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Alestar

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Jul 21, 2014
22
0
Hi guys I have lost service network due to knocking off two tiny ceramic capacitors just in front of the battery connector , dose anybody know where I can get hold of them , what size vaults ,make , model they are etc , or if not , as I have also lost the solder pads , can anybody advise the correct way to use jumper wires to create connectivity , many thanks
 

Menel

Suspended
Aug 4, 2011
6,351
1,356
Apple does not publish schematics.

What size parts? 0201? 01005? You can buy them from digikey.com in small quantities.

You can find videos on youtube regarding repairing solder pads. I wouldn't attempt it with such small components, pcba junked.

Make and model is irrelevant, you need to know value.

Hopefully you held onto the component, you'll need to use a capacitance meter to determine value.

Depending on the circuit function? iPhone may function without.

Capacitors are open circuit for DC, a wire short would cause problems.
 

Alestar

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Jul 21, 2014
22
0
Many thanks for getting back to me with your knowledge Menel , I have managed to keep hold of the capacitor , but have not got a capacitance meter nor have I any idea how to use them , can you recommend a good simple and cheep one ? And are they difficult to use!!! Also I am a bit unsure when you said something about pcba junked regarding wires ? Do you mean it would not be possible to use a jumper wire to replace the capacitor ? ( not that I know how to do such a thing) when you say it is the value that is important , I did get a small diagram on this area indicating numbers on each of the capacitors and it looks like the one in question is either c364 and or xw12 , ??? Do these help me identify the parts when trying to pitches them ! Any further feedback greatly appreciated , alestar ....
 

sunking101

macrumors 604
Sep 19, 2013
7,416
2,656
Many thanks for getting back to me with your knowledge Menel , I have managed to keep hold of the capacitor , but have not got a capacitance meter nor have I any idea how to use them , can you recommend a good simple and cheep one ? And are they difficult to use!!! Also I am a bit unsure when you said something about pcba junked regarding wires ? Do you mean it would not be possible to use a jumper wire to replace the capacitor ? ( not that I know how to do such a thing) when you say it is the value that is important , I did get a small diagram on this area indicating numbers on each of the capacitors and it looks like the one in question is either c364 and or xw12 , ??? Do these help me identify the parts when trying to pitches them ! Any further feedback greatly appreciated , alestar ....

There would be no capacitor in the first place if a mere wire would do the trick ;-)
 

Menel

Suspended
Aug 4, 2011
6,351
1,356
Many thanks for getting back to me with your knowledge Menel , I have managed to keep hold of the capacitor , but have not got a capacitance meter nor have I any idea how to use them , can you recommend a good simple and cheep one ? And are they difficult to use!!! Also I am a bit unsure when you said something about pcba junked regarding wires ? Do you mean it would not be possible to use a jumper wire to replace the capacitor ? ( not that I know how to do such a thing) when you say it is the value that is important , I did get a small diagram on this area indicating numbers on each of the capacitors and it looks like the one in question is either c364 and or xw12 , ??? Do these help me identify the parts when trying to pitches them ! Any further feedback greatly appreciated , alestar ....


c364 is a reference designation back to the bill of materials. The bill of materials will have the specifications. Unfortunately that is confidential information.

Some capacitors down to about 0805 size sometimes have value silk screened, but not as small as you are talking. You need a capacitance meter. Nothing cheap, is going to be accurate enough for such a small part. You will spend more on repair then the iPhone is worth.

You cannot use a wire to repair, to short. A capacitor and a wire short are entirely different things.

I mean the circuit board is junked. Scrap.

Your only hope is that the circuit board still works without the capacitor. Not all capacitors are required, many are for fine tuning rf circuits or canceling noise. And often good engineering practice but overkill and not necessary for typical functionality.
 

