I thought I would make a quick post to provide some encouragement for those who may water damaged phones. Took mine swimming the other day. Phone fell out of my pocket and drifted down to the deepest end of the pool 8+'. Fortunately I discovered the phone before I got out of the pool.
I ran down to the hardware store and bought a bag of powder dehydration powder used for drawing humidity out of the air. I combined this powder with a bag of white rice in an airtight container (may seem like overkill but this worked much better then the typical prescribed method).
Any how, I removed the battery, took the screws out of the inner housing assembly popped the assembly without completely disassembling. I then wrapped the phone in a couple of coffee filters to prevent any of the powder from entering the phone.
I put the filter wrapped phone in the powder over night, sealed the container and left overnight. When I awoke I had a completely dry phone.
When I attempted to reboot the phone, the phone booted, but the touch screen didn't work.
After watching a video on Youtube (disassembly guide) I completely disassembled the phone. Working with 99% Iso alcohol and some small brushes, I completely cleaned the interior of the phone assembly including the main board, all connectors (paying very close attention to the pin assemblies). I found quite a bit of white corrosion inside the pin assemblies for the connectors and on much of the components. I assume this was residual chlorine from the pool water. After thoroughly cleaning all components, board etc. I carefully reassembled the phone per the instructions in the video.
Once the phone was buttoned up and recharged, I rebooted the phone. The phone booted right up. Everything worked perfectly, with the exception of the camera (wouldn't focus right). I disassembled the in housing again and took the camera out again. After inspecting, I realized I hadn't cleaned the interior of the plastic cover that protects the camera. After booting again, camera worked perfectly.
I would highly encourage anyone who mistakenly immerses their phone in water to at minimum use the powder and rice mixture w/partial disassembly. This worked exceptionally well compared to simply removing the battery and placing in rice.
If your patient and willing to follow directions, I found the thorough disassembly and cleaning process to be quite informative and rewarding, and I got a working phone out of the deal.
Don't recommend getting your phone wet, but if you do, take the initiative and try this yourself. Feel free to msg me if you have any questions
Good to hear that home solutions is still a viable way to fix electronic problems.
How long was it in the water for? I would have figured there was no way that phone would come back to life. Good to know.
Makes no difference if it was 10 seconds or 10 minutes. It doesn't get "wetter" being in longer.
Sent from my SCH-I535 using Tapatalk 4 Beta
mine got wet 9 months ago and the op's steps that they took were similar to what I did and I can confirm that you can save your phone. My phone even got plugged in to the charger before i realized it was wet. Thanks op for posting this to help others out.
Hall, that cant be entirely true. Granted, either way is bad, but you can have more corrosion build up if it sat longer. Will 10 minutes do that much corrosion? still doubtful, but still can effect the phone differently. Also, depending on the case, it could take a little longer to access deeper in to the phone.
Sent from my MIUI powered S3 thanks to StrumerJohn and using Tapatalk 4. Respect My Authoritah!
BurningDog said:
How long was it in the water for? I would have figured there was no way that phone would come back to life. Good to know.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sorry for the late reply. Phone was about 9' deep for about 10 minutes. It was completely water logged. Funny thing was screen was still operational when I pulled from the water. I immediately pulled battery to prevent shorting.
I tend to think the amount of corrosion is relevant to the depth of water invasion and the amount of chemical or other component in the water. Mine was full of white corrosion. Under a magnifying glass I could see it everywhere. Any place i found it, I scrubbed with a fine brush and alcohol, specifically around the pins in the connectors. Be careful not to bend any though.
As far as components, they seem to be very well sealed. Nothing got into the camera, gyro etc. Speaker and phone jack both needed quite a bit of work, but eventually came clean.
Wouldn't suggest opening a phone for no reason, but it is actually quite interesting to see how small and well designed the components are, as well as to see how and where they are installed, gives one a much better understanding of how these things work.
