Im a long time lurker, but I finally have something worthy posting, a successful repair. I apologise if this is a bit long but Im on a bit of a high! My son got a Nintendo Switch for Christmas last year and very quickly ran out of internal memory with all the games he put on it. So he saved up his pocket money and bought a micro SD card, but was disappointed when the Switch failed to recognise it.
Being that it was March 2020 in Australia, the lock downs were a week away, and trying to send the device in for warranty repair probably would have seen it gone for months, so I tried to deal with the problem myself. I first tried software updates, reading forum advice and re-updating the software but had no success. I tried different cards. I finally tried cycling installing the card while in the data management screen, and suddenly the card was recognised and then immediately lost. Id finally tracked down the problem.
So I removed the reader and carefully inspected it under a regular biological microscope with the aid of a bright work light but found no damage. I check continuity of traces across the flex and all was fine, the only thing I could not easily check were the contact pins inside the card reader, so I carefully cleaned the little card detection switch on the side and reinstalled without any improvement. Online people with the same problem were repairing their devices with a replacement card reader and I assumed the contact pins were damaged, so I left the job until I could get a new reader.
It was early pandemic days, the virus posed a serious risk to my daughter, so I was unwilling to order a replacement card reader that would most likely come in from China. My son was happy to still have his Switch that allowed him to play with friends online during the lock down periods so we waited.
I began looking into sending the unit for repair this year, but found the repair centre is in Victoria. The premier still has emergency lock down powers for all of 2021, so decided against sending it away as I didn't want to loose the unit for months, but my son really wanted his Switch repaired. So I decided to attempt the repair myself and purchased a new reader from eBay.
After installation, the micro SD card was recognised but when my son tried to use his Switch, it lost connection again. This time I removed the metal shield to inspect the molex board connector under the microscope. It required a bit of a deft hand to support the Switch while moving it around with one hand under the microscope while controlling focus with the other. It wasn't easy but I finally found the problem, several of the solder joints were cracked.
I have a cheap hot air unit from Jaycar that would be the obvious tool to reflow the joints with. Its a great little machine but I accidentally destroy a board my first time using it. That taught me to be cautious and only use it when necessary. I have a Hakko fx888 soldering iron and a TR18-BR02 drag solder tip which is a far safer method to use. My only problem was that I didn't own a soldering microscope and this job absolutely required one. I ended up buying the Jaycar 1080P microscope to try. I figured if it wasn't any good Id just give it to my son to play with.
Its a simple 2mp camera with an integrated 4" screen and a coarse focusing knob on a cheap plastic stand. Using it on the Switch allowed me to see the solder joints easily, but does not have the resolution to show the cracks. In use I found it was more useful with the microscope turned 180 degrees on its base, allowing it to reach out over a board with the help of a counter weight on the base to hold the camera up. The cheap 1080P microscope turned out to be far better than I had expected as it has an adjustable led light ring and an internal rechargeable battery allowing wireless use.
Its not much good for inspecting boards for solder cracks, but good enough for reading info on components and a hell of a lot easier for soldering than holding a magnifying glass. So after watching lots of videos, reading and doing some practice runs on another board I finally attempted the repair, and with the aid of some flux it was successfully completed in under a minute. I thoroughly cleaned the board and reassembled the device and its working perfectly. I get to be hero dad again!
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