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How to test hardware components?

I've been considering buying some faulty phones, finding what's wrong with them, buying replacement parts and repairing the device. I'm a comp Sci student and I think it'd be a lot of fun and a great learning experience and maybe I can resell them once they're repaired. However I'm not sure how to check the function of each individual hardware component. What software would I use to test the functionality of a smartphone’s SoC?

Thank you for your time

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I think it'd be a lot of fun and a great learning experience

Yes, it will be!

maybe I can resell them once they're repaired

Maybe…

A lot of faulty phones on the market are rabbit holes/basket cases. They usually have water damage or essentially unsolvable issues because they’ve been through a few cycles of troubleshooting via recyclers and whatnot. If you buy some phones directly from owners, you may have more success but that requires more work and effort.

You don’t really test the SOC…if the device boots then it works. If it doesn’t boot, then you almost always have another issue. SOC issues are uncommon. With enough devices, you essentially work through trial and error to see what components work and which ones don’t. Ideally, you have a good unit that can serve as a testbed.

There is a user on this Forum, @rdklinc. His name is John Bumstead and he recycles old A1181 MacBooks and has made a profitable business doing so. His secret is focusing on just one or a few models and finding lots of devices.

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4 Comments:

Thank you for your answer it has been helpful! How do you test the components if the phone doesn't boot?

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@bartybart

What I start with is put in a known working battery, and swap every part I can till it either works, or doesnt. Then i consult google

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Oh and given that a lot of faulty phones have unsolvable problems how would I go about finding ones with problems that can be fixed? Or is it just luck more or less and I just have to buy a few and accept that some of them won't be fixable?

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Unless you can find a good source of devices, like a local electronics store that is selling trade-ins, it's pretty much luck.

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Tobey B will be eternally grateful.
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