Help Broken Evo Charging Port Thread, Lets Track This Issue

Backups and offline copies of them - how to do it, how to manage it - http://androidforums.com/evo-4g-support-troubleshooting/141369-how-fix-froyo.html

Because after the phone breaks, it's too late and you'll wish you had.

EarlyMon, what do you think about not being able to disassociated your phone after syncing with gmail?

I wear a tin hat when it comes to these big corporations keeping all my info. Sort of upset the sprint guy synced up facebook and all those other crappy apps before he handed me my phone.

Facebook I wouldn't use at gun point - I'm too tin-foiled hatted myself.

If you want, you can go into your phone contacts, select them all and save them to your phone rather than google. Then, go into your Google and facebook and twitter apps - like Market, Gmail, etc - and remove all data - do that via homescreen -> menu -> settings -> applications -> manage applications


Then you can log on to your gmail.com account via a web desktop and remove your contacts.

I don't have any idea how to do that on Facebook, but I'm sure it must be possible.

Go into your location settings and don't let it track you. Go into your browser, clear all caches and turn off location awareness there, too.

That will isolate you.

Personally, I don't bother.

First, I need the Market - and you need to enter your gmail address to get that and the fun begins again. Plus I like their other services.

Second, if Google's going to turn completely nefarious or get breached by the very nefarious - then that could happen to Sprint, and they already have logged your calls and account info, so there you are.

Personal choice tho - it's Android - make it yours.

EarlyMon said:

Facebook I wouldn't use at gun point - I'm too tin-foiled hatted myself.
...
Then you can log on to your gmail.com account via a web desktop and remove your contacts.

I don't have any idea how to do that on Facebook, but I'm sure it must be possible.

Click to expand...

If you're already concerned about abuse of your personal information and wish to delete it, then what's to stop them from keeping their own secret copies of the information and simply marking it "deleted" in their database without actually expunging it? Nothing.

The only true preventative is never to give them information that you want held private. As EarlyMon points out, if you wanna play with Google you gotta cough up some info. That's the choice you make and you have to live with it once made.

I knew the second I first used the micro usb port on my brand new HTC Evo (launch day) that the port was poorly designed, and not robust enough for daily use. A good design is Apple's magnetic charging port on it's laptops. Foolproof and sturdy. A mini version of one of these would be better than that flimsy micro usb piece of crap.

At first, it started to fail, would only charge if in a certain position (and no, I never tripped on it), and then it shorted out and blew a fuse in my car charge port (ACC). Then one day, the entire plastic tab that has the metalic contact strips just snapped off completely. Yeah, one millimeter of plastic on a port that's used several times daily is a shitty design, period. Also, the cables have an end that guarantees that THEY will not be twisted, bent at right angles, etc. This guarantees that those forces will be transmitted as leverage and torque to the port itself (in other words, the end of the cable is stiff -- whereas a better design would be a really flexible cable -- but that wouldn't work either because the wires would break eventually -- but what would you rather replace, a $2 cable from ebay, or your phone?)

My phone was under hardware warranty (1 year) from HTC, but the guy at the store was really cool and found a refurbished phone at the store to replace mine -- for $35.

I'm a developer. I charge my phone every night, and I plug it into my car charger whenever I drive. I also have to plug in and unplug the usb cable for development, etc. It's just way too flimsy (that port)... Enough said.

Just depended on the production run. Some were unlucky and had bad solder joints and the port gave way others were lucky and have used the beastie since about launch day without issue.

Because of those with the problem, I agree completely this is an area for improvement.

Better than a magnetic charger would be built-in inductive charging.

Then the usb could be used when that's not available or just for data transfer (also possible wirelessly).

this is starting to happen on my evo. fml

I sent an email to HTC about this, and the guy said "well, we can't just copy other people's design" (like apple's magnetic thing, which I mentioned to him). Wow, what an imagination this guy must have. Who the hell ever said anything about copying someone else's design?!? I was just mentioning a breakaway design that guarantees you're not going to destroy the computer port, even if someone DOES trip over the cable (in that case, it just pops off and Bob's you uncle.)

Even with a pound of solder, I think it's such a tiny port with dainty little leads, that I think it's a poor design for something used so often. One cool solution to the usb debugging issue is to use wireless usb debugging. There's an app for that! Free too. Get the one with the most stars, called adbWireless.

