Help please: touchscreen does not activate on incoming call
 

Hi all, I would appreciate some advice.

The screen on my N900 broke and was replaced thanks to my phone insurance.

I didn't notice it straight away, but the phone's touchscreen no longer activates on an incoming call.

After a bit of googling, I assume this is connected with the proximity sensor somehow. It was never a problem before. Where is the proximity sensor? And is it likely that the screen replacement caused the problem?

Alternatively, is there some setting I might have changed unintentionally that could have caused this.

I anticipate it being a real PITA to get the insurance company to acknowledge this is a problem or that it's their fault... so I am just trying to make sure I'm right before I get stuck into it!

Cheers,

Jason

Re: Help please: touchscreen does not activate on incoming call
 

But the TS works the rest of the time?

Re: Help please: touchscreen does not activate on incoming call
 

Yes it does. The only odd behaviour I have noticed at all is that when an incoming call is... incoming... it doesn't activate or light up, so i have to use the slide switch to get a chance to tap "answer".

Re: Help please: touchscreen does not activate on incoming call
 

And after you have unlocked with the slide does covering the proximity sensor turn the screen on/off?

(Proximity sensor is that thing next to the front camera)

Re: Help please: touchscreen does not activate on incoming call
 

If I am covering the right thing, then it doesn't seem to do anything at all. Is it an almost invisible component next to the front-facing camera, on the way to the speaker?

Sorry if these are silly questions; I didn't even know there was a proximity sensor until now!

Here is what I just did:

I dialled into my voicemail. The screen went blank as I initiated the call. I then used the slider switch to light the screen back up while the call was in process.

Basically, covering or uncovering the proximity sensor didn't seem to do anything at any stage of that process.

Re: Help please: touchscreen does not activate on incoming call
 

The guy at the shop seem to have screwed up your sensor. Basically the sensor thinks that it's covered all the time. Not sure, but maybe dust on the sensor?

Re: Help please: touchscreen does not activate on incoming call
 

Thanks for your help guys.

Geez what a nuisance, it was a slow process getting it fixed the first time so I am not looking forward to the second one.

I appreciate your time answerting my questions.

Re: Help please: touchscreen does not activate on incoming call
 

Not necessarily.

paste this into terminal:

it should say 'open'.

Cover the sensor and try again.

It should say closed.

Try a couple of times don't do it in bright sunlight.

Post results.

Re: Help please: touchscreen does not activate on incoming call
 

Hi vi_,

It says "closed" in both cases.

Re: Help please: touchscreen does not activate on incoming call
 

Then it is pretty conclusive, either:

1. your 'replacement' is broken.
2. The ribbon cable is not 'seated' properly.
3. There is a software issue.

First I'd do a COMPLETE re-flash (EMMC+rootfs) to eliminate ANY possibility it may be a software issue. Flash then test again with the above command.

Then depending on how you feel/your technician skillz/laws of your country you either:

1. Open it yourself and reseat the ribbon, test again, if fail, goto 2.
2. Take it back to the shop and show them that it is broken by both showing calling your mailbox and the state of the proximity sensor via xterm.


Finally, report back with ultimately what happens, we wanna know! Good luck!

Re: Help please: touchscreen does not activate on incoming call
 

Thanks again vi_.

With regards to checking the ribbon cable myself - what's the degree of difficulty? Is it a four-screw job or a 300-screw job?

Taking it back to the shop is more of a hassle than you would think. It involves first telephoning a special department from my phone provider, getting various authorisation codes, then dropping it into a storefront that is just a mailbox for the repair, then getting a phone call from the repairer and okaying any repairs, then getting it back... somehow seemingly designed to make it as tedious as possible.

So if it is not a really hard job I'll just try researing the ribbon cable myself, otherwise I will have to go through the whole rigmarole.

Re: Help please: touchscreen does not activate on incoming call
 

Well that really depends on you. Do you have experience with disassembling electronics? Do you have that delicate touch required for dealing with small parts? I have been 'fixing' things for years so it was no biggie for me.

