Hacking I need advice from an experienced modchip installer about possible &#3

[pauluspinkydude]

...about a possible 'dry solder' joint

i need some advice/help with a situation...

Ive had my Wii chipped a long time ago & found it very easy to do. I then managed to install 2 other Wii machines succesfully.

So onto my 4th Wii machine and ive run into a problem, when soldering one of the wires onto the wii drive board, the solder joint that i attach the wire to has basically come right off the board leaving me with nothing! Ive tried soldering the wire (just incase it may work) and im not getting it to stay put. I dont want to do anything else just in case i brake the Wii completely. The Wii still works so i know i havent done any real damage.

What does one do when this happens??

This was a WiiD modchip install.

Thanks in advance!

 

[megabug7]

That's happened to me before.

This is what I did.

You can try and remove some of coating on the trace and solder it on there.

How: Gently with a small knife, scrape the trace with the edge until it becomes clear.
Ensure that the solder sticks to the exposed trace when applying it.
Make sure that the wire is as tightly twisted - (unless it's single core) and coat it with a thin layer of solder.

Use a little flux with a tooth pic and put some on the tracing - and do the same with the wire.
Solder it on to the tracing making sure that the tip does not melt the board.

Use a tiny piece of insulation tape to cover the exposed and keep the wire flat on the board so that it doesn't move to much when your fixing the rest together.

It's a very fiddly job and requires a lot of patience - if your skills are decent you can pull it off

Hope that helps.

http://home.comcast.net/~machrone/bjr/mistakes.htm

 

[pauluspinkydude]

Thanks for your reply Fission

Not sure what you mean by 'the trace' (sorry), do you mean scrape off the coating on the thin circuit line that the solder joint was attached to? and this will prevent any contact from the other 'traces' from either side right??

Its so tiny and there are a few traces so close together! Its 3am now here so im gonna give it a shot tomorrow.


EDIT - thanks very much for that link, it was exactly what i thought you tired to explain! Theres hope after all !!

 

[pauluspinkydude]

I only noticed this error after trying to test out the WiiD modchip.

When it didnt work, i opened up the Wii to find that one wire had completely come off. Now, if im successful with this solder fix - will the modchip be ok to solder back on?? I was just curious because the other wires were installed fine but the Wii has been switched on & im worried the chip might have been killed off.

 

[megabug7]

Thanks for your reply Fission

Not sure what you mean by 'the trace' (sorry), do you mean scrape off the coating on the thin circuit line that the solder joint was attached to? and this will prevent any contact from the other 'traces' from either side right??

Its so tiny and there are a few traces so close together! Its 3am now here so im gonna give it a shot tomorrow.


EDIT - thanks very much for that link, it was exactly what i thought you tired to explain! Theres hope after all !!

Yes the circuit line is the trace - micro electronics - you tend to work with very tiny tracings.

Hence why you must insulate the exposed part - and only scrape the single faulty trace.
Try not to touch the parallel traces. The coating is protective so it shouldn't interfere.
If your worried slide a tiny piece of tape along the sides of the exposed trace and then once the wire is fixed cover it loosely with tape.
Keep a little kink in the wire, and then away from the soldered area, place a piece of tape over the wire onto the board for extra stability.

 

[megabug7]

I only noticed this error after trying to test out the WiiD modchip.

When it didnt work, i opened up the Wii to find that one wire had completely come off. Now, if im successful with this solder fix - will the modchip be ok to solder back on?? I was just curious because the other wires were installed fine but the Wii has been switched on & im worried the chip might have been killed off.

Well the chip won't function properly without all the wires.

Usually it should be fine to fix it back - many chips can take multiple solderings (for testing)

 

[shtonkalot]

Fission seems to have some pretty fine advice.
When I have repaired jobs where the solder pads (the little contacts on the board you normally solder to) have been damaged or removed I usually follow the trace from the pad to the drive chip and solder directly onto the leg of the chip that connects to that trace.
I have used the solder to the trace method too but generally I have found it easier to solder directly to the leg.
I guess both have advantages/disadvantages, the leg method means you don't have to scrape back any coating to find a contact space but also means you have to pick the correct leg of the chip and make sure you don't accidentally bridge two (or more!) legs with solder.
Either way it's a smaller area to solder to and there is a higher potential to damage the board.

Make sure you have the right equipment for the job, this is fine work and you should have a very fine tip on the iron and 30 AWG wire.
If you're not confident I advise you find something similar to practice on first.

Good luck!

**edit**
I'm pretty sure the modchip will be fine too, seen a few stuff ups where Wii consoles have been used with improperly attached chips but haven't seen one die from it.

