# Solved: Inspiron 700m DC Power Jack Replacement (pics inside)



## _RT_ (May 14, 2007)

Alright, after reading through the site a bit more, it seems this is quite common. As there may be other people curious about this particular model, I created a new thread in hopes of helping others out.

I originally posted this in another thread, but it would get lost. I shall delete it from there to avoid confusion.

Alright... here are the pics:
The motherboard removed and in the nude:









The top (showing the DC Jack):









The bottom showing where the DC Jack goes through the board:









Now, the million dollar question, I assume I remove the solder from the bottom of the board allowing the DC Jack and it's connections to pull through? From large pictures of a power jack for this model, it looks like there are nine points that connect (which seems crazy, but maybe the ones on the outside are for support?)

Unfortunately, it doesn't look like a connection on the jack just came loose. It looks like the jack itself may have broken. Thankfully, I ordered one this morning in case and it should be here this week.

Open to any suggestions all.
Thanks


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## JohnWill (Oct 19, 2002)

I suggest a Dremel tool cut-off wheel. Cut the top of the jack off parallel with the MB, and remove the connections individually. This is usually easier to do without damaging the MB than trying to remove the whole jack, since desoldering multiple connections is a bit more complicated. That's how I normally take them off.


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## _RT_ (May 14, 2007)

I was able to get the top off as two of the connections had already broken.
Now I am trying to remove the remaining pins that are soldered into the holes.
I have a 30-watt iron but am concerned that I could melt the board.

Thoughts?


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## JohnWill (Oct 19, 2002)

Well, the real risk is lifting the traces, no way you'll melt the physical board.  You need to get a grip on each part of the jack with tweezers or a small needle nose plier to minimize heat sinking, and then heat the joint and remove the pin. You can then clean it up with solder wick to get ready for the new jack. I use a solder sucker in my cleanup, but it's possible to actually lift traces with them if you're not careful.


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## _RT_ (May 14, 2007)

let me ask you this.... (and thank you for your help till now)
Is it possible to get a narrower tip for my iron? Would this help? It seems the board is so thick that I can't get the solder to drop out the other side. It just pools.

Additionally, with the tip I have now, in two of the holes that still have the pin in them, I can't seem to get the tip of the iron to contact the solder. And I can't seem to get it hot enough by holding the iron to the pin. Perhaps a narrower tip would help this? Giving me better access to the solder?


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## Jedi_Master (Mar 13, 2002)

JohnWill said:


> I suggest a Dremel tool cut-off wheel. Cut the top of the jack off parallel with the MB, and remove the connections individually.


   

I'm sorry John, but on this I disagree, can you imagine what would happen if the dremel slipped?

I can...a board cut into, or SMT components cut from the board ...



> Additionally, with the tip I have now, in two of the holes that still have the pin in them, I can't seem to get the tip of the iron to contact the solder. And I can't seem to get it hot enough by holding the iron to the pin. Perhaps a narrower tip would help this? Giving me better access to the solder?


What I would suggest is to get some solder braid/wick, and remove the old solder...

Also you will need to "tin" the irons tip ( do this by melting some solder on the tip, also the tip needs to be clean, in other words NO CONTAMINANTS, you can clean it with some sand paper)...



> I can't seem to get the tip of the iron to contact the solder


How big of a tip do you have on this thing ???


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## _RT_ (May 14, 2007)

thank you for the reply. It's a kit I purchased from Radio Shack. Specifically, this one:









In my research as I continue, I've found that it's sometimes difficult to remove old solder. As such, people mix NEW solder in with the old and this helps. I've also read about using a toothpick or thin wire to help with removal. I hadn't though about it.

As I see no need in rushing this job and ultimately want to do it right, I put everything away for the night and will wait until the new part arrives to continue work.

So yes. To summarize, as of now, I have the old dc jack removed, but there are two pins that remain in solder on the board.
I will need to get them out.

The gun I have seems to have a thicker point that makes it difficuly to get farther into the hole on the motherboard, however the toothpick or wire method mentioned above may help with that.

If anyone here has other methods they would suggest, I am open and listening.

Thanks all-

Pictures to update the current status (dc jack removed, with two pins still in place):









And how things will sit till the part arrives:








Doesn't quite look like $800 when you see it like that. Such is live I suppose. lol

Thanks for all the help all-


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## Jedi_Master (Mar 13, 2002)

Ok...

I think I see what you are saying...



> The gun I have seems to have a thicker point that makes it difficuly to get farther into the hole on the motherboard


Unfortunately there is no tip that will do this, what you will have to do is what you have already found out...



