Wednesday, May 11, 2011

How To Handle Water Damage Mobiles

Ever dropped your cell phone in the sink,? Did you ever leave it in your pocket and run it through the washer? It usually means you have to replace your phone, but sometimes if you're fast you can save the phone.
1. Remove the Battery. This is one of the most important steps. Don't take time to think about it, electricity and water do not mix. Cutting power to your phone is a crucial first step in saving it.
2. Dry your Phone. Obviously you need to remove as much of the water as soon as you can to prevent it from getting into the phone. Use a towel or a paper towel to remove as much of the water as possible.
3. Soak in Alcohol. Alcohol is hygroscopic (attracts water), it will dissolve all the water in the phone, which will then pour out of the phone with the alcohol. Any remaining alcohol will evaporate. Alcohol will not harm your phone but may mess up glue (from stickers and the like). Use 95% alcohol, not the regular 70% rubbing type. Do it outside!. If you use alcohol, do not follow the rest of the advice here, instead leave your phone outside for a day or two to dry.
4. Allow the phone to dry. Since you do not want to ruin your phone or lose all the numbers in your phone book, you need to allow the phone to dry. Don't try putting the battery back on to see if it works as this would risk damaging the phone with a short circuit. Leaving your phone in a bowl of dry rice will help to expedite moisture evaporation.
5. Heat your Phone. Apply enough heat to your phone to cause the water to evaporate without waterlogging your digital screen. One of the best things you can do to save a cell phone is to set it on the back of your computer monitor or TV screen over the heat vents. This is usually the perfect amount of heat to fix your phone. The convection action of the heat vents will help carry away the moisture in your phone. Leave the phone on the heat for at least 2-3 days. Another option is to leave it overnight in the oven on warm (make sure to take off the battery first).

6. Test your Phone. After you have waited 3 days, make sure everything is clean and dry looking and re-attach the battery to the phone and see if it works. If your phone does not work repeat step 4. If it still won't work, try taking your cell phone to an authorized dealer. Sometimes they can fix it.

Tips :

§ Don't put the battery on for at least 3 days or longer if your digital screen is foggy.
Place a piece of satin finish scotch tape over your water damage sticker before you drop your cell phone in the water to prevent the water damage sticker from voiding your warranty. This sticker can usually be found under your battery. It's a small round white sticker, possibly with dots on it. If this sticker gets wet it changes color and your phone is marked for water damage.

§ Remove the tape if you ever have to return your phone for repairs or warranty. (See the note in the 'Warnings' section about doing this!)

§ The best way to dry out your phone is to place it in front of an air conditioner or air conditioning vent. Cold air won't damage your phone (hot air can warp or in extreme cases even melt plastic), and air from an air conditioner is dry, and so will evaporate water faster than you might think (which is why a car air conditioner will de-mist the windshield so effectively, even if the engine hasn't warmed up yet). Warm air from a reverse-cycle air conditioner works even better, of course. If you dry your phone in this way overnight it should be fine by the morning.

§ Use a hairdryer set on warm; it won't melt your head so your phone should be safe.

§ Use a food dehydrator.

§ Use the oven on the warm setting (make sure to take out the battery)

Warnings :

§ Don't heat the battery or it could leak acid. If you use an oven or hairdryer, make sure to remove the battery first.

§ If you use alcohol make sure to do so outside, and do not apply heat in any form, not even the gentle heat of a monitor. Do not hook up the bettery till the alcohol smell dissipates.

§ Do not apply heat to your phone other than mentioned above. You don't want to melt or burn your phone.

§ Warranty fraud is naughty! If you dropped your phone in the can with your other 'droppings'--are you really going to send it in for a warranty tech to have to open? Yuck!

§ FYI, Most modern phones have more than one liquid damage indicator on them, only one visible to you (and sales/technician agents), and chances are, if the sticker under the battery is triggered (or would be, with the scotch tape trick), then the odds are that the internal stickers you can't access are tripped as well.

§ This will still result in you paying a voided-warranty fee in the long run, and it may be best to just learn from your mistake (and not make it more financially severe!).

§ Even if all these steps are followed, minerals dissolved in the water can recipitate on solder and component pins, causing corrosion or shorting. Components pins are packed so closely together in a modern cell phone that even a small encrustation can create a short, rendering the phone inoperable

How You Repair A Dead China Phone:

First we need to know why a phone is dead-
1. For Software
2. For Hardware


1. For Software-
Flash is its final solution, but mtk cpu 90% phone done by format. if its MTK,SPD,AD, SI4904 cpu first try to format than try to full flash your phone with a good and perfect flash file. and other cpu haven't format option, so direct flash them. when you flash careful about original flash file version.

A. what you do before format or flash-
Always remember, before format or flash of your any china phone must first backup your current flash file if phone is dead, also do it. because it will help to find its original flash file version and many other.

B. What you need for flash or format a china phone-
(1) Connecting device (also your can do it with usb to serial cable but a device/box can give you full/final solution)
(2) Phone TX and RX.
(3) Need to know phone cpu type/model, flash chip type/model, Flash file version.
(4) For Flash need a good flash file which same to your phone original flash file version.

C. What problem you face for wrong flash file
(1) phone still dead
(2) white screen
(3) keypad not work
(4) phone hang after power on
(5) keep restarting
(6) no network
(7) etc.

