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Repairing Soldered Connections
- Author: Andrew Bookholt
- Difficulty: Difficult
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Newer generations of iPhone, iPod nano, and iPod touch have batteries that are soldered directly to the logic board. This makes replacing the battery a much harder feat than other iPod and iPhone models, who use connectors to attach the battery to the logic board. This guide illustrates the various levels of difficulty in soldering, and teaches the technique of soldering three types of connections commonly seen in electronic gadgets:
Step 1: Beginning -- Large thru-hole components, such as cylindrical capacitors;
Step 7: Intermediate -- Small thru-hole components, such as battery leads and resistors; and
Step 11: Advanced -- Small surface-mount components.
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Edit Step 1
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Connections
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Beginning Guide
To start, let's solder a large component held to a circuit board with thru-hole solder pads.
A capacitor was already removed from the two solder pads. Each pad was heated while the capacitor was pulled away from the board.
Notice how the solder holes are completely covered with solder. Opening these holes -- so the capacitor lead can be pushed through -- will greatly simplify installation.
Edit Step 2 ¶
To open the hole blocked by solder, heat the solder pad with the tip of a soldering iron. Push through the molten solder from the other side with a staple or sewing needle.
In our case, we decided to use a right angle pick. Lead solder will not stick to steel, so pretty much any thin steel can be used.
Pushing the tool all the way through the hole may require heating the pad several times. As a rule of thumb, heat the solder just enough for it to melt, then remove the soldering tip from the pad. Excessive heat will damage electronic components.
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