yashsingh1/xdaforums huggingface dataset:
[Motorola Photon Q 4G LTE] ogrfnkl:
First mod attempt failed :(

Today I tried to get the Sprint SIM out of the Photon Q motherboard, but it didn't work. I used a rework station, just as shown in Cornholio's videos, but no matter how much I heated it up, the SIM cover wouldn't budge.

I originally tried setting the temperature to 430 degrees and the pressure to the mid-point (there was no numerical value on the dial), and ended up cranking it all the way up to 480 degrees and max pressure, and still no go. I held and moved the nozzle EXACTLY as shown by Cornholio, but the cover wouldn't come off even after several minutes of continuous heat. I tried both removing it with tweezers and prying it off with a small utility knife. I also tried to apply heat with a soldering iron, but that didn't do the trick either.

I'd like to think it is the rework station that's not working properly, because I just can't see what I could have possibly done wrong. But I noticed there is at least one person, sasha19323, who had the same problem...

I did notice that after using the soldering iron, when I tried heating the cover again with the rework nozzle, the solder that had been left on top did melt, but the piece still wouldn't move.

Should I try it with a different rework station? A more powerful soldering iron? Or might it be that on some phones the cover is glued, rather than soldered?
[Motorola Photon Q 4G LTE] sasha19323:
What the rework station do you have? I have Lukey 852D
[Motorola Photon Q 4G LTE] ogrfnkl:
The one I was trying to use is Lukey 701.
[Motorola Photon Q 4G LTE] kcrudup:
... or "10 voice minutes / 2MBytes of data in a foreign country on Sprint's International Rob-Me-Blind rates" :D)
[Motorola Photon Q 4G LTE] wintrxtrem:
People will pay it. Hell, I probably will if CM gets ported. Just picked up the phone yesterday..
[Motorola Photon Q 4G LTE] Azptyanimal:
I pray the GN2 doesn't have a built in sim! Damn sprint for paying extra to screw up phones
[Motorola Photon Q 4G LTE] zodiac12345:
Sorry to burst your bubble, but the Note 2 will have an embedded SIM slot as well, and unlike the Photon Q, i doubt anyone in EU will go through the trouble to solder a new one because there is an international Note 2.
[Motorola Photon Q 4G LTE] CornholioGSM:
...i make one photo just for fun... :)

!!!BACK TO THE FUTURE!!!
[Motorola Photon Q 4G LTE] CornholioGSM:
SO....i have tested more and more and really all functions works in this "MODification"

Incoming/Outgoing Calls, In/Out SMS and Internet connection too :)

Internet connects to 3G+/H in GSM/CDMA and to G in GSM only- G sounds like old Gprs...but speed is like Edge

3G+ speed is approx 10Mbit/s

Tested on my Vodafone SIM and my testing O2 SIM.

SO ALL WORKS FINE !!!

NEW Test video:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OWNOmFBYJd8
[Motorola Photon Q 4G LTE] americanpittbull:
You are CRAZY man! Respect! Go on working !
[Motorola Photon Q 4G LTE] agazza:
If this phone doesn't come out with gsm version, you will have to do this on alott of phones :)

sent from phone
[Motorola Photon Q 4G LTE] ScuzUK:
That really impressive, damn you moto sell me a photon Q in the UK!
[Motorola Photon Q 4G LTE] cloud_9:
if there is no GSM version for photon q, I will sent mine to u bro, for conducting this mod :)
[Motorola Photon Q 4G LTE] CornholioGSM:
....no problem, but i am from Czech = too much for postage
[Motorola Photon Q 4G LTE] agazza:
To sweden?

sent from phone
[Motorola Photon Q 4G LTE] CornholioGSM:
i mean from You (sweden) to me (czech) and then back...

I have no photon q for sale and this photon on pictures is not my.
[Motorola Photon Q 4G LTE] abbie7:
Is it also possible to use a hairdryer instead of a hot air rework station?
[Motorola Photon Q 4G LTE] CornholioGSM:
OMG...NOOOOO! Your hairdryer has 400°C/752°F ???

