Samsung Galaxy S5...Camnera fix

[n2ize]

I recently, within the last 2 weeks got myself a Galaxy S5 Android. For the most part I like the device. The built in rear camera was great until I noticed it started looking fuzzy and today I bnoticed the glass lens cover is cracked. This appears to be a problem with this phone as many people report having had to have them replaced or repaired due to this problem.

I was looking online and I found I can get a replacement lens and bezel for around $5.00. Instead of bothering to bring it in for service and having to wait for it to be replaced or repaired I can buy the lens and bezel and fix it myself. seems to be a matter of snapoping the back off, removing the SD card and battery, taking out 9 or 10 tiny screws, taking the back off, snapping out the amplifier/speaker module and then taking out the camera, prying off the bezel and the lens and replaging it with a new lens and bezel and then doing the reverse process and putting it all back together.

I am quite good at fixing small items since I do mechanical watch repair. Just wondering if anyone else out there has done this and if they have come across any snags ? Otherwise I am ordering the lens and bezel and my watch repair kit is standing by. :yes:

[K7SGJ]

Most all the phones and tablets I've fixed, have had screws that were hidden by snap off plastic pieces. Others, the cases are held together with double sided tape that is precut to fit the phone profile. Those you need to heat up the plastic with a heat gun or hair dryer to soften the tape, and then using a skinny and flat tool, you have to pry the case apart. The trick is to not FU the plastic where you pry. It's not a great deal of fun.

You may want to search out a you-tube video, or some of the online cell phone parts houses have videos or instructions to follow to minimize damage. If it's still in warranty, I'd either exchange it or have it fixed under warranty. If something catastrophic fails later, they won't honor the warranty because there will be signs it was opened, and tamper seals broken if you do it yourself.

Choose wisely grasshopper.

[NQ6U]

I repaired my old iPhone G3 once. Disassembling it was easy, getting back together again...not so much so.

You can do it, but be forewarned—you're talking about ten grams of shit in a nine gram bag. The parts (especially the screws) are unbelievably tiny and there are a bunch of very fragile ribbon connectors to deal with inside. Be sure to get yourself a set of plastic spudgers (http://www.amazon.com/Spudger-Open-Tool-Repair-Kit/dp/B00K9GQD4C/ref=sr_1_3/187-1296956-3567734?ie=UTF8&qid=1407474112&sr=8-3&keywords=spudger+tool) for prying things apart, then work in a very clean area with lots of light and using magnification if you can. Working with the phone in a large rectangular baking pan will help keep you from losing stuff.

Good luck. You're gonna need it.

[n2ize]

I repaired my old iPhone G3 once. Disassembling it was easy, getting back together again...not so much so.

You can do it, but be forewarned—you're talking about ten grams of shit in a nine gram bag. The parts (especially the screws) are unbelievably tiny and there are a bunch of very fragile ribbon connectors to deal with inside. Be sure to get yourself a set of plastic spudgers (http://www.amazon.com/Spudger-Open-Tool-Repair-Kit/dp/B00K9GQD4C/ref=sr_1_3/187-1296956-3567734?ie=UTF8&qid=1407474112&sr=8-3&keywords=spudger+tool) for prying things apart, then work in a very clean area with lots of light and using magnification if you can. Working with the phone in a large rectangular baking pan will help keep you from losing stuff.

Good luck. You're gonna need it.

Oops, this phone is actually an S4. I can get the glass lens cover and bezel for as low as three dollars online. I watched a few videos and the process looks easy. basically remove the rear cover, take out the battery and SD card, take out 9 screws, pry off the back, yank out the speaker/amp assembly, and then you can get to the camera.

Whether or not I do it myself will depend on what they want to charge me to fix it. They will likely tell me I broke it and tell me its not covered by the warranty. I have insurance but there is a $45 deductible. It seems silly to pay $45 bucks to fix a part that I can get for less than 5 bucks. I have a set of watchmaking tools, loupes, etc and I am pretty good working on tiny delicate devices like watches. . Whether or not my "do it myself" instinct takes over will depend on the price tag they give me when I take it in for replacement or repair.

BTW... sometimes a couple of guitar picks make excellent spudgers

[KC2UGV]

Believe it or not, your best bet is to just remove the glass there. It's not really the lens, but rather a glass cover for the lens.

Conversely, I know it goes against ham ethics and all, but take it to one of those corner phone repair places. $30 and done.

[K7SGJ]

I repaired my old iPhone G3 once. Disassembling it was easy, getting back together again...not so much so.

