definition: Hector- Bully, Braggart

First blog post from the phone!

2012-01-26T10:57:00.001-08:00

Just a pic of the whip with my custom rack set up and yakima basket.

Iphone 4 antenna connector smashed?

2011-12-05T19:52:00.000-08:00

This was a strange repair, pretty rare but a repair nonetheless. Customer complained of bad reception after a screen repair, and they kind of mushed their antenna connector. For those of you that do iPhone repairs, this is similar to the #6, and #7 connector on the 3G and/or 3GS. Fairly straight forward repair. Customer was happy in the end to say the least :)

Email me for inquiries! Hectordtruong@gmail.com

(Regarding the #3 connector) There are a lot of unqualified repair "shops" out there....

2011-07-26T11:17:00.001-07:00

So it's been awhile since I've posted anything. Very busy for the last few weeks/months. I have also received quite a bit of emails from people regarding the infamous #3 connector and had to turn people away. NOT because I can't do it, but because someone else, or some other "shop" has tried and then went and totally fucked shit up. I say this in the most professional way I can, because some of these boards are FUBAR'd. Anyhow, I would like to tell anyone that is reading this, PLEASE DON'T LET ANYONE experiment with your phone!!!

I have done probably thousands of these repairs now, and I pretty much started this movement! Haha. Google me (hectordtruong or krazy) and you will see a lot of activity regarding this connector, and myself. I will post an example of a failed repair attempt... from a full blown "repair shop."

Typical "repair shop" quality.

So please, if you don't wan't your phone to look like this, don't send it to anyone else.

Contact me to save your phone from looking like that! Hectordtruong@gmail.com

Iphone 4 battery connector pulled off? Here's the fix!

2011-05-17T10:05:00.000-07:00

So you went to change your battery in your iPhone 4, or you opened it up to change out the housing, and you made a big mistake and used to much force. The connector comes up with the battery, you rip out one or two of the solder pads, then you realized that you need to put this down and give it to a professional.

Look familiar?

Here are the repair pics, during and done.

The solder pad was repaired, and trace recovered. Even if completely torn out, I believe this can be fixed as the circuitry is nearby and not very difficult to do if you know what you're doing. I have ordered a few of these connectors, and will be offering this service very soon. Questions, please email me! Thanks!

Hectordtruong@gmail.com

Help me raise some funds!!!

2011-04-28T14:56:00.000-07:00

The company I work for is in Ophthalmology, and we deal greatly with diseases relating to blindness. I am trying to raise money for the Orange County VisionWalk, and would greatly appreciate it if you could contribute anything. Whether it be $5 or $500, all donations will be greatly appreciated and will go towards continual efforts at finding a cure for blindness. You can make donations directly on the site:

http://www.fightblindness.org/goto/hectordtruong

Compare, OLD versus NEW. Which looks more sturdy?

2011-04-13T09:40:00.000-07:00

At left is the stock bracket, at right is mine. Which one would you depend on more to hold hundreds of dollars on the roof of your car? :)

This is what you will get in the package:

Subaru Impreza WRX Roof Rack Brackets made and ready for ordering!

2011-04-12T11:12:00.000-07:00

The brackets are made, and ready for sale! Each purchase will consist of 4 brackets made from 303 Stainless Steel, with a threaded hole to accommodate the M6x1.0 Socket Head Cap Screws that come with the Yakima Landing Pad #11 kit. Also included will be 8pcs of 18-8 SS Socket Head Cap Screws, and some clear OR black silicone/RTV for sealing. You will reuse your M6 nuts from the car. Shipping is flat rate of $5usd for those in the US (international shipping is like $10usd more), and total package price of $85usd shipped.

Contact me if you want to purchase more than one set and I can give you a combined shipping total. Thanks for the interest!

PS: As I've stated on the forums, the first 10 people to do a write-up/DIY and review with pics will receive $10usd cash back incentives.

Hectordtruong@gmail.com

#3 ribbon replacement DIY

2011-03-29T10:12:00.000-07:00

Just giving back to the community. Please comment if you were able to use this guide and it helped.

http://www.ifixit.com/Guide/Repair/iPhone-3GS-Proximity-Sensor-Ribbon-Replacement/5123/1

Contact me if you still can't do it, and I can do it for you.

Hectordtruong@gmail.com

#6 and #7 connector damaged? I can repair it!!

2011-03-01T21:16:00.000-08:00

So do you have no service issues, or even wifi issues? Although this may not be the root cause, sometimes it can actually help to have a proper, secure connection to these antenna grounding points. The dreaded #6 and #7 (3GS) connections are radio antenna points. Many of times people put their phones back together and they rush things, don't have proper lighting, have poor eyesight, or even just being careless, they can damage this little, fragile connector.

Before panic and throw your phone out the window, read on. THIS CAN BE FIXED! I found someone selling the connectors and I bought a few. I have done a few of these repairs, and they are pretty straight forward with the right equipment and expertise. Below are the pictures of the surgery!

