New to soldering, need to fix my 9800 Pro video card

I have the exact same problem as the one mentioned in this thread: https://www.electro-tech-online.com/threads/can-u-help-me-on-rf-based-identification-system.6410/

I ordered two FDS6912's and should have them by friday. Now, the hard part: I have no soldering experience whatsoever. On the upside, I've been building computers for the last 4 years so Im not a total novice. I was wondering if you guys have any suggestions on the best way to solder this component.

btw, you guys have a fantastic forum, very informative and newbie friendly :wink:

sam316 said:

I have the exact same problem as the one mentioned in this thread: https://www.electro-tech-online.com/threads/can-u-help-me-on-rf-based-identification-system.6410/

I ordered two FDS6912's and should have them by friday. Now, the hard part: I have no soldering experience whatsoever. On the upside, I've been building computers for the last 4 years so Im not a total novice. I was wondering if you guys have any suggestions on the best way to solder this component.

btw, you guys have a fantastic forum, very informative and newbie friendly :wink:

Click to expand...

Well, what I would do for this part (SOIC8 right?) is first remove the solder from the pads on the board. You can use solder-wick for this. The I would clean the pads thoroughly. Then I would lay down the SOIC (make sure you know which way round so its not rotated) and solder opposing corner pins. I use tweezers to hold the part in place while I tack down opposing corners. After the corner pins on soldered, the part should be in place firm so then finish the pins. After soldering, clean up the flux residue with appropriate cleaner (i.e. water for water soluable, or other flux remover) When you're done, if the board is wet from cleaning, let it dry for a long time before powering it up.

Tip: Use magnifier to verify that all joints look good and touch up ones that are bad/iffy.

Tip: Dont use too much solder! The SOIC8 and pads do not need alot to make a good joint so only a small amount is needed. If you use too much, you'll make a mess of the place and / or short pins or other compenents.

Thanks for the fast reply. Do you recommend a certain brand/specification of soldering iron? I know there are different thicknesses, what is the best thickness for this type of job?

sam316 said:

Thanks for the fast reply. Do you recommend a certain brand/specification of soldering iron? I know there are different thicknesses, what is the best thickness for this type of job?

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I dont really recommend any brand for this as they will all work.
I would say 20W or better soldering iron is ok.. cheap ones can be had from radio shack (weller types?) Make sure you get a small tip though because you'll need it for the small IC pins. Obviously if the tip is too large, you'll have trouble not shorting all the pins with solder. So, small diameter solder is good too for this type of work. I would say from .015" - .035" would be ok. If this is all the electronics you'll ever do, then you can even buy small amounts of solder coiled up for pretty low cost.

Also, if you have not soldered small parts before, you might want to give a 1 minute practice run on some junk electronics just to get used to the iron and soldering technique. Be careful not to over heat the small part by keeping the iron on it for too long. If you practice, you can get the hang of it real quick before you do the real thing.

A thousand thanks for your help Mr. Optikon. I guess this proves that destroying computer parts is a great way to learn soldering

Well, Im quite happy to say I finished soldering my video card and it is now working fine. I would have been SOL had it not been for this forum. You guys have a fantastic forum going on here. Now its time for me to get back to some gaming :wink: