[01.03]Unbrick Project (RiffBox JTAG) Completed!

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Tecardo

Senior Member
Nov 22, 2011
754
627
Pfofeld
Hello dear XDA-Community,

We have reached our goal. Now we have a total of 316,72 $ / 236,8 € for our unbrick project, which consists of $ 230 donations from Forum people, about § 30 from private friends and the rest is what we (Sneaky and I) “Loaned” to the project from our own accounts. Money we actually don’t have. We appreciate further help.

We want to say thanks to ALL donators.
Without you we wouldn't have come so far.

This thread will be the hub for service requests. If you happen to need unbrick service, you will find this thread and us to help you.
This thread will also have a “Diary” for you which informs about the use of your money..
I will post a log of all payments made from that money plus all Items received (e.g. the RIFF Box, the cables, Jigs, etc.)


Items ordered / paid / received:

  1. RIFF Box - EUR 195
  2. JIG Connector - EUR 43

Updates / Facts / News:

  • RiffBox is finally here at my home: Pictures https://picasaweb.google.com/106706328961903570929/RiffBox?authuser=0&feat=directlink
  • 24.01.13: From SneakyGhost

    Quick Status Update on the RIFF Box, my Phone and all...

    - Tecardo disassembled my phone and found a number of Errors from the HTC Repair Center. They had the Modem/Antenna bit connected to the mainboard wrong. They didn't fix in the speaker properly, they glued the phone together so it could hardly be opened, they forgot a screw. Some serious stuff. The Modem Cable fault could have been the root cause of the persisting and worsened home button issue after Arvatos fix. If i where you, i'd be reluctant to send it to them...

    - I contacted multi-com.pl and fonefunshop.uk over a JIG connector for my Mainboard as there are non available on the internet. Fonefunshop said they will have them soon. Multi-Com.pl however said they produce them themselves and if they had a Mainboard of a One S, they would start production ASAP. I offered my Mainboard. They said yes. So my mainboard will be picked up by them on their expense, shipped to poland, then they will start making the Jigs and then send it back to Tecardo with the first JIG for him, for free. Best part: the emails sounded like they're gonna test the JIG on my mainboard and might revive it there with their equipment and experience. lol. Funny turn today.

    - Next step for me is prepare for a long wait and use the time to get in touch with HTC again via Richard Willis and file a formal report about the screw-up of Arvato repair center. It will have a complaint-touch. I will ask to send it on to Taiwan so HTC is gonna review their contracts with their repair centers as Regenersis in the UK has a similar very very bad reputation on fixing phones. I am doubtful i will achieve much, knowing HTC's attitude from the past months but i hope it doesn't go past unheard.

:laugh: What is this thread for? :laugh:​

Question: you got your phone bricked and HTC is refusing service, yet the Ebay guys are too expensive?
Answer: Send it to me if its not to expensive to post for you and I will unbrick your One S. Consider a small financial contribution.

Question: you want to give your phone to me to do some reverse engineering and help with finding a way to securely S-OFF? Well....
Answer: hmmm.... probably just a joke. Talk to me if you're willing to donate your device as a Guinea Pig;)

Question: you got any other stuff going on with your phone that needs a jTag box involved but you don't have one and can't buy one?
Answer: Ask me. I will do it.

Well.. this much for now. We will grow this FAQ if there’s anything else to be added.
The Origins of this “Project Unbrick”
It is an OFFER made possible by the kind people who helped buying the box.
It all originated from Sneakys phone bricking during testing stuff for the Home Button Issue and the Venom Viper One S ROM and then searching for the best possible solution. We met around the Team Venom Viper One S chat and we found it a cool idea to provide the One S forum with its very own unbrick service and get Sneakys phone fixed on the way. Just following the simple principle that egoism is the driver behind all evolution. Doing something for Sneakys phone and asking others to pay made possible to have a cheap unbrick service available for many. Got the idea?

There's so many stories to be told from the past weeks it doesn't fit in here all but i will eventually get around contributing some more anecdotes, stories and so on...

Hope this is gonna be very very educative for people too. Unbricking always is some sort of a mystery for many and if you send off your phone to some stranger on ebay, you usually don't get an idea about the "Hands On" and gettin' dirty bit of tearing down a phone and actually make it look nice and work properly again afterwards.

So, maybe we will even have some photos or videos and stuff and just give you an idea of how that all works...
Please ask your questions :)
 
Last edited:

slainbybeats

Senior Member
Aug 6, 2012
308
72
AW: Unbrick Projekt (RiffBox JTAG)

I am really interested in how this whole thing works. I wish tec all the best for the progress with the box!
You guys rock!

