Phone will not turn on (but sometimes will)
#1
First, let me explain what has happened. I have had my pinephone (not pro, this one https://pine64.com/product/pinephone-bet...e-package/) for almost a year. Most of that time I haven't used it. About 3 weeks ago, I brought it back out of storage because I wanted to play around with it again. It still had the manjaro kde-plasma default install on it. Took an upgrade to get it actually functional, but no big deal (although it was rather clunky and laggy, but its a pinephone).

About a week ago, it crashed, and I tried to reboot it (I think it was the same screen that I'll mention below, but I can't remember for sure). However, the phone would not reboot. The led would come on (i.e. a mixture of green/yellow/red, and depending on the angle you're can isolate each color of the led), the screen never turned on, and I never got the vibrate that has accompanied the phone when it turns on. I messed with it for a couple hours, decided I needed to get off of the garbage factory install, and planned to install a new os.

Two days ago, I tried it again, just to see what would happen. . . and it turned on. So I'm thinking, oh, it was never a problem to begin with. However, yesterday morning I try to turn it on and . . . it doesn't turn on. I fought with it most of the day yesterday and couldn't turn it on. Spend several hours on the irc chat with no results (trying to install manjaro phosh, but the phone wouldn't boot at all). So I gave up and went to work out.

When I came back last night I COULD TURN ON MY PHONE AGAIN. In fact, I was actually able to install manjaro phosh. I couldn't make calls or send texts like I could with the factory install, but I had to mess with the settings on the factory install to get calls, texts, and data working too. However, after about a half hour or so the phone crashed (i.e. the screen mentioned earlier). The screen turned mostly white but had these very thin, fine black vertical lines. I tried to turn the phone off and back on again, but it won't turn on. I haven't been able to get the phone turned on since, but I'm sure it'll work here shortly. . .

Here is what I've tried, both through my efforts and the irc:

1) I have a pinephone (not pro) https://pine64.com/product/pinephone-bet...e-package/
2) I've tried charging it through my computer and a 5v/2.4 amp charger (this charger has been working in the past, but maybe something happened?)
3) I've installed a new distribution (manjaro phosh https://github.com/manjaro-pinephone/pho...a24.img.xz is the image I installed)
4) I've begun to take the phone apart to look for loose connections. I did think to use a multimeter on the battery. The battery is outputing 3.63 volts (says its rated for 3.8) so maybe the battery is dead? But if that were the case, then why won't the phone boot up when connected to the wall without the battery?
5) when I plug the battery in and check the contacts opposing the battery on the phone, I'm still getting 3.63 volts on the battery. It does indeed appear to me that when plugged in the phone does not charge at all, but I have absolutely no clue why.
6) I have created an SSD with pine64-pinephone-charging.img.xz. Apparnetly, this image isn't for booting, but only for allowing your phone to charge. The led is supposed to turn red when the battery is under 5%, yellow when its >5% but <%50, and green when >%50. However, when I put the charging image sd card in and then plug the phone to a charger (I have used several different chargers and my computer, none of them works) in the led does not come on. I cannot get the led to come on by pushing the power button (when the charging sd card is inserted). The led will come on (as described above) when I take out the charging image sd card and either try to power on or plug into a charger.

What am I missing? The fact that the phone will work after sitting idle for an unspecified time (but not all the time, because I let it sit overnight) tells me that there's some issue with it, but it potentially remains functional. I have not seen any loose connections from taking it apart, but I could be missing something (if someone would have a better idea of where to check). I'm going to do another visual inspection tonight when I get home from work.

Anyway, thank you for any help that anyone has to give. I'm at a loss at the moment. Sorry if I'm too detailed here, but since the problem seems nebulous I figure no fact can be determined to be irrelevant at this point.
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#2
Seems to be a battery issue. Find a way to charge it over 4V... I bet it'll work  Smile
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#3
(08-16-2022, 08:48 AM)albafrati Wrote: Seems to be a battery issue. Find a way to charge it over 4V... I bet it'll work  Smile

Is there a reason why my phone isn't charging it? Also, if its a battery issue, why can the phone not boot while plugged into the charger? I thought the pinephone could boot up without the battery but plugged into the charger?
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#4
[quote pid="112141" dateline="1660687415"]
[quote pid="112132" dateline="1660661323"]
Is there a reason why my phone isn't charging it? Also, if its a battery issue, why can the phone not boot while plugged into the charger? I thought the pinephone could boot up without the battery but plugged into the charger?
[/quote]

[/quote]

It colud be a battery problem or a charger problem. Phone needs battery inserted to boot. What happens if it is in charge with battery in its slot?

Take a look at this thread:
https://forum.pine64.org/showthread.php?tid=16880
  Reply
#5
(08-17-2022, 05:09 AM)albafrati Wrote: [quote pid="112141" dateline="1660687415"]
[quote pid="112132" dateline="1660661323"]
Is there a reason why my phone isn't charging it? Also, if its a battery issue, why can the phone not boot while plugged into the charger? I thought the pinephone could boot up without the battery but plugged into the charger?