You must use this or like this:
[Motorola Photon Q 4G LTE] JoshinPl:
Very nice work man, I hope that you will resolve the problem of the space because then you would modifiacte a lot of phones ;p i'm from poland so the distance is not the problem ;D

Enviado desde mi U20i usando Tapatalk 2
[Motorola Photon Q 4G LTE] ikv:
Thanks to CornholioGSM for his help with my photon Q.

I just finish this modification as you can see in the picture.

There is enough space for slightly trimmed sim card.

It works perfectly!
[Motorola Photon Q 4G LTE] CornholioGSM:
....Space for soldered sim is not problem... Problem is pace for sim card reader.

@ikv...diky kamo :)
[Motorola Photon Q 4G LTE] solitarywarrior1:
Maybe somehow figure out how to make something like this work?

http://www.newark.com/jae/st7s014v4br800/socket-micro-sd-sim-combo/dp/55T7307
[Motorola Photon Q 4G LTE] CornholioGSM:
too large :( and this is for normal sim and i need it for micro or nano sim.
[Motorola Photon Q 4G LTE] Skrilax_CZ:
Before I gave my phone to CornholioGSM to make the mod I was doing some tryouts on a training board (old Motorola ZN5).

I don't remember the names of the rework stations, tried two: one with 3 mm diameter and that was two small (was unable to heat enough a metal shield of similar size enough even on 550 degrees for about 5 minutes). The other one was more powerful (I think it had diameter 1 cm) and it went loose after around a minute on ~ 370 degrees. But with that I oftenly ended up overheating it (moreless screwing things under the shield or when removing some IC the tiny R / C around it went free too) because I was unable to properly estimate the correct moment when to lift it. So that's my little experience as I haven't worked with rework stations so far.
[Motorola Photon Q 4G LTE] ogrfnkl:
The rework station I used had a 4 mm nozzle -- maybe that was the problem. Cornholio recommends 7 mm. I'll try to find another rework station with the right nozzle, but it might be difficult where I live...
[Motorola Photon Q 4G LTE] CornholioGSM:
...420-440°C is good, but you must have good set pressure - not too much!

...then you must look on place where is the cover soldered to board- when is the place " shiny" you can put cover in tweezer and desolder it ...but it must be do quickly and straight up! :)

440-500°C is tooooooooo much !!!
[Motorola Photon Q 4G LTE] toerb:
the cover problem was just the same at my phone.

I ended up, pulling the cover mechanically away, the chip then was no problem at all for my hot air station.
[Motorola Photon Q 4G LTE] ogrfnkl:
Would you please specify how exactly you pulled the cover away mechanically? Thanks.

---------- Post added at 12:13 AM ---------- Previous post was at 12:08 AM ----------

Do you think that the reason the cover wouldn't unsolder is that my rework station has a smaller nozzle -- 4 mm? Do you think I could get the cover off with a larger and more powerful soldering iron? (My little 20w iron didn't do the job.)
[Motorola Photon Q 4G LTE] sasha19323:
I removed metal cover mechanically too. I used knife and pliers. Chip and resistor aren't damaged
[Motorola Photon Q 4G LTE] toerb:
I just made the holes in the cover larger with a needle or something and then I worked myself throug to the edge and there i twisted the metal so that it winds up and i can pull it up, lifting mm after mm.
[Motorola Photon Q 4G LTE] LongF:
Here some pictures of his perfect work. He´s done a great job! My bricked MS2 is also back to life thanks to CornholioGSM! :good::good::good:
[Motorola Photon Q 4G LTE] keisersoze:
Cornholio I have a newbie question but what program are you using for the screenshots of the sim info ?
[Motorola Photon Q 4G LTE] Gojira-r32:
search appstore : sim card, first app you see it is. simple
[Motorola Photon Q 4G LTE] sasha19323:
Problem#2: I can't unsolder SIM IC! 440C, flux and no result:(

What i did wrong?
[Motorola Photon Q 4G LTE] CornholioGSM:
...wrong pressure / or small diameter
[Motorola Photon Q 4G LTE] Armadill0:
Can someone give me the dimensions of the galaxy s3 micro sim slot?
[Motorola Photon Q 4G LTE] ogrfnkl:
A cautionary tale...

