Fixing a Broken USB Port with Basic Tools

👕 Support the channel by buying one of my T-shirts, designed by me and made by American Apparel right here in the USA (ships worldwide)
www.BorderlineOCD.com
⛑ eBay charity auction for this mic (ends Tue, Feb 28, 6:00 AM PST)
www.ebay.com/itm/115715973681
In this video I repair a broken USB port in a Blue Snowball iCE microphone. I make a point to use the most basic soldering tools so that the repair has broad appeal with a beginner audience that are just starting out. Although I repair a broken USB port, the tools and techniques I demonstrate are applicable to repairing broken ports and other beginner projects in general.
🛒 Some specialty products specific to this project
TS100 Soldering Iron: amzn.to/2YIJZUR
No Clean Flux Syringe: amzn.to/2NFUZvQ
No Clean Solder: amzn.to/2NHEAqQ
Desoldering Braid: amzn.to/312Grws
100 piece mini USB assortment set: amzn.to/3xUcdNg
My philosophy on buying tools is to start small and to "outgrow" your gear over time. Expensive gear won't improve your repair and fault finding skills, only practice will do that. With that in mind below is what's in my current toolkit.
🔧 Toolkit
Screwdriver Set: amzn.to/2X7s0Gj
Automatic Wire Stripper: amzn.to/30F5TJm
Pocket Multimeter: amzn.to/3IdvzQz
Component Tester: amzn.to/3l5rHG8
🖌 Soldering Essentials
TS100 Soldering Iron: amzn.to/2YIJZUR
No Clean Flux Syringe: amzn.to/2NFUZvQ
No Clean Solder: amzn.to/2NHEAqQ
Desoldering Braid: amzn.to/312Grws
Tip Tinner: amzn.to/31w2EF4
Contact Cleaner: amzn.to/3dI93ly
🔍 Soldering Add-ons
Fume Extractor with Hose: amzn.to/3hspLZi
Desoldering Vacuum Pump: amzn.to/3Qe9ipl
Hot Air Rework Station: amzn.to/3w023bF
Circuit Board Holder: amzn.to/3k35Pzm
Helping Hands Soldering Aid: amzn.to/3ihgksP
🔥 Thermal Compounds & Tape
Kapton Tape amzn.to/3DEu0dd
Arctic MX-4 Thermal Paste: amzn.to/2Ak2y8w
1.5MM Arctic Thermal Pads: amzn.to/2Vv1RQU
🧴 Lubes and Epoxies
White Lithium Grease: amzn.to/2UApx5M
Plastic Epoxy: amzn.to/3up0LIm

[@BorderlineOCD]

The charity auction has ended. A big thank you to channel subscriber Lawrence from the UK for making a statement about repair with his winning bid and paying more than a new mic is even worth. You rock!

[@TheGodOfAllThatWas]

Videos like this where you do things a beginner can do with basic tools are so valuable. I feel there aren't enough of them, but I suspect it's bad for your watch statistics, plus you have to be a downright artist to make a video that isn't just instantly criticized based on style or neatness. Thankfully your style and neatness are impeccable! Here's to hoping you get lots of views!

[@BorderlineOCD]

I enjoy repairs like these, they are what got me started fixing stuff and building some confidence. I'm thrilled with the momentum on the charity auction too (currently higher than the value of a brand new mic). There are clearly folks here that want to make a statement about repair and contribute to a good cause while they're at it. I'm down for that and will definitely be putting out videos like this in future.

[@audiarcher2714]

Ikr. So often I go to a video and they whip out a $10,000 equipment and are just like “follow these steps”

[@jonsmith6496]

Love the mullet

[@onebladeprop]

Business up front, party in the back.

[@TheShoxter]

These are the best videos to watch with a morning coffee. Thank you!

[@NitroFrost]

When you clipped that and it went flying and you did the "oh shit....where did that just go" .....I've been there to many times lol. That got me.

[@BorderlineOCD]

Haha I'm usually good about holding it with tweezers but I spaced out there. It will poke into my foot walking around the room eventually.

[@NitroFrost]

@@BorderlineOCD That is usually the method I find mine with....not the preferred method but at the same time at least I found it.

