• After 15+ years, we've made a big change: Android Forums is now Early Bird Club. Learn more here.

Root Broken Volume Down Button, How I Flashed & Rooted

S

StevetotheH

Lurker
As we all know the volume down button is pivotal in the modding world. Mine didn't function properly. A little story first of what I tried, what worked and what did not.

I'm sure not to many of you will ever come across this problem but I did so here's how I got it to work.

First off I tried to re-solder the volume button back to the board. This was no easy task as the area you have to work with is very (spelled VERY) small. I got it back on the board and it worked just long enough to fool me into thinking it was good.

Without superuser no adb command works except the reboot command. So adb reboot recovery, adb reboot download etc.. all a no go.
The only solution for getting into download mode was to make a jig. So 4 resistors and a butchered cable later I had one..

I had already taken the 2.3.6 update so I tried to flash bads3ctor's return to stock files to get back to where I could root. I tried interdpth's files but still nothing changed. Sadly the only thing I could get to stick was the CWM recovery provided on bads3ctors {return to Stock} post.

So now here I am with a custom recovery and no root i.e. no superuser permissions so how to get into it with a bad volume button?


  1. Pull the six to eight screw out of the back of the phone.
  2. Use a pry tool and remove the back cover by going around the edge
  3. Place the battery on the phone and tape it down with some painters tape. It will leave just enough room for access to the volume down button
  4. Grab a resistor and bend it around so the two ends are about 1/16" away from each other.
  5. Jump the two sides of the volume switch to each other and push the power button and cross your fingers (hard to do all at once but..). The two soldered leads that are closest to the battery on either side of the switch are the ones you want to shoot for.
  6. Grabbed katracho's CWM backup and everything from there was butter.

Now this is not something that I would recommend unless you really hate your phone or you love your superuser to the point that you would have kids with it! I will post pictures of what a bad volume switch looks like and give you a word of warning, BE GENTLE WITH YOU BUTTONS.
 
Once you managed to install CWM, you could have just gone to settings>privacy>factory data reset. If you are running CWM and try to factory reset your phone it will just reboot you into CWM.

Your way was much cooler though!

StevetotheH said:
The only solution for getting into download mode was to make a jig. So 4 resistors and a butchered cable later I had one..
Click to expand...

How did this work?
 
BLuFeNiX said:
...... try to factory reset your phone it will just reboot you into CWM.

Your way was much cooler though!



How did this work?
Click to expand...


That little piece of info would have been useful if in fact it does boot you into your custom recovery. I have no way of testing now as the phone is back with it's owner. My Evo's just normal reboot after a factory reset. Thanks anyway!
I was up for way too long messing with this phone and all good sense had long gone. After 4 hours of soldering that little bastard volume switch back in nothing seemed normal anymore! I think I have P.T.S.D..

And if you where asking about the Jig working, it works great.! I would say it is easier getting into download mode with one than the 3-button combo.
 
StevetotheH said:
That little piece of info would have been useful if in fact it does boot you into your custom recovery. I have no way of testing now as the phone is back with it's owner. My Evo's just normal reboot after a factory reset. Thanks anyway!
Click to expand...

Hmm. Maybe it's specific to the TU. It happened to me when I tried to factory reset after installing one of the 2.3.6 CWM backups provided on this forum.
 
I dunno if this would have helped you but I use widgetzoid and there is a power menu that allows you to power off, normal reboot, hot reboot, boot into recovery, and boot into the bootloader without having to push any buttons :D, its what I do so that I don't have to hold buttons lol.
 
androidkrazy said:
I dunno if this would have helped you but I use widgetzoid and there is a power menu that allows you to power off, normal reboot, hot reboot, boot into recovery, and boot into the bootloader without having to push any buttons :D, its what I do so that I don't have to hold buttons lol.
Click to expand...

Anything that can reboot into recovery on these phones requires superuser permissions first if I'm not mistaken. I use Quick Boot for that stuff as that is what it was made for.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom