I tried to save money. I failed HARD.

[James]

Buy Sony Alpha a7 II Full-Frame Mirrorless Video Camera

On Amazon: https://geni.us/GcYZBP

On Best Buy: https://geni.us/ET2A2Du On B&H: https://geni.us/v4TNt

Purchases made through some store links may provide some compensation to Linus Media Group.

 

A cheap and easy fix is all that separates Linus from revamping his streaming setup with a Sony A7S II. Except it wasn't easy. And actually he didn't save much money in the end either...

 

 

 

[darknessblade]

I think a fun sequel to this would be Linus testing out various soldering irons.

 

Like the

Pine64 Pinecil [risc-5 based]

TS100 [chinese one that is highly reputable]

Weller [highly reputable brand, used by many companies in the EU]

and various other ones

[Needfuldoer]

7 minutes ago, darknessblade said:

Weller [highly reputable brand, used by many companies in the EU]

My trusty Weller WESD51 and I have fixed a ton of stuff together. All the popular repair YouTubers tend to use Hakko irons though. (At least they're not the $10 wood burner irons. I hate those things.)

 

Just don't go too far back to their ancient irons that used magnets in the tips to control temperature. Changing the temp is a pain in the butt when you have to wait for the iron to cool down.

[Nystemy]

To be fair, as someone who works in electronics manufacturing, this is fairly horrific to watch....

 

But the technique shown off is odd to be fair.

It generally isn't recommended to heat up the board and "drop in" the component. Nor is adding solder to a multi pin footprint ahead of component placement a good idea, that mostly just makes life harder...

 

However, the dual row nature of the connector shown makes it a real hassle to work with. Normally I would just hand solder each pin individually, but the second row behind the first would then be impossible to reach.

 

The solution here is solder paste. However, then one needs to apply it correctly. As in each pad should have its own little pile of paste, not too much nor too little.

The connector is placed onto the pasted surface before one applies any heat to the board. _{(for manual jobs like these, some optical inspection under a microscope is recommended to see that the pins aligns well with the pads.)}

If the connector is in the correct location, then we apply heat to the board, pre heat the back a bit before applying heat from above. And be cautious of not melting the plastic, and this is why pre heating is good.

 

Also, don't let it linger too long at high temps since the PCB itself will degrade if heated beyond 120-140 C. And yes, solder temps is usually 200-250 C _{(for reflow oven, but higher isn't uncommon for most people hand soldering)}, so don't let it linger for minutes. Even reworking a board degrades it bit by bit, especially if one isn't suitably quick. _{(The electrical isolative properties of the fiberglass bonder will worsen as it slowly chars from the heat, eventually this leads to excessive electrical leakage between traces and this can upset feedback networks for DC-DC converters and other control signals, not to mention cause actual shorts. But long before this happens the board already shows discoloration. I recommend practicing on phenolic boards, since they discolor quickly if one lingers even a tiny bit too long. FR4 degrades slower, but it still degrades.)}

 

If one needs to add solder to a pad. Then use a regular spool of tin, it is far far faster than paste and far more controlled as well.

 

In regards to flux.

It can actually destroy the electronics if used improperly. Flux is rather chemically active and is good at stripping away corrosion. Also, don't breath the fumes, they aren't particularly healthy. Then there is also water soluble flux, this is even worse to breath or even expose to one's skin. _{(Read the manual for your flux...)}

 

Leaving flux on a board can also eat away the pins and traces over time. Since it continuously strips away the forming oxidization. _{(since it doesn't stop oxidization from happening. I have a brush I have dunked in flux 24/7 at work, and the metal collar holding the strands is completely free of rust, but has been eaten away quite substantially in just a year or so.)}

However, this is mostly only true for fluxes that are naturally liquid at room temps. _{(Read the manual for your flux... But alcohol dissolved rosin flux doesn't usually have to be cleaned, unless the board/pins gets properly hot under normal operating conditions.)}

 

Also can't help but mention that an IR camera to measure surface temperatures of aluminium foil isn't ideal. Since the aluminium foil isn't really radiating a lot of IR compared to most other materials. This is however true for a lot of polished metallic surfaces, they more or less reflect the temperature of the room, with a bit of a bias towards their own temp. _{(All thermal cameras and "laser" thermometers struggles with this... Regardless of brand. But it can be accounted for and compensated for, but then knowledge about the thing getting reflected needs to be considered.)}

[Nystemy]

46 minutes ago, darknessblade said:

 

Weller [highly reputable brand, used by many companies in the EU]

To be fair, they have a good few products without a mains side fuse and considers that industry standard. Quality went out the window there. I don't care how good their mains transformer is, it shall still have a mains side fuse.... They do though still make a lot of good stations, but I don't consider them reputable when not all their products have basic protection against accidental fire from a burnt out mains transformer. _{(in short, check if has a proper mains side fuse before using it, else return that garbage... Practically all exccedingly cheap USB charger from scummy Ebay sellers still has a mains side fuse... (BigClive is my source for that.) so why can't Weller have one in their fairly expensive soldering stations? Are they really that cheap?)}

 

_{(And yes, they don't even include a thermal fuse in the transformer either.... I have seen very few mains transformers without such.)}

 

Also, you forgot Hakko on your list. _{(even if their stations are garbage (but they do have proper mains fuses at least...), but the T12 tips are very nice together with a third party controller.)}

 

39 minutes ago, Needfuldoer said:

Just don't go too far back to their ancient irons that used magnets in the tips to control temperature. Changing the temp is a pain in the butt when you have to wait for the iron to cool down.

Actually use Weller's Curie point regulated tips at work. They heat up very fast, regulate just as well as my Hakko T12 station at home.

 

The idea of changing tip to get another temperature is part of the appeal in the manufacturing scene. Since in manufacturing it is to ensure that the production workers don't change the temperature and risk making worse or incorrect solder joints. _{(other manufacturers have various ways of achieving this as well, Hakko uses a plastic key.)} Since the tip can be chosen for the thermal characteristic of the join needing to be soldered. _{(in short, higher temp for larger thermal loads.)}

 

For the hobbyist it is however fairly annoying to say the least.

[sub68]

As someone that has repaired a camera and lenses, yeah those ribbons are super fragile when repairing treat it like glass

[BaidDSB]

So the moral of the story: Just pay the company to repair things for you.

 

didnt they pay MORE for the thing than just paying for replacing the connector?

[Vishera]

The result is inexcusable,

Linus didn't even bother to do his due diligence on how to do it properly and just yoloed it only to end up paying Sony for "repair".

Because money is not an issue for you.

[Ultraforce]

2 hours ago, Needfuldoer said:

My trusty Weller WESD51 and I have fixed a ton of stuff together. All the popular repair YouTubers tend to use Hakko irons though. (At least they're not the $10 wood burner irons. I hate those things.)

 

Just don't go too far back to their ancient irons that used magnets in the tips to control temperature. Changing the temp is a pain in the butt when you have to wait for the iron to cool down.

I think Hakko might be popular in NA? I know the makerspace at the university I went to also had Hakko irons. Though for a project we also used my personal soldering iron which I think isn't a named brand since it was the cheapest thing we could get at the electronics store a long time ago and was mostly used for just melting a hole in a sharpie at the time.

[dogwitch]

1 hour ago, sub68 said:

As someone that has repaired a camera and lenses, yeah those ribbons are super fragile when repairong treat it like glass

once tore a part a thin laptop... with a none standard hinge for display. og display was not working. but when i   was taken it apart. yeah i rip the cable.

then when i order a replacement screen. cable was rip from factor.  was able to get another that work. but that specific design. was never used again. for a display.

[djenson]

Disagree with some of the YT comments screaming boycott sony for not being r2r friendly. Its a camera, and camera operators want something compact. When things are as small and miniturifyed as this they inherently get hard to repair. Sony seems to of done a lot to allow you to attempt to repair the camera yourself (spare parts, parts diagrams). The labour cost of the the repair was fair ($100 labour + $400 board). In new cameras sony have fixed the issue with a full size HDMI. 

[sub68]

2 minutes ago, djenson said:

Disagree with some of the YT comments screaming boycott sony for not being r2r friendly. Its a camera, and camera operators want something compact. When things are as small and miniturifyed as this they inherently get hard to repair. Sony seems to of done a lot to allow you to attempt to repair the camera yourself (spare parts, parts diagrams). The labour cost of the the repair was fair ($100 labour + $400 board). In new cameras sony have fixed the issue with a full size HDMI. 

also remember this is a 6 year old camera that is bassicly a stills camera

1 hour ago, BaidDSB said:

So the moral of the story: Just pay the company to repair things for you.

