Some Help On Soldering on a Mobo Please

[Bill Z]

I’m looking for any sort of help here.

I bought a 240 that has a bad LCD because my 240X has a bad motherboard but the LCD works. The purchased 240 shows up, I start to switch the LCDs and noticed the connector on the mobo where the ribbon cable attaches has come unsoldered and unglued on the 240 that I had just purchased. Maybe that is why the LCD didn’t work? I won’t know for a while because I don’t have anything to solder anything that small.

I see where you guys suggest having someone with the right equipment solder stuff back on mobos. How and where to find them? Most of the computer shops around me just swap out boards.

I do quite nice solder work with small stuff (not micro stuff). My limits are due to the size of my equipment. Bigger is not always better.

Is there some compromise where I could buy some OK equipment to solder this on and then use it for future projects for nearly what it would cost me to send this out and have it soldered? What equipment should I be looking for?

I saw on one of the post about solder that a guy was adding memory. With the right equipment, I could do that with enough time.

Is there a third option for me regarding the repair of this 240 mobo?

I’m open and looking for suggestions.

[RealBlackStuff]

Could you perhaps post a link to a picture of that loose connector?
A macro-photo with extreme details would be best.

[Bill Z]

Could you perhaps post a link to a picture of that loose connector?
A macro-photo with extreme details would be best.

Yes, I will. I'll take until tomorrow to do it because the machine is at home.

However the connector is right at 1/4 inch long with something like 8 connections on each side. The tip if the soldering iron will have to be like a straight pin or sowing needles. A ball point pin would be way too big.

[RealBlackStuff]

In that case, tie a paperclip to your soldering iron, using some thin copperwire, the paperclip tip might just be fine enough.

[Bill Z]

I'll try the paper clip.

In the mean time, here are pictures of the connector and without.

With.

http://i251.photobucket.com/albums/gg28 ... 010818.jpg

Without.

http://i251.photobucket.com/albums/gg28 ... 010819.jpg

The connector is just right of the MAX1631EAI chip (note the 9 inch on the ruler).

I got it all wrong in my first post. There are 12 legs on each side and the connector is 3/8 long.

[RealBlackStuff]

It looks like you could re-solder that yourself.
Get some fine desoldering wick (RadioShack) to clean up any 'globs' of solder off the mobo, then check that there are no 'globs' on the legs either.
Having just the minimum of solder on the mobo will be fine.
Then apply fresh solder (sparingly) on all the legs, before placing the connector onto the mobo again.
Hold that connector in place steadily and, using either a 30W iron with the paperclip (tip flattened on one side with a file), or a 15/20W with perhaps a filed-down tip, than touch each of the legs for only a few seconds, you will see the solder reflow when it temporarily turns bright silver. Do one side first, let it cool for 1-2 minutes, then do the other side.
Repeat the whole procedure if necessary (but it shouldn't).
Have fun.

[Bill Z]

Does anyone know if the manufacturer of the mobo glued down the connector before flowing the solder. Maybe why it broke was because it wasn't glued down good or the glue was bad. It could of withstood more abuse with some glue.

This is just sounding off here but why can't all of the connectors be similar within a machine. I thought at first it had to do with current or voltage but the other end of the ribbon cable used the compression connector, why not this end? The buttons on the palm rest uses the compression connectors but not the keyboard.

[Bill Z]

The short story is that it worked.

I tried the paperclip but when the iron got hot the clip got hot (like anticipated) but it expanded and got loose. So loose that I couldn’t apply any pressure. I figured that my iron tip was too small in diameter for the stiffness of the paperclip to properly wrap around.

I bought a new tip and filed the heck out of it. Made it real sharp at the end. I then tinned it real good. This worked better because I had better control of the iron tip.

I noticed while doing this that when the lid closes, the cable moves some because the mettle tape came loose. Maybe that is what happened to the screen in the first place. I used mettle duck tape and it seems to be holding. I hope I don’t have to change it out now.

Thanks all for your help and encouragement.