You can do it, but be forewarned—you're talking about ten grams of shit in a nine gram bag. The parts (especially the screws) are unbelievably tiny and there are a bunch of very fragile ribbon connectors to deal with inside. Be sure to get yourself a set of plastic spudgers (http://www.amazon.com/Spudger-Open-Tool-Repair-Kit/dp/B00K9GQD4C/ref=sr_1_3/187-1296956-3567734?ie=UTF8&qid=1407474112&sr=8-3&keywords=spudger+tool) for prying things apart, then work in a very clean area with lots of light and using magnification if you can. Working with the phone in a large rectangular baking pan will help keep you from losing stuff.

Good luck. You're gonna need it.

And makes it easier to pop into the oven when you fuckitup. Bake at 350 for 45 minutes.

[koØm]

Believe it or not, your best bet is to just remove the glass there. It's not really the lens, but rather a glass cover for the lens.

Conversely, I know it goes against ham ethics and all, but take it to one of those corner phone repair places. $30 and done.

Yup, that's what I would do; would gladly pay them to take the responsibility of working on the large headache packaged in the small case.

John didn't explain whether he got the unit new from the carrier or used from a different outlet; kinda hard to see the device making it through Quality Control with the cracked lens protector but, having owned a Samsung Galaxy device for 2 years, it's hard to imagine how he could manage to break that glass. It seems to me that it would take a direct hit on that part of the phone with some amount of force to crack the lens protector.

The rule here is never work on anything smaller than a MacBook Pro and never start repairing anything for which I don't have spare replacement parts lying around gathering dust somewhere.

All of the prepaid phone outlets / phone repair shops (all the ones that I have visited) are operated by people of Middle Eastern descent with bad attitudes who speak Farsi(?) between themselves while interacting with the customers; fortunately, I don't use iWireless minute, Cricket, Boost Mobile or any other flavor of "Burner" cellphones.

Right now, I'm as happy as a pig rolling in feces to be to be the receiver of poor airtime service and even sh*ttyer customer service from T-Mobile.

"Over a certain age / under a certain size: Recycle"

.

[n2ize]

Believe it or not, your best bet is to just remove the glass there. It's not really the lens, but rather a glass cover for the lens.

I was thinking the exact same thing. Upon examining it I noticed that the actual camera lens is tiny and is behind the glass cover. I wasn;t sure however if the cover might act as a filter so I was hesitant to remove it. Also the glass and bezel help to weather proof the phone (to a small degree). So even if I do decide to chip out the broken glass I would still like to eventually either have it replaced or replace it myself. There is no major hurry however I do want to rectify the problem within a reasonable time frame as the camera does come in handy now and then.



Conversely, I know it goes against ham ethics and all, but take it to one of those corner phone repair places. $30 and done.
[/quote]

That is also a possibility. First I want to see if they'll fix or exchange it under warranty. If not then what are my options. If there is no reasonable and cost effective option then I'll consider ripping out the broken glass or replacing the class cover myself. I hate to pay >$30 to replace a <5 dollar part
that only requires only about 10 minutes of labor to replace.

[KC2UGV]

I was thinking the exact same thing. Upon examining it I noticed that the actual camera lens is tiny and is behind the glass cover. I wasn;t sure however if the cover might act as a filter so I was hesitant to remove it. Also the glass and bezel help to weather proof the phone (to a small degree). So even if I do decide to chip out the broken glass I would still like to eventually either have it replaced or replace it myself. There is no major hurry however I do want to rectify the problem within a reasonable time frame as the camera does come in handy now and then.

That is also a possibility. First I want to see if they'll fix or exchange it under warranty. If not then what are my options. If there is no reasonable and cost effective option then I'll consider ripping out the broken glass or replacing the class cover myself. I hate to pay >$30 to replace a <5 dollar part
that only requires only about 10 minutes of labor to replace.

Bear in mind, it's 10 minutes of labor for someone who has done hundreds of them. For someone doing the first one ever, it can stretch to days of labor.

[NQ6U]

Bear in mind, it's 10 minutes of labor for someone who has done hundreds of them. For someone doing the first one ever, it can stretch to days of labor.

If the inside of a Samsung Galaxy is anything like the inside of an iPhone, figure on a couple of tries to get it back together and and working correctly. Getting all the buttons and switches lined up correctly takes some doing.

[n2ize]

If the inside of a Samsung Galaxy is anything like the inside of an iPhone, figure on a couple of tries to get it back together and and working correctly. Getting all the buttons and switches lined up correctly takes some doing.

From what I've seen in the video its nothing like that. No buttons to line up ir anything like that. You basically remove the back frame, take out the speaker, disconnect a few ribbon cables that plug in to the board, take out a screw, remove the camera, replace the lens and bezel and do the reverse process to assemble it.

