Database Users

Keyboard Runners successfully Repaired

Just wanted to let you all know that I successfully repaired the loose keyboard tracks last night following the directions posted by Mike channon and the internal pictures(Japanese site) of my 8525. It does void your warranty as there is sticker you have to remove to get to a screw(torx) which you most likely can't remove without tearing. I glued the rubber stoppers on the runners and man oh man It's AWESOME! Really have to apply some pressure to open the slider now. I'd be happy to help with instructions or advice for anyone considering attempting this.

Abductd said:
Just wanted to let you all know that I successfully repaired the loose keyboard tracks last night following the directions posted by Mike channon and the internal pictures(Japanese site) of my 8525. It does void your warranty as there is sticker you have to remove to get to a screw(torx) which you most likely can't remove without tearing. I glued the rubber stoppers on the runners and man oh man It's AWESOME! Really have to apply some pressure to open the slider now. I'd be happy to help with instructions or advice for anyone considering attempting this.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Ahhh.. another satisfied customer Well done and yeah it does work well. First time, when I was setting up this fix I made the small rubber pieces a fraction thick and had a somewhat bulgy looking screen assembly - still that was easily sorted. It's now 6 months and still as firm as when I did it. (NB. the small rubber pieces are only required in severe cases where the runner has burst open at the micro welds)
by the way Abductd - it is good and useful to get feedback, thank you.
Cheers
Mike

Where are those pics? I'm trying to fix this issue also but I'd like to see some pics first.
Thank you!

hmotwr said:
Where are those pics? I'm trying to fix this issue also but I'd like to see some pics first.
Thank you!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Dismantling instructions in the Service Manual and Video here:
www.mikechannon.net
Mike

Abductd said:
Just wanted to let you all know that I successfully repaired the loose keyboard tracks last night following the directions posted by Mike channon and the internal pictures(Japanese site) of my 8525. It does void your warranty as there is sticker you have to remove to get to a screw(torx) which you most likely can't remove without tearing. I glued the rubber stoppers on the runners and man oh man It's AWESOME! Really have to apply some pressure to open the slider now. I'd be happy to help with instructions or advice for anyone considering attempting this.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well what you know, I too did the same last night on my SPV M3100, good instrucions Mike! However I did not have to resort to glueing rubber stoppers all I did was applied little bit more harder tap with 2mm flat head watchmakers screwdriver on the indents enough to give it a firm click when keyboard closed, I'm now a very happy customer after this simple modification my spv m3100 feels a lot more sturdier and even more happy as my warranty is not void becuase I carefully removed the void sticker with a fine needle and stuck it back on as it was, quite happy with my handy work it's as if it was never opened. I guess it helps to have a good background in micro electronics servicing likewise if anyone needs advise more then happy to assist having said that if you follow Mike's instructions word for word you really can't go wrong

gfreek said:
Well what you know, I too did the same last night on my SPV M3100, good instrucions Mike! However I did not have to resort to glueing rubber stoppers all I did was applied little bit more harder tap with 2mm flat head watchmakers screwdriver on the indents enough to give it a firm click when keyboard closed, I'm now a very happy customer after this simple modification my spv m3100 feels a lot more sturdier and even more happy as my warranty is not void becuase I carefully removed the void sticker with a fine needle and stuck it back on as it was, quite happy with my handy work it's as if it was never opened. I guess it helps to have a good background in micro electronics servicing likewise if anyone needs advise more then happy to assist having said that if you follow Mike's instructions word for word you really can't go wrong
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well done - and very pleased it worked. Yes, you do not need the tiny rubber blocks - except when the micro welds around the runner have popped open - as in some cases they have. The rubber blocks hold it together if you have this slightly more extreme case. Also, they help to prevent the runner welds from popping open and if they do you would not need to dismantle again. But I agree, it's probably overkill for those whose runners just need a firmer click and aren't sprung open.
So pleased it's good now
Edit: Here's a pic of what's being talked about:
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Here you see the micro welds that may be in tact, but if not then the rubber block (shown above) can be added. This would be in addition to increasing the pre-existing indent that is covered by the rubber in the picture. The metal is relatively thin and when increasing the indent care should be taken not to over do it - else you might never open your keyboard again . Don't be fooled by the size of the rubber block shown - it appears quite large in the picture but in fact is only a couple of mm thick. Too thick and the screen assembly will bulge!
Mike

Thanks Mike, your site is very helpful, I've forwarded it to a few friends that have the same problem.

