iPhone charges, but wont connect to computer! HELP?

So not that long ago, my iphone started to give me problems connecting to the computer. It completely stopped working a few days ago and i've tried many things to fix it. It is jailbroken, so i thought that the software might have gotten messed up. i restored it with no success... i was lucky enough that it worked if i held it at a certain angle to connect it long enough to restore all my stuff back to normal. Then I ordered the connector piece from ebay, thinking it was a hardware problem. I changed it and it still didn't work... The weird thing is that the iphone charges perfectly when docked or plugged into the wall, it shows the lightning bolt symbol and everything. I have tried it on different computers and with different cables, so it has to be the phone. I'm getting really annoyed with this, any suggestions to solve my problem? Anything??? plz!

Plz! Anyone!

I hate to say there isn't too much troubleshooting you can do. If you have a known working good iPhone and a multimeter, you can take it apart and check the USB connection points, monitor connectivity and voltage, and then check that against your current iPhone that is not working. That may bring up what the issue is. If you're able to charge via the USB, that means that part of the connection is good -- the +5.5V and ground are the only two required pins (one of the other pins is used as as data transfer to provide information about the battery and from my understanding is not REQUIRED for the phone to work) in order for it to charge, but there are several other connections that must be valid in order for USB connectivity to function.

As we don't have the phone and can't do the troubleshooting ourselves, there isn't too much that we can help you with -- but that is where I'd start. Being able to trace the voltage into the board from a legit, working model would be extremely helpful in troubleshooting where in the process that your failing iPhone is failing, but it's very hit or miss because resistors and other in-line devices can impede your tracing ability, so I don't recommend it unless you're a pretty high-level hardware hacker. I'd assume you were, considering you replaced the connector, but I still have to disclaim that you can seriously break your device if you do any of this wrong.

Could be something as simple as one or two of the pins from the dock connector had a weak solder joint that snapped when the cable was inserted. Could be something more sinister, like a blown USB controller chip on the motherboard due to improper cabling sending a voltage spike down the wrong chip. Hard to tell without the device.

Good luck!

I can get access to a working iphone, so how would i check these connectors? what kind of multimeter would i need? and how do i check if its the logic board?

i dont know if this helps, but before i changed the dock connector, the original one worked if i positioned it a certain way. now my computer wont recognize it at all. could it be the pins on the motherboard not making contact with flex cable from the connector?

THANKS btw! ur the only person that has answered me with a reasonable solution throughout a lot of forums

Quote:

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Originally Posted by xxcarlosxx

I can get access to a working iphone, so how would i check these connectors? what kind of multimeter would i need? and how do i check if its the logic board?

i dont know if this helps, but before i changed the dock connector, the original one worked if i positioned it a certain way. now my computer wont recognize it at all. could it be the pins on the motherboard not making contact with flex cable from the connector?

THANKS btw! ur the only person that has answered me with a reasonable solution throughout a lot of forums

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1) You'd use the multimeter to trace the positive flow of energy through a valid jumping point on the device and on the cable to see where they go on a working device vs. where they go on a non-working device. Can't be too much more specific about this other than to say if that isn't enough information to go by, I don't recommend trying -- electrical engineering is not something that can really be explained in text, it requires a lot of doing. Done wrong you can send voltage down the wrong pin and blow the device up in 3 seconds flat.

2) Any multimeter that does a combination of continuity checking and AC / DC voltage metering. That way you could trace the voltage and get a valid idea of how much was running over what wires to where on the working, then check vs. the un-working.

3) It could absolutely be (and most likely is) the dock connector to the motherboard. Most of the problems I've seen with situations like yours are directly related to this. The easiest thing to happen is one of the solder joints is not let properly cool before the board is flexed, or one of the solder joints is not properly cooled (e.g., blowing on solder to cool it can cause weak solder joints vs. just letting it cool slowly). Because there are so many connectors and so many points of connection, it's extremely easy for one or two to snap and to be very difficult to see. This is where I would check first.

Good luck!

Quote:

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Originally Posted by n1ckn4m3

1) Done wrong you can send voltage down the wrong pin and blow the device up in 3 seconds flat.

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Yea... im not gonna try the multimeter then lol

so for #3, are you saying that the problem might be with the dock connector? or the connector on the motherboard? I didnt think it would be the connector since i replaced it with a new one, but i guess you cant trust ebay...

Not the connector itself, but the bunch of little pins where the connector connects to the motherboard. Each pin needs a solder blob and each pin needs to be connected. This is the most frequent point of failure on the dock connector -- a single one of those joints being broken will stop the device from working, if it's one of the important points. I would very closely look at the device's attachment to the motherboard and ensure that the connector is cleanly soldered and makes good contact on all of the dock connector points.

are those the pins you're talking about? they look fine to me. do i check the back of the motherboard?
http://i29.photobucket.com/albums/c2...x/DSC04340.jpg

Yep. Those are the ones. Make sure once you socket the connector that it's not pulling away from the board. It's surface mount and not through-hole so there's no reason to pull the board out, the underside isn't necessarily going to have contacts for that connector.

You want to make sure of three things:

1) The connector itself mates perfectly and that both sides of the connector are clean, align properly, and socket successfully and firmly.
2) After connection, the resting position of the pieces should not cause any strain on the connector and the logic board should not flex or bend at all.
3) The dock connector on the cable and on the iPhone itself is completely clean, free of debris, and you have visually inspected it closely to ensure that all contacts are in the right place -- it's very easy to pull the cable out at a 45 degree angle and break the side of the connector, and it's also very easy to flex the dock connector perpendicularly and snap the plastic inside, and break the connectors away from the shield.

Take a look there -- those are the three user-accessible things that I'm aware of that could impact your situation. If the connector mates perfectly, is clean, doesn't flex when it's put together, and both dock connectors and cables are 100% clean and in working order -- then I have no idea what to tell you.....

Good luck!

:'( cleaned it with q-tips, connected it carefully, tried all that but nothing... i guess its the motherboard. thanks for all the advice though i really appreciate it!