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6th generation Android smartphone designed by Google and manufactured by LG. Model LG-H790. Released October 2015.

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Screen is very dark, but the phone is functioning

Hi,

My Nexus 5X recently got wet. It was dismantled and dried and I installed a new battery. However, the screen occasionally goes very dark. When I dismantled it again and made sure everything was where it should be the screen became operational. However, this is becoming a daily issue. Does anyone know what the problem might be?

Thanks

Update (01/11/2017)

Hi, sorry for the late reply. Your response is very comprehensive!

When the phone got wet I disassembled it and let it dry for a couple of days. I was careful during this process using the appropriate tools. When I reassembled the phone it worked but the battery no longer held a charge. I ordered and then replaced the battery, again taking care (following the ifixit guide). It was at this point that the screen started to go blank or very faint i.e. you could see the notification popup but barely read the text. I then disassembled the phone and gave it a clean with alcohol wipes, let it dry and reassembled. That seemed to do the trick, but then the screen started going black at random intervals. It would also come back to life again for no apparent reason i.e. I did not attempt any fix, just left the phone alone for a while.

I'll have another go at opening the phone and giving it a good inspection looking for signs of corrosion. I might also opt to order a replacement screen to see if it's that.

Thanks

Answer this question I have this problem too

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So when you say you made sure everything was where it should be what does that mean? You must have done something to make it work right.

When the phone got wet, what did you do? Whenever a phone gets wet you should take the battery out immediately and disassemble the entire phone and clean it with either an ultrasonic cleaner or 99% isopropyl alcohol. There is a good chance you have corrosion on your logic board which is causing something to happen. If the screen got wet, the screen could be going bad as well.

Or when you disassembled the phone, you could have broken a flex cable and when you disassembled the phone you may have bent the cable or moved it just right so it works again. There are many unknowns in this situation, more information is required. And are you saying the phone is dimming to the point you can't see it or just a little bit? There is a sensor in the phone that handles the brightness. Do you have brightness set to auto? If you do, try shutting turning auto off, and see if it fixes, if it doesn't continue...

So, first explain what you did exactly, the more information the better. Then, disassemble the phone and use a magnifying glass or something with good light and see if you see any spots on the logic board. Some spots may be white, or looks corroded in any way. Also while you are there looks at the components on the logic board, you may not be able to see all of this the best as a microscope is normally used. If you see any components that have black all over them, or looks damaged in any way that could be your problem!

If you find corrosion, use a toothbrush and the 99% isopropyl alcohol and scrub the spot until it goes away. Be careful though, you don't want to break anything!

If this doesn't fix your issue I would say with the phone reassembled try the following. I am not sure how the display connects on this board, but if you can turn the phone on and try to move the display cable. Watch the display as you are doing it. If you are moving the cable and the display is doing something funky, your ribbon cable is broken and a new screen is required.

You could also try putting the logic board in a jar of silica gel and let sit for a few hours and see if that helps. I have never tried it though, but a lot of people say silica gel helps a lot!

Let us know how it turns out, I really think giving the board a good cleaning will help, and maybe even changing the brightness! Let us know the questions I asked as well, hopefully this is detailed enough for you! :)

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Chris Taylor will be eternally grateful.
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