I agree that inductive charging would be the best. In fact, I think tables at coffee shops (with Wifi) should have big inductive chargers built into them. No power chargers required! With Wifi, it would be a completely wireless experience.

can anyone quote the Apple Suing article into this thread?

HyperMac are well known for making external batteries for Macs, iPhones and iPods, now it seems that Apple has decided to Sue HyperMac.


Apple is alleging that HyperMac has infringed on its patents for the MagSafe power connectors for Macs, and the 30 pin iPhone and iPod connectors, and they are claiming that HyperMac are using them without a license.

Click to expand...

The rest is bloggy fluff - so far as I know this didn't proceed further because HyperMac did some sort of end-run to not use their stuff, or shift it from one point to another. Also, the PDFs of the court briefs have their way of making it to the net, I can look for one of those if you want the real charges... meanwhile, here's a better article:

AppleInsider | Apple sues 'HyperMac' accessory maker over MagSafe, iPod cables

The lawsuit filed this month accuses Sanho, based out of Sunnyvale, Calif., of infringing on six MagSafe- and iPod-related patents, covering a variety of products sold under the HyperMac brand. Among the products named in the suit are its magnetic power connectors, known as MBP-PRO and MBP-AIR, as well as a MacBook car charger, MBP-CAR.

Instead of mimicking Apple's patented MagSafe connectors, Sanho's products actually rely on recycled official MagSafe products made by Apple. "Our charging cables use original Apple MagSafe connectors for maximum compatibility," the company's website reads.

The suit also singles out charging and data cables that rely on the 30-pin dock connector compatible with Apple's iPod, iPhone and iPad ecosystem of devices. Named in the suit are the "HyperMac Nano," "HyperMac Micro" and "HyperMac Mini" products.

Sanho's HyperMac branding sells a number of small, portable external batteries that can provide extra power to portable devices on the go. Using the iPod 30-pin dock connector, products like the HyperMac Micro come in a variety of colors and are compatible with Apple products like the iPhone 4 and iPad.

In the suit, filed in a U.S. District Court in the Northern District of California, Apple says it notified Sanho of its infringement via official letters on April 26, May 19 and June 2010 of 2010...

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That article goes on to show the scanned first page of the filing and the patents in question.

Here's how they fixed it:

Sanho introduces HyperMac MagSafe conversion kit | Cult of Mac

A couple of weeks ago, Sanho announced their new line of HyperMac batteries, which use Apple’s own airline adapter to connect to your MacBook via MagSafe, a solution that deftly sidestepped the legal problems.

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Due to copyright constraints and my name tag, I'm reluctant to quote further.

BuddhaBandit said:

...I think tables at coffee shops (with Wifi) should have big inductive chargers built into them. No power chargers required! With Wifi, it would be a completely wireless experience.

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Until somebody sets down a wallet or purse on top of the inductive charger and erases all the credit card magnetic stripes inside. DOH!

In this crew now, my port went from perfect to busted in a week. For now I'm I'm using a universal external charger I got at radio shack. Just charge my extra battery and swap them out once a day.

BuddhaBandit said:

I agree that inductive charging would be the best.

Click to expand...

Meh. I have it, hardly ever use it.

there is a duplicate thread found here:
http://androidforums.com/evo-4g-sup...-port-already-broken-htc-evo.html#post2073534

(that post is my post, where in I describe the results of getting my Evo replaced, by Sprint, for free, where they acknowledged this was a known hardware issue and covered by HTC's 1 year warranty)

Good catch - maybe I'll just send people there over here, unless/until we decide otherwise.

Does anyone know how to re-solder the usb port back on to the mother board ?

I have mine apart on the bench but the hot solder will not stick to the board..... I'm guessing there is some kind of protective coating I need to clean off first ?

SARC said:

Does anyone know how to re-solder the usb port back on to the mother board ?

I have mine apart on the bench but the hot solder will not stick to the board..... I'm guessing there is some kind of protective coating I need to clean off first ?

Click to expand...

