[Q] Working device, dead screen

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Super Sam Galaxy

Senior Member
Oct 17, 2012
72
10
Charlotte
A friend recently sent me her "retired" Galaxy Note II. She replaced it because at some point the screen stopped turning on altogether, but she still wanted me to see if I can salvage it somehow. I've tried, with no luck, and searches on the topic don't seem to suggest any solutions other than the fact that it may be a hardware issue. While I can accept this possibility, I'm really hoping that it is not the case because at this point I don't think it would be worth investing the time and money to buy the parts, learn how to replace them, and attempt it. If anyone has any ideas I'd be very grateful. Here are the symptoms:

  • The display NEVER turns on. It is in a constant state of pitch black.
  • The sounds are working fine. When I get an email, for example, it notifies me.
  • The hardware button works
  • The software buttons do not work
  • Upon connecting the device to a monitor, keyboard and mouse, the monitor works, however the keyboard and mouse do not. (I use the same monitor, keyboard and mouse with my Galaxy S4 and they all work fine.)
  • Touch interaction with the screen is working properly. Using the monitor, I am able to use the device, but it is very tricky, as it is simply a matter of trial and error. I tap on a black screen and have to look on the monitor to see if I hit my target.

The device is on the stock TouchWiz that came with it, and is not rooted. Since I am pretty sure that doing any mods without a working display would be more difficult than I could tolerate, I opted to take an OTA instead, despite the fact that it may make rooting and flashing ROM's impossible in the future. I hope I didn't screw myself by doing that but I had to make an executive decision. Here is what I've tried so far:

  • Factory reset
  • Update to the latest software (Android 4.3)
  • Pulled battery, held power button for 10 seconds while battery was out, replaced battery and powered device on.

I'd greatly appreciate any suggestions. Ideally, here is what I'd like to happen: get the display to turn on and restore functionality to the software buttons. This may not be possible without replacing some hardware components, which as I mentioned is not an option, but if it is I'd really like to give it a shot. Thanks in advance for any suggestions.
 

gregsarg

Senior Member
Apr 8, 2011
5,149
4,078
B.F.E.
My initial guess would be a digitizer failure...
A phone drop or water damage can easily render a phone dead...

You have the option of replacing the screen and digitizer at a cost of about $225.00 for the needed parts...but it's still no guarantee that the fix would be 100% successful...

My honest opinion is this...
Given the unknown history of the device...you are taking an expensive chance in attempting a repair...

And given the age of the device....the repair if performed by a qualified repair service would push the cost very near to the overall value of the device...

For the same dollars spent...you can obtain any number of working devices and save yourself the hassle...and the unknowns associated with a repair that will likely work...but again may not...

You are of course free to attempt the repair...but....

The skill level needed to perform a "proper" repair of the device is high...and you would need to study up on the process extensively before cracking open that case...

If I were in your situation...the choice would be to sell the device for parts....and put that cash back into a working device...

Others will chime in I'm sure with their recommendations....but I would choose to move on...g

Sent from my NOTE 2.750...
Courtesy of our amazing developers...
 

Super Sam Galaxy

Senior Member
Oct 17, 2012
72
10
Charlotte
My initial guess would be a digitizer failure...
A phone drop or water damage can easily render a phone dead...

You have the option of replacing the screen and digitizer at a cost of about $225.00 for the needed parts...but it's still no guarantee that the fix would be 100% successful...

My honest opinion is this...
Given the unknown history of the device...you are taking an expensive chance in attempting a repair...

And given the age of the device....the repair if performed by a qualified repair service would push the cost very near to the overall value of the device...

For the same dollars spent...you can obtain any number of working devices and save yourself the hassle...and the unknowns associated with a repair that will likely work...but again may not...

You are of course free to attempt the repair...but....

The skill level needed to perform a "proper" repair of the device is high...and you would need to study up on the process extensively before cracking open that case...

If I were in your situation...the choice would be to sell the device for parts....and put that cash back into a working device...

Others will chime in I'm sure with their recommendations....but I would choose to move on...g

Sent from my NOTE 2.750...
Courtesy of our amazing developers...


Thanks for the reply, and sorry I didn't see it sooner (I always forget to subscribe to threads). I figured this was probably not a fixable problem (at least not easily/economically fixable). But I wanted to see if there were any quick fixes I could try, and it sounds like there aren't. With that said, if anyone does want it for parts I'd let it go for a reasonable price (considering the damage and lack of functionality) through Swappa. (Sorry if I'm not supposed to make these kinds of offers here, if that is the case I'll gladly remove it.)
 
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    My initial guess would be a digitizer failure...
    A phone drop or water damage can easily render a phone dead...

    You have the option of replacing the screen and digitizer at a cost of about $225.00 for the needed parts...but it's still no guarantee that the fix would be 100% successful...

    My honest opinion is this...
    Given the unknown history of the device...you are taking an expensive chance in attempting a repair...

    And given the age of the device....the repair if performed by a qualified repair service would push the cost very near to the overall value of the device...

    For the same dollars spent...you can obtain any number of working devices and save yourself the hassle...and the unknowns associated with a repair that will likely work...but again may not...

    You are of course free to attempt the repair...but....

    The skill level needed to perform a "proper" repair of the device is high...and you would need to study up on the process extensively before cracking open that case...

    If I were in your situation...the choice would be to sell the device for parts....and put that cash back into a working device...

    Others will chime in I'm sure with their recommendations....but I would choose to move on...g

    Sent from my NOTE 2.750...
    Courtesy of our amazing developers...


    Thanks for the reply, and sorry I didn't see it sooner (I always forget to subscribe to threads). I figured this was probably not a fixable problem (at least not easily/economically fixable). But I wanted to see if there were any quick fixes I could try, and it sounds like there aren't. With that said, if anyone does want it for parts I'd let it go for a reasonable price (considering the damage and lack of functionality) through Swappa. (Sorry if I'm not supposed to make these kinds of offers here, if that is the case I'll gladly remove it.)