V3R Unlocking Guide

[JHanko]

There has been alot of posts lately regarding unlocking the V3R. Before I unlocked mine, I sifted through thread after thread before I was confident in attempting it (and there were still things I had to figure out on my own). This research literally took hours. I decided to make up a guide strictly for the V3R to help others out and give something back to the forum. Before we begin, here are some things you will need:

1) A GSM RAZR V3R phone, software version R4515 or R3443 WITH A GOOD, FULLY CHARGED BATTERY! You can check your version in Menu>Settings>Phone Status>Other Information>S/W Version. You can also find it in the Bootloader screen by turning the phone on while holding down the * and # keys.
This procedure WILL NOT work on the new RAZR V3Re. Make absolutely sure you DO NOT have a V3Re before proceeding!

2) Unlocking software. I recommend P2K Easy Tool version 3.9, NOT 3.7 or 4.1. I couldn't get 3.7 or 4.1 to work. 3.9 worked perfectly the first time. There are many reports that P2K Easy tool 3.9 does not work with Windows Vista, so keep that in mind before proceding. You will have to search the net for this software as it is wares and we cannot link to it on this site. There are other programs that will perform the unlock, but I have no experience with them. You will have to take your phone apart to unlock it yourself. Don't panic, it is very easy to do. You will also need the latest version of Flash & Backup, so you can get a backup of your phone before you start.

3) A Torx T5 or T6 screwdriver, I can't remenber which one, and the numbers on my bits are so small, I can't read them (sucks getting old). You can pick up a cheap set of Torx drivers at Radio Shack and most hardware stores.

4) Your testpoint tool. You can be very creative with this. Some people use a small piece of wire, small test probe, safety pin, etc. When you read the procedure for using the testpoint, you can decide what method you're most comfortable with.

5) Nerves of steel and the will to succeed!

Before we begin, make sure you have installed the Motorola drivers for the phone. You can download them here:
Windows 32 bit: http://developer.motorola.com/docsto...et_USB_Driver/
Windows 64 bit: http://developer.motorola.com/docsto...USB_Driver_64/
You will need to do a quick, free registration to download the driver packs.

Alright, let's get started!

I'm going to unlock my wife's V3R - R3443, which is locked to T-Mobile.

1) Perform a backup of your phone using F&B. This might save your ass if something goes wrong. Open the F&B Program & connect the phone to one of your PC's USB ports, NOT a USB hub. If you have installed the drivers correctly, your screen will look like this:



Notice the box in the lower left will turn green, showing connection and phone information. Select the correct phone model in the "Active phone profile" drop down box. In our case, V3R. Change the "Backup format" to SHX. This will result in a larger file, but you'll have more flexability with it later. Check the "Select all" box. Un-check the " Cut empty bytes" box. Click on "read data" and let the fun begin. The phone should go into flash mode and the backup procedure should start with the screen looking like this:



The backup will take about 5 minutes. When complete, the phone should restart back to it's normal operational state. You now have a backup of your phones software.

2) Time to dis-assemble the phone. Turn phone off and remove the battery. There are 2 screws you'll need to remove here:



When you remove the screws, the case halves will start to separate. DO NOT pull them apart yet. Looking in the crack, you will see a ribbon cable plugged into the circuit board:



You must unplug this before separating the halves. Don't use anything sharp, as it may damage the ribbon. A butter knife works pretty good, rocking it back & forth. Once the ribbon is disconnected, you can separate the halves. There are 4 small little clips holding the halves together. Some people just muscle the halves apart without damage. I like to use a plastic iPod opening tool to release the clips. Now that it's apart, this is what you'll be working on:



Here is the location of the testpoint:
NOTE: There has been some confusion on the testpoint location. Look very closely at the picture. The testpoint is the solder joint (silver endcap) on the circled component, NOT the component itself!



Before we do a testpoint, we need to understand what it is. We need to put the phone in diagnostic mode so we can access areas of the software needed to unlock the phone. We do this by "grounding" the testpoint, meaning we make an electrical connection between the testpoint and the ground of the circuit board. There are many grounds on the board. The most common are the metal shields covering the chips and the USB port. The testpoint needs to be grounded when we turn the phone on (attach the battery). This is where you have to be creative. You need you come up with a comfortable way to ground the testpoint, apply battery power and click your mouse at the same time. I would recommend that you have someone help you the first time. Ok, lets get started. Prepare by opening the P2K Easy Tool software, select the correct phone model in the drop down box, click on the "Locks" tab and check the "Unlock SP" box:



