Tried re-soldering a power connector on my old PS2 and somehow made it worse

Last weekend I figured I'd finally fix my PS2's power port that's been loose for years. Watched a tutorial from some guy in Ohio, bought a $9 soldering iron from Harbor Freight, and went for it. The new connection worked for about 30 seconds before smoke came out and now the console won't turn on at all. Did I miss an obvious step or is this just a rite of passage for DIY repairs?

2 comments

2 Comments

johnson.adam10d ago

Did you check if that cheap iron was even grounded right? lol I swear half the battle with soldering is having gear that ain't gonna fry your board, same way trying to save a few bucks on a mechanic always ends up costing more later. It's like that rule where the cheap tool turns a simple job into a nightmare, happens with everything from fixing a car to patching a leaky pipe. You probably just cooked a capacitor or lifted a trace, happens to most of us the first time.

richardharris10d ago

Yeah I feel you, that first time you fry a board it stings pretty bad. We've all been there with cheap gear making everything harder than it needs to be.