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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?
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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?
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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
So I was applying my xtremeguard wet screen protector today on my TF300.
I tried to use as less water as possible, and squeezing the water out towards the edges, and collecting the residue with a microfiber towel.
About half an hour later, I turned it on, and the touch screen didnt appear to work, will it was working if I pressed like 10 times on the 1 spot, but it wasnt very responsive. Turned it off again for a little while and went to turn it back on now and it is not powering on
When I plug into charge the orange charge light does not appear on the power button, only on the dock. It appears to be completely dead...
I tried holding the power button for more than 60 seconds, still nothing.
I even took off the back to see if there was any water under there, but nothing, completely dry.
Can anyone tell me what my best plan of action is?
If I take it back to the retailer they only offer a repair since it is outside of 28 days of purchase, and even then thats likely to take weeks
Cheers guys
i guess the water somehow went inside the tablet, looks like the way asus glues the tablet with the screen (at the edges) are bad, i feel like you can easily let water go inside it. so... i know you were careful, but...
you don't see water in there, you see it's dry, well because it got dry, remember just a little water can cause electronics to die
i hope you can return it and get a new one , or maybe you could try leave it there for a few days, then try to turn it back on again
Leave charging for a couple of hours and see if it turns on, if not try to return it.
Good luck.
Op make sure the proximity sensors are not being covered by the screen protector. That's what happened to mine... then I realized they've sent me a screen protector made for the tf201 not tf300.
Sent from my ASUS Transformer Pad TF300T using Tapatalk 2
Hi all, it is working!
In my desperation, I removed the back cover from the device, and placed the whole tab in a casserole dish filled with rice overnight... After I came back to it and tried to switch it on, it would still not switch on.
That was it, I was at the end of my tether and was just about to put the back cover back on and take it back to the retailer for an exchange/repair. I noticed that there were a couple grains of rice underneath the gold cover on the back with the small yellow warranty sticker on it.
I shook the device from side to side to try and get the rice out (not a good idea leaving that in there if it was going back for repair) and the bloody gold cover came off, along with halfing the warranty sticker in 2 at this point I was about to cry because I knew i'd never get it repaired now.
Low and behold when the gold cover came off I noticed the connector that connects the battery to the motherboard. Curious, I unplugged it for a second and plugged it back in then tried to power the tab on.....
IT WORKED!
It may have just been a case of the battery shorted out with that little drop of water and it needed to be disconnected and reconnected before it allowed power on again to the rest of the components..
So its back together and everything is working fine now, charging and everything
thanks
mcall_r said:
Hi all, it is working!
In my desperation, I removed the back cover from the device, and placed the whole tab in a casserole dish filled with rice overnight... After I came back to it and tried to switch it on, it would still not switch on.
That was it, I was at the end of my tether and was just about to put the back cover back on and take it back to the retailer for an exchange/repair. I noticed that there were a couple grains of rice underneath the gold cover on the back with the small yellow warranty sticker on it.
I shook the device from side to side to try and get the rice out (not a good idea leaving that in there if it was going back for repair) and the bloody gold cover came off, along with halfing the warranty sticker in 2 at this point I was about to cry because I knew i'd never get it repaired now.
Low and behold when the gold cover came off I noticed the connector that connects the battery to the motherboard. Curious, I unplugged it for a second and plugged it back in then tried to power the tab on.....
IT WORKED!
It may have just been a case of the battery shorted out with that little drop of water and it needed to be disconnected and reconnected before it allowed power on again to the rest of the components..
So its back together and everything is working fine now, charging and everything
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks!!!! Very useful!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Thanks for posting...in Switzerland and took my tablet out of suitcase and nothingwor
Found your fix and it worked...love the internet!!?
So I broke my digitizer glass a few weeks ago. I ordered a new digitizer off ebay... I made sure I ordered the correct version (it was the "no model version" or whatever). Installed it which was really annoying because of all the nasty glue.
Now I can't get the tablet to turn on at all. Before at least the LCD was functional. The red charging light comes on when I plug in the charger but that's it.