> I've found that it's sometimes difficult to remove old solder. As such, people mix NEW solder in with the old and this helps.


That's the best option, then remove the solder with some solder wick/braid, or maybe even (cringe:  ) a solder sucker...

Just remember to tin the tip ( and make sure it is clean, and don't dig into the board ), that is one of the life lines of soldering...

And...

You will have to do all this without lifting the LANS.....

(they can be replaced but you will have to get the kit  )...


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## _RT_ (May 14, 2007)

Would LANS be the traces that connect the DC Jack to critical points on the board? Or are they rings around the hole?

I was surprised to see that I really don't see tracer lines connecting the jack to anything on the board. Is it possible they are sandwiched in the middle? Also, on my DC Jack, there are nine points that will go through the board. Are all of these used for power? Seems excessive.
As I was tearing it down, I thought perhaps four or even six of them may be for support to keep the jack from tearing loose.

Thanks for the insight all.
I will keep the thread updated with pics.


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## JohnWill (Oct 19, 2002)

Jedi_Master said:


> I'm sorry John, but on this I disagree, can you imagine what would happen if the dremel slipped?
> 
> I can...a board cut into, or SMT components cut from the board ...


Well, you're free to disagree.  You could also use one of those small hobby saws to cut it off a bit more slowly, I'm just a power tool geek.

Trying to desolder them has the real risk of overheating the board and killing it in a different way. It's MUCH easier to remove individual contacts than trying to get all of them loose at once.


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## JohnWill (Oct 19, 2002)

_RT_ said:


> Would LANS be the traces that connect the DC Jack to critical points on the board? Or are they rings around the hole?
> 
> I was surprised to see that I really don't see tracer lines connecting the jack to anything on the board. Is it possible they are sandwiched in the middle? Also, on my DC Jack, there are nine points that will go through the board. Are all of these used for power? Seems excessive.
> As I was tearing it down, I thought perhaps four or even six of them may be for support to keep the jack from tearing loose.
> ...


The power and ground planes may well be inside the board, that's not uncommon. One of the problems with desoldering is damaging the plated through holes and thus removing the connection for the jack.

All the points that go through the board are probably not used for power, if you examine the replacement jack, probably at least half of those are just a metal framework to provide some strength, though the jacks are still very weak. The DC jack for that machine has a lot more connections that the typical jack, most have only two connections for power, +/-, the rest are just the framework of the jack.

As far as the question of a better tip, this is why I mentioned the temperature controlled iron, they have interchangable tips. I don't know about the cheap soldering sets, but I'm sure they're a lot more limited.


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## _RT_ (May 14, 2007)

I'm off to home depot during lunch.
Going to pick up some desoldering braid and see if there is anything else I need to own.

Thanks-


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## JohnWill (Oct 19, 2002)

Radio Shack may be a better place for desoldering braid.


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## Jedi_Master (Mar 13, 2002)

_RT_ said:


> Would LANS be the traces that connect the DC Jack to critical points on the board? Or are they rings around the hole?


The LANS are the circular holes (looks like you may have already lifted one)...










The middle LAN behind/ to the left of the two in the center ( you will also need to clean up the mess of solder connecting the two center LANS) after you desolder, take a stiff tooth brush and some denatured alcohol and clean the area good before soldering in the new connector, and belive it or not, clean it again after you solder in the new jack...



> Also, on my DC Jack, there are nine points that will go through the board. Are all of these used for power? Seems excessive.
> As I was tearing it down, I thought perhaps four or even six of them may be for support to keep the jack from tearing loose.


You are probably correct in this, there are only two power connectors from the jack ( from the looks of it the two that has the mess of solder on them in the pic above )...

PS...

A bit of advice...

Don't touch the solder wick/braid with your fingers, you will leave oil deposits from your fingers and the wick/braid will not do it's job. When you pull it from the spool use either a pair of tweezers or some clean needle nose pliers ( trust me on this one, been down that road a long time ago  )...


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## _RT_ (May 14, 2007)

Right on. Thanks for the insight.
As for the "mess", I might be ok. What you see (if we are looking at the same part) is the leftover pins that were attached to the board. In an effort to get better access to everything, I removed the old DC Jack without completely desoldering everything. That mess in the middle is actually old copper? pieces that are still attached to the board.

Hopefully I'm still ok. I thought I had been quite careful to not damage anything existing while I continue to get guidance from all the gang roung here.  

Thanks again!