Another one fixed
Well I now know that dismantling a Hermes is not for the faint of heart, but I'm here to say it can be done. Keyboard stays closed now, just as it should.
Thanks much for the instuctions, Mike!

vp3G said:
Well I now know that dismantling a Hermes is not for the faint of heart, but I'm here to say it can be done. Keyboard stays closed now, just as it should.
Thanks much for the instuctions, Mike!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I am pleased it has worked out well for you
Mike

I read.
I did.
I failed.
turns out that part is pretty flimsy where the runner snaps in. it must have fractured from being dropped because it snapped right off when i pryed a bit.
Heres my modded sliders.
Notched each snap at the ends with tiny screwdriver and tiny hammer till it snapped well. Then I VERY carefully wrapped a VERY small strip of tape at each end to make the slide fit firmly into the housing. I had previously noticed it wobbling a bit.
I also applied small strips of tape along the outer runners where the slider attached to the lower housing, there is 1 hard silicone strip (white) on each side. I added tape opposite the silicone to narrow its sliding path.
All these combined make for VERY tight sliding, firm snap. This thing used to be quite loose, fix really works.
PS-oh yea superglue took care of the fracture. ;-)
EDIT by Mikechannon.
The above pics have vanished, but here's a pic of one of the sliders showing the notch/indent near the the end:

@randomtask16
Well done, works well doesn't it along with your added things for your particular situation.
Nice picture of the runner and indent. Can I use it?
Mike

mikechannon said:
@randomtask16
Well done, works well doesn't it along with your added things for your particular situation.
Nice picture of the runner and indent. Can I use it?
Mike
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Of course!
Slider still works great, hasn't become looser yet. Though my faulty face buttons issue has persisted...not sure what to try next.

Hello, I opened the phone to deepen the indents but I didnt take out the sliders completely. It didnt work very well . I was also scared of breaking the metal and in the end I didnt apply much force. I still noticed a little diference in the keyboard but im going back in to make the dips deeper.
I have a problem though. After putting the phone back together i noticed that the down button on the d-pad sticks now . When Im in contacts and press the down button it begins to fly down the contacts and doesnt stop. I've had to use the scroll wheel. Is this because I didnt put the phone back together correctly? If it is im not sure what I did or how to fix it when I try again. Need some help

di5c1pl3 said:
Hello, I opened the phone to deepen the indents but I didnt take out the sliders completely. It didnt work very well . I was also scared of breaking the metal and in the end I didnt apply much force. I still noticed a little diference in the keyboard but im going back in to make the dips deeper.
I have a problem though. After putting the phone back together i noticed that the down button on the d-pad sticks now . When Im in contacts and press the down button it begins to fly down the contacts and doesnt stop. I've had to use the scroll wheel. Is this because I didnt put the phone back together correctly? If it is im not sure what I did or how to fix it when I try again. Need some help
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
First, when you dismantle again I suggest testing those runners/sliders by moving the sliding part back and forth over the indents, BEFORE putting it all back tpogether.
I don't think your d-pad issue is a big problem. Probably just a bit of misalignment when you re-assembled it. I think it will correct itself if you ensure everything is sitting flat (well seated) when re-assembling.
Good luck (press or tap a little more firmly on the indents this time. But don't go mad!)
Mike

I agree Im glad to hear that the button thing isnt a big deal. And thanks for the quick reply. I'll let you know how it goes

Wooohhooo!!! Nice tight keyboard !! No more sticky button Thanks alot!

hi mike.
i opened 2 times my hermes, but never managed to make the sliders tighter.
i gently tapped the indents, but no improvement.
I tried to understand what is the "ribbon improvement" but really i have not understood what i need to do!
simply adding a piece of ribbon of 2 mm over the indents??
can you simply explain what it will be on my sliders?
Thanks
Gtazok

gtazok said:
hi mike.
i opened 2 times my hermes, but never managed to make the sliders tighter.
i gently tapped the indents, but no improvement.
I tried to understand what is the "ribbon improvement" but really i have not understood what i need to do!
simply adding a piece of ribbon of 2 mm over the indents??
can you simply explain what it will be on my sliders?
Thanks
Gtazok
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hi
First increasing the indent depth will work by itself IF the little micro welds that hold the runner together are in tact (i.e. have not sprung apart)
Try tapping a bit harder on the indents AND test them before you put everything back together. (Sounds like you are not tapping/pressing hard enough)
See the little embossed indents - they need depened a fraction to make the keyboard lock in the closed and open position.
There are 2 runners (sliders) with 4 indents (two for keyboard open two for closed)
Dismantling instructions in the Service Manual and Video here:
www.mikechannon.net
IF the micro welds have broken apart,
this is when you need the small chunks of rubber (not ribbon) at the points where the indents are. The purpose of these is to hold the runner firmly together when it is all put back together. (If you have access to equipment to re spot weld the runner this would of course be better. Do not make the rubber blocks to thick or you will find the screen assembly will bulge unacceptably when you re-assemble.
Hope this helps
Mike

Just to add on, another satisfied follower of the guide. Now it's no longer as loose. Thanks Michael!

[Q] Is there any Adam disassemble guide?

I have some debris under my screen cover and want to remove those, so want to find some instructions on how to disassemble and reassemble it. I'm not sure if I can do it myself without damaging the device. =(
Port covers are ordered already.

