Dreamliner

Disclaimer - You screw it up, don't blame me.

DIY guide to disassemble your Sprint HTC Hero

Why? Because the dust under the screen is a major

Tools? T-6 Torx, really tiny Philips & Flathead

Time? 10 Minutes

This phone is put together so simply, its silly.

Step 1 - See your phone working...


Step 2 -Back Cover Removal

Remove 4 (T6) Torx Screws (Red Circles)
Start at the top and pry the housing cover off (the chrome is on this piece)
Push Tabs in (Green Circles)
Remove housing cover

Step 3 - Circuit Board Removal

Undo 2 connectors (Red Circles)
Unscrew 2 Philips Screws (Red Circles)
Remove Circuit Board

Step 4 - LCD Removal

Undo Circuit board double-taped to back of LCD (Red Circles)
Undo tape at top of LCD (Red Circles)
Pry LCD off (Green Ovals)...it is foam taped to the front cover

Step 5 - Look at the front housing

And clean the dirt...

Step 6 - Reassemble



Thanks!

glorify

Cool man. Does this leave any evidence to void the warranty if you need to get the phone serviced?

BoomCackle

Better yet, could you take it to the next step and give an idea to fix the dust from getting in?

glorify

I had a Moto Q9C, the original dust magnet. The thing that worked for me was a hip case and that's it. The rubber sleeve actually HELPED the dust collect. From what I read about the Hero tho, the dust is getting in thru the volume rocker and a rubber sleeve may help.

Goodbye old dust collecter, hello new.

You just can't fix design errors, you just have to learn a way around them.

Last edited by glorify; 11-28-2009 at 09:46 AM.

mapimages

outstanding thread, thanks for sharing

wow just as simple as taking a blackberry apart

nathanotis

I vote for a sticky!

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n.

kayos

+1

eyebeam

Agreed. Great post. If I encounter this problem (fingers uber crossed!) the pics will be especially helpful. Thanks for taking the time.

Dreamliner

The lower left screw 'had' a plain white sticker on it, if attention was ever called, you just claim ignorance.

The dust is actually getting in from the top and bottom of the display by the buttons and near the ear speaker.

It is coming in from between the double sticky foam that holds the lcd and the glass.

It is a seal issue between the front housing and the foam ring.

The fix is a different foam ring to seal whatever gap exists between the front glass and the foam ring.

aptmx

Great Post. You would think HTC would be able to figure out a way to seal the phone properly. The one and only issue I have with this phone is the crazy amounts of dust that can get under that glass!

inline325i

Contacted Sprint Customer Service today about dust under screen issue I have just begun to have. I purchased phone when it first came out so it is over 30 days. Sprint C/S (*2) said they would gladly send me a refurb phone due to the issue of dust I am having...

UGGGGGG do I exchange for a "refurb" phone or just deal with the dust under the screen??? Would HTC come more to sending me a NEW phone?????

cooolone2

Awesome post... Thanks for being brave Dreamliner! lolz...

I don't have a dust issue, but I bought the rubber/silicone HTC soft case with the phone and as soon as I could get it on the phone I did, I mean right outside the store... so maybe I'm lucky(no dust), maybe? It's been in my pockets, pants, coat, etc...

Who knows... anyway,

I love to take things apart, so this will be helpful if I ever have the need. I'd much rather do this then return my Hero if I had the dust issue, I have grown quite fond of it... (lol) and don't think anyone would handle it this way with such care as I would.

8D

fivebass52

Noticed a bit too much dust beginning to create a "spray" pattern in the lower right corner of the screen, and decided it was time to take advantage of dreamliner's disassembly pictorial.

Excellent steps/pictures, as it was very easy to take the phone apart, exercising care in removing the ribbon connectors, and prying the LCD out. Once apart, I began to gently clean the LCD, and realized it is either a soft screen, or has some kind of soft film protecting it - not sure. But it is very easy to leave streaks or dust on it. At that point I just blew the dust off, and cleaned the inside of the cover, and even that was a pain. I've reassembled the phone and it's working fine.

What I want to know is, what kind of cloth and cleaning fluid would be the best to use the next time i decide to open it up (and I will!)? I can see slight streaking at this point on the inside of my cover from using alcohol.... although it is very slight, and not noticeable when the phone is on.

Thanks for your suggestions....

Dreamliner

^ I just never touched the screen, after I opened it up, I went to town with air duster.

Last edited by Dreamliner; 12-02-2009 at 02:21 PM.

fivebass52

NOW you tell me! Would like to know if anyone has a cleaning solution/cloth combo to recommend.