Well, folks... I am sorry to say, but in attempting to do this mod, I just ended up ruining my phone.

After several unsuccessful attempts at removing the metal sim cover with a rework station (tried it with both 4mm and 8mm nozzles and at various temperatures and pressures), I finally had to use a razor blade to cut under the edge of the cover and pry it off mechanically. That was actually quite easy, but unfortunately, I wasn't careful enough with the blade and ended up shearing off two of the tiny resistors located beside the sim. Since I didn't even notice this right away, I couldn't find the resistors afterwards. The attached picture shows the final result -- a sorry sight...

In the end, just for the heck of it, I still tried to remove the sim IC with the rework station, but that didn't work either (I don't know if this particular rework station is defective or something, but neither the IC, nor the metal cover before it, would budge). The heat from the repeated removal attempts had a clear effect on the motherboard around the sim. The rubber padding several centimeters away had partially melted and shrunk, and I don't know if any other components may have been damaged as well.

Dear Cornholio, please tell me if you think you can still salvage this phone (and perform the mod on it) if I send it to you, or am I going to have to get a new one?

SOBERING CONCLUSIONS:

1) The demonstration videos make the cover and sim removal look easy, but in real life, your mileage may vary, depending on your equipment/skills.

2) If you are using a rework station and the cover or the IC doesn't come off after a minute or so, do NOT keep heating the circuit, or you'll damage the components.

3) Probably the easiest way to remove the metal cover is mechanically, with a razor blade. If you do that, however, you must be VERY careful to not cut in too deeply under the edge of the cover -- the tiny resistors on the inside are only a millimeter or so from the edge.

4) If you don't want to risk ruining your $300 phone, let professionals do it (i.e. Cornholio). This was an expensive mistake for me...
[Motorola Photon Q 4G LTE] CornholioGSM:
...maybe i can fix it :)

Now dont labor with board and contact me on PM.
[Motorola Photon Q 4G LTE] oTToToTenTanz:
Ouch, the board doesnt look good at all :(

Right equipment is really important though, you are right. I performed the mod today with success! Thanks again Cornohlio!

I just have problems right now setting up the data network as simply editing APNs doesnt seem to solve the problem...Hope I can fix this soon..
[Motorola Photon Q 4G LTE] Maxpowersxp:
make sure under apn type you have "interent" also i found out that randomly i created 2 different named apns with same info only the 2nd one would work for some reason and the 1st one even though its identical does not work.
[Motorola Photon Q 4G LTE] oTToToTenTanz:
Maxpowersxp

Wow, that solved my problem immediately, thanks a lot! Somehow the signal is weaker on my Photon than it was on my Milestone 2..did someone experience the same??
[Motorola Photon Q 4G LTE] Skrilax_CZ:
btw. I got rid of that annoying profile activation screen (at boot) by removing /system/app/SprintOMADM2.apk and /system/app/SprintOMADM2.odex.

See here http://xdaforums.com/showthread.php?t=1265816. Also I didn't find Virus free CDMA workshop (cracked) and was too lazy to setup a virtual machine for now.
[Motorola Photon Q 4G LTE] oTToToTenTanz:
Hi Cornholio,

for sharing your knowledge and helping out this community I made a small donation just then and hope you can enjoy a cold beer with it. With your help many people here have a dream QWERTY while they were not really supposed to have it (just yet).

THANKS!:good:
[Motorola Photon Q 4G LTE] CornholioGSM:
oooooh thank YOU :)

now i must add you to my donator list :)
[Motorola Photon Q 4G LTE] Al936:
You can use QPST instead of CDMA workshop. QPST can be downloaded from here http://www.cricketusers.com/sprint-motorola-photon-q-4g-lte/35039-%5Btutorial%5D-full-flash-sprint-motorola-photon-q-4g-lte-cricket-talk-text-mms-internet.html
[Motorola Photon Q 4G LTE] keisersoze:
Hey Cornholio or anyone else that can help. I have taken my Photon q apart and am waiting for my hot air kit any way I noticed a little rubber square sitting on my workbench. It is about 3mm by 3mm and is transparent (see attached thumbnail)and dont know where it came from. Any ideas?
[Motorola Photon Q 4G LTE] Gojira-r32:
i used system tuner, download from appstore, here you can uninstall system apps without any problem.

