Just wanted to say thank you for this channel and the knowledge i made my first repair of a USB 3 connector on a $2000 Motherboard the original had many bent pins. I used that magic flux/low melt and was able to salvage a new connector from another board. Now i have a very nice board and can say it was saved from E-waste.
I feel the same as you. Alex has inspired me to grab the soldering iron again. I even bought a microscope as my eyesight is not what it used to be. Northridge Fix is one of my favourite channels.
I don't disagree that they should use legs through the board to hold the connector regardless, however the unit is designed to use a special attachment that clips into the end of the VAS6154 and holds the connector and cable tight in place so it can't load up the connector inside and break it. The reason they break is that people use these without that special connector and plug a cable straight into it which of course works, but doesn't have the support to stop it from breaking that it's designed for, so these failures are caused by misuse really not bad design as such. If you do a Google search for vas6154/4 you'll see the adaptor. The reason people don't use them is because the vas6154/4 has a special connector on the other end of the cable and they want to use just standard USB and instead of getting an adaptor to convert it they just bypass using the adaptor which is where they go wrong.
@@Gigaheart it means there are holes on the board and the connector that's mounted on the top of the board will have attachments going 'through the hole in the board' to get to the other side where they're attached. It gives the connector a much better grip to the board.
Alex, it is always a pleasure to watch you do amazing work. I use Hot Glue and J-B Weld to do similar work on Laptop hinges. I always enjoy your video's. Many thanks and greetings from South-Western Ontario, Canada
Alex, I've been watching your videos for a while and from time to time, you come up with new techniques to aid your craft, like the hot glue trick. I love how you keep learning, improving and sharing. Better than factory!
As someone who repaired a lot of ripped-off SMT power connectors I must give props to your method of securing the connector with some hot glue in the case! I would recommend to enhance the stability by soldering thick wires to the connectors' metal shield and route them to the underside of the PCB where they are soldered to the ground layer. The wires will withstand the force applied to the connector when the cable is inserted much better than the tiny soldering pads on the board.
I do something similar, After I solder the pins, I add a slither of unmelted hotglue between the board and shield and the heat melts it as I push down and solder the feet to the board
As always, absolutely better than factory. And unlike the factory, you have tried to make it so that the device will not be so prone to the same fault any time soon. Great job!
What I like about your videos is you have an excellent understanding of engineering and how things can and will break, and you translate that to your repair procedures. Great job.
This guy is probably the best over seen on here. Not to mention that flux he uses is 👌😚. Next I will get some solder wick and some more goodies. Keep up the great work please.
Hi Alex...Thank you for your very detailed repair videos. I am an amateur-Hobbyest and I just repaired my first device following all your recommendations. I fixed a Dell E7440-no power, charger in protection mode.
Alex you're my idol. I love watching you work. You inspire me, and thank you for this channel.. I've learnt so much from you...and I keep buying your products whenever I get money. I trust your product because they are verified by you. Much love.
Very nice work. Maybe it is cheaper for the producer to use or make boards without throughhole pins. But i guess the reason is, that they know that it breaks easier and the costumers have to buy a new one or bring it in for "repair". They change the device, give them a new one and cash some extra money for it. Of course it will not get repaired by the factory. Great video, thank you
Awesome work as always. I watch every video. Your way better then anyone I ever seen do this type of work. I have seen alot on camera and off. Even friends of mine. I have even tried I did pretty good for my self but practice make perfect. Have a awesome day.
I was thinking you were gonna place some of that solder mask. I hope your hot glue solution holds. I would have just made a huge solder blob to hold the connector. Maybe use sealing wax or superglue if there were no pads to hold the connector.
Nice job :) You did 100% better job than the customer. But I wonder, what would happen if someone drilled through the back legs and used a through-hole connector instead?
I noticed that there are 2 holes near the connector, the manufacturer could have used them to attach a metallic bracket to secure the connector. But I guess the manufacturer does not care about it breaking, they will happily sell a new one for a few thousand dollars.
They should use something more rigid for this use. I am Peugeot/Citroen technician and the tool we use (Actia Lexia) has a classic connector with screws. I dont remember the name of it, but probably the same as for COM/RS232 protocols or slightly bigger. The other side of the cable has USB A, but I would also love two have something more rugged there, as USB can loose connection stability, when moved. And automotive repair laptops move accidentally a lot, believe me. Its not easy feeling, when you do some configuration, that takes few minutes and a lost connection may easily brick an expensive and rare control unit, thats paired with other units and contains immo. That is, you brick the entire car in your garage. Been there done that...
