Messed up bad with modding pedal. Please help!

[elenore19]

Here's a picture. (Not the best photo, but it's the best I could get...)

I destroyed the "silver stuff" around some of the holes thinking I needed to remove that to get my component to work (I soldered and resoldered the part at least 10 times with no luck before doing this...this was my "logical" next step...).

Is there a way to repair this? Maybe just solder the part directly to the other wires on that same pad.



Thanks so much for the help. I know, I'm an idiot for this...Live and learn.
Feel free to correct me on whatever terms I'm using wrong.

Thanks again in advance.
[size=+3]UPDATE!

A 2 sided pc board will have traces on both sides, although not necessarily any solder pads on the top side, since usually everything is top mounted and soldered underneath. Generally, simple circuits are 1 sided, more complex circuits are 2 sided.

You can bend the component leads like one time - back and forth and they can break off. Use the socket....

I have my questions in bold if you want to just skim this lengthy thing.
I'm worried I ruined some components because of too much heat. Is there a way to check if a component works or not? If not, what are the odds I broke a component with heat? I have a little 10 watt soldering iron. Usually takes a few seconds to melt the solder.
So how do I find the traces on the other side of the board? I assume that the traces on the green side are the lighter green lines running from component to component.

I checked the continuity between all the traces on the green side and found that all of them checked out. INCLUDING the chip I have installed. (The old one...here's a picture of the new one...Broken?)

Is this reparable at all??

If there is a weak signal between one component and another could that mean somehow they are connected shorting out the pedal, or something along those lines? There was one spot like that, and by cleaning up some of the black stuff you see the connection went away[size=+1]I JUST TESTED AGAIN...Somehow it didn't work before, and now there is still a signal between All of the circled parts.
See the red one that doesn't have any blue around it...HOW does that get signal to other parts? There is no green tracer that I can see from it to anywhere, and the otherside is brown/cream colored and I can't see any tracers that I'm aware of.
Blue is the one that had a little continuity and was fixed by cleaning a little off the board.
Red is the one I can't get rid of. Whether or not I Should be trying to get rid of it, I don't know, but cleaning a little hasn't helped.

What's the best way to clean that black crap off of there?
Here's where you see the destruction that is my soldering...

That's all for now. Small novel, hopefully someone will read this and shine some light on my situation.

 

[Brian Oshman]

Yup, just solder to the nearest tracer that the component originally was connected to. Have someone else do it for you that has a little more skill at it. Use junk to learn on, not your good components.

 

[MajorTom]

That happens sometimes to those of us who are very experienced at desoldering. I use a Soldapult (sp?), which is a device that sucks the solder out. The solder braid, IMO is not very good for a job like this. Sometimes you need to use a little piece of wire to rebuild a missing trace. You may have to scrape off the green coating to solder to the trace.

If it is a 2 sided pc board, keep in mind that there are little "plate thru" thingies that connect toe top side trace to the bottom side trace - they are little cylindrical shaped pieces of metal. If the pad is destroyed, then its connection to the other side of the PC is also gone. If that is the case, use a piece of wire to connect the bottom to whatever is on top.

If it were me, I would solder in a socket (a good quality one with gold plated pins), instead of directly soldering in the replacement IC. You can get one at Radio Shack or any electronic supply. First, it will prevent you from accidentally killing the new IC with too much heat. Second, it gives you the ability to replace it easily and without any further damage to the pc.

 

[elenore19]

Yup, just solder to the nearest tracer that the component originally was connected to. Have someone else do it for you that has a little more skill at it. Use junk to learn on, not your good components.

Yeah I know. I only have decent components really and I got this pedal for free, so it's the best I can do. (granted it's still a nice pedal...)
I'll try soldering to the nearest tracer, thanks for the advice.

That happens sometimes to those of us who are very experienced at desoldering. I use a Soldapult (sp?), which is a device that sucks the solder out. The solder braid, IMO is not very good for a job like this. Sometimes you need to use a little piece of wire to rebuild a missing trace. You may have to scrape off the green coating to solder to the trace.

If it is a 2 sided pc board, keep in mind that there are little "plate thru" thingies that connect toe top side trace to the bottom side trace - they are little cylindrical shaped pieces of metal. If the pad is destroyed, then its connection to the other side of the PC is also gone. If that is the case, use a piece of wire to connect the bottom to whatever is on top.