Old connector removed

At the top of the post, you see the original connector in pretty bad shape. No longer did it accept the ribbon side, it can also damage a new ribbon as well. Be careful trying to force anything, these things shouldn't be forced. Onto the next step!

Tada! The new one on, secure and pristine!

There you go folks, another happy customer!

Contact me for this service!

Hectordtruong@gmail.com

Okay time for some car stuff, specifically SUBARU stuff

2011-02-13T20:40:00.000-08:00

This is something I have been working on for awhile. I have a 2004 Subaru WRX Impreza STi, it is my daily driver, and dependable ride. I frequent the mountains, like to ride bikes here and there, and like to just use my car to its fully capability. So this brings me to the purpose of this post.

I like to run a roof rack on my car. Personal preference is function over form, but after awhile things start to look hokey and just not refined. Originally, I had the EDM Subaru rack for my car, which was specifically made for the European Subaru Imprezas.

A little known fact about Imprezas (2001-2007), is that they are all made with hidden brackets that allow for the provisions of the EDM roof rack. The EDM rack was tall, ugly, and noisy, although it fit perfectly without damaging my roof, I hated it. I then went to a different route, by modifying a Yakima rack that uses Q-clips, so that the clips attach to the existing "hidden" brackets, and not the window sill edge of the car. Here you see the typical set up and mine, modified.

So this brings us to my idea, which was to be able to use the newer style Yakima Landing Pad and Control Towers with the older type Imprezas. These are the same type of racks used on the 2008+ Subarus, as well as BMW and Mercedes. The newer cars have a threaded hole in the roof frame which allow for the Yakima Landing Pads to attach to. My idea then came to fruition by way of a DIY I helped collaborate. The original was intended for a Thule set up, but I did all the research I needed for a Yakima set up. Here is the DIY post topic for that on my local forum:

http://forums.nasioc.com/forums/showpost.php?p=29282963&postcount=35

After realizing the pitfalls of drilling and tapping a fairly thin piece of mild steel, I went ahead and used Solidworks to CAD up a simple bracket. The bracket basically replaced the stock bracket and allows for a secure and strong alternative to other options. Which leads me to this, stock bracket on the car, and the CAD model bracket:

http://forums.nasioc.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2100812

I decided to enlist in some people I know to manufacture them for me on a limited run to see how they will do. They are strictly vehicle specific, but if you're me, and you love your Subaru, these are perfect for a strong alternative to typical roof rack set ups. SOOOOO... here are the prototypes! They are in raw form. The final ones should be made from 7075 Aluminum for strength, and probably anodized black or clear. They will include hardware, silicone, and you just reuse the nuts on your brackets. To get to them, you have to pull down portions of the headliner but it shouldn't be too difficult. These are specifically made for Yakima Landing Pads, using M8 bolts they provide in the kit. Thule kits have a different set up that isn't as robust, and don't look as streamlined. Final production versions will probably have only 1-2 threaded holes for to be able to vary the distance between towers, this minimizes cost of tapping an additional hole as well. Here are the pics of the brackets alongside the OEM flimsy one.

Please contact me via email if you're definitely interested. I cannot technically sell these on my forum since I am not a vendor, but we can work something out. My email is posted all over the place in this blog. Once I test fit these on my car, I will give the word to get them made, and it will be done in no time. I am thinking end of February. The car is currently in the shop, so I cannot test-fit them. These are going to probably cost around the same as 2 sets of Yakima Q-clips, so they are definitely affordable. Thanks for reading!

Hectordtruong@gmail.com

FYI to all the DIYers!

2011-02-02T10:14:00.000-08:00

If you're having issues with your proximity sensor and the connector is fine, and the ribbon was once working in your other screen. This could be the reason why. Took me awhile to figure out why the ribbons I was installing into customers' phones were not responding the the proximity sensor properly. There is a huge batch of bad digitizers out there. Mainly 3G I believe, but you can't be too sure. Here is a pic of the bad one versus a good one. Notice the right side sensor holes are lighter in tint, it should be like this, not like the darker one on the left.
I'll update more when I get some time. Lots to show you guys, and lots to learn! And yes, that is an ice-cream cone reflection haha, it is a sticker on my camera.

Hectordtruong@gmail.com

Apple iPhone 3GS backlight repair, coil replacement

2010-11-09T13:25:00.001-08:00

Okay so this is another common issue people have been dealing with. It just so happens that the LCD backlight on a huge number of 3GS phones have gone dark and never come back. I happened to have the change to replace this on a customer's phone and it worked like gangbusters (like that word? haha). One thing I have to note though, this may not work for all instances since the backlight and the LCD of the phone is controlled by a number of things. However it is worth a shot! Pics of the surgery and stuff! I should have taken more pics, but I was too excited about the repair lol. Lame, I know.

New Coil In Package!

Busted Coil Removed!

New Coil In!

So before I get a million emails in regards to this repair, please know that this may or may not be a definite fix for you. I can do the repair for you, however you must understand that if it comes out to be something else other than the coil, it is out of my hands. I am continually learning about the inner workings of the Apple engineering so bear with me :)

I do not know if this applies to the 3G as well, but if you wanna be a guinea pig, email me, and if you're wondering about the "jumper" trick, I've tried it and it didn't seem to work, more then once by the way, solder points were PERFECT as well. So I don't know.

