maemo.org - Talk - Call Volume Dropout Solved (hardware)

maemo.org - Talk (https://talk.maemo.org/index.php)

- Nokia N900 (https://talk.maemo.org/forumdisplay.php?f=44)

- - Call Volume Dropout Solved (hardware) (https://talk.maemo.org/showthread.php?t=54375)

Re: Call Volume Dropout Solved (hardware)

Quote:

Originally Posted by crisismt (Post 687152)

nice one. Nokia not only want us to develop software, but also fix their products. I have this issue but wouldn't dare to open it.

AND THIS IS MY LAST NOKIA DEVICE

ever heard about warranty? three guys out of 100000+ doesn't seem to be alarming.

Re: Call Volume Dropout Solved (hardware)

Quote:

Originally Posted by Flynx (Post 687129)

I have always had a problem with the call volume on my N900. Usually I would have to switch to speakerphone because I wouldn't be able to hear through the normal speaker.

I noticed that applying pressure just to the left of the speaker hole with my finger would fix the problem. But when I removed my finger, the sound would go bad again. A number of people on this forum have reported similar problems.

After disassembly I discovered that the speaker isn't behind the speaker hole. Rather, the speaker is to the left of the speaker hole, *exactly* where I had to apply pressure to hear sound.

The electrical connection to the speaker isn't a wire. The speaker has two gold spring arms that extend up and make contact with two gold pads on the other half of the phone when assembled. (see pic).

I bent the arms up at a sharper angle to hopefully increase the contact force between the arms and the opposing pads. The result is that I no longer have any trouble hearing people during a call.

DO NOT DISASSEMBLE YOUR N900 UNLESS YOU KNOW EXACTLY WHAT YOU ARE DOING

It is very easy to break a lot of things in there.

This is, IMHO, a build-quality issue.

EDIT: other posts concerning this same issue:

http://talk.maemo.org/showthread.php?t=46581
http://talk.maemo.org/showthread.php?t=42227
http://talk.maemo.org/showthread.php?t=41646
http://talk.maemo.org/showthread.php?t=37590
https://bugs.maemo.org/show_bug.cgi?id=6063

Thanks for sharing this! I am having the exact same problem as well. 2 Questions if I may :
1. Did you follow any guide on how to disassemble etc? ( I am taken my N73 and N95 apart many times, but the N900 will be a 1st)
2. Did you throw away to screws and used new ones?

Thanks!

Edit : I have no warranty so I got nothing to lose.

Re: Call Volume Dropout Solved (hardware)

Quote:

Originally Posted by ossipena (Post 689429)

ever heard about warranty? three guys out of 100000+ doesn't seem to be alarming.

IF you send your N900 in for warranty repair, they will just send you a new one. Neither you OR nokia will have any idea what was actually wrong with your old one.

I like getting to the root cause of problems. Kinda my job.

EDIT: Also I have done about a dozen things that voided the warranty on my N900 so I wouldn't expect Nokia to fix it anyway.

Re: Call Volume Dropout Solved (hardware)

Quote:

Originally Posted by eitama (Post 689433)

Again, BE CAREFUL!

I used the youtube video by tehkseven on N900 disassembly as a guide. A few notes: I believe they instruct you to remove the torq-head (star-head) screws on the back. This is not necessary for this repair. The only screws you have to remove are phillips-head. Be certain to use the correct # phillips head driver. (I think tekhseven said its a #2?) If you don't you could ruin the head of the screw.

Also they remove the front screen bezel (the shiny rim around the screen that says 'nokia'. This is also not necessary.

Read my earlier post about the lip on the back of the screen hooking underneath the keyboard for re-assembly.

The screws have lock-tite on them. They will require a significant amount of torque to unscrew. DO NOT attempt to apply the same amount of torque when replacing them. There is a danger of snapping the screw head off the screw.

There are long and short screws. Be SURE to get them back in the correct places.

Use an EXTREMELY CLEAN work area. Any lint or dust on the screen when you re-assemble will be permanently there unless you disassemble again to clean.

You will need to disconnect a few ribbon cables. This is not depicted in the youtube guide. There are two kinds of connectors - LIF and ZIF. (Low Insertion Force and Zero Insertion Force)

LIF connectors have a plastic plug on each side of the cable - they are a male-female pair. Just push them together.

ZIF connectors have a plastic plug on one side and a bare ribbon cable that slides in. These always have a latch. Usually the latch is a different color to distinguish it. For example, the plug for the touchscreen ribbon cable has a beige plug with a black latch that lifts up. Don't attempt to use ANY amount of force on these, they are extremely delicate. If it doesn't just slide right in your probably doing it wrong.

I can't think of anything else.... let me know if you have any difficulty.

I used all the original screws when I re-assembled.