What people should do to save their USB ports are magnetic-attached data USB cables. I have them installed on all my electrical items (cell phone, tablet, LED work lights, portable speakers, etc). They are available at any online store. Cheaper to replace a cable than getting a new USB port soldered in.
Any tips for getting soap out of a phone camera lens? Would be greatly appreciated! Phone fell in soapy dishwater months ago. Phone has dried and works fine, but there's soap inside the camera lens "camera failed" error when trying to use. Front camera works but not rear. Have opened phone and cleaned connections with iso alcohol. also doused lenses in iso alcohol but I reckon I'd need to submerge the lenses in it for hours before it had any effect on the inside of the lens.
I think the USB connector is made this way on purpose. Kind of an predetermined breaking point. The fact is, that the OBD interface in the car where you put the other end of the dongle in is placed on the left side below the steering wheel (above your left foot unter the instrument panel). When workshop personnel is working with OBD they often are sitting on the driver seat with the diagnostic laptop with them. And to prevent damage to the customers car the weak point of all that is inside of the dongle. It also prevents damage from the laptop, the dongle is more easy to repair than everything else. A better idea would be a wireless dongle (USB connector then with through-holes) or a cable with predetermined breaking point as kind of an magnetic coupling.
Just an idea, I'm not sure how the dongles are used (I presume directly connected to the PC), but if you were to develop an enclosure that physically attaches to the dongle, you could house a daughterboard with a female usb type C connector connected internally to the mini usb connector. Even better would be to create a slightly larger full enclosure that would accommodate these components. That way you would have a safety in case a technician breaks the port again. Nowadays 3d printing is not that complicated, so I think this could be an easy solution.
I saw tronicfix do the glue stick with heat gun method first. I can't believe you're stealing ideas from him...... Just kidding, Alex. Hopefully, we're still "SOLID". (Long time fans of this channel will get this.)
I would have made a "horse shoe" bracket hold down for the front. It could have been made of copper and soldered to the metal part of the plug. Would have had to use leaded solder on that part though.
Not really. The sides of the connectors dont have any holes and the molten glue will flow anywhere else but on the top, front or behind of the connector.
Looks like the word has gotten around that NRF is the place if you are an auto dealer and need your expensive diag tool port repaired. Probably a very common issue.
If you heat the metal to the same temperature, the glue will stick much better. This principle is similar to soldering... we must heat the wires for the solder to stick.
Completely off-topic, I see this new tech repair channel (new for me) and Id like to ask you to talk a little bit about the phenomena known as planned obsolescence. Do you think its bs or is there some truth to it? Have you experienced it yourself through your job?
In my opinion, companies must pot the entire pcb inside resin under the shell for such type of designs. Especially in automotive industry, technicians are super rough in handling.
Seen lots of connector faults on PC's Laptops and other stuff, do you think it would be better if they made them like the old components on motherboards that just clicked in? Easy to replace when they go bad, and maybe they might not go bad if connected this way.
I worked in a VW Dealership in Germany for more than 6 years. We had like 10 of those dongles and never broke a USB connector. What the hell are they doing to rip it off so often ?
Usb affords the ability to use a replaceable cord that takes the abuse. But then you see a lot of SM connections. Just status quo if the dealers never bitch about it.
Make sure that the surface you apply hot glue on is also hot. If you apply hot glue on a cold surface it will not bond, but if the surface is also hot the glue will bond much better.
You cant blame the mechanics for this problem.If the cars were designed and built well the mechanic shouldnt have to use the scope on them.Unfortunatly they are not and everything fails so the scope is needed to figure out what the manufacturer stuffed up again to make it come into the workshop.
If you want to pronounce it right you have to say “folxwagen”. The f is sharp like in “force” and the “ks” from volks is spoken like an x like in fox. This will please any german watching (like me) 😜
Alex, your video productions are amongst the finest on UA-cam, and I love watching them; thank you! 🍾❤️
Just wanted to say thank you for this channel and the knowledge i made my first repair of a USB 3 connector on a $2000 Motherboard the original had many bent pins.
I used that magic flux/low melt and was able to salvage a new connector from another board.
