Massively painful iBook soldering hell

[Mike Richardson]

It always starts off simple enough - replace the DC board, replace the hard drive.

Of course, Apple used super glue or some kind of illegal strength epoxy to affix the speaker cable into the speaker cable port, and of course, in my attempt to remove it, the port half-ripped off.

If you look really closely at the picture, it almost looks like the traces lifted up with the pads! That picture was taken with my really old camera in macro mode, I will have to try my new camera to see if it can give any more clarity.

The left speaker works - it's playing an internet radio station right now (it's still disassembled). If I press down on the top of the plug (completing the connection somewhere), both speakers work.

I figure I have two options:

Option 1: Press down on top of the plug really hard, then put a dab of some kind of glue over the pads. This will keep everything pressed down well enough so the speakers keep working.

Possible Issue: What if the glue dries, I let up off the plug, and the connection fails. Then I am screwed.

Possible Issue: What kind of glue? Is super glue OK? Even if super glue is OK, is there something better I could use?

Option 2: Perform some kind of soldering work.

Possible Issue: It looks like the traces lifted up with the pads! What would I be soldering exactly?

I need some advice here. I need to get this iBook put back together ASAP.

 

[Byrd]

The speaker cable isn't superglued in, it just clicks in with a tight fit (male connector). I've done the same as you - but in my instance just the red and white cables came out.

What you've done is yanked the entire male + female connector out, leaving the bare motherboard connector pins more visible. I'd just push the entire thing back down and it should be OK, assuming no pins etc were damaged. You might want to keep pulling it out, then take the male + female connectors apart just to make sure the pins on the red and black cables aren't crushed. Not worth using hot glue etc. as it should be a snug enough fit. If really desperate, a small piece of high-density foam might work to place pressure on the connector.

JB

 

[Mike Richardson]

The speaker cable isn't superglued in, it just clicks in with a tight fit (male connector). I've done the same as you - but in my instance just the red and white cables came out.
What you've done is yanked the entire male + female connector out, leaving the bare motherboard connector pins more visible. I'd just push the entire thing back down and it should be OK, assuming no pins etc were damaged. Not worth using hot glue etc. as it should be a snug enough fit.

JB

I know the cable isn't actually superglued in - that was sarcasm because the cable was so difficult to remove.

Look very closely at the picture - the motherboard connector pins have lifted slightly away from the motherboard.

If I use a toothpick to press down on the leftmost pin (the one to the right of the "4"), the right speaker sound works again. It looks like it's lifted off the board. However, I don't know to what extent it's lifted.

 

[Byrd]

If that's the case, no amount of glue will fix the damage - you'll have to strip the iBook down more to resolder the pads.

JB

 

[Mike Richardson]

If that's the case, no amount of glue will fix the damage - you'll have to strip the iBook down more to resolder the pads.
JB

If the pad is lifted off - so I'm pushing down, and it's making contact with the trace pretty much?

There's nothing to resolder to, only an extremely tiny amount of trace which it can currently touch.

 

[Mike Richardson]

I know, I know, I'm going to hell. But it works.

It's also non-permanent, if I have to go in later and fix it for real.

 

[Mike Richardson]

I got it put back together. Only 3 extra screws. That's pretty good for me. :I :I :I :I :I :I :I :I

 

[protocol7]

I got it put back together. Only 3 extra screws. That's pretty good for me. :I :I :I :I :I :I :I :I

Well done! I had 4 left over after replacing the hard drive in one of the iBooks I got recently.

 

[Mike Richardson]

I got it put back together. Only 3 extra screws. That's pretty good for me. :I :I :I :I :I :I :I :I

Well done! I had 4 left over after replacing the hard drive in one of the iBooks I got recently.

That's nothing.

The very first time I took apart an iBook (also to replace the hard drive) and put it back together, I put one of the long hex screws in the middle, instead of the short one.

http://mikerichardson.name/tidbits/zachdeadibook/

Guess what vitally important ribbon lies exactly in the path of that screw hole?

http://mikerichardson.name/tidbits/CloseUp.jpg

To add insult to injury, the damage to the ribbon caused a short which took out the Combo drive!

I always make triple-sure now to put the short hex screw in the middle. :'(

 

[protocol7]

The very first time I took apart an iBook (also to replace the hard drive) and put it back together, I put one of the long hex screws in the middle, instead of the short one.

OMG. I did that as well!

I was concentrating so much on the screw that I didn't notice it was the wrong one. When I turned the iBook over, I saw the keyboard bulging up in the middle. Luckily for me, it didn't seem to do any harm as the iBook still works fine. But I don't think I'll be going near any more of these any time soon

 

[Mike Richardson]

The very first time I took apart an iBook (also to replace the hard drive) and put it back together, I put one of the long hex screws in the middle, instead of the short one.

OMG. I did that as well!

I was concentrating so much on the screw that I didn't notice it was the wrong one. When I turned the iBook over, I saw the keyboard bulging up in the middle. Luckily for me, it didn't seem to do any harm as the iBook still works fine. But I don't think I'll be going near any more of these any time soon

Ah, I think it's because the one I was working on was a 14". I guess on the 12" the screw winds up going through to the keyboard. On the 14" it ruins the ribbon xx(

 

[Bunsen]

Whenever I'm taking out screws, I lay them down on a piece of paper in roughly the arrangement they came out, and write and draw around them to make things clearer where they go back.

I then try very hard not to nudge the piece of paper while I'm working ....

 

[LCGuy]

Yeah, I do the exact same thing....but then I bump the paper......and its all downhill after that :-/

 

[Mike Richardson]

When I was taking apart the first iBook, I used one paper cup for each "event".

An event would be like:

- Remove bottom plastic (and all the screws for this go into a cup)

- Remove bottom shield

- Remove top plastic

- Remove top shield

- Remove component xxxxx

etc.

You can then put the screws back using deduction.

Except watch out for that long hex screw xx(

 

[Bunsen]

Egg cartons and icecube trays work nicely too.

 

[Mycatisbigfoot]

Just a tip for the scrues, use those plastic pill day timer things and label them

 

[Quadraman]

I know someone I'm not buying a used iBook from.

 

[Christopher]

To add insult to injury, the damage to the ribbon caused a short which took out the Combo drive!
I always make triple-sure now to put the short hex screw in the middle. :'(

I actually put screws too long along the cd slot on the iBook G4 I got when I swapped hard drives...

"Hmm why are cd's getting scratched really badly and REALLY hard to get in?"

So since I misplaced the correct screws for that spot, I just unscrewed them a little so that it all works the right way.