Hey guys, rehabing a beat up 3GS, need advice.

[Funk-O-Meter]

Three minor problems I need help with:

When the phone vibrates something inside is rattling slightly against the back cover. I can squeeze the phone between my fingers (back and front) and make it stop.
What can I do about this? Perhaps put some padding of some sort back there?

The other thing is the accelerometer calibration is off by about 5 degrees. I understand this is very common and there's no calibration process within the phone OS. All apps that are decent have one built into their apps but a few don't. Mostly free apps. Anybody ever find a solution to this?

The phone is scratched up. Scratches on the back are no big deal I can ignore them or buff them out. It's scratches on the front glass I need advice about. They're deep enough for me to just be able to feel with my fingernail. They're all but invisible unless you catch a reflection. What's the thing to do? It's not worth replacing the glass and sensor.



It's only a few months old but is a little beat up by the previous owner and I'm giving it some love.

Earpiece speaker was buzzing (physical buzz not from interference) so I opened it up to clean the inside and see about the speaker. Well I pretty much finished off the already broken speaker trying to remove it and I rebuilt it but it's done I'm afraid. But that's no big deal I go another one on the way for $5 bucks. It needed to be replaced anyway.

But man I gotta say the 3GS is BLAZING fast compared to my old 2G phone that it's replacing.

Advice from the sages?

 

[Lunchb0x8]

I would try and source the cover and screen from an ebay seller or ifixit.com

As far as the internals and accelerometer, I wouldn't really know, but the rattle inside might be an easy spot when you change the screen and case (if you choose to).

 

[ijen0311]

Isn't it still under warranty?

 

[Funk-O-Meter]

I bought it used. So I'm not aware of the warranty transferring to me.

 

[Applejuiced]

I bought it used. So I'm not aware of the warranty transferring to me.

Applecare Warranty stays with the device. You dont have to transfer ownership or anything.
Check its status here: https://selfsolve.apple.com/GetWarranty.do

 

[chargit]

the warranty is on the phone not the owner! so that doesnt matter. however you took the phone apart! bad move cause most likely this is the first iPhone you have taken apart and more than likely you made some mistakes that they will see. you should have just sent it in to begin with. and dont worry about destroying the speaker cause I cant even get them out without breaking it!! do not buy any parts on eBay because the majority of them are copies (fakes) and dont really work. I would buy from iFixit like someone else suggested. you will pay a little more but you will get a genuine apple part also. the vibrator could be a little loose and that may be what you are hearing. on the scratches....I have not tried this on an iPhone but its worth a shot...get some toothpaste that is the old white paste not the whitener, or scope, or anything fancy. just the old white paste. you can apply this to the glass and rub it in. I have used this on watch faces and glass in general. its worth a shot......

 

[Funk-O-Meter]

Thanks for the info!

I wasn't aware that apple warranty's follow the product not the owner. I got bad info from the AT&T store I guess. Imagine that! Phones and iPods are my only experience owning apple products and I've always just fixed them myself rather then send them in and wait like I do everything else cause it's usually easier then dealing returning it. I'm sick of companies charging me fees to fix their own products under warranty that I don't even consider sending it in sometimes. (Gateway and Maxtor and Invicta I'm looking at you )

While I will diffidently consider that in the future I doubt I would have choose to send this phone in anyway and be without it for some weeks. I don't have an Apple store near me, and I'm guessing they would have done the same repair I'm going to do rather then send me a new phone. If I though they would have sent me back a brand new phone that would have been worth it however.

I've been in a few ipods and iphones in the past and this one is a piece of cake. I researched the tear down before I started so I think I've gotten it right however there were some marks around the speaker cover part from me removing the speaker so that probably does the warranty in I may have had. Plus the phone shows obvious signs of wear and may have been dropped so who knows if it would have been covered. Isn't there an impact sensor and moisture sensor inside? The speaker replacement is gonna be a breeze.

I checked the vibrator and it's not loose and not rattling. Appears to be something vibrating against the back of the case slightly. EDIT: I have found if I press slightly on the case back over where the vibrator is inside the rattle goes away. Perhaps it's the two haves of the case next to the vibrator or the vibrator against the back I'll try reseating the vibrator when I open it up next.

I'll probably buff the glass down to take out the scratches as best I can at some point. I know it'll take the scratch coating off the glass but I'm gonna have a screen protector on it from now on anyway. I could do the same with the back cover but it's not really that important. It'll be in a case.

My last phone (a 2G) is completely screwed from years of loyal service. Wifi stopped working, never rings anymore, texts take hours to receive some times. Now it's just an iPod. This 3GS is a dream!

 

[NETEFX.NET]

iPhone Rehab

Well the vibration motor is mounted by two screws on the case. When you open the iPhone you should see it on the right side attached to the bezel and rear case. I would start by tightening the two screws. If this does not solve the problem then a simple vibration motor for a few bucks will fix the issue unless the case mounts are broken.

With respect to light scratches on the glass / digitizer. Since they seem to mostly a tactile irritation, you may want to consider a screen protector. It will give you a smooth touch surface without replacing the glass and its an inexpensive fix. I am not sure I would try buffing out the glass as glass has a tendency to create static electricity which is potentially dangerous to the attached digitizer circuit.

As for the accelerometer calibration.... havent found a hardware solution for that just software offsetting based on the application.

I still sport my 2G - hoping to hold out for the 4G - Good luck.

 

[Funk-O-Meter]

Fixed the vibrator rattling by re-mounting the vibrator so it sits as far toward the inside of the case as the mount holes will allow. Worked so far.

Replaced the speaker with a new one and the replacement was a breeze but I'm still getting a kind of high end buzzy/distortion component that I can't figure out. Like the driver was buzzing against the case or something but everything seems to be sitting tightly together. I suspect a physical vibration of some components.

It sounds s bit like the audio artifacting in this highly compressed you tube video (unrelated): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wZ9itQJ6i28

That buzzy sound in the high end is similar to what I've got going on that's annoying me.

Ideas?