yashsingh1/xdaforums huggingface dataset:
[8525, TyTN, MDA Vario II, JasJam General] chachi:
This finally made me take the plunge and reduce my TYTN to a pile of bits to try to resolve my whitescreen issues I've suffered for nearly 8 months. A bit of playing with the connector and how tight/loose the screws were on the dpad connector, a bit of foam, and voila! :cool:

Sorting this out and managing to get Oli2.10 on after about a hundred failed attempts (wouldnt let me upgrade from 1.09 -> 2.10 but once I decided WTF and upgraded to 1.10 then the 2.10 upgrade worked straight away :confused: ) now gives me a much happier phone. I love this forum :D
[8525, TyTN, MDA Vario II, JasJam General] Jonjamesm:
This is ridiculous. I'm off to buy an Iphone, why should I have to sit with microchips lying around my coffee table all in order to fix a fault that shouldn't happen to this many users!

See ya, HTC... it was fun but it was more trouble than its worth.
[8525, TyTN, MDA Vario II, JasJam General] bgdre12:
u might wanna wait till the next iphone comes out...there's alot of stuff that the iphone just can't do...

but ye i'm going to try this fix tomorrow...my phone is at about 80% white screen now.
[8525, TyTN, MDA Vario II, JasJam General] spindicator:
I was getting the WSOD 24/7 and managed to fix it just by opening the case and reseating all of the push in connectors that I could see.

Voila, one unbricked phone ;)
[8525, TyTN, MDA Vario II, JasJam General] Vasichko:
Just thought I would post an update.

I have only had the white screen happen twice since my last post and doing this.
[8525, TyTN, MDA Vario II, JasJam General] radwangon:
This is awesom!

Dude....YOU RULE!!!!

I am so freaking happy my M3100 is working flawlessly since i followed your advice.

It's not the first XDA or SPV phone i have opened up, but i was about to give up on this one 'till i saw your post

Again dude...THANKS

this will be a happy Christmas
[8525, TyTN, MDA Vario II, JasJam General] xboxremote:
I'm not so positive this is my problem. I took my phone apart and have been messing with it for a while now, and am seeing little progress. When I put pressure on or near the cable, I don't see much reaction by the phone. The only time the d-pad actually works, is SOMETIMES when I reseat the cable in there. Any more suggestions? I was also wondering how were able to test the foam method, if you kept your phone disassembled for testing. Thanks in advance for any more info you can give me!

-- Nick
[8525, TyTN, MDA Vario II, JasJam General] fone_fanatic:
have you guys noticed that when the d-pad and other buttons die, if you rotate the scroll wheel up and down several times the buttons will start to work again...
[8525, TyTN, MDA Vario II, JasJam General] merkman:
My 2 cents.

So my unit had the hardbuttons quit working about Christmas Eve, and by the 25th, I was having the white screen issue. With my unit 1 year, 4 months old... warranty was done, and I decided I'd open my 8525.

NOTE!!! I watched the YouTube video about opening the phone, and IT DID NOT MENTION THE SCREW BY THE CAMERA. I was trying to seperate the motherboard from the phone for about 30 minutes, pulling up on the corners, etc... and COULDN'T understand why it was so easy in the video but wouldn't open for me. Finally used one of the service manuals and found there was a screw that HAD to be removed. I'm SO lucky I didn't break the motherboard outright!!!

Also, I'm able to make my phone work by "bending" the phone backwards. Think of it as holding the top and bottom, and bending those backwards, so the center of the phone would be slightly forward of them. With that motion, I can turn off the screen, turn it back on and it works fine. But if I extend the keyboard, it usually goes white seconds later.

Today, a buddy lent me his Treo 750. That will give me time to experiment with the insides of the Hermes (AT&T 8525) more. Hopefully I can "pad" it like others have and make it more reliable. Planning on using electrical tape so there is NO CHANCE of anything being conductive.

Meanwhile, I'd LOVE to replace the Hermes with a HTC Touch Cruise, but it seems most places don't have them yet and the few that do are overseas and charging BIG bucks. Still considering downgrading until a Touch Cruise is available here, an iPhone, a newer iPhone when released, or ? :confused:

Hopefully I'll fix it, but I really don't have a good feeling about all this.
[8525, TyTN, MDA Vario II, JasJam General] xboxremote:
Got it!