I've found some info myself here.

So I disassembled my and managed to assemble it back successfully =)
Do not try described below if you are not absolutely sure what you are doing, as it may damage your device and will void your warranty.
Here is my quick guide:
1. Remove rubber pads covering the screws on the back. Pay attention, that they are not same, two closer to the battery are not flat.
2. Remove the screws. My were really well tightened
3. Now you should remove the decorative rubber battery covers. The are fixed with a number of plastic latches on the upper (screen) side. Bottom side is placed on a number of forks (small cylinders), so the bottom side wont go, start with the top. I used a small screw driver and a hard-plastic card (like credit one). Be careful, as the latches can be easily broken, don push too hard.
4. Now you are good to go with the case itself. You can start from the left corner (closest to the camera). I used my fingers to pull up the top cover (with the glass) and inserted the card in the gap, then moving it vertically (perpendicular to the screen) unlocked the side latches. There are 4 of them if I recall right. Just shake the card and it's done. Then proceed to the right side th same way. It is harder to pull the cover there, but with a little help of a small screw driver it went quite well. After the right is unlocked, I moved the card horizontally around the corner of the screen, so it was still in the gap, and then vertically unlocked the bottom side latches. You are done.
5. Be careful when removing the screen as it is wired to the mb by 2 wires with small connectors and a flat cable on the bottom side (opposite to the battery side), also with a connector. Those connectors are easily unplugged and plugged back.
6. If you want to remove the screen, it is attached by 4 side screws to the metal frame (ye, Adam has quite tough metal frame inside). Though be careful, as the lcd is wired to the glass with a touchscreen flat cable, I did not try to disconnect it.
To assemble Adam, perform the actions in reverse:
1. Attach the lcd to the frame with the screws
2. Connect the screen cables to the mb
3. Put the screen on the back part and push those together firmly, to lock the latches
4. Insert the rubber covers. Mind the placement, though the won't fit wrongly. I used the card to push the latches to insert them.
5. Tighten the screws and place back the small rubber screws plugs, mind the correct position for the top two, as they are not symmetrical.
So what was my goal? I just wanted to remove debris from under the glass, those were very annoying. If you have those, you may try my way, but be sure you are doing it in dust free environment, or you'll just make things worse =) I used photo lens cleaning kit, to blow them away, but high pressure air can (those are sold to clean electronics), but it was about 25$ at my local store =(
As for the debris reason, I think it is not because of ports or other gaps in the case, it seems, that it comes from the lcd panel itself. Seems like panel manufacturer does not pay enough attention to dust-free conditions, so although Adam seems to be assembled in clean conditions, this debris falls from the gaps between the lcd frame and panel itself right to the gap between it and the glass. The screen and glass have some perimeter foam stripes, so the dust from outside can hardly get there.
All in all, I was impressed, how Adam is built, I would say it is of great quality, not perfect, but anyway. Comparable to Apple products, imo. It will surely survive quite a number of disassemble-assemble cycles.
And yes, there is enough room inside for modding, but I can't imagine what else would I've wanted to add to it. Maybe just external GPS antenna port or inner fixed sdhc card for extra space.
Feel free to ask, if you have any questions.
And do not try described above if you are not absolutely sure in what you are doing, as it may damage your device and will void your warranty.

I can recommend a glass-mount base of for example a navigation holder stefan
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strahl said:
I can recommend a glass-mount base
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Good idea, will try it next time. This one was actually my first experience with any capacitive-touch device.

I don't remember where I heard this but I like the idea. Is it possible to replace the screen with a screen from a zoom or an Acer or Asus? I don't like some of the qquirkier things of the screen so. I would appreciate your opinion and thanx for this guide!
Sent from my Adam using Tapatalk

craby1925 said:
Is it possible to replace the screen with a screen from a zoom or an Acer or Asus?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It totally depends on the lcd panel you wont to exchange current with. It is not totally impossible, I think, but it's certainly a challenge for a pro.

I've also performed some for-fun modding to my Adam, to make activity/power leds more visible and less 'disco'.
Used two pieces of optical cable to route light where it should go and not highlight everything around. Also had to cover the leds with adhesive tape and covered the gaps around the cable and case with sealant (from inside of course) for better exterior. Also, charging (violet) state is clearly visible now.
(Clickable for fullsize)
Also, you may notice a strange inner button in Adam(top of the first picture), but it does not seem to perform any action (at least on home screen, where I tried).

