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Mobile Gadget News :: Making Your Mobile Life Simpler _ Motorola MPx200 _ How to fix your MPx200 when it will not charge....

Posted by: huckfinn Nov 29 2004, 05:51 PM

DISCLAIMER: You do this at your own risk! There are very small parts on the circuit board and many of them are probably static sensitive. You WILL void your warrantee by doing this and I take NO responsibility for any of the procedures or information that I am providing below. This procedure fixed my phone, yours may be a different problem so you are on your own. Sorry I have to state all this, but you should understand that if you ruin your phone, it is not my fault. Also, if you have never soldered before – I would highly recommend you find someone to do this for you. Again these are very small parts, so you need a very fine tipped soldering iron with a low heat setting. No 100W soldering guns allowed ;-) I would also recommend you wear a static strap that is grounded and you work on a very clean hard surface. With all that stated – Good luck!

Tools needed:

Torx T5 dirver
Digital Multi-meter
Very fine tipped soldering iron settable to low heat
Acid free solder, very thin – NOT PLUMBING SOLDER
Solder wick
0603 size replacement fuse, 0 Ohm resistor, small piece of wire, blob of solder – something to repair the fuse. Obviously the best thing to do is to use a replacement fuse. The designer of the phone thought it was needed, but you do what you want. You can find suppliers of 0603 surface mount fuses on the web, such as http://www.schurterinc.com . The fuse that was used is marked with an F, which signifies a 0.5A rating. If you want to go up a size or two, G is a 0.75A and H is a 1.0A. Surface mount fuses are notorious for de-rating after time, reflow soldering, etc. So very likely 0.5A is the correct size to use, but just after time or the manufacturing process the fuse just blew at a lower current level.


Take your phone apart according to the directions in the "How to strip your MPx200" sticky. You only need to remove the main PCB under the battery compartment. Once you have done this flip the PCB over and look towards the top and locate the fuse, see the attached picture. It is ironically marked with an "F".

With your multimeter check the continuity over this component, if it is open then your fuse is blown. If you have continuity over this part, then you have a different problem with your phone. I would start by checking the solder joints on the USB connector.

First, remove the old fuse. This is easier if you have two soldering irons. Then remove any excess solder from the pads with the solder wick. Then carefully solder the new fuse in it's place. There are other traces and components near by, so use as little solder as possible and be very carefull not to short anything else out. That is it, put the phone back together and see if it works.

This has worked on two phones, so 2 out of 2 isn't too bad. ;-)

 

Posted by: stiletto Nov 30 2004, 06:58 PM

Firstly, how did you come across this? Do you have any knowledge as to why this affects the charging of the battery to full capacity? What does doing a hard reset have to do with this fuse? The procedure you gave is very detailed and easy to follow. I just like to know the why's before I crack open cases on cell phones.

Posted by: huckfinn Nov 30 2004, 07:16 PM

I came across this as my phone stopped charging the battery. I tried the hard reset bit with no success. I then spoke with some other members and they also had this same problem. I have a technical background, so I figured it should not be too hard to figure out why a battery will not charge. So I took my phone apart, plugged in the charger and started probing every pin on the board for voltage. I came across this part, the big "F" on it grabbed my attention anyways, and found 5 volts on one side and 0 volts on the other - BINGO. Then started looking into what this component was and found that the F marking stands for a 0.5A fuse. So when this fuse blows, the 5 volts from the USB port is disconnected from the phone - basically it is like it is not even plugged in.

In thinking about this further, the 0.5A rating makes sense as USB ports are rated at a maximum of 0.5A. If you exceed this ammont most computers will shut that USB port down. This fuse probably protects the computer as well as the phone.

From what I have gathered there are two possible causes for the phone not charging, one being a software glitch fixable by a hard reset and the other being a true hardware fault - this fuse.

Posted by: stiletto Nov 30 2004, 07:41 PM

Was your fault that it completely would not charge, or that it had poor battery life? I am experiencing poor battery life, and in rereading your post, I doubt this is my problem.

Posted by: huckfinn Nov 30 2004, 07:46 PM

It would not charge at all - no indication on the phone that it was even plugged in.

I have heard that if you hard reset with a partially dead battery that the phone records that battery voltage as the "full" level - so it will not charge past that point. I do not know if this is true, but the problem I see is that if this is true - how do you get a fully charged battery to reset it to the right level then?

Posted by: stiletto Nov 30 2004, 08:40 PM

The only way that I can think of would be to charge the battery with an external charger, AKA another MPx200 that works. I haven't tried that yet because I don't have any friends with an MPx200. Do any other motorola's use the same battery? Probably not, knowing Moto.

Posted by: huckfinn Nov 30 2004, 08:48 PM

In reading this http://www.mpx200.org/index.php?name=PNphpBB2&file=viewtopic&p=28183&highlight=#28183 it seems that if you turn the phone off and let it completely charge until it vibrates indicating that it is done, it will fully charge. Then reflash the phone and it "should" recharge normally to that level. I am not sure of all this, just passing on what I've read.

Posted by: huckfinn Dec 1 2004, 10:43 PM

Just for my own gratification I would love to hear if this information helped you fix your phone. I am curious if there are other hardware faults besides this fuse that is causing the same type of failure. So please post here if this has helped or not.

Thanks

Posted by: Toad Dec 2 2004, 10:16 AM

If you're having problems charging your phone, before taking apart your phone, I would first suggest you go into engineering mode by dialing * #**364# and pressing the middle blue key, and then going to Options > Layer 1B > Force Charge. Also, I would suggest sending your phone back to Motorola under warranty rather than taking it apart, as that would void your warranty.

