Nokia phone faceplate change..... (1 Viewer)

[jeff morris]

Greetings!
I just got a Nokia 8260. Its a little mini one, really nice! clear as a bell and works everywhere!
So I went out and bought a custom faceplate for it, but I can't get the original off. It just will not come off. No way Also, the entire phone seemed to 'come apart' as I was trying to remove the faceplate. The older phones, you just pulled it off with the button pad and -pop- the new one went on.
So I put it all back together as it was, it still works fine.
Can anybody suggest where I might be able to have this done? I certainly don't want to screwup an excellent product out of my own stupidity by breaking it.
Thanks
jeff

 

[Peter Kim]

Jeff,
While I don't own a Nokia myself, I would suggest you visit www.howardforums.com. It's the most comprehensive cell phone website and forum that I'm familiar with, breaking down the forums using specific manufacturers. Look through the Nokia forum - I'm sure you'll be able to find answers from other members or from the great manufacturer's FAQ's.

 

[Peter Kim]

I just checked the Nokia forum on www.howardforums.com and looks like they have a Nokia modding section. Good luck!

 

[Tim Hoover]

I used to be a diagnostic tech for Nokia, and while I'm not up on the current models, maybe I can offer some help.
If the 8200 series is similar to earlier models, there should be a small tab on the top end of the phone. When you press this, the faceplate should swing away from the top and then you can pull it free from the bottom tabs.
Since it looks like it's trying to come apart, you are on the right track. The phone will not come apart by hand, you have to remove several tiny hex screws to disassemble it. Trust me on that one - I know how much abuse those things can take. All that remains is finding those little tabs...
Do not, under any circumstances, take any of the hex screws out. In some instances this can cause a flash failure, which results in your phone losing all of its software, not to mention the little microphone, tiny speaker, LCD module, and PCB spacer falling out all over the floor

 

[Chris Souders]

Jeff,

My nokia is the same model as yours and you cannot replace the faceplate. I got mine from Cingular and it uses their system. There is no tab at the top.

My friends same phone from Verizon does have the tab on the top and removable faceplate. If you are like me, the phone wasn't made to have a removable faceplate. Just cause it's the same model number doesn't mean it has the same abilities.

Return the one you bought?

Chris

 

[Earl J]

I have the same phone, jeff. On top of the phone is a colored tab that is the same color of the face plate. Push down the tab, pull back the face plate, and that's it. When I first tried to remove the face plate, I didn't push the tab down far enough so nothing happened.

 

[Gui A]

you need to take your 8260 to a shop. they'll do it for you. you can't do it yourself.

 

[jeff morris]

Tim -
you were correct!! the mic fell out- oopps:b
took a few minutes to figure were it sat.
there is a final screw under the antenna. Had to very carefully peel it off the upper casing and then there are 2 more screws at the top that holds the faceplate on. No tabs anywhere. This was pretty easy, working under a stereo microscope(i'm a MIC/RF engineer) it all came apart and went back together in a snap, no pun intended!
Thaks for the tips everyone. I really don't like to just thrash something apart without some sort of assy drawings or prior knowledge, and you were all very helpful.
jeff

 

[Gui A]

See Jeff, i did what you did. (well, except for the stereo microscope thing)
but my phone won't turn on anymore.
I think I may have lost all my contacts in there :frowning:
I'm hoping I did something wrong when putting it back.
I opened it because there were two lose screws inside, and after I tightened them, I thought everything was fine. But it's not.
and I had prior experience taking apart a 6160 too...

 

[Tim Hoover]

Well Jeff, you made me nervous. I was trying to convince you NOT to disassemble the phone but I'm glad everything worked out right. It's a bit strange how custom faceplates are sold that the consumer usually can't install themselves. Hmmm...do the companies that sell the faceplates also offer repair service?
Gui, I'll see if I can dig up any info on the 8200 series, but I can't promise anything. It's possible you had a flash failure, but hopefully it may be something simple. You'd probably be best off taking it to a (current) tech, or if you got a special offer, getting a new phone.
Now the 6100 series, that's my bread and butter. I still have a full set of schematics for those...