Disassembling the 920

[Witness]

I'm going to do some surgery on my L920 in the next few weeks to try and fix the SIM card holder. If you need to do the same, I came across this video which should be very helpful. https://www.youtube.com/watch?t=1573&v=cKd8tCAH-eY

I only bought the SIM card holder, but u/GordonFink posted a link to eBay where I could have just bought the whole assembly which would have made easier work of it. Check it out here: eBay Link

If this works, I'll be ecstatic. I won't have to buy the L640, but then again I might anyways. :evil:

Wish me luck and if you've ever had to go poking around the 920 guts, please share your experience.

 

[Harrie-S]

In the video at 4min 40 sec the lifting of this metal clip was for me the most "difficult" also take care when you place it back. I did not place it back good (it was not "low/down" enough) and the result was that the QI did not work because the clip "prevented" that the QI pins (on the back cover) touched the pads on the PCB.

 

[gordonfink]

It's pretty easy to break the little black tabs near the bottom that hold the motherboard assembly to the LCD assembly.

What I've learned is this (hopefully this will make sense - shown at around 17:20 in the video): as opposed to trying to slightly moving the metal clips in the battery compartment, then trying to pry the plastic prongs apart, I bend the metal ones all the way down. That way, you can slide the two pieces apart, without having to do much with the plastic tabs. If you forget to bend them back up, you'll remember when you try to put the battery in. If you break the plastic tabs, it's really not a big deal - there's plenty of stuff holding it all together anyways.

I agree with Harry too - be careful when putting that little charging connector protector doodad back in - the prongs can bend, or you not seat it all the way down.

The only other thing, and you may laugh at this one, I have forgotten those T2 screws, and sat there yanking at the MB assembly for 10 minutes, trying to figure out what the heck is holding it. Not drinking bourbon while working on it might alleviate that problem though.

This goes for any phone, which you may already know, but don't force the snap and coax connectors. If you have them lined up, they'll go together. If they are misaligned, and you force them, you can damage them.

All in all, this a pretty easy one to work one.

If you have any specific questions, feel free to ask.

 

[PepperdotNet]

There's a 920 L1L2 service manual floating around out there somewhere, I found it very helpful.

 

[mase123987]

Do you guys have a good tool set to work on the phone? I broke the SIM slot on my 920 and would love to fix it and give it to my mom.

 

[Witness]

The only other thing, and you may laugh at this one, I have forgotten those T2 screws, and sat there yanking at the MB assembly for 10 minutes, trying to figure out what the heck is holding it. Not drinking bourbon while working on it might alleviate that problem though.

Got it. Don't drink and repair my phone at the same time. I'll try to remember that. :evil:

 

[Witness]

There's a 920 L1L2 service manual floating around out there somewhere, I found it very helpful.

Found it. Here's the link if anyone else is interested: Nokia Lumia 920 L1 and L2 Service Manual ? Nokia ? Owner's and Service Manual

 

[Witness]

Do you guys have a good tool set to work on the phone? I broke the SIM slot on my 920 and would love to fix it and give it to my mom.

Was looking for one myself. Here's a decent looking kit for cheap from Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/16-piece-Prec...ag=hawk-future-20&ascsubtag=UUwpUvbUpU3133494

 

[gordonfink]

I bought one from ebay. That Amazon kit won't help you, because it does not have a T2.

I actually bought a kit like that at first, got halfway through, then had to buy another one with a T2. So, the phone had to sit for a week waiting for the new tools.

You need a T5, T4, and T2. You don't need a flat head or a Phillips for this job. You do need a plastic spudger or two.

edit: tweezers come in handy

 

[Witness]

Wish I read this, but I don't get notifications to new posts. Just quoted ones. I guess I'll have to process a return now, sigh...

 

[gordonfink]

How is this repair going? I am not very good at solder, and that's a skill I need to develop. Was curious if you were able to get it done.

 

[Witness]

How is this repair going? I am not very good at solder, and that's a skill I need to develop. Was curious if you were able to get it done.

Haven't started yet. I bought the kit from Amazon, but it didn't have the T2 screwdriver I needed to get to the SIM tray. I already received the SIM tray from eBay and I'll need to procure a soldering iron. Just last week I was contemplating buy the entire main flex assembly: eBay Link
The thought is that I won't have to deal with screwing things up as much by replacing instead of soldering. So, no real news right now. Some folks talked about the SIM pins breaking, but I don't think mine are broken - just bent. When I get a T2, I'll first try bending the pins. If that doesn't work, I'll try replacing the SIM tray since I already have it. If not, then last resort is the whole flex assembly.

Meanwhile, I have the 620 to tie me over which created this procrastination. However good the 620 is, I dislike the camera. I want my 920 camera back.

 

[gordonfink]

If you do the whole flex, you need the electrically conductive tape. That is used to connect the two halves. I bought it in 2" x 2" squares, though only a fraction of that is needed to do one assembly.