[Xperia Z2 Tablet Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] Sacktreter:
Meanwhile I wait a more than 2 weeks. Very long deep Sleep Of Death (SOD) and no luck to get it back to live. Now it's a brick. It only was fallen in SOD when i root the tablet. With PC Companion installed stock firmware SOD is away. But now my tablet is unlocked and totally dead, not possible to to lock the bootloader. This was the last choice to bring back tablet to live again. Btw i hate to work with unrooted Android devices.

Knowledge:

The Z2 tablet is a wonderful tablet and my wife love this tablet. We only need the tablet in living room, not under the sea. So i decided to open the brick tablet because this "sleep of death" make me crazy. It's on you what you are doing.

Problem is:

normaly when device is frozen or got other issues you unplug battery, wait 20 seconds and start your phone or tablet again. How to do with tablet water proof?

Warning message:

Brutal way to get Z2 tablet to work

(Open the tablet and disconnect the power plug)

(Tablet is no longer water proof and warranty is kicked)

No warranty at my side for all these actions we do at tablet

Information:

It is quite possible to charge the tablet with the dockingstation and the mini-USB connected at PC and the tablet is accessible.

you can connect tablet at PC or dockingstation with unconnectet battery. No damage at tablet. But not possible to start it.

Things we need:

Sony docking station if possible. With USB-wire its more difficult to handle

Process Explorer by Sysinternal Suite. Download

Flashtool Download

Credit Card

Toothpick (don't use a metallic conductive object)

Rubberband

Preparations:

google for: "Xperia Z2 tablet open" and open your tablet. As tool for open i used a credit card. There are different Xperia Z2 tablet models, some you have to open at the back side, others you have to open the Display. Find out at yourself what model you have.

I made a picture and you see where the battery plug is. Only unplug the positive connector (2 red and 1 white wire in the plug. Enlarge the photo at the end and you see)

It is iportant to know how to disconnect! Pull connector away from the motherboard, not down, left or right. I used a toothpick, works perfect and you distroy nothing. Be careful with this small connector. Never use force to connect it.

Start the tablet with battery minimum 5%:

Instructions:

Battery should be charged minimum 5%

unplug the positive connector with toothpicker and pull it away from motherboard. Now tablet is complete disconnected from all power

press the power button permanent with rubberband or by finger

wait more than 10 seconds

press the positive battery connector back in slot at mainboard

when tablet starts, remove the rubberband or your finger

Put tablet in dockingstation or connect with mini USB to charge battery

If no start happens, do 1-5 again and wait a longer time at part 4

Charge battery:

Get battery charged in a SOD tablet:

Preparations:

dockingstation is connected with power supply

at tablet positive connector is unpluged (with toothpicker pull it away from motherboard)

tablet is complete disconnected from all power

Display is connected with tablet because you have to see whats shown in display (perhaps fix it with a cup of coffee in front of it)

tablet is placed in the dockingstation but not connected at magnet charger (place it 1 cm left or right before connected with magnet charger)

battery connector is pulled off from motherboard at tablet (with toothpicker pull it away from motherboard)

press down "Vol -" (Flashmode) with rubberband (thanks to Linkinsoldier for this tip)

try to do at the same time: (for this you need more tests than one)

- slide tablet in dockingstation to connect with power and

- press the positive battery connector back in slot at mainboard

Watch at display, it should start after 2 seconds the charging display and red LED should lightening.

If not repeat step 1-5. Wait before start next try minimum 30 seconds powerless and "Vol -" is pressed down

When charging mode is reached remove the rubberband at "Vol -"

Wait a minute and test the charging mode: Short press down the power button.

Display should show the charging status

Connect Mini USB at tablet and PC and let it be connected during charging process

In Windows watch at device manager. You should see following devices:

- "Portable Devices" has a new letter for a harddrive (in my case "F:")

- "harddrive" got a new device called "SONY Mass Storage USB Device"

- "USB-Controller" got a new "USB-Mass storage device" (USB\VID_0FCE&PID_E1B1)

now you are able to access the phone SD-Cards

Wait 10 minutes. Short press down the power button to control the charging process.

- When still at the same level before charging do following:

- be sure tablet is connectet with PC

- pull off the USB-Connector at power supply half a second and put it in again

- red LED should lightening, if not start at step 1 again.

- Now wait 10 minutes and control charging process again. When no success repeat step 1.

