I may have possibly water damaged my Captivate last night. It was in my pocket when water spilled on my lap, and I didn't immediately take it out. Very stupid of me. The USB port was open so I'm thinking liquid may have gotten into there... Also, there were water beads on the inside of the camera lens.
My recourse was to take it apart and try to let it dry out. Initially it wouldn't do anything upon being plugged in to the charger, so naturally I thought it was bricked. I've let it sit all day on a dry window sill next to the radiator. After putting the battery back in and plugging it in a little bit ago, the phone surprisingly booted up. Here's where I'm at now:
The phone boots normally, however if I plug it in to the charger I get an error stating Battery Temperature too high or something, so charging is paused. Does anybody know what this indicates?
Secondly, after being on for a minute or so, the screen gets screwy. Dark transparent overlays start flashing over everything and it gets unresponsive... I haven't left it on like this long b/c I was afraid something worse would happen - I usually rip the battery out of the back to shut it off.
My phones currently pulled apart and drying in the window sill. Whatever water got on/in it is not visibly there, however I understand some parts might still be wet.
Any advice? Also, I believe the water indicator on the battery and near the pins where the battery dock in the phone are both fine. They're white squares and haven't changed color. Any chance there are other indicators?
The phone isn't insured and I bought it back in August. Would warranty possibly cover this or will they know about the water damage?
jmusso said:
I may have possibly water damaged my Captivate last night. It was in my pocket when water spilled on my lap, and I didn't immediately take it out. Very stupid of me. The USB port was open so I'm thinking liquid may have gotten into there... Also, there were water beads on the inside of the camera lens.
My recourse was to take it apart and try to let it dry out. Initially it wouldn't do anything upon being plugged in to the charger, so naturally I thought it was bricked. I've let it sit all day on a dry window sill next to the radiator. After putting the battery back in and plugging it in a little bit ago, the phone surprisingly booted up. Here's where I'm at now:
The phone boots normally, however if I plug it in to the charger I get an error stating Battery Temperature too high or something, so charging is paused. Does anybody know what this indicates?
Secondly, after being on for a minute or so, the screen gets screwy. Dark transparent overlays start flashing over everything and it gets unresponsive... I haven't left it on like this long b/c I was afraid something worse would happen - I usually rip the battery out of the back to shut it off.
My phones currently pulled apart and drying in the window sill. Whatever water got on/in it is not visibly there, however I understand some parts might still be wet.
Any advice? Also, I believe the water indicator on the battery and near the pins where the battery dock in the phone are both fine. They're white squares and haven't changed color. Any chance there are other indicators?
The phone isn't insured and I bought it back in August. Would warranty possibly cover this or will they know about the water damage?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
well you want to put in rice, so that the moisture is gone
rice it for sure. but warranty WILL not cover it UNLESS the tabs on the battery and phone are white (It might not have gotten wet if it was in your pocket)
if they are still white, or if your phone is white and battery red (then buy another battery) and get to the store and tell them you don't know what is wrong with it. The only indication that it is water damaged is if it is red and those tags are notoriously faulty so you could always argue your way through it if you have an account in good standing.
best of luck.
I know someone who "claimed' that insurance was supposed to be added to the phone when he got it and noticed that the person didn't do it properly (the guy was new so it helped his cause) and the manager of the cor store told him that they'd do a courtesy replacement and charged him the 125$ for a new device.
you could go that route should you need too...
I don't have access to rice at the moment... Would it do any good even if I absolutely can see no water anywhere in/on the phone?
Am I doing my phone any harm/potential harm by trying to turn it on every once in a while, or should I just let it be for a few days?
Take the phone apart and focus the strongest fan you have on it over night. It's probably best to not turn it on for awhile. Maybe if you focus a blow drier on it for perhaps several hours, air will find flow through the small openings within the case.
You may not be able to dry some parts of it unless you do a complete dismantle, but that may require special tools
Consider shipping it to get repaired only as a last resort, as I've read some bad reports about that.
Rice or some other dessicant is the way to go - it will pull moisture out. Also, turning it on (even putting the battery in) is bad - you are powering circuits and possibly creating shorts where water is present. You may have already done permanent damage.
If you get electronics wet, the best course of action is to remove the battery and put it in a bag of rice for a few days.
Now that You have the phone apart get an alcohol pad and gentley scrub the main board. Sometimes when liquid touches the main board you will get a white looking residue. If you see anything like that simply wipe it off. I dropped my phone into a trash can at a very popular teriyaki restaurant here in Las Vegas my phone was submerged into a deep bath of teriyaki sauce. I quickly pulled the phone from the can and wiped it down vigorously. I was excited to see that it was initially working unfortunately this was not the case by the time I got home. The phone would not turn on for a whole week, until I decided that I was going to open her up. I found a tutorial on line describing a complete break down of the captivate. Upon opening it I found I was able to see exactly where the teriyaki had interacted with the electronics due to the remnants of an oxidized white film that was present on various parts of the main board. I grabbed a alcohol pad out of my first aid kit and began wiping it down to remove all of the white stuff,put the phone back together and to my surprise it turned on. Hope this helps!
