Related
EDIT: DISREGARD THIS. GO TO POST #3 and #4
Hello guys,
this is my first post so if I'm posting in the wrong section please bear with me.
I recently bought a T5388++ HTC diamond 2 clone. Everything was fine except that I couldn't get a GPS fix. (In the Start -> Settings -> System -> GPS Settings [Satellite State] I only had *red* satellites)
I used the "aluminum foil in the back side" fix, which worked well and I could get a fix.
Being an uneasy person I open the back cover of the cell phone to take a look (beware the headphone cables).
Now here is the good part.
On the left side (near the sd card and where the stylus ends) is probably the GPS antenna.
In the inside, on the board's side, there are two metallic "pins" which (when the cover is closed) touch the back of the antenna. What I did was to add some foil on the back side of the antenna so the contact with the pins would be more tight.
This worked like a charm and the signal is very good. I can even get a decent fix (3-4 *blue* satellites) from inside the house.
Sorry for the lack of pics, if anyone tries it, post a couple pictures and I can show you what I did exactly.
EDIT: DISREGARD THIS. GO TO POST #3 and #4
Pics!!!!
Here are some pics.
First unscrew the four screws, one at each corner of the phone.
Then slice the phone with the help of small flat screwdriver or some other tool. (there are some appropriate notches for that purpose)
**Beware of falling parts**
In the forth and fifth pic you can see where I install the alu foil.
Now you can close the phone and enjoy your newly found GPS!
[I also tried some solder, but the results where almost the same]
Congrats.
However, I can assure you that is not the GPS antenna. Based on the antenna size and shape (its a small inverted F antenna, see the black sticker that is attached to in on top of the stylus case) I am assuming it is either the Bluetooth or WiFi antenna.
The GPS antenna is a bit higher, it is the small pink 'cube' thingy on top of the phone, connected by the micro coax connector.
I had reported before the micro coax is loose in some devices, and I suspect you 'accidentally' fitted it better while opening and closing the phone.
But congrats on your successful operation anyway, being able to open and close the phone and still have a working one is already good, and often, just doing that and ensuring all connectors are clean and properly fit solves a all sorts of problems.
Yeap you are right!
I have read you saying this about loose connectors, so when i first opened the phone I refitted the micro coax.
In my defense I tried to see if this was the antenna. I disconnected it and opened the GPS. Seeing many satellites on the screen (red ones) I concluded that this was not the GPS antenna. (I thought maybe WiFi since I've seen this type of connector on my laptop's wifi)
But having read your post now, I tried a new experiment and found out that the "red" satellites appear, due to the A-GPS (with neither "my" GPS and THE GPS antenna).
Damn...
So could someone change the title to "OLD GPS reception fix"
I had the same problem with GPS. I have risked and have changed orientation GPS of the antenna - GPS perfectly works. BUT now the speaker in which I hear the interlocutor doesn't work for me. At other person after the assembly has broken touch the panel. Therefore it is better not to recommend to open phone.
onde consigo a rom do htc t5388+ idioma PTG ?
magicwolf said:
I had the same problem with GPS. I have risked and have changed orientation GPS of the antenna - GPS perfectly works. BUT now the speaker in which I hear the interlocutor doesn't work for me. At other person after the assembly has broken touch the panel. Therefore it is better not to recommend to open phone.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You changed the orientation of the antenna. In which way?
When I opened the phone to see if the connector is set right one cable to the speaker was dispatched (very bad soldering). I had to remove the old cable and solder another one because it was not only loose it was broken, too...grrrr...that's very bad.
But I was lucky and did't burned my phone
So, I also recommend to be VERY careful when opening the phone.
BTW: It is much simplier to open the T5388++ than my ASUS P535.
MicAlter said:
You changed the orientation of the antenna. In which way?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
In a picture it is visible as I oriented the antenna.
cybermaus said:
Congrats.
However, I can assure you that is not the GPS antenna. Based on the antenna size and shape (its a small inverted F antenna, see the black sticker that is attached to in on top of the stylus case) I am assuming it is either the Bluetooth or WiFi antenna.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Can you please identify Wifi antenna? Look in attachment:
"C" is GPS antenna.
What is "A" "B" "D" ?
