Fix My Sidekick

Repair Your Own Sidekick

Fix a White LCD Screen on Your Sidekick

Fix White LCD Screen on Sidekicks

The LCD screens on the t-mobile Sidekicks and Danger Hiptops are fragile. They have a thin ribbon cable(flex cable) that mounts to the LCD screen that transmits all of the data and power. If you drop your phone or are rough with it, the cable can wriggle loose. If it becomes even a bit loose, it can cause a white screen. 

How do you know if you have a white screen on your sidekick? Well, the phone works fine. It will make and receive calls, but it looks like the backlight is on to the fullest extent.  The screen will be completely white and you will not be able to see anything else.

The good news is that I wrote a how to guide to repair this problem.  The bad news is it only works 90% of the time.  Sorry, but it is free! =)

If your Sidekick 3, Sidekick ID, or Sidekick II (2) has a white LCD screen, I advise trying this repair guide first.  If it doesn’t work, you just need to replace the sidekick lcd screen. Problem solved.

The following guide may be able to help you.  I have used it successfully on a Sidekick ID, a Sidekick II and a Sidekick 3.  No guarantees, but it is worth a shot.

The following procedure uses a Sidekick 3 but the steps are the same for all 3 of the sidekick models mentioned above.

Items needed:

T6 Torx driver, size 0 phillips screwdriver, and a small flat tipped tool for prying.  I prefer plastic guitar picks but a small screw driver works too.  (if you do not have a t6 torx, you can buy a set of them from a Hardware store for about 5 dollars, or you can use the flat tipped screwdriver.)

Directions

1. Power down your Sidekick.

2. Remove the back cover and take out the battery.

3. Flip your sidekick screen halfway to access the two screws that need to be removed. One has already been removed in this picture. Remove the screws using the T6 torx driver.image thumb Fix a White LCD Screen on Your Sidekick 4. While still holding the screen in the half flipped position, gently lift the screen up and out.image thumb1 Fix a White LCD Screen on Your Sidekick

 Warning

Be careful not to touch the copper contacts of the connector. The pins on the connector of the base unit are very fragile.

image thumb2 Fix a White LCD Screen on Your Sidekick

5. Put the LCD screen assembly upside down on a soft surface (to avoid scratching). There are 4 screws that need to be removed before your can removed the old lcd screen cover. You will need a size 0 Phillips screwdriver for these.

6. Remove the two screws shown below.

image thumb3 Fix a White LCD Screen on Your Sidekick 7.Remove the other two screws shown below. You will need to rotate the flex cable/spring unit to access one of them.image thumb4 Fix a White LCD Screen on Your Sidekick 8. Flip the screen back over and gently pry the two corners on the bottom of the side with the flex cable.image thumb5 Fix a White LCD Screen on Your Sidekick

9. Now that both edges are loose, grab the edge and gently lift screen backwards.

image thumb6 Fix a White LCD Screen on Your Sidekick10. Now that Sidekick lens is off, the removal of the LCD screen begins

11. Gently pry one of the corners shown in the picture below by the red arrow. Use a plastic pry device, my favorite is a guitar pick. The LCD is held down by a very sticky adhesive and will take slow, steady prying and lifting.  Do not move the screen to far away from the base. image thumb7 Fix a White LCD Screen on Your Sidekickimage thumb8 Fix a White LCD Screen on Your Sidekick 12. When you get the LCD free from the adhesive, lay it down gently towards the flip assembly. See photo below for orientation. Be careful and do not pull LCD straight out from back housing as you may damage the flex cable.

image thumb9 Fix a White LCD Screen on Your Sidekick 13. Flip up the black clamp that holds the flex cable to the connector. See the red arrow below for location. image thumb10 Fix a White LCD Screen on Your Sidekick 14. Now that the connector clamp is flipped up, gently reseat the flex cable into the connector.

15. Close the black clamp on the connector down to fasten the cable in place. Make sure that the cable is seated snugly in connector.

16. Once the cable is seated into the connector correctly, gently lay the LCD into the back housing as shown below. image thumb11 Fix a White LCD Screen on Your Sidekick 17. Now install the Sidekick LCD screen cover in the reverse order. Put the screen back working from the top of the lcd.image thumb12 Fix a White LCD Screen on Your Sidekick18. Once the cover is on, press down firmly on edges to make sure they are snapped into place.

19. Flip the LCD unit over and install the 4 screws you removed earlier. Be sure to rotate  swivel unit out of the way for the one screw. Once the screws are in, it is time to reassemble the your sidekick.

20. Prepare the Sidekick LCD screen assembly for installation. Make sure the spring unit is rotated as shown below. Fail to follow this step can cause the screen not to flip properly. If it is not aligned as shown, rotate spring assembly until it is.image thumb13 Fix a White LCD Screen on Your Sidekick 21. Rotate the LCD assembly until in the half flipped position and install in base unit. See picture in step 4 for the proper angle to install. Once installed, slowly release the screen and allow to flip into position.

