Motherboard DC jack removal/desoldering misery

mrbongo · 30 May 2013

So my laptop has been playing up for a while now after my cat jumped on it and it fell onto the plugged in charger tip. I would charge but only when the charger was held a certain way/wiggled into the port.

The plastic in the DC jack was cracked so I ordered a new one and got a soldering iron.

Having disassembled the laptop and removed the motherboard, I have now spent hours trying to get the broken jack desoldered from the motherboard.

The two pairs of side pins holding it in eventually melted away after I took a new iron to the contacts.

The three 'top' pins holding the jack onto the motherboard seem impossible to desolder. Making things worse is that the black plastic of the broken jack is melting and making a mess so it's even harder to work with as I am only able to place the soldering iron on one side of the motherboard.

Any tips or tools I can be using to otherwise dislodge these three pins?

I have tried placing the soldering iron in the pins and gripping the jack whilst wiggling in an attempt to ease it out but nothing is working. Two of these pins seem very clogged and almost cemented in.

I am at breaking point. Thanks in advance for any help or suggestions.

**Pauly** · 30 May 2013

Sounds like you need a solder sucker, a spring driven vacuum sucker, very cheap bit of kit and very effective
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/SOLDER-SUC...item53f4ff2ea9

Motherboard DC jack removal/desoldering misery-solder_sucker.jpg

Thumb press the rod until it locks down, melt solder with iron then push button to give a shot of suck to clear away the solder in that joint, repeat with all joints and the plug should come away with a little wiggle

mrbongo · 30 May 2013

I used one of those earlier today which helped clear four pins but the trouble now is that the solder just isn't melting that I can suck up the molten solder.

I am attempting to find a tool small and precise enough to cut the metal of the jack away so that the pins remain and then I have more room to melt and wiggle each out.

I am very sad right now

mrbongo · 30 May 2013

Removed at last, more solder added to it helped in the end but I will attempt to solder on the new jack tomorrow, with the hope that the motherboard has survived the ordeal better than I have. Watch this space.

Wrenches · 30 May 2013

Your iron might not be hot enough. I never use less than 30 watts.

Also always tin the tip before using.

mrbongo · 31 May 2013

Well, I soldered on the new jack and put the laptop back together. Plugged in the charger and the power light lit up.

Apart from this, the laptop won't power on. It's a Samsung R530. When I plug the charger in, the light goes green briefly and then steady orange. Pressing and holding the power button doesn't boot it up.

*UPDATE*

Ladies and gentlemen, we have power! Keyboard not working but I suspect that's a loose connection that I struggled to secure in when re-assembling this beast.

mrbongo · 31 May 2013

Life can now resume.

3D Jed · 31 May 2013

*** doffs cap to mrbongo ***

anyone who can reassemble a laptop gets my vote.

mrbongo · 31 May 2013

3D Jed said:

*** doffs cap to mrbongo ***

anyone who can reassemble a laptop gets my vote.

Hehe, well I'm about to impress you again. Horrible whirring noise coming from the fan - which I hastily cleaned so I gotta open it up again...

3D Jed · 31 May 2013

Cleaning fan ? Can I recommend aerosol compressed air. I sometimes get whirring noise after reassembling repaired pc - usually a rogue wire touching the cpu fan.