Should I ever drop a phone in water again, I will certainly feel much more confident about my ability to revive it. Not good for the phone but certainly not a death certificate either. With a thorough cleaning your phone should work just fine again.
Edit: so I read the OP. Excellent job, with the exception of the rice. Leave it out next time. It's time to end the rice myth!
--------------------------------
For the love of God people, stop putting your wet phones in rice. I work at a repair shop and have worked on more water damaged phones than I can remember. Also, I come from a fobby Asian family and have carried(20+ lb bags)/washed/steamed/eaten a lot of rice.
First, rice doesn't just absorb moisture. If it's submerged in it, it will. It doesn't just pull it out of the air.
Second, when you put something wet in a container, or anywhere without good airflow it takes significantly longer for the water to evaporate. Take some wet clothes and put them in a bag. Even an open bag. See how long it takes compared to something like line drying.
Half the time someone leaves their phone in a rice filled container, the phone still has water in it 3-7 days later. The other half the water is gone, but it has accelerated damage from corrosion/rust.
Best thing to do with a water damaged android phone: take out the battery. Put it anywhere with a comfortable ambient temp and airflow, leaving the battery cover off. Leave it as long as you feel comfortable. Install new battery and back up your stuff.
At this point, you may need to clean everything with rubbing alcohol. If you don't feel comfortable doing that yourself, bring it to someone.
Sorry to rant but I'm just so sick of opening up wet phones and having people tell me "but I read it on the internet!"
Spread the word.
rockingondrums said:
Sorry to rant but I'm just so sick of opening up wet phones and having people tell me "but I read it on the internet!"
Spread the word.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Everything on the internet is true though. Which is why I will now let everyone know. You all owe me money. Depending on your yearly net income.
20k and below. $10
50 - 70k $20
70 - 90k $50
90k and up $100.
You may pay me via PayPal.
This is on the internet. This is true. Good day!
Sent from my MIUI powered S3 thanks to StrumerJohn and using Tapatalk 4. Respect My Authoritah!
UPDATE: After playing around with a few different phones (and breaking a few displays myself) I should note that working with an LCD display is a lot more fragile than working with an AMOLED display (i.e. Samsung mostly). LCD displays are a lot thinner, bend and break easier, and are less forgiving to slight amounts of pressure on the display.
I found that using the thin wire cuts the polarizing filter and destroys the LCD most of the times for me, while working with the LCD and glass detached from the body is generally not a very good idea without a separation machine, as the LCD is at the mercy of the glass you're trying to remove.
My current technique with LCD screens, involve working directly on the phone itself, and purposefully shattering any large shards of the top glass/ digitiser to make it easier to remove as opposed to a large chunk. Basically what I found is that there's less chance damaging the LCD when removing small shards of glass vs large ones, as you're at the mercy of the dry times of the glue between the glass and the LCD.
As an additional note, if you have a way to maintain it, you'd want to keep the glass heated to about 70-80 celcius. Any hotter and the LCD will discolour.
------------------
This was originally a reply that I posted on the N7000 General thread, but I feel that most of it's techniques apply to most modern smartphones, in particular most Samsung devices, so I feel that it's quite helpful if it's shared with the lot of you, in hopes that it makes your life when it comes to replacing your smart phone front glass (without Digitizer) ala DIY. I know for a fact that this works on the Note 2, S3, S4, Note 3 as I've worked on these devices before.
I'd like to chime in on this as someone who has managed to do this process successfully on a number of occasions. I've gotten good enough at it that I've taken on helping other people repair their phones for a fee, and am contemplating on just having an ad out there as side income for myself, so here goes.
The first thing I usually do, is with cracked displays, is to layer the top with packing tape, just to make sure that the shards of glass don't go anywhere.
From there, I use a heat gun set at very low heat and heat the phone evenly, moving around for about 30 seconds (do not stay at one spot, keep moving, either in a zig zag or circular motion. The display should be hot, but not overly hot till it burns you. All you're doing is just loosening the adhesive a little.
