One of our cell phones - the w810i went through the washing machine. It did stop working. Now the quest is to try and repair it. Fortunately we are not the only ones that send their cell phones through the wash.
I was pleasantly surprised that there is good coverage on the 'net on how to disassemble the cell phone. There are also plenty of sources for replacement parts.
A little background, we extended our Cingular cell phone service and upgraded to the Sony w810i. This is a great phone. 2.0 megapixel camera, Walkman MP3 player, FM radio receiver, the memory stick provides up to 4GB extra memory to store music and pictures. Sony Ericsson's implementation of Symbian OS interface seems easier to use than comparable Nokia telephones.
Excessive Off Network UsageImmediately after we upgraded, AT&T announced that they acquired Cingular Wireless. A month later we started seeing a message on our telephones "Off Network". We were soon contacted by the Excessive Off Network (EON) department at the now AT&T. They told us do to our using too many minutes off of their network that they were canceling our service in 30 days. They would waive all early termination fees and provide us unlock codes and unlock instructions for all of our telephones. We were very cooperative with EON and they in turn were very helpful. I got the sense on the telephone that these folks weren't used to speaking to people that were very cooperative about having their service terminated based upon some fine print in a contract, which by the way I could not find in my contract summary. The EON clause must be in the contract form I signed, not on the one that comes with the service.
Fair is FairEven though I have had my Cingular account for about ten years (including the years when I was with AT&T Wireless - which was purchased by Cingular several years ago), the service was based in Chicago and I live in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan (UP), which is not covered by AT&T. Also my son and daughter-in-law recently moved from a Cingular coverage area in Southeast Wisconsin to the UP. So our off network minutes did increase. Even though we never heard of EON, we did not live and were working primarily in an area not covered by AT&T. Also, as we had just renewed, we were able to do what many folks would love to do - leave their cell provider, taking their telephone with them unlocked and not having to pay any early termination penalties.
But Wait - Cingular expands to the UP...Cingular (AT&T) operates a GSM network. Roaming in the UP on GSM is provided by CellularOne (Dobson Communications. Not long after we started our discussions with the AT&T EON department, a press release announcing AT&T acquisition of Dobson Communication hit the wires. I immediately contacted the AT&T EON department to determine if their acquisition would change our status. I was told that our service was still being terminated as it would be some time before the acquisition of Dobson (CellularOne) would be complete.
EON can be cooperativeI was able to appeal (their term) to keep my AT&T data card for my notebook since I primarily used it in Chicago and New York and to keep my dad's telephone. Within a day I heard back that the appeal was approved. A few weeks later, I decided what the heck, why not appeal one of my cell numbers. That appeal was approved as well. Primarily because I committed to holding down the excessive minutes and the Dobson (CellularOne) acquisition was going forward. The EON department was also very prompt in providing us unlock instructions for our telephones.
So what does this have to do with the telephone going through the washing machine?Nothing, but I felt it was a worthwhile digression.
First steps in trying to resurrect our now clean but nonfunctional cell phone.A web search found a site that discussed how to repair electronics after water damage. The actual post itself was useful, but as is often the case, the responses to the post contained additional approaches and recommendations on repairing water damaged electronics.
GRYNX ยป Salvage your device after liquid spillBased upon the posts it looked like there was a remote possibility our damaged w810i could be repaired. So the next step was to learn how to disassemble the telephone. While looking for sites on the Sony w810i - I found a site that has a water damage repair service. CellularDr.com
http://www.attcellphonerepair.com/Cellphone-Water-Damage-Repair-Service.htm provides a service to repair water damaged cell phones. They mention specifically cell phones going through the wash.
Why not try the repair myself?There are plenty of good answers to this, however I have decided to proceed with the repair anyway.
A web search uncovered a couple of excellent resources on disassembling the w810i. Pictorially you can't beat
http://www.excelldirect.com/images/sonyericssonw810gallery/myalbum.htmlThere are written directions from people that have modified the w810i
http://blogs.tech-recipes.com/seamonkey420/category/sony-ericsson/and
http://picasaweb.google.com/seamonkey420/BlogPics/photo#5089420603114301074You need a T6 (Torx screwdriver)I had to stop my disassembly due to lack of a T6 (Torx) Screwdriver. There are two T6 screws that holds the internals to the top part of the housing. So I need to wait until Radio Shack opens to look for a Torx screwdriver.
But Shirley, I Digress...Since I was stopped - I did some searching for spare parts. The good news is that spare parts, including housings, keyboards, and LCD screens are readily available on eBay and from several cellphone repair shops.
For $10.00 USD I ordered a replacement housing - that is reported to include a T6 screwdriver, a plastic pry tool, and even a new keyboard. Well, for $10.00 I took a chance and placed an order.