"D" - I see little piece of aluminum foil, but nothing else. Under this foil is place for stylus only and above foil is contact + Vibration Motor.
Somewhere I reed a tip not to hold the hand on the bottom of this phone during the phone call in order not to shield located there GSM antenna, so it means B is probably GSM. Are you sure C is BT and not GPS?
You're right. "C" is 100% GPS antenna. My mistake. (I've changed it now in original post.)
Well, my guess is B (at the bottom) is GSM, based on the fact it is larger (lower frequency) and seems to have two (one for the 850/900 MHz and one for 1800/1900Mhz), which leaves A and D for Blue and WiFi.
PS: Or GSM has two because it has 2 radio's? I wonder if they would share antenna or not, since it is a dual-sim dual standby, I guess the could share)
serak_hd2 WiFi probl.
If you have opened your phone already you can easily discover which one is wifi and BT. Just put a peace of paper on one contact (blocking connection), reassemble (screws are not necessary) and try connect to BT devise (compare to previous performance(distance)) if it is gone (or big performance difference), you blocked BT if not, it was WiFi. After you know which is Wifi, just try to ensure good mechanical contact from antenna till the board (bending contactors little higher or putting allufoil (aluminum can oxidize quickly, so it is not the best solution)). Try not to touch the board, some of the components can be sensible to static discharges. If you have not opened it yet, try to consider ones more the possibility to change it by your seller for new one.
problem with touch screen
t5388 + + touch screen does not work, but the image looks perfectly fine.
How to fix this?
thanks
cybermaus said:
The GPS antenna is a bit higher, it is the small pink 'cube' thingy on top of the phone, connected by the micro coax connector.
I had reported before the micro coax is loose in some devices, and I suspect you 'accidentally' fitted it better while opening and closing the phone.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I also had this problem, the connector was loose, now I have very good signal. No aluminium foil needed. Your post saved me!
My recommendation to other people trying to solve this problem: be VERY careful when you open your phone.
I'd like to see this thread expand, to show other "How To's for Hard Repairs", beyond the current state of, screen & touch pad (module) replacement, that most of us, already can do, or have seen.
This is intended for those that are capable of using a soldering station, and the other tools necessary, to do physical repairs, on the Logic board. It is Other wise intended for educational purpose only, and should not be attempted by the novice user.
(This is not for those with a 40w Ratshack soldering iron & a little nerve. You need a good temperature controlled station, &, a very fine tip.)
Please understand, every one of these I've seen for repair, has been a little bit different as to the actual repairs needed to restore it to operation.
So this is a guide, not a master repair plan for all.
[size=+2]USB Repair[/size]
I've come across several units, &, threads where the units, where the USB port, has come loose, or, broken away, from the main logic board.
Not ascribing blame, but, this is generally the result of the phones falling, with the USB cable attached, or, customer impatiens, when installing the cable tip.
The result of this, leaves the unit incapable of charging, or, transferring data, to the phone, though the phone may remain otherwise fully functional.
In most cases the original USB socket can be reusable, other times you'll need to find a suitable replacement. The original drawing number is, "L1037", though the MFG name remains unknown at this time.
But, either way, care must be taken to repair, the unseen damage that results, most of us would miss. The EVO 4G for example, uses a multi-layered circuit board, and part of the surface ground plane is dislodged, when the sock breaks loose. (See Photo)
Picture 1: Shows an actual EVO 4G, with the socket broken away from the board, with my notes added.
Picture 2: Is of the typical USB-B socket, with pin out (to show pin functions).
First, I've no idea what HTC used for solder, to secure parts, to their boards. But, I can tell you, it's very very, harder to work with, and therefore needs to be removed.
The traces need to be reconditioned, before the socket can be re-installing.
I did this by adding 2% silver solder, to the traces, and then removing it again, with Chemwick. Using extreme care, not to over heat the traces, causing them to become lifted from the board (if this happens, your done, there's no further repair possible).
Once the traces and ground points are clean, you need expand the ground points (inward), using an Exacto Knife. Also clean the old solder from the ground pad connections, and add just enough new solder, to clean & bead them up slightly (explained later).
Why do you need to expand the ground points? As you can see in photo 2, a small piece of the ground plane, was ripped away from the board, when the socket broke loose. Being a multi layered board, you can see several small silver spots, remain exposed on the board under where this copper was removed.
