Thread: Unresponsive touch screen after contact with water

Hi, my 1 year old HTC TyTN II had a unresponsive LCD screen after I tapped the screen with my wet hands. Just slight wet hands, i can be sure the whole device was not in contact with a lot of water. The phone worked fine until a few hours when I found the screen went unresponsive to both stylus and touch. I had attempted hard and soft reset, but the problem was still there. I even replaced the whole LCD screen with a new one i bought from e-bay!!
Everything else about the phone works perfectly except the LCD screen. Anyone has any idea what damage could be done to the phone to result in this?
I don't feel like sending it to a service center since I have already spent some money on the screen!!

1 year old, hmm do you still have warrenty on it? then you can get it repaired for free =)
In denmark we have 2 years warrenty on all electronic

but i'm afraid the warranty is void when i replaced the defective screen with a new one. I shouldnt have attempted it, but after I tried hard-reset on the phone, it was stuck with a welcome screen which says 'tap the screen to proceed'. I called up the service center, they said it would require screen replacement but I will need to wait for some time because they do not have the spare part right now. As i was in need of using the phone, and since they said it only requires a screen replacement, I decided to try it myself and see if it works.

What else could be damaged which could result in an unresponsive screen? I hope that I have purchased an authentic replacement screen from e-bay thou.hahahaha

You keep saying "Screen". What exactly did you purchase & install? All Touchscreen devices have 2 screens: 1} LCD Screen & 2} Digitizer Screen. The Digitizer is responsible for the touch capability. If you replaced the LCD; then you replaced the wrong one.
-If you replaced the Digitizer screen & it stll isn't working, then there may be a problem with the connections. In which case, you just need to open it up again & check all the connection. Also check all the ribbon cables. Ribbon cables are very delicate & can be easily damaged. Many people have created more problems by damaging the Ribbons while repairing their devices. Ribbon cables which are subject to movement {ie. sliders or flips} are even more suseptible to damage & can break on their own after a period.
-Another problem may be that the part you purchased is defective. In which case review the seller's return policy.

It is the LCD screen with the digitizer. I'm not sure if i have damaged anything while trying to crack the phone open.
I guess I''l have to send the phone over to HTC service center for troubleshoot. Cant care much about the money can I? I'll update u guys when i hear anything from HTC. Hope that me trying to replace the screen myself would not void my warranty.
Thanks guys

Sorry; I forgot to say so earlier: You DID void your warranty. HTC places a "Void" sticker over at least one screw so that they can tell if the device has been opened by anyone other then an authorized service center. This is not to say that they won't fix it; but they will charge you for any repairs they must perform.

You stated that the LCD is not working; Is that to say that the picture is not coming on at all or just the digitizer isn't working?

If the picture is not showing up then it is either a loose/faulty connection, or the Ribbon that connects the keyboard to the LCD is bad or has a loose connection. The ribbon that connects the base with the LCD is subjected to a lot of abuse because it has to move everytime you slide your device open. I would recommend checking it fo "breaks" in the wires. This can be done by looking at it with a light behind it {like looking at a film slide}. If there are any breaks or tears {even the smallest}, then the cable needs replacing. Also be sure to check that each connection is 100% secure as you reassemble the device. And make sure that you replace any & all Mylar tapes to ensure that there are no "Arcs". Pay particular attention to the 'press-in' connectors {be sure the whole thing is pressed in completely}. These are the most common problems that people experiance when repairing their own devices. The most important part of it all is patience. Take your time & make sure to handle everything with the utmost care.

As far as the money you spent on the replacement set; you can either contact the seller & see if they offer refunds, or you can try to resell it on eBay.

hey, i thought it was the digitizer problem, as the screen is not responsive to touch, but the display is fine. Sent it for diagnostics finally, and was told the rigid flex board is defective. what is a rigid flex board anyway?

The Rigid flex board is a thin "Ribbon Cable" that connects the internal components together. It is called a "Rigid Flex Board" instead of "Flex Cable" or "Ribbon Cable" because it is a lil' stiffer then a standard flex cable. It's also much larger in area {usually witdh wise}, & does not exist where components are moving. Flex cables exist in Slider & flip devices that require the cable to move freely, whereas the Flex Boards are used in 'Candy Bar' devices.

This is what i was talking about in the earlier post. Many people damage the flex cable when they disassemble the device because they are not careful enough. Not too say that you were not careful; but these 'Boards' are delicate & break or tear quite easily. The 'Board' is attached to the housing by means of a 3M double-sided adhesive. If you happened to pull or flex the cable just right, then it's quite possible that you you may have damaged it when you replaced the water shocked screen. But from your original post; your problem was a dead digitizer, the flex problem was an after effect.