black wire on the right hand side when viewed from the rear).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The little one is 2G/3G I think. The bigger one is 4G/LTE I think.
I'd really love to know to fix this too...a blob of solder? A strip of tin foil? No idea!
The metal strip on the outside of the speaker module has come away on mine too when removing the back cover...only a very small section because I noticed and tried to minimise damage.
tedrogers61 said:
The little one is 2G/3G I think. The bigger one is 4G/LTE I think.
I'd really love to know to fix this too...a blob of solder? A strip of tin foil? No idea!
The metal strip on the outside of the speaker module has come away on mine too when removing the back cover...only a very small section because I noticed and tried to minimise damage.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It didn't make any difference to my signal when I had it like that.
For other reasons though, I replaced the speaker module. This was really easy and the part was really cheap. Probably the easiest way to repair it.
Thanks. That's really good to know re: no loss of signal.
I can confirm this too...I had no loss of signal either, even with a large part of the foil strip missing.
Sent from my Nexus 5 using XDA Premium 4 mobile app
I cracked my phone screen yesterday after getting it repaired. ($60) bucks gone. I figured I'd fix it myself. I actually did it. I noticed it wasn't getting any signal at ALL, I always get 4 bars inside my room and I remembered that I had moved the RF cable with the screwdriver that was magnetized. I don't know if that might have been the problem. Well after I put it all back together I fudged the screen and I opened it back up and I discovered this after I took out the battery. Screenshots follow
http://i.imgur.com/OMAE9Yw.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/V5sGFpI.jpg
What isnt noticeable is that the metal clip furthest to the bottom that helps hold the RF cable is gone, I couldn't get it back into it. Does that matter? If so I need to get a complete assembly then.
Also note that the LCD screen is not cracked. But it looks like it is bleeding.
What I want to know is 4 things.
1. Is it fixable?
If not, I'll sell on Ebay for parts.
If it is. then do I
2. I want to know what could cause the LCD damage the way it is, is it from pressing to hard underneath it?
3. Do I need a new RF cable?
4. Is there a name for the flex piece that is in the pictures? I know it is tied to the power, volume and camera buttons. If their is a part, I'll take it to a professional this time.
I found the name of the piece, Its called a motherboard Flex cable.
But Im really wanting to know If I need a new RF cable because of touching the end piece with a magnetized screwdriver fizzed it out.
Thank you ahead of time.
I guess you'll need to replace your whole lcd screen along with the digitizer. You could easily get it on EBay.
About your antenna cable. I think it's damaged and that's the reason your not receiving any reception.
Few months back i replaced my lcd screen cause of some touch issue i think i accidentally damaged the antenna cable and now i dont receive reception in my room or college classroom. I have to move out to get reception.