ifive mini 3 (non-retina) dead - help appreciated

[mr_mezz]

hi everyone,

i would appreciate any help to revive my ifive mini 3 tablet that i bought only about 1,5 weeks ago.

when i got the tablet i installed this rom, which i successfully used for the 1,5 weeks with no problems. now, two days ago i was using it normally, with not much load or apps open or anything, and the tablet suddenly froze, didn't respond to touch nor power button, and after a while the screen dimmed a bit and then quickly completely died. power button did nothing at this point, no matter how long i held it down.

well, i thought the flash was corrupt so i hooked it up with my pc to use the rkbatchtool and was able to see the device in pink when connected. however, trying to restore an image did nothing in a few tries (the software reported a failure). and shortly afterwards the tablet no longer was visible in rkbatchtool nor did windows make a sound when attaching the usb cable (as it did before). so now the tablet was completely dead. i have tried to recharge it overnight after this but it's still completely dead. did use other cables as well.

does anyone have any ideas what to try at this point to debrick the tablet, based on experiences with ifive or other rk1388 devices? i did see some video on another rk1388-device that required short-circuiting the nand chips, however the ifive case seems a bit tricky to open (and close neatly, i assume).

thanks for any help!

[rrileypm]

I have a ROM for this non retina tablet. I wouldn't hurt to try flashing it. Use the default settings.

I wish you luck, but simply crashing for no apparent reason sounds like a hardware failure.

I have the Mini3 Retina version...and still can't figure out how to get the case open without trashing the display.

Randy

[rob1s]

@rrileypm

IF his OS will recognize the device... then MAYBE it'll work.

@mr_mezz

I agree with rrileypm though. You can use different (included) software to flash his ROM, so it's worth a try. Probably your best bet to unbrick the device so far.

Pro tip: IF you manage to unbrick it, put the original ROM onto it and request a replacement. There's a good chance it's a hardware issue, which can repeat itself.

[mr_mezz]

hi, an update here that might also help anyone experiencing similar troubles - all hope is not lost (although your hardware may be prone to further failure): the method of short-circuiting the NAND chip described in this video worked for me and it didn't even erase anything. it just removed the tablet from the stuck state, the rom is intact as are my settings and apps.

you should, however take care while opening the case, i managed to break my screen digitizer and now that should be replaced, since touch input is completely messed up (display is intact though). anyone know where to get a new screen digitizer for the ifive mini 3?

i will try to run the current rom for a while, if i encounter some problems I will try the rileyrom. thanks for your support

[rob1s]

@mr_mezz


I don't think you can get separate screen digitizers for FNF tablets (or any other chinese tablets for that matter). You basically ruined your device, as far as I understand. Sorry that happened...

[mr_mezz]

hmm, well i wouldn't say that with 100% certainty - while it may be difficult to find one for this device they still seem to exist for a lot others: http://www.****.com/bhp/capacitive-digitizer and i also found one for fnf ifive mini2 http://www.actablet.com/replacement-...nch_p6983.html

so fingers crossed atm