Now i have a very nice board and can say it was saved from E-waste.
I feel the same as you. Alex has inspired me to grab the soldering iron again. I even bought a microscope as my eyesight is not what it used to be. Northridge Fix is one of my favourite channels.
@@cjh0751 this channel helped me take chances on items that would be E-Waste and give electronics another chance at life.
@@shadowarez1337 Good on you. Alex's channel is one of my favourites. Nice to hear that someone else is benefiting from Alex's channel.
The idea of a connector that's not got its legs through-hole horrifies me. Penny-pinching greed from these giant public corporations.
it's not penny pinching. it's a business strategy called planned obsolescence
They just do the bare minimum to make the product functional. Both are correct
I don't disagree that they should use legs through the board to hold the connector regardless, however the unit is designed to use a special attachment that clips into the end of the VAS6154 and holds the connector and cable tight in place so it can't load up the connector inside and break it. The reason they break is that people use these without that special connector and plug a cable straight into it which of course works, but doesn't have the support to stop it from breaking that it's designed for, so these failures are caused by misuse really not bad design as such.
If you do a Google search for vas6154/4 you'll see the adaptor. The reason people don't use them is because the vas6154/4 has a special connector on the other end of the cable and they want to use just standard USB and instead of getting an adaptor to convert it they just bypass using the adaptor which is where they go wrong.
What does that term mean, through-hole?
@@Gigaheart it means there are holes on the board and the connector that's mounted on the top of the board will have attachments going 'through the hole in the board' to get to the other side where they're attached. It gives the connector a much better grip to the board.
another great video, we see this at about 7am uk time and enjoy a cup o tea while watching a 1st class morning treat thanks
Found your channel through FrameChaser talking about 4090 connector issues. You earned a new subscriber today, keep up the good work.
Alex, it is always a pleasure to watch you do amazing work. I use Hot Glue and J-B Weld to do similar work on Laptop hinges. I always enjoy your video's. Many thanks and greetings from South-Western Ontario, Canada
Alex, I've been watching your videos for a while and from time to time, you come up with new techniques to aid your craft, like the hot glue trick. I love how you keep learning, improving and sharing. Better than factory!
As someone who repaired a lot of ripped-off SMT power connectors I must give props to your method of securing the connector with some hot glue in the case! I would recommend to enhance the stability by soldering thick wires to the connectors' metal shield and route them to the underside of the PCB where they are soldered to the ground layer. The wires will withstand the force applied to the connector when the cable is inserted much better than the tiny soldering pads on the board.
I do something similar, After I solder the pins, I add a slither of unmelted hotglue between the board and shield and the heat melts it as I push down and solder the feet to the board
As always, absolutely better than factory. And unlike the factory, you have tried to make it so that the device will not be so prone to the same fault any time soon. Great job!
What I like about your videos is you have an excellent understanding of engineering and how things can and will break, and you translate that to your repair procedures. Great job.
This guy is probably the best over seen on here. Not to mention that flux he uses is 👌😚. Next I will get some solder wick and some more goodies. Keep up the great work please.
That smile after "better than the factory" made my day :) Keep up the amazing work !
Greetings from Brazil, I always come to learn some new technique here!!!
Hi Alex...Thank you for your very detailed repair videos. I am an amateur-Hobbyest and I just repaired my first device following all your recommendations. I fixed a Dell E7440-no power, charger in protection mode.
Top class workmanship
Alex you're my idol. I love watching you work. You inspire me, and thank you for this channel.. I've learnt so much from you...and I keep buying your products whenever I get money. I trust your product because they are verified by you. Much love.
Very nice work. Maybe it is cheaper for the producer to use or make boards without throughhole pins. But i guess the reason is, that they know that it breaks easier and the costumers have to buy a new one or bring it in for "repair". They change the device, give them a new one and cash some extra money for it. Of course it will not get repaired by the factory. Great video, thank you
Creative thinking which results in, for sure better than factory!
Cool trick... Better than factory!
always learning new techniques.. Better Than Factory
Fingers are the glue that keeps us all connected ✋😄
SOLID. That's why he's the Boss of all Bosses.
Awesome work as always. I watch every video. Your way better then anyone I ever seen do this type of work. I have seen alot on camera and off. Even friends of mine. I have even tried I did pretty good for my self but practice make perfect. Have a awesome day.
Rough with their stuff.
