I-Mate SP5 (Tornado) Disassembly, How to take apart an SP5 |
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 May 21 2006, 17:21
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#1
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Regular  Group: Posters Posts: 64 Joined: 21st October 2004 From: Brighton Member No.: 61,414 Device(s): I-Mate SP5/XDA Mini S  |
I dropped my I-Mate SP5 in a mug of tea and, not surprisingly, some of the dial keys didn’t work after I dried it out. I sent it to the I-Mate repairers in the UK knowing it wouldn’t be covered by warrenty and they said it needed a new mainboard and screen and would cost £370 to repair.
Anyway, with many thanks for complete help to Fluffcat1(there's no way I could have done it without), I disassembled the phone and cleaned the keypad contacts and it works again. I followed Richard’s already-posted instructions on how to take a C600 apart. The method for the SP5 differs slightly and he suggested I post instructions….so here goes. I’ve copied most of Richard’s instructions but changed the bits that are different between the C600 and the SP5. As guru Richard points out in his post: DOING THIS WILL INVALIDATE YOUR WARRENTY. IT’S ONLY A GUIDE AND SHOULD ONLY BE DONE IF YOU REALLY HAVE TO AND AT YOUR OWN RISK. But it could be useful if you need to replace parts, including damaged facials. You need a Torx T5 screwdriver, a small flat blade screwdriver and a Philips 0x50 screwdriver (you can get a set with all these in from Maplins for about £10). Also a plastic tool to prise open the covers (I used an old credit card) and some Isopropyl Alcohol (also from Maplins) to clean anything inside you want to. 1. Remove back cover, sim, storage card and battery. 2. Remove the plastic aerial cover (the top bit of the back of the phone) To do this, remove the rubber external aerial connector bung. Put the phone screen -down on a surface. You’ll see a hole in the top right-hand side of the battery compartment. Put your flat blade screwdriver in the hole to release the clip holding the aerial cover. Then use your plastic prising tool to prise the cover outwards and upwards. Eventually you’ll find it will slip off upwards. 3. Then remove four chassis screws, one in each corner of the back of the chassis, and the two mainboard screws in the battery compartment. You’ll need the T5 screwdriver to remove all these. 4. Then use the plastic prising tool to prise apart the chassis case from the front facia. It takes a bit of wiggling. I found it best to start at the top of the case, but eventually you’ll release the clips holding the chassis case to the facia. TAKE CARE…THERE IS SHORT RIBBON CABLE CONNECTING THE MAINBOARD TO THE CHASSIS CASE. When you’ve prised the two apart just enough, put the opening tool in and gently lift the ribbon cable connector from the mainboard. 5. Then remove the mainboard. First, using your plastic tool, gently lift off the ribbon cable connector connecting the mainboard to the keypad. The mainboard is held onto the front facia by two plastic clips, one on either side. 6. Once the mainboard, with LCD attached, has been removed, you can clean dust etc. 7. To remove the keypad for cleaning etc, put the front facia face down. You’ll see four screws at the back of the keypad near the edges. Remove these with your Phillips screwdriver. There are four more screws on the plate at the back of the joystick. Remove these with the Phillips screwdriver. You’ll now be able to prise the keypad from the front of the chassis, but be careful not to tear the ribbon cable. You can now gently peel back the white plastic keypad backing and clean the connectors. 8. To put it all back together again, reverse the procedure. I’ll try to add some pics to this when I get a chance. Hope it's of use...and again many thanks to Richard (Fluffcat1) |
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May 21 2006, 17:28
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#2
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Diehard  Group: Posters Posts: 372 Joined: 12th November 2005 Member No.: 158,124 Device(s): SP5 |
Nice guide!
Isn't £370 more than buying a brand new phone? |
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May 21 2006, 17:35
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#3
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Regular Group: Posters Posts: 64 Joined: 21st October 2004 From: Brighton Member No.: 61,414 Device(s): I-Mate SP5/XDA Mini S |
QUOTE(kam_ @ May 21 2006, 18:28)  Nice guide! Isn't £370 more than buying a brand new phone? Thanks. And yes it is. Don't ask me the logic! |
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May 21 2006, 18:05
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#4
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 Hardcore  Group: MoDaCo Plus Posts: 1,521 Joined: 22nd August 2005 Member No.: 145,647 Device(s): 8500 amongst others... |
QUOTE(iainmann @ May 21 2006, 18:21) I’ll try to add some pics to this when I get a chance. Hope it's of use...and again many thanks to Richard (Fluffcat1) Make sure your pics are clear and crisp otherwise people will only moan they're not good enough   Good guide. Maybe a mod can pin this so it doesn't fall down the list. Knowledge is power, I wonder how many of this type of scam SBE get away with? With a quote like that will people pay to have the 'faulty' phone returned? They must get a lot of abandoned phones there with not an awful lot wrong with them  I'm thinking of creating an anti-sbe-ltd website as there is NO WAY you needed a new screen and mainboard.. Richard -------------------- '....It's been out in Japan nearly 3 weeks - where's yours?'
