Help Galaxy S3 motherboard swap to another S3

[murphytq]

I have a Galaxy S3 that the screen and digitizer were both damaged. I have a friend who has an S3 in working condition except the ESN is bad? Can I remove the guts from my phone, motherboard, sim card, and micro card and swap them into the one with the good screen and digitizer and expect to have a working phone?

 

[SUroot]

Well it would be easier to replace the digitiser and screen on your phone, using the other as spares

 

[iPredator]

I agree with SUroot it would be way way easier to replace the screen/digitizer

 

[funkylogik]

was gona say same thing lol.

Wee bit off topic but my ex's mum smashed the screen on her s3 mini (i know its a completely different animal) and has been quoted

 

[iPredator]

It would probably be alot cheaper to get it off ebay and have someone like him replace it seeing as your not paying for the repairs and probably half the price of the screen since its off ebay

 

[funkylogik]

Thought so bud, thanks. Thats what i told her to do anyway
put my (20yrs older than her and still married with children to three other women) ex's partner to some use lol (not that im still bitter)

 

[KOLIO]

Thought so bud, thanks. Thats what i told her to do anyway
put my (20yrs older than her and still married with children to three other women) ex's partner to some use lol (not that im still bitter)

Just callin' 'em as ya see 'em,nothing wrong w/that.......:flute:

 

[funkylogik]

Lol mate :thumbup:

 

[murphytq]

Thanks for opinions...

 

[csansom]

Well it would be easier to replace the digitiser and screen on your phone, using the other as spares

Your kidding right?? A motherboard swap is 10 times easier and faster. Remove some screws, disconnect flex cables, reverse procedure in donor phone and you're done! 5 min or less.

Replacing the screen and the digitizer is going to involve a heat gun, carefully prying out the broken screen and then prying out the broken digitizer. Cleaning everything up. Adding new adhesive. Pressing in new digitizer then new screen. 30min - 1 hr.

 

[nvan7891]

Well it would be easier to replace the digitiser and screen on your phone, using the other as spares

I agree with SUroot it would be way way easier to replace the screen/digitizer

Has anyone here even taken an s3 apart? You're suggestion is exactly the same thing as what was proposed by the op.*

The screen and digitizer come attatched to the frame as one unit, so "replacing the screen and digitizer" requires removing the motherboard from the old one, and placing it in the new one. As long as you dont remove or unplug anything but the antenna cable (also part of the screen/digitizer combo) from the motherboard, all that's left is screwing the back panel on, popping in the battery and replacing the battery cover.

Given you don't unplug/remove anything from the board (ie the embedded sd bay, sim card, and cameras), which you would have no reason to in this situation, anyway, then there are only three essential pieces: the screen/digitizer/frame unit, the motherboard, and the back panel.

The screen/dugitizer/frame unit are not hard-coded with the ESN, so the status of his friends board is irrelevant.

The glass can be replaced by itself, but requires a heat gun and is an extravagant pain in the ass. It also doesn't fix the digitizer.

So, in short, the answer to OP's question is:

"yes."

I would also add:

"Just keep the motherboard and everything attached to it intact, and drop it in your friends screen unit. Plug in the screen's flex cable, secure the motherboard, replace the back, and you're good to go. Just be careful of static electricity."

Source: I have disassembled and reassembled this phone well over 100 times, and I still do it on a daily basis.

 

[funkylogik]

Welcome to the forum Nvan.
Where have you been lol????
There have been so many posts on here that could have benefited from someone with your hardware know-how.
Hope you stay on board!
:beer::beer:

 

[gordonfink]

This is digging up an old thread, but I came across it in a search. The only thing I would add is that boards don't directly swap across carriers. Things like the screw that holds the board down being in different places, the board components on the bottom of the board being of a slightly different size (and therefore the molded plastic on the LCD assembly is slightly off), sim card holder differences, etc.

Same carrier to same carrier - it's a 5 minute deal. Across carriers, it might be possible, but best to check it first. I have a pretty good idea from trial and error, and if you look at the model numbers, that'll point you to it as well.