The Samsung Battery Conundrum: A Cautionary Tale of Swollen Batteries and DIY Fixes

In recent times, the issue of swollen batteries in Samsung phones has become a topic of great concern among users. The situation is so dire that even popular creators and tech enthusiasts have spoken out about their experiences with swollen batteries. However, I must say that my own Samsung phone, which I had thought was beyond repair due to its swollen battery, still works perfectly fine today.

My journey began when I decided to explore the possibility of fixing my phone's swollen battery issue. After conducting extensive research and gathering various components, I set out to create a DIY fix for my beloved device. My first step was to acquire a new battery, which I sourced from a reputable supplier. Next, I had to disassemble my phone to access the existing battery compartment.

As I began to work on the project, I realized that it wouldn't be an easy task. The process of soldering and wire-judging required great care and attention to detail, as any mistakes could have serious consequences for the phone's performance. Despite the challenges, I persevered and eventually managed to create a new battery holder and attach it to the phone's motherboard.

The next step was to create a protection circuit board that would regulate the power supply to the phone's components. This required me to add a + and – wire to the existing protection circuit, which utilized small ICs and components to cut off the battery power from the phone in case of an undervoltage or overvoltage event. I connected this new circuit to my lab bench power supply, set to 4.2V, and plugged it into the phone.

To my delight, the phone began to function correctly while being powered by the lab bench supply. However, I soon realized that even though we had a constant voltage source, the phone still thought it was running on a battery and would eventually shut down due to low power levels. This led me to explore alternative solutions that could trick the phone into thinking it was receiving power from the USB port instead of the battery.

I found an innovative solution by using a chopped-up USB cable, a chopped-up USB C cable, one MUR460 Diode, and a 5V power supply. By soldering these components together according to a simple wiring diagram, I created a device that would regulate the voltage supplied to the phone's components. The MUR460 Diode, which has a minimal voltage drop of 0.6V, reduces the 5V power supply voltage to a suitable level within the range of a real battery.

This method is effective because the diode only conducts current in one direction, preventing any charging current from flowing into the phone. As a result, the phone will trick itself into thinking it's receiving power from the USB port instead of the battery, effectively bypassing the swollen battery issue. The final step was to create two small holes in the phone's housing to guide the wires through and make the soldering and wiring more tidy.

In conclusion, my journey with the Samsung battery conundrum has been a wild ride, filled with twists and turns. From the initial struggle of finding a suitable replacement for the swollen battery to the final triumph of creating a DIY fix using a protection circuit board and a MUR460 Diode, it's been an adventure I will never forget. If you're facing similar issues with your old phone, I hope this article has provided you with valuable insights into how to tackle them. With a little creativity and perseverance, you can breathe new life into your device and keep it running smoothly for years to come.

The Phone as a Multi-Functional Device

One of the most exciting aspects of my DIY fix was experimenting with different uses for my battery-less phone. Without the burden of a swollen battery, I could finally use it as an alarm clock, universal remote, media player, digital photo frame, or even a baby monitor. The possibilities are endless, and I'm excited to explore each one in further detail.

As I delved deeper into the world of DIY electronics, I discovered that my phone can be used for a variety of tasks beyond its original purpose as a communication device. For instance, it can serve as an alarm clock, waking me up on time every morning with a gentle buzz or ringtone. Alternatively, it can be transformed into a universal remote control, allowing me to control my TV, air conditioner, and other devices with ease.

But the phone's capabilities don't stop there. I also used it as a media player, streaming music and videos from my computer or online services. The digital photo frame feature allows me to display a slideshow of my favorite memories on the device, creating a nostalgic and calming atmosphere. And for those who have young children, the phone can be repurposed as a baby monitor, providing peace of mind while your little one sleeps.

The Presence App: A Security Camera in Disguise

One of the most exciting applications I've discovered is using my battery-less phone with the Presence app to turn it into a kind of security camera. This feature allows me to create a recording when movement is detected and then upload the file so that I can immediately watch it from my current smartphone.

