Success! N5 now has 3 GB of RAM and 64 GB of storage!

[ilciumbia]

Hi everyone!

After months and months, and countless hours spent (and a good deal of destroyed Nexus 5 motherboards...) ,I have succeeded in expanding both RAM and storage of a Nexus 5!

The RAM:

I have been thinking about it for quite some time, then I decided to go for it, so I bought a 24Gb LPDDR3 memory chip from Aliexpress and attempted a replacement to my spare Nexus 5. Well, believe it or not, it worked!!! My N5 has 3 GB of RAM, and the difference, with my 242 apps installed, is very evident! It has been hard work, not easy at all, but if there is anyone who has the necessary skill/equipment and is wondering if it can be done, well, the answer is YES!

The memory chip I purchased is the K3QF7F70DM-QGCF.

Replacement requires removing the ePOP memory from the top of the Snapdragon chip, then cleaning carefully the BGA land pads from any resin/glue residue, then re-soldering the new chip. I am not going into details (unless requested) because those who know about BGA reworking know what it is all about and those who don't... Well, don't try it! Anyway, I am available to provide any further explanation.

The Flash:

Then... I could not stop there. RAM is nice, but I was running out of storage space... Plus, it seems it had been done before, even if not many details had been provided... Well, there is all sort of documentation and software one can desire for the Nexus 5... So let's go for it! Let's buy a 64 GB eMMC chip from Aliexpress and let's try to transplant it!

The operation has proven more complex than I could have imagined: I collected 13 (!) dead Nexus 5s so that I could experiment with them, I fixed some of them and then I destroyed them again in the attempt to transplant the chip! The endline is: "Don't try this at home unless you are willing to end up with a broken phone"! And, believe me, it is VERY likely this is going to happen!

But the screenshots speak for themselves:

https://photos.google.com/album/AF1.../AF1QipPtZlfQ4vlWy5W94-_khYiE-WnZXHusHW18PsRu
https://photos.google.com/album/AF1.../AF1QipMCqe-Xn4x5l6PRykQDxyRnVhrbxZqTU0ZGumd4

If anyone is interested (be careful if you want to attempt the mod) I will provide all details of hardware equipment used, how to desolder chips, how to solder the new ones (but if you need to read my instructions then the operation is clearly out of your reach!) and how to flash the new chip with bootloader, recovery, ROM and everything. Just let me know!


Regards!

 

[DarkMaxOff]

Hello, can you show in more detail and with screenshots where you soldered the memory. how long did it take you

 

[MishaalRahman]

Did you take any pictures through the process?

 

[ilciumbia]

Hi guys,

unfortunately I have not taken any pictures, because I had not the slightest confidence in the outcome! However, I can summarize the process with pictures found online:

1- the memory chip (which is on top of the processor) is the one with the red dot on it; you must also remove the metal shield around it, which is fitted with just clips, so a small screwdriver and some care is enough to remove it;
2. you must heat up the chip with a hot air rework station; I also recommend to cover the rest of the board with kapton tape (or, at worst, with some aluminium foil);
3- use a thermocouple if possible; if you don't have it, monitor carefully the melting of the memory chip. Keep in mind you have to remove the memory only, not the entire chip (but the memory chip, being on top, is the first thing to come off);
4- using a needle or a thin razor blade, gently leverage one corner of the chip until you feel it softening and finally coming off;
5- after removing it, you must very carefully clean the pads from any glue left on them (yes, the memory is also glued!). The pads are not too delicate, however exert maximum care, you do not want to rip any of them off; I personally used the scalpel tip of my soldering iron to clean and level the pads;
6- use isopropyl alcohol, acetone and some sandpaper or a pencil rubber to clean the pads from any dirt and oxidation; you must end with some very clean pads, as in the picture (of course pads will not be gold but silver);
7- spread some gel flux on the pads and place the new chip on them, carefully aligning it with the processor underneath (careful about pin 1!);
8- heat up the chip again with the hot air gun; look at it from the side, until you see the balls melting and the whole chip settling down in the correct position;
9- remove hot air and let it cool nice and slow;
10- enjoy!

Please note that the process is extremely risky and complex; if you need to read the above steps, probably you should not attempt it; but if you succeed, results are worth the effort! The whole process took about 1-1.5 hours (I do not know exactly).

Next step will be to upgrade storage space (someone has already done it, if I remember correctly)!

 

[matusala]

If only i had rework station. I have broken display connector. 8 or 9 pins came off. I need to solder them and i do not have equipment. What is the cheapest hot air rework station i can get?

 

[dgm_mixtoon]

make youtube video, you will be a legend, really, my phone was stolen while leaving work, xiaomi mi6 6gb ram (powerful) and unfortunately I had to buy a lg g2, do you think you can add more ram to g6 ?, I'm very used to the speed of my once loved mi6: /, do the process please, it would be great!

 

[ilciumbia]

If only i had rework station. I have broken display connector. 8 or 9 pins came off. I need to solder them and i do not have equipment. What is the cheapest hot air rework station i can get?

I do not recommend hot air on that connector. It is very prone to desoldering, but your best bet would be a very thin soldering tip, like the Weller LT1S, for example.

As for a cheap hot air reworl station, this is a pretty standard one:

https://it.aliexpress.com/item/220V...a0-4569-8e61-9b85979280bd&transAbTest=ae803_5

or even cheaper:

https://it.aliexpress.com/item/High...a0-4569-8e61-9b85979280bd&transAbTest=ae803_5

you will have to build your own stand, because it is impractical to hold it in your hand (you will need both at a certain point!). I attached it to a desktop spring loaded lamp, "Pixar style" to be clear.