Thanks for the info guys.
How would I go about getting to the "main board"? Taking out the battery and looking inside it only reveals where the battery connects, where the SD card and sim cards can go... I'm assuming if I remove the little screws around that fixture I can get to the "main board"?
I think I can see some minor corrosion around where the sim card connects, but I think I *should* be able to clean that with some alcohol.
The phone seems to be working fine (I've yet to put my SIM back in it, though, so no idea if the corrosion around there is affecting it at all). I just booted it up and was able to get on the web (wifi), run apps, everything just fine. Didn't get the flashy screens I mentioned earlier. However, if I plug in the USB charger, it still gives me the temperature error. I didn't keep it plugged in, however it did make me realize something:
The errors I was getting before, where the screen went all wacky, only happened if the phone was plugged in to the wall. Is it possible my battery is busted, or do you think the USB charger is busted? Remember that port was open when it happened.
Any thoughts? New battery? Or do you think I won't be able to charge the phone via USB charger any more?
jmusso said:
I don't have access to rice at the moment... Would it do any good even if I absolutely can see no water anywhere in/on the phone?
Am I doing my phone any harm/potential harm by trying to turn it on every once in a while, or should I just let it be for a few days?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
yes you are, because if there is water or moisture internal, it can short circuit, also rice will help dry up the phone completely
jmusso said:
Thanks for the info guys.
How would I go about getting to the "main board"? Taking out the battery and looking inside it only reveals where the battery connects, where the SD card and sim cards can go... I'm assuming if I remove the little screws around that fixture I can get to the "main board"?
I think I can see some minor corrosion around where the sim card connects, but I think I *should* be able to clean that with some alcohol.
The phone seems to be working fine (I've yet to put my SIM back in it, though, so no idea if the corrosion around there is affecting it at all). I just booted it up and was able to get on the web (wifi), run apps, everything just fine. Didn't get the flashy screens I mentioned earlier. However, if I plug in the USB charger, it still gives me the temperature error. I didn't keep it plugged in, however it did make me realize something:
The errors I was getting before, where the screen went all wacky, only happened if the phone was plugged in to the wall. Is it possible my battery is busted, or do you think the USB charger is busted? Remember that port was open when it happened.
Any thoughts? New battery? Or do you think I won't be able to charge the phone via USB charger any more?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If you've never taken apart a smart phone before, and reading your first question, I'm going to assume that's the case, then I strongly advise you not attempt it unless you are willing to either A) buy a replacement after you break it or B) invest time/money into repairing mistakes you've made. This phone is not as difficult to disassemble as some, but I wouldn't want to break that $150 amoled screen.
No, removing the screws will not simply get you to the mainboard. It's more complicated and nuanced than that.
I'm a new user so I can't post the link but if you google Tech Republic Captivate tear down [/B]there is a website that will show you step by step how take the phone apart. There are two screws under the clip you pull down to take the back cover off. Be careful when pulling it back to expose the screws. I tugged on it pretty hard with no problems, but I imagine it could be broken if you pull too hard. Good Luck! It's actually really easy to take apart and the various ribbon connectors on the main board are really easy to unplug and plug back in after cleaning it.
So what do you guys think I should do if I'm still getting the battery error with the thermometer and yellow caution sign? Buy a new battery? Or do you think its the USB jack? Has anybody seen this before - the battery was working fine as long as it was not charging.
I'm trying to decide between a) buying a new battery, or b) buying a wall-mounted battery charger since the USB won't charge the phone.
Anybody have any experience?
Meguro2006 said:
I'm a new user so I can't post the link but if you google Tech Republic Captivate tear down [/B]there is a website that will show you step by step how take the phone apart. There are two screws under the clip you pull down to take the back cover off. Be careful when pulling it back to expose the screws. I tugged on it pretty hard with no problems, but I imagine it could be broken if you pull too hard. Good Luck! It's actually really easy to take apart and the various ribbon connectors on the main board are really easy to unplug and plug back in after cleaning it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I think you need to be careful about who you encourage to dissect their device. This guy asked how to get to the mainboard. Clearly, he hasn't opened a smart phone before. Telling him it's "actually really easy" is disingenuous at best. Performing smart phone repairs properly requires experience. I'm certainly not suggesting that noobs not try to fix their phones, only that they are made fully aware of the risks.