The process was surprisingly straightforward. I downloaded the Presence app on my phone, configured it according to the manufacturer's instructions, and waited for the device to detect motion. As soon as movement was detected, the app would create a recording and send it to my cloud storage account. I could then access the video feed from my smartphone, allowing me to keep an eye on my surroundings even when I'm not physically present.

The Presence app is an excellent example of how a device can be repurposed for different tasks and applications. By leveraging its advanced features and capabilities, we can create innovative solutions that go beyond their original intended use. This mindset of creative problem-solving and resourcefulness is essential for anyone looking to breathe new life into their old devices.

In conclusion, my journey with the Samsung battery conundrum has been an eye-opening experience, filled with discoveries and innovations. From creating a DIY fix using a protection circuit board and MUR460 Diode to repurposing the phone as a multi-functional device and security camera, it's been an adventure I will never forget. If you're facing similar challenges or simply looking for ways to breathe new life into your old devices, I hope this article has provided valuable insights and inspiration.

WEBVTTKind: captionsLanguage: enThis is a Samsung Battery from an old smartphonewhich yet has not swollen up.And I of course only say that because recentlymrwhosetheboss released a video in which heshowed that many of the batteries inside hisSamsung phones have swollen up.Other creators and users also came forwardto confirm this occurrence, others can notconfirm it, Samsung said they are lookinginto the subject and I am just sitting herelaughing about the memes while slowly realizingthat I have two old Samsung Smartphones sittingin a shelf waiting for their next adventure.The first one I got is a Galaxy S10E whichstill works perfectly fine and as you cansee does not feature the swollen battery problemyet.The second one is a Galaxy S7 whose back coverI removed in an attempt to find out why itdoes not turn anymore after I tried chagingit up with a badly made mains voltage inverter.By the way this is also the battery from thebeginning and sadly this phone is beyond myrepair capabilities because it seems likeone or more tiny ICs are busted.But anyway I still want to save my S10E fromthe swollen battery disaster and my idea hereis to basically get rid of the battery andmodify the phone in a way that it can be poweredwithout one and let me stop you right there,simply powering the phone through the USBport does not work and only locks it up inan endless boot up loop.Now I think such a power supply operated phonedoes not only obviously avert the batteryproblem; but it can still be used for varioususeful applications which I will tell youabout later.For now though let's get started with thebuild.This video is sponsored by Keysight and theirKeysight World Innovate event.By following the link in the video descriptionyou not only get the chance to win a mug orshirt; but you also get to enjoy awesome presentationsby technology experts about subjects like5G, 6G, Quantum Technology, AI and Electricand autonomous vehicles.If that sounds interesting to you then don'tmiss out and click the link below.To start off; I of course firstly had to removethe back cover of my phone and for that Ipowered up my hot air station in order toheat up the edge area of the cover and thusthe adhesive that holds everything together.Once everything felt nice and toasty, I openedup my precision tools box to grab a suctioncup, opener tools and some spatula like triangles.With the suction cup I tried lifting the coverup while inserting an opener tool; but sincethat didn't really worked out for me I eventuallyused a flathead screwdriver.With that in place I was able to insert thetriangles and work my way around the phonesedges but I was too impatient and thus usedso much force that I broke a bit of the glasscover.Definitely not a pretty sight; but it taughtme that I should maybe more carefully followan IFixIt guide for such a phone repair.But luckily for me replacement covers do existand thus I continued this modification journeyby removing all the small Phillips screwsso that I can take out the upper cover whichis our coil for the wireless charging andthe lower cover.And I was pleased to find out that in thisstate my phone still worked fine except forthe charging capability which was paused duetoo low temperatures.Needless to say the temperature was not theproblem here but instead the missing wirelesscharging coil which apparently also gets usedvia those 7 pins to additionally measure thetemperature of the phone.So after remounting it, the charging onceagain worked flawlessly and this fact is definitelysomething that we should keep in mind forlater.Moving on though, after once again removingthe coil cover, I this time also unpluggedthe battery from the phone.To get it completely out of there though Ihad to fill up a pipette with isopropanoland slowly drip that