During my recent iPhone 12 CPU Swap Video (linked in the comments), I ended with the phone fully booting, but restarting every 3 minutes.
Since I didn't swap the NFC chips, I have to go through the "Swipe to Recover" screen, where it shows a white screen that says "Attempting Data Recovery".
I like to this of this process as it's "reprogramming the new NFC chips" so it can allow the phone to boot & unlock.
This process can take anywhere from 10-45 minutes, depending on how much data is on the phone.
In the video, when we started the "Swipe to Recover" process, I noticed that within 3 min or so, the phone would auto restart. So without the Swipe to Recover process completing, I am unable to access the data.
Due to how long the video was, I decided to end it there & post the fix here.
First thing I tried was a new charging port flex, as that's the most common fault of 3 min restart for iPhone 12, but no change.
I then decided to diode mode the charging port FPC connector, as that's where the sensor from the charing port flex (pressure sensor aka Prs0) would connect to, to reach the next part of the circuit.
And sure enough, I found a line that was OL, when it should have had a reading.
The line was labeled as "Eiger" (PPVAR_EIGER_S2_CONN) and I know I've seen a panic log that mentions Eiger, as being part of the charging port flex.
ZXW showed that there's a filter near the PMIC shield on that line.
Sure enough, the filter was missing. Most likely caused by my iron, when I was applying the low melt solder to the shield, as a way to make the shield removal easier.
I replaced the filter from the original customer's board & boom! The phone stopped rebooting & the data was saved!
It wasn't obvious that the filter was missing, as it was mostly covered in underfill too! So without measuring with my multimeter, I would have never found it.
Also, it's important to diagnose thing systematically. If you think through "what's the most likely cause of this?"
Then drill into that issue & confirm it's not it, then you move onto the next most likely, and so on.
This type of diagnosing, troubleshooting & fault finding skill comes from years of non stop working through these types of cases. We see so many different types of scenarios, that we can easily anticipate what could be happening, as we've probably seen something similar before.
I hope this post helps you see my thought process of how I help solve this case & successfully recover the customer's data.
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 ...
