Had a moment with a 10 year old laptop where I saw the same bad solder joint three times

A guy brought in a Dell Latitude from 2014 that would not turn on. I checked the power jack and saw a cold solder joint on the board connector, a common fix. After I fixed it, it came back a month later with the same issue, and I saw the joint had cracked again. The third time, I used a different flux and more heat, and it has been fine for six months now. How do you all handle those old, worn boards that just don't want to take new solder?

3 comments

3 Comments

rivera.henry11d ago

Just scrub the pad first, always.

tyler61429d ago

Man, that board is fighting you like a stubborn old mule! (Sounds like it really didn't want to let go of that bad joint.) I've had a few like that where you just have to go nuclear with the heat to get anything to stick, it's like the solder pads are just tired of existing. Sometimes you gotta clean the area way more than seems reasonable and basically re-tin the whole pad from scratch. Those old boards can be such a pain, but beating one feels pretty good.

claire_fisher4129d ago

Is it really that bad though? I've fixed a few old radios where the joint just needed a tiny bit more flux and a clean tip. Sometimes people crank the heat way up when a little patience works better. Not every stubborn board needs the full re-tin treatment.