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Start by lifting up the glass from the top edge of the phone, where the earpiece is, and slowly and gently try and lift it up. I use plastic phone opening tools as well as spudges. It should give way relatively easily with light pressure. If it gets difficult, again with low heat, run the heat gun over the next effective area of lifting. I do not recommend metal tools as they can and WILL (from experience) damage the LCD below if you're not careful.
Slowly and gently make your way down the phone to the capacitive buttons, and if you hit little shards of glass, be patient with them. It's patience that will get you your screen replaced hitch free.
Once you get the display edges off, don't get too happy and rip the rest off, because the capacitive buttons are glued onto the display as well, with adhesive. Slowly heat up that area as well, and I recommend this time, with a pair of thin long metal forceps, go in and slowly peel it off the glass
Once you have that off, you can easily separate the glass from the body, and from there what I do is I clean up the body and the display with isopropyl alcohol, to get the remaining glue residue off the display, and prep it for a new pane of glass to go over. It is at this stage that you should work in a dust free room, or at least no AC/ no FAN. Those are my rules anyway.
This is the part that I highly recommend doing, which is fully disassembling the phone, removing all the internal components until you're left with just the inner body and the outer frame. What I do is that I snap the inner body into the outer body, free of any of the internal components (cameras, sensors, anything that you can remove), such that any excess display glue will not seep into them and damage the components (again, I've had this happen to me)
If the replacement glass that you bought does not come with replacement adhesives for the body (not for the screen), then what I suggest you use, (which I use as well) is a combination of 1mm or 2mm, 3M 9448 Tape for Electricals. Normal tape is not nearly as adhesive or thin enough for the job.
After having done so, this is the part where unless you have an autoclave unit lying around, you're going to be using LOCA (Liquid Optical Clear Adhesive) and not OCA (Optical Clear Adhesive). This is the adhesive layer in between your display and the glass. Apply the Loca on the display in sort of a Y shape on both ends, while leaving plenty of space on the borders
Above is how I apply the LOCA on my display, and I don't go too generous with it, otherwise you have to deal with a lot of leakage later. Remove all protective plastic from the new glass pane, and slowly lower it, bottom first, then top, such that the bottom becomes like a hinge for lowering the display on to. Do not be bothered if the liquid doesn't spread evenly at this point. Even a bit of air bubbles can be solved later. For now, press the glass down onto where you placed the 3M tape before, securing the glass on the body. This also helps the glue from coming out of the edges later. The glue will naturally spread a little after doing this.
I usually start by pressing the center of the display, to try and spread the glue out onto the whole display, and this process may take some time, especially if you're trying to get those pesky air bubbles out. What I do is that I slowly but surely get them into the edges, and make sure they don't appear again.
I then go over the display with a UV Flashlight of 365nm, on places like the corners where I'm happy with the results (i.e. no airbubbles), for about 15 seconds. The purpose of this step is to harden the glue a little there such that when you're doing your final bake, they don't suddenly creep up on you. Do this for edges where you have problematic air bubbles as well, and once you're done, it's time for the final bake.
I use a 48W UV light that I got off the internet, and I bake the top of the phone for about 20 minutes, then I remove the outer frame, leaving only the inner body + glass, and I bake the other side of the display as well for a further 5 minutes. This is to harden the excess glue as well, that way it's easier to remove and clean up.
When all that is done, it's time to put the phone back together, so I hope you remembered which component goes where and how, and where each screw goes as well.
The final results? A happy phone that's ready to be used again
Note: If you get a gummy/ Sticky home button with a bit of the glue seeping out, what I do is that keeping the phone upright at about a 45 degree angle, I drop about 3 drops of isopropyl alcohol down the home button, and let it go in a little, and using a cotton pad, keep mashing the button until the solvent thoroughly gets in and dissolves and excess underneath.