Sent from my HTC One S using xda app-developers app
 

Sneakyghost

Senior Member
Jul 24, 2008
8,314
13,595
InMyHead
[EDIT]

The Story i had put here detailing how Multi-Com would send us a free JIG didn't work out as expected in the end.
Short version: after much delay we asked multi-com what the deal was now and got the reply that they're not interested in my mainboard anymore since they got a One S Mainboard close by, which they preferred.
So the deal died a sad and tragic death.
Two weeks later we found the first One S JIG adapter at Fonefunshop and Multi-Com.pl, both the same pieces. Obviously, Fonefunshop gets them from Poland too! Nice thing to see. Well, however.
We needed to buy it then. Bummer. Costs where quite high.
 
Last edited:
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Goatshocker

Senior Member
Oct 23, 2010
945
416
worthless.gif


:)
 

Sneakyghost

Senior Member
Jul 24, 2008
8,314
13,595
InMyHead
@sneakyghost So you did decide to send your phone in to HTC in the end?

I tried lol. But as i wrote on some other threads: quite clearly, Arvato would have charged me for the brick. So no way i'm gonna do that when we can also do that ourselves, learn a lot from it and have some additional help for the forum people available. Gain is much bigger, costs are lot lower.
Well not quite. Tec and me had to come up with a fair hundred euro extra to get all stuff together in the end but now we're all set i bet and i am looking forward to the results.

One thing is already clear though: due to Arvato glueing the phone together, the frame got damaged by pulling it apart. Will have to live with that. Pity though. It looked like brand new for two month, didn't have one scratch despite being in my pocket all day without any protection. Amazing quality of the housing and screen once the initial MAO issue was overcome.

Goatshocker:
Tecardo will post shots of all bills from all purchases with personal details blacked out once the stuff arrives.

We believe, since you all paid the device mainly, we owe as much transparency as can be. Of course, a picture of a bill with details blacked out can be fake at any time, but we wouldn't know how to make it quite clear we didn't misuse the money.
It needs a bit of trust from your side too.

And everything else interesting turning up will be Photo-documented. Tec and I are still discussing what's worth posting and what not.
Maybe, if you want to see anything particular, just ask for it.
 

Sneakyghost

Senior Member
Jul 24, 2008
8,314
13,595
InMyHead
AW: Unbrick Projekt (RiffBox JTAG)

Yeah thanks Buddy. Good you're looking after that. I am really looking forward to when you can start working with it and how it will go then. I hope the deal with multi-com.pl works out though.

Sent from my Oldschool HD2
 
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mano42

Senior Member
May 21, 2007
161
43

He is the leader behind the riff. He is an old gsm hacker, he also made the ultima box and motorocker, a motorola service box... almost 10 years ago, hehe...

BTW riff, change cables, the cables given with the box, they suck, better use thin and small lenght wires... I advice you, before trying resurrection , read more about riff here: http://forum.gsmhosting.com/vbb/f634/

If I can help you in any way, just write me... riff is good choice... congrats :p
 

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  • 34
    Hello dear XDA-Community,

    We have reached our goal. Now we have a total of 316,72 $ / 236,8 € for our unbrick project, which consists of $ 230 donations from Forum people, about § 30 from private friends and the rest is what we (Sneaky and I) “Loaned” to the project from our own accounts. Money we actually don’t have. We appreciate further help.

    We want to say thanks to ALL donators.
    Without you we wouldn't have come so far.

    This thread will be the hub for service requests. If you happen to need unbrick service, you will find this thread and us to help you.
    This thread will also have a “Diary” for you which informs about the use of your money..
    I will post a log of all payments made from that money plus all Items received (e.g. the RIFF Box, the cables, Jigs, etc.)


    Items ordered / paid / received:

    1. RIFF Box - EUR 195
    2. JIG Connector - EUR 43

    Updates / Facts / News:

    • RiffBox is finally here at my home: Pictures https://picasaweb.google.com/106706328961903570929/RiffBox?authuser=0&feat=directlink
    • 24.01.13: From SneakyGhost

      Quick Status Update on the RIFF Box, my Phone and all...

      - Tecardo disassembled my phone and found a number of Errors from the HTC Repair Center. They had the Modem/Antenna bit connected to the mainboard wrong. They didn't fix in the speaker properly, they glued the phone together so it could hardly be opened, they forgot a screw. Some serious stuff. The Modem Cable fault could have been the root cause of the persisting and worsened home button issue after Arvatos fix. If i where you, i'd be reluctant to send it to them...