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May 21 2006, 18:21
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#5
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Regular Group: Posters Posts: 64 Joined: 21st October 2004 From: Brighton Member No.: 61,414 Device(s): I-Mate SP5/XDA Mini S |
QUOTE I wonder how many of this type of scam SBE get away with? With a quote like that will people pay to have the 'faulty' phone returned? They must get a lot of abandoned phones there with not an awful lot wrong with them Hadn't thought of that! They send the repair quote on a form and you have to choose three options 1 I'll pay..repair it. 2 Don't repair but send it back to me for £7 ( I think it was 7). 3 Don't repair and dispose of the phone. Lots of people will be tempted by option 3 |
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May 21 2006, 18:31
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#6
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Hardcore Group: MoDaCo Plus Posts: 1,521 Joined: 22nd August 2005 Member No.: 145,647 Device(s): 8500 amongst others... |
QUOTE(iainmann @ May 21 2006, 19:21) Hadn't thought of that! They send the repair quote on a form and you have to choose three options 1 I'll pay..repair it. 2 Don't repair but send it back to me for £7 ( I think it was 7). 3 Don't repair and dispose of the phone. Lots of people will be tempted by option 3 Yeah, esp. as SBE are billed as THE repairer for i-mate units. Most people will assume it can't be done elsewhere and so the cost is accurate. I def. think people will *not* pay the £7 to get a non-working, allegedly non economically repairable phone back.... Trading standards / watchdog / i-mate need to send some 'test' phones in for repair and see what SBE say needs doing methinks. Richard -------------------- '....It's been out in Japan nearly 3 weeks - where's yours?'
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Jun 18 2006, 18:48
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#7
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 Newbie  Group: Posters Posts: 29 Joined: 30th November 2004 Member No.: 67,214 Device(s): i-mate SP5 |
QUOTE(fluffcat1 @ May 21 2006, 19:31) Trading standards / watchdog / i-mate need to send some 'test' phones in for repair and see what SBE say needs doing methinks. Richard I second that - they had my SP5 for about a month and all it needed doing was replacing the keyboard, had to chase them a lot - that was warranty work, but as an experience it certainly didn't fill me with confidence: they struck me as cowboys |
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Jun 18 2006, 19:30
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#8
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 The artist formerly known as Peekie Group: Posters Posts: 1,858 Joined: 26th October 2003 Member No.: 19,316 Device(s): HTC Diamond / Iphone 3g |
Good guide
be interesting to see the pictures as well , topic pinned 
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Jun 19 2006, 10:36
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#9
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Regular Group: Posters Posts: 84 Joined: 30th January 2006 Member No.: 170,014 Device(s): qtek 8310 |
nice guide, i was planning to open it in order to clean it (joystick not responding as it should).. i wish it was easier
some pictures would be great, btw! thanks |
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Jun 25 2006, 13:42
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#10
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Regular Group: Posters Posts: 88 Joined: 30th December 2004 Member No.: 104,061 |
My SP5m had a joystick that didn't respon very well.. so I followed your guide and was planning to unscrew the joystick but I couldn't find any philips screwdriver small enough. Then I assembled it again. And to my surprise the joystick worked flawlessly. So it seems that the problem was that the ribbon cable from the keys wasn't properly attatched to the mainboard.
 So if anyone else has trouble with the joystick, especially the downward motion, maybe that cable is your problem to.
-------------------- ---
killerost aka martin |
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Jun 28 2006, 17:43
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#11
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Newbie Group: Members Posts: 1 Joined: 28th June 2006 Member No.: 196,519 Device(s): imata sp3i |
Hello,
I followed your wonderful instructions upto this point, when i discovered something new with this imate sp3i, to open which i had to recruit the services of my very technologically challenged sister, who insisted that i contribute this piece of information about imate's own technological ineptness. 7. To remove the keypad for cleaning etc, put the front facia face down. You’ll see four screws at the back of the keypad near the edges. Remove these with your Phillips screwdriver. There are four more screws on the plate at the back of the joystick. Remove these with the Phillips screwdriver. You’ll now be able to prise the keypad from the front of the chassis, but be careful not to tear the ribbon cable. You can now gently peel back the white plastic keypad backing and clean the connectors. in the imate that i opened, instead of four screws at the back of the keypad near the edges, there were only two screws, and these were on either side of the joystick, which anyway, i was completely unable to remove, despite my having removed these screws. instead, there were a set metallic locks (of the press and eject variety), two at the bottom, and two at the top. the ones at the bottom are placed on either side of underside of the middle key in the bottom-most row. the top key locks were surprisingly hard to discover, because they were hidden behind these two felt bushes, which are on either side of the joystick (on the underside again), just behind the function keys that indicate "answer call" and "reject call" (ie, the red and green call answer functions). these two locks did not appear till much grappling and prising of the keypad from the top after we'd managed to undo the bottom set of locks. i'm still surprised by imates felt need to keep locks hidden this way. that done, we cleaned the connectors as best as we could, and I'm now going to put it back. will let you know soon enough whether the phone still works. hope this helps any others confused by this phone's insides. |
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Jun 29 2006, 12:17
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#12
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Hardcore Group: MoDaCo Plus Posts: 1,521 Joined: 22nd August 2005 Member No.: 145,647 Device(s): 8500 amongst others... |
QUOTE(rarvin2 @ Jun 28 2006, 18:43) Hello, I followed your wonderful instructions upto this point, when i discovered something new with this imate sp3i, to open which i had to recruit the services of my very technologically challenged sister, who insisted that i contribute this piece of information about imate's own technological ineptness. The reason for your finding differences is your model is the older typhoon based feeler, a completley different specimen to the subject of this guide! What you've discovered is well known and very fiddly  The feeler keypad can be removed if you remoe the frame from the *outside* of the fascia first. Can you please edit your post for clarity and the benefit of other *sp5* owners who may come accross it? Richard -------------------- '....It's been out in Japan nearly 3 weeks - where's yours?'