Sorry if this post was long, but I thought that my experiences would be helpful to others . Feel free to chime in on your own experiences/ thoughts on the process, as well as maybe some important information that I may have missed out that you feel should be added to the first post.
-----------------------------------------------------------------
EDIT: A bit of an addendum to add to this topic as I feel I need to address a few questions or concerns
FAQ
Q: Why would you want to repair the screen yourself? Why not just send it over to a shop to have it repaired for you?
A: The answer is quite simple. Cost. Over here where I am, Malaysia, the cost of getting a screen repaired via 3rd party repair shops is about 600 ringgit, or 200 USD. Consider that if you have the patience, skills, and materials to do so, you can do it at a fraction of the cost. For starters the glass itself can be acquired for under 10 USD if you're a smart shopper. Plus you're having fun!
Q: What do you need to perform this repair?
A: Here's a list of things that I use for repairs
- Packing Tape (prevents loose glass shards from going into your skin while you're working)
- Heat Gun (A hair dryer may do the job just fine as all you need is to heat up the glue to remove it)
- Plastic tools/ Spudges (chances are if you ever ordered replacement glass or what not, you should have some lying around)
- Forceps (thin metal tweezers. I use this to separate the capacitive buttons with greater precision, though if you have any suitable alternative, it could work just fine.
- Acetone (Isopropyl Alcohol. I use this to clean up the area after all the glass has been removed, to prepared for a new optical layer. I do not recommend the usage of thinner, as it's not very plastic friendly, neither should you use nailpolish.)
- 1mm or 2mm 3M 9448 Tape for Electricals (in the off chance that the glass that your order doesn't come with replacement adhesives to stick the glass to the body, this comes necessary. Standard double sided tape isn't adhesive enough so I wouldn't recommend it, though VHB tape could be an alternative; you just have to cut it into thin strips)
- LOCA (Liquid Optical Clear Adhesive. This is the glue layer in between the display and the glass. I do not recommend proceeding without it. It may look like a good idea at first, but once your phone gets exposed to the elements, or even pressure on the glass, chances are moisture is going to form in between the glass and the LCD, creating unsightly newton rings, and trust me, it's ugly; I've been there.
- UV Light for curing the LOCA glue (I use a 48W light. I tried using a UV flashlight to cure it before, but it didn't manage to cure the glue well, even after hours of exposure.)
Q: What are the costs of performing this repair?
A: The consumables in this repair don't cost much at all, though you will need to make a small investment in the tools. They still come up cheaper than sending it for repair however. Here's a list of my cost breakdown:
=Consumables=
- Replacement Glass, 5-10 USD : If you know where to look, you can get it for under 10 USD each time, sometimes even below 5 USD.
- LOCA, 9-10 USD: Good for at least 6 repairs, even if you decide to leak it all over the place.
- 1mm & 2mm 3M 9448 Tape, 6.50 USD: Good for more than a few dozen repairs. mine came in rolls of 50M in length.
- Your time. If you're experienced, you can get it done in 3 hours or shorter, depending on severity.
=Tools= (these can be reused for future repairs)
- Plastic Tools, 5 USD (Again, if you have anything similar that you would like to use to pry open the display, go ahead. I recommend them being flat and wide however.)
- UV Curing Light, 35 USD
- Heat Gun, 20 USD (Free if you decide to use a hair dryer).
- Packing Tape, 2 USD (again, free if you have any of them laying around.
Q: Why do you need to use LOCA?
A: Unless you have an Autoclave machine lying around, you can use OCA. Chances are you don't and an Autoclave machine is around 3,000 USD. Let's not go there. LOCA sits in between your LCD and the glass. I won't pretend to know what exactly it's purpose is, but I'll tell you that your phone looks a LOT better with it, has less chances of breaking your Glass + LCD as there's less chance for it to flex and crack inwards, and prevents moisture from forming in between your LCD and Glass (which is bad!), forming unsightly newton rings. It also prevents dust from getting in where you can't reach it, and trust me, it's irritating as hell if that happens.