and very eassy, like this you can also uninstall other system apps you don't whant to have without searching them.

like the sprint activation, talkback etc i deleted them
[Motorola Photon Q 4G LTE] CornholioGSM:
...microphone on bottom :)
[Motorola Photon Q 4G LTE] Rangerbry:
you can see where it goes in the first picture of this thread

http://xdaforums.com/showthread.php?t=1850305
[Motorola Photon Q 4G LTE] Skrilax_CZ:
I'm actually curious about the EDGE, since the "E" icon didn't appear even in CM10. Also in speed tests I still got only 2.5G speeds (around 100 kbps, cca half of expected EDGE speed). Though it's not a big deal when one has HSPA+ and 10 MBit :)
[Motorola Photon Q 4G LTE] oTToToTenTanz:
I think I need a lesson about symbols and speed as well...especially with the new photon q.

Isn't it like this: E < G < 3G < H < H+

With my milestone 2 I got H most of the time, with this photon q it is 3G all the time...I can't say if its slower though...didn't test enough.

Or is H equal to 3G...I'm on GSM / UMTS setting.
[Motorola Photon Q 4G LTE] Skrilax_CZ:
The stock firmware doesn't use "H", just sticks with 3G. On CM10 I had H+ when in data transfer (speed ~ 10 Mbps DL). Anyway E > G, but not by much in absolute numbers. I had around 120 kbps DL / 80 kbps UP on Photon Q, which looks like 2.5G. With EDGE the it would be ~ 230 kbps DL / 120 kbps UP if I recall well. Although it doesn't really make much sense to me why EDGE would not be present :|

You could say it's like G < E < 3G < H < H+.
[Motorola Photon Q 4G LTE] oTToToTenTanz:
Ah, I see. So if I understand u right, u just miss the E symbols although G speed almost represents Edge (with 2.5G)?

So, is there CM10 for Photon Q? Or are talking about an early adoption e.g. own kernel & test build?

Also: would it make sense that wifi is much faster on the photon q than it was on Milestone 2? I had ~2megabytes/second the other day and thought that was quite quick^^

I hope I'm not too far off-topic here..
[Motorola Photon Q 4G LTE] keisersoze:
Hey Cornholio I removed the cover and sim with no missing parts with hotair at 420 and a 7mm tip. It took me about as long as it took you in the video. Unfortuneately when I soldered in the sim it does not see it. I set the phone to gsm hspa but still no go. I soldered and unoldered the sim so many times I ended up losing a small resistor in the upper left hand corner. I am wondering in the previous posts when

you measure from ground to the solder pads you get 0.500 is that ohms, Mohms or Kohms? I am measuring resistance on those pads but in the mega ohm region. I am meauring 0 on the point that is ground. Any help would be appreciated.
[Motorola Photon Q 4G LTE] Skrilax_CZ:
I'm porting it. You can find it in my github (https://github.com/SkrilaxCZ) and compile if you want, but it's still too buggy.

EDIT: I've uploaded current build here: http://188.40.36.100/skrilax/cm-10-20130213-UNOFFICIAL-asanti_c.zip but it's just a preview, don't post be bugs yet etc. It's also "GSM Only edition".
[Motorola Photon Q 4G LTE] antonyfirst:
It would be fantastic to make this mod work with a dual sim adapter. Has anyone a clue as to do it?
[Motorola Photon Q 4G LTE] CornholioGSM:
hmmm i can test it :)

...but is impossible to have both sim registered on network
[Motorola Photon Q 4G LTE] antonyfirst:
Go, Cornholio! :D

Maybe there is a way to switch between sims quickly?
[Motorola Photon Q 4G LTE] CornholioGSM:
it can be use elecronics from old dualsim cover....then you can switch sim in simtoolkit menu.