If it were me, I would solder in a socket (a good quality one with gold plated pins), instead of directly soldering in the replacement IC. You can get one at Radio Shack or any electronic supply. First, it will prevent you from accidentally killing the new IC with too much heat. Second, it gives you the ability to replace it easily and without any further damage to the pc.

As far as braid vs pump goes, I have a spring desoldering pump that I use because I ran out of braid. The pump isn't working nearly as well as the braid did for me. But then again I feel like the tip on this pump is too big. Only one I could find at radioshack.(worst radioshack ever in terms of selection...yes, they were out of deslodering braid as well.)

Two sided would mean that it would have green on the other side with places to solder? (is that right?)
The other side has no soldering on it so...


Another question:With these components...they are pretty durable, right? The wires that go through the board can be bent this way and that and still be fine..right? Just covering all my bases here.

 

[Lt. Bob]

braid works great for me.


If you've soldered and resoldered the component 10 times ...... it's not impossible that you have damaged that particular component.

What kind of solder are you using?
If you accidentally got solid core ...... you can have a hard time getting it to stick well with out resin.

 

[dementedchord]

it seems counterintuitive but you're better of using a real hot iron for just a sec... than a cooler one for 2-3 sec... wick though harder to get used to is better than a sucker unless you can get a real desolder station... also clean the residue from the board (scrape it or alcohol works fine...)

 

[MajorTom]

Yeah I know. I only have decent components really and I got this pedal for free, so it's the best I can do. (granted it's still a nice pedal...)
I'll try soldering to the nearest tracer, thanks for the advice.

As far as braid vs pump goes, I have a spring desoldering pump that I use because I ran out of braid. The pump isn't working nearly as well as the braid did for me. But then again I feel like the tip on this pump is too big. Only one I could find at radioshack.(worst radioshack ever in terms of selection...yes, they were out of deslodering braid as well.)

Two sided would mean that it would have green on the other side with places to solder? (is that right?)
The other side has no soldering on it so...


Another question:With these components...they are pretty durable, right? The wires that go through the board can be bent this way and that and still be fine..right? Just covering all my bases here.

A 2 sided pc board will have traces on both sides, although not necessarily any solder pads on the top side, since usually everything is top mounted and soldered underneath. Generally, simple circuits are 1 sided, more complex circuits are 2 sided.

I spent several years as an electronic tech (non-audio stuff)... There are some solder sucking devices that don't work very well - like some of the "copies" of the Soldapult (like what you would buy at Radio Shack), and the ones with a turkey baster bulb. Even the good ones - you have to empty and clean them fairly often. A little bit of oil in the chamber will improve the suction. Timing is important - you have to have the solder melted, then place the desoldering tip onto it instantly (right against it) as you move the soldering iron tip away, and then hit the suck-button instantly. With a good desoldering tool and good technique it works pretty well, IMO much faster than the braid, so less time spent and less chance of blowing the component or the trace lifting from heat being applied for too long. Some guys prefer the braid - perhaps there is a technique to using it that I never learned, because I always found it to be much slower, maybe just a hotter iron would do it..?

You can bend the component leads like one time - back and forth and they can break off. Use the socket....

EDIT- Oh, yeah, keep the tip of the iron clean - wipe it on a wet cellulose (not plastic) sponge periodically, or a wet paper towel will work in a pinch. Not 100% saturated with water, but not just damp either. The black burnt flux residue will act as an insulator and inhibit the transfer of heat. Also, if it is not an iron clad tip, keeping it clean will prolong its life - the flux is corrosive to copper tips.

 

[elenore19]

NEW Developments.

A 2 sided pc board will have traces on both sides, although not necessarily any solder pads on the top side, since usually everything is top mounted and soldered underneath. Generally, simple circuits are 1 sided, more complex circuits are 2 sided.

You can bend the component leads like one time - back and forth and they can break off. Use the socket....

I have my questions in bold if you want to just skim this lengthy thing.
I'm worried I ruined some components because of too much heat. Is there a way to check if a component works or not? If not, what are the odds I broke a component with heat? I have a little 10 watt soldering iron. Usually takes a few seconds to melt the solder.
So how do I find the traces on the other side of the board? I assume that the traces on the green side are the lighter green lines running from component to component.

I checked the continuity between all the traces on the green side and found that all of them checked out. INCLUDING the chip I have installed. (The old one...here's a picture of the new one...Broken?)