Any way I accidentally broke a cable or something when I was taking it apart? I checked it all and everything seems fine... I really don't know what to do.
Assuming I can't get it fixed, think I could sell the broken tablet for anything?
Thanks!
zaner123 said:
So I broke my digitizer glass a few weeks ago. I ordered a new digitizer off ebay... I made sure I ordered the correct version (it was the "no model version" or whatever). Installed it which was really annoying because of all the nasty glue.
Now I can't get the tablet to turn on at all. Before at least the LCD was functional. The red charging light comes on when I plug in the charger but that's it.
Any way I accidentally broke a cable or something when I was taking it apart? I checked it all and everything seems fine... I really don't know what to do.
Assuming I can't get it fixed, think I could sell the broken tablet for anything?
Thanks!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Of course you can resell the tab in its current state. Quickly or slowly depending on the asking price. But before doing that, you should check one more time. The fastest way is plug it to a TV monitor via the micro HDMI port. If it comes on, at least you know the system is working except for the video. Past that, there can only be two possibilities. (1) Bad lcd: something might have happened when you pried it off the broken digitizer; and/or (2) the video cable is bad, or improperly connected - by that, I mean you need to make sure it fits all the way in at both ends (mainboard & LCD). Check connection with a magnifying glass, You won't believe how many times people forget to reconnect the cable or connect it wrong. Lastly, if you did turn the service switch off, make sure it's turned on again. Good luck.
LCD to Mainboard connection...can it be connected "wrong"? Or simply not as snug as it should be?
Also, what is the service switch?
zaner123 said:
LCD to Mainboard connection...can it be connected "wrong"? Or simply not as snug as it should be?
Also, what is the service switch?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Here's the link to the relevant thread. Search for the necessary information within it. The cable that goes from LCD to mainboard is labeled: "MB" end goes to mainboard. The service switch is located at the top of the mainboard looking from the back, to the left of the power button ribbon (top right corner of tab), and is labeled "on"/"off". You should turn it off before doing anything. It cuts off all current to the boards and prevents accidental shortcircuitings. If you don't and mess around with the digitizer board, you might burn a fuse that controls the dig's operations. But this is for later. Go to the thread and browse it.
Hi all
I have had my nexus 5 for a while now and just as i was flying overseas some strange things happened.
First the vibration stopped working which i knew was a loose connection on the back of the phone. Holding that area down would get it working again. Then the touch display stopped working. The LCD worked but could not touch anything to unlock the phone. I disassembled the phone and assembled it again and strangely it worked again although i didnt see anything obvious. Then is happened again...
I disassembled the phone and played around with it for a while and noticed if pressed down on the connection where the flex cable connects to the motherboard it would work again. but when i would release the pressure it would be funny again. I did this a number of times until eventually the whole LCD/blacklight should shut off. Now i can rarely get it to display anything. The phone is working because the LED light would flash and i can hear the messaged coming through. I just cannot see anything.
I replaced the flex cable with a new one and still the same issue. I replaced the LCD + digitizer + frame and still the same issue. I guess its the motherboard. Can i fix this ??
Now for some more issues:
I bought a broken Nexus 5 while overseas and i swapped the motherboard out and everything works! So it as definitely the motherboard. However, the second motherboard is having issued the the battery. I have every indication the battery is charging. However the battery percentages is stuck on 40%. It would flicker around 39% 40% instantly and when looking at the battery graph on the phone it is noisy, it is not a constant line. The percentage is not a true indication of the battery charge. I cannot get the phone to turn on just by the battery itself no matter how long i charge it for. I have swapped batteries out and i still get the same issue. I have swapped flex cables and still the same issue. Could it be that the second motherboard is also damaged??
I used the amphere app for a while while i had some power and it shows 100mA while charging but a voltage of 0V! When I unplug the cable it will shutoff. Sometimes i cannot even boot it up while charging.
Amphere showing 1%
h**ps://drive.google.com/open?id=0B9KF5ld-Rlu_VWY2eHA5VXE4R3M
What is wrong with these two motherboards?! I do not see anything obvious on the board itself.