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## Jedi_Master (Mar 13, 2002)

_RT_ said:


> Right on. Thanks for the insight.
> As for the "mess", I might be ok. What you see (if we are looking at the same part) is the leftover pins that were attached to the board. In an effort to get better access to everything, I removed the old DC Jack without completely desoldering everything. That mess in the middle is actually old copper? pieces that are still attached to the board.
> 
> Hopefully I'm still ok. I thought I had been quite careful to not damage anything existing while I continue to get guidance from all the gang roung here.
> ...


What I see here will have to be removed/desoldered (circled in red) and cleaned...










If you don't it will cause a short...



> I removed the old DC Jack without completely desoldering everything.


Well...

IMHO...that's one of the major problems in doing that way, IMHO you should always desolder all connections before removing the component...

But...that's just my opinion ( and the opinion of all my instructors from many moons ago )...


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## JohnWill (Oct 19, 2002)

I can't imagine why anyone would recommend trying to remove the component intact when you can cut it off and then desolder the leads individually. If an instructor recommends that, I'd be looking for a new instructor.  

When avionic equipment boards come in for rework and components are to be replaced, they always cut the old ones off and desolder individually if possible, because it's the least risk of damage to the PCB that way.


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## _RT_ (May 14, 2007)

Alright. That part has arrived so tonight is the moment of truth. lol
It appears that there are 5 power related connections and 4 support related connections.
So I will be doing a fair amount of soldering.

I picked up the desoldering braid and will tackle removal of the old stuff first. Whether that is by using a toothpick or piece of wire to help remove it, or adding new soldering and mixing them together to help in removal remains to be seen.

Then I'll clean that area of the board with a toothbrush and some denatured alcohol.

Then I'll tackle the soldering. Starting with non-power related connections first - Considering there are 4 of them I should be a little more comfortable with everything by the time I get to the power related spots.

Is there a diameter solder that people would recommend for a repair such as this? I did pick up one that was much smaller than the one that came in the kit, however, now the sizes of both escape me.

Thanks again all- I'll report back with some pics and the result later tonight.


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## JohnWill (Oct 19, 2002)

I use some really fine solder, it's 0.028" in diameter rosin multi-core solder.

I'd heat the parts and pull out the residue of the old connector first, then use the desoldering wick to cleanup the holes. When you're done, the new connector should sit into the holes with no binding, perhaps a little friction. After that, it's a piece of cake, you're done with the hard parts. Use only enough solder to get a good bond, take your cue from the other connections on the board.


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## _RT_ (May 14, 2007)

Got it.

Thanks-


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## _RT_ (May 14, 2007)

Well... to everyone on this board that offered assistance, I want to express my gratitude. The job is complete and I am typing on the computer as we speak.

Here are some pics of the job, and yes, I am sure I could have done better. However, for my first soldering job (ever), I am pretty pleased.

Thank you so much.



















And the final product (check the charging symbol). Of course, during my startup, the was the LAST icon to finally display. But it's there, and that's all that matters. 










Thanks again-
Cheers.


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## JohnWill (Oct 19, 2002)

Great, I'm glad it all worked out! :up:

*You can mark your own threads solved using the thread tools at the upper right of the screen.©* 

PS: DON'T carry it around by the power cord any more!


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## _RT_ (May 14, 2007)

Right on. Thread marked.

Thanks JohnWil- site rocks.
I'll definitely stick around.


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## JohnWill (Oct 19, 2002)

Glad you like it here, that's our goal.


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## myql1234 (Oct 6, 2007)

I called Dell today and they gave me the standard BS answer for the problem with my out-of-warranty Inspiron 700m.
You guys all rock!!! Thanks for this posting. Very kind!
On ebay I found the foxconn power connector (new generation..better, more solid) for $10..seems like a 50c part, any ideas where i can get it locally like at Radio Shack?

http://cgi.ebay.com/Power-Jack-for-...ameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem#ebayphotohosting

I also have the exact same problem with my AVERATEC 2300 Laptop...so I'm gonna do 2 SURGERIES, with your postings as a manual.

Myql


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## JohnWill (Oct 19, 2002)

Trust me, just buy the one on-line. It's difficult to find the right parts locally, and they know when they have you by the short hairs.


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## _RT_ (May 14, 2007)

You're talking about a laptop worth hundreds of dollars. Actually... you are talking about TWO laptops.
Spend the $10 bucks and get the right one. It's worth it.
Then... go to Radio Shack and buy desoldering braid. It's really the saviour of this whole process. Without it... I would not have accomplished anything.

Good luck. Chime back in with any questions. I look forward to hearing about your progress.

-peace


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## KeefeJohnson (Oct 24, 2007)

I checked the ebay link you gave, and it's to a knockoff brand: HRS. You really should buy the original Foxconn part, which most other eBay sellers sell.


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