Dust Prevention

[jmxp69]

Now on my 4th Hero due to dust, I decided to take a preventative measure. I've taken the phone apart and studied what's going on, unfortunately, I didn't take pictures

The LCD rests in a form fitted cradle underneath the touchscreen. When you remove the motherboard, you'll see a tin backplate that protects the backside of the LCD. The LCD fits quite snug in this recess and the space between the LCD and the touchscreen is occupied by a black foam tacky gasket.

After studying this arrangement, I don't believe the dust enters between the LCD and the touchscreen, I think it enters between the protective plate and the LCD at the corners. Most of the pictures I have seen with dust under the screen start at the top right, top left, or bottom left. Coincidentally, the LCD backplate corners have relief cuts in them most likely to enable bending of the plate on---you guessed it: The opposing corners of where dust shows up on the LCD.

On my one day old Hero #4, I decided to take the phone apart and apply a very small bead of silicone sealer on the three corners with relief cuts. Just enough to fill the gap between the plate and the chassis recess but I DID NOT take the LCD out. I highly recommend against doing this because of the potential to make the problem worse.

I have no idea if this will solve the dust issue, and, the date of manufacture on my phone is 2/18/2010. So who knows if HTC already corrected the problem on this recent batch. I'm not in an all-fired hurry to see if I can try to get dust in the phone, so I'm not going to start stuffing it in my jeans pocket to see what happens. That said, my other phones weren't carried in my jeans pocket either, always in a leather holster or an Innocase.

I will keep an eye on the phone and report back in a week or so. That's how long it took to get dust under the previous three. I have an Otterbox Commuter on the way too.

I really hope the combination of a very late production batch, my silicone application on the corners, and the Otterbox allow me to put this issue in the rearview mirror. If not, the phone goes to one of my kids the day the N1 or SS is released One way or another, I will solve the problem.

Hope this has been helpful to someone...

 

[rswheaton]

Good work... I would like to hear how this turns out.

 

[SamuraiBigEd]

My phone is older, purchased in January and has no dust, you may have gone to unnecessary steps.

 

[i VTAK]

My phone is older, purchased in January and has no dust, you may have gone to unnecessary steps.

Mine was purchased in February and it does have dust under the screen. When it finally gets bad enough and I take it apart to clean, I'll follow these steps to fix it. Thanks OP.

 

[John_Droid]

I'm curious the type of environment those with the dust issue live/work in. Are you in construction, or similar jobs / environments that cause this?

The reason I ask, and clearly it is an issue for many, is that I've had my phone from day 1 that it was released, and, knock on wood, have no dust issues at all.

I'm just curious the type of environment that the phone is exposed to on a consistent basis, and if that may be a large contributing factor.

 

[rswheaton]

I'm curious the type of environment those with the dust issue live/work in. Are you in construction, or similar jobs / environments that cause this?

The reason I ask, and clearly it is an issue for many, is that I've had my phone from day 1 that it was released, and, knock on wood, have no dust issues at all.

I'm just curious the type of environment that the phone is exposed to on a consistent basis, and if that may be a large contributing factor.

I work 5 days a week in a very clean secure environment and actually many around me say that I have OCD when it comes to being clean. I have had dust since the second week. Already opened phone once and clean and the dust has returned.

 

[John_Droid]

I work 5 days a week in a very clean secure environment and actually many around me say that I have OCD when it comes to being clean. I have had dust since the second week. Already opened phone once and clean and the dust has returned.

When did you get your phone? Curious if there is a range of build dates with a bad batch. Is the dust really noticeable, or is it just a light nuisance?

 

[rswheaton]

When did you get your phone? Curious if there is a range of build dates with a bad batch. Is the dust really noticeable, or is it just a light nuisance?

The day it arrived... in October 2009.

 

[mocciamm]

I'm not in an all-fired hurry to see if I can try to get dust in the phone, so I'm not going to start stuffing it in my jeans pocket to see what happens. That said, my other phones weren't carried in my jeans pocket either, always in a leather holster or an Innocase.

Maybe you should start using your pockets. 4 phones?? Unless you're living in the dust bowl like another person suggested, you may have a simpler problem than you think.

 

[jmxp69]

I'm curious the type of environment those with the dust issue live/work in. Are you in construction, or similar jobs / environments that cause this?

Office environment. If the phone wasn't on my cradle or in my hand, it was in a holster.

 

[jmxp69]

Maybe you should start using your pockets. 4 phones?? Unless you're living in the dust bowl like another person suggested, you may have a simpler problem than you think.

There's no way a pocket is cleaner than my leather holster. 3 phones got dust under two weeks. 4th is good so far...

 

[SamuraiBigEd]

I'm curious the type of environment those with the dust issue live/work in. Are you in construction, or similar jobs / environments that cause this?

The reason I ask, and clearly it is an issue for many, is that I've had my phone from day 1 that it was released, and, knock on wood, have no dust issues at all.

I'm just curious the type of environment that the phone is exposed to on a consistent basis, and if that may be a large contributing factor.

I work in my shop and on job sites in very dusty and dirty conditions with my phone in a Seidio Innocase and holster, I have no dust what so ever.

 

[mlblack16]

There is probably a fine line between what is considered dust and lint from inside pockets, but especially pockets with white fabric are going to create much more noticeable "dust" under the screen. Have you ever used one of those rubbery cases for any phone? When you pull it out, there's fine dusty looking lint all over it. This just happens from the breakdown of the fibers in the material used for the pocket and, since it literally is a "pocket" this material just collects unless you turn your pocket inside out and try to remove it. Add to this (I know it sounds gross) dry skin that can rub off your hands when you reach in your pockets and it's no wonder you have so much dusty looking material just waiting to enter the Hero. Most of the "dust" you see in your house is actually from dead skin, btw. When you carry the Hero in your jeans pocket, you are asking to get the dusty looking material under the screen, because some jackass who designed it came up with the idea for the button plate which creates a HUGE seam at the bottom of the phone. The standard gasket method they used to seal the phone just can't hold up.

I like the smooth look of the buttons at the bottom vs say the My Touch, but it would have been better making them touch resistive with haptic feedback vs mechanical buttons behind the plate, that way the bottom of the phone would remain sealed up.