Hard-Bricked Hammerheads thread - Nexus 5 Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting

My Nexus 5 died on me.
A few days ago, I woke up and connected my phone to the charger and went on with my daily routines. And when I checked the phone after half an hour, the phone was completely off. I tried to turn it on and tried all the key combinations, the phone showed no response at all; no Google logo, no bootloader, no TWRP, the screen was just completely off. I thought that it was the battery's fault as the phone was almost 2 years old and had been showing signs of depreciation. It doesn't even show anything even when I connect it to the charger, instead it heats up a lot during charging. So I took it to the service centre and the guys at the service centre told me that the motherboard had got fried and the only solution is to get a new mobo which costs 13,500 INR (200$). But, I don't want to spend that much fixing this device, I think its better to buy a new phone. I am planning to get something cheaper than the Nexus 5 with a not bad specification and good dev support (thinking about Moto G 3 and OPX).
Three of my friends also had bad experience with the Nexus 5.
One friend had the same issue, the phone died one day without any apparent reason. He is now using a YU Yuphoria.
The other two friends' phones just started bootlooping one day. Both those phones were not even rooted ( not the power button issue, they also had to replace the motherboards, but luckily their devices were under warranty back then, so they got it replaced for free). I think LG used cheap low quality components to make the Nexus 5.
What do you guys think could have caused this problem?

I had the same issue. I received a Nexus Device from a friend with a faulty wireless card. I know it was faulty because when I could get it turned on, it would never turn the WiFi adapter on.
What I did to fix it was, I ordered a broken Nexus off ebay. The screen was cracked and the guy tried replacing it but he f'd up the internals somehow. I swapped out the mother board which was easy and flashes stock Marshmallow and haven't had any problems since.

goku14238 said:
I had the same issue. I received a Nexus Device from a friend with a faulty wireless card. I know it was faulty because when I could get it turned on, it would never turn the WiFi adapter on.
What I did to fix it was, I ordered a broken Nexus off ebay. The screen was cracked and the guy tried replacing it but he f'd up the internals somehow. I swapped out the mother board which was easy and flashes stock Marshmallow and haven't had any problems since.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
But that's just a small issue compared to mine :/.
Still a sign of cheap components.

yzak58 said:
But that's just a small issue compared to mine :/.
Still a sign of cheap components.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Same thing would fix yours. If you buy one with a broken screen then just swap motherboard it would be cheaper than buying a mb replacement. I have the opposite issue with my wife's G2, motherboard is ok, but everything else, screen, battery, toast.

