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Recovery Mode - HEAT will force access!

Hey Melll,

By heating your phone up in the oven, not to mention as hot as you got it afterward to where it was hot to the touch, you probably did internal damage. There's a reason electronics have a warning to not exceed usually 110 degrees F, as it will damage the TEMPERATURE SENSITIVE components inside such as resistors, thermistors, solder tabs, etc.

You may have gotten your phone to work for a while, but you've done irreparable damage to the internal components.

Source: I used to be a battery pack designer for Sanyo, MicroPower, etc. Currently I'm an I.T. / Server administrator and software engineer. I know electronics.
 
howetechnical said:
Hey Melll,

By heating your phone up in the oven, not to mention as hot as you got it afterward to where it was hot to the touch, you probably did internal damage. There's a reason electronics have a warning to not exceed usually 110 degrees F, as it will damage the TEMPERATURE SENSITIVE components inside such as resistors, thermistors, solder tabs, etc.

You may have gotten your phone to work for a while, but you've done irreparable damage to the internal components.

Source: I used to be a battery pack designer for Sanyo, MicroPower, etc. Currently I'm an I.T. / Server administrator and software engineer. I know electronics.
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Phone works perfect, and it so hot that I couldnt pick it up, just hot enough that you can feel it hot.

Phone hasnt crashed, rebooted, or crash on me ever since I got it working.

It used to crash lots before, and now I got latest firmware updates and its all nice and good.

If this phone does die on me, I have warranty for 1 year, so I'm still not going to lose anything.

Im not worried at all :)
 
melll said:
Phone works perfect, and it so hot that I couldnt pick it up, just hot enough that you can feel it hot.

Phone hasnt crashed, rebooted, or crash on me ever since I got it working.

It used to crash lots before, and now I got latest firmware updates and its all nice and good.

If this phone does die on me, I have warranty for 1 year, so I'm still not going to lose anything.

Im not worried at all :)
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No point in worrying anyway, what's done is done. I was only posting what I did so that nobody else does the same thing. "Hot to the touch" means it was still probably hotter than 110^F, which is bad news for electronics. I'm glad it worked out for you since this is a fantastic phone, but it's something that should cary a, "Do not try this at home" label.
 
howetechnical said:
No point in worrying anyway, what's done is done. I was only posting what I did so that nobody else does the same thing. "Hot to the touch" means it was still probably hotter than 110^F, which is bad news for electronics. I'm glad it worked out for you since this is a fantastic phone, but it's something that should cary a, "Do not try this at home" label.
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I understand what you're saying.

Same thing could be said about overclocking computers and phones.

Which I think is worse because its for long term, which will heat up and damage the cpu/circuitry a lot more than a 5 minute warm up while the phone/computer is off.
 
melll said:
I understand what you're saying.

Same thing could be said about overclocking computers and phones.

Which I think is worse because its for long term, which will heat up and damage the cpu/circuitry a lot more than a 5 minute warm up while the phone/computer is off.
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Not true. When you overclock a computer, you are typically somebody who knows what you're doing. When you know what you're doing, you buy a good aftermarket CPU cooler that will perform better than what is needed. You also ensure adequate cooling for the chasis, and a nice airflow across the RAM modules. Computers and electronics such as smartphones by nature heat up to hotter than we think, but there are safeguards put into place that regulate those temperatures and modify how the device/computer operates during high temp times. If you increase the temperature on the components without these safeguards in place (such as, baking the phone in the oven when it is turned off), you are risking damage.

Let's not argue about the technical details here. I don't know what your knowledge on the matter is, but I do know what mine is. And the fact that you put your phone in the oven for 5 minutes twice leads me to have an assumption of yours. Let's just agree that this practice is not advised for most people, as it could damage the device in question. Sound good?

Again, I'm glad it worked for you, as I would hate to be without my Vibrant. It's just a very risky thing to do, especially when it's a $600 device that most people probably can't afford to replace right away.
 
howetechnical said:
Not true. When you overclock a computer, you are typically somebody who knows what you're doing. When you know what you're doing, you buy a good aftermarket CPU cooler that will perform better than what is needed. You also ensure adequate cooling for the chasis, and a nice airflow across the RAM modules. Computers and electronics such as smartphones by nature heat up to hotter than we think, but there are safeguards put into place that regulate those temperatures and modify how the device/computer operates during high temp times. If you increase the temperature on the components without these safeguards in place (such as, baking the phone in the oven when it is turned off), you are risking damage.

Let's not argue about the technical details here. I don't know what your knowledge on the matter is, but I do know what mine is. And the fact that you put your phone in the oven for 5 minutes twice leads me to have an assumption of yours. Let's just agree that this practice is not advised for most people, as it could damage the device in question. Sound good?

Again, I'm glad it worked for you, as I would hate to be without my Vibrant. It's just a very risky thing to do, especially when it's a $600 device that most people probably can't afford to replace right away.
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I ageee that it is risky and dangerous.