But it photon is not space for 2nd sim slot - so one sim must be soldered directly and one in sim slot.
[Motorola Photon Q 4G LTE] uzziah11:
micro sim

will a micro sim like that in a galaxy s3 international version work in the sim slot and after removing ic is that it am in Trinidad and Tobago and thinking about it .Is it wise or a waste of time
[Motorola Photon Q 4G LTE] ogrfnkl:
Resistor values

Could anyone please tell me the values of the resistors that are marked up in the attached picture? Thanks!
[Motorola Photon Q 4G LTE] CornholioGSM:
Please dont touch on your mainboard anymore !

Resestor marked as "1" has missing contacts on your board and is needed to use microscope for connect it back again!

I have replied to you on private message.
[Motorola Photon Q 4G LTE] autobanned:
there is something i would like to ask,....

do i need spesial tool for soldeing the cable ? because the leads it is too small,.. it was very hard for me to soldeing / connecting the cable ....

i try all night long but ...... i failed ... :D... is there any technique to soldering the cable ?

i use cable from headphone,.....

thanks....

now .... i got lost one the resistor thing ..... ha ha ..... i screw up ....
[Motorola Photon Q 4G LTE] Skrilax_CZ:
I've started to build nightly builds for CM10 here: http://skrilax.droid-developers.org/cm10nightly/asanti_c/ (the link is also in my signature). Use this gapps: http://skrilax.droid-developers.org/xt897/gapps-jb-20130214-photonq.zip. I was on ASA14 build prior flashing it (and all the proprietaries are from ASA14), don't forget to take backup etc.

It's just a preview and only for GSM, daily useable (however wifi isn't entirely working properly (scans for networks may take very long), and other things will like bluetooth, hdmi, nfc etc. are likely broken). Don't post me bugs yet until the main things get working, I will create a topic for that when the wifi etc. is fixed.
[Motorola Photon Q 4G LTE] CornholioGSM:
aaaaaa superrrrrr :)

Maybe you can made small video and put it on youtube :)
[Motorola Photon Q 4G LTE] oTToToTenTanz:
@ConrholioGSM.

Maybe some users are not utterly happy with their Photon Qs, but coming from the Milestone 2, everyday I play with my new device it makes me really happy! For me the Photon Q is what I dreamt of and thanks to you Cornholio I can have it...Just wanting to say thank you again :D
[Motorola Photon Q 4G LTE] patrickm823:
:o

Apparently I need to start reading this thread for CM10 updates! lol:cyclops:
[Motorola Photon Q 4G LTE] sasha19323:
Hello again! I lost some components(res. and cap.) and can't unsolder Sim IC. Will this mod works if i'll use this schematic:
[Motorola Photon Q 4G LTE] CornholioGSM:
...contact me on PM
[Motorola Photon Q 4G LTE] TenkuuHenshin:
Hi!

I had the IC desoldered and that's the result.

I lost some components. Any way to fix it?
[Motorola Photon Q 4G LTE] autobanned:
should i find new mainboard or i still can continuing this mod ?

i lost something as you can see in attachment (i marked it with yellow box)
[Motorola Photon Q 4G LTE] CornholioGSM:
...new board is not needed...contact me on pm and post me photo of your mainboard
[Motorola Photon Q 4G LTE] sleepball:
Did it! Thank you for the guide!

Works great!

Stripped blue IDE cable and used sony mini sim socket (item 281041740344 on ebay)
[Motorola Photon Q 4G LTE] Al936:
One more Photon Q connected to GSM network.

Cornholio, thanks a lot for your guide! And thanks a lot to my friend who did it!
[Motorola Photon Q 4G LTE] mrvek:
@flintston314: please check PM. Thanks...
[Motorola Photon Q 4G LTE] atomphil:
Looks good, but how you cut the rear plastic frame to make space for the socket? Any pics?
[Motorola Photon Q 4G LTE] Nowhere550:
Cornholio - Respect to you, you did a great job! I'll buy a Photon for me in the next days and try to mod it - great chance for me to have a modern phone with hardware keyboard! Thanks!