EDIT: This could also render the phone dead, as I had one that didn't respond well the the repair at all. Very weird, it was one of mine, but it is under warranty :)

Hectordtruong@gmail.com

Iphone 3GS #2 connector (digitizer) repair

2010-10-31T20:55:00.000-07:00

So here is another example of my work. The digitizer connector replacement on a 3GS. A very difficult repair. A huge number of pins to solder without bridging any connections. No braid or solder wick used!

Arrived in this condition (upside-down pic):

In process:

Done!

This one is one of the more tricky types of repair due to it's location, however with a little patience I was able to carefully remove the old connector and put the new one on. Any questions please email me at Hectordtruong@gmail.com

On occasion I do the easy stuff too :)

2010-08-27T08:41:00.000-07:00

Funny thing was, the phone worked perfectly fine in the "shattered" condition.

DIY? Well, this is what you SHOULD NOT do yourself....

2010-08-21T16:46:00.000-07:00

So I get a lot of people contacting me in regards to getting their #3 connector repaired. Nothing new right? Well one day I get a package from someone, and when I came to open it up, I was flabbergasted (that's a $5 word! lol). Seems as though, one of my clients decided to take it upon themselves and repair the connector. Well, I just wanted to share with you, what NOT to do. Luckily, I was able to save the logic board, it was not a pretty site however.

PLEASE, DO NOT ATTEMPT THIS REPAIR IF YOU LACK THE EQUIPMENT, AND MOST OF ALL, THE KNOW-HOW.

PEEK-TURES!
before:

during:
cleaned up a bit:
finished:

So there you have it folks, don't try this at home! Also... people, please STOP using superglue to fix your electronics! It doesn't work!!!

Sim Card Reader Repair!

2010-08-11T09:19:00.000-07:00

Okay so I have been doing a number of other repairs aside from the typical #3 FPC connector. Here is an example of what happens when you try to muscle out the tiny sim card tray from your 3G or 3GS, and happen to break one of the pins off of the sim card reader/junction. Takes some finesse to get it off, but once it is off, smooth sailing!

Broken pin:

Some black magic:

Tada! Ready for those calls to your girlfriends/boyfriends again!

Contact me for any questions! :)

Hectordtruong@gmail.com

iPhone 3G/3GS #3 Connector Repair!

2010-05-28T07:40:00.000-07:00

So maybe a year ago, I had a friend that needed his iPhone's screen replaced. Well, in doing so, I had damaged one of the key components on his phone. A while later, after replacing it, I had an iPhone with a connector that basically looked like this:

Naturally, I thought, this phone is fucked. Anyway, fast forward to a few weeks later... I had found a source for this connector piece, and it was cheap enough to order, so I thought, "What do I have to lose?"

Well, the piece came, and I brought everything into my work, and this is where it all began. So here is the basic run down of how I do the repair. After disassembling the phone with the tools below, I start removing the remaining pieces of the old connector with some fine point tweezers.

Thereafter, I remove each and every pin that remains soldered to the board CAREFULLY without lifting any solder pads (this is a big mistake many inexperienced repair guys do). Once the pins are free and the solder pads are clean, the area is cleaned up with some 99% Isopropyl Alcohol.

The procedure to solder the new connector on takes some fine articulation, steady hands, and a VERY fine tip soldering iron. If there is anyone out there that wants to do this themselves, please be aware that my iron tip is .008" in size, the smallest you'd ever find anywhere. You cannot buy this at RadioShack haha! It helps that I have all these cool tools at work. So once I position the new connector, it is all done by reflowing the existing solder and adding solder in places necessary to prevent melting the new connector.

If you take a look at the before and after pictures of a customer's phone I've done you will see that I barely used any new solder to secure the connector. Also, for those DIY guys and gals, please note that I am doing all this under a stereozoom microscope with a 5x zoom, it absolutely cannot be done with the naked eye, magnifying glass, or anything other than the microscope!

Even the soldering station I use is a special type, that allows temperature control, radio station buttons for different temperatures, and the tiny chisel tip that is almost like a needle point.

So here are the results of the hard work! These are before and after pictures of a customer's phone. He had sent me the phone in the condition the first pic shows, and after I had cleaned it up and performed the repair, I took the second. Both were taken with a powerful Nikon inspection microscope.

BEFORE

AFTER

I've found a source to purchase these connectors in bulk, and am offering my service throughout the forums (username is krazy or my full name):

http://modmyi.com/forums/hardware/691164-broke-connector-3-locking-mechanism.html

Here is a customer that did a review of my work for me:

http://www.pnosker.com/reviews/35-ireviews/65-iphone-connector-repair-review-hector-truong

So if you're looking for someone to repair your #3 connector, also known as the earpiece/proximity sensor connector, I'm your guy. I've done over 50+ phones and I provide the connector for you. Email me for more questions!

hectordtruong@gmail.com