My Captivate was fully submerged in dirty water. I followed some instructions online and it's been working fine for over a month now. If your water-detection stickers are already red anyway, and rice isn't working, I recommend it:
1) Remove battery, SIM card, SD card
2) Submerge in a bowl of distilled water and gently agitate. This helps clean the insides. Distilled water (not spring water) does not conduct electricity.
3) Next, submerge in a bowl of high-quality rubbing alcohol (~95% pure) and gently agitate. Rubbing alcohol displaces water, removes corrosion, and evaporates quickly. (It's also flammable, so have good ventilation and no open flames nearby)
4) Leave it out to dry for two days or until it no longer smells of alcohol.
BTW I wouldn't dry it too close to a radiator, the heat may damage it.
jatkins09 said:
If you've never taken apart a smart phone before, and reading your first question, I'm going to assume that's the case, then I strongly advise you not attempt it unless you are willing to either A) buy a replacement after you break it or B) invest time/money into repairing mistakes you've made. This phone is not as difficult to disassemble as some, but I wouldn't want to break that $150 amoled screen.
No, removing the screws will not simply get you to the mainboard. It's more complicated and nuanced than that.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Not really. Once the screws are removed..including the two hidden by the battery cover lock slider...you can carefully pry the cover apart using your fingernail to get to the the internals. I have done it several times and am no expert by any means. Just don't yank like you are opening a present on Christmas morning.
Although I am mystified by the op stating they have no access to rice?! That should always be the second thing one does after a moisture incident...right after pulling the battery and sim. I guess in this case a trip to the store with a couple bucks may have pushed that to step three though..
sent from my captivate disguised as an i9000 running cyanogen
Has anyone had any issues with the connectivity of the USB port when trying to charge? Mine doesn't always charge; I have to find the right position for it to make correct contact (it doesn't seem loose either). I've tried different cables and I applied a couple bursts of contact cleaner to it to see if that would help as well--no go though. Any ideas?
It's breaking. It's difficult to fix. You could see if someone will try to fix it for you but they gotta be pretty good. Otherwise invest in an external battery charger.
TwitchyEye said:
It's breaking. It's difficult to fix. You could see if someone will try to fix it for you but they gotta be pretty good. Otherwise invest in an external battery charger.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Bummer... I'll try and look for some kind of guide on the net. I've fixed other electronic devices in the past, so I'll give this a whirl... Thanks for the reply!
Godspeed! What happened to mine was the traces broke off from the motherboard so I had to re-attach the connector. The connector itself was still in good shape though. It was quite a challenge.
TwitchyEye said:
Godspeed! What happened to mine was the traces broke off from the motherboard so I had to re-attach the connector. The connector itself was still in good shape though. It was quite a challenge.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks! We'll see how it goes...
Are you seeing that the battery is intermittently charging when plugged up? My wife's phone is having issues and I have isolated it to the most likely culprit being the USB port, though the port is not lose and I have cleaned it out. All I can figure is that it has bad connections with the motherboard. Phone works fine if I externally charge the battery and insert. Wanted to see if you were seeing the same sort of things. At this point, for $139.95 and free shipping, I ordered a Blaze S 4G from Amazon for her, and will likely give the S 4G to my daughter to play with.
ariesgodofwar said:
Are you seeing that the battery is intermittently charging when plugged up? My wife's phone is having issues and I have isolated it to the most likely culprit being the USB port, though the port is not lose and I have cleaned it out. All I can figure is that it has bad connections with the motherboard. Phone works fine if I externally charge the battery and insert. Wanted to see if you were seeing the same sort of things. At this point, for $139.95 and free shipping, I ordered a Blaze S 4G from Amazon for her, and will likely give the S 4G to my daughter to play with.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes, it'll go in and out of the charging state; but when I put it in the "right" position it'll go back to charging. I opened it up to see what the deal was and everything seems fine. However, I did get a chance to compare it to a "working" one and it seems the metal port housing is a little bit out of whack. So when I get some time I'm gonna see if I can get it back to normal--the metal seems a little flimsy.
Here's a really good guide that I used to take it apart: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qMOdkBadlJU
soundrizm said:
Yes, it'll go in and out of the charging state; but when I put it in the "right" position it'll go back to charging. I opened it up to see what the deal was and everything seems fine. However, I did get a chance to compare it to a "working" one and it seems the metal port housing is a little bit out of whack. So when I get some time I'm gonna see if I can get it back to normal--the metal seems a little flimsy.
Here's a really good guide that I used to take it apart: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qMOdkBadlJU
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Mine is doing the samething, 5 use an external charger with two batteries. I also use a different phone to upload roms, or anything else to the micro SD Card. Seems to work just fine.