      - I contacted multi-com.pl and fonefunshop.uk over a JIG connector for my Mainboard as there are non available on the internet. Fonefunshop said they will have them soon. Multi-Com.pl however said they produce them themselves and if they had a Mainboard of a One S, they would start production ASAP. I offered my Mainboard. They said yes. So my mainboard will be picked up by them on their expense, shipped to poland, then they will start making the Jigs and then send it back to Tecardo with the first JIG for him, for free. Best part: the emails sounded like they're gonna test the JIG on my mainboard and might revive it there with their equipment and experience. lol. Funny turn today.

      - Next step for me is prepare for a long wait and use the time to get in touch with HTC again via Richard Willis and file a formal report about the screw-up of Arvato repair center. It will have a complaint-touch. I will ask to send it on to Taiwan so HTC is gonna review their contracts with their repair centers as Regenersis in the UK has a similar very very bad reputation on fixing phones. I am doubtful i will achieve much, knowing HTC's attitude from the past months but i hope it doesn't go past unheard.

    :laugh: What is this thread for? :laugh:​

    Question: you got your phone bricked and HTC is refusing service, yet the Ebay guys are too expensive?
    Answer: Send it to me if its not to expensive to post for you and I will unbrick your One S. Consider a small financial contribution.

    Question: you want to give your phone to me to do some reverse engineering and help with finding a way to securely S-OFF? Well....
    Answer: hmmm.... probably just a joke. Talk to me if you're willing to donate your device as a Guinea Pig;)

    Question: you got any other stuff going on with your phone that needs a jTag box involved but you don't have one and can't buy one?
    Answer: Ask me. I will do it.

    Well.. this much for now. We will grow this FAQ if there’s anything else to be added.
    The Origins of this “Project Unbrick”
    It is an OFFER made possible by the kind people who helped buying the box.
    It all originated from Sneakys phone bricking during testing stuff for the Home Button Issue and the Venom Viper One S ROM and then searching for the best possible solution. We met around the Team Venom Viper One S chat and we found it a cool idea to provide the One S forum with its very own unbrick service and get Sneakys phone fixed on the way. Just following the simple principle that egoism is the driver behind all evolution. Doing something for Sneakys phone and asking others to pay made possible to have a cheap unbrick service available for many. Got the idea?

    There's so many stories to be told from the past weeks it doesn't fit in here all but i will eventually get around contributing some more anecdotes, stories and so on...

    Hope this is gonna be very very educative for people too. Unbricking always is some sort of a mystery for many and if you send off your phone to some stranger on ebay, you usually don't get an idea about the "Hands On" and gettin' dirty bit of tearing down a phone and actually make it look nice and work properly again afterwards.

    So, maybe we will even have some photos or videos and stuff and just give you an idea of how that all works...
    Please ask your questions :)
    8
    Thank you all who helped out get the RIFF Box together! It was a cool experience and i see it indeed does help a few people.
    Success-Story... nice...
    7
    Phone Mechanics

    hey tecardo if your not cool with me posting my business card up here let me know. this is for xda members who need help or dont want to do stuff themselves. if its a slow day i wont charge if you have thanked this post other than that i keep my fees low for xda members. i saw joe today. he brought his 2 one s's im working on them now. happy to help you guys. thanks for keeping me in mind tecardo :good:
    5
    JIG arrived!

    You can now start sending me phones :D
    5
    I see some real stuff going on here. Nice. Haven't had time to check by in a while. Happy that this little tree begins to grow now after we planted it.
    Welcome Tonsdog. Great you are offering help for the unlucky US guys.
    We were checking options back and forth in the beginning but no matter how we looked at it, repairing a US phone in Europe is just ridiculous. Haha.

    I felt a little committed to stick around here and answer questions for people in the beginning, hoping to assist Tec but i feel safe now to leave that all up to you guys. I am not an electronics expert anyway so i was happy to help out getting the Box together (initially motivated by my own phone turning into a brick).

    Think this post is a bit of a loose goodbye to this thread from me then. Don't think my presence is really needed here. Will still keep reading and if any questions turn up i could possibly answer, i will, but i'll be focusing on my other playgrounds.

    Really great job Tec and now Tonsdog are doing here. Really great. Thanks a million times.

    Remember: the initial thought was to assist developing people so they could feel safer experimenting with their expensive gadgets and by this maybe accelerate development a little, but also provide some help for those who can't afford expensive OEM repairs. Keep that spirit up!

    See yas,
    Sneakz