Whirlpool

It's probably my fault due to dust, etc, but my "arrow down" joystick function isn't working anymore.

I've called sony, who have quoted me a stupid price to check it, so I am wondering what other options I have?

I have the exact same issue - have flashed mine to W800 Software aswell, so no warranty job for me!

What price were you given? I also need a new ear speaker, any ideas total cost to have this repaired?

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Ben

yeah my joystick is dead 2:( stupid fones

do what i did, open it up yourself and clean it with an airgun and CRC.

i fixed my T610 joystick last night this way, and even though its still not working perfectly, its better than before

I got the joystick of my old K700i replaced for $70 with a 6 month warranty from Phonetec so it would probably cost about the same i guess.

I fixed my K700 joystick (they're the same as the K750) using some solvent and an ear dropper. The joystick module is that small and there isn't that much of a gap to spray/insert some cleaning solvent into the contact switch, so one has to be very careful.

I was quoted $45 to replace my joystick but the repairer ended up advising me to use some cleaning lubricant as he felt the contacts inside the switch were sticky. I'm surprised it actually worked. Actually I was more surprised he was honest:)

one-dev writes...

Actually I was more surprised he was honest:)
LOL, ok for those that opened their phone - any tips?

one-dev writes...

I fixed my K700 joystick (they're the same as the K750) using some solvent and an ear dropper.

What sort of solvent would that be?

nailpolish remover?

Whats the easiest way to open it in the first place? Any guides online?

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Ben

bikeboy writes...

What sort of solvent would that be?

Initially I was going to buy a commercial spray can of contact switch solvent like CRC from DSE but I wasn't too sure how to get the stuff inside the switch.

So I had some liquid hydrocarbons lying around in the garage (also called paint thinners, could also use wax & grease remover) and used an ear dropper to pour a tiny drop into each side of the joystick.

Move the joystick up/down and side to side to make sure the stuff gets inside. Let it dry for a couple of minutes before reassembling.

I didn't think it was going to work but miraculously it did. Actually almost like brand new.

Edit: I should post a picture of the joystick with arrows to show where to apply.

Here's the link for the Joystick Module

Various brands of cleaning solvents for switches
CRC Switch Cleaner Lubricant
Contact Cleaner Lubricant Spray Can
Electrolube - Electrolube Brochure

Ben S writes...

Whats the easiest way to open it in the first place? Any guides online?

There are 2 screws on the bottom when you remove the battery & sim card. Unscrew these and run a credit card or similar along the opening to the top (along each side) and it "should" pop open, and give you access to the joystick, board etc.

Cheers.

You guys are mad, I wouldnt buy any joystick unless it had a CH-PRODUCTS sticker on it!

what the i rang up the sony ericsson service centre about my joy stick problem and they said they will fix it for me under warranty but i ended up not bringing it in because the joy stick all of a sudden started working just fine like it has no problems the day after

i own the sony ericsson k750i

Mark ...... writes...

I've called sony, who have quoted me a stupid price to check it

Apologies for the stupid question but I am assuming this means it is out of warranty?

I only ask because my joystick was playing up so i took it to an authorised repair centre while under warranty and it came back good as new; pain in the arse to wait 6 business days but its trouble free, and literally free thanks to warranty.

If your 'arrow down' joystick function doesn't work at all, then it might not be dust and it might be some other fault in the electronics themselves, if you dont want to tinker yourself then perhaps check a few repair shops for quotes.....

random_guy writes...

Actually, it's not out of warranty! (assuming 12 months warranty is normal)

pain in the arse to wait 6 business days but its trouble free,
My problem is that 6 days is just too long to do without it.. though I suppose I might be able to put up with a loaner from someone!

Yup same here.. everything works fine, just the down joystick is dodgey...

if the phone is under warranty (standard 12 months) then any fault with the phone should be repaired for free under this warranty....assuming of course that you haven't dropped it repeatedly or spilt some random stuff on it.

Check with Sony for an authorised repair centre, and go from there. (When I rang I simply said the joystick seemed to work irregularly, among other problems, and they sent me to the repair shop.)
The repair did take a while but was worth it for the end result; interestingly the shop didn't even have any loaners to hand out, kinda stupid for their line of work if you ask me.

you will of course need proof of purchase to claim warranty.

good luck.

ive had the same problem, but its only at random. everything will be working fine,then all of a sudden the right direction or down down work for a few days but then after few days everything back to normal. mine seems to be tempremental

chris writes...

yeah my joystick is dead 2:( stupid fones

Luckily I found out how unreliable these phones are very early in the peace.

Got to get something different before I lost money on them.

I have same problem with my K700i. At first it was just the down randomly not working. Got to the point were the phone was almost usable. So I pulled it apart, gave it abit of a clean and it worked for a month or so. Then is happened again, but this time it only worked for a couple of days. Now, up, left and right are also playing up. I will try the solvent and hope that it works.

mine was stuffed, brought it to a sony ericsson repair centre, they had it for a day and they replaced teh joystick on mine, works flawlessly now :D

Was it in warranty?? How much did it cost??