Just got mine back from Josh over at mobiletechvideo. 35 bucks to change port. I couldn't buy a decent soldering iron and the part for that price.
Glad you got it fixed!
Another problem may be the USB cable itself -- My beloved OEM Samsung 2-meter cable doesn't work reliably any more, it needs to be "drooping" a bit to make contact (in any device).
<sigh>
I'm usually not the type to open devices up, I'm always afraid of breaking things, I'm more of a software hacking kinda guy. So I took the back plate off my Nexus 5 in order to get exact measurements of the location of the metal dots on the inside, so I could rig up a magnetic wireless charger for the car (as is described in one of the other threads here).
I never even got far enough to start buying magnets and what-not, after putting the backplate back on and powering up the phone again, I no longer can charge wirelessly "normally". If I push down on the phone so it gets just that extra millimeter closer to the charging pad, voila, it starts charging again. If I remove my hand (let the phone sit normally on the pad), charging stops.
I took the back plate off a couple more times since then to try and figure out what is going on here, I did make sure to have the phone powered off each time, and I also unplugged/replugged in the battery just to see if that might help, but nothing. It still keeps doing this.
Anyone else ever experience this? Any ideas to fix it? There's not much to the innards after taking the backplate off that can be screwed up, so I'm kind of at a loss at what is causing this..
*edit* No cases involved, its a stock phone, not rooted, no mods, no nothing, basic nexus 5 32gb out of the box. Wireless charging worked flawlessly before removal of backplate, now it requires extra pressure pushing down on the phone after removal of the backplate.
Thanks!
-Chris
Hi all
My Nexus 5 has been giving me issues over the past few days. Yesterday it switched off by itself and then wouldn't turn on again for an hour even though the battery was charged (probably between 80% and 90% at that time). Today it switched off and rebooted a few times at work. Then this evening, when I decided to try factory resetting it, it died (before I'd even attempted it) and won't turn on at all. Holding in the power button for over a minute does nothing.
I'm in South Africa, so I'm not sure Google would replace it.
Any suggestions, tips, tricks, hints, spells?
Sounds like a bad logic board sadly I would say there's not much you can do
Looks like I've fixed it, though I'm not sure how long it will last. I disconnected and reconnected the battery and that seems to have fixed whatever the issue was.
I opened the device up according to this guide from iFixit. If you can get your nail in the groove of the back cover, you can slowly pry the cover off, with a plastic prying tool you can probably do it a lot easier and safer. Then you just need a tiny screwdriver to get the top inner cover open and then unclip the battery cable, leave it for a few seconds, and clip it back in.
HawkiesZA said:
Looks like I've fixed it, though I'm not sure how long it will last. I disconnected and reconnected the battery and that seems to have fixed whatever the issue was.
I opened the device up according to this guide from iFixit. If you can get your nail in the groove of the back cover, you can slowly pry the cover off, with a plastic prying tool you can probably do it a lot easier and safer. Then you just need a tiny screwdriver to get the top inner cover open and then unclip the battery cable, leave it for a few seconds, and clip it back in.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Strange, because holding the power button is built into the device to emulate a battery pull. I wonder if it is an issue with your power button.
I'm fairly tech savvy in regards to PC's but im not too familiar with phones. My grandma handed me her S7, its stuck in a bootlop, keeps turning on and off. I put maybe 2-3 hrs of troubleshooting into this, I managed (somehow) to do a system restore with Odin and finding the correct firmware and I also did a system update. Problem remains. Not sure what to do from this point forward. Im assuming it's hardware related although Im afraid to tinker with the battery because I don't exactly know what to do. For whatever reason the phone works somewhat normally ONLY when it has a full charge.
i'd be inclined towards thinking the battery is dying or faulty if it works ok when it's fully charged.
what would be worth doing would be to completely flatten the battery, then leave it switched off and charging for a LONG time, say overnight, ideally with the original charger and cable, or at least a high quality, branded charger and cable.
In the morning, unplug it, switch it back on, and if it doesn't say 100%, plug it in again and leave it until it does say 100%. see if it behaves any differently.
if not, the hardest part of replacing the battery is getting the glass back off the thing. your first try at it, you will likely crack the glass whatever technique you use, replacement glass isn't expensive on ebay. watch a few youtube videos of people removing the glass to get the idea.
once the glass is off, you just need a screwdriver to get inside it, and a plastic spudger to disconnect the battery connector from the board.
the battery is glued to the screen assembly, some guides say to soften the glue with heat. i prefer to drip some isopropyl alcohol along the top of the battery, then let it spread behind it. that should make the glue lose its stick, and the battery should come away easily enough with a plastic spudger.