[@Wildsamsquanch7]

Man, your videos are so helpful! I'm a game collector, but I've really got into cleaning, refurbishing and repairing consoles and controllers of my own as well as for my buddies game store. Many of the skills needed have been learned from watching detailed content creators such as yourself. I appreciate you sharing your knowledge!!!

[@BorderlineOCD]

You have a buddy with a game store? I'm jealous. Do you get first dibs on all his cool finds?

[@Wildsamsquanch7]

@@BorderlineOCD Well yes, he gives me dibs on pretty much anything I'm interested in, but I'm a super cheap collector so most my stuff has come from garage sales, thrift stores, flea markets etc. That said, he does send me a couple boxes of consoles to work on, test and clean just about every weekend so I get to spend time with some really cool items while honing my skills (even if just for a few days). He is also cool if I use any of it for content as well. 🙂

[@Sixkill3r]

Videos like this are the reason I even got a soldering iron...have fixed quite a few things I would have thrown away otherwise!! Thanks man!

[@BorderlineOCD]

Great to hear!

[@andreschiriff4354]

I saw the repair that you did on the 32X and now with this repair has build my self confidence to try fixing my faulty Genesis that I drop on the floor accidentally

[@AnthonyLavado]

I have a broken USB port on an old dongle for my Xbox, so this will be a great help in bringing that back to life. Also - congratulations on reaching 50k subscribers! It's well deserved. Your channel is my favourite amongst all the "retro" repair KZbinrs I've come across.

[@Wildsamsquanch7]

I agree with you here, there many creators in this space that I enjoy but when I get a notification for these videos you know you're getting some of the most user friendly, clean and precise videos out there!

[@BorderlineOCD]

Much appreciated, thank you!!

[@XodiumLabs]

That tip with the wick is seriously underrated. I always used to do it the old, burn-your-fingers way, but now I do it your way and it's so much better. And better yet because it doesn't have to heat up a bunch of extra wick the occurrences of it sticking to the board are extremely rare, now.

[@SithlordSigma]

Im gonna have to start. I tried a bit in the past but i always got too shakeyfingered, these days im more experienced so it shouldn't be an issue.

[@BorderlineOCD]

You're right. I don't see it much elsewhere but definitely the way to go.

[@odntht]

I have some old devices here with broken usb ports and I was a little affraid to repair because I lack a lot stuff. But now I'll give a shot next week! Thanks!

[@detheavn]

I have a Nintendo New 2DS lying around with a shoulder button with 2 ripped pads. You just gave me the perfect idea on how to fix this, thanks :D

[@90sobsessedgenz]

8:50 got me laughing 😂 his face when he loses that piece

[@Rocky1138]

It's a good reminder that I need to buy some safety glasses! :D

[@irish_Gamer_Guy]

I love how you anchored the port to the board! Brilliant job and Brilliant video as always 👏

[@BorderlineOCD]

Thank you!

[@michaelmayfield6968]

I love the usage of the component leg trick. I sometimes use solder braid to recreate the pads.

[@hemanse]

Great video as always, really enjoy the way you explain every step and the attention to detail. " Wet the tip and creep up from behind" was not a phrase i had heard before while soldering tho 😀

[@mindyfraser4680]

Thankyou! I need to repair a usb port and have been trying to find a tutorial that also has basic multi-meter instructions for someone who isn't familiar, this is perfect.

[@valuevinyl110]

"I'm going to wet my tip and creep up on them from behind" - 9:23 - Borderline OCD - 2023 ...and here I thought this was a family friendly channel..

[@technoghost1]

Lol was right about to comment the same thing 😂😂

[@tezup]

I knew I couldn't be the only one 😂

[@BorderlineOCD]

You guys are ridiculous lol.

[@SMAAAASHTV]

Nice fix. One of the first things I fixed was a remote for a Sony receiver that got stepped on. Had a ripped via on some kind of transistor. I was able to scrape the trace and reconnect it with a piece of wire. Also fixed a few sets of earbuds, replaced battery contacts on a DMG Gameboy and installed an UltraHDMI kit for the N64 with very basic tools and a relatively inexpensive soldering station, thanks to videos like this and the ones Voultar puts out.

[@BorderlineOCD]

Nice, especially the UltraHDMI mod. That's definitely a tricky install.