Ben S writes...

Whats the easiest way to open it in the first place? Any guides online?

--
Ben

here - forums.se-nse.net/index.php?showtopic=870

have opened up my k750/w800 phone couple of times now and it isn't rocket science so anyone can do it. All you need is a T9 screwdriver, and a letter opener knife or something thin and blunt.

To be honest, i don't think this solves the joystick issue. It only fixes temporarily and will come back to haunt you. I have opened it and 'fixed' it but the unresponiveness of the joystick will come back...

There are also a spare parts website for those interested in DIY fixing.

www.367net.com

This is a china website, try google probably other stores online =]

Dno-know writes...

Was it in warranty?? How much did it cost??

in warranty so free!

Sony Cat writes...

here - forums.se-nse.net/index.php?showtopic=870

The person went to all that trouble to dismantle a whole phone and he couldn't take off the joystick cap to show the module and just how bad of a design it is:)

To be honest, i don't think this solves the joystick issue.

The issue with these joysticks behaving badly is due to a design fault and/or dirty contacts within the switch. The plastic joystick which sits above the module sits too low to effectively lever the arm. If it was positioned higher, you would be surprised how easy it is to navigate.

This can be done on the K700 series since there's enough room between the cover and the joystick (which I have done to my phone). And most ppl who use my phone find the navigation surprisingly responsive. It's a cheap design imo, probably costs SE a buck forty to manufacture:)

im not sure if this has been rasied but if you turn on keypad tone, i find that even though i press the joystick there is a tone (i.e phone thinks a buttons is pressed) but it doesnt navigate anywhere in the menu.

mine too really not happy with service from telstra & sony

I get the same problem with my k750i.
I've been meaning to take it back to the shop to get repaired (It's still under warranty)

It's a shame as I think it's a great phone plagued by joystick issues. (This coming from someone who loved the nokia N-Gage so my opinion may not count around some parts LoL)

random_guy writes...

you will of course need proof of purchase to claim warranty.

good luck.

Hmm... I'm not sure whether I've got a receipt as such for my phone - If I'm still on contract with a network, would it be possible for them to send me "proof of purchase"?

I'm having the same issue with my k800! The down motion takes a few taps to get it working. I'm never buying a joystick phone again.

Is it safe to just spray on the cleaning agent? The gap seems to be a bit small :-S

antler writes...

Is it safe to just spray on the cleaning agent?

Try canned compressed air, you should be able to get one from Dickie Smith or Tandy.

Ben S writes...

I have the exact same issue - have flashed mine to W800 Software aswell, so no warranty job for me!

can't you reflash back to k750i?? :P

how will they find out?

HooD writes...

You guys are mad, I wouldnt buy any joystick unless it had a CH-PRODUCTS sticker on it!

hahahaha - thats really funny :))))))))

Dno-know writes...

Got to the point were the phone was almost usable.

Isn't that... good?

Okay, I had the same thing with my k750i; the joystick got worse over time. I had to start pushing it harder and more often to get it to respond.

I've also dropped it in a glass of water and had it fill up with sand from the beach.

Eventually the joystick stopped working completely.

To fix this all I did was pull the phone completely apart, sprayed some hydrocarbons into a mug, used a nail to "scoop" some of the liquid up (with the nailhead of course), drop it on the joystick unit and wiggle the joystick around so the liquid would make it's way into the unit.

I did this about 6-7 times and let the phone dry for a few hours.

When I turned the phone back on the joystick didn't work at first. But after about a minute of pushing it, it started to work (somewhat).

After about 5 minutes it was working perfectly.

Thought I'd just share the story with you all. Hope it helps.

ajaddison writes...

Okay, I had the same thing with my k750i; the joystick got worse over time. I had to start pushing it harder and more often to get it to respond.

I've also dropped it in a glass of water and had it fill up with sand from the beach.

Eventually the joystick stopped working completely.

To fix this all I did was pull the phone completely apart, sprayed some hydrocarbons into a mug, used a nail to "scoop" some of the liquid up (with the nailhead of course), drop it on the joystick unit and wiggle the joystick around so the liquid would make it's way into the unit.


Thanks for this posted. Sorted me out in no time. Got the trusty Mentholated Spirits out and a really thin straw. Like the ones on WD40 cans. Use it to measure out a small amount of metho by putting it in the metho then putting my finger on the top end. I then released the metho on the top of the joystick and pushed it heaps till the metho worked it's way in. Repeated for 30 mins while reading online forums about stuff. No effort needed. Dried it out with a can of air. Put it together and it works a treat. I looked at the residue coming out of the bottom of the switch with a 35x eyepiece and you could see all the bits of skin... YUK !