These are ground points, which need to be re-established. They are just as important, as the ports connections themselves, for maintain proper operation.
I added a small amount of solder to these points, to get them to bead up, above the board level, with a little smear of solder paste, and luck ( and a good cleaner to remove the solder paste once complete). At the same time, I added solder to "tin" the newly expose expanded copper ground points, I'd earlier made (before removing the solder paste).
I took a small piece of "used" piece of Chemwick, and, trimmed it to size to reach the newly scraped ground area. Added a little more solder, to where it was well saturated.
Then tacked the chemwick, first to the outer edges, then worked inward, to grab the beads.
Next prep the old socket.
You need to remove the old copper trace, from the bottom, &, re-tin that area, so it too, will beads a little. Also, because of the OEM solder, it's a good idea, re-tin the leads as well, again bead a little solder.
Now, your ready to actually reinstall the port. Notice that You have very little room to work with, so, care and good vision are a must. The technique your using is called "Reflow Soldering", you hit each lead quickly (on/off, like a bunny), but, you need to insure you've made a good joint.
The Leads:
You have both the "Pads & Leads", tinned & beaded, with solder. I'd suggest doing the leads first, then come back for the ground points, &, tabs last.
I would work form Pin 5 to 1. Where Pin 1, will be the hardest, because, it's pad is more massive, as it is all Ground plane (more, or, longer heat is needed here). Examine your work after, and, make sure the leads are solid.
The socket base:
I would then clip a small set of Hemostats, to the socket and the bottom of the board. Then heat the socket base up, until the Chemwick (installed earlier) compresses slightly. Do not get the soldering tip so far in, as to allow damage the sockets connections. And, once done "do not remove the Hemostats" until the socket is cooled.
The Tabs:
The Tabs are all that's left to solder, flow the solder evenly, to make a strong joint. Your bound to do better than HTC did here, which allowed the damage to occur. I would also consider flipping the board over, and flowing solder into the plated through hole while the iron and tabs are still hot.
There you have it, reassemble the unit, and, it all went well, you should again be able to charge your battery, and transfer data to your EVO 4G.
Like I've said, I'd like to see more detailed extreme repairs, appear following this post, not so much comments.
Use the thanks button if you find this post useful.
If I could find the actual parts, or, part number for reference. I'd also be willing to show how to replace the damaged LCD & Digitizer sockets. I have 3 units currently in this condition, where module replacement went badly.
IMnobody
If you add pictures to your process, you will get a lot more thanks. Overall a decent how-to.
hard to follow. yeah some pics would be nice
The tabs connecting the antennas to the motherboard is pretty fragile and breaking them is a big problem. Mine is broken, for unknown reasons, and I'm proposing some solutions.
Solder with wire
Someone tried to do this and according to the replies, its not safe and would probably lead to the end of the world. But the results are better than having no antenna at all.
Using other pins on the motherboard
Crazy idea, but would probably work. This is the part where I need help.
I labeled which I think are not important(Correct me if I'm wrong). #2.1 and #2.2 looks like ground tabs for the motherboard.
Im also planning on using the nfc's tabs, labeled #2.3, since I never use nfc and probably never will.
First of all, is it safe and reasonable to take these tabs and use them as replacement tabs?
If yes, then which tab should I use? #2.1, #2.2, or #2.3
I'm currently choosing between solution 1 and 2. Any comment would be deemed valuable.
Thanks
Image courtesy of iFixit.com
Bump. Anyone?
You are correct in your assumptions of what the pins purposes are... the pins you call "ground" are to ground the shield on the back cover... most likely to pass FCC requirements on RF emissions... and if you don't use the NFC radio, those pins would probably do fine also... you may end up losing the NFC radio after awhile running with no load on the antenna outputs so that may be a "no turning back hack"
I have powered up my tablet and used it for 30 minutes or so with the back cover removed to test my antenna mods so those ground pins are not required for the tablet to function properly... not like they complete a circuit or anything
Worked for me
I know this is an old thread but, FWIW, using the mentioned spring tabs (#2.1 & #2.2) worked for mine. As previously stated, they appear to just be EMI grounding. They probably clean up emanated noise that could otherwise interfere with the tablet's antenna reception/transmission. I moved them to replace the broken wifi tabs and so far reception for wifi works just fine. I haven't tried any other antennas yet but I suspect the impact is minimal on the other antennas.