Related

Water damaged Sensation

Ok, here's my problem. My sensation got water damage. I dried it. But the screen won't turn on. Backlight is not working. But when i turn the phone on it vibrates. Assuming that after the boot process i can hear the message alert like it recieved a message. Green light is also blinking. I can charge the phone. Charge light is also working. But since i can't see anything on the screen i can't be sure if evertything is working. I took the phone apart, lcd is soaked wet after all that drying. I know it because i tore the lcd apart. Anyway, my real problem is, i found a very cheap sensation with motherboard damage. I'm thinking of buying it and use my motherboard with it. But i can't be too sure if everything is alright with my motherboard. From what i can see nothing is burnt or anything on the motherboard. Since i tore the lcd apart and it's not connected, now the phone goes into bootloop from what i can tell from the vibration. And i didn't think about connecting the phone to the computer to see if it gets recognized. And now with the bootloop and everyhing plugging it to the computer is not an option anymore. What are your thoughts on this? Do you think I have a working motherboard? Do you think i should try my luck?
Sent from my Transformer Prime TF201
tongi said:
Ok, here's my problem. My sensation got water damage. I dried it. But the screen won't turn on. Backlight is not working. But when i turn the phone on it vibrates. Assuming that after the boot process i can hear the message alert like it recieved a message. Green light is also blinking. I can charge the phone. Charge light is also working. But since i can't see anything on the screen i can't be sure if evertything is working. I took the phone apart, lcd is soaked wet after all that drying. I know it because i tore the lcd apart. Anyway, my real problem is, i found a very cheap sensation with motherboard damage. I'm thinking of buying it and use my motherboard with it. But i can't be too sure if everything is alright with my motherboard. From what i can see nothing is burnt or anything on the motherboard. Since i tore the lcd apart and it's not connected, now the phone goes into bootloop from what i can tell from the vibration. And i didn't think about connecting the phone to the computer to see if it gets recognized. And now with the bootloop and everyhing plugging it to the computer is not an option anymore. What are your thoughts on this? Do you think I have a working motherboard? Do you think i should try my luck?
Sent from my Transformer Prime TF201
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If you should try it depends on how much the broken phone costs. If it would cost you $200 then it's not worth it because the risk is too big.
If it would cost you $30 then it's absolutely worth a shot.
I'd say you have about a 40% chance of fixing it by combining parts from the 2 phones. So it's about how much you're willing to risk on a 40% chance.
It's gonna cost me about $100. And except the motherboard the phone is in perfect condition. Just like new. It feels like my motherboard is working fine. I mean i have all the indications that he phone is alive except the display. It charges just fine. Boots up. Even getting message indications. That's why i'm really hopeful. But of course i can't be sure 100% sure...
Sent from my Transformer Prime TF201
tongi said:
It's gonna cost me about $100. And except the motherboard the phone is in perfect condition. Just like new. It feels like my motherboard is working fine. I mean i have all the indications that he phone is alive except the display. It charges just fine. Boots up. Even getting message indications. That's why i'm really hopeful. But of course i can't be sure 100% sure...
Sent from my Transformer Prime TF201
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I think you can get a replacement screen cheaper than $100
You're absolutely right. I replaced my screen while ago. My sensation was in a pretty bad condition. I also have to change the touch screen cuz it was popped up and part of it was unresponsive. Back cover was cracked. I also needed to replace that. My wifi was not working for a while. I believe wifi issues were software related but could never find a working solution to that. Tried every hboot, radio, rom, ruu avaliable to solve my wifi issues with no luck. It's gonna be like renewing the whole thing this way. And if I got this working, and start using it this way it's gonna give me a great satisfaction. ) I was mostly wondering if you guys think my mobo is fine...
Sent from my Transformer Prime TF201
tongi said:
You're absolutely right. I replaced my screen while ago. My sensation was in a pretty bad condition. I also have to change the touch screen cuz it was popped up and part of it was unresponsive. Back cover was cracked. I also needed to replace that. My wifi was not working for a while. I believe wifi issues were software related but could never find a working solution to that. Tried every hboot, radio, rom, ruu avaliable to solve my wifi issues with no luck. It's gonna be like renewing the whole thing this way. And if I got this working, and start using it this way it's gonna give me a great satisfaction. ) I was mostly wondering if you guys think my mobo is fine...
Sent from my Transformer Prime TF201
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Again....40% chance the mobo is okay.
But if its not both your current broken phone and your new broken phone have value as parts devices on ebay. So you will be able to get some money to put towards a new phone if all else fails.
Sent from my HTC Sensation using xda app-developers app
From what I have gathered about motherboard issues. Once they're gone they don't even boot up. And even if they boot up mostly they won't stay on long time. Mine was on and charging for hours. Of course without the display. The guy who's selling the phone said during the update he run out of battery and phone was hard bricked. He took it to repair center and they screwed up his motherboard. That's what the second repair center told the guy anyways. His motherboard could also be fine, who knows. What I'm planning to do is, take my motherboard with me and try it on the spot before buying the phone. It would take me about 3 minutes to swap the motherboard anyways.
Just wanted to let you know that I saved my Sensation. Ordered the phone with the motherboard problem. Installed my motherboad and got it working. Thanks for your responses...