Wait till battery has minimum 10% charged

Now press power button till tablet starts

If tablet dont start go to chapter "Start tablet"

Flashmode:

Get flashmode in a SOD tablet:

Preparations:

battery of tablet has minimum 20% (coz no charging at flashing process)

dockingstation is

not

connected with power supply

at tablet positive connector is unpluged (with toothpicker pull it away from motherboard)

tablet is complete disconnected from all power

tablet is placed in the dockingstation for better handling (and unpluged charger)

display is connected with tablet (perhaps fix it with a cup of coffee)

Mini-USB is connected with tablet

other end of USB-wire is

not

in PC

Instructions:

start FlashTool

- click flash symbol

- choose option "flashmode" and "OK"

- select your FTF-File you wanna flash

- select what you wanna wipe and flash

- press the button "flash"

now flashtool is waiting for tablet to connect in flashmode (green LED indicator)

at Process Explorer look for Flashtool(64).exe and put priority to realtime.

(rightclick to flashtool(64).exe - set Priority - Realtime)

otherwise you wait endless until the flashmode is detected.

to be save and sure: every time when flashtool was in background, priority is set to background automically.

now put flashtool window in the foreground (highlight it and realtime mode is given)

press down "Vol -" (Flashmode) with rubberband

try to do at the same time: (for this you need more tests than one)

- Put USB-Connector in PC

- press the positive battery connector back in slot at mainboard

following things can happen now:

Case 1

- tablet red LED is lightning ca. 5 sec

- then red LED off

- lightning again for half a second red and then short time green

Case 2

- tablet LED is lightning ca. half a second red and then short time green

in both cases do:

- watch at PC if flashtool is starting the flashing process

- when flashing starts remove the rubberband at "Vol -" and wait till flashing finished

in all other cases:

- unplug USB-wire at PC and remove battery connector in tablet

- repeat step 4-6

- keep always in mind how much your battery is charged till empty

- maybe check with Process Explorer Realtime mode is still given

- When flash is done disconnect USB at PC and press power button to start tablet

If tablet dont start go to chapter "Start tablet"

Fastboot mode:

Get fastboot mode in a SOD tablet:

Preparations:

battery of tablet has minimum 10%

dockingstation is

not

connected with power supply

at tablet positive connector is unpluged (with toothpicker pull it away from motherboard)

tablet is complete disconnected from all power

tablet is placed in the dockingstation for better handling (and unpluged charger)

display is connected with tablet (perhaps fix it with a cup of coffee)

Mini-USB is connected with tablet

other end of USB-wire is

not

in PC

Instructions:

start FlashTool

- click flash symbol

- choose option "Fastboot mode" and "OK"

- select what you want - flash kernel or hotboot kernel

(in my case hotboot kernel is senseless coz tablet don't reboot)

now flashtool is waiting for tablet to connect in fastboot mode (blue LED indicator)

at Process Explorer look for Flashtool(64).exe and put priority to realtime.

(rightclick to flashtool(64).exe - set Priority - Realtime)

otherwise you wait endless until the flashmode is detected.

to be save and sure: every time when flashtool was in background, priority is set to background automically.

now put flashtool window in the foreground (highlight it and realtime mode is given)

press down "Vol +" (Fastboot mode) with rubberband

try to do at the same time: (for this you need more tests than one)

- Put USB-Connector in PC

- press the positive battery connector back in slot at mainboard

red LED is lightning very short, after that blue LED is lightening

- watch at PC if flashtool opens a window to choose the file to flash

- when success remove the rubberband at "Vol +" and flash your file

- if no blue LED is lightening

- unplug USB-wire at PC and remove battery connector in tablet

- repeat step 4-6

- keep always in mind how much your battery is charged till empty

- When flash is done disconnect USB at PC and press power button to start tablet

If tablet dont start go to chapter "Start tablet"

Non recoverable issue - till now:

My tablet doesn't start when i press power button and battery is pluged in. When i do a restart all the time tablet falls in SOD. So every restart i have to do i follow step 1-5 in chapter "Start the tablet". I don't know why. And to work with unrooted tablet is not acceptable. Anway:

After tablet startet successful take both sided tape and reclose your tablet. Keep always in your mind you have to open tablet more times in the future and its no longer water proof.

This was the only way to get my Sony Z2 tablet back to work.