[@wallyf7020]

What a beautiful fix. Love how you were able to get usb to stay even with those broken traces. Great job

[@BorderlineOCD]

Thank you 👍🏻

[@seeps489]

love how he teaches us how to wet the tip and enter from behind.

[@conzpiracy9382]

This was very Bob Ross of you. Nice job.

[@HellScream107]

Thank you for this great demo. I actually found your channel when looking for the Blue Yet repair and have enjoyed it ever since. Your channel has given me the confidence to perform simple repairs or mods with soldering. I hope others find this channel helpful too. It sucks when folks throw away broken electronics that can be fixed with relative ease.

[@BorderlineOCD]

Glad to hear it. Did you end up repairing your Yeti? I'm far from figuring out the perfect sound setup for my recording space but the Yeti was definitely a major upgrade.

[@HellScream107]

@@BorderlineOCD Yes sir. It's a very solid mic! Your audio sounds very good by the way. Some folks go with the wireless clip-on mic, but I think the Blue Yeti gets the job done well.

[@BorderlineOCD]

My Yeti actually sounds flawless when I speak directly into it with the gain turned all the way down. I have it set up about 4-6 ft away on a boom arm though, so it picks up some echo and road noise which I'm trying to figure out. I'll be trying some sound dampening panels on the walls soon to see if it helps.

[@jesusperez3215]

Thank a lot for this type of videos, just now im working on almost exactly the same repair

[@BorderlineOCD]

Glad it helped.

[@Mizer-uj3qz]

Awesome job. This vid makes repairs less intimidating for someone like me who has very little experience. Glad I stumbled into your channel. Keep up the great work.

[@BorderlineOCD]

Glad to hear it buddy.

[@domramsey]

That's a really great video. If you feel like it, I'd love to see you do a small series on this, keeping it at beginner level but just getting a little more complex or introducing a new tool each time.

[@BorderlineOCD]

Will definitely keep it in mind for sure!

[@user-yv2cz8oj1k]

Suddenly glad I bought a Behringer mic and not a Blue Snowball. When I had to fix my mic the USB was separate and I just re-soldered some wires to the circuit board for the USB and the microphone capsule.

[@VideoUser47316]

Was looking for a video on how to replace USB port on my son's Snowball mic! Thanks a lot!

[@stephenhall3515]

In general terms you demonstrate here how USBs work and your simple explanations are ideal for new solderers. Thank you very much.

[@DuffCon]

Great video! I do a lot of pcb repair but I find these videos useful as I always pickup good tips in them. Im this case the cutting the braid tip you threw out in this one. Love your content!

[@deadmark7777]

Great video and congrats on the 50k subs!

[@BorderlineOCD]

Thanks very much!!

[@javierr3030]

Great video as always. Please keep doing these tutorial videos. Also, your precision soldering is impressive even with the standard tip.

[@musicvideoenhancer]

I never came across a broken connector, I almost wish something here breaks so I can do some training haha! Last tuesday I fixed my long time broken Sega CD, today I remade the connections of the flat cables of the Virtual Boy lens, my Virtual Boy image was glitching, sometimes disappearing, etc... Now it's working like a charm, was playing Hyper Fighting on it the whole afternoon. I saw the fix to it in another channel, but definitely, this week I felt really inspired by your fix of the 32x. Next project, is to recap my Panasonic 3do FZ1, waiting for the Console 5 capacitors to arrive (I live in Japan, so it takes more than a week to arrive).

[@Retro_Rok]

Cool video! Thanks for showing us beginners on how to solder USB ports! 👍🏻

[@HavingFunRepairs]

Nice repair and very practical explanation and demonstration.

[@slimebuck]

ty for doing repairs with only basic tools to show people it is totally possible to fix stuff without expensive tools.

[@really.not.important]

It would be cool if you would do a video on how to mod old devices to use USB-C. I've seen a few KZbin video guides while doing research on how to upgrade a DualShock 3 to USB-C but none of them go into as much detail as you usually do.

[@BorderlineOCD]

Thanks for the idea!

[@V081WLBlue]

Good job! Like the solder braid tip!