I now see the new Nexus 5X is out but i am hesitant in buying it...This is the first phone i have had major issues with.
PS, i gave the latest updated
Thanks for your help guys. I will provide whatever information i can.
It sounds like your 1st phone is having the same problem I have with mine, which is described here: http://forum.xda-developers.com/google-nexus-5/help/main-board-socket-flex-cable-super-t3217281
Use a magnifying glass to see if any pins on the socket are broken. I still don't know if it's fixable.
ourandroid said:
It sounds like your 1st phone is having the same problem I have with mine, which is described here: http://forum.xda-developers.com/google-nexus-5/help/main-board-socket-flex-cable-super-t3217281
Use a magnifying glass to see if any pins on the socket are broken. I still don't know if it's fixable.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
thanks for that. I believe this is the same problem also.
Although i cannot find any abnormal pins...
Macro shots of suspect connection:
https://drive.google.com/folderview?id=0B9KF5ld-Rlu_S2hwUDhlQUJlN2c&usp=sharing
So I was using my Photon Q as usual, had a sick new CM11 install I was playing with for the last week or so, and all was good. I pulled it out of my pocket before I took a shower to check the time and nothing. The keyboard would open when slid out, and it even buzzed when i force restarted it. The backlight turns on for a few seconds when turning it on but other than that, no dice, it turns right off. HDMI out is doing nothing either. It is detected by my computer and otherwise acts like everything is normal. I didn't drop it, it was just in my pocket and a little warm, but it was really just the usual "pocket" warmth. What the **** happened? I can't even tear it open to check because one of the inner screws is stripped : (
EDIT: Can't boot into fastboot or anything manually, connections look good, this is so annoyingly random, and this is the first motorola device to just fail on me without reason...
EDIT EDIT: Died in my drawer last night, plugged it in and the green LED turned on, but shortly after it turned off and and now I am back to exactly where I was before.
Answer: So As you can see from the replies below I am most likely dealing with a broken flex cable to the front panel. I am gonna save up for an un-modded replacement and just swap motherboards. I gutted my current Photon Q and am storing all the parts in bubble wrap, with the motherboard delicately wrapped in paper (less friction, it's sim modded and those exposed copper wires just seem so fragile)
@CornholioGSM I ping you because you are the main Photon Q guys and one of the few still really active, you have seen this phone inside out, any ideas???
EDIT: I checked all the connection after tearing away plastic, it's all good looking. I don't understand wtf happened...
It's usually an issue with the flex (ribbon) cable... all I can say is make very sure that cable is still properly connected.
Good luck.
One of my Photons had a dead display while another had an apparently dead display because the broken flat cable.
Hard to say which one is the culprit w/o a close visual inspection to the flat cable, and even in that case a flat cable apparently in good shape can have one or more broken lines.
BTW a LCD panel can theoretically last for decades, while the cable has a finite number of sliding operations, so the latter is more likely to be the culprit.
Possibly your best option is to get a cheap unmodded PQ from the USA, and replace the whole screen assembly w/o further investigations. Less risk to damage something, way less time needed for the transplant, and possibly even the cheaper option.
The Solutor said:
One of my Photons had a dead display while another had an apparently dead display because the broken flat cable.
Hard to say which one is the culprit w/o a close visual inspection to the flat cable, and even in that case a flat cable apparently in good shape can have one or more broken lines.
BTW a LCD panel can theoretically last for decades, while the cable has a finite number of sliding operations, so the latter is more likely to be the culprit.
Possibly your best option is to get a cheap unmodded PQ from the USA, and replace the whole screen assembly w/o further investigations. Less risk to damage something, way less time needed for the transplant, and possibly even the cheaper option.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks, I'll probably use whatever money I get from my Nexus 5 sale for a replacement Photon Q (un modded). Mine is beat up from a recent camping trip, scratches all over, I need this anyway. Worst case I have myself a sweet new music player. For now I am using a Galaxy Nexus, which I love, but I miss the Sailfish OS support.