Q: Does LOCA come preapplied when the phone comes straight from the factory and does that means that my new glass is forever bonded to the LCD?
A: When your phone is made in the factory, it has OCA instead, which is a pre-cured version of LOCA. The only difference between OCA and LOCA is that one is pre-cured, i.e. OCA, and LOCA needs to be cured with UV lights. LOCA is not highly adhesive, so you can easily remove it after being applied, so no it doesn't take down the LCD with it.
Q: Do you need to use the UV Lights?
A: The answer to this is sort of a yes and no. The world around is is full of UV light, so if you're up to the task and it's a sunny day, then you could technically leave it out in the sun for a while, for it to work it's magic. I don't recommend it, but it's possible. If you however live in the clouds, or have 24/7 winters, I suggest you get the UV light. LOCA does NOT cure with heat, or being left alone. It specifically cures in UV light as I know it.
Q: This all looks hard and difficult! I don't know if I can do it
A: As with many things in life, patience and perseverance rewards you. I admit that this is not for everyone, but for those who do attempt it, I will assure you that you will learn something new, feel accomplished with yourself for fixing your own phone, and have possibly developed a new skill set that is capable of bringing you a source of income.
Q: If I send you my phone will you do it for me?
A: If you live in Malaysia, and do not mind meeting up with me/ sending your phone over (and of course, waiting), I'd be more than happy to help you fix your phone, though I do have to incur my own costs on top of raw materials. Feel free to message me for more details
Great article...
But as an FYI, baking a functional AMOLED screen with UV light is not the greatest idea, since UV light degrades it just as bad as sunlight... Better cover it or use a heat-gun instead.
Thanks for the reply, but I don't think that's possible either as LOCA only specifically cures with a UV light. From testing things out it may not be necessary to cure it for 20 odd minutes, but the UV light IS necessary.
A++ poster, will buy from again.
This kind of homebrew fix is analogous with fixing your own car... sure you can, but is it worth the time and cost of the tools required?
That's why they have car and cellphone repair shops. But each to their own I guess...just my opinion...
billa said:
This kind of homebrew fix is analogous with fixing your own car... sure you can, but is it worth the time and cost of the tools required?
That's why they have car and cellphone repair shops. But each to their own I guess...just my opinion...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well, its a homebrew solutions thats a lot cheaper than the offerings here in Malaysia. They charge 200 USD, but a diy solution comes in at just under 30 for me.
Besides, its in the pursuit of knowledge! And just tinkering with things and getting things done I enjoy repairing things, and smart phones are no different. I'm sure not everyone shares the same passion as me, but its still worth something.
billa said:
This kind of homebrew fix is analogous with fixing your own car... sure you can, but is it worth the time and cost of the tools required?
That's why they have car and cellphone repair shops. But each to their own I guess...just my opinion...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If you have access to the heat gun and UV lights, absolutely. I have seen S3 glass only sell for as little as $12. I have not seen screen repair services priced less than $100.
Even purchasing the heat gun and UV lights you can come out less expensive than the repair provided you shop around a bit. And then you will have the tools in case you break another phone, or if (like the OP) you want to repair other people's devices for a fee.
I agreed with you. repairing cost of smartphone at shop is totally expensive in malaysia. buying a new one will be a smarter way than repairing at shop
For those who are actually wondering, LOCA is used for mobile phone screen repairs, and yes, it is made to be cured under UV Light, as per below
Translated text says "UV Curing Adhesive"
I would like to state that having the adhesive around the edges and using a heat gun and a few tiny clamps work just as well as described, holds just fine, repaired this guy's iPod touch that way a few years back ran into him a few weeks ago and its still as good as new
Heat gun and clamps cost $11 total not sure how much the liquid adhesive and uv light to cure costs
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I747 using XDA Premium 4 mobile app
You have the LCD Screen Separator Machine, SO you can separate the lcd with the broken glass. And you have the UV Glue, so you can make the new glass with lcd together. But we are common people, we can not afford to buy the machine. And we are not repair technical person, how can we do it ourself ? I think this job is very difficult for our common people...
billa said:
This kind of homebrew fix is analogous with fixing your own car... sure you can, but is it worth the time and cost of the tools required?
