Phone not charging or switching on. Any idea?

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So, I have an LG GT540 Optimus.

The USB micro B plug/port became loose and I couldn't get a new cable to check for 2 weeks. Now, when I got the new cable, the phone wouldn't charge or switch on. It's quite possible that the battery is fully dead.

I cannot send it to service center since I have a custom ROM and there seems no way to enter bootloader or recovery.

Any tips and ideas to get out of this mess?

Originally Posted by nibras_reeza

So, I have an LG GT540 Optimus.

The USB micro B plug/port became loose and I couldn't get a new cable to check for 2 weeks. Now, when I got the new cable, the phone wouldn't charge or switch on. It's quite possible that the battery is fully dead.

I cannot send it to service center since I have a custom ROM and there seems no way to enter bootloader or recovery.

Any tips and ideas to get out of this mess?

Get a cheap eBay external battery charger. Alternatively, if you're adept with a soldering iron it's relatively easy to tack one back on make sure it's neat though (use wick), and don't use too much solder

Though personally I'd just go with ebay. Much safer.

just get a universal micro usb charger like for motorola or nokia. micro usb is becoming more and more popular. dont get a cheap brand trust me.

The problem is isolating the issue. The new cable I bought seems thin and might have broken. Or, it might be that the phone's USB port is broken/faulty.

Originally Posted by juzz86

Get a cheap eBay external battery charger. Alternatively, if you're adept with a soldering iron it's relatively easy to tack one back on make sure it's neat though (use wick), and don't use too much solder

Yes. Am considering an external charger but just curious. How can I make sure that the issue is with the discharge fuse and not with the phone? Is it an issue with Android phones that they will not charge if completely discharged?

Btw, how do I get the voltage source? I don't have a volt meter. The charger that came with the phone is 5.1V USB charger. What if the charger itself is faulty?

Originally Posted by DroidSamster

Though personally I'd just go with ebay. Much safer.

Thanks!

Originally Posted by snake212

just get a universal micro usb charger like for motorola or nokia. micro usb is becoming more and more popular. dont get a cheap brand trust me.

Motorola uses USB mini B. Nokia uses proprietary port. As far as I know Blackberry and LG use USB micro B. It's not an issue of replacing the faulty part. Am not sure which is exactly faulty. I don't want to buy a new battery and charger only to find out that the phone's port is faulty.

Root cause analysis

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If the phone had charging problems before you bought the new cable and still has charging problems after you tried the new cable then the problem is likely to be the phone and not the cable.


Plan 0:

Check that the battery is actually dead. Use a multi-meter or find someone that has tools. If not then do not proceed with Plan A or B.

Plan A:

1a. Search the web to see if there is an easy way to power the phone other than through the USB.
(a) Maybe through the battery connectors with an AC-DC power block? I'm imagining paperclips + phone + DC block, one clip on inside of tube, one clip on outside of tube, ...add tape. Make sure DC voltage matches the battery spec.
(b) Maybe with some of the manufacturing test connectors?
2a. Get the device charged up.
3a. Get all of your data out of the phone.
4a. Wipe the phone. Use recovery to wipe as much as possible. Figure out how to completely wipe it and return it to stock. Make sure its stock everything: kernel, recovery, ROM. Format the SD card.
5a. Let battery discharge *almost* completely. Just enough to demonstrate that it works.
6a. Return it.

If that fails, plan B:

1b. Try to disassemble the phone (tools needed)
2b. Find USB wiring specification for which pins are power
3b. Inspect those pins for problems
4b. Solder to fix problems (you may also be able to wiggle/hold the connector "just right" to make contact which saves you steps 1b-5b)
5b. Re-assemble
6b. Go to step 2a at top, at your discretion of course.

If Plan 0, Plan A, and Plan B fail then re-post.

No warrantyß

Originally Posted by wescovallen

If the phone had charging problems before you bought the new cable and still has charging problems after you tried the new cable then the problem is likely to be the phone and not the cable.


Plan 0:

Check that the battery is actually dead. Use a multi-meter or find someone that has tools. If not then do not proceed with Plan A or B.

Plan A:

1a. Search the web to see if there is an easy way to power the phone other than through the USB.
(a) Maybe through the battery connectors with an AC-DC power block? I'm imagining paperclips + phone + DC block, one clip on inside of tube, one clip on outside of tube, ...add tape. Make sure DC voltage matches the battery spec.
(b) Maybe with some of the manufacturing test connectors?
2a. Get the device charged up.
3a. Get all of your data out of the phone.
4a. Wipe the phone. Use recovery to wipe as much as possible. Figure out how to completely wipe it and return it to stock. Make sure its stock everything: kernel, recovery, ROM. Format the SD card.
5a. Let battery discharge *almost* completely. Just enough to demonstrate that it works.
6a. Return it.

If that fails, plan B:

1b. Try to disassemble the phone (tools needed)
2b. Find USB wiring specification for which pins are power
3b. Inspect those pins for problems
4b. Solder to fix problems (you may also be able to wiggle/hold the connector "just right" to make contact which saves you steps 1b-5b)
5b. Re-assemble
6b. Go to step 2a at top, at your discretion of course.

If Plan 0, Plan A, and Plan B fail then re-post.

Wow. Excellent answer. Thanks.

That's what's been on my mind. Don't have any tools. So, am gonna take it to a local repair shop and ask them to charge the battery externally.

Charged the battery with an external charger for around 2 hours. The phone switched on when I used the same battery. Battery level was 30% or so. The battery was too deeply discharged.

New USB cable seems to work when I hold the cable up. Possibly the cable itself is broken.

change the charging adapter, hope it resolve the issue...