22. Rotate the LCD screen on the Sidekick to the half flipped position and install the two screws removed in step 3 and tighten them down.

23. Test the flip action of your phone. It if doesn’t work right, remove screen and go back to step

24. Once the flip action is working, it is time to reinstall the battery and back cover.

25. Power up your Sidekick and see if the screen is fixed.

Don’t be discouraged if it does not work the first time.  It took me a few times when I was trying out this procedure.

If it doesn’t work after a few times, then you should replace the LCD screen on your Sidekick .

They run about 30 to 40 dollars and are easy to replace.

Check the following links to see the availability of LCD screens for your Sidekick.

Sidekick 3 LCD Screens for Sale

Sidekick II (2) LCD Screens for Sale

Sidekick ID LCD screens for Sale (These are rarely available)

Remember steps 3 and 4, well that’s the procedure for replacing the Sidekick LCD Assembly on a Sidekick 3, Sidekick II, or a Sidekick ID.

Originally posted 2008-11-05 22:28:39.

Sidekick 2009 Rumors

So it looks some possible data about the Sidekick 2009 (real imaginative their T-mobile and DangerSoft) has been uncovered.  Thanks to HipTop3.com for the information and the picture.image and info about sidekick 2009

The codename for this is seems to be The blade.  I Think this is looking pretty good at the moment.  I am glad there is no mention about a touch screen.  The Sidekick Software is intuitive enough.

Some of the new key features are:

- Facebook

- Twitter

- YouTube Mobile Access via browser

- GPS Location Based Search

- Turn by Turn Navigation

- Microsoft Live Local Search and Maps

- Blog publishing, editing, and management client

- Microsoft Outlook/Exchange synchronization

- Large (3.2 inch WVGA) screen with sharp 854×480 resolution

- Thin design

- 3.2 megapixel camera with autofocus, flash and video recording

Finally, You Tube on your Sidekick!! It’s about time.  It is one the most requested thing people ask about.

No idea yet about when it is coming out.  I imagine early summer time.

Stay tuned!

Originally posted 2009-01-30 23:27:39.

Fix The Backlight on Your Sidekick

So has the backlight on your Sidekick stopped? Can you see the image on the Sidekick LCD screen but it is really dark? 

I am sorry to be the bearer of bad news, but more than likely the backlight on your sidekick has blown out.  Don’t panic! It’s not the end of the world or your sidekick.

Before going off and getting a new Sidekick, there are a few things you should try to do first.

Make sure the backlight settings are on.

To adjust the backlight settings for the Sidekick 2008 or the Sidekick LX:

  1. From the Jump screen, press MENU  then select Settings > Battery & Display.
  2. Highlight, then select the Brightness slider to open it for editing. Roll the TRACKBALL right to increase brightness; roll the TRACKBALL left to decrease brightness. After you’ve made the adjustment, press the TRACKBALL to exit edit mode.
  3. Select the length of time you want backlighting to stay on from the Dim after pop-up menu.
  4. To use the device’s light meter while the backlight is on, select the Use ambient light sensor check box.
  5. Press JUMP  to return to the Jump screen and save your settings.

To adjust the backlight settings for the Sidekick Slide:

  1. From the Jump screen, press MENU  then select Settings > Battery & Display.
  2. Highlight, then select the Brightness slider to open it for editing. Roll the TRACKBALL right to increase brightness; roll the TRACKBALL left to decrease brightness. After you’ve made the adjustment, press the TRACKBALL to exit edit mode.
  3. Select the length of time you want backlighting to stay on from the Dim after pop-up menu.
  4. To use the device’s light meter while the backlight is on, select the Use ambient light sensor check box.
  5. Press JUMP  to return to the Jump screen and save your settings.

To adjust the backlight settings for the Sidekick 3

  1. From the Jump screen, press MENU  then select Settings > Battery & Display
  2. In the second group box, select the Turn on backlight when using device check box.
  3. Highlight, then select the Brightness slider to open it for editing. Roll the TRACKBALL right to increase brightness; roll the TRACKBALL left to decrease brightness. After you’ve made the adjustment, press the TRACKBALL to exit edit mode.
  4. Select the length of time you want backlighting to stay on from the Turn off after pop-up menu.
  5. To use the device’s light meter while the backlight is on, select the Use ambient light sensor check box.
  6. Press JUMP  to return to the Jump screen and save your setting.

If you backlight settings are good, then the LCD backlight is burned out.

Follow these guides to replace them:

Sidekick LX LCD Replacement Guide

How to Replace a Sidekick 3 Screen  This guide also can be used for the Sidekick ID LCD Screen replacement or to put on a new Sidekick II LCD.

You can find replacement Sidekick screens at the following links:

Buy Sidekick LX LCD Screens

Buy Sidekick 3 LCD Screens

Buy Sidekick ID LCD Screens  Limited availability, check back often

Buy Sidekick II LCD Screens

I do not know of any good sources for Sidekick 2008 LCD Screens or Sidekick Slide screens.  I will update as I find a good source.

Originally posted 2008-10-19 20:59:56.