behind the battery sothat the adhesive can soften a bit and I cansuccessfully lift it all out.And I do not want to brag here but that workedout almost perfectly in my opinion, whichis maybe because I tried this before withmy busted phone.But anyway like I said at the beginning simplypowering the phone now through USB power isnot possible because no matter what I triedthe phone was always stuck in an endless bootup loop.No, instead we still need to power it throughthe battery connector; but no longer witha battery but instead a 5V USB power supplywhich I think everyone has lying around somewhere.The only problem is that directly solderingto this connector is definitely not easy andI would like to avoid that if possible.So instead I removed the plastic wrappingfrom the original battery, got rid of anotherplastic enclosure and desoldered the one remainingbattery tap from the PCB that comes with thedesired battery connector.By the way this board is in fact the protectioncircuit for the battery which utilizes smallICs and components to basically cut off thebattery power from the phone if there is anundervotlage or overvoltage event or if thereis too much current flowing.So what I did next with it was adding a +and – wire to it which I then hooked upto my lab bench power supply that was setto 4.2V.Since my Samsung Battery works with a voltagebetween 4.4V and 3.5V, 4.2 lays in the middleand thus will hopefully work just fine.I mean the protection circuit seems to acceptit because I was measuring this voltage rightat the battery connector.So I plugged this protection board into thephone, hooked up my lab bench power supplyand prayed for the best while holding downthe power button and eventually the phonereally started up and functioned correctlywhile getting powered by my lab bench powersupply, awesome.But my initial excitement faded quickly onceI realised that the battery level monitoron the phone still droped over time even thoughI powered the system with a constant voltagesource.What I think happens with modern phones isthat the phone only monitors the battery voltageat the start up and through that determinesthe current battery % stage which then dropsdepending on how much current and thus powerthe phone requires while running.This theory got confirmed by me when I poweredthe phone with 3.5V at which point the phonesaid that the battery was about to die andit then also pretty quickly turned itselfoff.That basically means that even though we gota constant voltage source that could theoreticallypower the phone forever, the phone still thinksa battery powers it and thus it will shutoff eventually which I do not want meaningwe need to do some trickery.For that all we need is a chopped up USB cable,a chopped up USB C cable, one MUR460 Diodeand like I said before a 5V power supply thatcan obviously output close to 5V and at least2A, but a bit more is always better.So I soldered all the components to one anotheraccording to this simple wiring diagram inorder to create this beauty, plugged in thebattery connector, reattched the wirelesscharging coil, plugged in the USB C plug andultimately powered everything.And as you can see the phone starts up justfine and this time it will keep charging itselfup so that the battery level will never dropcompletely and thus it will never shut down.This works because of the MUR460 Diode whichcomes with a minimal voltage drop of 0.6Vwhich goes up to about 1V at a 2A currentflow.Because of that the 5V power supply voltagewill get reduced to a suitable voltage withinthe voltage range of a real battery and sincethe diode only conducts current in one directionthere will be no charging current flowingbut it will trick the phone to mostly getpowered through the USB port instead of thebattery.This method should be suitable if you askme and if you are worried right now that thephones USB port might activate quick chargingwhich utilizes 9V and thus could potentiallydestroy everything, then let me tell you thatthe phone would need the USB data lines todo so which I of course cut beforehand.That means the last things for me to do herewas to create two small holes in the phoneshousing to guide the wires through, make thesoldering and wiring a bit more tidy, reconnecteverything, close everything up and finallyenjoy my battery less phone.And if you are asking yourself what to dowith such a phone then let me tell you thatyou can use it as an alarm clock, universalremote, media player, digital photo frame,or maybe a baby monitor.For me though I really wanted to use it withthe Presence app to turn it into a kind oflike security camera which as you can seemakes a recording when movement is detectedand then uploads the file so that I can immediatelywatch it from my current smartphone.With that being said I hope I gave you someideas what to do with your old phone so thatit will not fall victim to the swollen batteryproblem.If you enjoyed it then consider supportingme through Patreon to keep the show going.As always don't forget to like, share, subscribeand hit the notification bell.Stay creative and I will see you next time.