In fact, here is the video. This is the identical phone to the one I have. Tell me what you think. Does this look the same as the iPhone or does this look much easier ?


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=djjhR4870F4

[K7SGJ]

They do make it look easy. Here are a couple of personal experiences. Keep in mind I did component level repair for over 40 years, down to SMT super fine pitch, requiring specialty equipment. The first Ipad I did wasn't difficult, but more frustrating. I had to replace the touch screen. After putting it together, some of the rows or columns of the on screen keyboard wouldn't work. Take it back apart nutz around with the ribbon cable/connector combination, put it together and now those rows and columns work, but lost a different one. Eventually, I broke the fucking ribbon cable and had to order yet another new digitizer. Finally, after many trys, I got it working and back together, but then had problems getting the case to stay together with the adhesive tape that is used. There is almost no way to use any standard clamping system without breaking the screen. And it has to be clamped and heated, and then stay clamped for a day or so. I found a drop of super glue in a strategic place or two was helpful. I finally finished it up, and if I had to do another, it would be much easier for me since I know what pitfalls to look for.

The first Android phones I did were a challenge as well. All the ribbon cables have to be routed just so, and some have to be held in place with this black gooey non conductive gorilla snot that you buy on a sheet. If everything isn't just right, you can end up with RF going places it shouldn't be, and that makes for some very interesting problems. Don't ask how I know this.

The bottom line is, it's all about the experience and the tools. If I had to do it a lot, I would learn and know the tricks to make it easier and more successful the first time around; and have all the right tools and materials. I'm sure each manufacturer is just different enough to fuck with your head. My daughter is getting a new phone soon, and giving me her old one which is better than the Motorola I ow have. Naturally, her digitizer is broken and battery won't hold much of a charge. This phone requires complete disassembly just to replace the battery. And I mean complete. If the bastid that designed this shit had to fix them himself, you'd see some new designs lickity split.

[NQ6U]

Yeah, Eddie, I ran into problems with the ribbon cables as well. I managed to avoid breaking any of them but I had to realign two of them several times before everything worked correctly.

[K7SGJ]

Yeah, Eddie, I ran into problems with the ribbon cables as well. I managed to avoid breaking any of them but I had to realign two of them several times before everything worked correctly.

They are a pain in the ass, and God help you if you break one of those little snap close connectors the ribbon cable goes into.

[n2ize]

Well, let me first see what they will do via the warranty and/or the insurance. I purchased several phones (of different types) that day for the family and I still owe them a sum of money so I don;t want to raise issues regarding my account until I pay them. So I might have to hold off for a week or two.If the fix it for free or for the price of the insurance deductable then I'll let them do it. If they want some absurd price then I'll either do it myself or follow Corey's idea and just remove that glass cover and let the camera lens do its work without it. I might even be able to improvise my own lens cover using some quality optical glass I have laying around. As long as I can get the camera to take a decent picture again I'll be satisfied.

Now I have to get back to fixing a weed trimmer.

[K7SGJ]

Well, let me first see what they will do via the warranty and/or the insurance. I purchased several phones (of different types) that day for the family and I still owe them a sum of money so I don;t want to raise issues regarding my account until I pay them. So I might have to hold off for a week or two.If the fix it for free or for the price of the insurance deductable then I'll let them do it. If they want some absurd price then I'll either do it myself or follow Corey's idea and just remove that glass cover and let the camera lens do its work without it. I might even be able to improvise my own lens cover using some quality optical glass I have laying around. As long as I can get the camera to take a decent picture again I'll be satisfied.

Now I have to get back to fixing a weed trimmer.

Please get it fixed soon. The world awaits your selfies.

[n2ize]

Please get it fixed soon. The world awaits your selfies.

It still takes a halfway decent picture despite the broken lens window. The pictures are clear but appear slightly smoky and if there is a bright light source there is a heavy lens flare. The front camera is fine and takes perfectly clear pictures. The thing with me is that things have to be perfect.

[n2ize]

Believe it or not, your best bet is to just remove the glass there. It's not really the lens, but rather a glass cover for the lens.

I did exactly that and it takes perfect pictures again. But I still have to get the phone serviced because there is a small crack in the glass (hardly noticeable) that covers the front display screen. So while I am at it I will also have them replace the glass lens cover.



Conversely, I know it goes against ham ethics and all, but take it to one of those corner phone repair places. $30 and done.

i contacted several local phone repair shops and they all want a lot more than $30.00 for the repairs. Since I have insurance on the phone I am just going to bite the bullet and pay the deductible and have it fixed. The only drawback is that I'll be without a mobile device for a few days but that is not a problem. I will survive.