I am About to Attepmt Power Connector Solder Point Surgery on my Model 2...

[marlowe221]

So I am 95% sure that my Model 2 has the problem where the solder breaks down and the power jack starts to come loose from the motherboard. I will know for certain this evening when I have time to open up the console, but let's assume that's what the problem actually is for the moment.

I have never soldered anything in my life.

Now I have watched several Youtube videos on how to complete this repair and it looks like something I think I can do since it involves re-flowing the solder joints and adding a bit if necessary to ensure a good connection to the power supply.

That said, I have two main questions:

1. What wattage soldering iron should I buy/use?

2. What kind of solder would be appropriate for this repair?

Also, any other common (obvious) pitfalls for a first-time solderer to be mindful of with something like this?

I figure this repair is low risk overall since I can easily buy another Model 2 (or even a Model 3) relatively inexpensively.

Any and all advice would be greatly appreciated.

[MEGADRIVE Jeroi]

Any soldering iron and solder will do. Just add a bit solder because it has flux which cleans the contact surfaces and makes the joint strong again. If you have flux arround you can add that to the joints and reheat them, which is called reflow soldering.

[ComradeOj]

1. Any wattage should do fine. I repaired the power jacks on a few model 2s with a 30 watt iron.

2. Rosin core, medium to fine thickness.

This is a super easy repair, even for beginners.
Just heat the solder around the broken joints until it melts, and add a little bit of fresh solder. Remove the heat from the iron and the repaired joint will solidify, after that it should be good to go.

[marlowe221]

Thanks guys!

I bought a 40 watt iron and some rosin core solder this past weekend. I am going over to my uncle's house on New Years and he has some soldering experience so I will be attempting this repair under his watchful eye.

I will let you know how it turns out!

[Helder]

I just did this same repair a few hours ago and it's real simple, like everyone says just hold the iron tip to the solder pad and it will melt the solder and apply some new solder and bam done.

[GohanX]

The 40 watt iron would be perfect for this. Good luck!

[madmax2069]

My original model 1 genesis had this same issue. Mine ripped the pad from the board which made it a tad bit more challenging to repair.