Console Repair

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Anything and everything about retro and modern console repair.

If you've got a broken gaming console you are trying to fix, come here to talk about it. If you want to flex about a repair, post here. If you or your console's last lover did a non-destructive electronic mod to their console, or have a question about the options available or how to do it, you are welcome to post here.

If you suck at soldering, we still love you, but we might roast you.

If you did an extreme modification such as turning one of the few Nintendo Playstations into a Rubik's Cube, flex elsewhere. If you're trying to FIX a Nintendo Playstation that someone turned into a Rubik's Cube, post away!

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Let's talk about appropriate solvents/lubes/etc. (lemmy.world)

submitted 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) by DarthBueller@lemmy.world to c/consolerepair@lemmy.world

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Do you wonder "what is the appropriate goop to use in this repair?" Let's talk about it. First things first:

petroleum based products risk degrading plastic and should not be used
WD-40 is a petroleum based solvent and is not a good lubricant in any situation
Plastic on plastic interfaces (e.g., microswitches in a joystick) can be lubricated with white lithium grease spray
Rosin-containing (amber colored) "no-clean" flux liquid is good for solder rework but HOLY FUCK it is hard to clean up even with IPA
Hot glue is NEVER THE RIGHT CHOICE. Use kapton tape to hold wires and for the love of god if you are doing a mod that adds a port through the case, use a compatible 2 part epoxy or a 3d printed bracket (or hell, a spacer made of paper) to friction fit it, because that glue is going to give way, it's just a matter of when.

Your turn - share your hard earned lessons regarding the right and wrong goops to use in different repair situations.

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[–] al177@lemmy.sdf.org 3 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Super Lube 21030 grease is safe on any plastic and almost any sort of rubber
Use no-clean paste flux and don't go crazy cleaning it off. Whenever you look at a mixed smd and through hole board and see flux around the through hole joints, that's no-clean. It's safe to leave there, and arguably provides more protection than cleaning it off. There are different flavors of rosin flux, some of which will eat traces if not cleaned. And unless you're doing BGA and have a water bath, do not use water soluble flux.
I keep a hot glue stick by my soldering station for holding down blue wire. It sets fast and unlike CA can be easily removed from solder mask with a bit of isopropyl. When I need to tack down a wire, I shave off a thin slice and use a hot air pencil to melt it over the wire and onto the board. If it's being stubborn, clean then preheat the surrounding PCB with hot air before putting down the glue. You can even get Kynar precoated in hot glue especially for this purpose.

[–] DarthBueller@lemmy.world 1 points 1 year ago

Okay, hot glue in this limited case is okay. When YouTubers specify it for ports and switches and other force bearing use cases, it makes me want to shout.