 

[ilciumbia]

make youtube video, you will be a legend, really, my phone was stolen while leaving work, xiaomi mi6 6gb ram (powerful) and unfortunately I had to buy a lg g2, do you think you can add more ram to g6 ?, I'm very used to the speed of my once loved mi6: /, do the process please, it would be great!

I have ordered a new 4 GB memory chip, this time I will make a video when I attempt the mod!

can you please clarify to which device you would like to add RAM?

 

[JackyGundam]

how about geekbench result?

 

[ilciumbia]

how about geekbench result?

Hope this works:

https://browser.geekbench.com/v4/cpu/12973897

https://browser.geekbench.com/v4/compute/3984170

 

[Prime∮YuKrai℉]

I have ordered a new 4 GB memory chip, this time I will make a video when I attempt the mod!

can you please clarify to which device you would like to add RAM?

Amazing! :fingers-crossed:Waiting for that!:good:

 

[ilciumbia]

The new Snapdragon 801 has just arrived (yes, I am attempting to transplant that, too!), while the memory chip should come in any day now... Please stay tuned for some wild modifications! ?

 

[DarkMaxOff]

The new Snapdragon 801 has just arrived (yes, I am attempting to transplant that, too!), while the memory chip should come in any day now... Please stay tuned for some wild modifications! ?

Pls, if that works, make a video

 

[ilciumbia]

Of course! Memory chip coming in next Tuesday!

Inviato dal mio Nexus 5 utilizzando Tapatalk

 

[lo2ay]

The new Snapdragon 801 has just arrived (yes, I am attempting to transplant that, too!), while the memory chip should come in any day now... Please stay tuned for some wild modifications!

It would be awesome if it worked, really awesome. But I don't think it will work right of the bat. A different processor will most probably need an update in the kernel code to accommodate for that hardware change. I think that this hardware change is significant enough to require an change in the kernel source. Same goes for upgrading the internal storage.

 

[ilciumbia]

Actually, the Snapdragon 800 and 801 are pretty much the same processor with some very minor differences, so I would expect them to be swappable. The first attempt, however, has proven to be a real disaster due to the fact that all BGAs are glued to the PCB with some strong epoxy and removing them is really hard, because it is difficult to understand if the chip is holding on to the glue or if temperature is not high enough... So you raise it and raise it to the point the PCB gets delaminated... So I am waiting for a new PID and a new thermocouple so that I can monitor the temperature more accurately!

 

[lo2ay]

Actually, the Snapdragon 800 and 801 are pretty much the same processor with some very minor differences, so I would expect them to be swappable. The first attempt, however, has proven to be a real disaster due to the fact that all BGAs are glued to the PCB with some strong epoxy and removing them is really hard, because it is difficult to understand if the chip is holding on to the glue or if temperature is not high enough... So you raise it and raise it to the point the PCB gets delaminated... So I am waiting for a new PID and a new thermocouple so that I can monitor the temperature more accurately!

Maybe you're true about the processors, I hope you are it will make it much more easier for you . But is the difference between them really worth the effort? As far as I remember, it's just a slight increase in clock speeds (for both CPU and GPU).

I remember I saw someone on Youtube who upgraded the internal storage of their iPhone to 512 GB, he had to create new partition tables for the new storage chip. If my brain doesn't fail me, there's someone here on XDA who also managed to do it for the Nexus 5, he also had to create new partition tables and done some flashing for some stuff that were required to get it to boot. I'll try and find the link maybe it would help you

I'm really interested to see how much further can you push a Nexus 5 before it reaches its limits

Edit: Found it! Check the thread here. It was also featured on XDA news

 

[M520iX]

Ok.

The new Snapdragon 801 has just arrived (yes, I am attempting to transplant that, too!), while the memory chip should come in any day now... Please stay tuned for some wild modifications!

Jeezus, maybe 805 and with and it is a mini Nexus 6? xD

 

[ilciumbia]

Hi all,

here I am back after quite some time, to report results which are disastrous to say the least. In the past week I have collected some malfunctioning Nexus 5 (some with broken switches, other with broken screens, others with broken eMMC chips), fixed some of them and then attempted the mods I had dreamed of, unfortunately so far I have managed to destroy them all, and must conclude that my very first attempt when I successfully swapped the original RAM chip for a 3GB one has been nothing but a lucky event and that my ability to perform such mods has been overestimated.
To summarize what happened so far:

1- attempt to replace the SD800 wirh a SD801 and concurrently mount a 4 GB RAM chip has ended up with a destroyed SD801 and a destroyed RAM chip;
2- 2 attempts to replace a defective eMMC chip on a working SD800 ended up with a non functioning phone;
3- replacement of a defective WiFi/BT chip succeeded, but the subsequent attempt to replace the eMMC chip ended up with a non functioning phone;
4- replacement of RAM chip with a 4 GB one ended up with a fried SD800; unsure about the RAM chip.

I am not giving up though; I am still convinced that it can be done, and that it is only a matter of finding the right way to desolder and then resolder memory chips... I am continuing experiments and collecting cheap damaged Nexus 5 phones. If you have one you can spare...

 

[ilciumbia]

Here I am, and this time with great news! Finally, after 13 motherboards sacrificed in the name of knowledge, I have succeeded in expanding both RAM and storage of my Nexus 5! See OP and, if interested, I am willing to provide any detail you require!

Regards!