 

didnt they pay MORE for the thing than just paying for replacing the connector?

nah its just be carefully soldeier that HDMI

52 minutes ago, Vishera said:

The result is inexcusable,

Linus didn't even bother to do his due diligence on how to do it properly and just yoloed it only to end up paying Sony for "repair".

Because money is not an issue for you.

he sent it in for the board to be reclibrated and there is no way to do that your self

[darknessblade]

2 hours ago, Nystemy said:

To be fair, they have a good few products without a mains side fuse and considers that industry standard. Quality went out the window there. I don't care how good their mains transformer is, it shall still have a mains side fuse.... They do though still make a lot of good stations, but I don't consider them reputable when not all their products have basic protection against accidental fire from a burnt out mains transformer. _{(in short, check if has a proper mains side fuse before using it, else return that garbage... Practically all exccedingly cheap USB charger from scummy Ebay sellers still has a mains side fuse... (BigClive is my source for that.) so why can't Weller have one in their fairly expensive soldering stations? Are they really that cheap?)}

 

 

_{(And yes, they don't even include a thermal fuse in the transformer either.... I have seen very few mains transformers without such.)}

 

Also, you forgot Hakko on your list. _{(even if their stations are garbage (but they do have proper mains fuses at least...), but the T12 tips are very nice together with a third party controller.)}

 

Actually use Weller's Curie point regulated tips at work. They heat up very fast, regulate just as well as my Hakko T12 station at home.

 

The idea of changing tip to get another temperature is part of the appeal in the manufacturing scene. Since in manufacturing it is to ensure that the production workers don't change the temperature and risk making worse or incorrect solder joints. _{(other manufacturers have various ways of achieving this as well, Hakko uses a plastic key.)} Since the tip can be chosen for the thermal characteristic of the join needing to be soldered. _{(in short, higher temp for larger thermal loads.)}

 

For the hobbyist it is however fairly annoying to say the least.

 

True, Weller their Analogue products are better than their digital counterparts.

From what I know about weller is that some of their older models do contain a Fuse, and more safely features than their modern counterparts. {Of which I have used some about a decade ago in school}

 

It is quite sad that their newer models are worse than the older generation soldering Irons, but this what you get when companies become Reputable, and try to maximize profit, over product quality, thinking end-users will not notice the change.

--------

As for Hakko, I did not name it because of the bazillion clones of clones of clones out there. making it near impossible to know if the hakko you have is a true original, and not a 3rd generation clone. [Of which Louiss Rossman also made a video explaining the issue between Real hakko's and Fake ones]

-----------

 

Personally I like the Pinecil, or TS100 style soldering Iron the most. because of their ease of use, and quick responsiveness [Heating up to 240C in less than 10 seconds].

Not forgetting their open-source firmware, which is a bonus, if you want to lock your wattage/temperature range to a certain point, preventing overheating, or over-currents, trough a manual setting, that can only be changed by a new firmware.

 

I even 3D printed a custom stand using some M12 washers [which are the perfect size for the tips to be fully seated in it]

 

[Needfuldoer]

13 minutes ago, Ultraforce said:

I think Hakko might be popular in NA? I know the makerspace at the university I went to also had Hakko irons. Though for a project we also used my personal soldering iron which I think isn't a named brand since it was the cheapest thing we could get at the electronics store a long time ago and was mostly used for just melting a hole in a sharpie at the time.

I've never touched a Hakko. I learned on a Blue Point R60* with a Weller TC201 iron when I was a kid, then got introduced to the WES51 at work many years later. I got used to the smaller pencil, and picked up the WESD51 on Fleabay with a bunch of tips for a good price.

 

I still have that Blue Point, but it's the spare now.

 

*Apparently this is Snap-On's house brand for soldering equipment, and Weller was one of the OEMs back in the 70s or whenever this thing was made.

[CommanderAlex]

3 hours ago, sub68 said:

As someone that has repaired a camera and lenses, yeah those ribbons are super fragile when repairong treat it like glass

Can completely agree here!!! Replacing the CF card slot on my camera was a royal PITA. Luckily it was a daughterboard too just like in the video.

[xnamkcor]

"Strain on the connector".

"Weight of the cable".

"There's no real way around that".

Spoiler

Spoiler

 

 

 

[Zodiark1593]

6 hours ago, Nystemy said:

 

 

In regards to flux.