I'll update if I notice any degradation to the other antenna functions.
I want to permanently disable my Samsung Galaxy S4's internal antenna. I know doing this seems a bit unorthodox but I have my reasons why I want to do so. I will be connecting an external antenna via the L1 port using a patch lead cable. No I don't want to use the internal antenna ever so I'm wondering how it can be disconnected; I don't want any responses asking me why I want this to be done I just want possible solutions. I was wondering if I could open the phone and somewhat remove the antenna or mess with the antenna contacts so it could stop working I'm not sure though so I need either a hardware or software solution.
The antenna is simply a wire running down the side of the battery compartment. Open the S4, disconnect that wire, and you should be able to achieve what you want.
Just one thing. Telling people you don't want questions as to why you're doing this is inevitably going to lead to people asking questions as to why you're doing this. In the future, if you don't want to pique people's curiosity, either come out and say why you're doing it, or don't make such an announcement.
Strephon Alkhalikoi said:
The antenna is simply a wire running down the side of the battery compartment. Open the S4, disconnect that wire, and you should be able to achieve what you want.
Just one thing. Telling people you don't want questions as to why you're doing this is inevitably going to lead to people asking questions as to why you're doing this. In the future, if you don't want to pique people's curiosity, either come out and say why you're doing it, or don't make such an announcement.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Okay thanks I will get a technician to pull the device for me. The reason i am doing it is that I am electrically sensitive...WiFi...cell signals they make me sick. The condition is relatively rare in some countries but it's increasing worldwide. Most times when I mention it to people that I am a 22 yr old electrically sensitive software engineer there's so much skepticism and ridicule because most people don't believe in the harmful effects of wireless radiation because they haven't experienced it first hand.
So my aim is to disconnect the internal antennae, then have an external one that's a good distance away that I connect to my device so I can use cell services without the radiation affecting me. I have a radio frequency meter that I use to measure the signals.The source of radiation is from the antennae so I have all other wireless features disabled and I would like to use this particular one that I can isolate/control.
If it makes you sick, that's understandable. If you want to do it yourself and not bother with the tech, taking the back off to get to the antenna wire is a pretty easy task. Nine screws and popping a tab or two and the back comes off. In your case, you want to completely remove the wire from the device as even if it's disconnected on one end, the other end may still be able to transmit. The wire snaps in at both ends, so again, it's a simple thing to do.
Alright thanks for the info. I don't have the screw driver so I guess I will have to make a technician do it. I am all the way in Jamaica so it's easier to go to a tech than to ship a small package here. I know about the antenna wire but I am wondering if its the only antennae ( apart from the WiFi, bluetooth etc. that can be disabled ) because I saw on a website a picture of the insides and there are two antenna contacts at the top that connect to an antennae thats on the shell. So is this wire the sole antennae mechanism for the GSM?
Honestly, I don't know.
joeldean said:
Alright thanks for the info. I don't have the screw driver so I guess I will have to make a technician do it. I am all the way in Jamaica so it's easier to go to a tech than to ship a small package here. I know about the antenna wire but I am wondering if its the only antennae ( apart from the WiFi, bluetooth etc. that can be disabled ) because I saw on a website a picture of the insides and there are two antenna contacts at the top that connect to an antennae thats on the shell. So is this wire the sole antennae mechanism for the GSM?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
hi mate ,
The wire connects the antenna at the bottom to the module where the GSM/EDGE , WIFI , BT, etc chips are , that cable seem to be the only physical connection between the antenna and the respective controlling chips
Check here , steps 13 , 14 and 15
https://www.ifixit.com/Teardown/Samsung+Galaxy+S4+Teardown/13947
@MAX 404: I couldn't remember whether that was the case or not. I had other things on my plate.
Strephon Alkhalikoi said:
@MAX 404: I couldn't remember whether that was the case or not. I had other things on my plate.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hi mate ,
You cover planty my friend , you are a big help around here :good::good:
I updated with possible permanent solution HERE
Hi, I'm opening this thread in hope to make some order with the GPS issues many of us are having.
