View Single Post
Old 08-27-2012, 07:17 PM   #13
qlob
Official Lurker
qlob ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.qlob ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.qlob ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.qlob ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.qlob ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.qlob ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.qlob ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.qlob ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.qlob ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.qlob ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.qlob ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.
 
qlob's Avatar
 
Posts: 1,050
Karma: 7096675
Join Date: Apr 2012
Device: Kindle 3.4
Quote:
Originally Posted by geekmaster View Post
Modern devices use lead-free (RoHS) solder that is very brittle.

I have had chips and connectors pop loose from circuit boards after dropping. Touching the connections up with lead-based solder fixes them, after removing excess solder from solder-bridges using solder wick. A low temperature soldering iron (just enough to melt the solder) helps to protect the board and the chips.

But with BGA chips such as used in the kindles (including the mmc), you need to "bake" it to reflow the solder. The problem is that there is a fine line between hot enough to reflow the solder and hot enough to damage the chips. There are videos showing how to do that with notorious MicroSoft gaming consoles, in which they used expensive thermal cameras to monitor and control chip temperature.


Damaged screens can start with little or no visible damage, with a growing screen substrate crack over time. Perhaps you lucked out there. I have a working K3 that needs a screen. Amazon's "half-price" replacement offer was a lot more than I paid for it originally, so it sits waiting for a screen.
Ahh... didn't see the DarkRed. I'm scared to bake my Kindle....
qlob is offline   Reply With Quote