PsychodelEKS said:
Also, you may notice a strange inner button in Adam(top of the first picture), but it does not seem to perform any action (at least on home screen, where I tried).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I believe that this the "recovery button" as described in http://developer.download.nvidia.com/tegra/docs/harmony_hw_setup.pdf. I once managed to make my bootloader crash and with this button I was able to flash my Adam again (see http://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=11769749&postcount=56).
stefan

strahl said:
this the "recovery button"
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Luckyly for me it was not "wipe all" button =)

Cool! I opened it up and fixed my battery charging issue!
Thanks.

craby1925 said:
I don't remember where I heard this but I like the idea. Is it possible to replace the screen with a screen from a zoom or an Acer or Asus? I don't like some of the qquirkier things of the screen so. I would appreciate your opinion and thanx for this guide!
Sent from my Adam using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
@craby did u ever happen to find out an alternate screen that goes well with the adam
i broke mine when trying to open, and my adam lies waste witout a screen
i would like to get hands on some sort of patch to allow me replace this screen with another keyboard or joystick ..
anyone who has such a patch already ?

Bulging Nexus 4? No problem!! (Battery replacement guide)

Hey guys, just had to carry out some Nexus 4 surgery so I thought I would share my experience in case it helps anyone else out...
Has the glass on the bottom of the back of your phone started peeling away and can you notice a definite bulge? (You may have noticed your phone not sitting down flush when it's on it's back and it might have a certain rocking when moving, bad signs...both) Well your battery is starting to die, you need to get rid of it!!
First things first, the default battery in an LG Nexus 4 is the LG BL-T5, a brand new one should look like this :
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As you can see it should be 2100mAh. Although it says NOM, don't try eating it, I doubt it's tasty​
I was able to purchase mine from Amazon UK (Even though it was listed as 1200mAh, that was, of course, a typo), I later found an excellent site for spares (ReplaceBase) which charged less but we live and learn. The battery should cost between around £10-20.
Here's the battery from ReplaceBase UK (No, I'm not affiliated with them in any way )
Next thing you're gonna need is a phone toolkit, Again, I got one from Amazon UK, it isn't the greatest quality in the world but hey, it was only £6.35 and it got the job done.
The most important things you'll need in it are plastic spludgers so you don't scratch the phone up, a T5 Torx Screwdriver (The screws in the bottom of the phone which hold the case together) and a Phillips #00 Screwdriver (The screws which hold the battery connector in). Obviously magnetic screwdrivers would be best but not entirely necessary as long you are careful, gentle and have cleared out a working space.
Other things you will/may need...​
A hairdryer or a heatgun but be careful and sparing with it, low to medium setting is fine.
Some kind of compartment tray to hold your screws, they're incredibly small and won't be difficult to lose, I would recommend one of those pill dispensers you can buy, they're great for holding screws.
A sim ejector pin (A needle or needling pin should do if you haven't got it anymore).
Something nice and soft to work on, like a towel or rubber mat as you'll have the phone face down most of the time and you don't want to damage or scratch the face.
Some alcoholic lens cleaning wipes (To wipe the camera and flash after you're finished, don't want any fingerprints or smears in your photos after you're done I would recommend Zeiss Lens Cleaning Wipes)
A thin cardboard strip wider than the phone.
Care and Patience.
So, Here We Go...​
Remove the rear panel screws on the bottom of the phone using the T5 Torx Screwdriver and keep them safe in the holder
Eject the sim with the sim tray and keep that safe too
Take your smallest plastic spludger (You don't want to go straight in there with a metal one as you'll probably mess the silver surround) and start prising the back cover off, your best bet is to start either where the sim tray was or on the bottom above the usb slot, be gentle when you start if you're gonna start near either of these so you don't damage or split those parts.
When you are prising you want to be pulling the side outward as there is clips all round, not pushing the front of the phone away from the back, this won't work and if you end up trying too hard you'll snap one of the clips, so...gently..try to work the spludger into the gap between the silver surround and the plastic back, there's where the join is, try to work the spludger in this gap and then work it downwards inside and lever the black plastic outwards....GENTLY ...You should start hearing the clips seperating, then start working your way round the phone using the same technique, it'll get much easier as you go on.
When you've undone all the clips, there are no cables attaching the back of the phone to the inside, the NFC ring has contacts on the back of the phone which meet contacts inside the phone so don't worry about removing the back.
BE CAREFUL NOT TO MOVE OR LOSE THE TWO BUTTONS FOR POWER AND VOLUME, these aren't screwed or held in place and can easily fall out and get lost (You can order replacements but you really don't want to, now do you?)
Once you get the back off, just gently push these into their recesses and make sure to put the back somewhere safe but not too far away as we're gonna be working on that again, If you feel more safe doing so, you can actually remove both buttons and keep them in your screw holder.
Now that the back is off, you will most likely see something like the following....ghastly and scary isn't it?
BULGE-TASTIC!
BULGE-ORIFIC!!
Sideboob....I mean...Side-Bulge
More Sideboo.....bulge
Here's the brand new, no bulge, replacement for comparison.
OK, Let's Get Back On Track...​
Undo both the screws holding the battery connector in above the battery using the Phillips #00 Screwdriver, carefully remove them and put them in the screwholder.
Prise the connector off using a small plastic spludger. (again, no need for metal ones, you won't meet much of a struggle with the connector and you might scratch a contact on the connector rendering the whole process defunkt)
Now it's time to remove that nasty old fat battery. (although you'll probably notice it slimming down quite quickly as you go...don't think it's fixing itself and you don't need to go any further, it's not)
There's an antenna cable taped to the battery (you can see it in the 2nd image above), try removing the sticky tape holding it down (I didn't actually replace this as you can easily tuck this cable behind the battery when you're done, just make sure you don't remove the cable from the connector above, although it's easy to put it back on if you do, you just press it down gently until you feel it click into place, for anyone who has installed a wireless card into a laptop, it's almost identical to the antenna connectors on those.