Okay so I fixed it finally. It seems that with my phone, applying pressure by hand didn't always give a noticable effect. However, I decided to put foam in where you were saying (as a last attempt), and put the casing back on, and so far so good! I've had two 30 minute sessions of Kevtris (using the D-Pad as the set keys for the game), and it has survived both without anything going wrong. I'm also attaching a few pictures that might be helpful to others... one is a picture of the phone open, with the foam actually in place. And another picture is of the foam that I think you're talking about (or at least, the kind that I used).

So if you've opened up your phone and have attempted to put pressure and to tighten/loosen the screws, and none of that has done anything... definitely try the foam idea.
[8525, TyTN, MDA Vario II, JasJam General] merkman:
So foam (or maybe electrical tape when I try it) just in the two spots, then reassemble?

How long have you had it like that, and no white screens at all? Definately worth trying. I've spent the last 36 hours trying to decide if there is a phone I can live with instead of a Touch Cruise, and nothing looks as good. Next best would maybe be the iPhone, but that's $10 more a month. :(
[8525, TyTN, MDA Vario II, JasJam General] xboxremote:
Well, now mine's not working. I thought I had it. It seems to work better before I reassemble the whole thing. I'm still workin on it, and trying more foam. But yes, that's the idea... You can put the foam in, then put the back casing back on that particular part of the phone to test it. Then if it works, you can put the rest of the phone back together.

However, I don't think electrical tape would work because the idea of the foam is to have a little bit of pressure being put in those areas when you put the back casing on. With electrical tape, it wouldn't even be hitting the case at all. I would stick with the foam.

And I just got the T-Mobile Shadow, which I actually like more than the Hermes now anyway. It's sleeker, and seems more responsive. I just like it more. But it has no touch screen. I'm sure the iPhone is pretty reliable too. Good luck to ya!
[8525, TyTN, MDA Vario II, JasJam General] :
This works wonders

just been throught the (slightly nerveracking) process... worked a treat!

Thanks :)
[8525, TyTN, MDA Vario II, JasJam General] miffymiffy:
I wish i had read this prior to sending my hermes in to get repaired. It has been away for about a month now and Im getting anxious...

I have also noticed that when the screen is put on stand by the keys usually worked again. I didnt try the scroll wheel.

Very good post. Thanks alot.
[8525, TyTN, MDA Vario II, JasJam General] Vasichko:
Well mine finally crapped out again. Im done screwing with it. Im debating on sending it in for repair because this is my 2nd one that has done this.

I am just thinking these phones are pieces of junk to begin with.
[8525, TyTN, MDA Vario II, JasJam General] lory3881:
This solution worked great for my MDA VARIO II. No White screen since i put the foam inside. For the D-Pad, sometimes it doesn't respond but just playing with the scroll button on the left side and it comes again working. Can't say why....
[8525, TyTN, MDA Vario II, JasJam General] be_vigilant:
Amazing Work!!!

I thank you SO SO much for this fix!!!

My hermes would sometimes work for like 5 mins then would white out. I would have to smack the phone around for it to come back on haha. Sometimes for hours!

I was very reluctant to try it as it seemed so complicated to take the phone apart but I am glad I did.

I placed 2 strips of foam in the places you suggested, rebuilt the phone and now it works perfect!

The DPAD now works

The screen is now alligned correctly and doesnt overspill

No more white screen

--

The only issue is a VERY slight hissing when the LCD screen is turned on but thats ok and is prob caused by me tw@tting my phone around b4 the fix

I have just ordered a HTC touch cruise so this will be going to my mate!
[8525, TyTN, MDA Vario II, JasJam General] awebagar:
Thanks for mike for service manuals

Very very very big thanks
[8525, TyTN, MDA Vario II, JasJam General] Skeldrath:
I have exactly this problem as described by the op.

(random white screening, entire d-pad disabled on and off, screen moved 2mm to the right and coming back on the left hand side)

I don't have the tech confidence to perform surgery on the thing and my insurance would set me back 60 quid for a replacement (which has every chance of the same thing happening!)

but I have found a low-tech (if obvious) quick short term fix.

-extend the keyboard (while white screened)

-tap the power button lightly to turn the screen off.