Is this reparable at all??

If there is a weak signal between one component and another could that mean somehow they are connected shorting out the pedal, or something along those lines? There was one spot like that, and by cleaning up some of the black stuff you see the connection went away, but there is another one that I can't get rid of. That's where the traces on the other side of the board come in...
Blue is the one that had a little continuity and was fixed by cleaning a little off the board.
Red is the one I can't get rid of. Whether or not I Should be trying to get rid of it, I don't know, but cleaning a little hasn't helped.

What's the best way to clean that black crap off of there?
Here's where you see the destruction that is my soldering...

That's all for now. Small novel, hopefully someone will read this and shine some light on my situation.

 

[MajorTom]

Is there a way to check if a component works or not?

Yes, using either a multimeter or capacitance meter, for resistors, diodes and capacitors, not so easy with IC's though. To do that you have to take it out of the circuit, by de-soldering one end of it. don't go there.

... what are the odds I broke a component with heat?

The IC maybe, I wouldn't worry as much about caps, resistors, diodes. Don't have a clue as far as the actual odds.

Is this reparable at all??

Personally, I would just get a new one and insert it into the socket that I would solder in there. it is possible to solder a small wire onto the broken leg, but... How did the new one get broken? if it was removed from something by desoldering it, I'd just throw it away.

f there is a weak signal between one component and another could that mean somehow they are connected shorting out the pedal, or something along those lines?

If you mean that you are measuring stuff on the board with an ohm meter...? If you mean you are getting some high ohm readings between components installed on a circuit board, that doesn't mean anything; it is normal.

You can buy some flux residue cleaner, or in a pinch use rubbing alcohol which will dissolve it and spread it around on the board - multiple cleanings will be necessary. I can tell you from experience, and I don't care what anyone says, that flux residue does not conduct electricity, at least not enough to be a factor in an audio circuit like this. Flux does not hurt anything. I have on multiple occasions, in years past, proved the non-conductive nature of flux to young electronic techs. Be aware that that you will get high resistance readings when your fingers are in contact with the metal of the probes - like 150K, 250K ohms or higher - that might have been what you were getting, either that or, again, the reading you are getting is from the components being in the circuit, not the "black stuff". Also, with semiconductors (transistors, diodes, IC's) in circuit, often you will get a resistance reading with the probes oriented one way, reverse the probes and it will be a much different reading - either way higher or way lower.

Blue is the one that had a little continuity and was fixed by cleaning a little off the board.

If that is the case, it was something other than flux. It is possible that you might have had a solder bridge - a little stray line of solder that was joining 2 traces/pads, that got knocked off in the process of cleaning. It is conceivable, I guess, that you may have had some other substance on the soldering iron tip that may have left a conductive residue....

Red is the one I can't get rid of.

What are you measuring between? The red and what else? To re-iterate - measuring between that pad and some other random pad or component on the board and getting a resistance reading doesn't really mean anything.

 

[elenore19]

Yes, using either a multimeter or capacitance meter, for resistors, diodes and capacitors, not so easy with IC's though. To do that you have to take it out of the circuit, by de-soldering one end of it. don't go there.

The IC maybe, I wouldn't worry as much about caps, resistors, diodes. Don't have a clue as far as the actual odds.

Alright, well I'll just sort of bank on that I didn't break any with heat...I'll look into that more when I have no other choices.

Personally, I would just get a new one and insert it into the socket that I would solder in there. it is possible to solder a small wire onto the broken leg, but... How did the new one get broken? if it was removed from something by desoldering it, I'd just throw it away.

It broke off during one of the times I was messing with soldering and re-soldering it. I figured I'd just have to get a new one.
A socket? Like something that goes in there and then you can easily insert and take out different chips? I have one of those. Tried it twice, both times no luck, but I'll try again and buy a new chip to try out.

If you mean that you are measuring stuff on the board with an ohm meter...? If you mean you are getting some high ohm readings between components installed on a circuit board, that doesn't mean anything; it is normal.

Yeah, an ohm meter. Between components that don't have what I think is a tracer between them. I'm desperate, figured it Might be something. Good to know though, thanks.

