[Stupid Question] Hard drive port detached with motherboard connectors, need help fixing it.

[Key Ing]

yes, that's correct

Alright, well wish me luck, I'll probably do it later today, and i'll come back here to show results or ask additional advice. thank you.

 

[large_ghostman]

Alright, well wish me luck, I'll probably do it later today, and i'll come back here to show results or ask additional advice. thank you.

Dont hold the hot end

 

[Mickster]

Looking forward to seeing a successful result, hope everything works out and you can give us two (undamaged) thumbs up.

Regards.

 

[large_ghostman]

Worried not heard back!! I fear deep battle took place no clear winner! Maybe flux allover the place and millions of sectors destroyed on the platters, oh the carnage!

You think thats a bit OTT?

Hmm maybe he did hold the hot end, i did warn him. but he said first repair so its a right of passage.

 

[unclejed613]

Hmm maybe he did hold the hot end, i did warn him. but he said first repair so its a right of passage.

you only do that once....

 

[Western]

you only do that once....

I'll say

I've got one of those quick change tip irons ... and it switches off when you put it on the stand.

One day I was on the phone for ages ... and when I got off I went back to my job thinking I need a bigger tip in the iron.

Assuming it was cool from all the time it was idle ... I grabbed it and went to pull out the barrel before it could heat up ... like I always do ... and you know what's coming ... I don't know if it was the burning sensation or the sizzling noise ... but I let it go pretty quick.

It couldn't have been fully in the holder because it was red hot.


Since then, I haven't been able to bring myself to do it like that ... I have to check first. Dunno why.


So I agree with this statement.


From the sear marks on my thumb and finger I figured I was going to have a couple of massive blisters ... but I used some freeze spray and gently kept them cool for about five minutes ... and the only evidence after was the seared marks ... no pain at all. I love freeze spray!

 

[unclejed613]

i was at work, and saw a co-worker leave his soldering iron on an ashtray (back then, smoking was allowed in most shops). he went to check an oscope setting before he turned on the item he was working on, and his sleeve caught the soldering iron, which fell off the workbench, and he instinctively caught the soldering iron as it fell... with the wrong end of it in his hand.

 

[large_ghostman]

The other one is of course the wire on cheapo ones you always manage to burn through the insulation .

 

[JimB]

and he instinctively caught the soldering iron as it fell... with the wrong end of it in his hand.

I think we all do that...
...but only once!

A variation of that, I once had a soldering iron with a hook to hang it up.
Where I was working, I was sat in a chair and a convenient place to hang up the iron was above head height.
Everything was going well until the mains cable for the iron got caught under my foot and as I raised the iron up to its resting place, it came to a sudden stop and my hand slid all the way up the hot barrel.
I can assure you, some 50 years later, that it is just as painful as catching a dropped soldering iron.

JimB

 

[large_ghostman]

Thats enough hot irons now, i bet everyone can still feel that pain you get and the flat white and light brown patch of skin you get . Always worse for beginners, most start with those cheapo irons, no temp control and get hot enough to weld with.....

 

[Key Ing]

Wait i'm here! I stopped receiving emails about the progress of the thread so I thought nobody kept posting! sorry about that, I had busy work days.

So I started with the middle vias to vias connection as it's pretty small and would be hard to do with the other 4 wires connected. I didn't know what wire to use, but I had a dead ethernet cable lying around, and copper is fine right?

Let me tell you, it's ugly, but hopefully practical:

tell me what you think?

 

[large_ghostman]

You used edible solder didnt you?

 

[Key Ing]

Worried not heard back!! I fear deep battle took place no clear winner! Maybe flux allover the place and millions of sectors destroyed on the platters, oh the carnage!

This was pretty much it, and believe me, after struggling for 20 mins because I forgot that viases also had to be heated, I ended up stung by mosquitos pretty much everywhere.

You used edible solder didnt you?

Don't really know what edible solder is, but mine is 60% 40% lead I believe.

 

[JimB]

it's ugly

Yes.

hopefully practical

Mmmm Maybe.

tell me what you think?

You have used far too much solder, which makes it impossible to tell if the joint is good.
A good solder joint should have a smooth meniscus which smoothly flows to the surface of the circuit board at an acute angle.
Big blobs of solder which touch the board at an obtuse angle are a bad idea.

If this link works, it shows the good the bad and the ugly of solder joints.
https://www.google.co.uk/search?q=a+good+solder+joint&tbm=isch&source=iu&ictx=1&fir=h2ediM0GVBuC8M%3A%2CRFFK8YKUdb34iM%2C_&usg=__Nrd1WunZgLt_JV8mvtr53wv-jqk=&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwi_-d-_upzbAhWCfFAKHfY7Du0Q9QEIcjAO#imgrc=h2ediM0GVBuC8M:

You used edible solder didnt you?

I think LG means lead free solder.
Good old 60/40 (or 63/37) lead/tin solder is much easier to use, especially for a beginner.
Ambiguity here.
I really mean 60% tin, 40% lead. (Or 63% tin, 37% lead).
And don't let people tell you that leaded solder is illegal, because it isn't.

JimB

 

[JimB]

mine is 60% 40% lead I believe.

Beware, possible confusion here!

Solder with 60% lead is for plumbers and mechanical things.

Solder for electronics has 40% lead, 60% tin.

And in my previous post I have confused myself. Edit required.

JimB

 

[Key Ing]

Solder for electronics has 40% lead, 60% tin.

Yes this is 40% lead.

So I guess I'll have to reduce the size of it? At first it was the same size as the lower one, but a few of the wires detached themselves, and I just wanted to make sure each one was linked to the other side. I'll try to reduce it though.

Thank you.

 

[large_ghostman]

(Or 63% tin, 37% lead).

The best of the best, its Eutectic at that ratio so the instant you take heat away its solid, massively cuts down dry joint chances... (useless chemistry fact thrown in)

Jim is correct, it looked like it was lead free.....I agree with what Jim has said, kind of looks like you were a bit nervous with the heat and only just got it to melt.
BUT
We all begin somewhere and i have done much worse joints than that!! You had a crack at it so hats of for that. Soldering is just like riding a bike, takes practice to get good, and even when your good you still going to get the odd painful moment . Dont flick the iron about with solder on the tip, i still got a mark on my cheek

 

[Key Ing]

Alright, so here's the same one with less solder, I'm pretty sure it's not touching any other traces on this pic. I tried taking off even more, but each time I do strings of wire go flying everywhere.

 

[large_ghostman]

If/when you get the bug, get yourself one of those fibre pens for cleaning flux off. They are also good for cleaning copper up before soldering. The joint looks better.
Electronics flux shouldnt hurt, but i clean excess off. Looks like you added flux in that pic, it isnt needed with electronics solder as it contains cores with flux in.

 

[Key Ing]

If/when you get the bug, get yourself one of those fibre pens for cleaning flux off. They are also good for cleaning copper up before soldering. The joint looks better.
Electronics flux shouldnt hurt, but i clean excess off. Looks like you added flux in that pic, it isnt needed with electronics solder as it contains cores with flux in.

I didn't remove it because I was going to solder the new wires on those 4 traces, but maybe I should clean it off now if I don't need it to solder? I use ethanol and qtips.