Fairphone 3 Charging and Screen issues

Help Fairphone 3
1

I have a Fairphone 3 and it stopped charging, the light wouldn’t come on at all. I checked the power supply (I used the one from my MacBook Pro) and that works fine. I did a bit of searching and saw it suggested that this might be a damp issue so I opened up the phone, undid a load of screws to separate the 2 main sections and left it in a box with some sachets of silica gel.

When I then put it back together the screen is now just showing a multicoloured fuzz like an old CRT television that is not tuned in would.

Any ideas?

2

Worth a try: As you have already fastened the screws, also have a look at the seam between display module and core module. If you spot any gaps (on the phone’s slim sides), gently press the two together to close the gaps. This might help to fully restore the connection.

Regarding the charging issue, the most obvious suspects you could check are the battery and the bottom module (includes the charging port). If you know another FP3 owner or if there is a Fairphone Angel nearby, they might allow you to try another battery and/or bottom module in your phone, or yours in theirs.

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Thank you for your speedy reply.

Any ideas how to check the battery or bottom module? I don’t know of any other fairphone users around here and my nearest Angel is an hour or 2’s drive from here (I will email them to see if they can help though)

4

I’m afraid I’m not that well-versed in electronics in general, so I cannot provide a suggestion there. Maybe someone else has one.

Frankly, the general picture is a bit unclear. Perhaps you can clarify some things.

  1. Has the screen situation changed in any way now? Or is it still just “white noise”?
  2. “… the light wouldn’t come on at all” – so you had just connected it to the charger, and unlike before, there was no sign of life at all? Or did it charge first and then the LED suddenly went from lit (colour?) to dark?
  3. Generally: Any recollection of the charging level when you decided to charge it? It is strongly recommended to never let the battery run all dry (0 %), and ideally to charge it once its charging level has dropped to under 25-30 % (actually some recommend to start charging already at 40 %). When do you start charging it usually? (Asking to find some hints whether your battery is likely to be exhausted)
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  1. No, since then I can get nothing on the screen but the “noise”
  2. Previously it charged fine. I plugged it in this time and nothing happened
  3. It was low but not very low, maybe 35% I try not to let it go below that.
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OK, all good now. I took it apart again, made sure all contacts were clean and put it together again and the screen was fine.

I then ordered a new bottom module and fitted it when it arrived now all is working.

Thanks for your help

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