You can buy some flux residue cleaner, or in a pinch use rubbing alcohol which will dissolve it and spread it around on the board - multiple cleanings will be necessary. I can tell you from experience, and I don't care what anyone says, that flux residue does not conduct electricity, at least not enough to be a factor in an audio circuit like this. Flux does not hurt anything. I have on multiple occasions, in years past, proved the non-conductive nature of flux to young electronic techs. Be aware that that you will get high resistance readings when your fingers are in contact with the metal of the probes - like 150K, 250K ohms or higher - that might have been what you were getting, either that or, again, the reading you are getting is from the components being in the circuit, not the "black stuff". Also, with semiconductors (transistors, diodes, IC's) in circuit, often you will get a resistance reading with the probes oriented one way, reverse the probes and it will be a much different reading - either way higher or way lower.
If that is the case, it was something other than flux. It is possible that you might have had a solder bridge - a little stray line of solder that was joining 2 traces/pads, that got knocked off in the process of cleaning. It is conceivable, I guess, that you may have had some other substance on the soldering iron tip that may have left a conductive residue....

Yeah, thanks, it wasn't the flux (black stuff, right?) so it's good to know though. I won't worry nearly as much about cleaning it.

What are you measuring between? The red and what else? To re-iterate - measuring between that pad and some other random pad or component on the board and getting a resistance reading doesn't really mean anything.

Once again, good to know. I'm just trying to hope that I find anything that could be wrong, so I know what to fix.


Thanks so much for the help, it really has shined some light on my situation. I'll try buying a new chip online, installing the socket and try out the new chip.

Does it matter which way the chip is oriented when I install it? Also does it matter which way the socket is oriented?

Thanks again for the help!

-Elliot

 

[MajorTom]

A socket? Like something that goes in there and then you can easily insert and take out different chips? I have one of those. Tried it twice, both times no luck, but I'll try again and buy a new chip to try out.

Yes, one of those. If you can solder the the chip in there, there is no reason that you can't solder a socket, although some have smaller pins than the IC does. Here is a link to an 8 pin DIP socket from Radio Shack - socket That is a cheap one, better ones have a ceramic body and / or gold plated pins.

Does it matter which way the chip is oriented when I install it? Also does it matter which way the socket is oriented?

Yes, the chip must be in the right way to function and not get blown instantly on power up, although not every chip will necessarily be blown if reversed. There may be a marking on the top of the board, like just a "1" (or a "pin 1) indicating pin 1. Otherwise, if you don't know, try and find a pic of it installed in your unit. The notch on one end of the chip is what you index - hold the chip in front of you with the notch toward the ceiling. The pin on the top left is #1. No, the socket does not have to be oriented any particular way.

The pins on an IC are spaced just a bit wider than the socket, actually, they are angled outward, and you have to adjust them a bit to be able to insert it in the socket. There is a thing called an insertion tool which does that, but I never used it. What I would do is press one side the IC down with one row of the pins down flat on the table and roll it a few degrees to bend all the pins evenly, and just a little bit. Then I would do the other side. The goal is to get them more perpendicular to the body of the chip so they will line up well with the socket pins.

 

[soundchaser59]

braid works great for me.

If you accidentally got solid core ...... you can have a hard time getting it to stick well with out resin.

That was my first thought, no rosin in the solder. There are several points in that photo that look exactly like solder that wont bond because of lack of rosin. When soldered correctly, you should not be able to see any part of the hole.

I think a 10 watt iron is not hot enough. It will be slow, and will make it harder to get the leads soldered correctly. I use a 40 watt with a super fine point on it. Use the thinnest solder you can find. It's definitely an art form, but it's easy to master once you figure out your own method. I've never ruined any components doing it this way.

The main cause of pulling out trace is not removing all of the solder before pulling out the old component. Use a magnifying glass. Wick the solder off, then magnify it to see if the old leads wiggle freely when you rock the component from the other side with your finger. IF the leads do not move, then the solder is not completely removed, and it will pull the trace out if you try to force it out with pliers or something. Solder creates an actual metallic bond, it isn't like glue where you can pull the two surfaces apart.

The notch on one end of the chip is the guide. It may be a notch, or just a slight circle impression in the chip surface. The board usually has a matching mark like a small dot or even an outline of the chip with a matching notch. If you can match the notches or dots, then you wont have to worry about which pin is which.

Sorry to say it but you will have a hard time getting this board back to working spec. I cant tell from that photo, but if one of the leads is broken off that chip, your day is done! Order a new one online, then order a pizza.