Another great class, thank you.
Better than factory... thanks Alex
Nice!!! Learning new things every day🎉
You’re some craic Alex and big boss!!
Always doing great jobs
god blessed u ❤❤
I do that with broken laptop hinges works great with the hot glue. I use it on the plastic welds on ps4 aswell
Hot glue fixes everything! :D
@@richardevans2829 yeh until the thing gets hot haha
@@JayPrakash-th4rd why ? What would you use on gaming laptops ?
Move over, Alex. BIG BOSS is in town 🤣🤣
Very good. great job. Thanks for all your hard work
didn't know you offer most of the stuff you use. very epyc!
nice work sir i love your Attention to Detail.😁
Sandwich connection is what we call it here in uk alex..great job simple but effective ....
Very good idea alax I've done that before on other stuff👍👍
nice addition incorporating that glue stick.
Always new tricks. ✨️ 👌
Good job mate 👍
I was thinking you were gonna place some of that solder mask. I hope your hot glue solution holds.
I would have just made a huge solder blob to hold the connector. Maybe use sealing wax or superglue if there were no pads to hold the connector.
Nice job :)
You did 100% better job than the customer. But I wonder, what would happen if someone drilled through the back legs and used a through-hole connector instead?
What are your thoughts on using solder wick to further secure the legs of the connector? Perhaps you could do this in conjunction with the hot glue?
brilliant fix
I noticed that there are 2 holes near the connector, the manufacturer could have used them to attach a metallic bracket to secure the connector. But I guess the manufacturer does not care about it breaking, they will happily sell a new one for a few thousand dollars.
Those holes are probably for screws to clamp both sides of the enclosure together through the board so it doesn't move around afterwards.
They should use something more rigid for this use.
I am Peugeot/Citroen technician and the tool we use (Actia Lexia) has a classic connector with screws. I dont remember the name of it, but probably the same as for COM/RS232 protocols or slightly bigger. The other side of the cable has USB A, but I would also love two have something more rugged there, as USB can loose connection stability, when moved. And automotive repair laptops move accidentally a lot, believe me. Its not easy feeling, when you do some configuration, that takes few minutes and a lost connection may easily brick an expensive and rare control unit, thats paired with other units and contains immo. That is, you brick the entire car in your garage. Been there done that...
What people should do to save their USB ports are magnetic-attached data USB cables. I have them installed on all my electrical items (cell phone, tablet, LED work lights, portable speakers, etc). They are available at any online store. Cheaper to replace a cable than getting a new USB port soldered in.
Big Boss great technique 😎
A lot of "professionals" look down on hot glue when they spot it on PCBs but sometimes it can save the day.
good job man. im waiting for the next. Hi to big boss ;)
The only items you do not have in stock are the vast experience you have accumulated or the steady hands you seem to have to use the tools.
Any tips for getting soap out of a phone camera lens? Would be greatly appreciated!
Phone fell in soapy dishwater months ago. Phone has dried and works fine, but there's soap inside the camera lens "camera failed" error when trying to use. Front camera works but not rear.
Have opened phone and cleaned connections with iso alcohol. also doused lenses in iso alcohol but I reckon I'd need to submerge the lenses in it for hours before it had any effect on the inside of the lens.
I used 2 part modelling epoxy to create a ball that could be squished and act as a back support for USB plug
If you ever decide to write and Publish your own Repair Book, I would be the first to run out and purchase it. Thank you..God Bless😊
sandwich technique awsome
Awesomey, Better than Factory :)
Lovely just lovely..🤜
I think the USB connector is made this way on purpose. Kind of an predetermined breaking point.
The fact is, that the OBD interface in the car where you put the other end of the dongle in is placed on the left side below the steering wheel (above your left foot unter the instrument panel). When workshop personnel is working with OBD they often are sitting on the driver seat with the diagnostic laptop with them. And to prevent damage to the customers car the weak point of all that is inside of the dongle. It also prevents damage from the laptop, the dongle is more easy to repair than everything else.
A better idea would be a wireless dongle (USB connector then with through-holes) or a cable with predetermined breaking point as kind of an magnetic coupling.
Experience, experience, experience. Its all about the experience.
Came in for repair.
Just an idea, I'm not sure how the dongles are used (I presume directly connected to the PC), but if you were to develop an enclosure that physically attaches to the dongle, you could house a daughterboard with a female usb type C connector connected internally to the mini usb connector.