The battery has a metal surround all the way round and underneath it (You can see it easily in the 4th image above), it's glued to this underneath so you're going to need a lot of patience with this bit.
You may want to give it a blast with the hairdryer periodically to try softening the glue a bit but don't do it for too long or too close as you'll most likely shatter the front of the phone. Around 5-6inches should be ok for around 10 seconds at the most, just make sure you're moving the hairdryer the whole time.
You should be able to work the battery up by slowly using your spludger (plastic at first, metal after you get a foothold under the battery) and it will eventually come away from the rest of the phone, again, when you remove it, make sure the antenna cable isn't still attached.
Now marvel at the nasty old fat battery....BOOOOOO!!!
Here's my old battery a couple of hours later...
Looks like it's been on a diet doesn't it? Looks like it might be good enough to use again.....nope nope nope!!
Now throw it away or show your friends and family the nastiness.
Now, Get your new battery (Which should have come in an anti-static bag with plenty of padding/protection).
You'll want to lift the antenna cable slightly out of the way.
I would recommend putting the connector on while putting a strip of cardboard, wider then the phone, under the battery to keep it off the glue, we're not seating it yet. Just get the connector screws back and push down the connector first, you'll feel it clip into place, then put the screws back in, I would recommend leaving some play in the first one until the second one is in and then tighten them up, you don't need them so tight Superman couldn't loosen them again, it's not an elephant we're holding in there and you also don't want to keep going and end up threading the screws cos then you're really screwed....sorry.
OK, Now you can slide the cardboard away from under the battery and start placing the battery down into the compartment, you should still have glue on the back from the original battery, I had a good amount which held the new one in place, if you want, you could give it a quick, sparing, blast with the hairdryer to soften up the glue a bit before you sit the battery down. Make sure you don't trap the antenna cable underneath.
Once you're satisfied the battery is seated nicely and looks flush inside the compartment, apply some pressure on it, again, don't be standing on it or anything, this is fragile electronics we're dealing with
Now tuck the antenna cable down the side of the battery and making sure the connector is still in place.
If you want, you can then put some tape down to hold it in there but I didn't bother as it seemed to be tucked in nice and tight and it won't be going anywhere.
The Dreaded Glass Back Panel​
Now, if your glass back was starting to come away when the bulging battery was in there then you'll want to make sure it is nicely attached again, this is where some pressure, the hairdryer and some patience (and gloves if your skin starts to peel off) will come in handy.
Put the back of the phone face down onto your soft surface.
Then start to use the hairdryer to heat up the inside and put pressure down all around the back, you can periodically have a look to see if it's starting to sit in the mount nicely, take as long as you feel comfortable with during this process until you feel the back panel looks like it should.
Let it all cool down and solidify for a couple of minutes.
Now You're Ready To Put The Phone Back Together...​
I would recommend using the soft surface to work with, put the back of the phone with the back down on this surface, then push the front of the phone down into it, making sure the power button and volume button haven't moved.
Putting the phone back together is basically just what you did before in reverse, you should be able to push the 2 halves of the phone back together, then work your way round making sure the seal is flush, if you notice any sort of gap and it doesn't look like the back is in place at any point around the outside, just use your smallest plastic spludger to push out the edge of the back of the phone at that point and gently push the front inside, you should hear each clip go back into place just like you did when you were removing the back.
Once you're happy all the clips are in place and you have a nice flush join then put the screws back in the bottom of the phone.
Breathe a huge sigh of relief that you didn't completely balls it up.
Most manufacturers of these batteries will likely recommend you charge the phone up for a couple of hours after with it turned off but you can watch the battery level while it's charging and see how long it takes. My new battery was actually slightly less than half charged when I first turned it on to make sure it started. Then I left it to charge fully.
What Do I Do If I Did Balls It Up And Damaged The Back Of My Phone?​
Don't worry, you can actually buy a replacement back (including the NFC coil) and not for very much, the excellent site I linked above actually sells a genuine one for only £18, you'll most likely have a similar supplier nearby in your country who will sell the same part.
The best thing about this is it won't have any of the hair type scratches on it that most of our phones will have.
You could even decide to do this instead of using your original back but of course, the process is going to be the same, although, as you'll notice it doesn't seem to include the buttons, that's why you really need to be careful with these.
Well that's it, if you want to see how my phone was after I replaced the battery (to be honest, the back of my phone was bulging in the bottom third, obviously, where the battery was but the glass hadn't separated a huge amount from the case but enough to be alarming/annoying), have a look below (Sorry for the bad quality but they were quick pics using another Nexus 4 from the household, can't fix the crappy camera ) :
Here's the bottom, you can see the speaker slot and the little feet.​
So that's it, sorry for the "Great Wall of Text", I would have done a video guide but, to be honest, this was the first one I'd done and I wanted to concentrate on it, just wanted to get some pics of the before/after too though. If you have any questions or not too harsh comments, let me know
More Help/Guidance​
iFixit's Nexus 4 teardown, so you can see what you should expect inside the phone, they'll also give you lots of info about the cabling, screws, tools, etc, I read through this page before ordering all the gear and before starting, I'd recommend you do the same.
The battery and rear panel I would recommend ordering again, sadly, this is in the UK but you should be able to find somewhere else closer who will stock these:
Battery
Rear Panel (Again, remember you'll need to retain your original power and volume button so be careful with these.
A couple of video guides on YouTube:
Phandroid
NewLife2OldStuff
Anthony McLean (Although I wouldn't use your nails to go round the phone, use the proper tools)
Could a Mod move this to the Help and Troubleshooting forum please.
If the Mods deem this to be helpful it might be an idea to pin it too ( Not trying to be pushy )
MOD EDIT: MOVED :highfive:​