VulchR

macrumors 68040
Jun 8, 2009
3,376
14,249
Scotland
One of the problems would be soldering the new capacitors without damaging other components with heat. It might be worth finding somebody who specialises in electronic repairs, for they might be cheaper than buying a new phone. If you try to operate the phone and here a loud pop followed by an acrid smell, chances are the capacitors were protecting a chip from power spikes...

Just curious: how did you damage the phone?
 

Alestar

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Jul 21, 2014
22
0
Yes thanks everyone for your speedy informative replies, I had a home button issue , replacing it for a new one did not work so I removed the motherboard to clean with alcohol , it did the trick , unfortunately the screw by the battery connect ( one of the piggyback screws was very tight and required a lot of force to undo the flat edge screwdriver slipped onto the said area and knock off the capacitor , they are in such a vulnerable place and this was my first time opening the iPhone 5 !!! Since then I just keep getting no service . As I still have the cap I am hoping to be able to re solder it back on ??? As I have no value capacitance meter so m unable to order a new one !!! If that is possible is there a certain way round it goes as all sides look the same to me ??? It sounds like a very costly mistake and I am now really gutted after all your tech knowledge regarding just how difficult this job could be , anybody recommend a good repair service for this kind of job ??? Best regards....
 

iolinux333

macrumors 68000
Feb 9, 2014
1,798
73
close it up and take it to apple for an out of warranty replacement :cool:

Ya this. Micro soldering isn't likely to work unless you do it for a living. Or get a lumia 520 to hold you over till iP6 comes out.

Most of us that like to fix our own stuff have had expensive screw ups like this from time to time. They're learning experiences. Maybe it's an opportunity to get to know windows phone, there's supposed to be good stuff going on over there. One day I'm gonna get one just to play with.
 
Last edited:

Alestar

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Jul 21, 2014
22
0
Ya this. Micro soldering isn't likely to work unless you do it for a living. Or get a lumia 520 to hold you over till iP6 comes out.

Most of us that like to fix our own stuff have had expensive screw ups like this from time to time. They're learning experiences. Maybe it's an opportunity to get to know windows phone, there's supposed to be good stuff going on over there. One day I'm gonna get one just to play with.
Wow such a fast reply thanks for getting back , good morning , thought I was the only early bird on the planet lol , . We'll I am totally sold on the Apple iPhone it's just such a pity they are so guarded when it comes to giving out technical data , it's mean and frustrating , is there anywhere to get schematics data for Apple iPhones you know of , cheers ....

----------

c364 is a reference designation back to the bill of materials. The bill of materials will have the specifications. Unfortunately that is confidential information.

Some capacitors down to about 0805 size sometimes have value silk screened, but not as small as you are talking. You need a capacitance meter. Nothing cheap, is going to be accurate enough for such a small part. You will spend more on repair then the iPhone is worth.

You cannot use a wire to repair, to short. A capacitor and a wire short are entirely different things.

I mean the circuit board is junked. Scrap.

Your only hope is that the circuit board still works without the capacitor. Not all capacitors are required, many are for fine tuning rf circuits or canceling noise. And often good engineering practice but overkill and not necessary for typical functionality.
We'll I hope its not junked , I can not give up so easy , it's just a tiny capacitor surly it's not that difficult to replace !!! By the way would I need to use a heat gun or would a very fine iron do the trick ???
 

T5BRICK

macrumors G3
Aug 3, 2006
8,313
2,387
Oregon
If the solder pads are missing there isn't much you can do. The board is scrap. There are places that specialize in this kind of repair, but they charge hundreds of dollars.
 

iolinux333

macrumors 68000
Feb 9, 2014
1,798
73
If you saw how that board was actually made, with robots and solder baths and so on, you'd have maybe a better idea of why it's practically impossible to fix that at home. Maybe go to YouTube and search on micro soldering?
 

Alestar

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Jul 21, 2014
22
0
If the solder pads are missing there isn't much you can do. The board is scrap. There are places that specialize in this kind of repair, but they charge hundreds of dollars.