People who want to attempt this probably shouldnt, and should try heating it up with a hair blow dryer for a few seconds at most, is what I would recommend.

But yeah, people are crazy and make tons of mistakes, but if nothing else works and you're desperate with no other options, I would definitely say, try heating it up with a hair blow dryer as its a lot safer and more controllable.
 
melll said:
I ageee that it is risky and dangerous.

People who want to attempt this probably shouldnt, and should try heating it up with a hair blow dryer for a few seconds at most, is what I would recommend.

But yeah, people are crazy and make tons of mistakes, but if nothing else works and you're desperate with no other options, I would definitely say, try heating it up with a hair blow dryer as its a lot safer and more controllable.
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Sorry to say, but again, not sound advice. When you apply a wet-applied screen protector, there are countless threads informing users not to use a blow drier to dry your device quicker, as the same concept is at play here. Blow dryers blow air well over 110^F (so hot that you usually can't aim it at your skin, which is 98.6^F, for more than a few seconds).

The most sound advice is, depending on how you bricked your phone, get an insurance replacement or warranty replacement. Risking long-term damage to the internal components just to get it working temporarily isn't sound thinking.
 
Okay, for those of us who don't want to put our phones in the oven, and you are having trouble getting into recovery or download mode, try the following. These worked for me, they may or may not work for you.
I've posted instructions in the tip and tricks section

Also...make sure you follow steps carefully, most of the time, failure is due to not following instructions.

FOLLOW THESE DIRECTIONS STEP BY STEP. You hopefully should have no problems.

For Recovery Mode:
Link and Instructions below
http://androidforums.com/vibrant-tips-tricks/177458-how-enter-recovery-mode-correct-procedure.html
1) START with your phone off

2) Press volume down AND volume up at same time, keep them pressed in the entire time, do NOT let go. I prefer to hold my phone in landscape, this gives me better control with my fingers.

3) WHILE holding down volume up and volume down, press and hold power button, DO NOT LET GO OF ANYTHING. You should be holding down volume up, volume down, and power, DON'T LET GO! HOLD ON... and proceed to next steps, dont let go!

4) PHONE will start, you will see the white Vibrant logo. STILL DON'T LET GO, volume down, volume up, and power all pressed.

5) White Vibrant logo disappears, still dont let go!

6) White Vibrant logo re-appears again for the second time. When the white vibrant logo appears the second time, let go of the power button, but keep holding down volume down and volume up.

7) Phone begins to enter recovery mode, you can let go finally.




For Download Mode:
http://androidforums.com/vibrant-tips-tricks/177526-how-enter-download-mode-what-worked-me.html
1)start off with phone turned off

2)press down volume up, and volume down at same time, and never let go until you get into download mode. DON'T touch the power button

3) while holding down both volume buttons get your usb cable which is connected to your computer

4)plug in the usb cable into your phone, while you still hold down both up/down volume buttons at same time. Don't touch the power button.

5)As soon as you plug your usb cable into your phone, the phone will instantly go into Download mode.

6)You may now release the volume buttons

7)To exit download mode, I just do a battery pull, but of course you never want to do this if you are actually downloading something, you will brick the phone possibly if you do a battery pull during an actual download.



Please read instructions carefully. I hope this works for you guys, it works on my phone, hopefully you have the same luck. If it doesn't work, search the net, other people may have other suggestions and other methods that also should work.
 
These things aren't made out of tissue paper. Depending on how much heat is used, being in an oven doesn't have to be a whole lot different than being left on a chair or table on a hot summer day.
 
spent an entire night trying to get recovery mode on my bricked Bell SGS Vibrant, gave up, woke up this morning and decided to do one last search before attempting to solder together a jig, see this thread, put my phone face down and put a hair dryer to it for 20 seconds, put the battery in while holding power, vol+, and home, BOOM recovery.

Thanks bro
 
howetechnical said:
Sorry to say, but again, not sound advice. When you apply a wet-applied screen protector, there are countless threads informing users not to use a blow drier to dry your device quicker, as the same concept is at play here. Blow dryers blow air well over 110^F (so hot that you usually can't aim it at your skin, which is 98.6^F, for more than a few seconds).

The most sound advice is, depending on how you bricked your phone, get an insurance replacement or warranty replacement. Risking long-term damage to the internal components just to get it working temporarily isn't sound thinking.
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LOL, honestly its funny that you say all this. There are countless articles on the internet about "baking" various electronics, especially computer parts (i.e. graphics cards) in the oven. Depending on what is wrong with the product, it sometimes works. I know from experience, as I have baked 2 old graphics cards that were suffering from artifacting problems, fixed them both, and one is going on almost 2 years straight, no problems.

Heres one quick threat I turned up. Bake your Graphics Card in the Oven Fix " IT WORKED" - Overclock.net - Overclocking.net

Really, the temps I used, and used here are ALOT hotter than what Melll used, so honestly, I have no idea what your talking about, messing up the resistors and soldering... dude, the board in his phone is just fine, im sure. As for damage to the screen and other non-silicone board components, I dont know... but if you say everything is working fine, then sounds like your in the clear! Dont worry...