Place your mouse over the "Do Selected Jobs" box, but don't click it yet. Plug the USB cable into the phone and PC. Nothing will happen as the phone has no power yet. Set up the phone, battery and PC close together. This is how I set mine up:



I usually use a small piece of wire with an alligator clip on one end and a safety pin on the other:



I clip the alligator clip on the USB shield and hold the pin on the testpoint while sliding the battery into place. You'll have to come up with your own method. Let's do it!
Ground the testpoint and slide the battery into position. Wait a couple of seconds for the phone to power up. While holding the testpoint and battery in place, click the "Do Selected Jobs" button. Another box should pop up, telling you to remove the testpoint:



Remove the testpoint but MAKE SURE YOU DON'T DISCONNECT THE BATTERY! Click the "OK" button and let it do it's thing. The software will unlock the phone and then power it down. showing this screen:



You can now disconnect the battery and pat yourself on the back as you have just unlocked your phone (but we're not done yet).
Before we can use the phone, we have to do a PDS repair. This requires doing a testpoint again, but this time instead of checking the "Unlock SP" box in the "Locks" tab, we do it with the "Full repair PDS zone" box checked in the "Repair" tab. Follow the exact same procedure you did for the unlock. When complete, you should see this screen:



You can disconnect the battery and put the phone back together. Don't forget to plug the ribbon cable back in.

Well, that's all there is to it. Test it with a SIM from another carrier. If it's working properly, you're done. Now is a good time to delete the backup you made previously and make a new backup as the previous one was locked and will re-lock your phone if you restore from it. Make sure everything you flash to your phone is un-locked, or you'll have to do this all over again.....

You may or may not have noticed that performing the PDS repair has downgraded the bootloader to version 0A.30, which is great news as this version allows RSA removal, which will allow you to change your splash screen and do software patches.

Jeff

[jamescuda74]

The only thing I would add to save some headaches is:P2K ET3.9 will not work with Microsoft Vista.

[Dumba]

Nice! Yeah, shame about the Vista issue. You can always run a dual boot XP and Vista on your PC though. And we did have a lot of non working phones before here, they might have been r3443u2 because mostly US members were affected. Be aware that by unlocking you always run a risk of damaging the phone.

[Clarkey]

This is the exact method i used on my V3r, never had it written down in words though

[JHanko]

This is the exact method i used on my V3r, never had it written down in words though

To be honest, writing it down in words was the hardest part...

Jeff

[xxalexisrulesxx]

it worked but it has to be v.3.9 and it works perfectly and fast

[Dumba]

it worked but it has to be v.3.9 and it works perfectly and fast

And that is on r3443u2, right?

[xxalexisrulesxx]

yup, worked perfectly and im about to try it on this shortcircuitng v3r board that i have just for fun lol

[Dumba]

OK, first positive unlocking with a r3443u2 reported. There were many, just the ones without trouble didn't shout help, lol. Glad it works. Thanks again for the Guide Jeff.

[JHanko]

OK, first positive unlocking with a r3443u2 reported. There were many, just the ones without trouble didn't shout help, lol. Glad it works. Thanks again for the Guide Jeff.

This isn't the first. My wife's phone that I unlocked while writing the guide was also a R3443U2

[Dumba]

I stickyed this guide, so it won't get lost. Everybody following this guide be aware that you are always taking a risk in unlocking your phone. Let us know how it works out for you.

[Clarkey]

I'll retest it on my V3r R4515 if you need me to

[JHanko]

I'll retest it on my V3r R4515 if you need me to

Don't bother unless you really enjoy doing it. I did my 4515 a couple of weeks ago with this exact procedure. I just wanted to make sure it works with both versions before I posted, so I did my wife's 3443. The only thing I forgot to do was a PDS backup while I had her phone apart. I completely forgot. Thanks,

Jeff

[mincho]

"Connecting to phone ...
Connected to: 'Motorola Test Interface'
Switching to flash mode ...
Connected to: 'Motorola Flash'
Connected OK
Bootloader version: 0A52
ERROR: Please make TESTPOINT on phone for this model!"

"Connecting to phone ...
Connected to: 'Motorola Flash'
Connected OK
Bootloader version: 0A52
ERROR: Please make TESTPOINT on phone for this model!"

i tried doing this over a dozen times with two different needles and a safety pin, the end of the wire is connected to the outside metal of a USB, the wire is for a speaker, you guys have any ideas ???

[Dumba]

Only that you might have been mislead about the point where to Testpoint, is it that one? http://modmymoto.com/guides/testpoint/v3r.php