I've read a whole thread but didnt found an answer for that: How did you made a port for the simcard in the cover? Cutting with something like this?

bahco-werkzeuge. de/images/it/bp433m.jpg (delete the whitespace)

Is the slot in the right size for place it inside? Where do you want to place it? How do you want to isolate it from the contacts on the board (if you want to use the point where was the sprint-IC)

Regards
[Motorola Photon Q 4G LTE] CornholioGSM:
You mean this? it was made with scalpel :)

http://img845.imageshack.us/img845/3166/finallf.png
[Motorola Photon Q 4G LTE] Skrilax_CZ:
btw. some interesting stuff on the other MSM8960 - they bypassed SW SIM lock on the RAZR HD / M phones: http://xdaforums.com/showthread.php?t=2166542
[Motorola Photon Q 4G LTE] agazza:
Sv: Good News !!! SIM CARD MOD IS HERE !!!

I cant find any seller who ships outside us/canada :(

//sweden

Did you guys have too look for a long time?

Skickat från min HTC Vision via Tapatalk 2
[Motorola Photon Q 4G LTE] toerb:
Just buy it in america and ship it with borderlinx. The shipping process is really easy and fast!
[Motorola Photon Q 4G LTE] kaot5:
Missing Part after soldering

Hello everyone,

I need a little help. When I tried to remove the SIM-IC a chip is cracked. It seems that it is a fuse. The other one close to this has a resistant of 1.6Ohm. Can anyone tell me more about this part?

2. (Rooky-) Question: I took an airflow desoldering machine with fluxor to get the SIM-IC out. Temperature is set to 450°C and airflow to 40% to protect the other parts. It didn't come loose. Meanwhile half of the IC is destroyed and I can see the die. I tried also to take a solder machine with a big solder tip to heat the IC up. The same resolut :confused:
[Motorola Photon Q 4G LTE] CornholioGSM:
It is diode for camera button
[Motorola Photon Q 4G LTE] kaot5:
It's done. The chips comes down.

Are you sure that this is a diode? There are two more diodes more right closer to the button.
[Motorola Photon Q 4G LTE] CornholioGSM:
you can simple test it on continuity check on voltmeter :)
[Motorola Photon Q 4G LTE] kaot5:
I do this on the second one. Continuity check in both drirections: Current pass, resistance 1.6Ohm, capacity lower than 1nF, indutivity (no gauge). May you are right and another device is parallel to the second one. But 1.6Ohm seems to less I think. It can also be a Ferrit Beat but I never see one in a white body with black marking.
[Motorola Photon Q 4G LTE] CornholioGSM:
...wait one hour...then i will let you know
[Motorola Photon Q 4G LTE] bluet0rch:
Goose bumps

This post gives me goose bumps, this is what modding is all about, I dream of doing stuff like this one day.

I wish I could collaborate with this project to make is work with the card, grab my dremel and start doing holes to the phone. lol

I wish I could mode all CDMA phones to make them work here in Venezuela.

Kudos to you man, HARD MOD ON!
[Motorola Photon Q 4G LTE] Alex_XV6700:
No data :(

First of all many thanks to CornHolio for this excellent MOD,

I made a clean removal of the integrated Sprint SIM card, and proceeded to solder my sim card.

I get voice calls and receive, but my phone doesnt work without wifi, data just doesnt work :(

Im attaching 2 images, one of pre-sim soldering, and a screenshot of SIM CARD program.

I would be very grateful if someone could help me with this.

Thx in advance to all...
[Motorola Photon Q 4G LTE] gehstock:
Check APN Settings
[Motorola Photon Q 4G LTE] Alex_XV6700:
the sim card I used is the same with which I was using an Atrix HD, I myself configured the APN settings on both on the exact same way, and the Atrix was working fine H+
[Motorola Photon Q 4G LTE] CornholioGSM:
...After MOD data works for all...you have wrong set APN!

Go to your operator page and search internet setting for Galaxy Nexus.

...or test add to apn:

Authentication Type - PAP

APN Type - default

APN protocol - IPv4

And dont forget to have marked Allow GSM DATA

:)
[Motorola Photon Q 4G LTE] oTToToTenTanz:
Check this for your APN settings. It solved my problem with connection to the internet!
[Motorola Photon Q 4G LTE] sleepball:
The slot is under the black panel exactly where you saw it on the photo. In order to change the SIM I'll have to open all the screws again, but at least there's an option to use another SIM without soldering again.