Root [CDMA] Bricked? Dead battery?

[XviG]

Hey folks,

I've got a 3vo that has been pretty finicky from day one about what it will and wont do. Its had issues of rebooting and poorly interacting with various elements of different ROMs and been an all-around headache that was unfortunately past its 30-day grace period before it exposed itself for what it was.

I thought that I had found something stable in InfectedROM and it really did hold up for a while, until the other night. I hadnt upgraded any of the apps in a while and last night I let it upgrade something about 30 apps as I slept.

First suspicious thing was that after a full nigth's charging, the battery was only at 90%. I put the phone in my bag and went to work. When i got to the office about an hour later though, I saw that the phone was already at 50% and was running very hot. I shut down and pulled the battery, let it cool for a few and tried again. Now battery read 17% and was heating up again, and quickly. I pulled it again and let it cool for an hour. It hasnt booted up again since.

The phone has been charging for over 12 hours but I still cant get it to boot up. It does, however, have SOME life in it. every thirty seconds or so, while charging, the red light goes on for about 3-4 seconds... but thats it.

First question is, is it probably the battery? Is there a way to test it before buying a new one? I'm reluctant to go into a sprint store and ask them as I am rooted and am not looking to void my warranty just yet. Or is it something more sinister?

Next, if it IS just the battery and I get a new one and get the phone to startup again, is there some way of figuring out which app it was that was being so malignant?

I need this phone ASAP for work, so any help is greatly appreciated.

Thanks!

 

[jerofld]

The phone has been charging for over 12 hours but I still cant get it to boot up. It does, however, have SOME life in it. every thirty seconds or so, while charging, the red light goes on for about 3-4 seconds... but thats it.

Based on this alone, I'd say you have some major hardware problems. Either that battery is defective or your unit has an internal short. The only way a ROM or an app would cause this is if you had a ROM that was stock overclocked too high and it burned out your CPU, or you had an app that does this. (this is why I dislike stock overclocked ROMs...let me OC it, dammit)

Take the battery out and feel it. Does it feel soft? Is it puffy? If either are the case, never ever put that battery back into your phone. Find a site that is near you that handles battery disposal and give it to them. It could become... volatile. Translation: It could catch fire, explode, leak acid, or all of the above.

If the battery feels fine, it may still be the problem. Only way you'll know for sure is trying another battery. Sprint Repair centers would have a battery they can slap into it. They are also rumored to work on rooted devices. They may not replace it, but your phone is dead anyways, might as well know now. If it doesn't even boot, they can't tell if it's rooted, now can they?

I suggest you let the repair center look at it. If it's totally bricked, the phone does have a 1 year warranty (the 30 day thing is to get out of your contract scott free, not the warranty on the phone). Worst case scenario is that, if you have insurance, insurance can replace it.

 

[axisofoil]

Take the battery out and feel it. Does it feel soft? Is it puffy? If either are the case, never ever put that battery back into your phone. Find a site that is near you that handles battery disposal and give it to them. It could become... volatile. Translation: It could catch fire, explode, leak acid, or all of the above.

Soft/puffy, but don't want to risk an explosion.

Take a GLASS bowl/cup/whatever big enough to more than engulf the battery... put some water in it, then put absolutely as much salt into the water as it will hold... then some more salt, then stir, and a little more salt just in case... drop the battery in for at least 24 hours. It will deactivate the lithium in the battery and make it much, much, much more stable.

I believe the batteries, once deactivated, are not considered "hazardous" waste and are safe to dispose of in the normal trash. I could be mistaken on this last part... but that's what I've been told by several battery manufacturers for both cell-phone and RC lithium battery packs.

 

[jerofld]

I've never heard of disposing of a lithium battery in that way. I used to build Li-ion batteries for commercial and government use. We had to dispose of them through special facilities because the heavy metals contained inside are toxic and can make people sick if enough of it get into the water table.

Plus, I'd much rather off load a battery now than wait for it to neutralize in a salt water bath. Plus, I would be rather hesitant to put a battery cell in an electrolyte rich water solution. The first few seconds that the water would be electrified with the remaining voltage on the battery would probably more dangerous than just putting the battery into a box and handing it to a battery disposal site.

I mean, I've seen guys put out cigarettes in a drum of gasoline. Sure, as long as you let the vapors dissipate, it works. But do you really want to test it?