Re: Problems with N900 USB port becoming broken / loose and resulting warranty & repair issues
 

How to charge the N900 without a USB Connector inside?

I would like to be able to make a backup vial ssh and w-lan at the moment when the usb connector problem hits me. (and also to remove my content bevor sending my device to Nokia)

Re: Problems with N900 USB port becoming broken / loose and resulting warranty & repair issues
 

Sounds nice and is to good to be tru. Contacted nokia this afternoon with the question why my n900 was not repared. He answerd me that it is a phisical demage and is not in the warranty. I told him about you're message and he said. There is no sudge answer from nokia by his knollidge. So until he has no message from nokia the repaire wil not fixt. What do you think of that

Re: Problems with N900 USB port becoming broken / loose and resulting warranty & repair issues
 

I took my battery out and charged it. I used some bits of copper in some crocodile clips shoved into the battery contacts, current limited the power supply to about 500ma and limited the voltage to 4.1V. I gave it a couple of hours, keeping an eye on it to check it wasn't swelling or getting hot or anything.
Be careful overcharged lithium ions can burst into flames, but if you current and voltage limit the power supply you should be OK. But I don't advice you to do anything I do. Its up to you to decide what is safe and what is not.
I guess i could have connected the power supply straight to the battery connectors in the phone but I would rather accidently kill the battery than the phone.

Re: Problems with N900 USB port becoming broken / loose and resulting warranty & repair issues
 

We are three months into this thread and weeks since Nokia said they would get the word out to their care centres. Even telegrams are faster than this. I don't think this is ineptitude but rather apathy. I suspect that the sales potential for the N900 is not big enough for Nokia to spend money on it. The N900 is 'step 4 in a 5 step process' according to Nokia. One might view that as the N900 being a prototype or a beta. Normally one does not fix a beta, one just makes a note of improvement for the production model.

It's entirely possible N900 owners have been hoodwinked into being Nokia's beta testers and paid Nokia for the privilege.

Re: Problems with N900 USB port becoming broken / loose and resulting warranty & repair issues
 

I think whoever you are speaking with is ignorant of what's going on. All I can say at this point is keep pushing the issue, and demand that your calls be escalated. Don't accept the answer you've been given; challenge them to do their job and get the information.

Re: Problems with N900 USB port becoming broken / loose and resulting warranty & repair issues
 

Today I got the device back, so finally it took 6 days including Saturday when I dropped it off, one Sunday and then today.

IMEI has changed, so it seems that the whole main circuit board was changed. All other parts seem to be the same, battery, screen, battery cover etc.

Re: Problems with N900 USB port becoming broken / loose and resulting warranty & repair issues
 

Please can we refrain from the "N900 is not a Nokia priority" etc posts here. There are enough of those elsewhere. This thread is about addressing the MicroUSB failures and not debating the status of the N900 and it's future.

FWIW I have been without mine fo 10 days now and I will be wellcoming it back with open arms 9or is that hands :D ). Step 4 or step 10 to me it is just about the perfect device at present and I have been lost without it.

What is up for debate is Nokias terrible customer service in relation to this issue.

Recieved N900 from Dell yesterday
 

I recently recieved an N900 from Dell yesterday and was considering returning due to the usb problems. Has anyone ordered from Dell and if so, did you experience the usb problem or other problems?

Re: Recieved N900 from Dell yesterday
 

What usb problem :confused: Why would you consider returning it, does it not work?

This is not about a usb problem but is about the physical MicroUSB socket becoming detached from the the motherboards. You, as far as I know, cannot tell if this is a problem until it breaks, if it ever does.

I

Re: Recieved N900 from Dell yesterday
 

Stop being picky man. When we refer to the "USB Problem" we know full well that it means the habit of the USB port coming off the mobo. And I don't blame the poster one bit for being concerned that his $500 device could one day have a piece fall out, soon rendering it unusable. Particularly if it is his only device.

Re: Recieved N900 from Dell yesterday
 

It's hardly a habit or even an epidemic, given the number of units out there.. There is no way of knowing if your N900 will have this problem. This thread and community will need to keep an eye on it. But advising people who have just bought the N900 to return it just in case it might happen is going just a little to far IMHO.

