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hkz

I don't know why I'm doing this. Probably this board has other issues and this is all for nothing.
And yet, here I am, soldering INSIDE a chip.

Tomorrow or Monday I'll tackle the other 8 missing pins. Too tired now.

38 comments
RC2014

@hkz
Now I understand the phrase about getting closer to the silicon!

Scott Williams ๐Ÿง

@hkz That chip got chipped and is missing a chip.

hkz

@vwbusguy how much chips would a chipper chip if a chipper could chip chips?

Brian Hawthorne

@hkz @vwbusguy For us old-timers who remember: How many chips could a Clipper chip clip if a Clipper chip could clip chips?

Tully

@hkz now _that's_ "you gotta want it" territory

Galbinus Caeli ๐ŸŒฏ

@hkz our lab has several people who do just this sort of thing with prototype hardware

Jonas

@hkz
You're doing the right thing! If you have access to enamel wire and never tried before give it a shot, it'll make such repairs easier as you can make the wires touch as they're isolated with a small varnish

hkz

@magnetic_tape yup, but I'll be damned if I can find where I put the enameled wire of the small enough diameter... Only found the larger ones.

Guy Jantic

@hkz @magnetic_tape It's inside that appliance whose disappearance nobody will notice if you hide the rest of the body well enough.

Marc Jacobs

@hkz Do you have access to a CSAM? I worry that chip may have delamination inside that has ripped off ball bonds in places you canโ€™t see.

That aside, I am really impressed that you are soldering to the lead frame. Wow. Thatโ€™s above and beyond for sure.

hkz

@trollball eh, there is almost no info on that chip around, no replacements either unless they're sourced for other boards. So, it's probably going to be wasted time except for the exercise

Marco Vujevic

@hkz this like like a fun activity!
Why are the pins missing in the first place?

hkz

@mavu corrosion of unknown origin. Soft drink spill suspected. It's an arcade board.

Marco Vujevic

@hkz oh wow. That's a repair for a good cause though.
Keeping vintage things going is nice.

Emanuel Schleussinger๐Ÿ”น

@hkz @tsturm awesome work! I also was able to fix a chip in my old Panasonic projector that had overheated in a similar way. Good luck!

haihappen

@hkz your bloodline may have been cursed by a witch...

hkz

@haihappen I lived my whole life with the strong suspect that one of my ancestors pissed on the wrong totem pole once...

Eivind

@hkz That is some next level soldering. It earns respect (and a little fear).

RisingEdge ๐Ÿณ๏ธโ€๐ŸŒˆ

@hkz What happened to the missing pins? Were they mechanically damaged? Or were the pins destroyed by a leaking NiCd battery?

hkz

@ShinjiLE corrosion of unknown origin, suspected soft drink spilled on the arcade cabinet

RisingEdge ๐Ÿณ๏ธโ€๐ŸŒˆ

@hkz Yeah that is also a good reason especially for consumer device near to customers. But this sounds also you got a good chance to fix it if there a no further destroyed pins or visa.

hkz

@ShinjiLE eh hopefully, but I'll know when I have finished patching the most evident damage. Weirdly enough, the PCB seems in very good shape, but lots of the ICs have corrosion, milder than this one, but still visible.
Except for the oscillators, those are in ugly state.

llewelly

@hkz uh, did you chisel that hole in that chip to do that???

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