How can I fix a Palm Treo with no sound?

Answer 1

This applies to the Palm Treo 700p but the same problem happens to various other Treo models so I suspect the same approach can be taken for other model numbers. Symptoms: For no apparent reason, my Palm Treo 700p suddenly lost sound when I tried to make a call. I couldn't hear a dial tone or my own voice and nor could my wife when she answered her phone. I noticed that the phone did dial normally, and the speakerphone as well as sounds in other applications seemed to work fine, so I assumed I either had a software/phone glitch or my phone service provider was having system problems. The Fix: Since I bought my Treo on Craigslist pre-flashed for the MetroPCS Network I couldn't get a new one under warranty so I surfed the web and learned that many people recommended plugging in the headseat cable a couple of times. At first this didn't do anything for me, but after about five times I did get sound in the headset but not on the phone once I took it off. This confirmed to me that the problem was ear jack related. Another web suggestion was to open the Treo and resolder the ear jack ends because they're prone to breakage. This worked for me and this is how I did it: First, take out the battery. Next, you'll need a very small torx screwdriver to open the cover screws on the phone. I couldn't find one small enough even at Radio Shack so I used a slotted 1.4 mm precision screwdriver between the torx head teeth and got the screws off that way. There's a screw behind the stylus and another just under the antenna (beneath the rubber cap) then about six more around the battery/phone frame. Remove the antenna (it comes off easyly) and begin prying apart the case carefully from the antenna end (press in the sides where they clip together to free the molded clips). Then remove the back case from the phone (be careful clearing the phone jack end). You'll see the headset jack in plain view now. I didn't notice anything unusual about mine (it seemed soldered okay and all was tight) so I blasted the whole inside of my phone with a can compressed air to clean out any foreign debris (mine had a few peices of dry leaves inside). Next I checked the jack area carefully. Like I said, it looked soldered fine but I could see the gold ends of the jack sitting on the solder spots but not covered-over in solder. I wondered if this might be causing a bad connection by laying on solder resign more than actual solder so I got out my solder iron with a pointy nib and the skinniest solder wire I had and soldered a tiny dab of solder on each end of the earphone jack (only on the circuit board). Then I cleaned out the earjack area with a sewing needle and blew more compressed air. I wasn't if sure this was over-kill, but hey, might as well be thorough right? Next, I put together the phone and turned it on. Not only did I get my dial tone back and could hear my own voice, but I could even hear a faint blimp as I jumped around the application options that I never noticed before. My wife could also hear me speaking and I could hear her fine. A very satisfying outcome indeed! I'm still not sure if re-soldering the ends of the earpiece jack did the trick or maybe just cleaning out the phone with compressessed air was what was needed (maybe dust build-up around the earphone jack causes trouble), or perhaps having the battery out for an hour did trick. Whatever the case, this worked for me. Good luck.