That's why they have car and cellphone repair shops. But each to their own I guess...just my opinion...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Knowledge is priceless. I'd rather pay a little extra the first time and learn something so I know how to help myself or others later on.
Teach a man to fish...
deathblade said:
I would like to state that having the adhesive around the edges and using a heat gun and a few tiny clamps work just as well as described, holds just fine, repaired this guy's iPod touch that way a few years back ran into him a few weeks ago and its still as good as new
Heat gun and clamps cost $11 total not sure how much the liquid adhesive and uv light to cure costs
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I747 using XDA Premium 4 mobile app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I think you're mistakened though. As the liquid adhesive actually sits in between the display and the front panel glass. You could go without it, and trust me, I've tried, but that makes it susceptible to physically touching the display below it, leaving newton rings that are unsightly. :/
ecparts said:
You have the LCD Screen Separator Machine, SO you can separate the lcd with the broken glass. And you have the UV Glue, so you can make the new glass with lcd together. But we are common people, we can not afford to buy the machine. And we are not repair technical person, how can we do it ourself ? I think this job is very difficult for our common people...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
There is no separator machine, just a heat gun it doesn't cost much, you can get one for about 20 USD, and the same goes for the UV curing light, and its glue which totals about 30. All in all, its about 50 for raw materials, most of which are tools you can reuse again, and not just for this occasion
Again, some people who are hardware enthusiasts do have it lying around
Thanks dear for informative article.
The very best way to do this is use .08 wire. You can buy a roll for $10 and it'll cut through the glue like butter with a little heat. And since your not lifting on the glass the chances of breaking the lcd are alot slimmer.
deathknight842 said:
The very best way to do this is use .08 wire. You can buy a roll for $10 and it'll cut through the glue like butter with a little heat. And since your not lifting on the glass the chances of breaking the lcd are alot slimmer.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks sir. A good alternative. I use plastic tools and I'm quite careful so I'm sure I'm on the safe side, though that wire method does sound a boatload faster.
It's alot easier. If you have a heat plate to keep the temp up on the phone it only takes about 1 minute to remove the whole screen.
Also a tip for anyone wanting to try this. After you get the lcd off your not finished. Be VERY carefull cleaning off the lcd. My first time I got solution on the edge of the lcd and it got under the lcd and washed out the color on half of it. Also when you add the loca to the lcd. Be very generous with it. I was being stingy my first time and wasted a good half bottle trying to get enough glue in there. You can always remove extra glue but you can't add it.. Plus you dont wanna be squeezing the crap out of your lcd and risk damaging it. And finally with people like me that have pets so a clean air room is pretty impossible. What you can do is take a large tub. Flip it upside down and cut two holes for your arms and clean the inside out with lysol. It makes a still air box and should keep a good majority of dust away as long as you don't lift it.
hamsteyr said:
I think you're mistakened though. As the liquid adhesive actually sits in between the display and the front panel glass. You could go without it, and trust me, I've tried, but that makes it susceptible to physically touching the display below it, leaving newton rings that are unsightly. :/
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I understand to purpose for the liquid adhesive I'm just speaking from experience I've never had an issue with no adhesive in between the LCD and glass also I'm just saying you take proper procedures to get the job done but while you have these tools that not everyone would like to pay for or knows exists there are cheaper ways of doing it with just a little more hassle but the outcome is the same(again from my experience ) but the tutorial you wrote up is nice and very detailed great job, only thing I would suggest is to post links to where you can get these tools so if someone wants may look into doing thus a little easier
Sent from my SGH-I997 using XDA Premium 4 mobile app
LOCA ?
So, this adhesive isn't used from the factory, correct?
I'm also assuming that once you use it, if your digitizer breaks again, you will be replacing the LCD as well since they are bonded.
New batteries for the XDA Exec/JasJar are not available anymore, so I want to try to equip my old battery with new cells.
I found a suitably thin pair of 3.7v Lipo batteries as a replacement.
I managed to open the old battery and remove the old cells without incident.
The question is now: should I remove the old battery management sysmte I found inside or use the new cells with their own BMS?
The old battery has four contacts, positive, negative, one thermistor and a status indicator.
The new cells I have only have two contacts, positive and negative.
Will the phone work with the middle contacts not being connected? If I remove the BMS of the new cells and connect them to the old BMS, the cells are a different capacity. Would that matter?
You want the thermistor to monitor battery temperature. The power controller may puke all over you without that input and go into default mode. Whatever that is.
Charge state is voltage based so if the cell voltage ratings are the same as the OEM ones it should work. If you solder to the cells you better be quick and proficient at soldering with a temp controlled iron 45-85 watts (I go for 650-720F) and 63/37 flux core solder. Pre-tin any wires...
I soldered the new cells to the old BMS and it's working fine.
The soldering wasn't quick though. The solder was very reluctant to sticking to the metal strips, despite me roughing them up with sand paper and using extra flux. Any suggestions of how to make solder stick more readily?
Is the cell potentially unsafe now? Is there a much higher risk that it will spontaneasly burst into flames?
You should pre tin it. I will aggressively rub the tinned iron tip* on the surface with lots of rosin flux to get it to tin. OK to use excess solder and allow it to drip off as it carries away the contaminants. Allow to cool. On problem surfaces I'll waste a lot of solder just to get them to tin. Got to go with the flow... did production soldering for decades
Once both surfaces are pre tinned then solder. 37/63 solder works best; lower melting point, flows better.
You're probably ok as long as there's no noticable or battery bulging. Maybe do a test cycle or two with the cover loose to test it and make sure the thermistor is still reasonably accurate.
*greatly reduces tip lifespan. Normally you avoid do this. I reccomend using at least a 65 watt iron to overcome the battery's heat sinking capacity. Lower btu's mean unwanted excessive heating of the battery due to excessive heating time. Sometimes bumping up the iron temperature yields a faster solder joint but speed is of essence. Loitering with the heat more then a few seconds is to be avoided. Using the right size/shape tip can increase the heat transfer and help to minimize contact time. Sanding is normally never used to clean solder surfaces in electronics. It may make it harder. Make sure the surface doesn't have a conformal coating, if so remove it first. Brillo pad to clean tips of burnt build up; they don't cut into the tip plating on the tinned zone (destroying them).
I use tips that have a large tinned zone as smaller zones (measured from tip back) will foul much quicker as the burst rosin accumulates no matter how often you wet sponge it and well you keep them tinned.
Get as much tip surface area on the zone to be solder as possible at the get. Soldering is a skill/art that requires practice to learn.
Even aluminum solders easily. Except aluminum oxide doesn't.
Apply oil, sandpaper it, solder through the oil.
Renate said:
Even aluminum solders easily. Except aluminum oxide doesn't.
Apply oil, sandpaper it, solder through the oil.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Interesting. Cool trick if it works.
Never had to play with that much. Cheap steel lead electronic components are a pain.
Apparently using a very high tin content solder helps, but any zinc chloride if used must be completely removed. Check its melting point first...
Also immediately after soldering quench the battery with a damp cloth to cool it more rapidly.
Any kind of oil? Sunflower oil?
naujoks said:
Any kind of oil? Sunflower oil?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Lol, I just did a check of my assertion.
I used spray canola oil from the dollar store.
Renate said:
Lol, I just did a check of my assertion.
I used spray canola oil from the dollar store.
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Rosin flux is the O2 sheild when soldering... and it won't permeate into the display. Just use liquid or paste rosin flux and Emery cloth, etc.