P.s. sorry for reviving an old post, but I saw it and had to comment... lol!
 
melll said:
Alright guys, here it is.

I was able to access recovery mode on my bricked phone in a way that all of you may think is stupid.

I have a Bell Canada Samsung Galaxy S Vibrant. My phone somehow bricked it self a few days ago. I wasnt able to get into recovery mode at all, no matter what I tried, how many times, and I tried every single method with no success.

People on XDA Forums were mentioning about heat somehow allowing you to access the recovery mode. Some said putting it facedown in the sun for a few minutes, some said plugging it in for 15-20 min, some said playing games on the phone to heat it will would also allow them to access the un-accessible recovery mode on their phone.

I tried all of them.

I put my phone in the oven for 5 minutes, twice, last night, did not work.

Ok I thoght to myself. Maybe I need more heat. To get it hot to the touch.

So I tried once again today, and what a shock, I was able to get in recovery mode via the 3 button - WITH BATTERY OUT, HOLD VOL UP + HOME BUTTON + POWER BUTTON, then insert battery, and let go of the power button once your phone turns on.

Took 3 seconds to set everything to restore, in the recovery mode.

And done.

It worked for me.

If you are going to try this, maybe try with a hair blow dryer first.
I dont have one of those, so I couldnt, to be safer.

I will not be held accountable for any damage you do if you leave it in too long or damage your phone in any way.

This worked for me. Im happy I got it working.

The only thing which worries me now........

What if heat or cold can cause your phone to brick itself?

My phone bricked itself out of nowhere, no idea how. And what if it happens again.....
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Microwave, conventional or convection? What temp?
 
I'm hoping I will not be "flamed by the heat advocates" in here ;), but I highly discourage anything having to do with an oven, microwave or open flame, etc.

Laying it in the sun? Maybe.. I would find other ways to remedy the issue.
 
Frisco said:
I'm hoping I will not be "flamed by the heat advocates" in here ;), but I highly discourage anything having to do with an oven, microwave or open flame, etc.

Laying it in the sun? Maybe.. I would find other ways to remedy the issue.
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mad5.gif
I couldn't agree more!
mad5.gif

Heat+Electronics=
trainwreck.gif


IF (and this is a huge IF) heat were of ANY benefit (which I find highly doubtful
crazy.gif
) a blow dryer would be plenty (more than likely too much) heat to do the trick. But an oven? Absolutely NO WAY! Electronics technicians (TV repair, computer component, etc) have for decades used a "cold spray" to try to revive dead IC's etc. But heat? Never. Heck, there's even a hard disk drive recovery technique of placing the drive in the freezer and then attempting to recover data.

No way would I put electronics in an oven of any kind.
 
I agree with Robo and Frisco. Just because there are countless articles online of people that have successfully recovered their electronic maladies by using heat doesn't make it adviseable. As somebody who is a current I.T. and server enginner, and has held positions in the past being technical engineer for battery packs, components, and has worked hand in hand with electrical engineers, I can say based on my experience that enough heat for a certain amount of time, given the material and threshhold of the components affected, will kill the device's functionality. Period.

If somebody is desperate, gutsy, or ignorant enough (all or one may apply) to do this, then that's their option as an owner of the device. I just hope those doing this understand the implications of it and know not to overdo it on heat or time affected.
 
robo21 said:
mad5.gif
I couldn't agree more!
mad5.gif

Heat+Electronics=
trainwreck.gif


IF (and this is a huge IF) heat were of ANY benefit (which I find highly doubtful
crazy.gif
) a blow dryer would be plenty (more than likely too much) heat to do the trick. But an oven? Absolutely NO WAY! Electronics technicians (TV repair, computer component, etc) have for decades used a "cold spray" to try to revive dead IC's etc. But heat? Never. Heck, there's even a hard disk drive recovery technique of placing the drive in the freezer and then attempting to recover data.

No way would I put electronics in an oven of any kind.
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Uh oh, you mentioned the hard drive trick :p This only works on older hard drives, FYI, and should not be tried on hard drives newer than roughly 5 years. It's based on the atomic particles of the metals in those hard drives coming closer together when cold, and therefore making the hard drive function for a small amount of time again (the real technical explanation is longer than I care to write) :p
 
howetechnical said:
Uh oh, you mentioned the hard drive trick :p This only works on older hard drives, FYI, and should not be tried on hard drives newer than roughly 5 years. It's based on the atomic particles of the metals in those hard drives coming closer together when cold, and therefore making the hard drive function for a small amount of time again (the real technical explanation is longer than I care to write) :p
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Correct! ;) Even with older drives it was hit or miss, only helping under certain situations. I only mentioned that, in passing, as an unlikely example of a "thermal fix" that has any remote) credibility whatsoever - and even then it was utilizing COLD, definitely NOT HEAT!
 
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