Samsung Gear S3 Frontier Motherboard Replacement

Written By: William Hurty

Comments: 52

Samsung Gear S3 Frontier Motherboard Replacement

Difficulty

Moderate

Steps

Time Required

30 minutes - 1 hour

Introduction

Is your device completely unresponsive? Did all of the other troubleshooting and replacement guides not fix your problem? If so, there's a good chance your motherboard needs to be replaced. Follow this guide.

Tools

Step 1

Place the watch screen-down so that its back cover is showing.

Step 2

Remove the four 4.2mm screws with a Y00 screwdriver.

Y0 passte bei mir deutlich besser als Y00

Alex Fi -

Did you use iFixit tools? I just checked and I believe Y00 is correct. Y0 slips too easily. My test was with the Y bits from the Pro Tech Toolkit.

Nicholas Dudde -

I too had to use an Y0 screwdriver (from Ifixit 64 bit driver kit....). Y00 just don't grip, may be some batches of the watch used different screws??

regislefeuvre -

One screw just doesn't want to move, any suggestions/tips how to remove it?

Slartibartfast -

Problem solved: after 2 times of careful WD40 application and blunting the Y00 a bit it came of with a lot of patience.

Slartibartfast -

I also had a problem with one of the screws and flipping to Y0 worked for that one.

Jeff Lambert -

Yo use Y 0.6 y anduvo perfecto!!

Gustavo Zarate -

Yo use Y 0.6 y anduvo perfecto!!!

Gustavo Zarate -

The tool kit that came with my battery was a Y1.5 and worked perfectly

jnewsom22 -

Step 3

This step will ruin the water-proof seal.
Wedge the metal spudger in between the back cover and the frame along the seam.
Use force to pry the back cover away from the main watch frame.
This step requires a lot of force. You can use a Jimmy in place of a metal spudger to make the process easier.

Il est plus facile et moins domageable pour le joint de commencer par ouvrir le cache de connexion situé à coté de l’axe du bracelet long. On peut alors glisser la broche sans détériorer le joint, qui est plus éloigné du bord à cet endroit.

Yann Richet -

I’m pretty sure the seal is equally far away from the edge on all sides.

Nicholas Dudde -

This was the hardest part. I did use thin flat head screw to dismantle it. Using the metal spudger felt like impossible due to its thickness.

Mariusz -

Did using the screwdriver damage the case in any way? I’d recommend being careful using a tool with smaller surface area as that will apply more pressure at the point of entry. As the guide states, a Jimmy may also be used instead of the spudger.

Nicholas Dudde -

Anyone know where to buy the replacement gasket after breaking the seal between back cover and watch? Thanks.

Jyon -

Not sure if it's a gasket or some sort of sealant paste/gel. Just took my case off, and the gasket seems intact (fused to back cover of the watch. Quick search for waterproof sealant yielded lots of possibilities - don't know which one to choose. Can anyone with experience provide advice?

Alan Lawee -

most things I have seen online say use an RTV like permatex black sealant. pretty available at like autozone or o'reilly or walmart.

Steven Betts -

Ma questa guarnizione impermeabile si puo sostituire ? Come controllare se si è danneggiata? Come evitare che entri acqua dopo averlo aperto ?

ant.beneduce -

La photo montre une ouverture coté bouton mais pire coté car l'ouverture abime quand même le couvercle en plastique sur la face la plus visible : essayer plutôt sur les autres cotés

stoufbook -

Il est préférable d'utiliser, si possible, un outil adapté pour l'ouverture des boîtes de montre.

Avec précaution, le joint n'est pas trop abîmé. Il est distendu. Possibilité de le couper et de le réajuster correctement.

Fabrice -

I have used a the Jimmy and I didn't need to do any force at all

Carlos Rafael Ramirez -

Que puedo usar para poner en la tapa y cambias el sellado ya que se me arruinó.

Quiero que vuelva a ser hermético.

Gracias

damian levi -

Step 4

Detach the three connectors on the motherboard using your fingernail.
The connectors are easy to pop off. Minimal force is necessary.

Step 5

Separate the motherboard and front screen assembly using a spudger.

Oui tuto bien clair. Opération réussi !

Bien qu’adroit de mes mains, et après avoir découvert la “bête à coeur ouvert”, je ne sais pas si je me serais lancé... C’est tout l’interêt de ce Tuto qui invite à le faire (car pas trop de détails), et qui suivit pas à pas permet de s’en sortir. Bravo

Merci Dan.S

Dan.S - 19/12/19

Better replace the 2 bolts from next step first.

Gabriel Pinho - 07/08/20

The guide has you remove the screws second because it makes it possible to remove the whole assembly without snapping any cables.

Nicholas Dudde -

Ok... Woher bekomme ich die Displayeinheit ???🤷🏻‍♂️

Patrick Nufer -

Step 6

Using a JIS #00 screwdriver, remove the two 4.5 mm screws.

Step 7

Disconnect the battery ribbon cable from bracket.
Be careful with the battery ribbon cable and motherboard cable (located on the side opposite the battery cable, highlighted with the orange box), as they are very easy to break (ours did when disassembling).
Note how the end of the ribbon cable seats in the plastic chassis. Look for the plastic pin on the chassis when re-seating during re-assembly.
Separate the chassis from the motherboard.