Posted by: clava Dec 12 2004, 12:56 AM

Force Charge. I saw that in the Eng mode as well. Do you know for sure that this resets the phone to see the battery as fully charged or are you just guessing because it has the words 'force' and 'charge' in it?

-c

Posted by: Mr DDD Feb 9 2005, 12:31 PM

QUOTE (huckfinn @ Nov 30 2004, 01:16 PM)
I came across this as my phone stopped charging the battery. I tried the hard reset bit with no success.
*



hi huckfin

tell me how to hard reset my mpx200

i want to do this fist before open my phone

its brand new but the ebay seller no see again have waranty but no answers


regards biggrin.gif

Posted by: mastercd Feb 10 2005, 04:10 AM

Hey, I was reading this post and decided to create an account just to say this worked for me!

My phone was acting funny (sim not detected, then not booting) and finally it just *died*. I couldnt charge it, and even when plugged in, nothing would show up.

I took the plunge to try to *fix* it and it works! Although I didnt replace the fuse, I just bridged the connections across the fuse. Hopefully this wont melt my phone, or at least until I can get a good deal on a newer gen. phone biggrin.gif .

Thx for everything!

Posted by: huckfinn Feb 15 2005, 04:39 PM

QUOTE (Mr DDD @ Feb 9 2005, 07:31 AM)
hi huckfin

tell me how to hard reset my mpx200

i want to do this fist before open my phone

its brand new but the ebay seller no see again  have waranty but no answers
regards biggrin.gif
*


Hold the blue button while you turn the phone on and then answer YES when it asks you. Be sure your battery is fully charged and be patient, the hard reset can take a few minutes to complete.

Posted by: othello Feb 22 2005, 11:17 PM

wow. thank you very much. worked like a charm.

Due to lack of tools and expertise, instead of replacing the fuse, I shorted it out, too. However my main charging device is my laptop. So there should be a fairly stable voltage coming out ot my USB port. Therefore the fuse may not be a vital component for me.

Posted by: Seba641 Apr 2 2005, 11:47 PM

i want to know what is the name of that fuse that i need to buy to repair my phone i went to that website what u gave in post before but i dont know witch fuse i should pick so please tell me the name of that fuse in this website

Posted by: nbercasio Apr 17 2005, 11:25 PM

QUOTE (Seba641 @ Apr 2 2005, 06:47 PM)
i want to know what is the name of that fuse that i need to buy to repair my phone i went to that website what u gave in post before but i dont know witch fuse i should pick so please tell me the name of that fuse in this website
*



Did you get a reply which fuse to buy?

Posted by: huckfinn Apr 18 2005, 05:38 PM

If you get the fuse from Schurter it is the following...

3412.0113.24 for the 0.5 A fuse (stock size)
3412.0114.24 for the 0.75 A fuse
3412.0115.24 for the 1.0 A fuse

Posted by: Neeki May 1 2005, 10:07 AM

for those who use only standart charger and usb cable to charge the phone. it is not necessary to change the broken fuse with another one. More easier is just to short the broken fuse and the other step is to insert any other 0.4-0.5 fuse in the charger. Also if your mpx charges with no problems now it will be good if you insert 0.4-0.5 fuse in your charger. may be it will protect your phones fuse in future. So why i writing all this. i just can't find 0.4-0.5 fuse. if i'll do parallel connection between two 0.25 fuses will it work like one 0.5 ????

sorry for my bad english, but i guess the main idea of the post is quite clear smile.gif

huckfinn thx for useful solution

Posted by: madmaxedcn May 9 2005, 05:28 AM

well i have 3 mpx 200's and 1 died a long time ago, because i pluged in the charger wile doing a hr... unsure.gif so i didint change the fuse i just bridged it to see and it will still not turn on and i know its that part of the phone because i put one from one of the others and it turns on what else can it be???

Posted by: wizzlesteets May 12 2005, 03:24 PM

QUOTE (madmaxedcn @ May 9 2005, 05:28 AM)
well i have 3 mpx 200's and 1 died a long time ago, because i pluged in the charger wile doing a hr... unsure.gif  so i didint change the fuse i just bridged it to see and it will still not turn on and i know its that part of the phone because i put one from one of the others and it turns on what else can it be???
*

My MPx200 stopped charging a couple days ago. I took the phone apart according to the guide and repair instructions. I decided to take the risk and bridge the fuse instead. My MPx lives again!! This phone is starting to remind me of my 1st "do it yourself " pc... An Emachine! Thanks to: Awarner, Huckfinn and Neeki.

Posted by: Rotary May 16 2005, 06:41 PM

QUOTE (huckfinn @ Nov 29 2004, 01:51 PM)
DISCLAIMER: You do this at your own risk! There are very small parts on the circuit board and many of them are probably static sensitive. You WILL void your warrantee by doing this and I take NO responsibility for any of the procedures or information that I am providing below. This procedure fixed my phone, yours may be a different problem so you are on your own. Sorry I have to state all this, but you should understand that if you ruin your phone, it is not my fault. Also, if you have never soldered before – I would highly recommend you find someone to do this for you. Again these are very small parts, so you need a very fine tipped soldering iron with a low heat setting. No 100W soldering guns allowed ;-) I would also recommend you wear a static strap that is grounded and you work on a very clean hard surface. With all that stated – Good luck!

