I'm powerless@!

January 26, 2007 9:57 AM

I need to find someone with awesome soldering skills in the DC/Baltimore area.

Here's the deal - I got screwed buying an ibook on the Craigslist. I knew it was broken, but the seller held back on one specific way it was broken. So now I've got a G4 ibook with no screen that I can't turn on.

There's a small molex-type female connector on the logic board. The power button connects to this via two leads which meet in a plastic male connector. When I opened the ibook up to replace the screen, I found that the female connector was only connected by 1 of the 4 solder points. It's unfortunately a tiny connector, and was obviously machine-soldered on the production line.

The guy who sold it to me is being an ass, so I'd prefer to get it fixed, since I don't think it's worth my time or money to right this particular wrong. I'd like to go to an ultra-nerdy computer repair place - most places think I'm crazy for even trying. If there's any mefites out there who've got the skill and the desire to help me with this (for a fee, of course), I'd certainly be open to that, as well.

posted by god hates math to computers & internet (8 comments total)

any kind of stained glass artist might be able to help you. post on craigslist maybe.
posted by chickaboo at 10:09 AM on January 26, 2007

If it's just a matter of soldering the connector to the board, I could handle it next week if you feel like bringing it to east DC (I live a short distance off 295). I have soldered plenty of tiny stuff like surface mount parts. A six-pack of Dogfish Head beer would be appropriate payment. But maybe you can find someone closer to you, if you're closer to Bawlmer... the Head-Fi DIY community might be worth a shot.

I've never worked with stained glass but I find it hard to imagine it involves equipment suitable for a task like this. Even though it's "only" a connector (and not silicon), too much heat is liable to damage something else on the board.
posted by exogenous at 10:20 AM on January 26, 2007

any kind of stained glass artist might be able to help you.

I don't know that that's true. Stained glass artists usually use soldering irons that are 80 to 100 watts, and electronics soldering is usually done with lower wattage soldering irons.
posted by amro at 10:22 AM on January 26, 2007

Thanks, Exo - I'll keep you in mind, if nothing else pans out from this thread. Any particular Dogfish you like? 120? Raison?
In the meantime, I'm checking out the DIY Bawlmorons.
posted by god hates math at 10:41 AM on January 26, 2007

Dogfish 120 or Raison would be very generous, but whatever you could find is cool. Just email me if you want to go ahead - I'm tied up this weekend but after then should be OK.
posted by exogenous at 11:39 AM on January 26, 2007

any kind of stained glass artist might be able to help you
Stained glass soldering is different from electronics soldering. Higher wattage irons as amro said, and for stained glass you are usually putting on a larger amount of solder. Stained glass soldering also does not involve any consideration of protecting electronic components, and that's the main reason this probably wouldn't work out well.
posted by yohko at 1:34 PM on January 26, 2007

I used to have a goldsmith who fixed eyeglasses with broken metal parts all the time, and some of them were pretty close to plastic parts, which did not melt.
I have no idea what he did to them, he did it in the back room, and it could have involved smoke and mirrors for all I know, but you could ask. They'd have tiny tools.
posted by unrepentanthippie at 8:52 AM on January 27, 2007

I'm adding in my solution for posterity - through a co-worker, I found out about a wonderful TV/Stereo repair shop in the area - specifically, DANCO.

You'd think I'd realize that maybe I could take it to shop where people solder all day long. I took my ibook in, and he worked Soldering Magic with it. The power connector is as good as it could possibly be, considering that the component had been forcibly removed.

I'm not sure how kosher it is to mark your own response as a best answer, but oh well...
posted by god hates math at 6:48 PM on February 2, 2007