Ganja_Natty

Thanks for this. But this is a problem HTC admits to, therefore there is no reason for the owners to risk messing up there phone just to get dust out that will find its way right back in. I say, all hero or other htc phone owners that have this problem keep on pestering HTC, keep on calling and emailing them about this issue, until they promise everybody new phones that are guaranteed not to have this problem. We all know its going to happen. Either that, or they'll find a way to fix it for us, the customers free of charge, I mean after all this isn't our fault..

Dreamliner

Do you really think thats going to happen.


and HTC does not care.

Many phones get dust under the screen, and they would never send out a massive recall of all the phones for replacement.

eyebeam

While I like the idea, my problem with this is I really like the one I have. This one works. No wake lock issues, no creaking keys, lag on this one is more then acceptable etc. (and so far no dust). Who knows if a replacement (Or worse, most likely a refurb that was sent back for something) will be as good? If I have to blow out some dust myself to keep a phone I know works well, then so be it.

big_z

If you go to an optometrist or the optometry department in Walmart or whatever they should have eyeglass cleaning cloths for sale. I wouldn't mess around with a cleaning fluid unless you have heavy smudges or grime on the inside of the glass. The eyeglass cloth should pick up the dust (and minor smudge and grime as well) pretty well on its own. I'd also glove up for this kind of thing; make sure the gloves you get are dust free (some manufacturers will dust theirs with cornstarch to keep them from sticking together). Give it some elbow grease to get the smudges out; this cloth is meant for getting dust and fingerprints off of eyeglasses without the use of cleaner.

If you do need to clean some significant grease or other junk off of the inside of the glass, look for a product called Stoner's Invisible Glass in the automotive section. It's in a black spray bottle with a yellow head. I can't promise that it won't screw up the conductive aspects that you need for touchscreen stuff, though. I do know that it lives up to its name when I use it to clean my car windows (and is safe to use for tinted windows). I wouldn't under any circumstances get that stuff on the LCD itself.

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Sprint HTC Hero

Last edited by big_z; 12-03-2009 at 10:27 AM.

mlblack16

You would be surprised to see how well scotch tape cleans. It will remove fingerprints, smudges, lint, etc. If you rub some on the metallic button pad at the bottom, you'll see what I mean.

If I were to attempt this, I'd use the keyboard air cleaner and scotch tape. As long as you're using a good brand, it won't leave any adhesive behind.

Kelmar

Still no STICKY?!?

Great job BTW!!!

Michaelvg1

Question. The first one I bought had a dust problem after a week. I returned it. The box had a sticker on it that said 12/17/09. Is it safe to say I have a newer model? How would I know my Google version phone is fixed

caseyatbt

Is there a way to separate the grey portion from the screen? I kinda want to paint or dye the body to a different color.

shawheim

ive had my hero for a lil over a month and have had a rubber sleve on it and i have no traces of dust at all.

jrich

I'd like to do the same with my Hero...I feel that it looks a lot better in black. Plus, the silver trimming on the sides will pop more.

watzone69

Great thread! You are a brave soul.
Sticky this for guts alone!

HeikoMax

Very cool and brave undertaking. So far, no dust with mine and I alternate between the Sprint silicone case and nothing.

As a side note, can you confirm that the screen is glass? I have read that it is and am pretty much convinced it is but you could seal the deal. I don't use a screen protector film but have covered the rest with a skin from Phantom Skinz. I left the screen piece off.

dereklipkin

Hi! Great post, but I could you a little help.

So ... I'm sitting with the back cover removed, and I am at the "prying" stage. But I'm just a bit too timid to put too much force on the device. How exactly should the prying go? Is there an easy way to make it happen?

Thanks in advance for any and all help!

andyriot

just finished putting my hero back together, looking brand new dust free! thank you very much for the picture tutorial.

some tips from my experience...

when "prying" the housing cover off, i found it best to slide my thumb nail down the crease between the chrome and the back piece and it popped out with ease. same with the bottom where he indicates to "push in" the two tabs, i just continued to run along the crease with my nail and it popped out.

the screen i was slightly more cautious of being a more fragile piece. it felt wrong but if you slightly pry at it from the side as indicated you can begin to hear it unstick from the tape holding it on the front. one you get it started its a lot easier to remove the whole lcd.

here in lies the issue i think as well. clearly the foam tape holding the lcd to the front isnt sufficient enough in some places. mine happens to only collect dust in the lower left corner. when reapplying the lcd i made sure the lower left corner was pushed in very snug hopefully to help with the issue.

if i do this again, i will look into adding a small bit of foam tape in the trouble area to hopefully seal it better. though this was my first time, i will see if it comes back soon or not.

dereklipkin

Whew! Thanks very much.

I actually finally got it to go! Wow ... so nice looking! So much for the warranty.

Thanks again for this post. Excellent work!

acp

great thread...