Hi I have just cleaned up the area and managed to lay so solder down in what looks like the right area ! Trouble is I only have an iron not a heat gun do you think it is possible with just am iron , also would I be better off with solder past ??? I guess I'll only have one proper shot at it and I want to give myself the best possible chance to get it right , thanks for getting back to me , alestar
 

Alestar

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Jul 21, 2014
22
0
If you saw how that board was actually made, with robots and solder baths and so on, you'd have maybe a better idea of why it's practically impossible to fix that at home. Maybe go to YouTube and search on micro soldering?

Yes most of you tube on micro soldering uses hot air , I only have a fine soldering iron at the moment though I'm on the look out for a good hot air gun/solder station , two have coughs my eye as they are nano/ micro , the Quick 860 hot air pencil, and the Hakko micro iron 2032 which fits the Hakko fx 951 and fm 203 both quite pricey but if they are the right tools for iPhone repairs they will be good for life !!!
 

T5BRICK

macrumors G3
Aug 3, 2006
8,313
2,387
Oregon
Hi I have just cleaned up the area and managed to lay so solder down in what looks like the right area ! Trouble is I only have an iron not a heat gun do you think it is possible with just am iron , also would I be better off with solder past ??? I guess I'll only have one proper shot at it and I want to give myself the best possible chance to get it right , thanks for getting back to me , alestar

If the pads were actually missing, adding solder isn't going to fix the problem.
 

Alestar

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Jul 21, 2014
22
0
Ok just if the tracks where totally missing I would not have been able to lay solder down right ??? Maybe it just looked like the tracks where missing !!! Fingers crossed ;-))
 

Crichton333

macrumors 6502
May 4, 2014
344
32
Ok just if the tracks where totally missing I would not have been able to lay solder down right ??? Maybe it just looked like the tracks where missing !!! Fingers crossed ;-))

If you get your phone working after this someone needs to ship you a medal :)

I did solder in the past but my hands are way to shaky now to pull it off.
 

iolinux333

macrumors 68000
Feb 9, 2014
1,798
73
If you get your phone working after this someone needs to ship you a medal :)

I did solder in the past but my hands are way to shaky now to pull it off.

I was once pretty good with the iron, but a few of my recent attempts at resoldering microcircuitry, on stuff I was going to throw away anyway, have been dismal failures. I think you'd be better off keeping your money, and either selling for parts and getting a 5s, or waiting for 6, or swapping for another 5 and just pay apple the money.
 

Alestar

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Jul 21, 2014
22
0
Ok I prefer the medal idea , but I sounds like I'm not going to get this job done myself , as everybody is of the same opinion !!! Who would have thought such a tiny capacitor would course my iPhone to lose service and be so important , I mean it is nearly invisable to the naked eye right , isn't it possible to obtain the bill of rights to find the true value of this sucker , I am starting to feel defeated and many £££ out of pocket , any further help advice greatly welcome , kind regards alestar
 

anaqvi786

macrumors regular
Jun 25, 2013
170
18
At iOS planet
To be honest I don't think you should solder new capacitors on. You should back up your data, get a new iPhone logic board, and replace it.
 

Alestar

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Jul 21, 2014
22
0
Ok I thought I had found the capacitor but It is the wrong size so , I am still looking to buy from somewhere ??? Could there be some other reason that I am getting no service and my screen reboots at least a few times a day , any ideas why , cheers
 

Carlanga

macrumors 604
Nov 5, 2009
7,132
1,409
either you are a great troll or you don't get it, replace the iPhone and be done w it.
 

Alestar

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Jul 21, 2014
22
0
I believe in repairing restoring , not consumerism , I thought this site had a team of experts and professional engerniers , along side enthusiastic hobbyists hoping to learn some good inside knowledge , instead every body ( just about ) has told me just buy the newest or latest new apple device , hello I am here for repair advice and solutions not sales pitches ....
 
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