As for being picky, there are other issues with USB. I meant to say which rather than what. I had charging and transfer issues that were solved with a re-flash, hence why I asked. :rolleyes:

Re: Recieved N900 from Dell yesterday
 

It helps to be picky. USB data transfer, connector body distortion and other issues have come into the discussion here.

The poster didn't make it clear what his specific issue was, so I can't fault the motive behind the response.

Re: Recieved N900 from Dell yesterday
 

I was thinking the same thing. It's always the people that have problems who complain, while those that don't encounter any issues will go about their business and ignore online polls.

And even if the N900 has a bad USB port design, there are a few things that can be done to either solve it or reduce the flaws.

1. NEVER try to insert the USB cables upside down. If it doesn't go in easily, STOP and look at what you're doing. Even if you haven't filed down the USB cable hooks, it should still insert with little pressure.

2. NEVER drop the phone while charging. I've seen plenty of other phones with their charging ports ripped off the system boards because they were dropped while charging. This is NOT a design issue, it's a user issue.

3. File down the hooks on the USB charger and data cable. This will NOT make the cables any less effective, while significantly reducing the force required to plug and unplug them. It's actually amazing how much less pressure it takes once those hooks are filed completely down. If I were to venture a guess based on how it feels (mind you, my hand is not an accurate measuring device), it's say the force required is about a third.

And now for the slightly paranoid among us (I'm one of them):

4a. Use epoxy to strengthen the USB port. I have a write-up how to do it. If you've taken other phones apart, it's really not difficult and it will give an extra insurance. I even tested the epoxy hold on other PCBs, and it takes much more force to unglue the epoxy than it does to rip off a surface mount component.

4b. You can also extend the contact patches of the USB port and resolder it to the system board. More technical and more dangerous than epoxy, but it will definitely strengthen the USB port. Combine this with epoxy and you're golden. ;)

Even if you only follow steps 1,2 and 3, your N900 should survive daily use for a long time. Besides, keep in mind that the N900 is still a cell phone, and its value drops faster than subprime mortgage investments. Replacing it when (IF) it fails, even outside the warranty period, will not be expensive at all.

Re: Recieved N900 from Dell yesterday
 

EDIT: Clean up with a little less rage at the response to this
----------------

The people complaining have looked at this thread. Noting the experience of Nokias customers.

How ever small the number of people with this issue. Compared to the number of units sold. Nokia has treated these customers very badly.

To criticise people for thinking that they may not be comfortable trusting Nokia to make good, if this happens to them. Seems to be an overzealous response from the community.

I am happy to have my phone back and willing to give Nokia another chance. But I am ever reminded that there are customers out there who know nothing of this site or the other discussions of the subject.

They have assumed that the Nokia care centres are answering their problem as Nokia specifies. This is a failure on Nokia's part. Nokia should be doing more to ensure this message gets out. And working to contact people who have been let down by their organization structure already.

I am very disconcerted at members of this community. Who choose to attack people. When they have a very genuine reason to be uncomfortable with the companies recent actions.

We have plenty of people failing to understand that the N900 is still basically a development platform. Bugs and limited features are to be expected.

When people have genuine reasons to mistrust the company. We look like then fan boys if we treat them the same way as the rest.

Nokia customers have genuine reasons to mistrust Nokia over this event.

Nokia has still failed to be upfront with the issue and tell us why we should expect our new devices to last out better then the ones that failed.

As such Nokia is the one that has to win back the trust of their customers.

Re: Recieved N900 from Dell yesterday
 

I'm sure my wife won't mind when I get up and turn on the light so I can plug "that thing" in properly so I don't stress the connector before going to bed.

Easier said than done :) It's those pesky darn accidents that always get you.

If the hooks weren't needed (or need to be as big) I'm sure they would save money and design the cables with smaller hooks, or without them, right?