it should be noted that the battery must be OEM or else the phone will detect it as not OEM and will open just in boot loader or show faulty %!

P9000 Disassembly (I broke it)

So I dropped my phone and broke the front glass. LCD works but not touch-screen so pretty much useless. I decided to take it apart first to see how hard it would be to replace the screen as I could see screens can be bought from AliExpress for about 65 USD or 99 USD from elephone.hk.
Took some pictures along the way as I couldn't find any images of the internals of this phone online so this might help someone trying to replace their screen or just thinking about it.
1) Back cover - this comes off rather easily once you get something between the edge and start nudging the clips to open. Notice that the whole back cover is glued a bit to the battery so even after getting all the edges open I still had to use some force to remove it from the battery. PS: The side-buttons are attached to the cover also so try not to hurt those while removing the back.
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2) Next I removed the bottom half cover to see if I could access the screen cables from there. Notice that the black ribbon that goes to the screen is the home button LED light and cannot be removed without unsoldering it!
3) I took off the top cover and unhooked the battery.
4) The battery - It's glued to the metal frame using 2 strips of glue and it took me 10 minutes to get it out safely without damaging it (it's soft so you can probably easily make it explode in your hands).
5) Took me some thinking but I removed the whole main board. The bottom side is glued and I had to break some black "paper" to get it out.
6) Screen - After getting the main board out I had enough room to force the screen out. Notice that the screen is glued from the top and bottom but sides are not glued. Some sensor cable from the front panel is glued to the camera's LED lights. The speaker was a bit hard to take out and I managed to break one of the soldered cables for that :S The bottom of the screen was glued on extremely hard.
Some notes: You definitely need to remove the battery as the screen cable runs underneath it. I'm not certain you need to remove the main board as it seemed you might be able to replace the front screen without taking that off. There's a lot of glued stuff in there so you better have good tools to pull things apart without breaking it.
So finally after having taken it apart enough and asserting a few things I decided that replacing the whole screen and re-building it will take too much time. I just saw a deal for $199 with wireless charger included. So having a choice of $65 new screen + 4 weeks of waiting and then spending 2 hours trying to replace it or buying a new one for $199 and getting a wireless charger + extra USB-C cable - I just ordered a new one. Plus I get to keep the old phone parts around for spares in case any of the side-buttons or front-speaker etc break
Just a note - my phone was in the official flip-cover when falling and got hit into the bottom right front corner and the cracks went all over the screen. I'm rather certain now that the phone's front glass panel is rather fragile and while having the silicone enclosure would've saved it in my case it's still a bit easy to break.
PS: Just wanted to add that I was actually genuinely impressed by the overall quality of the phone and Elephone in general for providing decent updates and support and assembly quality was good so while the glass panel is fragile I still decided to order a new phone from them!

