Ever wondered what happens when a smartphone takes a severe beating? Well, here's a fascinating tale from the trenches of data recovery!
This Samsung Galaxy S21 came to us in a sorry state – smashed in half, with a part of the motherboard in shambles. For newer smartphones, unlocking and accessing data require booting up the device. But with a broken motherboard, that pathway becomes an encrypted dead end, unless...
Unless you embark on the intricate journey of swapping the essential chips – the CPU and UFS – to a working motherboard. Now, that's no walk in the park. To complicate matters, the S21 and its newer counterparts demand an additional step. Some elusive tiny IC, rumored to be an eeprom or the eSIM chip, needs to tag along for the ride.
The S21 series, known for its sleek design, presents a unique challenge. To accommodate a large battery for extended smartphone life, designers opted for a stacked motherboard configuration – two layers deep. A space-saving brilliance that, for us microsoldering techs, translates to a more complex repair process.
In this particular case, a cracked RAM added a layer of difficulty. Thankfully, the CPU remained unscathed, and the RAM, fortunately, didn't need to be the original for data recovery. After a meticulous dance of swapping the CPU, UFS, installing a new RAM, and delicately splitting the motherboard sandwich, we transplanted the elusive "pin code IC," reballing the sandwich for good measure. The final steps involved booting the phone, unlocking it, and running a Smart Switch Backup to secure every bit of precious data.
Undoubtedly, this level of data recovery is an investment. Still, it's a service we proudly extend to anyone in need of rescuing their valuable data.
If you find yourself in a data recovery dilemma, drop us a message or reach out through our website (link in bio).
For fellow repair shops, we offer discounted B2B pricing to ensure we all stay connected in the world of tech rescues.
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 👇👇
Had an S23 Ultra come in for a simple display connector issue… but it turned into a mess after someone tried to fix it themselves.
Glue all over the connector, uneven solder, no flux used, pads almost compromised… the whole thing was shifted and barely hanging on.
This is one of those repairs that looks easy on YouTube, but in reality takes a lot of control, the right temps, and proper prep.
Ended up doing a full FPC replacement and got it fully working again.
Curious how you guys approach these:
Do you pre-tin connectors or go straight install?
Hot air only or hybrid with iron touch-up?
What temps / airflow are you running for these Samsung FPCs?
Also… how often are you seeing DIY attempts make things worse lately?
Full video here:
Had an iPhone 11 Pro Max come in for no power. Device was in excellent condition, no cracks, no signs of impact. Customer said it just randomly died.
Honestly, this is one of those classic faults I used to see all the time, and still enjoy because of how straightforward it is once you know what to look for.
First step, as always with no power, was checking current draw on the DC power supply.
Boot behavior:
Current was jumping all over the place. It would bounce from 0 → ~500mA → 0 → a few mA → back up again. Just constantly pulsing with no stable draw.
That kind of behavior usually points to a short on a NAND cap
So I threw it under the thermal cam (Seek Compact Pro). Timing is key here, because you only see heat when current is actually being drawn. When it drops to zero, there’s no heat signature.
Caught it at the right moment and found a hotspot on the board.
Under the microscope, the area showed a slightly darkened cap under the underfill, classic sign.
Ended up being a shorted PP3V0 cap ...
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 ...