-firmly, but gently place thumb and forefinger between the d-pad and the screen (right hand)

-turn the screen on again.

it works intermittantly, and likely has no long term benefit. but until the video problems are sorted with the htc kaiser it'll keep my device on the road :)

hope that helps someone.
[8525, TyTN, MDA Vario II, JasJam General] ghost13:
Dude you are a genius with the putting presure part... it works for me too... but if i put the foam there will this cause it not to happen anymore.. has anyone gotten this to work 100% with the foam...
[8525, TyTN, MDA Vario II, JasJam General] branden7:
I tired messing around with this and didnt have much luck. After hours of playing with it and still getting a white screen I gave up and threw the phone across the room. When I turned it on again it worked, but the color was a little distorted and I lost the functionality of my keyboard. I'm hesitant to go back into it and try to fix the keyboard as I may lose the screen, so i'm learning out to use the touch keypad and the stylus to write out my texts and emails.

Anwyway, It's absolutly ridiculous that a 6 month old 400 dollar phone would be having these sort of issues, and that so many people would be having them. I contacted HTC but they of course blew me off. I might try contacting AT&T too, but I would be shocked if anything came of that. I urge everyone that is having this problem to contact HTC as well...they can ignore me but if suddenly they get a couple hundred emails about their poor design on this maybe they will take notice.

Anyone have any suggestions on a phone to replace my hermes? I'm not necesarily ruling out HTC, otherwise it's been a great phone for me.
[8525, TyTN, MDA Vario II, JasJam General] ghost13:
dude at leats urs is 6 months old call ATT and you can get urs changed b/c its within the 1st year warranty. mine was 2 weeks outside of hte warranty and ATT is screwing me. F THEM!!!
[8525, TyTN, MDA Vario II, JasJam General] Dust2Dust:
fixed

dunno what did it... I just managed to fix an MDA Vario2 with a white screen (pretty permanent :-\ ) took the device apart (must have done that a zillion times already) cleaned all the contacts thoroughly with aspecial contact cleaner and put it back together including the foam, exluding the foam holding the screen and excluding the screw for the topoli (forgot it :-) ). It seems to work now !?

I'll keep this up to date.

Update: Too bad... white screens again. I will open it again and stuff the entire phone with foam.
[8525, TyTN, MDA Vario II, JasJam General] drakkahn:
IF this isnt working, try the other connector!

After over a year of use, one of my 8525's just started with the white screen garbage.

I tried everything described in this thread and nothing seemed to be a permanent fix. (on the brighter side, I can now take my phone apart with my eyes closed)

Then on a whim I tried focusing on other areas of the phone.

I found that the other ribbon connector going from the top part of the phone to the bottom(keyboard area) of the phone was causing the issue.

I applied a piece of foam and it works great now!

I have included a pic to show which area I am talking about. (I hope alkizmo doesnt mind me editing his pic, I didn't want to open the phone again to take a picture)
[8525, TyTN, MDA Vario II, JasJam General] ghost13:
nice guys thanks for keeping us updated. im finally goign to take my pos phone apart and try to fix it. how much are the screws???
[8525, TyTN, MDA Vario II, JasJam General] irockash:
I noticed that too. Mine started this behavior yesterday, D pad not working, white screens not so often, and I was already looking at replacement phones (funny its depressing yet exciting). But if I turn the screen off and turn it back on, the D starts working. Also, jogging the wheel also works. I thought it might be software at that point (it happened while on a beta 6.1 ROM, all sorts of randomness), but flashing didn't help.

I just took apart the phone, but didn't have a philips small enough, so couldn't get all the way. Funny thing is, I haven't had the issue yet. SPOKE TOO SOON! I turned on the phone after typing that only to see a white screen; turning it off and on two more times had it go away. Maybe I will get an early birthday present.

On a side note, for people jumping to iPhones in this thread, have fun with Apple Warranty. $80 bucks and 1 week to replace your battery? And you're complaining about a 3 minute screw job...
[8525, TyTN, MDA Vario II, JasJam General] cyndication:
ok, so i can get the backing off but can't seem to go any further. i don't want to yank or break anything. i looked at the video on youtube, and it video shows it seemless. any tips on getting further?
[8525, TyTN, MDA Vario II, JasJam General] lim biker:
tried this fix on friday using a small piece of card instead of foam worked perfectly first time, still working perfectly 3 days later. Shame t-mobile already gave me a kaiser as replacement and blocked the hermes imei number, anyone know if in this situation it'll be blocked on all networks?
[8525, TyTN, MDA Vario II, JasJam General] Dust2Dust:
I found this the clearest guide to dismantle the hermes

http://inuchanbt.blog54.fc2.com/blog-entry-100.html

Don't let the top scare you, scroll down a bit and it is all in english
[8525, TyTN, MDA Vario II, JasJam General] Dust2Dust:
All Fixes seem luckie shots ?!