And void your warranty in the process :)

Shhhhh! It's not a cell phone, don't let any here see you type that :)

All good advice, but I shouldn't have to immediately void my warranty, start modifying cables, changing habits, annoying my wife, etc just so I don't have to worry about being without my $500+ device that I become more dependent on every day.

Mind you, I filed the hooks completely off all my cables, I'm careful when I put the plug in, and will probably epoxy it (after the warranty expires, assuming it makes it that long). But I shouldn't have to do any of that.

Bear in mind that not everyone who has had this problem voted in this poll. Ultimately, we have no idea how widespread this is. Our community is just a small subset of all the N900's sold. Quadruple the number of people that took this poll ~2000, even if no more people have issues, that's still around 3% failure rate. That is unacceptable to me. I am very concerned that this could be an issue in the future no matter how careful I am. If I were looking to buy a N900 and was unsure, this would certainly give me pause.

Re: Recieved N900 from Dell yesterday
 

Well, you shouldn't have to start charging it in the middle of the night. And what exactly are you doing up while your wife is already asleep? (Just kidding, I'm a night owl and had my share of arguments with my girlfriend about going to bed waaaay too late)

True, but accidents will kill pretty much anything. I sat on my very first Palm Pilot 5000, and cracked the screen. I guess I should have demanded Palm use diamond instead of glass. :p

They wouldn't save any money for using smaller hooks, but you're right about bad design. Nokia really dropped the ball on the surface mounted USB port though, not on the USB cable hooks. It's IMPOSSIBLE to break off a pass-through component without breaking the PCB in half or destroying the component itself. Too late for that redesign though. Nokia will keep using the current design and just improve the adhesion of the USB port. It will help, but it won't make it indestructible.

I'll give you this point too. But many people like myself have no warranty at all. I preferred to take a small risk to make sure my N900 survives. Even if I had warranty, I'd probably still open it up to fix it. Just look at some of the crap people have to go through to have their N900 fixed under warranty.

Completely agree, it's a very, very poor design. But Nokia gave me lemons so I made lemonade. And I had fun being the first one to completely document the N900 disassembly (except for the screen, but I did that on my old N810 to replace the slider, and THAT was a pain I don't want to go through again). :D

A bit off topic, but laptops have a 15-20% failure rate in their first year. The main difference is that laptop manufacturers are MUCH better at standing behind their products than cell phone manufacturers. It's an understandable attitude though, because it's far less likely to drop a laptop on concrete, or to dump it into the bath tub or toilet.

Re: Recieved N900 from Dell yesterday
 

I am sorry but in this context you are very wrong.

I have had a N85 for 2+ years. And it has had many many accidents. I Connect to the USB port about 20 times a day in my car to charge it and connect it by usb to the stereo. It slides across the dash board swings off altogether in many cases gets pulled of the desk in a similar way to texrats device several times a year.

And worst of all was thrown off the dash board smashed into the car window then flew into the back of the car ripping the cable out of the car radio when I successfully parked My Acura integra under a Ford ranger truck at 35mph head on.

The car was a write off of course and all are fine.

And my driving skills are not the issue of this discussion.

The N85 on the other hand was my backup while my N900 was running back and forth to nokia.

The only thing that went wrong. I had to replace the back plate and the screen is a little scratched.

Now I will agree this is hard time for a phone. I am very impressed with the N85 and will keep it as the phone I use when I am not expected to treat it with care.

However phones by the very nature of being a mobile device need to be a little tougher then the average laptop. If dropping it a couple of feet with a USB cable in is enough to break it then no the device is not fit for purpose.

Re: Recieved N900 from Dell yesterday
 

I owned the N800, N810 and now the N900. To me the N900 is STILL an Internet Tablet, just one that now can also make phone calls. I guess I just treat it with more respect than I would a normal phone.

Of course I'd love the N900 to be as resilient as my old E71. But then the E71 and E72 can't do half the things the N900 can. So it's a trade-off that I personally can live with.

Re: Problems with N900 USB port becoming broken / loose and resulting warranty & repair issues
 

I think the N900 has been promoted to step 4 in a 4 step process...

