SoC: A15 Bionic (8110 Rev 11)

iOS Version: 17.4.1 (21E236) / Darwin Kernel 23.4.0

Symptom: Device automatically restarts every 3 minutes in a continuous reboot loop.

Hi iFixit community,

I am troubleshooting an iPhone 14 Plus that triggers a panic-full reboot every 180 seconds. Below is the raw header and panic log extracted from the device:

JSON

{"bug_type":"210","timestamp":"2025-12-19 16:19:54.00 +0300","os_version":"iPhone OS 17.4.1 (21E236)","roots_installed":0,"incident_id":"C00608FF-EE45-4DA6-AE23-78756C421FD2"}
{
  "build" : "iPhone OS 17.4.1 (21E236)",
  "producto" : "iPhone14,8",
  "socId" : "8110",
  "socRevision" : "11",
  "incidente" : "C00608FF-EE45-4DA6-AE23-78756C421FD2",
  "crashReporterKey" : "5fba0fd7ae4562577b1c858df0f36b596b49d9dc",
  "kernel" : "Versión del kernel de Darwin 23.4.0: vie. mar. 8 23:31:19 PST 2024; root:xnu-10063.102.14~67/RELEASE_ARM64_T8110",
  "fecha" : "2025-12-19 16:19:54.81 +0300",
  "panicString" : "panic(cpu 2 caller 0xffffffff03adadde8): SMC PANIC - ASSERTION FAILED: target/d28/target.cpp:266: 0, SMC BSC failure, spreadsheet ver(*10) 40\nS.sensor array 0 - 4 is 0x0, 0x500000, 0x0, 0x0, 0x0 \nF.sensor array 0 is 0x0\n\n - Misc(2) OUTBOX1 not ready\nASSERTION FAILED: target/d28/target.cpp:266: 0, SMC BSC failure, spreadsheet ver(*10) 40\nS.sensor array 0 - 4 is 0x0, 0x500000, 0x0, 0x0, 0x0 \nel array del sensor F.sensor 0 es 0x0\n\nRTKit: RTKit-2419.102.1.release - Cliente: AppleSMCFirmware-4283.102.1.d28.REL\n!UUID: e1e60d6f-ffea-3505-b762-230396fe6490\nTiempo: 0x00000003c6e25e67\n\n"
}

Technical Analysis:

• Hardware Identification: Model identifier iPhone14,8 and target d28 both confirm this is an iPhone 14 Plus.
• Sensor Array Error Code: S.sensor array explicitly flags value 0x500000 (which corresponds to 5242880 in decimal).
• Bus Failure: On the iPhone 14 Plus architecture, 0x500000 is the combined bitmask representing the Dock Flex / Charging Port thermal sensor array (0x100000) combined with the Wireless Charging / Back Glass sensor line (0x400000).
• SMC Assert: The System Management Controller fails communication over the BSC (Bus Status Controller) due to missing SMBus/I2C thermal readings from TAOP/TAOJ.

Local shops suggested a battery replacement, but the panic log contains no battery gauge failures (TG0B, TG0V, or Gas Gauge).

Questions for the community:

1. Has anyone resolved this exact 0x500000 / SMC BSC failure on an iPhone 14 Plus strictly by replacing the Dock Charging Port Flex Cable with an OEM pulled part?
2. Does a missing/damaged Wireless Charging Coil flex connector trigger this entire 0x500000 bitmask on its own, or is the Dock Flex always the primary culprit?
3. If a new OEM Dock Flex does not resolve the panic, which diode readings / filter components near connector J6400 should be checked?

Thank you!

⟐ Answer accepted agosto 17, 2026 at 6:35 GMT-7

⟐ Answered agosto 16, 2026 at 17:27 GMT-7

⟐ Answered agosto 16, 2026 at 9:02 GMT-7

⟐ Answered agosto 16, 2026 at 8:45 GMT-7

I’m an engineer, but I have very limited experience with electronics and board-level repair. I’m hoping to get some advice from people here who have much deeper experience with iPhone hardware, microsoldering and board repair.

I absolutely love the iPhone 13 mini form factor. Unfortunately, Apple no longer makes anything remotely comparable in size, and none of the current iPhones appeal to me because of their size.

So I started thinking about a rather crazy project:

Could we build a modern “iPhone 13 mini V2” by keeping the 13 mini's external dimensions and screen, while replacing as much of the internal electronics as realistically possible with components from a newer iPhone?

The target envelope would be approximately:

131.5 × 64.2 × 10 mm maximum

The original 13 mini is 7.65 mm thick, but I am willing to increase the thickness to around 10 mm if that gives us enough internal volume to make the project realistic and a completely flat back !

The important point is that I would like to keep:

• the 13 mini external dimensions and ergonomics;
• the 5.4" OLED display;
• the original front/TrueDepth assembly if possible;
• Face ID if possible;
• MagSafe;
• the general button and speaker arrangement.

I would like to modernize:

• SoC / processing platform;
• RAM and storage;
• modem / cellular connectivity, if feasible
• Wi-Fi and Bluetooth;
• USB-C;
• battery;
• cameras, if feasible.

The extra thickness would allow the camera modules to be integrated into the body rather than using the large camera bump found on recent iPhones.

I initially considered several generations, but the iPhone 16e currently looks particularly interesting to me because of its modern architecture and A18/C1 platform.

However, I don't want to assume that the 16e is actually the best donor.

An iPhone 15, 16e, or another generation might be much more practical if its hardware is easier to integrate into the 13 mini.

If the objective is:

maximum performance and longevity within the physical volume of an iPhone 13 mini,

which generation would you investigate first?

iPhone 15? 16e? Another model?

