[GUIDE] USB-port loose? There, fixd' it...
 

About a couple of months ago I my N900 stopped charging and the inner core of the female micro-B port became loose. After that the port gradually stopped charging and became obsolete. The problem was that the connectors in the female-counterpart were broken off from the main circuit.

http://a.imageshack.us/img138/6469/img1350n.jpg
http://a.imageshack.us/img707/7185/img1335pz.jpg

First I tought that the device could be used without the port. But no. Charging the battery through another cellphone with similiar battery proved to be impossible (since the cellphone N95 that I used for the duty was my brothers). But if you have enough courage you can REPLACE the port in the N900 with something else...

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedi...sb_new.svg.png

I took apart an old digital camera of my brother and examined the mini-B port found inside. It was perfect for the task since the pins are in correct order and 4. is not connected to 5. With some careful soldering I got the port in place. Also I carefully made the hole bigger in the dimension the port was "taller".

http://a.imageshack.us/img22/3295/img1337um.jpg
http://a.imageshack.us/img180/6/img1345q.jpg

Basically the new port is a little bit big (if it begins to annoy I will cut the extra part off) but it works really well. I don´t need a special cable anymore and everything just works. Since the warranty did not apply to the self-caused port-problems and the repairs could have been expensive, this was the best solution I found.

http://a.imageshack.us/img812/7149/img1348f.jpg

It´s alive! Buahahahaa!

Re: [GUIDE] USB-port loose? There, fixd' it...
 

very nice fix however i had the same problem went to a nokia care oint they told me they cant fix it but if i send it direct to nokia they could and it was under warranty so i sent off the phone 4 days later brand new device never had the problem since

Re: [GUIDE] USB-port loose? There, fixd' it...
 

Is it work th mass storage and pc suite mode?

Re: [GUIDE] USB-port loose? There, fixd' it...
 

Yes it does work fully with any of those modes.

Re: [GUIDE] USB-port loose? There, fixd' it...
 

How hard was it to solder and how much experience do you got with delicate soldering jobs like this?

Re: [GUIDE] USB-port loose? There, fixd' it...
 

dude it's ffreakin' awesome =D that's the usb port they should have used from the beginning ;-) nice mod and repair :P

Re: [GUIDE] USB-port loose? There, fixd' it...
 

Most of the soldering I did was simply for attaching the port into the device. The pins under the new port were placed on top of the pins of the N900 and then I heated up the pins from above to make them connect and stay put.

All the surfaces needed to be cleaned and brushed that did not have any soldering tin on top of them. The level of skill needed for this task was average: if anyone has soldered something before, he/she should be able to perform this too.

N900 is an expensive device so I can write a more comprehensive guide to how it is done if someone needs to do this too.

Re: [GUIDE] USB-port loose? There, fixd' it...
 

Mine hasn't broken off yet, but there are probably many people out there that would be interested in a more in depth description of the process :)

Re: [GUIDE] USB-port loose? There, fixd' it...
 

Nice one, though I'm slightly disappointed no gaffa tape was used, no botch job is complete without a healthy portion of duck tape!

Re: [GUIDE] USB-port loose? There, fixd' it...
 

Mine hasn't borked (yet), but if it did I was planning on using an old Nokia charger port from my N800 or where ever and doing the same thing. It would only provide charging but that would be all I need. With all the extra room I bet I could putty epoxy the sucker in real good.

For that matter a mini side by side, male/female, two wire DIN connector would also work if the charger was modded with the connectors mate.

Good job dude and good luck with it. :)

Re: [GUIDE] USB-port loose? There, fixd' it...
 

Thanks for the idea. Now its all better :)

http://a.imageshack.us/img52/3658/img1351ee.jpg

Re: [GUIDE] USB-port loose? There, fixd' it...
 

You`re the hero of the day, my friend! Thanks for this, I began to worry that mine week-old n900 might just go the way of the dodo, if such usb port problem happen to me...

Question - won`t it be more, say, practical just to harden the existing/repaired port with some thin metal axis that goes through outer part of the port right to the motherboard? Of course not touching some circuits on the board...

That could make the port be rock-solid..

Re: [GUIDE] USB-port loose? There, fixd' it...
 

I actually did solder the port all the way to the board on the right side. It made it rock solid without the need for any wires/structures.

[IMG]http://a.imageshack.us/img265/5641/img1335v2.jpg[/IMG]
http://a.imageshack.us/img819/3336/img1352s.jpg
For additional support I soldered the sides of the port to the metal tabs on the sides of the circuit. I applied some soldering tin before putting the port in position and then kept it steady while it was attached. Some soldering tin was on the port too to ensure it attached both sides.

Re: [GUIDE] USB-port loose? There, fixd' it...
 

There are several problems with this.

Firstly, it is quite possible to screw your n900 by taking it apart - at least one actual electronic engineer by profession has had it fail due to the LCD cable not working afterwards.

Secondly - the PCB has between six and eight layers - you absolutely cannot see where circuits are. Drilling through it is a really bad idea.

Thirdly - you can get exactly matching USB connectors from digikey.com or mouser.com or ... for a couple of dollars.

Fourthly - if you're not sure it's covered by warranty, ask first before soldering!

Re: [GUIDE] USB-port loose? There, fixd' it...
 

Kudos to you fixing your own problem. It's not the prettiest of fixes, but it's downright beautiful what you've done.

Awesome and thanks for sharing.

Re: [GUIDE] USB-port loose? There, fixd' it...
 

That's more like it..a true botch job :D

Re: [GUIDE] USB-port loose? There, fixd' it...
 

i got my n900 last january. i was using it as normal for about 2 weeks.

after reading the big micro usb issue thread (that was not so big back then), i followed a simple way of preventing the micro usb issue.

to prevent the micro usb port issue, file the cables and charger!

if you have a broken micro usb, call nokia and ask for repair/replacement.

if nokia wont, read this thread!

hahaha! it seems like solutions are being provided by the community not only on software but also on hardware. :)

thank you!

Re: [GUIDE] USB-port loose? There, fixd' it...
 

i did this on day one to all my usb's

Re: [GUIDE] USB-port loose? There, fixd' it...
 

You are aware that by now the new cable you use with this 'fix' is the 'special' cable? Mini USB is deprecated since some 2 years, and no new devices will be sold that care about USB sticker on box and have mini USB receptacles. So your 'non-special' mini USB cable is actually an obsolete species, and the 'special' micro-USB is pretty much standard.

If I'd been you I would have ordered a micro-AB receptacle at http://www.digikey.com/ or http://de.mouser.com/Home.aspx or your favourite local store and used that one for replacement and maybe used decent amount of 2 component resin glue to harden it. Your fix, though courageous, doesn't really look like it will last for long. Due to the pads not matching the component you got an even more weak solution now. Also I expect problems with the extension board holding the uSD and flashlight LEDs.

Anyway, nice hack - butt ugly like hacks have to be and quite inspired :-D
/jOERG

Re: [GUIDE] USB-port loose? There, fixd' it...
 

Oh, you meant this one? :D

http://a.imageshack.us/img52/3658/img1351ee.jpg

Surely the "micro" cables are going to become a lot more common in the future. However I do own only 1 of those and about 5 of the mini-b. Keeping this in mind I considered the risk worth taking.

The repair itself went very well and the attached port is doing it's job like it should. AND I only have to carry one cable from now on if I ever go on a trip.

If I ever consider changing back into the new standard I have probably got rid of the device by then.

Re: [GUIDE] USB-port loose? There, fixd' it...
 

why did you replace the plug instead of just fixing the original one back?

Re: [GUIDE] USB-port loose? There, fixd' it...
 

The original port was damaged so I could not use it to fix the old one. Also the fix was much easier with the new port because the pins were longer. In the old one they were "under" it so a proper connection could have been more difficult.

http://a.imageshack.us/img138/6469/img1350n.jpg

Ordering a port online could have been a good idea but I did not want to wait nor receive a port that would not have been any use for this project.

The best alternative is to rely on warranty or not to break/yank the original at all :)

Re: [GUIDE] USB-port loose? There, fixd' it...
 

good one, and it seems to be effective coz i dont see or hear someone with a failed usb micro after filing......:)

and its better, coz i did mine on week 2 after i got my n900, and until now its okay. :)

but this thread really is the exception of "prevention is better than cure"

Re: [GUIDE] USB-port loose? There, fixd' it...
 

no offense but it looks like you are working hard with your n900. makes me say coz of the damage. :)

Re: [GUIDE] USB-port loose? There, fixd' it...
 

Thanks! I don`t have eEngineering background, Wouldn`t have thought that boards are now multilayered...oh boy, I`m 27 and too old for this stuff :)

Anyway, another question for the topicstarter - you get another port architecture just to see if it`s doable? I mean, is it possible to install new micro-usb port in N900 and harden it in some way (like you did)?

Thanks!

Re: [GUIDE] USB-port loose? There, fixd' it...
 

i'm amazed how you managed to do that to your phone.......

the only solution i can think of is to buy an external battery charger (easily found in asian countries) that charges the battery itself. I.e, it's a battery charging dock so does not require your phone to be connected.

Re: [GUIDE] USB-port loose? There, fixd' it...
 

my port has broken 4 times already, under proper use. im bookmarking this for my next solution :P

Re: [GUIDE] USB-port loose? There, fixd' it...
 

FOUR times under proper use ..........? :O