iPhone 6S came in for not powering on.
Tristar tester failed
So I just jumped to replacing Tristar (610A3B) without doing any further testing (my mistake), and Tristar tester no longer failed, but still wouldn't boot.
I then tested with Dt880 and found it had a 1.5A draw before Prompt To Boot.
Found the backlight IC was lightning up on my Seek Thermal Cam.
That explains the current draw before prmopt to boot. Backlight is powered by VCC MAIN and if it's shorted, it will pull current from VCC MAIN.
When that happens, the whole backlight circuit must be rebuilt, as it usually damages everything on the backlight circuit.
First, I removed everything from the circuit & short was cleared. And when I prompted to boot, the boot up consumption looked like a booting phone.
So I then replaced:
-Backlight IC
-2 Backlight Diodes
-Backlight Coil
-Large Backlight Capacitor
And the phone booted up with the backlight fully working!
Yes, the customer paid 2x what the phone is worth to get this repaired, but customer wanted their data + wanted a working phone.
One thing to consider when fixing "old phones that are not worth it", customer doesn't always want the latest and greatest phones.
They don't always want to go through the hassle of transferring all their data over to a new phone.
Or learning how to use Face ID.
Or maybe they prefer a home button.
Either case, I offered the customer the solution they wanted & they are happy. 🙌
If you have a Seek Thermal Cam, you're missing out if you don't have a VCC Seek Stand: https://www.vccboardrepairs.com/buy-seek-stand
Injured Gadgets just got these back in stock, so get them while you can!
It can take us a while to build these out sometimes, so they're sometimes out of stock for a while, but we're working towards always having inventory ready to build more as they sell out.
This stand makes using a thermal cam so easy. So much better than any other thermal solution on the market.
It allows you to get real close up (using my Macro Lens), and easily find where the short is coming from.
Plus it's hard free, so you can have your hands free to try to boot the device from DCPS, while having an image that is in focus & not moving around.
You can even record a video through the app, while you inject voltage into the short, so you can go back & see exactly which component was it that was heating up.
Save yourself lots of time by getting a Seek Cam, Stand & Macro Lens! ...
Anyone who is doing game console repairs, knows how many screws you need to remove to access the motherboard.
Especially the PS5, with the 5,000 screws or so.
If you don't already have an electric screwdriver, GET ONE ASAP.
🌟 Cordless Screwdriver with T9 Bit: https://amzn.to/3E5duCj
🌟Extended T9 Bit: https://amzn.to/3c4YJac
It's rechargeable through micro USB and allows you to easily swap the tips out. You can also fold it to be straight or L shape.
Let me know below if you are already using an electric screwdriver 👇👇
This one came in as a no power data recovery job. Customer said it died overnight, no prior damage, and Apple told them the board was done and data wasn’t recoverable.
Physically, the phone looks clean. No bends, no cracks, nothing obvious. I’m honestly not sure how the board ended up cracked, there’s no visible external damage that would typically cause this.
Here’s what I found 👇
Initial testing:
- Able to boot with minimal setup (board + screen + battery + charge port)
- Stuck at 5V, very low current draw (not charging)
- No touch response
- Boot current draw looked normal
Direction I took:
- Focused on the touch issue first (since no touch = no data access)
- Using an LCD aftermarket screen:
- Got image
- Still no touch
- OEM/OLED behavior pointed toward a board-level display/touch issue
What I found:
- While removing the shield over the display IC… found a board crack
- Several display connector pins reading OL (open line)
- Traces route from connector → PMIC / display IC ...
This is an iPad 10 that came in for No Image/No Backlight.
Within seconds of removing the shield, I saw the problem.
Can you? I'll post the close up shot later today in the comments 👀
I’m thinking about adding another perk for the paid members here in the community: private repair livestreams where we work through repairs and troubleshooting together.
The idea would be to do members-only livestreams where I could:
• Work on real board-level repairs live
• Walk through my troubleshooting process
• Interpret panic logs together
• Answer repair questions from members
• Talk through CPU swaps, tools, and techniques
• Explain why certain failures happen
It would basically be a more interactive way to learn, where you could ask questions while the repair is happening.
Before I start scheduling these, I want to gauge interest.
If you are a free follower:
👍 Please like this post if livestreams like this would interest you.
If you are a paid member:
💬 Please comment below if you'd like to see this and how often you'd want them (weekly, monthly, etc.).
If enough people are interested, I’ll start planning the first livestream. 🔧📱