Tools needed:

Torx T5 dirver
Digital Multi-meter
Very fine tipped soldering iron settable to low heat
Acid free solder, very thin – NOT PLUMBING SOLDER
Solder wick
0603 size replacement fuse, 0 Ohm resistor, small piece of wire, blob of solder – something to repair the fuse. Obviously the best thing to do is to use a replacement fuse. The designer of the phone thought it was needed, but you do what you want. You can find suppliers of 0603 surface mount fuses on the web, such as http://www.schurterinc.com . The fuse that was used is marked with an F, which signifies a 0.5A rating. If you want to go up a size or two, G is a 0.75A and H is a 1.0A. Surface mount fuses are notorious for de-rating after time, reflow soldering, etc. So very likely 0.5A is the correct size to use, but just after time or the manufacturing process the fuse just blew at a lower current level.
Take your phone apart according to the directions in the "How to strip your MPx200" sticky. You only need to remove the main PCB under the battery compartment. Once you have done this flip the PCB over and look towards the top and locate the fuse, see the attached picture. It is ironically marked with an "F".

With your multimeter check the continuity over this component, if it is open then your fuse is blown. If you have continuity over this part, then you have a different problem with your phone. I would start by checking the solder joints on the USB connector.

First, remove the old fuse. This is easier if you have two soldering irons. Then remove any excess solder from the pads with the solder wick. Then carefully solder the new fuse in it's place. There are other traces and components near by, so use as little solder as possible and be very carefull not to short anything else out. That is it, put the phone back together and see if it works.

This has worked on two phones, so 2 out of 2 isn't too bad. ;-)
*

[COLOR=blue][FONT=Arial]

Posted by: Rotary May 16 2005, 06:52 PM

Guys you are the best thing after soap and water!!!
My knowledge is limited on this electronics stuff and thanks to Huck and friends I fix my phone (for now). My MPX200 stop charging and after reading your posting I tried to buy and/or order the fuse without luck, then decided buy the $3 Torx5 screwdriver and open the phone. It was the only shot I got (Motorola won't fix it). I followed the instructions to the dots and bridged the fuse (very careful) and PUFF!!! The phone is alive again!!! I'll keep it until I get a good deal on a MPX220.
You guys have no idea how thankful I am to you for your posting. Keep up the wonderful work!
Thanks
Luis
FT Bragg, NC

Posted by: knight_2004 May 17 2005, 06:07 AM

I came across this page on the Internet and I just found the solution to my MPX200 problem. I would like to thank you so much "huckfinn". Actually, I just registered in this forum just to thank you for sharing your knowledge with everyone. Your post is wonderful, and your information is so much appreciated, you just don't know. Good luck. Salam

Posted by: prodigio2k May 17 2005, 06:49 PM

can i remove the chip,and just connect the 2 connection straigh foward with solder

Posted by: huckfinn Jul 11 2005, 08:49 PM

QUOTE (prodigio2k @ May 17 2005, 01:49 PM)
can i remove the chip,and just connect the 2 connection straigh foward with solder
*


That is the same as bridging over the fuse, so yes you can. I recommend finding a replacement fuse, but this works as well - just be sure to use a fused charger then. Same disclaimers apply as I put in the original post wink.gif .

On a side note, thanks for all of the kind words. It is nice to hear that the information I provided is being used and appreciated. I have finally replaced my MPx200 with a MPx220, so I do not always browse this forum. I repaired my phone back in November of last year and it is still working, just wanted a new one rolleyes.gif . If you need any additional guidance/help, fire me off a personal message and I will see what I can do.

Posted by: Pigpaw3 Jul 23 2005, 05:35 AM

QUOTE (huckfinn @ Nov 29 2004, 01:51 PM)
DISCLAIMER: You do this This has worked on two phones, so 2 out of 2 isn't too bad. ;-)
*

Huck you the bomb! Im one of the many writing to say thanks for bringing my MPx200 back from what was going to be a sure death. A power surge burned the fuse out and I would have never found it with out you, Thanks again. I signed on for the first time to thank you and add one tip for the fuse blowers out there that are concerned about jumping the fuse with no protection and having a hard time finding an exact fuse replacement. I think you can get .5A of protection if you get an old style .5A auto fuse ( the clear glass tube with metal capped ends) ,break the glass and take the fine metal fuse wire out. Solder the fuse wire, cut to fit to each end of the installed surface mounted fuse. Im not an electrician and I no cars run on 12 volts but I think the .5A fuse wire still gives you the protection. Good luck to all its a tight fit and I had to grind my soldering gun tip down to a pin point, but the good news is Im 1 for 1.

Posted by: mrfixit Aug 5 2005, 11:03 PM

QUOTE (huckfinn @ Nov 29 2004, 05:51 PM)
DISCLAIMER: You do this at your own risk! There are very small parts on the circuit board and many of them are probably static sensitive. You WILL void your warrantee by doing this and I take NO responsibility for any of the procedures or information that I am providing below. This procedure fixed my phone, yours may be a different problem so you are on your own. Sorry I have to state all this, but you should understand that if you ruin your phone, it is not my fault. Also, if you have never soldered before – I would highly recommend you find someone to do this for you. Again these are very small parts, so you need a very fine tipped soldering iron with a low heat setting. No 100W soldering guns allowed ;-) I would also recommend you wear a static strap that is grounded and you work on a very clean hard surface. With all that stated – Good luck!

Tools needed:

Torx T5 dirver
Digital Multi-meter
Very fine tipped soldering iron settable to low heat
Acid free solder, very thin – NOT PLUMBING SOLDER
Solder wick
0603 size replacement fuse, 0 Ohm resistor, small piece of wire, blob of solder – something to repair the fuse. Obviously the best thing to do is to use a replacement fuse. The designer of the phone thought it was needed, but you do what you want. You can find suppliers of 0603 surface mount fuses on the web, such as http://www.schurterinc.com . The fuse that was used is marked with an F, which signifies a 0.5A rating. If you want to go up a size or two, G is a 0.75A and H is a 1.0A. Surface mount fuses are notorious for de-rating after time, reflow soldering, etc. So very likely 0.5A is the correct size to use, but just after time or the manufacturing process the fuse just blew at a lower current level.
Take your phone apart according to the directions in the "How to strip your MPx200" sticky. You only need to remove the main PCB under the battery compartment. Once you have done this flip the PCB over and look towards the top and locate the fuse, see the attached picture. It is ironically marked with an "F".