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Jul 17 2006, 19:21
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#13
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Newbie Group: Members Posts: 1 Joined: 17th July 2006 Member No.: 198,423 Device(s): QTEK 8310 |
I cracked my LCD screen today. When you took your phone apart was the LCD a plug in or does it need to be soldered?
Thanks! Anyone know where you can get LCD screens from? |
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Jul 19 2006, 14:13
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#14
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 Moderately moderating in moderation... Group: Moderator Team Posts: 1,336 Joined: 9th May 2005 From: Oadby, Leicester, UK Member No.: 128,356 Device(s): Vario II, 8310, C600, C550 |
quote]I cracked my LCD screen today. When you took your phone apart was the LCD a plug in or does it need to be soldered?
Thanks! Anyone know where you can get LCD screens from?[/quote] PM fluffcat1, he has some i think.... as for fitting it its just a ribbon cable that slides out and slots back into a flat socket on the motherboard, nothing complicated about fitting it. Like i said though, PM fluffcat1 and see if he has any, should be £25-£40 if i remember rightly. Phil -------------------- |
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Aug 1 2006, 17:44
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#15
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Regular Group: Posters Posts: 63 Joined: 23rd February 2006 Member No.: 174,344 Device(s): i-mate SP5 |
QUOTE(fluffcat1 @ Jun 29 2006, 13:17) Can you please edit your post for clarity and the benefit of other *sp5* owners who may come accross it? Richard fluffcat1/Richard, Off-topic (a bit), but W4lly suggested I PM you about some SP5 parts (see post here: http://www.modaco.com/Where-oh-where-can-I...5-t243521.html). Unfortunately your inbox is full! However, I have taken my SP5 apart a few times- and next time can take some hi-res pictures to post. Can you help with the fascia? Thanks! |
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Aug 12 2006, 11:29
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#16
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Newbie Group: Members Posts: 4 Joined: 21st May 2006 Member No.: 190,947 Device(s): QTEK 8310 |
Thank you very much for the description.
I followed it completely and everything worked out fine until 7). I am not able to remove the white foil attached to the key pad or the one for the 4 top buttons. As I am having problems with the top left button I would appreciate any help. Thanks Moscho999 |
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Aug 29 2006, 16:06
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#17
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Newbie Group: Posters Posts: 5 Joined: 31st January 2006 Member No.: 170,242 Device(s): i-mate sp5, asus a620bt |
Could anyone post a photo step-by-step guide, please? That would be splendid!
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Oct 1 2006, 11:29
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#18
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Newbie Group: Posters Posts: 2 Joined: 5th September 2005 Member No.: 147,763 Device(s): MPX220 |
Superb instructions, many thanks. One small point - you need a Torx 4 screwdriver, not a Torx 5. Perfect apart from that though.
Chris |
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Oct 1 2006, 12:05
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#19
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 iSpork  Group: MoDaCo Plus Posts: 537 Joined: 15th February 2005 From: Staffs Member No.: 110,894 Device(s): SE K800, MDA Pro |
QUOTE(pugwonk @ Oct 1 2006, 12:29) Superb instructions, many thanks. One small point - you need a Torx 4 screwdriver, not a Torx 5. Perfect apart from that though. Chris What I tend to use is a very small (like the kind found in medium-priced xmas crackers!) flathead screwdriver, works a treat and saves on buying Torx screwdrivers
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Oct 6 2006, 23:44
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#20
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Moderately moderating in moderation... Group: Moderator Team Posts: 1,336 Joined: 9th May 2005 From: Oadby, Leicester, UK Member No.: 128,356 Device(s): Vario II, 8310, C600, C550 |
QUOTE(sporkguy @ Oct 1 2006, 13:05) What I tend to use is a very small (like the kind found in medium-priced xmas crackers!) flathead screwdriver, works a treat and saves on buying Torx screwdrivers  i do that as well!i actually sanded down a flat head screwdriver so it'd fit perfectly using a belt sander trouble is with using a flatblade is you can strip the screwheads  Phil -------------------- |
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