BY Eliud Wanyo

My Samsung D780 goes on and off at will, what could be the problem with it?

Dominick Obuar (via e-mail)

There are several things that would make a phone go off at will. They include issues related to the battery, foreign matter, loose connection, memory and the display related issues.

Battery related issues are in two parts; there could be a loose connection in the metal plates that provide a connection to the battery and the main board.

When this happens, your phone will go off with just the slightest of taps, or any sudden movement.

An illustration of a phone’s charging system

The battery itself could be having a problem with its copper plates, or keeping enough charge. Some batteries have very weak or broken plastics that hold the copper plates in place. Their loose movement prevents the battery from discharging the current in a smooth flow, thus making the phone to go off at will.

Also, if the cells are not well connected, they cut off the current from the phone’s batteries.

Foreign matter, like dust or moisture, can cause a short circuit, and so your phone’s in built mechanism cuts switches off the handheld to prevent damage to the motherboard.

This cycle can go on until the battery is completely drained.

There are instances when the display is on and off, but the phone is not affected.

This could be due to a loose connection in the phone, or a broken ribbon cable that carries current and display to the screen.

My Sony Erickson K850i fell and the screen broke. Can I find a genuine replacement?

Ezekiel Karuga (via e-mail)

A broken screen is so easy to fix, but is subject to availability of replacements.

There are many outlets that stock these parts at an affordable price, although most of them are not as good as the original ones.

But as for the replacement fee, it all depends on the agreement between you and the technician who will do your work.

There is no standard or fixed fee for repairing mobile phones.

We have good technicians out there and it will depend on the way you perceive them individually, and the affordability, from up market to downtown.

If you want value for your money, you must go through dealers or manufacturers. No matter how expensive the whole thing may look, this is the only place you are guaranteed good value for your money.

Sony Ericsson is very good brand, but requires some good care to give you the best service over time.

My Nokia 6300 cannot read from the memory card even though it is present.

Abdi Mukhtar (via e-mail)

The best medicine for this kind of problem is to make sure your phone has an updated software.

Software updates solve most communication failures in phones, most of them caused by corruption of the settings.

Memory cards can also fail if they were originally faulty from the factory, or due to poor handling of the phone.

The writer is an electronics technician. E-mail him your questions on eliwanyo@yahoo.com