There is a lot of misleading information as to the cause and solutions that have nothing to do with fixing the GPS (the 3 pins which are for the volume rocker, for example).
My phone is H850 version, but relevant to all variants.
I would like to thank Rick Jones for putting me on the right track, you can read some on iFixit here
What are the issues?
GPS reception getting worse over time.
Not getting a fix.
Getting a fix but losing signal sporadically.
OK, let's start:
All the "magic" is concentrated in the very top - right of the phone (viewing from the front).
Digging through FCC site for documents, I found this:
{
"lightbox_close": "Close",
"lightbox_next": "Next",
"lightbox_previous": "Previous",
"lightbox_error": "The requested content cannot be loaded. Please try again later.",
"lightbox_start_slideshow": "Start slideshow",
"lightbox_stop_slideshow": "Stop slideshow",
"lightbox_full_screen": "Full screen",
"lightbox_thumbnails": "Thumbnails",
"lightbox_download": "Download",
"lightbox_share": "Share",
"lightbox_zoom": "Zoom",
"lightbox_new_window": "New window",
"lightbox_toggle_sidebar": "Toggle sidebar"
}
As you can see the GPS antenna is top left (view from the back).
It was thought that the antenna is on the metal back, but this is not the case.
In fact, it is on the plastic frame that holds the LCD, sandwiched between the LCD and it's frame.
Here is a photo of an LCD frame without the LCD:
The strip then goes to the other side and under the PCB:
And connects to the PCB here:
and here you can see with the PCB removed:
This is with the PCB in place:
Now, this is the metal back where the grounding mesh is:
Now, to elaborate, The Antenna for the GPS is of a "planar inverted-F antenna" type. (see Wikipedia here)
This is where the grounding part comes to light - It is part of the antenna plane, though not the antenna itself.
The pin(s) mentioned must make good contact between the antenna, PCB, mesh.
Problem is one or both pins do not make good connection to PCB/mesh. this can happen over time.
Adding some additional layer in the form of a conductive foil, yields better connection (see photos, they explain what to do).
I did this on my phone, and reception became very good, though not exceptional when I compared to other phones.
I usually get 5-10 meter accuracy outside. While certainly good, should be 3 meters or better with GPS+GLONASS+BeiDou.
And indoors close to a window, I get better accuracy and fix time with other phones.
A strange thing that might be software related, I get much better results both in fix time and accuracy, while using the diagnostic menu (*#546368#*850# on the dialer and "field test" then do "GNSS POS test")
when compared to apps like "GPS test"
Not satisfied with this, I decided to find a better solution for the pins, and found a suggestion to replace/solder on the pins a better connector in the form of a spring contact (similar to the springs on the vibration motor).
I salvaged from some faulty phone, (not G5), those springs an soldered on top of both pins, to make a hopefully long term solution. Also I removed the mesh, cleaned the glue residue as I suspect this is part of the problem.
While this did NOT improve the reception, it does work fine. However, it does have the risk that you can damage the pins/PCB, so unless you have good soldering skills, I suggest avoiding this and using the foil method.
Some extreme close-up photos of the springs soldered on the pins:
To summarize, the antenna is in 2 parts - 1. the flex strip to the LCD frame, 2. the ground plane to the metal back.
The pins, probably through stress, heat, lose good contact to their relevant mates.
The other solutions (such as the 3 pins which was PROVED to be the volume rocker) gives temporary, if at all, solution because all it does is lift the PCB and not even on the correct side - avoid THIS IS FALSE.
Yep. You're right.
I checked out the posts here where people where offering elaborate soldering of wires, or that volume rocker connection. I quickly found a post, or site, elsewhere that described the same as you and I knew that was correct almost immediately.
Actually it probably was that iFixit page you mention.
shloms said:
Hi, I'm opening this thread in hope to make some order with the GPS issues many of us are having.
There is a lot of misleading information as to the cause and solutions that have nothing to do with fixing the GPS (the 3 pins which are for the volume rocker, for example).
My phone is H850 version, but relevant to all variants.
I would like to thank Rick Jones for putting me on the right track, you can read some on iFixit here
What are the issues?
GPS reception getting worse over time.
Not getting a fix.
Getting a fix but losing signal sporadically.
OK, let's start:
All the "magic" is concentrated in the very top - right of the phone (viewing from the front).
Digging through FCC site for documents, I found this:
View attachment 4337847
As you can see the GPS antenna is top left (view from the back).
It was thought that the antenna is on the metal back, but this is not the case.
In fact, it is on the plastic frame that holds the LCD, sandwiched between the LCD and it's frame.
Here is a photo of an LCD frame without the LCD:
View attachment 4337810
The strip then goes to the other side and under the PCB:
View attachment 4337812
And connects to the PCB here:
View attachment 4337823
and here you can see with the PCB removed:
View attachment 4337822
This is with the PCB in place:
View attachment 4337821
Now, this is the metal back where the grounding mesh is:
View attachment 4337820
Now, to elaborate, The Antenna for the GPS is of a "planar inverted-F antenna" type. (see Wikipedia here)
This is where the grounding part comes to light - It is part of the antenna plane, though not the antenna itself.
The pin(s) mentioned must make good contact between the antenna, PCB, mesh.
Problem is one or both pins do not make good connection to PCB/mesh. this can happen over time.
Adding some additional layer in the form of a conductive foil, yields better connection (see photos, they explain what to do).
I did this on my phone, and reception became very good, though not exceptional when I compared to other phones.
I usually get 5-10 meter accuracy outside. While certainly good, should be 3 meters or better with GPS+GLONASS+BeiDou.
And indoors close to a window, I get better accuracy and fix time with other phones.
A strange thing that might be software related, I get much better results both in fix time and accuracy, while using the diagnostic menu (*#546368#*850# on the dialer and "field test" then do "GNSS POS test")
when compared to apps like "GPS test"
Not satisfied with this, I decided to find a better solution for the pins, and found a suggestion to replace/solder on the pins a better connector in the form of a spring contact (similar to the springs on the vibration motor).
I salvaged from some faulty phone, (not G5), those springs an soldered on top of both pins, to make a hopefully long term solution. Also I removed the mesh, cleaned the glue residue as I suspect this is part of the problem.
While this did NOT improve the reception, it does work fine. However, it does have the risk that you can damage the pins/PCB, so unless you have good soldering skills, I suggest avoiding this and using the foil method.
Some extreme close-up photos of the springs soldered on the pins:
View attachment 4337842
View attachment 4337843
View attachment 4337845
To summarize, the antenna is in 2 parts - 1. the flex strip to the LCD frame, 2. the ground plane to the metal back.
The pins, probably through stress, heat, lose good contact to their relevant mates.
The other solutions (such as the 3 pins which was PROVED to be the volume rocker) gives temporary, if at all, solution because all it does is lift the PCB and not even on the correct side - avoid THIS IS FALSE.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Can you look over to the Antenna3 (top middle) and help me with my Cell reception problem? The phone's reception is horrifyingly terrible.
You are right , this helped me. I got this images from some forum post.]I tried the three contact one but that was just a dumb idea and broke my volume up
Don't try the three pin (those are volume contact points)method anyone who come here please read this
ChristopherXI said:
Can you look over to the Antenna3 (top middle) and help me with my Cell reception problem? The phone's reception is horrifyingly terrible.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hi, I opened this thread for GPS antenna, but I'll try to help
Which model of the G5 you have and which frequencies? Also is the reception bad on LTE, 3G, GSM, which?
Any how take a look at those photos, to see where the contacts for ANT3, should you check:
View attachment 4340158
Great thread thanks alot Shloms!
that will be helpful to many people.
prannoytambe said:
You are right , this helped me. I got this images from some forum post.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thats the wrong one!
it may work because it's the ground connection but the actual GPS antenna is the one above.
thetool said:
Great thread thanks alot Shloms!
that will be helpful to many people.
Thats the wrong one!
it may work because it's the ground connection but the actual GPS antenna is the one above.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
oh might be mine had ground issue, but will try the other one once i open it for the vol button fix.
Still please lets help boost this post , other are killing peoples vol button with no fix.
Hi, I'm using Rs988. I live in Ukraine and here the operators support only 2g and 3g. The phone does not catch the signal of all operators. I think that the problem is in the antenna. As I understand the antenna for wcdma, gsm is at the bottom of the phone. How to improve the signal?