What happens if the battery ribbons breaks?

sarah rus - 27/05/19

Hi the ribbon has come away from the mother board. How do I stick it back on? What type of adhesive do I use?

Peter Alderson - 27/09/20

I broke my ribbon :( ordering a new one. How do I stick it on?

Justin Lalonde -

I also broke the ribbon for the motherboard. What adhesive should I use to reattach it

danieljchoe - 03/12/20

I'd like to know too please

Justin Lalonde -

Be very careful with a ribbon that cannot come off on the opposite side of the red box on the motherboard when preforming this step. I found this and managed to avoid it.

Andrew Watson - 18/01/21

You should first detach/separate the buttons ribbon cable from the side of the plastic casing so you don't tear/break it accidentally. (orange box, the cable is soldered onto the motherboard cannot detach it from there)

István Szikra -

I would advise not to do this like a guide said. Squirt some isopropyl between the pcb and battery to unglue it and carefully nudge it with a plastic spugger. Same with the adhesive that's holding the other end of the ribbon cable.

Cryen -

Step 8

Separate the battery from the motherboard.
The battery and the motherboard are secured with adhesive; some force is needed.
Lithium-ion batteries are potentially dangerous. Handle with extreme care and do not puncture the battery.

I just used this guide to do a replacement, the watch works perfect now. Pay attention to whats in your hand vs whats on the guide a couple of the steps are not as straightforward just take your time. Overall good guide though.

Michael Carlson - 19/04/20

Replaced the battery successfully with this guide. Take your time to carefully see whats on the watch compared to the guide.

I removed the battery ribbon cable in step 7 by using a really small flat screwdriver to lift the cable from the housing. It's attached with adhesive tape.

Eric Mulder - 28/07/20

Perfect. I just remove the two bolts form step 6. Battery was a little difficult to remove due to a tape that attached it on board.

Works very well.

Gabriel Pinho - 07/08/20

It took an extra tool that isn’t mentioned (very small, thin, straight screw driver), but it took only 20 minutes! Great step by step instructions!

Walker - 25/08/20

J'ai suivi tout le processus, au final la montre charge mais ne s'allume plus.

liotard -

Step 9

When reassembling, place the battery into the plastic assembly first. Don’t stick it to the adhesive first. This way, it’s easy to position the battery cable.
When securing the battery cable, make sure the hole that the peg goes through is round. The hole on your replacement battery’s cable could be malformed. You may want to widen the hole before securing the cable.
To widen the hole, use the Pro Tech Toolkit’s SIM tool, a small paperclip or similar fine-tipped tool. The tool can also be used to gently press the battery cable into the correct position. Do this carefully to avoid damage.
Follow steps 8-1 in reverse order to reassmble.

Notez que la montre ne redémarre pas tant que le boitier n’est pas fermé.

Yann Richet -

Formidable demande de l'attention et de la délicatesse a solvé ma montre Frontière.

Bravo et merci de partager.

Alain ESCAFFRE chateauneuf le rouge FRANCE

ESCAFFRE -

Do you possibly have any suggestions on how to repair the battery cable ribbon once it becomes separated from the mother board?

DC Cooper - 27/05/23

Step 10

Remove the battery's cable from the chassis using tweezers.

Conclusion

To reassemble your device, follow these instructions in reverse order.

Author

William Hurty

Member since: 08/10/18

2674 Reputation

11 comments

Where can I purchase a motherboard for my Samsung Gears s3. Cant seem to find them

Mel Swint - 30/01/19

Need motherboard for samsung gears

Mel Swint - 30/01/19

Try ebay Mel

Dave Miller - 19/02/19

Hello I was in MRI and my watch was unresponsive. What is the problem?

Shaymaa - 09/05/19

My button Ribbon on my Mainboard has come detached. It seams like there was some adhesive holding it on so i pressed it together. put it back together but the buttons wont turn the watch on. it is charged. I can’t tell if the Ribbon was soldered on or some adhesive used to make those connections. Any help would be appreciated.

Rollins Gamer - 03/06/19

I have the have the same issue! I replaced my battery, accidentally removed the power flex ribbon (the one with the power buttons) i bought two replacements, tried both, my watch won’t turn on. It does charge still and the LCD works, just doesn’t turn on. :\

Sal - 04/06/19

EDIT: Just after posting this comment 10m ago, I took another look at the watch. You need to make sure the power flex ribbon is FLUSHED on the connectors on the board. I used scotch tape to test this theory and my watch turned on no problem. Consider getting circuit board adhesive from your local tech store for a cleaner install.

Sal - 04/06/19

I also detached my ribbon. What did you guys do to reattach it?

danielhaugland13 - 20/07/19

I found this : https://www.aliexpress.com/item/33051329...

But what about the software? will it be installed in the board? If i buy a mainboard from aliexpress will samsung allow me to update it?

Jubayer Bin Sayeed - 07/08/19

quisiera saber si cambiando la placa madre se puede acceder ya que tiene una cuenta y no me deja restablecer de fábrica se restablece pero vuelve a aparecer todo de nuevo

chucky77_88 - 28/08/19

Pixels are on the screen and nothing else wen I turn it on

Christopher -