No coating that I noticed. Did you heat the connection first? Are you using a good iron? I'm thinking it either isn't getting hot enough or you didn't heat the connection first.

uniquenameEVO said:

No coating that I noticed. Did you heat the connection first? Are you using a good iron? I'm thinking it either isn't getting hot enough or you didn't heat the connection first.

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Isn't this connector surface mount?

If so, I doubt you can use a standard soldering iron to reconnect it. They apply solder paste to the board in the production line, then apply the parts to the board. While the paste holds the part like glue, the heat melts the solder and everybody's happy--until it peels off the board.

Usually a hot air station is used for single component surface mount devices, but I doubt you want to drop the money on one of those just for this project.

boteman said:

Isn't this connector surface mount?

If so, I doubt you can use a standard soldering iron to reconnect it. They apply solder paste to the board in the production line, then apply the parts to the board. While the paste holds the part like glue, the heat melts the solder and everybody's happy--until it peels off the board.

Usually a hot air station is used for single component surface mount devices, but I doubt you want to drop the money on one of those just for this project.

Click to expand...

Guess I never thought of it being fully off. My board was out of the case and I added to the connection points (heated up the current points before adding a tiny bit of solder). Nothing special except a microscope and a decent iron. I'm no expert, but my phone works. If I remember, there is a plastic cover over something that covers the connection point on the right side. It popped right back in place for me when I was done.

Thanks for the feedback guys..... I may not have enough heat.... I have a needle nosed soldering iron.... I'll get one with a flatter tip so I can get the board hotter

SARC said:

Thanks for the feedback guys..... I may not have enough heat.... I have a needle nosed soldering iron.... I'll get one with a flatter tip so I can get the board hotter

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It probably can't get much worse, but be careful. As I recall my coffee intake made it hard to stay steady...it's a small area to work on.

I bought the EVO the day it came out and I have had a problem with my charging port as well. After just a month the plug was loose and the phone stopped charging until I moved the plug around and got a connection. I bought a new higher quality cable with better connectors than the original ones issued with the phone. The connection now is much more secure and the phone charges very well now. Actually I'm on my second purchased set. I accidentally yanked the first ones thus loosening the connection again. This time I spent a little extra and got a set with a much sturdier connection.
My phone still stops charging every once in awhile especially when the hotspot is turned on. If I disconnect then reconnect the phone will begin charging again.

So the same thing happened with my evo. Had to wiggle the micro usb cord to get a charge, sometimes had to position my phone too. Eventually it stopped charging. Went into the sprint store, they said I had to spend 100 dollars to get a replacement through Asurion. I ended up paying for this in the store. Got back home and emailed sprint saying how terrible the TEP plan was and asked what it was for if it didnt fix this kind of thing. Told them I had previous problems with getting phones fixed/replaced. Then ended it with im gonna end my service once this contract is up since im so disappointed at their service. Got two emails back saying they are going to give me 100$ credit on my phone bill. Hope this all works out for you guys too The emails pretty much said this:


email 1:
Thank you for contacting Sprint. I apologize for the inconvenience you
have experienced with the phone.

We apologize from here, we are unable to resolve the phone issue. We
have a dedicated department, where all the issues pertaining to the
phones are handled. I can also see that your handset is covered with the
Total Equipment Protection (TEP) plan. We at Sprint do not charge our
customer for the phone repair until the handset is covered under the TEP
plan.

To resolve your phone issue, you are requested to take your phone to the
Sprint Repair Center. Our representative will be happy to help you. To
find the nearest Sprint Repair Center, please visit our website
Sprint Store Locator

I understand that you have already visited the Sprint repair. If the
phone can not be repaired, you can get a replacement phone by calling
Asurion at (800) 584-3666. There is a $100.00 charge for getting the
replacement phone.

Looking at your inconvenience, I can offer you the credit of $100.00
against the replacement of the phone. You can treat this email as a
confirmation.

----------------------------------------------------
email 2:

Thank you for your reply regarding $100.00 credit for the TEP charge.

We have offered you the credit against the handset replacement charge of
Asurion. So, please get your handset replaced by contacting Asurion at
1-800-584-3666. Once you have replaced the handset, please reply to us,
we will apply the credit of $100.00 on your account to make the
replacement handset cost you at no charge.

Please reply if you have any other concern. We will assist you further.