There is a video or two on youtube about N900 disassembly, look them up. You need to:

1. Undo 4 screws to detach the screen, both visible behind the battery cover.

2. You then need to detach the screen ribbon.

3. You then 'unhook' the screen from the keyboard (this is the 3rd most fiddly bit).

4. At this point the screen is now separated from the N900.

5. At this point I would re-attach the ribbon (the second most fiddly part of the job) and extremely very carefully power the N900 up (be careful, the screen will be flopping around). Test to see if the problem is resolved. If not, power down and detach the ribbon again.

6. You then remove the 6 screws holding the slider to the screen.
The screen can now come apart, the final connection is in the middle. De-attach this ribbon then re-attach it (the absolutely most fiddly part of the job).

7. Re-assemble and cross you fingers.

All the connectors just 'pop' together with a subtle muffled click, don't force them, when they are lined up they go together with little force.

Obviously make sure you are doing this at a good/table bench, you have a decent set of jewelers screwdrivers, a nice bright lamp and are very patient.

I can disassemble and re-assemble my screen in about 15 minutes, a first timer id say easy 30-40 minutes.

Re: Help please: touchscreen does not activate on incoming call
 

Just keep in mind, that opening it Yourself *and* leaving some traces about it may void Your guaranty on last repair done via insurance. You know, they may say that it's Your fault, cause You tried to modify something after.

Normally, I also like to do things like that myself, but if Your phone was repaired via semi-guaranty repair (insurance), I would go through complicated process of kicking their a.s.s to fix it properly.

Re: Help please: touchscreen does not activate on incoming call
 

Estel, I think I agree... vi_ said "fiddly" too many times in that description of the job :)

At least I will have my trusty old N80 to use while it gets sorted.

Re: Help please: touchscreen does not activate on incoming call
 

@ anthropoidape, try this it worked 4 me. props to cpritchford.

Open an X terminal and run this command

sudo gainroot

tail -f /proc/kmsg

CLOSE THE KEYBOARD..


Now, make a phone call on your phone (maybe to the answer phone service) or call your phone from another phone. Make sure the phone call is answered, not left ringing..


Now cover the left hand end of your phone with your hand (to cover the light sensor) or try putting against your head.. then pull it away/uncover.. repeat a few times.. then hang up the call


Now go back to the X Term..you should see lines like:


<6>[104495.511047] proximity (GPIO 89) is now closed
<6>[104668.252685] proximity (GPIO 89) is now open
<6>[104671.198028] proximity (GPIO 89) is now closed
<6>[104687.963623] proximity (GPIO 89) is now open


If you don't see that, the sensor is either inactive OR covered (screen protector) OR damaged..

Re: Help please: touchscreen does not activate on incoming call
 

Thanks Junieboi, unfortunately it seems to produce the same result as vi_'s test, that is... nothing/no change in the proximity sensor state.

So I guess that is just another way of showing that it really is a proximity sensor issue.

Re: Help please: touchscreen does not activate on incoming call
 

Just got off the phone; in fairness to Optus it was actually more straightforward than I thought it was going to be; there is simply a 3-month warranty on the repair work and it is still well within that.

I will let you know how it pans out!

Thanks again for the guidance.

Jason

Re: Help please: touchscreen does not activate on incoming call
 

Weeeell... got it back today and it is EXACTLY THE FRICKING SAME.

I gave a detailed enough note as to the problem, but the repair sheet only says, "replaced slide module. unit fully testet and passed live on air test (mic, earpiece speaker, vibrotor and ringing tone all tested ok), unit charging through USB port okay handset meets all manufacturer specifications.

So, it goes back tomorrow again. *sigh*

Re: Help please: touchscreen does not activate on incoming call
 

Well... just got a message that they've simply sent a brand new N900 back to the store instead of fixing mine.

Anyone want a brand new N900 before I open the box? :)

Re: Help please: touchscreen does not activate on incoming call
 

Hey, it turns out that they're better than nokia "oxym.oron" care - the latter give sucking N8 instead of fixing/replacing N900, for a loong time. where did they find brand new N900? 0_o

Re: Help please: touchscreen does not activate on incoming call
 

I was wondering the same thing! At the beginning of the repair process they told me they could not replace an N900, but that the suggested alternative was an N8... which I would not have accepted.

So when I got the message today saying "they have replaced the handset with a new one" I was thinking ..... ergh it better not be with an N8.

I rang back and they said it is an N900. I guess they still have a few floating around the place.

