vB Easy Archive - need help with v3m

Pages: 1

need help with v3m
(Click here to view the original thread with full colors/images)

Posted by: upsguy27

when i turn my v3m on sometimes it just shows a white screen but i can call take pictures, etc. but there is a white screen. i have to take the battery out and blow on it for it to work. it has never been dropped. i have already tried other batteries. how do i fix this?

Posted by: Black Cat

Has the phone gotten wet?

This could be from moisture damage, a board level short, a defective LCD screen or corrupt software.

Posted by: upsguy27

well half of the time the LCD screen works perfectly, and it hasn't gotten wet, not that i know of.

Posted by: upsguy27

well i opened it up and tried seeing if the connector for the screen was loose. i found out from the seller that it was thrown at a wall... thats probably the cause. maybe its the connector? the LCD screen? is there any place i could take it to to get replacement even though it is deactivated, but its still under warranty? input, please.

Posted by: Black Cat

but its still under warranty?

No it is not.

The warranty only applies to the original purchaser and it was opened by unauthorized personnel. This is easy to catch and Motorola does.

If they do miss it, chances are good that there will be some board damage that caused the display to be non functional. Physical damage of that kind is not covered and also voids the warranty.

Just my professional 2 cents.

Posted by: upsguy27

so what should i do? is there another place that could fix it?

Posted by: upsguy27

i've come to a conclusion(i may be wrong) that its either a problem with the LCD screen or the flex cable, nothing else. so what i was thinking is, buy a flex cable off ebay, and replace mine, and if that doesnt work, then return it and get an LCD screen. is this a good idea? what else could cause this problem? bad firmware?

Posted by: Black Cat

It could be a damaged 40 pin connector on the main board or a bad IC.

Posted by: upsguy27

is there any physical signs that say they are damaged? like could i tell they were damaged by looking at them?

Posted by: Black Cat

The damage may not always be visible. We normally do a quick visual inspection and then check for damage under a microscope. The 40 pin connector can be hard to focus on without magnification.

IC chips are a diferent issue. Most are hidden under the shield that require specialized tools to remove. Those that are visibile may show no outward damage. They can act like old fashion car fuses (the clear tube kind with the little wire inside). Imagine that the tube is black and you cannot see if the wire is broken. The only way to test each chip by measuring them with an meter. That works if you know the correct normal values and can compare them. Obviously this is time consuming and when most cannot even be tested due to shielding, essentially pointless. When there are no visible clues or fixes and all parts that could be the root cause have been changed and the phone still does not work, we simply attribute the damage to chips on the board. Close to 85% of the warrantable phones that come back from Motorola - ones that we sent after being unable to diagnose or repair - come back replaced for the same reason.

The advantage of having a qualified shop test the phone - we have the flex and LCDs on hand to do trial and error swaps and the euipment to do basic visual tests. This can save you hours of time and money in parts ordering and shipping charges, especially if you cannot return them.

It will cost you more if the phone can be repaired, but that is a trade off. The other side note, we have fixed quite a few expensive phones that others could not simply because we could find and fix more problems than they knew to look for - experience counts.

I will not tell you that YOU cannot fix it or that we can, but a qualified shop has a better chance.

Repairing obvious damage like a cracked LCD is simple for the DIYer. Diagnostics is not.

I will also add a caution - we had a phone in our shop that was worked on by an ITT/Devry student. He should have known how to work on and handle sensitive electronic parts but ended up blow several componets on the main PCB of a RAZR when trying to replace the hinge flex. The culprit of static electricity.

It takes as an about 2000 - 3000 volts of static electricty to feel a shock and as little as 600 to blow a circuit board.

I am not recommneding that you do not work on your phone, but rather advising that if you do, be careful and be aware that it might be worth the cost of someone else doing it.

Posted by: upsguy27

so where could i find a qualified shop to do this?

Posted by: upsguy27

please i really need help! i need this phone to work!

Posted by: Black Cat

What is your zip code?

Posted by: upsguy27

85382.

message too short need more letters

Posted by: Black Cat

Nice to see that you are up the road from me. I am in Tucson.

There is a Motorola Service Center in Phoenix but I know nothing about them. The second listing is mine.

1. SUN CELLULAR INCORPORATED
2813 East McDowell Road
Phoenix, Arizona 85008 602-267-7800 Wireless Phone Service Center 20.5

2. BLUE RIDGE WIRELESS.
2330 N Tucson Blvd, Ste 130
Tucson, Arizona 85716 520-918-9757 Wireless Phone Service Center 125.6

Posted by: Milkbone98

@ Black Cat
Please PM me at your convenience, I have a question about the price on a repair.