Thinkpads Forum

I've got an i1400 (2621-420) that developed a "cold solder joint" at the power adapter socket. I've taken it apart once and resoldered the connections and it lasted about a year. Then it was back to putting something on the cord to keep it in place and holding your mouth just right to make sure it doesn't lose contact.

Do any of you skilled solder-jocks have words of wisdom on how to make it be more permanent? I think, one more time will be all I'm going to have patience for on taking this machine apart!

Well for one, you can clean all of the old solder off the tabs and even sand them lightly before re-soldering. Also, after you re-solder it, you can re-enforce the jack with some well-placed hot glue. I've had to do this on a few old devices and I've had good results.

Schen...are you a glutton for punishment?

I cringe everytime I think about taking mine apart...

jamiphar wrote:Well for one, you can clean all of the old solder off the tabs and even sand them lightly before re-soldering. Also, after you re-solder it, you can re-enforce the jack with some well-placed hot glue. I've had to do this on a few old devices and I've had good results.

I'm not sure that I'm that much of a glutton for punishment or not. I'm wrestling with whether to just sell the thing on ebay and move on the the 380xd that I just picked up from James. But, I haven't thought of using the hot glue in combination with soldering, so if I decide to do more ThinkPad pennance and take on the i1400 again.

A family member had one of those models. The power adapter socket had to be re-soldered twice. The second time, the servicer put a little block of plastic alongside the socket (vertical from the motherboard) and the motherboard itself. He epoxied it to both the MB and the socket. The machine finally died before the socket ever broke again. ... JD Hurst

I don't remember how much room there is around the socket, so I'll take your word for it. That sounds like the most secure method that I've heard of, but it all comes back to Steve's question as to how much of a glutton for punishment that I'm up for.

Of course, most people think I'm a major glutton since I choose to teach and coach at a middle school with about a 1000 7th and 8th graders!

There is not a lot of room, but there is room. I went downstairs just now to look at it. The piece of plastic is small, I can see the epoxy (did not disassemble it all) and the epoxy provides some of the strength. The plastic is really just to hold the epoxy in place on the socket and MB until it hardens.
... JD Hurst