Отправлено с моего RS988 через Tapatalk
spinoza_web said:
Hi, I'm using Rs988. I live in Ukraine and here the operators support only 2g and 3g. The phone does not catch the signal of all operators. I think that the problem is in the antenna. As I understand the antenna for wcdma, gsm is at the bottom of the phone. How to improve the signal?
Отправлено с моего RS988 через Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes for 2G, and some of the 3G it's the antennas on the removable battery "chin"
This is for your model.
However, as you can see some of the 3G are shared with Antenna 3 on the top.
You can check the Bottom removable part if the 2 contacts make good connection with PCB.
Do you get good signal with other phones?
shloms said:
Hi, I opened this thread for GPS antenna, but I'll try to help
Which model of the G5 you have and which frequencies? Also is the reception bad on LTE, 3G, GSM, which?
Any how take a look at those photos, to see where the contacts for ANT3, should you check:
View attachment 4340158
View attachment 4340159
View attachment 4340160
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Using the At&t version. the reception is bad on all LTE/3G/2G
Another post a while back used liquid nickel epoxy. Can be found on Amazon on the cheap to basically dab extra material which would harden creating a contact surface. This would be a lot more practical than soldering on new springs.
Genial hombre!
Enviado desde mi LG-H850 mediante Tapatalk
I have not yet managed to fix my gps permanently.
I took a copper solder-wick, cleaned it well with contact spray and put it at the gps contacts mentioned here.
At first it works well but after a few days gps intermittent again.
I removed the copper wire, and bent the gps pin so that it will have a good connection.
checked the connection between the board and the GPS pin (0.00 with multimeter = GREAT CONNECTION)
I suspect the problem is with the antenna inside the back-cover.
Bottom line: Maybe it's possible to improvise the gps antenna with thin wires?
thetool said:
I have not yet managed to fix my gps permanently.
I took a copper solder-wick, cleaned it well with contact spray and put it at the gps contacts mentioned here.
At first it works well but after a few days gps intermittent again.
I removed the copper wire, and bent the gps pin so that it will have a good connection.
checked the connection between the board and the GPS pin (0.00 with multimeter = GREAT CONNECTION)
I suspect the problem is with the antenna inside the back-cover.
Bottom line: Maybe it's possible to improvise the gps antenna with thin wires?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Inside the back cover? the antenna is the white flex and goes between the LCD and the main frame.
I doubt that the soft contact (I marked in green, because it was a response to some other post) is part of the GPS.
In theory, yes you could improvise an antenna, but I see 2 problems - 1. it would have to be a very specific length for the frequency (if I recall right 1750Mhz?) 2. the back cover is metal, and once it is closed, practically the inside is shielded to signals.
It is only the very top of the phone between the main frame and LCD that hosts the 3 antennas, including the one for the GPS.
I even thought about drilling a tiny hole in the back cover and connecting a GPS antenna (like you find in most other phones, can be bought as spare parts for many phones), through a thin shielded cable, and sticking it on the back cover from the outside, but so far the springs on the pins prove to be reliable.
What do you mean by "the antenna is the white flex and goes between the LCD and the main frame."?
I have managed to find a replacement Dead G5 to test it. (I'll need to buy it if I want to keep it)
I have replaced the back cover - Instant fix. (get 3m accuracy outside and 10m inside)
That was my thought - the back cover sometimes is the culprit.
Because I tried everything and nothing really works.
With my back cover (no mods) the signal is very bad.
thetool said:
what do you mean by "the antenna is the white flex and goes between the lcd and the main frame."?
I have managed to find a replacement dead g5 to test it. (i'll need to buy it if i want to keep it)
i have replaced the back cover - instant fix. (get 3m accuracy outside and 10m inside)
that was my thought - the back cover sometimes is the culprit.
Because i tried everything and nothing really works.
With my back cover (no mods) the signal is very bad.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I mean this:
You can't access this part unless you heat the LCD/frame to separate them, the antenna is the grey flex strip/pcb that has the antenna trace etched on it. you won't see this part as it is between LCD/frame as I mentioned.
View attachment 4337810
Now, can you see the arrow? this is the remaining flex strip that has the connector that you are familiar with. And this connector, as you know, touches the metal mesh on the back case.
View attachment 4337812
What I did, if you read my original post, is solder springs on the connector, and removed the mesh because I suspected it was oxidized and/or the glue was not conducting well.
