[HTC Pico (Explorer)] #define:
Hello people..

I am writing this guide in relation to the physical button problems that are present in our phones..

PLEASE READ THE FULL GUIDE AT LEAST ONCE..

Now, before I start anything, I'd like to say that this guide is for ADVANCED and/or POWER users only..

It is NOT for everybody..

There is a perfectly good chance that you can do some serious hardware damage, the kind which will not be covered under warranty even..

Use CAUTION..

Alright..

Now, I am just gonna get started with the guide..

I have attached as many pics as possible, to make the understanding easier..

Please do excuse the quality of the pictures, my camera is getting a little old for its time now.. :angel:

Firstly, we gather the tools we'll need :

TOOLS :=

1) Your faulty phone (D'Uh!)

2) 2 screwdrivers :

a) A Torx T5 screwdriver (for the outer body screws)..

b) A "Plus" shaped screwdriver, of size 1.7 (for the board)..

3) A case opener tool, or a guitar pick, or something small and sharp..

4) A clean table..

5) An ample amount of light..

6) The most important tool : EXTREME CAUTION!!

Now that you have what you need, its time we get cracking..

Same drill as last time.. Gonna break it down in steps..

Now, before we start with the guide, let me show you a couple pics of the tools I used for this guide and my toolkit...

THE METHOD :=

1) Alright.. Now, firstly, we switch off the phone, and take the back cover off, remove the battery, remove the SIM card, and memory card.. If all goes well, it should look something like this..

2) Put the back cover and battery aside.. We wont be needing those for a while now..

3) Take the phone, and open the 4 screws shown in the picture with yellow circles.. Here's where you'll need the T5 screwdriver..

4) Now, keep those screws somewhere safely.. Next, take the case opener(guitar pick in my case), and gently separate the upper part from the board.. You should have to apply a little force, but not too much, and you'll hear a few "clicks" and "cracks".. Do not panic, those are normal..

5) If you do it correctly, you should have 2 pieces of your phone now.. Check the image..

6), Next up, we open two more screws using the 1.7 sized PLUS shaped screwdriver, circled in the image below..

7) Next, disconnect the connector switches from the board.. There should be three.. See the circled areas..

A word of caution here.. Be very light handed here.. I broke one switch, the result of which I'll show at the end of the tutuorial..

8) Once you lift the switches, carefully pull the cables using something sharp, but do NOT break OR scratch the cables..

9) Now, take the case opener tool, and gently lift the board.. Be careful, as directly below is the display panel.. Any weight on that will mess up your display.. You should have three pieces by now..

10) Now that we have our board, we are going to gently blow some air into the gaps under the physical buttons.. You can use a camera lens cleaner, or simply blow air with your mouth.. If you have a small keyboard brush, lightly removing dust will also help.. Make sure you dont apply pressure anywhere else on the board, you may damage something..

11) Okay.. So we're halfway there.. Now all we gotta do is pack up the phone back..

12) So first, put the board back on the display panel, taing care that the connector cables are not buried under it..

13) Once you get the board "click" in its place, connect the switches.. VERY CAREFULLY... I broke one..

14) Next come the 2 small screws that hold the board in place.. Put them back ( DO NOT get the holes confused here, there are a lot)

15) Now, we place the second back panel back on the board and display panel..

16) Place the 4 screws back into their place... Using the T5 screwdriver..

17) And we're all set.. Put the SIM, memory cards, battery back in place.. Put back the back cover, and fire it up...

Now, pray to God with all your heart and soul, and if your phone starts up, thank Him, and enjoy the physical buttons..!!

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A little heads up.. This is a "temporary" solution.. Meaning you'll have to repeat this guide every couple months, as a sort of 'maintainance' of your phone..

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Now let me show you what happens when you're not careful enough..

I was assembling the phone back after taking the pictures, and I broke the lower(small) switch in the picture below..

Here's the result of that..

Touch partly shot, along with two backlights..