The next thing I tried was replacing the screen. I have a magician that didn't mind me using it's screen as a donor for the Vario2.

The problem starting of with is the evaluation of the white screen to where the screen whitens at the moment the screen is being used. So after a hard reset I can see both of the splashscreens, but the first MS screen asking to tap the screen whitens emediatly....so the device is of no use whatsoever.

Replacing the screen is easy but after replacing the device works I can fully boot and I see no white screens.

But: Somehow the resolution of the screen is different so I it lookes very poor not an alternativ I can say :-( Strange enough the partnumbers are exactly the same ????

I refitted the original screen and I am back to my whitescreen issue now. And left with many questions....

I am trying to order a new switchboard but is it the problem??

I have been look for a new ribbon, but is that the problem??

Will a new replacementscreen from Ebay solve the whitescreens??

2 be continued....

D2D
[8525, TyTN, MDA Vario II, JasJam General] Dust2Dust:
Fixed!! (?)

I once more gave my Tytn whitescreen problems a thought. I ended up thinking about the foam I took out....the black bits betwee the screen and the plastic housing (front). I also read something about the whitescreen being caused by overpowering all pixels. so the next thing I came up with was to put some new and extra foam between the screen and the housing. I also put some foam underneath the xilinks chip. Besides I put foam on top of the d-padconnector and the entire switchboard (pcb) as well as on the top of the connector to the mobo. Cleaned all contacts again with contactspray, screwed all screws with the advised torque....and guess what: It works completely the way it should for now.!!!!!

I think that somehowe the foam between housing and screen is the solution, not (solely) the D-pad connector. The foam I used is doublesided tappe (Tessa 55732) used for sticking mirrors on bathroomwalls, about 1,5 mm thick.

The good thing now is that the device holds soo much foam that I can take it with me on my sailingtrips, It won't sink !!!!

I hope this helps other folks out.

Regz.

D2D
[8525, TyTN, MDA Vario II, JasJam General] irockash:
I took mine apart but stopped right before getting behind the LCD. I couldn't pry it open correctly and was scared of breaking the case altogether. Funny thing though, this was 2 weeks ago and I have yet to have any problems with my buttons or white screen.
[8525, TyTN, MDA Vario II, JasJam General] drakkahn:
Well, I just couldn't seem to get any fixes to work all the time. I tried foam in every nook and cranny I could and was still having a problem with the white screen.

In my case I found that the issue was located somewhere around the screen connector to the mainboard and the ATI chip. Pressure placed near that area would fix the whitescreen issue. However, once things heated up from using the device, something would shift and I would have issues again.

I finally gave up and started looking for a replacement mainboard. (not worth the price new, just buy a used one on ebay if you go that route). In my search I came across pocketpctechs.com, talked with a tech there(loyd) and he said he could fix it. He was right, $60.00 later and its working like its brand new.

From what I gathered it had something to do with the video chip and they had to "heat" the mainboard to fix the issue. Something I certainly didn't have the tools for.

At any rate, i'm much happier now.
[8525, TyTN, MDA Vario II, JasJam General] Mickster:
m3100 still under warranty?

I am also experiencing whitescreen and a whining noise from my m3100 that has very recently been replaced under warranty (4 weeks ago).

I take it that it's still under warranty? Should I just phone Orange and get a replacement or make up an insurance story?
[8525, TyTN, MDA Vario II, JasJam General] bman18:
Buttons next to D-Pad don't work

A bit off topic, but as it seems that the hardcore is visiting this thread, I give it a try.

With my Tytn the red and green buttons dont work, together with the buttons next to them. Only thing that is working is the D-Pad. Everything else seems to work ok.

This happened once before a month ago when I had put the phone in my backpocket. It started working again after a couple of days. Now it doesn't seem to start working again. My best guess is that it has something to do with humid air, but that's a long shot.