[/quote]

It colud be a battery problem or a charger problem. Phone needs battery inserted to boot. What happens if it is in charge with battery in its slot?

Take a look at this thread:
https://forum.pine64.org/showthread.php?tid=16880
[/quote]

I'm not entirely sure what you mean, but before I tested the battery and it was sitting at 3.63 volts, let it sit for 2-3 hours and it went up to 3.65 volts. It sat for another 2-3 hours and it was still at 3.65 volts. I let it sit over night and now its at 3.62 volts.

I don't understand what exists in the thread that you posted that I haven't done. In fact, my battery voltage is 0.3 volts higher than the battery in that thread, I'm using higher voltage chargers, and I've already tried jumpdrive.
I don't know what else to do.
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#6
I took the phone to a batteries and bulbs plus, and the woman there checked the amperage going into the phone. When she plugged it into the charger it was drawing only 0.05 amps, so the phone is definitely not charging. Additionally she tried a brand new battery and same thing; phone would not boot and it only drew 0.05 amps.

Since she tried a brand new battery, I think we can rule out a battery issue? but maybe not, I'm not an expert here. However, it does seem clear to me that this is a power issue in somehow, I just don't think its the battery that is the culprit.
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#7
Hi there! First of all, try to remember what PinePhone hardware revision you have - this might help, since there's a list of known issues per each revision. Secondly, does your PP auto-starts when it's already shutdown and you connect it to a charger? This is the only way I'm able to charge my phone - see this thread for more info! If it doesn't work this way, you'll have to find an external battery charger - either from Pine64, or some universal Chinese generic one which has a movable contacts and supports many smartphone batteries

> she tried a brand new battery and same thing; phone would not boot and it only drew 0.05 amps

I don't know if this was a good test, considering that a new battery could be also discharged from a long storage.

> I tested the battery and it was sitting at 3.63 volts, let it sit for 2-3 hours and it went up to 3.65 volts. It sat for another 2-3 hours and it was still at 3.65 volts. I let it sit over night and now its at 3.62 volts.

Ideally you need to go at least above 3.7V, based on my experience with the other devices. Also, in some cases a bad battery could be showing a good voltage while standalone, but will crumble under load. If it is possible, try to get a CameronSino CS-SMJ700SL as the replacement battery, perhaps it's the best alternative one for a PinePhone
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#8
I got Pinephone v1.2b (At least I think, I have no way to verify other than the fact that I bought it late 2021).

The phone does not auto start when connected to a charger. If I do not have a microsd with jumpdrive or jumpdrive-charging the led will come on (the led is a combination of red, yellow, and green) if you plug it into a charger or if you push the power button; however, with a microsd with either of those images on the card then the phone literally does nothing--no leds or anything.

I would agree with you on the test with the new battery if we were only trying to turn the phone on. However, we were trying to charge either battery. The phone needs to be able to charge a depleted battery and the new battery just (very likely) proves that its not a battery problem. We tried to charge with and without the jumpdrive images. It seems to me that the phone needs to be able to charge a depleted battery otherwise no one would be able to start their phones when they first arrive from shipping.

I have bought an external battery charger from pine64, but I'm not holding my breath here. https://pine64.com/product/pinephone-battery-charger/

I also want to reiterate in your link you mention that your PP is charging at 0.3 amps when you have your phone turned on before you plug it into the charger--but my phone is charing 0.05 amps--one sixth the amount. This is not the same situation.

I'm more than willing to try any suggestions you have with the battery and or charging, but I've tried every suggestion I can find related to that topic. At this point I'm almost certain that its a board issue. I've been looking through the board schematics, but I have no expertise in troubleshooting boards, so its a very slow process (and I don't see anything visually wrong with my board).
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#9
A couple of days ago I ordered a new battery off of amazon (https://www.amazon.com/Cleantt-Replaceme...fixitam-20)

When the battery arrived I tested it with a multimeter and its dc voltage reads 3.89 volts. However, The phone will not boot, so there is clearly an issue with something other than the battery because the phone should boot if the battery reads over 3.7 volts.
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#10
I got the serial console and I'm getting this message with the jump drive image:

U-Boot SPL 2020.07 (Sep 03 2020 - 08:54:11 +0000)
DRAM: 0 MiB
### ERROR ### Please RESET the board ###


If I use a different image all that changes is the date of the U-Boot (which I assume is its compile time?).
I've posted this on the irc, and the guys I spoke with there think that ram is bad. They suggested trying to flash a different U-boot, but that didn't work (since the jumpdrive u-boot doesn't work that doesn't surprise me).

I don't have much hope in anyone being able to help. I just want to cover all my bases before I buy a new board. I just want to make sure that this is definitely not fixable.
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