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 on the NAND rail.
Important note:
This type of short does NOT damage the NAND. It just prevents it from receiving power, so the phone won’t boot.
Fix:
Removed the shorted capacitor.
No replacement needed here. Since this cap has one side to ground on a power rail, the phone runs perfectly fine without it.
Reassembled, tested, and the phone is now fully functional.
I’ve done a ton of these over the years. One thing I still see way too often is newer techs replacing caps unnecessarily. That’s usually a giveaway they don’t have much experience with board-level power rail diagnostics.
Attached photos:
- Thermal cam hotspot (timed during current spike)
- Cap before removal
- After removal
- Device fully working again
Curious how often you guys are seeing NAND rail cap shorts on these?
Also:
- Do you rely more on thermal cam or freeze spray for finding intermittent shorts?
- What’s your go-to method when current is pulsing like this?
- Anyone seeing similar behavior on newer models (13/14/15 series)?
Let’s hear it 👇
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 👇👇
Stop Guessing at iPhone Panic Logs
Panic logs can provide valuable information about why an iPhone is restarting, but identifying the actual cause is not always straightforward.
A panic log may point toward a charging-port assembly, proximity sensor, power circuit, missing sensor, damaged flex cable, or a board-level issue. The difficult part is knowing which component is responsible on each particular iPhone model.
That is why I created the VCC Panic Log Cheat Sheet.
Personally Tested and Verified Solutions
This is not a generic list copied from forums or collected from unverified posts.
The cheat sheet is based on panic logs and solutions I have personally tested and verified while repairing iPhones at VCC Board Repairs. It covers virtually every iPhone model and documents the parts, sensors, flex cables, and circuits commonly associated with specific panic strings and numerical values.
The goal is simple: help repair technicians diagnose restart issues faster and avoid wasting time or money replacing the wrong parts.
...
In case you haven't heard, I will be moving from Las Vegas, NV to Star, ID.
In my Las Vegas office, I had fully custom built workbenches for myself & my employee(s). But now it's time to go & tear everything down.
I'm really sad since these benches felt like the perfect layout! Or maybe I just got used to them.
I've attached some pics of what it looked like before & now that's all gone.
I do have some good news tho.... I recorded a detailed video of my office for youtube! I'll be posting that video soon!
Like this post if you want to see that video!
