Soldering help

What kind of chip are you talking about?

Just a piece of metal from the drive? Or an exposed microchip (which does not make any sense)?

 

Nobody can talk you through micro soldering. It's either something you can or cannot do (I fall into the "cannot" catagory).

If the drive is expendable, I say give it a shot. No real risk if you're just going to trash it anyway.

 

If it is micro soldering, it is not impossible but incredibly hard!!!
I would use some sticky tape to attach it down if you still need it.

 

Oh! Now I understand.

I would advise against doing it yourself. You will require the appropriate soldering iron and a special type of electronic solder. It is very difficult to attach each connector without fusing two together or ruining it.

Good Luck!

 

it isnt thatt hard(i dont know the spacing on the leads), but you need a decent iron with a tip that is like a pencil tip, none of the cheapo radio shack irons will be good enough.. Make sure you have a steady hand and get some practice before you do anything..

 

For the amount you have to spend on the right equipment you are better off buying a new enclosure. That is just my thought. However it is doable with the right equipment and a little bit of practice and patience.

 

If you're going to trash the drive anyway, I'd say give it a shot. It's difficult to solder surface mount stuff (like that found in nearly all electronics now), but with practice anyone can learn how to solder. If you know somebody who is an electrical engineer or is otherwise good with electronics construction/repair, see if they'll help you or at least let you use their soldering iron. You should NOT try to use a soldering gun. So many people think a soldering gun is the tool to use for soldering electronics. For small connections, especially those involving semiconductor devices, you must use a soldering iron.

 

There's always duct tape.

 

LOL

Sorry, that comment after 4 out of focus pictures made me laugh out loud.

 

That doesn't look that hard to solder. Its not a microchip with tens of connections to solder in a tiny space, its just one rather large component with two connection points miles away from anything else. If you've got a soldering iron and have soldered things before then go for it.

 

That's not a chip. The pictures are too blurry to be sure, but it looks to me like a quartz crystal. It's a really easy soldering job actually. Just stick it down in place (you may want to use a little tape) and then solder the terminals on both sides. Don't use too much solder, and be sure that you don't short circuit the metal case to either of the pins. Also, only keep the soldering iron on the connection long enough to get a good connection. Too much heat can damage parts.