Question Android Fizzle

[BruceJohnJennerLawso]

So I recently had an android device let me down big time.

I had a Galaxy Tab 7.9 that I was using to collect data via images for a microscope lab (igneous petro), which decided to suddenly stop responding after the battery was drained (ie I plugged it into the wall to charge, but no response of any kind.) I checked online, and the best option seemed to be to pull the battery and plug it back in, pretty standard.

I pried the back casing off with a knife, pulled the battery, plugged it back in, and the device started up again. Just when I thought I was home free though, I discovered that I could type in my pin on the screen to unlock it, but I couldnt press ok to unlock beathead: why me?). After some inspection, I discovered that the knife I used had punched a tiny hole in one of the ribbon cables that ran near the edge of the device, which I am guessing was probably one of the data feeds from the touchscreen to the rest of the device. I had maybe a 1/100 shot of hitting the thing, but Murphys law seems to hate me with a vengeance lately.

This is ty, but the bigger issue is that I cant get access to the images I took on the device to finish my lab. I can plug it into a pc, but the android MTPs for both Linux and Windows 7 cant connect to the file system without the tablet being unlocked by the pin, which I cant type in since the touch inputs are damaged.

:facepalm:

Does anyone know if there is a way to bypass the pin code and get at the files on the device directly? This probably wouldnt be much of a problem if the data was on an sd card, but I think the tablets storage is some other type of internal storage.

 

[Artlav]

-Does rotating it make the button appear in a different place?
-Can you fix the ribbon?
-Try attaching a USB keyboard to it (there are special keyboards for tablets and USB->microUSB adapters), and pressing "enter".
-Try changing/removing the SIM card (why is there a PIN on a tablet at all? Is it from the SIM card or something else)?

 

[BruceJohnJennerLawso]

-Does rotating it make the button appear in a different place?

The rotation is fixed in the settings unfortunately.

-Can you fix the ribbon?

Not sure. The ribbon is a pretty typical cable, I can see the connections as very fine lines in it, but its way too fine for me to solder or anything like that.

clarification, the kind of cable that got damaged is like this:

and not like this:

(which is too bad, cause I could definitely repair the second type of cable)

Its about half a cm wide I think. Maybe I could bring the edges together, drop a tiny bit of solder on it, and hope for a miracle?

-Try attaching a USB keyboard to it (there are special keyboards for tablets and USB->microUSB adapters), and pressing "enter".

I have a bluetooth keyboard, might give it a try, but its difficult enough to convince it to connect when the tablet was working properly.

Do any exist that can connect directly through the hardware port?

-Try changing/removing the SIM card (why is there a PIN on a tablet at all? Is it from the SIM card or something else)?

I dont think it has a SIM card, it doesnt have data or anything like that, but maybe the pin code could be stored in it? (better than nothing I guess). The pin is just a 4 digit passcode set in the android settings for security purposes.

Is there no way to just force my way into the data while its tethered to a PC using some application or something like that? Or even better, what exactly does the internal storage on these things look like, is it some sort of tiny solid state hard drive?

 

[Artlav]

I dont think it has a SIM card, it doesnt have data or anything like that, but maybe the pin code could be stored in it? (better than nothing I guess). The pin is just a 4 digit passcode set in the android settings for security purposes.

A 4-digit PIN strongly suggests a SIM card is present.
There should be a slot with SIM written on it near the microsd slot.
Try that first, since it's the simplest solution if it's in there.

Not sure. The ribbon is a pretty typical cable, I can see the connections as very fine lines in it, but its way too fine for me to solder or anything like that.

FPC/flatflex cable.
You can try buying a new one.
Here is a big supplier in Minnesota, USA:
http://www.digikey.com/product-search/en/cable-assemblies/flat-flex-cables-ffc-fpc/1573426

Delivery to Russia takes a week, so i hope they can get it to Canada in a few days.

Its about half a cm wide I think. Maybe I could bring the edges together, drop a tiny bit of solder on it, and hope for a miracle?

If all else fails, try it.
Make sure the lines aren't shorted together by the hack - that would kill it for good.

Do any exist that can connect directly through the hardware port?

Plenty. I was talking about that one, not a bluetooth one.
Try the nearest $1.50 store.

Is there no way to just force my way into the data while its tethered to a PC using some application or something like that?

Yes, it's called Odin.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1738841
EDIT: Wrong Odin link, here is the Galaxy Tab one:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/show....php?t=1520859

You can brick the device with a single false move, and you would still need to decode the raw filesystem dump you get, which might need as little as a Linux machine.

Or even better, what exactly does the internal storage on these things look like, is it some sort of tiny solid state hard drive?