Re: Problems with N900 USB port becoming broken / loose and resulting warranty & repair issues
 

In regards to returning the device because of not trusting Nokia, I can comment on the why.

I have a hard time believing at this point that, if I were to drop my phone without any significant damage and later have the USB port fall out, that my phone would be covered under warranty.

For a failure that basically makes the device unrepairable by a non-expert, I couldn't see taking the risk. I considered the DIY prevention but really, voiding my entire warranty to possibly prevent a problem that shouldn't occur in the first place makes no sense at all. Who knows what might be failing on the N900 in 8 months when something this basic is already failing? Why should I void my warranty and assume risk that Nokia already assumed? It'd be like choosing to buy a second limited 1 year warranty against defects for no reason at all other than because you don't think your first one is good enough. In that case, you should just have not bought the first one.

That, in essence, sums up my decision to return mine. I'm hoping for a redesign because it was a HARD decision to return it and I'd buy it again if it was fixed but ultimately, I need to know that I haven't just tossed $500 in the blender hoping the bills wouldn't get too torn up to tape back together.

No need to be hard on anyone just because they think it's a good decision. And there's definitely no reason anyone should have to be so gentle with a mobile device. I'm sure we all saw how durable the N900 was from the tehkseven videos (http://www.tehkseven.net/news/nokia-...-pocket-tests/). I tend to expect all components on a device to be roughly the same durability. If my phone could be dropped from head height and be just fine, I would expect to be able to charge it since... you know... dropping it is abnormal but charging is. Also, any designer who decides that trying to plug a USB port in upside down by mistake is abnormal, he's kidding himself. Trying to plug a USB device in upside down is the second most common thing to do with it. (Yeah that was a joke but still). For americans, how many times do you try to plug in a polarized 120V plug into a jack upside down just to test it rather than look at it and decide to plug it in the correct direction? People expect to be able to do that and I can't see anyone saying it's wrong. Engineering against usage patterns is wrong.

Just my two cents.

Re: Recieved N900 from Dell yesterday
 

Dude, what's your boggle?

I'm researching Laptops right now and have been reading thousands of posts looking for exactly these types of issues with respect to the laptops I am interested in.

I'm reading forums similar to this one. If I saw this problem with a Laptop, a whole Battalion of RED flags would be flying in my face! The obvious next three questions are:

1) How did the company respond?
2) Did they fix the problem?
3) Did they fix the underlying problem?

I had a $6000 laptop from Alienware that the MOBO burnt up in 6 weeks from heat issues. This was a HiPo Laptop, too HiPo as it were. I had it fixed and dumped it to somebody who had to have it. he was warned and luckily I transferred the 3 year warranty to him. So far, has had 5 MoBo's in it.

Company responded good, but obviously poorly engineered, with no subsequent engineering.

Here we can't get past question #1 because Nokia is responding poorly so it seems.

If I were a NEW N900 owner who could return mu N900 and read this thread, I would have some serious issues before me. I empathize with the guy asking the question. Me, in good consciousness, I couldn't recommend keeping it if he were a buddy of mine, or a stranger for that matter. Especially in reference to how Nokia is handling this issue.

Re: Recieved N900 from Dell yesterday
 

But it's a pocketable IT. And as such is expected to go more places than the previous tablets, much like a phone :) It was designed with this increased portabiliy in mind, otherwise the screen would have been bigger. But we're not talking about overall durability here.

We're talking about a connector being able to withstand being plugged/unplugged over the life of the warranty (preferably the device). This is the charger, a vital function. One I would expect to easily last the life of the device, not get pulled out through normal usage in weeks or months.

I suspect based on the numbers here, this early in the life of the device, this thread has a long way to go before it ends.

Re: Recieved N900 from Dell yesterday
 

I was merely trying to gather more information from the poster as to what their USB problem was. Is it a comms or s/w issue, which is not what this thread is about, or is it a hardware issue, which this thread is about. I have no boggle, whatever that means, just trying to help :confused:

If you have read my threads you will see that i am quite appalled with Nokia regarding this issue. The fact that I have now been without my N900 for two weeks and despite calls and emails i have had no word from them. I find that disgusting and not what i would expect of a company of that size and reputation. I expect an immediate replacement device, nothing less.

