Re: N900 Problem: SIM Card Not Recognized
 

oh thats a serious typo on my end:D

Re: N900 Problem: SIM Card Not Recognized
 

sorry I don't understand, which word do you mean?

Re: N900 Problem: SIM Card Not Recognized
 

Hi All,

I was wondering if anyone could recommend somewhere in Melbourne, Australia to have the gsm modem reballed or reflowed?

Also, any ideas how much it might cost?

Thanks very much,

Justin.

Re: N900 Problem: SIM Card Not Recognized
 

Not sure. Ask your local mobile phone repairers. If one of them says he can do it, look up online the feedback people give about him: reliability and such.

It's said that you just need to "hot air" the chip, or something. But I have never done it, or seen it done.

Thank you. Best wishes.

Re: N900 Problem: SIM Card Not Recognized
 

Could someone point me to the exact one of four chips, which needs reballing?

Re: N900 Problem: SIM Card Not Recognized
 

AFAIK, that should be your best bet.

Re: N900 Problem: SIM Card Not Recognized
 

Disassembled an N900, put it in the oven at 190 degrees Celsius for five minutes, removed all plastic parts and camera.

I can CONFIRM that reballing with hot air in my oven has made it able to call again, after years! I had written it off.

After trying this to fix an old macbook pro, reading on threads about it being able to fix the ati radeon graphics card, I tried it as a last resort.
It worked. I was stunned. And gained confidence.

And now my 'dead' first N900 has been brought to life again.
Made sure to put it on aluminium tinfoil balls to keep it from burning on the grill.

https://youtu.be/Ztzv2OlQJuU

I would prefer doing it with a heat gun in the future tho, localize the heat..

Warning reminder : plastic melts!!

Edit: updated video with the correct one

Re: N900 Problem: SIM Card Not Recognized
 

Hi Dongle Fongle - is your phone still working after this fix? I am thinking about trying it on one of my N900's as well.
This seems to be the only permanent 'low tech' solution I have seen.

Re: N900 Problem: SIM Card Not Recognized
 

Just disassembled one of my N900's with the telephony functions issue. So far so good, but I wonder how you can remove all plastic parts without damaging the motherboard.
See pic for the most obvious ones (1/2/3)

I assume more advanced soldering skills are needed to remove those parts?

BTW - I assume these are all plastic parts and need to be removed.. but maybe some of those can handle 190 degrees.

Re: N900 Problem: SIM Card Not Recognized
 

some hard plastics can handle temps at the 190 degree mark for a moment ...
but I wouldn`t push it too long...
I have never roasted delicate electronics in an oven...
hope never to...
but I have messed with temperature and plastics...
so theory is sound...
and a number of members have done such trials before with success (some not so successful...definitely keep in mind what they did wrong)...
a heat gun and experience makes more sense to me though...
rather than an oven...

Re: N900 Problem: SIM Card Not Recognized
 

Thanks endsormeans - I think you are correct about the plastics and that might be the reason Dongle Fongle didn't exceed 5 minutes in the oven.
I don't have any experience and no heat gun. The motherboard in oven seems to be the easiest solution and it has been done before.
I only need to know what exactly Dongle Fongle did or did not remove and if his solution remained to be successful.
I think I will send a PM to Dongle Fongle to be sure - I usually don't send unsolicited PMs to people but these are desperate times..

Re: N900 Problem: SIM Card Not Recognized
 

Tried to fix the SIM/phone issue with a hot air gun @190-225 degrees. Directing the airflow with a nozzle to the SIM card area. Tried it a couple of times increasing the temperature and time. No change in behaviour whatsoever. So I tried the oven method. In a fan oven @190 degrees for 5 minutes. After the 5 minutes I did not open the oven door, just let it cool down closed. After assembling the phone I tried to boot it, but it fails to boot now. Hangs in Nokia screen and tries to reboot several times until it gives up..
Nokia doesn't appear in lusb and no luck in trying to flash it (waiting for device). So I think I fried this one.
I have another N900 with the phone issue, will try to do the same but then open the oven door after 5 minutes.

Re: N900 Problem: SIM Card Not Recognized
 

Yesterday tried to solve the telephony issue on another N900. As mentioned 190 degrees - 5 minutes and after that opened the oven door. Let it cool down for an hour or so, tried to start it and it failed to boot. Today I tried again and it is booting now - but the issue isn't solved.
I don't want to push my luck so will not try the procedure again. If someone is interested in this N900 for developing or porting purposes - give me a pm. I will give it away for free (excl. shipment) to someone who already done some work for this community.

BTW - device will be shipped from the Netherlands.

Re: N900 Problem: SIM Card Not Recognized
 

Hi,

After upgrading my n900 with fremantle 1.3 and followed by cssu, I got sim error.

I cant do pin code anymore. With 1.2 I got the sim working.

And I thought it was asim card fault so I went to my operator to give a second sim. It kept doing the same.

Now it says telephony errors followed by the device must be reboot.

I flashed about 5 times like here says.

I cant figure why it happened with the latest files.

There is anyone to help me out?

Perhaps give me any idea to give the sim card recognized.

By the way without this I cant do any dev on 3G or WIFI.

Thanx.

Cheers,
plvicente

Re: N900 Problem: SIM Card Not Recognized
 

Have you tried a downgrade? I do not believe it is a software issue but you clearly do, so if you are willing to flash again and again, why not flashing 1.2 to verify?

For what it's worth, I believe your problem is hardware and 1.3 is just a coincidence. Maybe you moved something when you took the battery out for the flashing.