Re: Help please: touchscreen does not activate on incoming call
 

Good news. Still, remember, that if - in future - you have similar situation without possibility to replace with new N900, remember that N*/E7 can be sold as new on eBay or whatsnot, and then, You can buy N900 in ideal condition for so low price, that You're probably going to have ~50$ in pocket after all transactions. Classical example, when You can sell *worse* thing, buy *better* thing cheaper, and got not small amount of money sitting in your pocket as pure win.

Re: Help please: touchscreen does not activate on incoming call
 

Thanks again to all who helped with advice. I have my new N900 in hand now and am trying to get it all working nicely!

Re: Help please: touchscreen does not activate on incoming call
 

Okay... sooo... the replacement phone is screwy. It kills batteries, and fast. On receipt I put in a spare battery (I had two spare batteries already to extend usability) that was known to be good and charged. It immediately showed less than full, and drained very quickly.

Today I found that even when SWITCHED OFF, the phone drains a full or nearly full battery to almost empty in an hour or two, and seems (I think, it was in my pocket so I need to confirm) to get pretty hot in the process.

When switched on it drains fast, and when connected to USB it sometimes gives the "using more power than receiving via USB" warning too.

This is really starting to drag on!

Is there a known cause for this kind of battery issue or is it as odd as it seems? My thinking is that I have to send the phone back AGAIN and seek repair/replacement.

edit: although it's "new", it was not brand-new-in-a-brand-new-box. This could be because they only replace as many things as you sent in (phone and battery) or maybe it was on a shelf. It did have all the plastic film of a new one - over the touch screen and over the camera lens inside the back cover... so...

Any advice appreciated, again... *sigh*

Re: Help please: touchscreen does not activate on incoming call
 

0_o, what an odyssey.

Anyway, you're absolutely sure that it acts like that when flashed to stock Pr13 and eMMC?... you said that you were preparing it for usage, maybe you've installed/modified something?

Check with vanilla version to be sure. If it is faulty, just re-send it to them *facepalm*.

Re: Help please: touchscreen does not activate on incoming call
 

For anyone still reading... :)

... I have confirmed there is some kind of serious issue with the "new" N900; it cannot charge a battery fully over any period of time, and will discharge a battery (that has been charged externally) within 90 minutes even while switched off.

So... it's stuffed.

I have gone through a lengthy process with the provider, finally got bumped high enough up the ladder to get to someone who said, "right, so, we need to get you a new handset."

So I have a new Galaxy S2 coming next week, no charge.

They don't want the N900 back.

Re: Help please: touchscreen does not activate on incoming call
 

if you dont want n900 anymore, you can send it to me as gift :)

Re: Help please: touchscreen does not activate on incoming call
 

It's nice, that they give something as excuse, but i really feel sorry for You, cause You still can't use Your N900. At least, You can sell it, and for that money buy on aftermarket N900 in perfect condition, then have not small amount of money left as bonus.

That's the rare situation, when You can sell worse thing, and buy better one for much less money :)

Anyway, I wonder, what's up with Your N900. It's pity You're not from Poland - I would really like to examine it myself with Digital Multimeter, to see what's going on.

Re: Help please: touchscreen does not activate on incoming call
 

Mine was doing this - sometimes it would work fine, sometimes the srcreen would light up, then vanish and sometimes it wouldn't light up at all.

Took it back to Carphone Warehouse and I requested an E7 if they replace it. This N900 is a replacement as it is after the last one lost all telephony functions. The E7/N8 with Belle will be an acceptable compromise, but preferably the E7 as it has an HW keyboard.

They have sent it back to Nokia so we'll see in a few days what the result is. I'll try to get them to tell me what the problem is, too.

Robin

Re: Help please: touchscreen does not activate on incoming call
 

Phone was returned yesterday, aparrently fixed. I checked it with a couple of incoming calls before restoring the back-up and seemed to work fine.

Also worked fine after restore. So far.

No feedback from CPWH or Nokia on what the issue was, though I was looking forward to an E7 and Belle :(

Did try to get the NITDroid auto installer to work too, but no option in boot menu.

Re: Help please: touchscreen does not activate on incoming call
 

Many gals and guys here, that got to use Nokia "oxym.oron" care, would envy You, for getting fixed N900, instead of getting s.h.i.t.t.y E7 or N8.