HMD Pulse Vibration Motor Replacement

Written By: Spencer Day

Comments: 5

Difficulty

Moderate

Steps

Time Required

30 - 45 minutes

Introduction

Follow this guide to replace the vibration motor in your HMD Pulse smartphone.

If the vibrations coming from your phone feels rattly or are intermittent, you might need to replace the vibration motor.

Tools

Parts

Tesa 61395 Tape

Step 1

Let your phone's battery drain below 25% before starting this repair. A charged lithium‑ion battery may catch fire if damaged.
Unplug all cables from your phone and completely power it down.

Step 2

Firmly press a SIM eject tool, bit, or straightened paper clip into the SIM card tray hole on the left edge of your phone until the tray ejects.
Remove the SIM card tray.
During reassembly, use the tray's markings to orient and reinsert it properly.

There is a SIM eject tool inside the cap of the screwdriver that comes with the iFixit kit.

James Huggett -

I see descriptions of how to handle this or that (by the way, pushing in the tool, a matching pin or wire aso. wouldn't work, I had to bend some wire to form kind of a soft hook to fish the tray out - which worked very, very slowly, until ... the plastic part leaped out and off into somewhere: I can't find it anymore). But what about spare parts??

So, I got a brandnew HMD Pulse, now WITHOUT card tray, thus with no chance at all to activate it.

I contacted two support teams (hmd.com by chat, hmdglobal.ctdi.eu by contact form) and sent a message to store.ifixit.de. So far, I have been unable to find out even if a replacement SIM-card tray for this phone model is available at all. It's a mess that the loss of that little plastic thing, apart from its functional necessity worth just a few Cents, turns my new phone into a useless piece of hazardous, just recyclable waste, and my expense for it into a mere loss. If spare parts are that hard to get (or not even provided?), sustainability seems an illusion. Or a hoax??

Felix -

First problem luckily disappeared: I found the SIM card tray. Now I'm struggling with a different problem ,which has nothing to do with repair, only with Android. But my wish remains: to learn thet ALL losable parts are available as spare parts, and easy to discover. Yet, for here and now, bye.

Felix -

Step 3

Insert the tip of an opening pick between the back cover and frame, at the SIM card tray cutout.

Insert the pick between the glass screen and the side of the phone.

James Huggett -

Step 4

Position the opening pick straight down and slide it along the left edge to begin unclipping the back cover.

Step 5

Continue sliding the pick around the perimeter of your phone until the back cover is fully unclipped.
The corners can be tricky to unclip and may take some force. If you're having trouble, try prying up with the pick.
Don't try to fully remove the cover yet, as a delicate cable still connects it to your phone.

Step 6

Carefully flip your phone over so the back cover is facing up.
Lift the back cover off the frame and flip it over the left edge of your phone, laying the cover flat on your work surface.
Be very careful not to strain the back cover's delicate cable.
During reassembly, place the back cover onto the frame and firmly squeeze around the perimeter to reengage all the clips.

Step 7

Be very careful not to puncture the battery with your screwdriver.
Use a Phillips screwdriver to remove the nine 3.6 mm‑long screws securing the motherboard cover.
The screw near the center of the top edge is covered by a sticker. Pierce through it with your screwdriver, or use tweezers to remove it.

Step 8

Insert an opening pick between the right edge of the motherboard cover and frame.
Twist the pick to fully unclip the cover.

Step 9

Remove the motherboard shield and its connected graphite sheet.
During reassembly, set the motherboard shield into place and press down firmly around the perimeter to reengage the clips.

Step 10

Use the flat end of a spudger to pry up and disconnect the battery press connector from the bottom edge of the motherboard.
To reconnect these type of connectors, align the connector over its socket and press down with your fingertip—first at one side, then the other—until it clicks into place. Don't try to force the connector into place, or you may permanently damage it.

Step 11

Use the flat end of a spudger to pry up and disconnect the back cover press connector from the bottom edge of the motherboard.

Step 12

Remove the back cover.

Step 13

Be very careful not to puncture the battery with your screwdriver.
Use a Phillips screwdriver to remove the seven 3.6 mm‑long screws securing the charging board cover.
The screw near the center of the bottom edge is covered by a sticker. Pierce through it with your screwdriver, or use tweezers to remove it.

Step 14

Use your fingers to lift the bottom edge of the charging board cover until it unclips.
Remove the cover.

Step 15

Use the point of a spudger to pry up and disconnect the charging board cable press connector on the top edge of the board.

Step 16

Slide one arm of a pair of tweezers under the metal neck of the black antenna cable's connector head, near the center of the board.
Lift straight up to disconnect the cable.
To reconnect the cable, hold the metal head over its socket and press down with the flat end of a spudger—it should snap into place. If it's not connecting, reposition the head and try again.

Step 17

Use the point of a spudger to pry up and unclip the left and right edges of the charging board.

Alternatively insert a headphone jack into the socket and use this to lift out the board.

James Huggett -

Step 18

Remove the charging board.
During reassembly:
Make sure the interconnect cable is flipped up and the black antenna cable is routed through its groove on the right edge.
Set the charging board into its recess and press down on the edges to clip it into place.

Step 19

Insert the point of a spudger under the left side of the vibration motor (near the small notch) and pry it up.
If the motor isn't budging, use a pipette or syringe to apply a drop of isopropyl alcohol (>90%) under the motor to soften the adhesive.
Remove the vibration motor.
During reassembly, use a small piece of double-sided tape to secure the vibration motor to the frame.

Conclusion

To reassemble your device, follow these instructions in reverse order.

Take your e-waste to an R2 or e-Stewards certified recycler.

Repair didn’t go as planned? Try some basic troubleshooting, or ask our Answers community for help.

Author

Spencer Day

Member since: 14/09/22

88286 Reputation

HMD Pulse Vibration Motor Replacement

Introduction

Tools

Parts

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