With your multimeter check the continuity over this component, if it is open then your fuse is blown. If you have continuity over this part, then you have a different problem with your phone. I would start by checking the solder joints on the USB connector.

First, remove the old fuse. This is easier if you have two soldering irons. Then remove any excess solder from the pads with the solder wick. Then carefully solder the new fuse in it's place. There are other traces and components near by, so use as little solder as possible and be very carefull not to short anything else out. That is it, put the phone back together and see if it works.

This has worked on two phones, so 2 out of 2 isn't too bad. ;-)
*


thank you for the tip, it charge again.

Posted by: Thanathos Sep 7 2005, 12:40 PM

Thank I resolved my problem with using what you write.
I had some problem to soldering but now my Mpx200 is working
:D

Posted by: msyd34 Sep 7 2005, 05:30 PM

I am experiencing this very problem. I just purchased the fuse listed previously in this post from Shurter.com and plan to follow the steps to see what happens. Sounds like this is working for some people. The minimum order from Shurter however was 10 fuses, so of course I ordered 10. I only plan on using one and keeping a couple as backups so if anyone needs one feel free to email me at sthompson@bfmed.net and I can drop one in the mail for you. They were cheap, lik 48 cents a piece.

I haven't tried a hard reset because you need a fully charged battery when doing this and since I have no way to charge my phone, I can't get a full battery.

Thanks to everyone for the good info! If this doesn't work I'm going with the Moto A1000! But I love my MPX200! All my friends are blown away when I pull it out to listen to music! Anyone have the Shure ear buds? Completely blocks out all ambient noise leaving you with peace and quite and great sounding music. Great for air travel. Check em out if you like! http://www.shurestore.com/earphones/eseries_e2c.html

eBay has them too, or course. Serious bragging rights having a device that replaces an iPod and makes calls! Let alone all the other features (ie Flight Mode, Sync, Calendar, Contacts...) the phone offers, as yo uall know I'm sure. biggrin.gif

I have about 2 hours of battery life left. And after that I can only hope and pray my phone will come back to life once I replace the fuse. I'll let you know how it goes.

Posted by: msyd34 Sep 15 2005, 07:59 PM

Unsuccessful. Rats!
Be sure your soldering iron is very thin iron!

Posted by: dr_geek Sep 28 2005, 12:02 AM

I am going to do this on my phone in few days. I am collecting all necessary tools right now. BTW I would like to know whether 30W soldering iron is more than what I needed or just perfect. Will let you know guys how did this work out for me. Thanks for the great tips and advice.

Posted by: esiopa Oct 20 2005, 10:46 AM

Just another experience. Same problem - By the way, I think my problem happened when I plugged in the phone in the US (don't worry - the charger is rated for 50-60Hz, 100-240v). But since then, the phone worked OK but wouldn't charge. Followed the procedure and all OK for a few weeks. Unfortunately, I now have a new problem that the phone seems to have shorted out. I have pretty much a short across the 5V. Went back in and cut my link (didn't bother with a fuse in the original repair !! ohmy.gif ) and now the short is removed but the phone is not charging. When I bridge the fuse again, I have a short again - I wanted to make sure that some of my fine soldering work hadn't bridged something else. So, it looks like the fuse blew originally because of some intermittant short condition. So, my recommendation is that you replace the fuse with a fuse, or better still put a fuse in-line somewhere else. By the way, I noticed something else that could be either a cause or a result of the problem. On the picture included already in this topic, the slightly larger component above the fuse (marked with E 2 ) now appears to have blown. There is a dimple on the component package and heat marks. Don't suppose anyone knows what this is ? I think my investigation work stops here and MPX RIP! Thanks for the original suggestion anyway. Colum

Posted by: Worms3d Nov 3 2005, 04:36 PM

How funny that this should be my first post! biggrin.gif

mpx200 and it wont charge or even show its charging, can sync with pc but usb charging too aint working; .So I know its the fuse.

i think i will just bridge the fuse. But someone tell me ::what does it involve and how do i do it? smile.gif

Posted by: bellers Nov 23 2005, 06:37 PM

QUOTE (Toad @ Dec 2 2004, 11:16 AM)
If you're having problems charging your phone, before taking apart your phone, I would first suggest you go into engineering mode by dialing * #**364# and pressing the middle blue key, and then going to Options > Layer 1B > Force Charge.  Also, I would suggest sending your phone back to Motorola under warranty rather than taking it apart, as that would void your warranty.
*



Force charge works a treat m8. As Toad says and thanks to him for the tip.
I picked up a mpx200 on ebay uk sim locked to orange. The first thing I done of course was to flash upgrade the phone to win mobile 2003 to unlock it and get rid of all the orange stuff on it. But to my dismay the charge the battery held was awfull sad.gif (probably because I didnt make sure the phone was fully charged before I done the upgrade). So I tried the force charge thing that Toad suggested and also done a full reset (switch phone on while pressing the blue button) And volia! its now 30 hours since I done it and the battery i still at 90% charge! . Not a bad improvement from 4 hours max!

One word of warning. A full reset will clear all your personal settings to default. Things like your calendar entries, phone owner info, Internet settings will go back to default.