 

[megabug7]

Fission seems to have some pretty fine advice.
When I have repaired jobs where the solder pads (the little contacts on the board you normally solder to) have been damaged or removed I usually follow the trace from the pad to the drive chip and solder directly onto the leg of the chip that connects to that trace.
I have used the solder to the trace method too but generally I have found it easier to solder directly to the leg.
I guess both have advantages/disadvantages, the leg method means you don't have to scrape back any coating to find a contact space but also means you have to pick the correct leg of the chip and make sure you don't accidentally bridge two (or more!) legs with solder.
Either way it's a smaller area to solder to and there is a higher potential to damage the board.

Make sure you have the right equipment for the job, this is fine work and you should have a very fine tip on the iron and 30 AWG wire.
If you're not confident I advise you find something similar to practice on first.

Good luck!

**edit**
I'm pretty sure the modchip will be fine too, seen a few stuff ups where Wii consoles have been used with improperly attached chips but haven't seen one die from it.

Yes that's a good idea too - it should be easier to do aswell.

Would the OP need to repair the contact point assuming it carries over to the other side of the board?

 

[shtonkalot]

Would the OP need to repair the contact point assuming it carries over to the other side of the board?

No, the pads are 'dead ends' and seem to serve only the installation of modchips,

Here is a picture to make my advice a little clearer to the OP.
This is using point C as an example, obviously you need to follow the trace of whichever pad is broken.

 

[megabug7]

Ah yes simpler to leg solder

Sometimes you have to solder in the holes (SNES/ PSX/PS2) rather than on tabs, in which case trace repair is unavoidable.

 

[didineedthis]

can you post a picture ? we will be able to assist you better.

didineedthis

 

[pauluspinkydude]

shtonkalot - Thats so strange... That picture showing example of contact 'C' is the exact problem that i need to fix! Im going to start the fix soon & i will post pictures!

thanks

 

[pauluspinkydude]

Heres a picture of my problem,

I think it will be too difficult to solder the wire to the leg as its so tiny!! I think i will solder it onto the trace instead!

 

[shtonkalot]

shtonkalot - Thats so strange... That picture showing example of contact 'C' is the exact problem that i need to fix! Im going to start the fix soon & i will post pictures!

That was just luck, I suspected it would one of the smaller points and there are only 3.

Wishing the best of luck and please do post some pics, they can be really helpful for others with the same or similar problems.

**edit**

Woah dude! I'm sorry but that is not a clean install.
I would be very surprised if you could manage to fix this yourself, there are a few serious problems with that job and the fix is much trickier than the install should have been.

I think it's time to call in a pro, you really need some more experience.

 

[arctic_flame]

Heres a picture of my problem,

I think it will be too difficult to solder the wire to the leg as its so tiny!! I think i will solder it onto the trace instead!

Stop right there, get an installer to fix it for you. You've actually burnt the PCB, you've stripped too much wire, and the solder is mess.

 

[mattlouf]

Its 3am now here so im gonna give it a shot tomorrow.

Another advice : do soldering on sunlight ! the best light you can have is the sun

! TRAIN YOURSELF on an old circuit board !!!

 

[shtonkalot]

Just for further explanation and warning..

The purple bit is where the wire has been stripped back WAY too far, that could contact all sorts of stuff and short the connection. You were worried about the chip not working after the Wii being turned on with a wire missing, I'd be more worried about the Wii not working after you short out some part of the drive electronics.
The Green bit is a big mess of a dry solder joint. The solder needs to flow from the wire to the pad smoothly and with just enough to do so. It should be nice and shiny when finished and not... blobby.
All the joins look bad, not just the circled one.
I'm sorry man but this is a real mess. Take to someone who can redo the whole job before you make it worse. I'd advise you don't power the console up until it's been fixed.

 

[mattlouf]

Ive had my Wii chipped a long time ago & found it very easy to do. I then managed to install 2 other Wii machines succesfully.
So onto my 4th Wii machine
QUOTE(shtonkalot @ May 14 2008, 03:56 PM) Take to someone who can redo the whole job.

The 3 previous WII too !!!

 

[arctic_flame]

Seriously, this pic was my first install, and I thought it was a mess. After having done 8 now, including cut legs I reckon I could solder and desolder a non-cut wii with no traces...

 

[pauluspinkydude]

Ok lets not attack here... My 1st install was alot cleaner than this job, yes im no expert!

Ive managed to clean it up as much as i can and replace the wires! If all fails then i will get a pro to do it