It can actually destroy the electronics if used improperly. Flux is rather chemically active and is good at stripping away corrosion. Also, don't breath the fumes, they aren't particularly healthy. Then there is also water soluble flux, this is even worse to breath or even expose to one's skin. _{(Read the manual for your flux...)}

 

Leaving flux on a board can also eat away the pins and traces over time. Since it continuously strips away the forming oxidization. _{(since it doesn't stop oxidization from happening. I have a brush I have dunked in flux 24/7 at work, and the metal collar holding the strands is completely free of rust, but has been eaten away quite substantially in just a year or so.)}

However, this is mostly only true for fluxes that are naturally liquid at room temps. _{(Read the manual for your flux... But alcohol dissolved rosin flux doesn't usually have to be cleaned, unless the board/pins gets properly hot under normal operating conditions.)}

 

 

I hate water soluble flux (especially that double strength Superior 35)! That stuff is like PTSD for me. Though tbf, my old job did super little training, pretty much just gave me the housings, pointed me to the flux, and said “Good Luck!”
 

I will say though, unlike smartphone makers, camera makers certainly don’t subscribe to the “Less is More” mantra. I’ve experience with smartphones, and I certainly would hesitate to take on a camera repair job. Would love to see Louis Rossmann take it on. 

[pstrick2]

Why does every LTT thumbnail look like the host was given the prompt: "You just received an unsolicited dick pic from a colleague."?

[Rusty Proto]

8 hours ago, darknessblade said:

I think a fun sequel to this would be Linus testing out various soldering irons.

 

I'm sure that would be quite a train wreck to watch. Good for entertainment, but I think I can likely throw him farther than I can trust his advice on component level work.

7 hours ago, sub68 said:

As someone that has repaired a camera and lenses, yeah those ribbons are super fragile when repairong treat it like glass

Not exactly. Glass can take the heat and would probably be a whole lot more durable.

1 hour ago, pstrick2 said:

Why does every LTT thumbnail look like the host was given the prompt: "You just received an unsolicited dick pic from a colleague."?

That may well be what is happening. OwO

[sub68]

1 minute ago, Rusty Proto said:

Not exactly. Glass can take the heat and would probably be a whole lot more durable.

I don't think you understand, the ribbon cables are super fragile like glass

[Rusty Proto]

5 minutes ago, sub68 said:

I don't think you understand, the ribbon cables are super fragile like glass

Oh, I know. I've torn up my fair share. ..and often, they'll melt like cellophane under the heat of a soldering iron, as that's practically what they often are. They're also prone to hide in corners of the case that are hard to see until you've already gotten the device apart and ripped the cable.

[sub68]

14 minutes ago, Rusty Proto said:

they'll melt like cellophane under the heat of a soldering iron, as that's practically what they often are.

I havent done that

14 minutes ago, Rusty Proto said:

They're also prone to hide in corners of the case that are hard to see until you've already gotten the device apart and ripped the cable.

I havent ethier

[Rusty Proto]

16 minutes ago, sub68 said:

I havent done that

I havent ethier

Devices from the 2000s used to be the worst, though that's also when my soldering skills were developing the most. I probably made nearly every mistake in the book then, though I won't claim to be the world's best solder tech now either.

[sub68]

Just now, Rusty Proto said:

Devices from the 2000s used to be the worst, though that's also when my soldering skills were developing the most. I probably made nearly every mistake in the book then, though I won't claim to be the world's best solder tech now either.

fair, I have soldered small projects of just PCB,s

[05032-Mendicant-Bias]

That was a difficult repair to do as an amateur. Linus did good with hot air for removing the connector. I wouldn't have used hot air for soldering, because it's a tall order to align so quickly the item. I would have soldered the two outermost pins with the iron, soldered the mechanical tabs, and used either iron or hotair for the small pins.

 

With ribbons special care is in applying even forces. Ribbons are vulnerable to shear and twist.

 

I think this would have been a good time for someone from labs with soldering experience to shine.

7 hours ago, Zodiark1593 said:

I hate water soluble flux (especially that double strength Superior 35)! That stuff is like PTSD for me.

Once I failed to remove all solder from a DIY pcb I made, and the power transistor was shorted by the flux. It carbonized the FR4 below the transistor when I powered the board. It was connected to a 30A fuse 24V deep gel lead batteries