THe only thing I am now having problems with is getting the o2 GPRS internet working sad.gif anyone ?

Posted by: rsys6868 Dec 10 2005, 05:30 AM

Anyone who bridged the connection between the fuse? So far any problems with the charging and the phone?

I fused the charger and hopefully it will avoid blowing any fuses in the phone in the future. =)

Posted by: slhtonz Dec 13 2005, 02:21 PM

Thanks ... phone works great.

I bridged the fuse after giving up on trying to get it off... when I get back home (currently at college) I'll have access to another soldering iron, which will help a lot.

I just ordered the fuses from Schurter... msyd34 lost 'em. They were $.48 a piece, had to order ten, just like he said... though their shipping prices are currently in low orbit ($10 blink.gif ). If any of you guys need one, shoot me an email (just look in my profile for the link, it'll get to me). Hopefully mine won't disappear into the black hole of doom junk drawer too, but I can't make any guarantees unsure.gif

As for your question rsys6868, I soldered a little wire over the fuse. It seemed like it was on there somewhat weakly, but I've managed to drop the phone on to carpet once or twice and left it on vibrate through a salvo of text messages... still works great. Keep in mind, though, this is a less than ideal permanent solution... the fuse gave its life for some reason or another, so there's a very real chance your phone could be next w/o the fuse.

And I was wondering, how long did you guys have your MPx's before you had to do this? Mine's been alive and kicking for about two and a half years now... and still going strong.

Posted by: Firefly Dec 20 2005, 09:57 AM

I also tried this fix...

Since I could not get hold of a replacement fuse, thought I would just bidge the connection.
Wasn't very easy since the solder was not holding to the contacts (maybe the soldering lead was not good enough) and took me a while to manage the bridging...
Boy, the fuse is damn small... and I am sure I touched some of the nearby components with the soldering iron...

But nonetheless, I put my phone for charging and it was charging!!!
I fully charged the phone... used it for the whole day without any problems...
set the alarm for the morning while I went to sleep...

morning I woke up to the faint noise from the phone which sounded like the noise of continuos firing of a small relay! and this started at exactly the time I had set the alarm to.

I checked the phone and RATS!!! the display would not come up.
I removed the battery and put it back... and the phone does not turn on again...
I haven't looked at tha state of the fuse bridge but I guess my phone is dead for good...

Posted by: sofene Dec 26 2005, 06:15 PM

How to force charge mpx200 running wm5.0??

QUOTE (Toad @ Dec 2 2004, 10:16 AM)
If you're having problems charging your phone, before taking apart your phone, I would first suggest you go into engineering mode by dialing * #**364# and pressing the middle blue key, and then going to Options > Layer 1B > Force Charge.  Also, I would suggest sending your phone back to Motorola under warranty rather than taking it apart, as that would void your warranty.
*
Is there an equivalent command for mpx200 running wm5.0. This doesn't seem to work with wm5.0. Says 'command not supported' but works with my mpx220 running wm2003se. Anyone please help.

Posted by: homerjs Dec 30 2005, 07:36 AM

So far I read bad experiences about bridging the fuse.
Anyone has good experiences with bridging the fuse?

Posted by: homerjs Dec 30 2005, 08:23 AM

I have a question about the replacement fuse, does it have to be a
slow fuse? or a fast one?

Posted by: oclp Jan 9 2006, 04:00 AM

QUOTE (Toad @ Dec 2 2004, 05:16 AM)
If you're having problems charging your phone, before taking apart your phone, I would first suggest you go into engineering mode by dialing * #**364# and pressing the middle blue key, and then going to Options > Layer 1B > Force Charge.  Also, I would suggest sending your phone back to Motorola under warranty rather than taking it apart, as that would void your warranty.
*


Could someone else with WM2005 please test getting into engineering mode? It doesn't work for me, but then maybe I just don't know how to enter the space after the first asterisks in the string. Thanks.

Posted by: pkcheng Jan 9 2006, 11:12 AM

My phone just cant get charge and my local motorola service center return the unit with remark: phone beyond repair..... sad.gif but thanks to all of your great ideas and i managed to bring back life to my MPX200.

i bridge the connection as i do not have the expertise to replace the fuse.

My unit is now re-birth for 3 days and everything just fine.. and it iis now with WM5.

Posted by: tiger2380 Jan 11 2006, 04:36 AM

How do i bridge the connection?

Posted by: shyne Jan 17 2006, 09:37 PM

QUOTE (tiger2380 @ Jan 10 2006, 11:36 PM)
How do i bridge the connection?
*

can someone please show me how to do this. i am not familiar with circuitry sad.gif

Posted by: puiuflorinel Jan 18 2006, 05:11 PM

Anyone experiencing no keys backlight when this happend?
My MPX 200 won't charge and i have no key backlight, display backlight it is ok...
For the usual time when keys suppose to be illuminated, from the keys area is comming a weak buzz...
Any idea on how to solve those problems?

thnx

Posted by: hkfun2k6 Jan 19 2006, 12:41 PM

sad.gif

Hi guys thought i this was my answer but no go,here is my problem maybe you can help!

I HAVE AN MPX 200 THAT WILL ONLY CHARGE VIA USB CABLE-ALSO I AM UNABLE TO PUT PHONE IN FLASHING/UPGRADE MODE,FOR THE PC TO RECONISE THE PHONE!-TRIED ALL DIFFRENT KEYPRESSES+MORE.also does not charge via charger in mains!