Even better would be to create a slightly larger full enclosure that would accommodate these components.
That way you would have a safety in case a technician breaks the port again.
Nowadays 3d printing is not that complicated, so I think this could be an easy solution.
The 6154a dongles are supplied with cables that have a hard plastic enclosure at the end that connects to the dongles just as you explained.
I saw tronicfix do the glue stick with heat gun method first. I can't believe you're stealing ideas from him...... Just kidding, Alex. Hopefully, we're still "SOLID". (Long time fans of this channel will get this.)
I would have made a "horse shoe" bracket hold down for the front.
It could have been made of copper and soldered to the metal part of the plug.
Would have had to use leaded solder on that part though.
Most used tool in any VW shop 😄
Good work
Be sure to have a connecter inserted while applying hot glue. Otherwise you'll end up with hot glue inside the connector.
Only those who know the rules well enough have the right and ability to break them. 😅
Not really. The sides of the connectors dont have any holes and the molten glue will flow anywhere else but on the top, front or behind of the connector.
happy thursday everyone.
BEST solder wire is the best 🙂
1 hour away LA traffic time is right across the street
Looks like the word has gotten around that NRF is the place if you are an auto dealer and need your expensive diag tool port repaired. Probably a very common issue.
I often wonder if it wouldn't be possible to drill through holes and anker these connectors with pure solder.
I did this with power connectors but it's very dependig on the PCB... if it's a multilayer board you may damage inner traces!
I really want to see you and Jayztwocents do a collaboration video.
Good job ❤
Awesome tip
Great job!, why you call him "Big Boss"? is a reference of Metal Gear Solid?
UA-cam need to pay better, so we get a video every single day. I need my ASMR.
"What's a finger or 2 between friends"
😅
If you heat the metal to the same temperature, the glue will stick much better. This principle is similar to soldering... we must heat the wires for the solder to stick.
Completely off-topic, I see this new tech repair channel (new for me) and Id like to ask you to talk a little bit about the phenomena known as planned obsolescence.
Do you think its bs or is there some truth to it? Have you experienced it yourself through your job?
very nice
"What's a finger or two between friends?" That's what she said.
Awesome.
In my opinion, companies must pot the entire pcb inside resin under the shell for such type of designs. Especially in automotive industry, technicians are super rough in handling.
Your the best
Seen lots of connector faults on PC's Laptops and other stuff, do you think it would be better if they made them like the old components on motherboards that just clicked in? Easy to replace when they go bad, and maybe they might not go bad if connected this way.
But, that would defeat their purpose of selling you a new laptop 🤭
I worked in a VW Dealership in Germany for more than 6 years. We had like 10 of those dongles and never broke a USB connector. What the hell are they doing to rip it off so often ?
"hot glue" are silicone glue?
Nice method. I think you can also use epoxy paste.
Epoxy is harder, but if the device needs another repair it will be a pain in the ass to remove.
@@chongtak good point
I have fixed a few of these.
Usb affords the ability to use a replaceable cord that takes the abuse. But then you see a lot of SM connections. Just status quo if the dealers never bitch about it.
Awesome
Awesome ✌🏻✌🏻✌🏻
If everyone pays for expedited service do the normal customers just keep getting bumped down the list ???
I could never get "hot melt" glue to work for me anywhere around the house.
It would cool down and begin to lose it's holding properties!
There are different types, and a good quality gun or two, for different sizes, might help.
A craft or sewing store, may be a place to ask.
Make sure that the surface you apply hot glue on is also hot. If you apply hot glue on a cold surface it will not bond, but if the surface is also hot the glue will bond much better.
You cant blame the mechanics for this problem.If the cars were designed and built well the mechanic shouldnt have to use the scope on them.Unfortunatly they are not and everything fails so the scope is needed to figure out what the manufacturer stuffed up again to make it come into the workshop.
If you want to pronounce it right you have to say “folxwagen”. The f is sharp like in “force” and the “ks” from volks is spoken like an x like in fox.
This will please any german watching (like me) 😜
why would u not hold that small piece of glue with some tool and then melt it.
you dont have to damage those precious fingers.
U the besy 🎉
make sure that the hot glue doesnt get in to the connector itself :v
❤
I get a lot of these in too for the same issue. What a junk design!
Drm Connector