And why?

Could the original 13 mini OLED and touchscreen potentially be driven by a newer logic board?

If not directly, is a custom interposer/flex PCB technically realistic?

Or is the display interface effectively a hard stop?

My preference would be to keep the original 13 mini TrueDepth module.

How tightly coupled is the TrueDepth assembly to the original logic board in practice?

Is there any realistic way to make a newer logic board work with the 13 mini TrueDepth system?

I am not proposing to immediately remove the A18 or other BGA components from the board.

My preferred approach would be to keep Apple's critical circuitry intact wherever possible and use custom flex/interposer boards and mechanical adaptations to rearrange the surrounding components.

The extra 2–2.5 mm of thickness would give us considerably more freedom.

Is this a reasonable approach, or am I fundamentally misunderstanding how these boards need to be laid out?

I want to be very transparent about this:

I am a micro mechanical engineer and I am comfortable with mechanical design, measurements, CAD, prototyping and experimental work.

However, I am not an electronics/RF engineer and I have very limited experience with iPhone logic-board repair or microsoldering.

So I am not looking for someone to simply tell me “this is impossible”.

I would really appreciate someone experienced telling me:

“This part is impossible, this part is difficult but achievable, and this is the architecture I would try first.”

I am perfectly happy to start with a sacrificial 13 mini and a damaged donor phone and work progressively from a proof of concept.

Any advice from experienced Apple board-repair technicians, microsoldering specialists or electronics engineers would be extremely valuable.

Thanks!

⟐ Answered agosto 15, 2026 at 4:54 GMT-7

I'd be using a serial number from a friend since I know I can't order another color that's not of the same configuration as my own.

I'm assuming that just changing the coils from both assemblies will work around any possible issues but I'd like to not have to do that, if possible.

⟐ Commented agosto 14, 2026 at 20:42 GMT-7

I didn't see any guides tackling this particular issue: My on/off switch is not working. I'm ready to change carriers, and I need to turn my iPhone on/off a lot during jailbreak/unlock.

When I apply pressure to it, it simply doesn't turn off. I'm thinking some lever is not making contact or something?

What is this system like, and is it worth trying to fix it myself? Or should I just get a new phone?

⟐ Commented agosto 14, 2026 at 13:27 GMT-7

My Apple Pay has not worked at all. No card machine will recognise my device is there, it worked once since this happened, but not again.

An airtag type device used called 'squid' for tracking loyalty payments which also uses NFC (I assume) also would not recognise the phone. This makes me think there is a hardware issue with something, and not an Apple Pay problem. I deleted and put all my cards back on but the different pay terminals, and this squid tap loyalty thing still didn’t recognise my phone.

So, after seeing somethings about possibly loose NFC antenna plate, or something like that, does anyone have any insight?

Or links to a guide i might use to open up the back of the iPhone, locate the plate and NFC antenna, and check if there is anything out of place from a drop potentially?

⟐ Commented agosto 14, 2026 at 3:31 GMT-7

⟐ Commented agosto 13, 2026 at 14:21 GMT-7

• There is a chip (BMS) on the battery which usually keeps track of cycles but in newer iPhones also holds some kind of serialization data right?
• This board needs to be soldered on to the new battery. However some are saying you need to utilise spot welding here and soldering wouldn't work, is this correct?
• What's up with the programmers? Do they read the BMS and copy it on a new battery BMS? If so, would that mean that I could use a programmer to avoid soldering / welding the BMS
• And apparently after programming the BMS on the new phone you still need to do factory reset to get back to 100% battery status report. Why is this? Is it because iOS assumes it's the same battery and thus can't have 100% health?
• Also, what is this tag on flex stuff? Is it a replacement solution for transfering the BMS?

⟐ Commented agosto 12, 2026 at 3:58 GMT-7

⟐ Edited agosto 12, 2026 at 12:43 GMT-7

recently bought a used iPhone 14 Pro Max. Battery Health is 91% and normal usage backup is actually good. But when I leave the phone unused, especially overnight, it loses around 8–9% in 6–7 hours.

I checked Analytics Data and got:

MaximumFCC: 3298 mAh

NominalChargeCapacity: 3910 mAh

Cycle Count: 726

iPhone Battery Health: 91%

So NominalChargeCapacity is much higher than MaximumFCC, and the shortcut calculates 118.56%.

Is this an abnormal/invalid Analytics reading, or could it indicate a replaced, rebuilt or BMS-programmed (“boosted”) battery?

Also, is the 3910 mAh reading consistent with the 91% Battery Health?

⟐ Answer edited agosto 11, 2026 at 19:23 GMT-7

⟐ Answered agosto 11, 2026 at 9:42 GMT-7

my co-worker checked his phone yesterday morning when it was still plugged in, the phone was in recovery mode. When at work, he handed me the phone and i tried booting it, it began boot looping.

Did the standard force restart, it boot loops until it goes into recovery mode

I took it back home and attempted to update the iPhone to the latest iOS Version using my MacBook Air with no luck after several attempts with the error code 4013 showing up (I even updated the macOS Software to the latest version to see if that help out but same results).

I changed cables, did the same procedure again but on my Windows 11 PC using Apple Devices, still no change.

I used 3utools and checked the logs, i included the photo to show

I am starting to believe this is stemming from an hardware issue, the best thing would be opening up the phone and checking which component is causing this issue. Is my work accurate?

⟐ Commented agosto 10, 2026 at 17:20 GMT-7

⟐ Answered agosto 10, 2026 at 9:01 GMT-7

⟐ Answered agosto 10, 2026 at 5:26 GMT-7