I HAVE CHECKED THE FUSE THAT NORMALY GO-WHEN YOU CANNOT CHARGE-BUT THAT FUSE IS fine?AND FINE-ANY IDEAS?

all i wanna do is get windows to reconize the phone!so i can sync!if you can offer any help pls email to hkfun@ananzi.co.za


THNX
hkf

Posted by: tiger2380 Jan 21 2006, 02:33 AM

My phone will comes on, but it will not charge. Can the fuse still be the problem?

Posted by: kilroy Jan 21 2006, 10:20 AM

Hi all

I registered just to post a reply to this topic!!

It worked. I also sent my mpx200 in to motorola to be repaired cause of not charging.
They sent it back and said beyond repair. I was using a make-shift charger that I could charge the battery on its own so I could continue using the phone.
Then I stumbled apon this post.
In this "lovely" (sarcastic tone) 3rd world south africa the particular size fuse is not available commercially, only the bigger sizes. So I bridged it with a wire.
It now charges.

hkfun2k6:
Try replacing the microUSB connector on the phone. I had the same problem a long while back and it was the connector, it wasnt making proper contact.

tiger2380:
It has to be the fuse.

It seems that the fuses get "touchy" after a few years and blows without there being an actual fault.

Oh as for the AC charger questions, I shorted out the voltage and measured the current and the charger also limits at 0.5A.

Now to upgrade to WM2005......

Posted by: jomeyja Jan 28 2006, 07:04 PM

I had that same problem, of not charging, and fixed it using the bridge procedure. It's charging now, thankfully, but I have another problem smile.gif. It's not finding the network. I'm getting an error, "No service". Could I have affected anything while soldering. I checked to make sure the antenna has a good contact, and I have tried a hard reset.

Any suggestion guys?

Posted by: jomeyja Jan 28 2006, 07:31 PM

Don't worry guys problem fixed itself. Left it on for about half hour and it picked up the network.

Posted by: dptechno.com Jan 29 2006, 12:49 AM

QUOTE (Firefly @ Dec 20 2005, 01:57 AM)
I also tried this fix...

Since I could not get hold of a replacement fuse, thought I would just bidge the connection.
Wasn't very easy since the solder was not holding to the contacts (maybe the soldering lead was not good enough) and took me a while to manage the bridging...
Boy, the fuse is damn small... and I am sure I touched some of the nearby components with the soldering iron...

But nonetheless, I put my phone for charging and it was charging!!!
I fully charged the phone... used it for the whole day without any problems...
set the alarm for the morning while I went to sleep...

morning I woke up to the faint noise from the phone which sounded like the noise of continuos firing of a small relay! and this started at exactly the time I had set the alarm to.

I checked the phone and RATS!!! the display would not come up.
I removed the battery and put it back... and the phone does not turn on again...
I haven't looked at tha state of the fuse bridge but I guess my phone is dead for good...
*


I have always had issues charging battery. someomes the unit will not respond when the battery runs super low. I bought extra batteries and an ext charger thinking it'll fix my problem. unfortunately it wasn't any good. plugging in a fresh battery would leave the unit unresponsive to poweron. I figure i'd do the fuse shorting. I got it opened but also broke one of the clip in the process. lowsy motorola clip design and use of brittle plastic, boo.

I found out that the fuse was perfectly fine so i was at a loss to the issue. i did however notice a battery on the other end of the PCB. removed it and placed it back in, reassembled the unit and bingo! it powered up and charges.

My thoughts are when the battery runs low and subsequently powers off, the unit is left at an unstable state, whatever the battery is keeping alive onboard (time and ???) it has caused the unit to not properly boot up and charge for me. This would explain why, in the past, my phone would randomly charge after leaving the unit alone for a long period of time without use.

Posted by: Sancho Jan 29 2006, 10:39 AM

I also had to register just to leave this reply. Absolutely amazing. Great fix! THANK YOU SOOOOO MUCH!

I too just did the bridge as well. Man that was tiny . But, I was able to follow all the advice on this forum to get the phone open (especially the drawing with the two red lines and the reply about getting the tabs to release.), then about replacing the fuse and bridging the fuse ( I went with the bridge option) and I hope to find info about how to get the WM2005 next.

This was great, I bought htis phone on ebay and it would not charge. I di dan exchange and had to wait for another phone for about 2 weeks. Finally got the replacement and IT would not charge either. CRAZY!!! So, I have been going round and round with this PUNK (stanp2323 on ebay) and did not want to wait for another 2 weeks for a replacement. So, I went looking and, THANK GOODNESS, found this forum and had my phone working in no time.

Well off to find out about WM2005.

Later,
Sancho

P.S. I will be back, so if anybody has any question about how I did it, leave a reply and I will explain in further detail. Bye!

Posted by: vonkugel Feb 8 2006, 05:49 PM

thanks for the tip, my phone lives again smile.gif

Posted by: FUBAR Feb 19 2006, 10:28 PM

You saved my phone! I love you!!! smile.gif

Posted by: kuicets Mar 25 2006, 03:03 PM

@Toad,

Does ForceCharge ever end? Can this blow the battery?

Posted by: lil14kid Mar 27 2006, 10:01 PM

QUOTE (shyne @ Jan 17 2006, 01:37 PM) *
can someone please show me how to do this. i am not familiar with circuitry sad.gif

wat or how do u bridge

Posted by: Alex Apr 4 2006, 12:28 AM

QUOTE (bellers @ Nov 23 2005, 12:37 PM) *
Force charge works a treat m8. As Toad says and thanks to him for the tip.
I picked up a mpx200 on ebay uk sim locked to orange. The first thing I done of course was to flash upgrade the phone to win mobile 2003 to unlock it and get rid of all the orange stuff on it. But to my dismay the charge the battery held was awfull sad.gif (probably because I didnt make sure the phone was fully charged before I done the upgrade). So I tried the force charge thing that Toad suggested and also done a full reset (switch phone on while pressing the blue button) And volia! its now 30 hours since I done it and the battery i still at 90% charge! . Not a bad improvement from 4 hours max!

