Help Please!! iPhone 3G Motherboards Swapped

[Franberry]

Hello Everyone! I am new to this forum and could really use some help with a strange problem I am having with two iPhone 3G's.

I swapped out motherboards between two iPhone 3G's and now neither phone is recognized by either iTunes or Windows. Both phones work just fine, but when I hook up the USB cable to either my Vista laptop or XP desktop, iTunes doesn't see the phones and they also don't appear to be charging (no giant battery).

However, they do take a charge, but the battery indicator doesn't show it until I unplug it, turn the phone off, restart it and then it shows a new battery percentage.

I have since re-swapped the boards back, hoping that this might fix the problem, but it didn't work. Also FYI, when I hook up a 2G, iTunes has no problem recognizing the phone.

Does anyone know why the mobo swap might create this issue? I can't contact Apple for help because I'm with T-Mobile and I highly doubt that they will help me since I voided the warranty by doing this. Any suggestions as to what I should do next to fix the problem would be greatly appreciated!

[cpjr]

The issue is most likely with the dock assembly. Could be the mobo though I wouldnt know without having them in front of me.

I dont know what you could have done to damage BOTH phones though. That is....if both were working properly before?

But Im assuming there was a pre-existing issue....otherwise why would you be swapping mobo's to began with?

[Franberry]

I don't think I damaged either dock assembly (let alone both of them) during the swap, but I can open them back up again and check. Could you tell me what I should be looking for, in terms of damage?

Yes, both phones were working fine before I did the mobo swap...iTunes and Windows recognized them both.

Actually, there weren't any pre-existing conditions before the swap. The reason I swapped them is because:

Phone #1 = White Housing, FW 3.1, jailbroken but not unlockable, as we all know right now.

Phone #2 = Black Housing, FW 3.0.1, jailbroken and unlocked.

I wanted the White Case on the unlocked 3.0.1 phone. Was planning on selling the 3.1 phone since I cant use it with TMo.

[cpjr]

It may take probing the insides....which you arent going to be able to do.

Sometimes the dock assembly flex cable can "stick" to the top of the screen assembly when pulling it up...and the cable can be damaged. But its (IMO) highly unlikely that you could have done something like that to both phones. Double check to make sure the mobo's are being seated properly when you place them into the housing.

Unless I had them in front of me...I really wouldnt know that to tell you.

[Franberry]

@cpjr - Btw, I forgot to say "Thanks" for replying to my post.

This may be a really dumb question, but I thought that maybe the battery and the motherboard were synced somehow and when I made the swap....that messed up the sync? Is that possible or am I totally out in left field with my thought process?

[cpjr]

Way out in left field.

You should be able to swap the mobo and everything work like a charm.

I have built complete iphones from spare parts, lol.

[Franberry]

Sometimes the dock assembly flex cable can "stick" to the top of the screen assembly when pulling it up...and the cable can be damaged. But its (IMO) highly unlikely that you could have done something like that to both phones. Double check to make sure the mobo's are being seated properly when you place them into the housing.

Unless I had them in front of me...I really wouldnt know that to tell you.

I will double-check the mobo's again to make sure they're seated correctly. Although, I honestly didn't think they could be mis-seated(?) and still fit back into the housing correctly.

Do you still diagnose and repair phones? If I cant get these two working perfect again on my own, I may need to send them out to someone like you to look at them for me.

[cpjr]

Yeah they can be seated incorrectly. It only takes a mm to be off. The 3g/3gs is very "fragile". But I doubt that is your issue anyways.

And yeah if you want.....you can send em over and I'll take a look. Just PM me if you decide to.

[Franberry]

Yeah they can be seated incorrectly. It only takes a mm to be off. The 3g/3gs is very "fragile". But I doubt that is your issue anyways.

So, you think it's more likely that I may have damaged the dock assemblies?

And good to know...that you're still repairing them. I will PM you after I get another chance to open them up, check for any damage and re-seat the boards.

@cpjr - Okay, I had a chance to open them up again. No visible damage to either of the dock assemblies and I reseated the boards again. They are still reacting the same way.

Other than these steps:
1. Disconnect connectors 4,5 & 6.
2. Remove 8 screws
3. Lift board out with camera attached
4. Reverse steps 3,2,1 to re-assemble

Are there any contact points on the boards, that I am overlooking, that must make connect with the housing that would make a difference?