However I cannot condemn the device yet as it is not sure how widespread this problem is and if it only affects a batch or mobos or is a fundamental design or manufacturing fault.

Would I recommend the N900? Not without consideration of this problem and a number of other issues. However if someone has a N900 and likes it should they return it? No, but keep an eye on this issue.

I am certainly not a Nokia fan boy and still find their conduct in this issue abhorrent but I have to temper that with the fact that there will be 1000's of people with no issue at all.

A companies reputation hinges not on how good their products are but also on how well they respond when they aren't, in this respect Nokia = fail!

Re: Recieved N900 from Dell yesterday
 

Ok still lets replace phone in my comment with the phrase

"Mobile device designed to be used in the real world. Carried in pockets handbags as people live life."

This is not a device that is aimed at people who are able to ensure it is protected and covered in cotten wool each time they use it.

Any mobile device by its very nature needs to be able to handle the odd bump or bang.

Internet Tablet or phone. The line is drawn far to close if falling 2ft with the USB cable in is considered abuse for a device like this.

Mobile is the purpose of such a device. Be it making calls or browsing the web. The requirements are the same for it to be fit for purpose. As such Nokia customers have a right to expect the same design/build quality as they would from a phone.

Also taken into account the marketing. The N800 and N810 did not have the marketing campaign behind them that the N900 did. Nokia did not go out of their way to sell them as consumer ready devices.

When people saw my N810 the general comment was WTF is that.
The comment I get with the N900 is Oooo Ive been looking at one of those. Is it as good as the iPhone.

Re: Problems with N900 USB port becoming broken / loose and resulting warranty & repair issues
 

It's been almost 3 weeks that i've sent my phone to a Nokia Care Center. I called them today and the man told me that my phone was back 3 days ago but it hasn't been repaired or replaced because when i first came, they were not aware yet that Nokia will take it under warranty

So now, the man said that he will keep the phone for a while and try to make a "special call" to Nokia to see if my phone could be taken under warranty ...


Wait and see... :(

Re: Problems with N900 USB port becoming broken / loose and resulting warranty & repair issues
 

Waiting wise Im in the same boat as you :( still waiting on ANY response from Nokia Care. :confused:

Re: Problems with N900 USB port becoming broken / loose and resulting warranty & repair issues
 

Me too :mad:

Tried to call them, took forever to get through and there is no option on the call system for general enquiries. I just pretended to be an N97 customer !

However, that was a complete waste of time. Was advised that because I sent it into the care centre that I would have to call them. This is even though the care centre sent it straight to Nokia :confused:

Repair status STILL says: In repair:Your product is currently being analysed or repaired.

Day 11 and nothing, a joke :(

Re: Problems with N900 USB port becoming broken / loose and resulting warranty & repair issues
 

Success at last! After 5 weeks, and all sorts of problems Nokia have finally give me a new handset.

The best advice I can give to anyone who is having similar problems (in the UK at least) is write to the head of customer care (by recorded delivery), explain what you've done so far and ask for a response within 14 days.

I was getting nowhere fast calling Nokia care on the telephone, but I got the required response very quickly after writing a letter of complaint.

I'm not convinced I won't get exactly the same problem again with the new handset, but we can only live in hope.

Andy

Re: Problems with N900 USB port becoming broken / loose and resulting warranty & repair issues
 

Do you have the address please?

I have reached the end of my tether with this.

Re: Problems with N900 USB port becoming broken / loose and resulting warranty & repair issues
 

I addressed my letter to

Head of Customer Services
Summit Avenue,
Southwood
Farnborough
GU14 0NG

After sending by recorded delivery I received a response within 24 hours of the letter being delivered.

Best of Luck.
Andy

Re: Problems with N900 USB port becoming broken / loose and resulting warranty & repair issues
 

It might be useful to gather this contact information for the head of customer service for as many countries as possible. Some reasonable letters to them might get good results.