I couldn't find any relevant post regarding this specific problem, so maybe someone has any ideas?

Thxs.
[8525, TyTN, MDA Vario II, JasJam General] Dust2Dust:
This definitely sounds like a connectorproblem. Or maybee the buttons on the pcb switchboard need some cleaning. For both you have to take the tytn apart all the way ... Good luck

What about the buttons for internet and messaging?
[8525, TyTN, MDA Vario II, JasJam General] Dust2Dust:
sure thing to do! don't even think of doing it yourselfs if it is still under warranty
[8525, TyTN, MDA Vario II, JasJam General] bman18:
Thanks for the reply. All buttons work, except the 5 buttons next to the D-Pad. Scroll wheel work, phone works, no screen problems, etc. It's just those buttons which don't respond.

Flashed it a couple of times with different ROM's, but this doesn't affect the buttons, so its a hardware problem (HT629).

If someone else has other ideas before I take the thing apart, it would be appreciated.
[8525, TyTN, MDA Vario II, JasJam General] jahshappybus:
The cause of the problem for me was the connector under yellow tape seen on the bottom left hand side of the back of the screen. This got gunked up on a trip to the bottom of my dads cofffee mug. This was duely cleaned and hey presto my screen worked again.

However on reconnection I managed to snap the hinge on the clip holding the ribbon in place. Now I am happy to be labled a ham fisted berk but I believe that this is a week component (htc felt the need to tape it down) so I urge you to be carefull as now my screen offers a slightly poorer resolution and moves 5mm to the right when the plastic is squeezed around the faulty connector.
[8525, TyTN, MDA Vario II, JasJam General] EQUiLiiBRiUM:
More Clear than This "how To" video ?

How to Take your Hermes apart

:p
[8525, TyTN, MDA Vario II, JasJam General] EQUiLiiBRiUM:
This my my issue....I dont wanna spend money on a so Called Fix and then it doesnt' work..New Ribbon ? New Screen ? New Everything. by time you Spend money on Parts you could have Bought a used one .. I have a 8525 but I"m with tmobile so I Tinker With it Hoping to solve why "I" have the White screen cuase everyones symptoms Seem to Vary... I thank Mike for the hard Work and Everyone else For the experiments....

My white Screen Problem Only occurs when I Plug in my Charger into the USB port on my Herems. If its a Full battery it Works Perfect. Screen is Fine. All Features And Functions work but as soon as I try to Charge it whether by Wall usb, Computer Usb or car Usb the screen goes White. I'm Assuming that the screen Works cause when its charged Its fine, but as soon as I add my charger ot Voltage the Screen goes white. I"m Gonna replace the Ribbon seeing as I found one for REally cheap. I have taken My hermes apart and Tried to Tighten connectors but no Luck. I've also Tried swapping Mother Boards and Screens seeing as I have 2 heremes. Only thing I can think of is that its my Ribbon Cable. I will Post video Of my White Screen Symtom as Well whether or not the New Ribbon Fixed my Issue.

Keep Fighting the good Fight White Screeners:D
[8525, TyTN, MDA Vario II, JasJam General] acb12345:
Buttons only problem!

ban18,

I have the exact same issue.

Any luck with your "take the thing apart"?

Anyone else have a similar issue with a permanent fix?

Thanks for looking.
[8525, TyTN, MDA Vario II, JasJam General] Dust2Dust:
the fix is final!

the description of my fix is a final one. I havn't xperienced any problems whatsoever ever since. And I havn't been very nice to my Hermes (what's new :-) so for those who tried it all: Try it, it might help you as it did help me.

for questions, thread please.
[8525, TyTN, MDA Vario II, JasJam General] debonairone:
which one of your fixes is the final one... I am having this issue and I added the foam and tightened the cnnector, but may not have used the proper torque... I think you added foam over the connector with the yellow tape as well... I also read where you were gonna replace the ribbon cable... Did you actually do this or not... I appreciate the time you have dedicated to resolving this issue.
[8525, TyTN, MDA Vario II, JasJam General] Dust2Dust:
As a matter of fact± I took out almost all the foam...just left the bit underneath the D pad. Most important is that I replaced the foamlike substance between the housing and screen, the black stuf also mentioned if talking about alignment issues.

Good luck !