DATA RECOVERY CASE STUDY

Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra: 0.75V Sandwich Board Short Circuit

Recovering data from a completely dead flagship device requiring a complex motherboard split and CPU reball.

Device

Samsung S23 ultra

Issue

0.75V Rail Short Circuit

Service

Board Split & Reball

Result

Fully Repaired

The Problem

This Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra was mailed in to us after a local repair shop had already attempted basic troubleshooting steps, such as trying a known working battery, with no success. The device was not water damaged, yet it showed absolutely no signs of life and would not boot.

Our Diagnostic Process

Connecting the bare motherboard to our DC power supply revealed a 43mA standing current draw—a clear indication of a hardware short. By injecting power and using thermal imaging, we discovered the main voltage (VPH power) wasn’t reaching the board properly. The thermal signature pointed to a highly problematic area: a short circuit hidden deep inside the two-layered “sandwich” motherboard. Further testing isolated the short to the 0.75V power rail, caused by a failed power management IC (8550VS).

The Repair & Recovery

  • Data Protection First: Safely removed and backed up the highly heat-sensitive UFS 4.0 memory chip to ensure data safety before applying massive heat to the board.
  • Board Split: Carefully separated the layered motherboard sections using targeted hot air without causing thermal warpage.
  • CPU & RAM Reball: Safely removed the CPU and RAM to prevent heat damage during the repair process, fully reballing them for reinstallation.
  • IC Replacement: Removed the internally shorted 8550VS PMIC and installed a healthy replacement chip harvested from a donor S23 motherboard.
  • Reassembly: Reballed the sandwich board layers, reattached the CPU, RAM, and the UFS memory chip, returning the board to a functional state.

Result: After reassembly, the short circuit was completely cleared. The device successfully booted past the Samsung logo, allowing us to perform a full and secure extraction of the customer’s data

Watch The Full Repair Process

Watch as we trace the short, safely separate the sandwich board, replace the PMIC, and reball the CPU & RAM to save the data.

“Over 18,000 pictures and videos were safely backed up. A lifetime of memories safely restored. Not only that but we were able to return a fully fixed device to the customer.”

- Junayd

Director

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