Hardware problem soldering new SD Card reader

[qazmik]

This is the timeline of the problems i have with the reader:

• Games freeze after a while, then AMS crashes. I eject and insert the sd card to fix the issue
• This happens every few hours, becomes annoying, i check on the internet and it appears it's a problem with the sd card reader (i tested 3 sd cards, every one works in my pc)
  
• Sometimes Hekate shows 1 bit mode, i confirm that the problem is the sd card reader
• I open the console. Bad luck, there are a few pins missing in the MOTHERBOARD.
• Options are replace the part or do a weird fix with cables that i found in these forums, i chose to replace the part
• i order two parts from AliExpress, i can't link it, so this makes it a little harder to diagnose my problem, i'm sorry
  
• two weeks passes, i receive the parts and went to a phone repair shop so they can replace the part
• They do the fix, i test the sd card
• i send fusee primary payload: "Fatal Error: Failed to intialize the SD card!. Press POWER to reboot" in white with black background
• i send hekate payload: Black background with yellow text "Missing LPO (sleep mode) library! Missing or old minerva library! Update your bootloader folder! press any key."
• i press a key, a menu appears, i can only move with volume options
• if i launch or check sd card info: "Failed to init SD Card! Ensure that the SD Card Reader is properly seated!"
• if i turn off Auto RMC and go to OFW, the sd card isn't recognized
• I suppose i really didn't seat correctly the sd card reader, after few tries without luck i ended up tearing up a pin, so i need to resolder with another part

i ordered two parts, the person was nice enough not to charge me until the console is repaired, so i'll ask him to solder the extra part. Now, these are my questions:

• the repairman said that he wasn't completely sure, but the problem could be that the part was soldered upside down, could this be the case? if that's the case, how do we check wich way to solder?
• Could it be that i ordered a part that won't work with the console? or it's of bad quality?
• even after a few tries, it always showed me that the sd card reader wasn't properly seated, could it be that it's really hard to seat it correctly? or it simply is a generic error that shows even if the sd card reader isn't connected (i forgot to check)?
• any tips i could say to the repairman before he makes the soldering? everything looked well put, so i don't know why it didn't work

 

[thesjaakspoiler]

Could you send some pics of the parts you ordered?
I don't see how you could manage to solder the SD card slot upside down.
Another possibility is that there is some impact damage or the ribbon cable is damaged somehow.
Just use a multimeter to measure the path between the SD card and the motherboard :
https://www.reddit.com/r/NintendoSw...pert_issue_sd_card_reader_port_is_dead_on_my/
If you have a Switch Lite, there will probably be the same kind of test pads on the motherboard somewhere.

 

[qazmik]

a little late, here's my progress:
i had the connector soldered again. But the console still couldn't read the sd card. The only option left was to replace the sd car reader, so i ordered a replacement.

Today i recieved it, opened the console and put the new sd card reader and... it worked!, OFW could read the sd card and asked me to reboot the console as it should. I turned on AutoRCM, booted into Atmosphere, i could open any game as before. Tried Hekate, no "1 bit mode" message in sight, everything seemed fine.

Turned off the console, screwed everything in place, took me like 20 minutes searching tools and puting the shield in place, injected the payload and...

Spoiler: SD card error message

This message again!, i tried puting the sd card again, and it showed me the same message. I booted hekate, and it shows the GUI menu, so at least it isn't as bad as before with the text menu. Still, it shows 1 bit mode, so i still can't boot into Atmosphere

Spoiler: Hekate

Now i don't know what to do, the sd card reader connector looks like it is in place, and the sd card reader is brand new. The console worked! why it is happening again?

Something i noticed, every time i put the screw in the sd card reader, it looks like the connection lifts a little, only a little bit, but if i try to use my finger to put it in place it doesn't change anything. If i try to boot without putting the screw it also doesn't change anything.
Another thing, when i inject atmosphere the "Failed to initialize SD Card" message takes like 3 seconds to appear, and everytime i press power to reboot it always takes 3 seconds again, but if i use my finger to press the connection it takes less than a second to appear, i don't know if this has anything to do with my problem.

Could you send some pics of the parts you ordered?

Spoiler: SD Card Reader Connector

Here is the connector in place, it doesn't look like theres something wrong with it. The repairman said that it checked it with a multimeter and everything worked fine.

Here's the SD Card Reader in place

Spoiler: SD Card Reader

i don't know why it worked only once and now it doesn't want to work again. Maybe it was simply of bad quality, or i am not connecting the SD card reader correctly? i don't know but the fact is that i can't use it for now.

I don't want to connect and disconnect the SD Card too much for fear of ripping a pin again, i don't want to wait another two weeks only for the sd card reader to still not work.

 

[Hayato213]

Your SD flex isn't OEM.

 

[qazmik]

Your SD flex isn't OEM.

Sorry if i don't follow, what's an OEM flex?, how would i know if a SD flex is OEM when i buy a new one?

 

[jkyoho]

At lease use a DMM to check your sd reader socket pins having all connection to the test point on the MB side

 

[Hayato213]

Sorry if i don't follow, what's an OEM flex?, how would i know if a SD flex is OEM when i buy a new one?

OEM = Original equipment manufacturer

Looks like you got a knockoff, below is oem.

 

[lpoolm]

I've never had any problems not using official sd card readers, all I've tried have worked fine.
However, installing the actual connector on the board is hard. If one of the connectors is not soldered on obviously its not going to work.
I would probably go with the above see if you can get a multimeter to check what pins are not connected then run a jumper wire, you might be lucky and it's just one or two?