One word of warning. A full reset will clear all your personal settings to default. Things like your calendar entries, phone owner info, Internet settings will go back to default.

THe only thing I am now having problems with is getting the o2 GPRS internet working sad.gif anyone ?


I just want to thank to these gentlemen (Toad + bellers) because their solution worked perfectly well in my case. I upgraded my MPx200 to win mobile 2003 and after that the battery charge lasted only 4 to 5 hours with minimum use. The solution was the engineering mode > force charge > hard reset. The "force charge" alone did not work. Now the battery discharges at a rate of 1 % / hour with the phone switched on without calls or messages. With "normal" use lasts 24 hours easily. Big change from just 4 to 5 hours. Thanks !!.

Posted by: pcesario Jul 13 2006, 04:14 AM

Well, just created this account to say youTHANKSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS..... My smartphone is alive again.
I bypass the fuse. I'll charge it using only the usb port from my computer.

CU

Greetings from Argentina

Posted by: nicktgr15 Jul 16 2006, 10:44 PM

hi hi hi from another one who did it! smile.gif My mpx200 charges right now and i'm very happy after what i have done smile.gif I measured fuse's resistance, it was infinity. Then i made a short circuit with solder right over the fuse and i measured it , it was zero!Then my mpx200 was ready. smile.gif Notice: When i powered on my mpx200 i think that keyboard backlight was not working but after a while i rechecked and it was ok!
THANKS A LOT for the guide! Greetings from Greece.

Posted by: gshegosh Aug 10 2006, 11:09 AM

I have a question to the author of this thread.

Could You possibly suggest something that could be short-circuited in the phone?
My Mpx200 discharges after about 3-4 hours (it wasn't like this before, I've tried different batteries and hard resetting) and the battery also gets quite warm.

Posted by: wwh52 Aug 21 2006, 08:56 PM

I also registered so I could thank you: Dude, you rock!

I have an MPX220, but the fix for the MPX200 worked for my phone too. Here's some MPX220 info:

1. There are 6 TORX screws (2 covered by rubber pegs), but a small screwdriver works, if it's width is just right.
2. There are no retention clips, but the 220 has pretty firm plastic catches on each side. You need to pry firmly on one side until it pops open. Repeat on the other side.
3. The F fuse is still there, but it's moved over to the right.

I used CurcuitWorks Electrically Conductive Silver Epoxy (bought on www.alliedelec.com for $30) instead of solder. Made the job pretty easy, plus I just shorted out the fuse. Magnification helped as the fuse is darned small. I used a pin with a tiny (really tiny!) dab of epoxy on the end. Then kind of painted it around the top of the fuse. Be sure to extend the epoxy over the contact points on both the top and bottom ends. I then used a hair dryer to warm the area for 10 min to cure it. Let stand for a couple of hrs to air dry. Once I reassembled the phone, it worked perfectly. I'm recharging with the USB cable since I shorted the fuse.

Hope this helps the MPX220 folks out there. Thanks again...

Posted by: Sendetıklat Sep 12 2006, 12:24 PM

I`ve put solder there without a fuse. But my device is not charging the battery already. Is there another way to fix this problem?

Posted by: smeg36 Sep 12 2006, 02:43 PM

If you're positive you have a connection between the two ends with the solder you put there, then you may have another problem. The more details you provide the better.

Posted by: Sarajevo BiH Sep 24 2006, 03:10 PM

tnx..i repair my MPX 200 tvo days ago,and its work just fine!!!!!!
I have WM 2003 4.20.0 version, and i like it..But i wan to install WM 5.0 and i dont have the instalacion file...
Is there someone who have the link where i cant download it ????Also som thutorial is good to have.....

TNX,and u have a lots of regards from Sarajevo-the Olimpic town 1984..!!!!!!

Posted by: CBakes Nov 8 2006, 09:47 PM

yes i also have a MPX220 that will not turn on! this is a big problem it seems. The problem is, I dont trust myself to do it hah, are there any easier solutions or some1 i can pay to do this for me? I can take the phone all the way apart to see the F fuse i just dont really know what exactly to do and i dont know if my phone is in the same problem as all of yours so here are the problems:

Will not turn on
will not charge
will no give a charge indication light
will not power on when pluged directly into outlet

Help please, i believe i have come to the right place. Can some1 confer i have the same problem as those listing???

Posted by: runningtiger Nov 10 2006, 03:06 AM

You say you have the MPx220, but this thread that you've posted your question in is the MPx200 forum. I haven't read the entire thread, but believe the 'fixes' listed are for the 200 only and unless someone confirms for you it's the same fix on the 220, I would not assume they are.

Is it possible your battery has just died and it isn't a problem with the phone? The 220 is several years old and if the original battery is still is use, it might be pooping out. My 220 started behaving weird last week and so I put in a new battery and it's been doing well since.

Posted by: CBakes Nov 10 2006, 09:15 PM

i think i read that it worked for some mpx220, but if i was trying to fix a mpx200 problem, would just simply getting an external desktop charger do the trick? charge the battery not in the phone and then just pop it in when its charged and go from there.

Posted by: runningtiger Nov 11 2006, 06:20 AM

Yes. If the problem is that your battery won't charge in the phone for some reason, AND the battery is still good...then an external battery charger would do the trick. You'd just charge the battery outside of the phone and when it's charged put it back in and go...that is IF your problem really is that the internal charger isn't working any more and not some other thing.