Hi, I also had to replace the screen, so I tore down the phone before I ordered the new screen to see if I could do it safely. And I did (I didn't have to remove the main board, I just removed the screws and left it loose so I could remove the flat cable from the top. The problem is the screen took a couple of weeks to arrive and now I don't remember where a couple of small metal pieces that looks like contacts go. One is golden and the other is silver, both very small, looks like they fit in something similar to the antenna connector. Do you have any ideas of where are they supposed to go?

llucax said:
Hi, I also had to replace the screen, so I tore down the phone before I ordered the new screen to see if I could do it safely. And I did (I didn't have to remove the main board, I just removed the screws and left it loose so I could remove the flat cable from the top. The problem is the screen took a couple of weeks to arrive and now I don't remember where a couple of small metal pieces that looks like contacts go. One is golden and the other is silver, both very small, looks like they fit in something similar to the antenna connector. Do you have any ideas of where are they supposed to go?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I cannot remember exactly either, but I think there were two of them.
One of them was visible on this pic in the top right area, above the cable that goes under the LED lights.
The other one I remember had a similar purpose, but since I packed the parts away already I cannot remember where and it would take too much time to re-piece it together to figure it out.
(Exactly the reason why I decided to go for the new one instead of replacing the screen).

xataxxx said:
I cannot remember exactly either, but I think there were two of them.
One of them was visible on this pic in the top right area, above the cable that goes under the LED lights.
The other one I remember had a similar purpose, but since I packed the parts away already I cannot remember where and it would take too much time to re-piece it together to figure it out.
(Exactly the reason why I decided to go for the new one instead of replacing the screen).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I finally figured it out. Yes, I saw the one in the pic, and the other one goes in the bottom part, on the right, just below the top right screw to hold the plastic bottom part. I finally managed to assemble everything back with the new screen and it works perfectly. Thanks!

i also have to change my display screen hopefully new arrives soon and the change is not to complicated

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=irDOXh1QoKE

And last few minutes of this showing how to remove the back cover

Hi,
I'm thinking of taking my back panel off for the purposes of fixing the GPS connections as advised here: http://bbs.elephone.hk/thread-11201-1-3.html#.V9SPfygrKM9
Now the op talks about aligning the springs with the backpanel connectors. Can someone take whichever picture is above and highlight which springs they mean?

i broke my screen on this phone, i have horizontal lines appearing on it, have tried three new screen and all display the same, i think there is a problem with mainboard after it was dropped so i am going to buy a new mainboard, anyone else experience this issue, when i wake it up its fine but after a second the lines come up, im pretty sure the screens are fine but something comes up and makes the lines

I've got this phone. I kept it in a safe place disassembled and at that time it was working, some days ago when reassembling the device, it shows no sign of life whatsoever, nor power up or charging battery; I thought the battery was completely dead, bought a brand new one but same situation... Do you think is possible that some kind of oxydation prevents the phone charging and power up? If connected to PC via usb cable, it shows Mediatek Preloader, so I think the phone is not dead.... Thank you all for answering, regards.

screen problem

half of my screen image blocked but the touch working fine :crying:
any idea if this is hardware or software issue
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UMMM, Looks like you need a replacement.

Is it also messed up during the boot process? if it is, then it's hardware. Just RMA it.

max1001 said:
Is it also messed up during the boot process? if it is, then it's hardware. Just RMA it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No it's happened while phone working fine

dowleey said:
No it's happened while phone working fine
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I meant if you reboot the phone, is the screen also like that during the boot process?

max1001 said:
I meant if you reboot the phone, is the screen also like that during the boot process?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes

dowleey said:
Yes
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I am sry mate, but this phone seems to be broken. Must be a hardware issue

Same problem!
I have the exact same problem.

sgelbart said:
I have the exact same problem.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Did you try to root your phone
Because it happened to me 1 day after the root

dowleey said:
Did you try to root your phone
Because it happened to me 1 day after the root
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Not root related, or any you can possibly do to force this error
Is a hardware issue, and sorry, you need a replacement
Enviado desde mi ZTE A2017U mediante Tapatalk

Altomugriento said:
Not root related, or any you can possibly do to force this error
Is a hardware issue, and sorry, you need a replacement
Enviado desde mi ZTE A2017U mediante Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Unfortunately until now I didn't fix it because there is no A/S in my area and now one can repair it

dowleey said:
Unfortunately until now I didn't fix it because there is no A/S in my area and now one can repair it
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
mine started doing this periodically after i fumbled it
a temporary fix is giving it a quick tap dead center of the screen then it snaps right to normal
its at least a band-aid for now ill let you know if i find real issue when i open her up

I had the exact same problem a few days ago. Your display connector has come loose. It'll periodically make contact and refresh the left side of the screen, or if you press or twist the phone a certain way. If you are comfortable opening your phone it's a very very simple fix. Just pop off the back cover, remove the battery connector (for safety), pop the screen connector back on, replace the battery connector, and Voila!

n1234d said:
I had the exact same problem a few days ago. Your display connector has come loose. It'll periodically make contact and refresh the left side of the screen, or if you press or twist the phone a certain way. If you are comfortable opening your phone it's a very very simple fix. Just pop off the back cover, remove the battery connector (for safety), pop the screen connector back on, replace the battery connector, and Voila!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Same thing happened on my old LG G2. It fell at a particular angle and knocked the display connector out. Screen would either be full snow, with lines down it, or blank. When I pressed hard on the screen, it would come back, but fuzz up when I let go. Open it up and saw the display connector was dislodged; popped it back in and screen went back to normal. Axon 7 seems a bit harder to open up. Just watched a teardown video and it seems the display connector is on the power button side of the screen. Maybe try pressing on that side and see if you can push the connector back in. Otherwise, n1234d's advice is the best way to do it.

Howie Dub said:
Same thing happened on my old LG G2. It fell at a particular angle and knocked the display connector out. Screen would either be full snow, with lines down it, or blank. When I pressed hard on the screen, it would come back, but fuzz up when I let go. Open it up and saw the display connector was dislodged; popped it back in and screen went back to normal. Axon 7 seems a bit harder to open up. Just watched a teardown video and it seems the display connector is on the power button side of the screen. Maybe try pressing on that side and see if you can push the connector back in. Otherwise, n1234d's advice is the best way to do it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This is a lazy fix but could be bad for your phone, if you push the connector when it's even slightly misaligned, you risk damaging the connector either on the screen side or the board. Opening the phone takes a little time but IMO is safer.
Few tips for opening your phone:
Use a hair dryer/hear gun for the speaker grilles, without those, try as you may, you wont get them off
Make initial separation in the grilles with a metal tool, the gap is too small for a plastic tool to enter. After initial separation, make sure you use plastic
When you're prying the grilles open, make sure you insert your tool sideways and pry upwards, you don't want to poke a hole in your awesome front firing speakers
On the bottom there is adhesive over the two screws towards the middle, push it upwards, don't let it stick to your screwdriver or you'll pull off bits
When prying the screen off, insert your metal tool between the metal and white plastic at an angle parallel to the phone, then turn it upwards till you get it perpendicular, and then sideways again, parallel. That'll help you get some separation. Do this all around the phone and the back should come off after some gentle pulling out.
The only way ZTE will ever know you were in your phone is if you mess up the adhesive under the speakers, so be careful with it.
Sent from my ZTE A2017U using Tapatalk

n1234d said:
This is a lazy fix but could be bad for your phone, if you push the connector when it's even slightly misaligned, you risk damaging the connector either on the screen side or the board. Opening the phone takes a little time but IMO is safer.
Few tips for opening your phone:
Use a hair dryer/hear gun for the speaker grilles, without those, try as you may, you wont get them off
Make initial separation in the grilles with a metal tool, the gap is too small for a plastic tool to enter. After initial separation, make sure you use plastic
When you're prying the grilles open, make sure you insert your tool sideways and pry upwards, you don't want to poke a hole in your awesome front firing speakers
On the bottom there is adhesive over the two screws towards the middle, push it upwards, don't let it stick to your screwdriver or you'll pull off bits
When prying the screen off, insert your metal tool between the metal and white plastic at an angle parallel to the phone, then turn it upwards till you get it perpendicular, and then sideways again, parallel. That'll help you get some separation. Do this all around the phone and the back should come off after some gentle pulling out.
The only way ZTE will ever know you were in your phone is if you mess up the adhesive under the speakers, so be careful with it.
Sent from my ZTE A2017U using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It's a non-invasive fix. There is so little space in these phones that more than likely the connector moved just enough not to be fully connected to the motherboard. If tapping on the screen is working for some, then pressing in the right area to push the connector back in might be all it takes. You're going to have to take the phone apart or send it in anyways; might as well try something to see if you can avoid those things and won't void your warranty. Taking apart your phone is just as risky. Many more things can go wrong when you take it apart. And good luck putting your phone back the same way if you have to use a heat gun to get some of the parts off. My suggestion was for those who don't want to take it apart or have the tools to.

Howie Dub said:
It's a non-invasive fix. There is so little space in these phones that more than likely the connector moved just enough not to be fully connected to the motherboard. If tapping on the screen is working for some, then pressing in the right area to push the connector back in might be all it takes. You're going to have to take the phone apart or send it in anyways; might as well try something to see if you can avoid those things and won't void your warranty. Taking apart your phone is just as risky. Many more things can go wrong when you take it apart. And good luck putting your phone back the same way if you have to use a heat gun to get some of the parts off. My suggestion was for those who don't want to take it apart or have the tools to.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
To each their own, Sir. ?
Sent from my ZTE A2017U using Tapatalk

Wholow said:
mine started doing this periodically after i fumbled it
a temporary fix is giving it a quick tap dead center of the screen then it snaps right to normal
its at least a band-aid for now ill let you know if i find real issue when i open her up
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I think replacing screen that is the final solution :crying:

dowleey said:
I think replacing screen that is the final solution :crying:
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Your screen isn't bad, your connector is loose
Sent from my ZTE A2017U using Tapatalk

dowleey said:
half of my screen image blocked but the touch working fine :crying:
any idea if this is hardware or software issue
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This just happened to me last night. Fell out of my pocket. Hit it a few times with my palm and it's OK now. :laugh