So far, so good.
My guess would be that your mesh has the same issue and the other case you tested has a good mesh.
If it's not too expensive maybe you should keep this back cover, although reading from other threads, some users bought a replacement cover with good results initially and the problem returned after a while.
From what I see, there is NO antennas on the back cover except the NFC antenna which is around the fingerprint sensor - this is even stated at the document LG submitted to the FCC .
The back cover is used as a ground plane for the antenna and is not in itself an antenna.
Thanks for your detailed reply.
My old back cover doen't have a mesh at all.
I played with it many times and put a cooper shim with a mesh beneath (exactly like you did here)
pulled the gps pin and cleaned every contact on the back with contact cleaner...
Sometimes it worked well for a day or 2... most of the time it was bad from the beginning.
You never know if it's really fixed, just after a few days. so annoying.
been working on it for way too many hours lol
(Picture of the original back and the copper I used, after cleaning well of course)
tried also using some silver wire I took from another phone... was very bad.
thetool said:
Thanks for your detailed reply.
My old back cover doen't have a mesh at all.
I played with it many times and put a cooper shim with a mesh beneath (exactly like you did here)
pulled the gps pin and cleaned every contact on the back with contact cleaner...
Sometimes it worked well for a day or 2... most of the time it was bad from the beginning.
You never know if it's really fixed, just after a few days. so annoying.
been working on it for way too many hours lol
(Picture of the original back and the copper I used, after cleaning well of course)
tried also using some silver wire I took from another phone... was very bad.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That is interesting indeed.
Ever since the "springs" fix I get a consistent good signal even when driving for hours and never lost signal, what's weird though, I never get less than 5 meter accuracy on any of the testing apps, but with the hidden diagnostic menu I get better signal and accuracy. I don't know, my model is H850 maybe my firmware V20c-ISR-XX. has something to do with it... for one thing, it only supports Quick charge 2.0, I checked the voltages with various certified QC 3.0 chargers, but that's not relevant to the GPS.
BTW, did you get a good accuracy (better than 5 meters) when using the original cover?
Anyhow keep us updated if it turns out the new cover is good long term.
My phone is Korean (rootable :victory
I got accuracy of 3m when using the copper mesh, but again only for a few days.
I will update. even now accuracy doesn't seem too stable indoors, but outdoors I get 3m.
indoors far from window I get about 10m-12m after stabilized.
I tested with iphone 7 - got 4-6m accuracy indoors almost instantly when far from windows
shloms said:
I mean this:
You can't access this part unless you heat the LCD/frame to separate them, the antenna is the grey flex strip/pcb that has the antenna trace etched on it. you won't see this part as it is between LCD/frame as I mentioned.
View attachment 4337810
Now, can you see the arrow? this is the remaining flex strip that has the connector that you are familiar with. And this connector, as you know, touches the metal mesh on the back case.
View attachment 4337812
What I did, if you read my original post, is solder springs on the connector, and removed the mesh because I suspected it was oxidized and/or the glue was not conducting well.
So far, so good.
My guess would be that your mesh has the same issue and the other case you tested has a good mesh.
If it's not too expensive maybe you should keep this back cover, although reading from other threads, some users bought a replacement cover with good results initially and the problem returned after a while.
From what I see, there is NO antennas on the back cover except the NFC antenna which is around the fingerprint sensor - this is even stated at the document LG submitted to the FCC .
The back cover is used as a ground plane for the antenna and is not in itself an antenna.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Strange. My GPS and cell signal dips low when i Touch the glass , and more strange, When i touch the glass part that's close to the notification LED the Cell signal increases from -113 db to -99 db
This this caused by bad Grounding? Because you speculated that the Cover it's just a Grounding plane
should i get a new back cover to test?
The covers you guys shows there is a patch near the LCD cable and the corresponding place it touches there is a Mesh that goes under the LCD flex cable, My cover and Midframe has neither of those.
the mesh that goes under the lcd cable : https://i.imgur.com/XOzFfQe.jpg
the patch that make contacts with the mesh :
https://i.imgur.com/BNjjvEb.jpg
GPS strength: https://i.imgur.com/btT9xtT.png
Touching the glass : https://i.imgur.com/xQ9K0rC.png