Inside, it would be something like that:

If you are lucky, the storage will be on a chip with pins.
Provided specialized equipment in $200 range you can read it off directly, and there should be software around the net to decode the FLASH scrambling, or you'll have to reverse-engineer your own.

If you are unlucky, then there will be something like that, which is a memory chip with the pins below it.
No probing that without a full EE lab.

---------- Post added at 22:03 ---------- Previous post was at 21:57 ----------

EDIT: Wrong Odin link, here is the Galaxy Tab one:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1520859

---------- Post added at 22:09 ---------- Previous post was at 22:03 ----------

EDIT2: Sounds like you need one of these:
http://www.digikey.com/product-sear...=1&stock=1&quantity=0&ptm=0&fid=0&pageSize=50

 

[Hielor]

A 4-digit PIN strongly suggests a SIM card is present.
There should be a slot with SIM written on it near the microsd slot.
Try that first, since it's the simplest solution if it's in there.

Using a 4-digit pin as the password to unlock your phone doesn't suggest a SIM card at all. It's just the password you put to unlock the device to discourage strangers from getting access to your stuff.

 

[BruceJohnJennerLawso]

Using a 4-digit pin as the password to unlock your phone doesn't suggest a SIM card at all. It's just the password you put to unlock the device to discourage strangers from getting access to your stuff.

The password didnt have to be 4 digits long (it could be longer), that just happened to be the length of the one I chose. Lazy passwording I know, but it happens

 

[Lmoy]

In the future, I recommend against using knives as phone-maintenance tools :lol:
Seriously though, why can't more phone manufacturers have removable batteries? They make everything so much easier.

 

[BruceJohnJennerLawso]

In the future, I recommend against using knives as phone-maintenance tools :lol:
Seriously though, why can't more phone manufacturers have removable batteries? They make everything so much easier.

Yeah, I wish I had had the proper tools on hand now.

In this case, the difficulty in getting at the battery is because the tablet has (was designed to have) a very thin profile, so a easy to access battery bay would probably make the tablet thicker overall.

But my real frustration is with android devices having aggravating tendencies like this (the original problem where the tablet refused to turn on without pulling the battery), but the hardware not being designed to make that easy at all. :chainsaw:

Forgive my ranting, but this side of Android really grinds my gears.

 

[Hielor]

On an entirely unrelated note, I have a Dell Venue Pro 8 and I'm very happy with it

 

[meson800]

Alternate solution, boot into recovery mode (how you get there depends on your device, for mine its shutting down the phone, then holding volume down + home button + power button).

I installed a custom recovery on my phone, so it has the option to mount the filesystem as accessible over USB. It depends on your stock recovery, but there should be something similar.

Best of all, most recoveries don't use the touchscreen, you use the volume up/down and home buttons to navigate.

 

[Cairan]

I have a venerable HTC Desire HD that I keep using after nearly 5 years, just because I can swap the battery easily on this sucker... That was THE ONE selling point AGAINST an iPhone x ... batteries are too important to be soldered into place.

 

[Quick_Nick]

Alternate solution, boot into recovery mode (how you get there depends on your device, for mine its shutting down the phone, then holding volume down + home button + power button).

I installed a custom recovery on my phone, so it has the option to mount the filesystem as accessible over USB. It depends on your stock recovery, but there should be something similar.

Best of all, most recoveries don't use the touchscreen, you use the volume up/down and home buttons to navigate.

Probably such an option isn't possible with stock firmware. I would even *hope* that files are intentionally inaccessible without passing the lockscreen.
And if it's not in the stock recovery, is installing a custom recovery even possible without wiping user data from the internal storage?

I would think using a USB keyboard/mouse is the best option for getting in.

 

[Artlav]

That was THE ONE selling point AGAINST an iPhone x ... batteries are too important to be soldered into place.

iPhone is even worse in that respect. In many devices with unremovable batteries it can still be swapped with minor disassembly.
In an iPhone, however, you have to take the whole phone apart front to bottom... and still be screwed, because the battery is superglued to the back case! So retarded.

Probably such an option isn't possible with stock firmware. I would even *hope* that files are intentionally inaccessible without passing the lockscreen.

That "lock" is just idiotproofing, so getting the files should be fairly easy with TWRP and Odin.
Unless i missed something and they actually encrypt the data partition now, which i have only seen done on big servers.

 

[Quick_Nick]

That "lock" is just idiotproofing, so getting the files should be fairly easy with TWRP and Odin.
Unless i missed something and they actually encrypt the data partition now, which i have only seen done on big servers.

It's not encrypted, sure. But by default there's probably no way to access internal storage other than through the OS. And flashing new recovery or OS to circumvent this may wipe or corrupt your files.

Again though, if it's half decently designed, USB mouse/keyboard really should work even on the lock screen...