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geekhack Community => Keyboards => Topic started by: Los Angeles on Tue, 05 January 2021, 10:59:54
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Look down below
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So I was desoldering switches out of my pcb a while ago and found this:[attachimg=1]
Any way to fix it using a solder?
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Solder alone? Maybe, maybe not. If I'm seeing it correctly, looks like a trace came off the anne pro 2? If you can get the copper trace back down on the PCB, you could run another small piece of copper wire from the end of the trace to the pin on the switch. It's important that you have electrical connection not just to the loose trace but the other side of the matrix as well.
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This is one of the reasons why de-soldering is hard. If the solder is not heated enough and removed while heated enough it runs the risk of ripping the pad off. I've done it many times, it sucks. In your case you can run a thin solder trace along the path that was ripped up and try to run solder around the through hole as well in a ring. That way you'll have the connection made and have something for the pin to solder/mount to.
It may be difficult to make it thin without the solder having any metal to attach too. You could try to use a very tiny amount of glue at the very end of the copper trace that's pulled up just to secure it into place to be able to lay solder over top of it.
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So ya mean I can press it back down to the pcb and just add some solder on the hole completing the circuit? Sorry im pretty new to all of this
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Added to my first post.
You can also pick up a Silver Conductive Ink pen and draw the trace and there are also Green Overcoat pens that you can grab to protect the trace after that, that acts as a solder mask.
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Added to my first post.
You can also pick up a Silver Conductive Ink pen and draw the trace and there are also Green Overcoat pens that you can grab to protect the trace after that, that acts as a solder mask.
aight, thx a lot guys
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This is one of the reasons why de-soldering is hard. If the solder is not heated enough and removed while heated enough it runs the risk of ripping the pad off. I've done it many times, it sucks. In your case you can run a thin solder trace along the path that was ripped up and try to run solder around the through hole as well in a ring. That way you'll have the connection made and have something for the pin to solder/mount to.
It may be difficult to make it thin without the solder having any metal to attach too. You could try to use a very tiny amount of glue at the very end of the copper trace that's pulled up just to secure it into place to be able to lay solder over top of it.
uh nah, update it just fell off lmao
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You're luck that this is in the middle of a row which is the easiest place to fix. I'm hoping you have a plate to hold the switch in place? If so you don't need to worry about a firm solder mount. Traces are just wires stuck on a board so I would cut the trace off (so it doesn't short anywhere causing random keypresses) and solder a wire, any wire, between the pin with the missing pad and the top pin of the switch on either side. You can do this on the back of the board, it's not clever enough to notice.
Or you could do as retoid suggests if you want to hide the fix, but if it's in a sealed case who's going to know :thumb:
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So I did what u guys said and it worked, after I lubed every damn switch and put everything together not it doesnt wanna turn on :eek:
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1. don't panic (people make whole keyboard without a PCB even
2. get a DVM and check the adjacent solder points for conductivity (make so DVM beeps on short circuit)
3. get a phone wire or a piece of a network cable (single copper wire insulated)
4. cut just enough for your trace, make the ends stripped and soldered
5. place the switch in it's place and solder the two legs with the wire
6. check if more wires are needed and repeat
7. check for conductivity
good luck and lease report?
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Just looked at the "enhanced" photo: those seem to be 3 pins (switch "legs") you need to join in series (2 wires)
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Just looked at the "enhanced" photo: those seem to be 3 pins (switch "legs") you need to join in series (2 wires)
I already added two wires from previous switch that has been undamaged and further to the damaged one and the one after. And it worked, they weren't insulated though. Could that affect the fact that
now my board doesnt turn on lol
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Upd, added insulated wires:
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What are the black things on the PCB? What do you mean by "doesn't turn on", do you get the new device detected noise or a message about power or just no response when you plug it in?
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The switch if turned on, turns on rgb and therefore the keyboard. And now it doesnt, lol. Black things are either 2 wires connecting the ****ed up spot or the ones on the right are factory things
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There is a ever slight chance the other side of the hole had a connection too (the hole held a metal conducting pipe). You should compare adjacent holes to each other - the chance is low.
More probably there is another issue present - a loose USB solder joint or whatever (scrutinize the board thoroughly)
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if i read you correctly, you are saying that the bare PCB works flawlessly but when you put into the case it does not power on anymore? is the case metallic by any chance? if it is i would guess you got a short somewhere from power to it. else maybe when soldering the switches back on you created a solder bridge between a ground and the power likely near the controllers. or ESD killed the usb phy on the controller, but that is rather very very unlikely.