I spoke with a rep and a Sprint Repair Store and he said he would do this for me, which put my mind at ease. I will let you know how it goes

kayos

I'm wondering why this isn't a sticky yet.

top magoo

would these be a good instruction set to use when cleaning the rollerball? from the picture, it looks like it's a sealed unit.

blindfaith76

this was very helpful. How is this not a sticky??? mods...anyone?

blindfaith76

furthermore....to anyone who has done this before...how has it held up? have you noticed dust come back quicker/slower? any new dust at all?... i just finished re-assembling it and I'm just wondering how long this will look brand new for.

andyriot

obviously according to my post i only completed it 4 days ago, but very satisfied so far. no sign of returning dust yet and i keep it in my pocket.

Tikerz

Great post! Thanks!

NCKK

Bump until it's stickied...

I really don't understand the dust issue... For all the odd places my phone has ended up, I don't have any issue with dust, or scratches, or anything at all...

Some of y'all would stroke out if you saw what my phone has been through .lol.

tatonka_Hero

oddly enough, I don't have dust either. Pretty much every other electronic device I've owned had dust in the screen within a couple months, especially those carried around in my pocket. Not the Hero so far (knock on wood).

I am curious about the trackball though, if taking the phone apart makes it possible to clean the trackball, because that's guaranteed to get gummed up eventually (but it's a heck of a lot easier to use than that goofy optical thing on quite a few other phones)

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astrobill

Who says you can't fix design errors? That's crazy. The military is constantly fixing things and improving flaws in weapons systems.

Anyway, where'd you hear the dust is coming in through the volume rocker? I would've guessed it's the massive space between the screen and the silver button area that's the culprit. And that's where most people are saying they have dust anway....

In this case, is there room for a small, flat and thin black rubber gasket behind the silver button area that would run around the entire perimeter of the phone? Seems like that would help keep dust out....let's start an aftermarket company to do this...

Last edited by astrobill; 01-15-2010 at 04:31 PM.

chefm

Thanks for the post and here are some other ideas for sealing out the dust if you don't want to use a traditional cover. I have the Zagg product on the phone and don't really want to switch.

I put some clear slicone sealant between the inner back cover (the layer that the battery sits in) and the front of the phone. Put some on the table you are working at (no more than 1/4 tsp) and using your finger paint on a very small amount just to cover the mating surface -- be even in the amount all the way around. There are a bunch of places for dust to get in but this seems to be the closest point to the LCD screen and may be the main culprit. Another easy spot is the speaker area around the camera. I put a couple pieces of scotch tape on it. Mutes the sound a little but this was a major source of dust coming into the back cover.

marcelo0292

what kind of screw driver do i use? i have a bunch but i cant fine a small one like that. do they sell them at wal-mart or something?

whats the name of the screw driver?

fivebass52

you somehow missed the tools needed part of the OP's directions. Right at the very beginning of his post, he tells you exactly what type and size screwdrivers you need to get. You can get them at Wal-mart, or at your local hardware store. By the way, it's a torx-driver you need, but go back re-read the post from the beginning, and good luck if you decide to dismantle your phone. I followed the directions and took mine apart, and put it back together. Take your time, wash your hands to avoid getting hand oil/sweat on the glass, and you should be fine.

marcelo0292

Oh snap! I guess i did, but thanks! I'm definately going to do this. I'm sick and tired of dust in my screen

jah8551

im not sure if this was posted yet, but in step 2 you should put to remove sd card, i ruined my card trying to pull the housing cover off

Last edited by jah8551; 01-27-2010 at 05:10 AM.

acp

Wow I actually did it and I successfully removed the large spec of dust (I called it my Hero crumb) that was under the screen.

Thank you dreamliner and the other guy that talked about using your fingernail.

acp

My only suggestion: don't drink a large cup of coffee prior to the disassembly.

Last edited by acp; 02-02-2010 at 12:20 PM.

CSOCSO

Niiiice! Thanks for the write up. I had to go to Home Depot to buy tiny small torx tools. Then when i opened up the back of it and saw how tiny uber small is that philips screw was... i had to go back to home depot again

So when i reassembled it i managed to destroy my SD card and crack the plastic around the charger part.

TAKE YOUR SD CARD OUT before you take the phone apart!!! VERY IMPORTANT! all my pic and music is gone

gh0atd

Thanks for the guide dreamliner, helped me out when I had to clean out the dust from my screen.

I will say, that the screen on the inside definitely has some form of adhesive to it. While I was looking at it, I had on some surgeons gloves, and touched the screen and some sticky adhesive came off. It hasn't impacted the performance of the screen in anyway though.

autorail1

I had lots of Dust under my screen in the lower left corner. I always just put in my pocket with no case. ALL I DID WAS VACUUM ALL THE DUST OUT! Not one spec there. I used a 59.50 vaccum (the
Shark NH15 Multi Vac