[Q] LG G2 will not power on, seemingly no reason

Here is what happened exactly:
So the phone is sitting on my windowsill so i can get service and receive texts messages. i get a text so i walk over, pick up my phone, unlock it, and i pressed on the textbox to start typing my reply message. as soon as i press the text box my phone freezes, and thinking its no big deal i hold down the power button to turn off my phone (took about 10 seconds to power off). Now my G2 will not do anything at all, wont power on, wont charge, the red light doesn't even come on with the charger plugged in.
Things I've tried:
holding power/power+down/power+up for 2 minutes+
disconnecting the battery for 5 minutes and trying ^ again
disconnecting every component and reconnecting then trying ^^ again.
disconnecting battery, plugging in charger
disconnecting battery, plugging in charger, then reconnecting battery with charger still attached
charging with lg charger for 12 hours
additional details that may be useful:
at&t D800
rooted
cwm recovery
optimus g3 custom ROM
literally never have had an issue with this phone before
a new battery is on its way in case that is the issue
blacklight215 said:
additional details that may be useful:
a new battery is on its way in case that is the issue
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Scratch that, i actually canceled the purchase of the new battery because i think i may need a new mobo instead. I'm not gonna buy anything until i get a second opinion at least.
sorry about the 3rd post in a row
I've ordered a new motherboard that has arrived today in the mail. after i get that in my old phone ill update the thread again.
I have to say though, i am extremely surprised and irritated by the absolute lack of support I've received from this site. i would always come here to find answers in other threads and the community seemed pretty awesome, so its pretty unfortunate that i haven't gotten even a single reply. i guess people only want to help others when they already no the answer...
blacklight215 said:
I've ordered a new motherboard that has arrived today in the mail. after i get that in my old phone ill update the thread again.
I have to say though, i am extremely surprised and irritated by the absolute lack of support I've received from this site. i would always come here to find answers in other threads and the community seemed pretty awesome, so its pretty unfortunate that i haven't gotten even a single reply. i guess people only want to help others when they already no the answer...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Have you found a solution to this? My phone did the exact same thing yours did last Friday. I tried several button combos and the only thing that gave me some hope was resetting (power + vol. down). I was able to get the LG splash, then the ATT splash and jingle with the LED lights changing colors, but that was it, went back to dead. I'm debating ordering a battery and some tools to try and get this working again.
thestrangebrew said:
Have you found a solution to this? My phone did the exact same thing yours did last Friday. I tried several button combos and the only thing that gave me some hope was resetting (power + vol. down). I was able to get the LG splash, then the ATT splash and jingle with the LED lights changing colors, but that was it, went back to dead. I'm debating ordering a battery and some tools to try and get this working again.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah, so i got the mobo in my phone and it turned on and everything was working again! however the mobo i bought had a broken battery connection so i could only use it if it was on the charger so i had to send it back. but replacing my motherboard will fix my issue.
as for yours i have no idea, if it wont turn on even with the charger plugged in then replacing your mobo may be a solution.
i still think its pathetic that no one with real experience has replied to this thread, i guess you cant believe what your told about this place unless your question is easy to answer.
blacklight215 said:
Yeah, so i got the mobo in my phone and it turned on and everything was working again! however the mobo i bought had a broken battery connection so i could only use it if it was on the charger so i had to send it back. but replacing my motherboard will fix my issue.
as for yours i have no idea, if it wont turn on even with the charger plugged in then replacing your mobo may be a solution.
i still think its pathetic that no one with real experience has replied to this thread, i guess you cant believe what your told about this place unless your question is easy to answer.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Where and how much was your mobo? Did you have to solder anything?
thestrangebrew said:
Where and how much was your mobo? Did you have to solder anything?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
i got it on eBay, the original price was like $120 but i put in an offer of $75 and they took it. when you buy it make sure you compare the pictures on the posting to your actual Mobo.
All that you will need for the switch is a credit card, a knife, an extremely tiny screw driver, and some double sided tape(the tape is optional).
as you can see in my picture, the board i bought is on the right and the old one is on the left. you have to watch for stuff like that when buying a part like this.
i think I'm about to buy a D800 G2 with a busted screen for $40 in the next hour, if i get it ill let you know how it goes.
Success!!!
Alright so yesterday i did buy that busted G2 and when i met up with the kid i made sure everything worked before i bought it. i got back to work and made the switch(i was going slow and i was debating on swapping the charging component, took about 35 minutes).
I did not wanna put my Sim in the phone until after i had downloaded all my apps and configured all of my settings the way i like them, so about 6 hours later i get a chance to make the final switch over. when i did put in my SIM everything APPEARED to work fine, but when i left my home i realized that my data was not sending or receiving anything at all? i went to the grocery store and bought a glasses repair kit for the screwdriver inside and opened the phone back up, everything appeared to be connected properly.
I left and called AT&T customer support and this guy helped me fix the issue, apparently their system though i was still using the temp iPhone 4 i had. after he switched the old IMEI number to my new Mobo's IMEI, i restarted my phone and it worked perfectly! i highly recommend taking this route if you can get a new board for less than a new G2 costs.
The Mobo i got off the kid is legit too, i guess he bought it only a month or two ago because it has some features i did not have like the knock code. i also got it rooted and flashed TWRP, not sure if ill flash a G3 ROM or leave it like it is.