Re: Problems with N900 USB port becoming broken / loose and resulting warranty & repair issues
 

dont charge over a laptop

Re: Problems with N900 USB port becoming broken / loose and resulting warranty & repair issues
 

NOTE: so far, my N900 does not have any problems regarding this thread (i hope will never have)

I e-mailed nokia last month, regarding this Issue and i believe that Mark Bañas, an email specialist responded to me (i think i lost the e-mail, sorry) that this issue is due to "poor handling" Mark even added that he also owns an N900 for months and no problems so far.

recently, i sent an e-mail regarding this issue, but with a note that nokia is now considering this issue to be covered under warranty. here 's the response look like:

Hi Gabriel,

Thank you for e-mailing the Nokia Care Contact Center. We are glad that you are interested in the Nokia N900

Based on your concern,please call our technical support hotline @1 8886654228, you need to provide us with your phone's serial number/imei,and your phone shouldnt have any physical or liquid damage, so it can be consider for warranty.

I hope the information provided proves useful.

If you have any additional question, please don't hesitate to contact us again. To ensure proper handling of your case, kindly continue using the current subject line

Thank you very much for your email. Have a great day.

Best Regards,

Mark Bañas
Email Specialist
Nokia Inc.


[THREAD ID:1-4ZVHIVF

I repeat, I have no problems on my device, and hoping will not have any at all, if among you was rejected for repair, you can use my post.

I just e-mail nokia due to my concerns about this issue and other issues related to n900

Re: Recieved N900 from Dell yesterday
 

Oh don't say that. I am wanting to write up a post mortem on my blog but every time I get ready I see another discouraging post... : /

That's a smart, proactive approach. However, I will say that when I worked there, Nokia didn't really have a good channel for that. You probably blow the minds of support techs with that sort of communication. It's not on their script. ;)

Re: Recieved N900 from Dell yesterday
 

I'd really rather the thread just die out. But, if Nokia didn't make any significant changes (I don't know much about the copper trace bonding, but I can't see that making a huge difference in this case), then I'm afraid this thread will continue for months. Hopefully, with positive, sent it in got it fixed and back quickly stories. I also suspect we'll hear from a few unlucky owners who have to get a second or even third unit replaced under warranty.

Re: Recieved N900 from Dell yesterday
 

oops...:) usually, i take this actions before i buy or order a device, but the case was different from n900.

i always want to know if nokia has absolute answers for the issues of devices i have interest with

wait a minute! my last post was for number 1112 but the total replies is 1111! (just noticed, please dont mind)

Re: Recieved N900 from Dell yesterday
 

"I can see a Train, and it's comin' down the Tracks"


My Prediction:

Expect this thread to be active for years. Becoming busier as it goes along and gathers Steam. This Snowball has not even started to roll yet.

Re: Problems with N900 USB port becoming broken / loose and resulting warranty & repair issues
 

yup! just the same as what it is. :D

Re: Recieved N900 from Dell yesterday
 

This really exemplifies my thoughts on the issue. Nokia acts as though they know the extent of the problem but they haven't recalled the affected devices. Logically, if they're likely to fail anyway, why not recall them before they do so they can be modified with whatever fix they think is going to help so they can avoid excessive spending since they know the extent to which this problem reaches. Since they haven't done that, it follows that they expect this issue which affects only a "limited" number of devices to be a number of devices which approaches 100% and the limited part seems to be taking into account devices which happen to never be charged.

To sum it up, if Nokia knows how many are affected, why no recall? I don't see any indication that this is limited in scope and assume, for lack of info, that the "limited" part of their public statement is as true as the last words they used to describe the problem: "physical damage". I returned mine *because* they didn't do a recall after that they knew how many devices were affected because knowing the number of affected devices implies knowing which devices are affected.

Re: Post Mortem
 

I'm still monitoring this thread hoping for someone to say something like "yay they reengineered it" or "they've made some snap on thinger that they put on current devices". All I ever see in my email is "it's broken on me too" and "here's a DIY fix for you to void your warranty with".

I'm looking forward to your post mortem though. I hope you link it in here if you ever have cause to write it. I'll be watching ;)