Can the Samsung Galaxy S3 micro-USB port be repaired at home?

Can the Samsung Galaxy micro-USB port be replaced easily at home?

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I finally found out why I kept destroying micro-usb cables and why, after a few months, they would just fall out of the SIII.

Apparently, the female micro-USB port is physically damaged. Apparently that female port is, over the period of a few months, destroying the two little spring tabs on the bottom of the male micro-USB connectors.

This has happened to so many cables, that it can't be the cables. I think, very long ago, I had accidentally put in the wrong male connector to the Samsung Galaxy S3, which may have caused the problem (I don't know).

Physically, when I look at the female port on the Samsung Galaxy SIII, I don't *see* any damage, but, it has ruined so many cables that it has to be damaged somehow.

Anyway, the question becomes: Have you ever replaced the Samsung Galaxy micro-USB port?

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How is it done?

Reply to
Don Phillipson
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Very carefully, and with very small tools. Ask Oren; he's got a small tool.

Or is one.................over?

Reply to
Col. Edmund Burke

How? if it is not a soldered on part which needs SMD (de)soldering tool and skills, even at that if you can find same part. More likely it is a part of a sub board, then you need whole of that. Better idea may be try to find a dead broken tablet for part you need.

I once repaired LAN port(RJ45) on a laptop(Alienware). It was damaged when cable was yanked off by accident. I had to take apart whole laptop to get at it and replacing it was tricky affair. Tablet is much more smaller. Few times I opened up old iPAD which is very delicate like your tablet.

Reply to
Tony Hwang

Also remote chance but Youtube may have some thing about taking it apart.

Reply to
Tony Hwang

Have not done it on an S3, but I believe the same port is used on the blackberry playbook. Yes, they can be replaced. No, it is not easy. You don't solder the connections, but you solder the connector to the board. The connections are spring contacts that contact the board. I won't attempt them any more - my eyes are not good enough. I did a Playbook - took 3 tries and 3 connectors.

Reply to
clare

I found this 1-hour video which shows how to replace the power port:

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HOW TO FIX BROKEN SAMSUNG GALAXY S3 USB CHARGING PORT

I'm not sure what's with the black gloves, but they first take the screws off the inside, then remove what they call the "rear housing."

They then remove the PCB and disconnect the cable connectors.

At time point 5:45, they apply "capton tape" (whatever capton tape is):

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They heat the PCB to 220 degrees Celsius and the soldering iron to

650 degrees Fahrenheit with a variety of fluxes and then vacuum off the solder on the four micro-usb connector taps.

They then flip the PCB and remove the solder on the sides of the connector. Strangely, at time 19:20, they *add* solder in order to remove solder!

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They *add* solder again at time 20:15 in order to remove solder!

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At time 20:50, they say you have to apply "alloy" in order not to pull up the pad on the PCB along with the USB port pins.

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At time 22:05, they add *alloy* to each pin (so it's not solder?).

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Some questions:

  1. What is capton tape for?
  2. What does the alloy do?
Reply to
Don Phillipson

Yes. I've successfully done two S3 connector replacements. They were

*NOT* easy. If you haven't used a hot air SMT desoldering machine, you are likely to wreck it unless you practice on some other old cell phone.

Buy one of the replacement connectors: Cover the area of the connector with an aluminum foil heat shield, leaving a hole only where you want to solder. Find a small diameter tubular nozzle. Adjust the temperature and air flow so that it desolders properly on a practice PCB. Keep the air flow low so that you don't spread the heat over too wide an area. Keep the nozzle moving to avoid burning a hole in the PCB or melting something. The connector should just fall out. Clean up the pads with liquid flux and a small soldering iron. Do NOT use solder braid or a solder sucker as these will rip up the traces on the PCB. If one of the traces lifts off the PCB, you're screwed, so be careful.

To replace, slop some solder paste on the pads, locate the connector, apply the hot air SMT tool again, and it should reflow. Don't be too picky about centering the connector on the pads, as surface tension will do that for you once the solder melts.

Here are some vidios on how it's done: etc... there are more.

However, if you rip up the PCB, you can still salvage the phone by charging the battery in an external battery charger. One phone I tried to fix and failed had too many broken traces and I could not replace the connector. So, the owner juggles batteries, which is a PITA, but better than spending $$$$ on a new phone. When her contract was over in a few months, she gets a new phone, so the battery shuffle was worthwhile.

Or, you can do a bit of butchering and bypass the charging port.

--
Jeff Liebermann     jeffl@cruzio.com 
150 Felker St #D    http://www.LearnByDestroying.com 
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Reply to
Jeff Liebermann

Per Don Phillipson:

Define "Easily".... -)

I am on my third or fourth USB port on my Samsung Note.

After wasting $100 discovering that it was essentially without warranty (you have to be using in the right part of the world relative to where it was intended to be sold in order to get warranty service) I bit the bullet and decided to try it myself.

Search YouTube and I'll bet you find a detailed instructional vid for your Galaxy.

My replacement ports cost me less than nine bucks each - including shipping all the way from Guandong, China.

First on probably took me at least an hour - just being really, really careful.

Next two or three were probably 30-45 minutes.

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Pete Cresswell
Reply to
(PeteCresswell)

Per (PeteCresswell):

I should add that, in my case, no soldering was involved. Just disconnecting/reconnecting a ribbon connector and a micro-something-or-other plug.

The replacement "Port" was actually a little board all by itself: remove the old board, put in the new board, button it all up.

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Pete Cresswell
Reply to
(PeteCresswell)

If that's the case it's a no-brainer. Easily fixed. On the Blackberry it is on the main board - a real fussy job to replace.

Reply to
clare

It's soldered to the main PCB on the Samsung Galaxy SIII also.

Reply to
Don Phillipson

You're lucky. The Samsung Galaxy SIII is soldered on.

Reply to
Don Phillipson

Kapton. Looks like it's being used as a heat shield, to keep other solder joints on the board from melting, while the USB connector is being desoldered. In other applications, it's used as insulation. It is available in a variety of thicknesses and widths. Any electronics assembly shop probably has some kicking around.

Matt Roberds

Reply to
mroberds

I have bypassed the need to replace one on an S4 by buying one of those Chinese QI chargers that comes with a receiver that fits in the back of the phone. They look like this combined with one of these . Of course, if you need the USB data connection my suggestion is useless. If you decide to try it do some Googling first. They often look alike but they are not all equally effective and some charging pads come with the receiver but most don't.

Reply to
Gordon Levi

Adding a spot of lead based solder makes desoldering lead-free much easier.

Reply to
John Keiser

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