Nexus doesn't boot up, only fastboot

Recently, I was trying to replace old battery in my Nexus and something went wrong. The battery wasn't replaced but the phone didn't boot up.
When unplugged, the phone didn't react at all (and I know that battery % was enough). When I plugged it in, the battery indicator showed up, disappeared after a second and it was happening in a constant loop (this appearing and disappearing). I tried to boot up the phone but only Google showed up and phone turned off and the battery indicator was again reappearing. I managed to access fastboot but couldn't do anything more (when trying to enter recovery - same thing as with booting up). Flashed stock 6.0.1 and nothing changed. The phone was sent to LG but they said the warranty won't cover that and offered to replace motherboard for price around $230 which for me is a bit too high as for this quite old phone. They've sent me also this photo (http://imgur.com/aGAsoZs). Maybe someone can see something. Now I'm waiting for them to return the phone and maybe I'll try with another LG service.
Maybe you have some ideas what might have happened? Maybe symptoms are suggesting something and it can be easily fixed. Right now I can't do anything because the phone isn't back yet but when it's back before giving it to another service?
From the photo and description it looks as if LG are saying that the motherboard connector is broken - I take it that you tried to replace the battery yourself, so perhaps you pushed the connector in wrongly and broke it? If so, then I would reckon that the only fix is a new motherboard - you can't fix a broken connector yourself, and no amount of software tinkering will fix broken hardware. You could buy a second-hand N5 on eBay for about half the cost.
When you get the phone back, you could try re-seating the battery connector and if, it still doesn't work, I would buy a used N5 as @dahawthorne mentioned. If you have access to a used phone market, look for an N5 with a smashed screen with a working motherboard. I've been lucky and was able to purchase a few N5s with smashed screens for $20 to $40 CAD.
Thanks guys, this was exactly what I was thinking - when I will get the phone back and the second LG service will say the same I will either try to buy a Nexus with broken screen and use it's motherboard or something around that.