Posted by: harryhirschi Nov 12 2006, 09:23 PM

unsure.gif Are there known any external chargers for the battery of my mpx200? I could not find still anything, only for other motorola handsfrees.
Another problem: i'm here in europe (germany).
If the trick with fuse doesnt work: would it be possible to change the loading socket of the phone itself (seems it's not o.k.)?

Posted by: runningtiger Nov 13 2006, 10:04 PM

MPx200 uses the snn5681a battery so you need the snn5681a desktop charger like the one that can be seen in expired eBay auction #9715235165. Be careful not to get the one for the MPx220. The 200 and 220 use different shaped batteries and their chargers are NOT interchangeable.

MPx220 battery=SNN5747A=SNN5747A desktop charger=WRONG for MPx200

I've seen the SNN5747A desktop charger listed for the 200 so be VERY careful and be sure to get the snn5681a desktop charger.

Good luck!

Posted by: CBakes Nov 18 2006, 04:36 AM

i purchased a mpx220 desktop charger w/ a new battery just in case mine is dead also, and because then i could be charging a battery while im using my phone. I hope this works! i tried bridging the connection because i did find the F fuse and found another listing that mentioned it working with the 220 not just the 200, but i dont have much experience so after a little bit of work and frustration, im just waiting for the charger first.

Posted by: Sk1llS Jan 2 2007, 12:00 PM

Hey guys thanks for this awesom thread! So now here is my problem. A few weeks ago my MPx200 just died...So i plugged it in and it refused to charge with the usb computer cable. So i plugged it in the main charger but still nothing. The battery is completely flat and wont turn on or charge... So i gathered the courage and bought a torx 5 screw driver and opened the cover and i bridged the fuse, i used a magnifying glass and I did it twice just to make sure but it still refuses to charge. I read all 4 pages and I read i should check the USB solders...I am gonna get a multimeter in a few minutes...but wot else can it be if the phone refuses to charge?

EDIT:

OMFG it worked! I left it plugged in for 5 minutes and I just turned it on and it started up! You dont know how grateful I am! I would really like to thank huckfinn for the disasembly guide and mastercd for the bridging idea! The hardest part for me was getting the cover off. Those plastic clips were a nightmare. I wasn't sure if there was circuitry there so i didn't wanna scratch or damage anything. Anyways i took a chance and thank god there is no circuitry near those 2 plastic clips so you can push hard.

To remove them put the flat headed screw driver in and push up ↑↑↑ to the out side of the case. See pic:

push screwdriver to the top of this page: ↑


Again thanks to everyone! You saved me alot of money and this is a great phone biggrin.gif

Other links i used:
Another more detailed disassembly guide:
http://www.google.com/search?q=cache:http://techpaedia.com/mpx200/

Its google cache cos the original page http://techpaedia.com/mpx200 has been deleted smile.gif

Kind Regards

Sk1llS

Posted by: sviru Feb 3 2007, 12:27 AM

Hi! Guys!

If you don't have a 0603 fuse... lying around. You can use a normal GLASS FUSE. As someone mentionded before - breake the glass, take out this super thin wire - 0,5A and put it on the top of the old fuse - You don't have to desolder old fuse. You need only about 2mm of this new wire. Without good soldering gun, and manual skills - don't touch it smile.gif. This was very hard to do - this wire is almost invisible - you need magnifying glass to do it. But the idea is good - it worked for me - so It will work for you also.

Bye bye! smile.gif

Posted by: cabosed Feb 13 2007, 08:40 AM

Hey, i'm having the same problems you guys had (phone wont charge, doesn't respond when plugged into computer) but when i checked the voltages where you plug in the charger i got a reading of around 2.5V. If the fuse was blown shouldn't i not be getting a reading? I just want to make sure im not going to open my phone up and potentailly kill it (further) for nothing. I have a mpx220 by the way and only 40% battery left sad.gif

I IiiiI IiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiI I

crappy diagram of bottom of phone, got reading from the 2nd and 3rd i, (the I I are the gaps)

help will be very much appreciated tongue.gif

Posted by: cabosed Feb 16 2007, 11:24 AM

it worked!!! bit hard when the soldering iron tip is bigger than the fuse tongue.gif but it was a success. thank you to all tongue.gif

Posted by: Basit_230@hotmail.com Jun 22 2007, 09:52 AM

May Peace Be Upon You

hey HUCKFINN: i need some help from u, first of all i wana tell you that while upgrading my only mpx200 with WM2005, after successful upgrading when i unplug it from computer and try to power it on but it is not starting and when i plug it again the computer did not reconise it and phone was unable to charge. please tell me is it fuse deffect or any other problem. please also tell me the solution with your best understanding. please reply soon.

Basit Zia
Basit_230@hotmail.com

Posted by: huckfinn Jul 19 2007, 06:27 PM

Wow,

It has been years since I logged on and I am shocked to see this thread still going. I am very grateful for all of the kind words. I have since moved on from my trusty Mpx200, then to a 220 and now on a GSM Q9. I never had this problem with the 220, but I did have to resolder the connector a couple times, so I can not confirm or deny that this same procedure will work on the 220. I think the 200 and the 220 were made by the same company, so it is very likely. Engineers like to resuse as much as possible. Hopefully I will not have to see if the Q is the same.

I never tried the WM5 upgrade, so I can not comment on that. The easy way to tell if it is the fuse is if the unit will charge when turned off. It is my feeling that when the phone is off, it does not use any of the firmware/software, so if it will not charge when the unit is turned off it is most likely a bad fuse.

-HuckFinn

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