Tool For MTK Flash info


2. For Hardware-
when a dead phone not possible to repair only with software you need to repair phone hardware.

Which hardware you need to check for dead phone-
(1) when you try to flash if phone not boot check power source/battery voltage/V+ pin in phone connector. just do confirm phone found enough voltage for software operation.
(2) if phone power source is ok but still not boot, do confirm your tx and rx is 100% working/tested.
(3) if tx rx is ok, than check your phone connector, its tx rx pin is confirm connect with cable and internal connector pin is joint on pcb perfectly.
(4) if pin is ok, maximum china phone tx rx going to cpu after crossing a resistor or capacitor so check them.
(5) if resistor is ok now you need to check boot diod, all phone have no boot diod so last try is check cpu tx rx pin.
(6) if boot is ok but phone not receive flash file, maximum time this problem coming from flash ic or ram (maximum china phone flash memory and ram have in one chip). so you need to try first re-hot it if still not solve change it.
but its true flash chip/ram always show error not only for them, sometimes cpu to flash chip/ram connection lost for bad cpu pin or bad cpu soldering on pcb. so check both of them.
(7) phone flash ok but not power on (although file is 100% correct) , for it you need to check

Flash chip/ram (95% include in 1 chip)
Clock crystal and battery
26mhz (near rf ic)
Rf ic,
Power ic and v+/b+ way
Bt ic
Last try is cpu.

How to repair keypad problem in china phone

First we need to know china phone keypad connected with PCB how way-

(A) Direct on PCB

(B) Flex System (flex cable direct soldering pcb to keypad panel)

(C) Flex and socket system include (flex one side soldering with key panel other side connect to pcb with socket)

(D) only Socket System (here have 2 socket, 1 with key panel others with pcb)





Keypad problem have various type-

1. All key not work.

2. some key work and some other not work.

3. sometimes work and sometimes not work.




1. All key not work
china phone all key not work for this type of problem-

(A) though its touch screen phone, first try to disconnect touch panel line from phone pcb or display flex (4 line)

(B) though not solve and keypad direct on pcb first you try to good clean full pcb with cleaner.

(C) though not solve now you try to format/flash your phone because some time key problem come from software problem.

(D) though still not solve now you check must be CPU. 95% china phone keypad directly going in cpu. and other 5% first going to resistor or capacitor near the cpu or keypad than going to cpu. so now first check them than you can try to re-hot, re-soldering or changing cpu.

(E) though its flex or socket system, first check GND connection continuslay pcb to key panel. next check full flex or socket all line going continuously pcb to key panel or not. also sometimes flex or socket shorted with other line or gnd so check also them.

(F) Also you can check all key anyone is short 2 line.

(G) sometimes keypad line broken from cpu pin on pcb to key panel, so check them.




2. Some key work and some other not work-
Some key work and some other is not work for this type of problem-

(A) maximum time this problem we face for flex or socket system keypad. so check flex cable and socket all line any line is broken or not and though need change them. and check all key connection on key panel.

(B) though its direact on pcb, some of key line broken internaly. and maximum china phone have alternative test point near every key or with other key on keypad. so check them with multimeter and though need connect to not work key with near testpoint or other working key.

(C) common problem is keypad metal ball (which is short 2 line on key when we press) sometimes its damage for phone water damage or over key voltage, so clean them or change.

(D) also try to check line continuously from cpu to not working key.



3. sometimes work and sometimes not work-
this problem come from this defect-

(A) flex or socket system keypad any line is bad soldering or do lose contact. check them and
re-soldering or keep there line join with extra ware.

(B) for cpu bad soldering or cpu pin is broken. so re-hot or re-ball cpu.


I post here keypad common problem solution, hope it will help you to fixing your keypad problem.

GET YOUR MOBILES IMEI INFORMATION

IMEI NO. IS UNIQUE CODE FOR YOUR MOBILE PHONES THAT IS IDENTITY OF YOUR MOBILE PHONE
IMEI IS WRITTEN ON BACK SIDE BODY BELOW THE BATTERY ONE MORE TRICK TO GET THEM IS

On the main screen type *#06#

Information you get from the IMEI (International Mobile Equipment Identity)
XXXXXX XX XXXXXX X
TAC FAC SNR SP
first two numbers are country code that is 35 means india
TAC = Type approval code of your nokia Mobile
FAC = Final assembly code of your cellphone
SNR = Serial number of your nokia Phone
SP = Spare
CHECK DETAILE ON ANY MOBILE PHONE

Other secret tricks for Nokia mobile or cellphone

To check the phones Software revision for Nokia Mobile.
On the main screen type *#0000#

To enter in the secret menu in Nokia Phone.
On the main screen type *#92702689# [*#war0anty#]
It will take you to a secret menu where you may find some of the information below:
1. Displays Serial Number.
2. Displays the Month and Year of Manufacture
3. Displays (if there) the date where the phone was purchased (MMYY)
4. Displays the date of the last repair - if found (0000)
5. Shows life timer of phone (time passes since last start)

To restore Factory Settings for Nokia mobile
*#7780# reset to factory settings.

Taking picture without getting noticed.
Turn on/off the "click" sound made by the camera by selecting the 'Silent' profile or by turning warning tones on/off.

Hiding your Mobile/ Cellphone Number
Go to: Menu > Tools > Settings > Call > Send My Caller ID >
'Yes', 'No' or 'Set By Network' to follow the default settings of your home network.
It works only with very few network who provide you facility of “Private Number”

Speed Dialing From Simcard contact (not stored in mobile phonebook)
Type number followed by # then call.
Example: 1# or 2# or 21#