Edge wont power on and other random issues before hand

My AT&T edge wont turn on today. I awoke to a phone that was charging all night while on like normal, screen was off, charge LED was green, but the power button would not wake the screen.
Things that I have experienced before the problem and tried after:
About 5 months ago my camera stopped recording videos randomly. I could not record a video of any quality for more than 5-10mins in varying duration's the camera would just stop working and drop back to home screen no error message.
about a month ago my Edge started having a camera failed problem where using the camera sometimes "failed" where the app would freeze the whole phone for a few seconds then would crash to home screen.
about a week ago attempting to use the crippled camera to take a quick pic would drain a upto 70% filed battery instantly and it would take normal time to charge it like it was really dead. first and only time it has done this with over %40 battery
last week i unlocked the phone and put it on T-mobil and flashed 5.1.1 worked fine for 6 days still had camera problems was thinking new battery would fix it.
all this week battery could die at random times mostly below 40% but I was still getting 6-7hours a day from it, i figured it was a bad battery at the root of all this.
After this morning it would not power on I tried to power it with a hacked up USB cable, nothing.
My multi-meter says the battery has 4.37V
Would someone with a little more experience tell me if they think it's worth it to buy a new mobo, battery, and camera replacement for this phone or is it a waste of time? Is my line of thinking right is this a mainboard problem? If I attempt a repair does it make sense to try a new camera module?
This phone has never been dropped or wet it's in perfect condition as far as aesthetics go. Is it common for a phone to just not turn on at the end of its life?
Hetrochromia said:
My AT&T edge wont turn on today. I awoke to a phone that was charging all night
Would someone with a little more experience tell me if they think it's worth it to buy a new mobo, battery, and camera replacement for this phone or is it a waste of time? Is my line of thinking right is this a mainboard problem? If I attempt a repair does it make sense to try a new camera module?
This phone has never been dropped or wet it's in perfect condition as far as aesthetics go. Is it common for a phone to just not turn on at the end of its life?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If you think you have to do all that replacement, might as well go to swappa and buy a relatively good condition Edge which will prbly be cheaper than trying to get all those replacement parts. Unless you know where to get cheap replacements.
Bought my current TMobile variant from Swappa. No issues so far. you could also try Amazon
edo101 said:
If you think you have to do all that replacement, might as well go to swappa and buy a relatively good condition Edge which will prbly be cheaper than trying to get all those replacement parts. Unless you know where to get cheap replacements.
Bought my current TMobile variant from Swappa. No issues so far. you could also try Amazon
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Swappa I'll check that out thanks
I tried a oven re-flow on the main board at 410F still no go.

The dreaded battery gate on my Pixel 4 XL

I bought my Pixel 4 XL when it first released and pre-ordered,. I soon after got my phone and everything was lovely I had a screen protector ready for it and a good case to protect it from any falls or any damaged. I've had the phone since the phone released and now my phone is refusing to hold a charge.. It seems to be stuck at 50% but dies as soon as I take it off the charger. At one point I was able to make it actually charged the battery from 0 to 100 if I squeezed the bottom G portion of the back of the phone. That seems to have stopped working now.. now my phone even on the charger is literally at 0%, and the only thing keeping it alive is a charger itself. As soon as I take it off it will turn off randomly but when I plug it into the charger in powered off , it will show a battery with a ? Within it. My phone is under the one year manufacturers warranty and Google advise me that I could take it into uBreakiFix to get it fixed.. mind you, the place is almost 60 miles away from me. I have never dropped my phone it's been in a case and the screen is a virgin screen because I've had a screen protector on it since the moment I opened the box..
This kind of reminds me of the Nexus 6P shutting off at 30 to 40% because of a faulty battery..
I've googled around for solutions and apparently this is a known issue in Google tracker and apparently it is a hardware issue with a flex cable that comes out of the battery... Not only does the battery have a negative and a positive terminal it also has a data terminal that reports battery health battery temperature battery voltage and anything having to do with the battery. Well apparently the soldering in that part of the cable is faulty and cracks according to them due to dropping the phone or damaging it but again mind you I've never dropped my phone it's been in the case since day one..
I've taken really good care of my device like I'm pretty sure a lot of you have...
I have a feeling that before the Pixel 5 is out many people will be experiencing these problems because this is not a software problem this is a manufacturing problem within the phone itself.
again I took a really good care of my phone this was not supposed to happen so expect it to happen in yours even though you've taken good care of it.
i42o said:
I bought my Pixel 4 XL when it first released and pre-ordered,. I soon after got my phone and everything was lovely I had a screen protector ready for it and a good case to protect it from any falls or any damaged. I've had the phone since the phone released and now my phone is refusing to hold a charge.. It seems to be stuck at 50% but dies as soon as I take it off the charger. At one point I was able to make it actually charged the battery from 0 to 100 if I squeezed the bottom G portion of the back of the phone. That seems to have stopped working now.. now my phone even on the charger is literally at 0%, and the only thing keeping it alive is a charger itself. As soon as I take it off it will turn off randomly but when I plug it into the charger in powered off , it will show a battery with a ? Within it. My phone is under the one year manufacturers warranty and Google advise me that I could take it into uBreakiFix to get it fixed.. mind you, the place is almost 60 miles away from me. I have never dropped my phone it's been in a case and the screen is a virgin screen because I've had a screen protector on it since the moment I opened the box..
This kind of reminds me of the Nexus 6P shutting off at 30 to 40% because of a faulty battery..
I've googled around for solutions and apparently this is a known issue in Google tracker and apparently it is a hardware issue with a flex cable that comes out of the battery... Not only does the battery have a negative and a positive terminal it also has a data terminal that reports battery health battery temperature battery voltage and anything having to do with the battery. Well apparently the soldering in that part of the cable is faulty and cracks according to them due to dropping the phone or damaging it but again mind you I've never dropped my phone it's been in the case since day one..
I've taken really good care of my device like I'm pretty sure a lot of you have...
I have a feeling that before the Pixel 5 is out many people will be experiencing these problems because this is not a software problem this is a manufacturing problem within the phone itself.
again I took a really good care of my phone this was not supposed to happen so expect it to happen in yours even though you've taken good care of it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I would push for in advanced RMA. Be civil and respectful but also set boundaries, like the fact that a 60 mi trip is absolutely insane for a product that is under warranty and is experiencing a manufacturing defect. If you're getting nowhere with the current rep, ask to escalate the case to a manager and proceed to plead your case. They should do it, I don't see why they wouldn't under your scenario as you tell it. Good luck.
I've had my Oh So Orange Pixel 4 XL since probably the same time as yours and no battery charge and usage issues here. You're within the one year warranty so I would go for a replacement.
Sent from my Pixel 4 XL using Tapatalk
I've had this problem. I took it to ubreakifix to have it repaired. No problems since.
The service I received at ubreakifix was subpart today the least.
Google will also let you send the phone in for repair. You would just have to wait.
Fyi I had to take my phone in to ubreakifix they didn't have parts, then wait for parts to come in. Then their online tracking said the phone was done and when I came in had to wait an hour for it to actually be repaired.
If they are that far away save yourself a headache and just send it in to Google.
Sent from my Pixel 4 XL using Tapatalk
speeddemon1891 said:
Google will also let you send the phone in for repair. You would just have to wait.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I had replaced my Nexus 5X twice with Google and both times they send you a phone and THEN you send back the old one. The only wait time was receiving the working phone which was no more than 2 days.
Sent from my Pixel 4 XL using Tapatalk
Here is what happens. See the picture of the Pixel I just had fixed. And why pressing on the G on the back glass helps.
Look at the new battery on the ground under the phone. Notice the gold connector. Then look at the used battery in the air. The connector comes off the battery.
In my case, the connector was stuck in the board, and the main board needed replacing. Thankfully google approved it.
I honestly feel like that with time this will start beginning to happen on a lot of pixel 4 xls
EeZeEpEe said:
I had replaced my Nexus 5X twice with Google and both times they send you a phone and THEN you send back the old one. The only wait time was receiving the working phone which was no more than 2 days.
Sent from my Pixel 4 XL using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I think that only works if you bought directly from Google or Fi. 3rd party, i.e. Verizon, BB purchases do not have advance replacement. You can't even put a credit card hold on a device to get AR if you didn't buy it from them.
bobby janow said:
I think that only works if you bought directly from Google or Fi. 3rd party, i.e. Verizon, BB purchases do not have advance replacement. You can't even put a credit card hold on a device to get AR if you didn't buy it from them.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You could be right. My last 3 Google phones were all through Google Store so wouldn't know how replacements are through retail stores.
Sent from my Pixel 4 XL using Tapatalk
WeBreakUpay sucks. They changed a battery in my 2XL and the camera stopped working a few days later. They said it wasn't their fault. They charged me for it. So I bought a 4XL and vowed never to set foot in there. Send it back to Google. Hopefully you have a backup.

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