[@MrChumpas]

Wow! Great educational project video. Loving this content. Keep them coming. Also, I’d still take this to a professional 😂

[@matthewgriffin1776]

Thank you for your informative videos!

[@jumafuse]

Thank you so much for the great content!

[@garybroomfield5416]

Great video. I really enjoy your repair style. I feel I can learn from you and attempt my own repairs !

[@nicolasrobitaille412]

Thanks, great explanation, great perspective and camera on the repairs. Most videos are not that clear.

[@Slamgod]

Love your videos BOCD. So thorough, and user friendly. I recommend yours and Voultar’s videos to any noobs interested in acquiring any level of soldering and electronics repair techniques. Keep up the great work, and kudos to 50000 subs!! Till the next one, my friend! 😊

[@BorderlineOCD]

Thanks for that, cheers.

[@Akinon93]

tip for loctite since it was mentioned - soak it in alcohol (IPA or denatured) for a few moments and it's easier to get get out with a pricking tool

[@xapk]

Hey thanks for putting this vid together......I need to replace usb port so learnt a lot from this. Local shop want to charge £70 so having a go myself. Thanks again.

[@livefreeprintguns]

Your haircut goes super hard my man... I love it!

[@cum_as_you_are]

Great video

[@Thee_Dr_Evil]

Some great tips for beginners to electronics repair. I've been repairing or at least attempting to repair electronics for 30+ years and you can never know enough, and remember if you want to learn by fixing something broken, what's the worst that happens, you get some practice. Trace repair as you state is certainly part of the game, a number of my own repairs were caused by my mistakes. while removing a JTAG setup from an old xbox 360 that wouldn't reliably glitch (I was enjoying a fair number of adult beverages) I managed to not only lift a pad, but pull back a trace over an inch back to a via. with some patience and sleep, I was able to restore the console to a working state. Keep up the great content. I will say that my mistakes have led me to purchase nicer equipment over the years, I now a have a mid tier solder station with a hot air gun which is great to have, it has to be said that if you like doing this sort of thing, invest a little money to get beyond the basic 25w pencil iron for 10 bucks on Amazon.

[@bigmexicanchurro]

Thank you. I am pretty decent at soldering but i learned a bunch from your videos. Thanks... Subscribed

[@idlethumbs01]

Great video as always!

[@BorderlineOCD]

Glad you enjoyed!

[@JohnGotti__]

Congrats with 50k subscribers!

[@GoTiKYT]

Hi!. Very interesting as always. I enjoy learning with your videos. Thanks! 🙂👌

[@BorderlineOCD]

Happy to hear that!

[@hrvat1977]

I have been collecting retro consoles for a few years now. I clean them up and all looks/works great. I have never bought a “broken” console until this past weekend. I got a $20(CAD) master system “no power” after watching your videos i had the confidence to fix it. For $2, a simple voltage regulator swap i”m happy to say i have my very first working master system!! Thank you!!!!

[@BorderlineOCD]

That's awesome!

[@djeurosham]

Good tutorial!

[@bluewaterdiggers5970]

Thank you! From a beginner!

[@MAXTORRACER]

Dying for a new video from you. Hope all is well!

[@DemonGates]

i wish i found you 5 yrs ago :c love you bro

[@Residentevil1998racooncity]

Hey Beavis he said wet his tip. Hehehehehe!

[@NathanRobertson-vx4ik]

Excellent video brother thank you very much for your help!!! You do amazing work god bless you My friend.

[@kiavooshdevansallare8145]

Excellent video educational

[@RetroGamersChannel]

Hello Borderline OCD, I really like your videos. I often watch them to come down, as a kind of ASMR. I myself solder and repair from time to time, but nowhere near as good as you. Furthermore, I wanted to ask if you could maybe make a video where you could maybe introduce your equipment and maybe also list links to the equipment and accessories that you use. Tanks in advance :)

[@John-jc3ty]

I really enjoy your videos

[@BorderlineOCD]

Glad to hear it.

[@rftailor]

Amazing fix! A lot of eletronics was trashed with this kind of broken conectors!

[@BorderlineOCD]

That's the story of most repairs. It's more of a mindset than anything else.

[@therandomblokeUK]

"wet the tip and come at them from behind" this had me laughing so much dam my rude mind lmao great video :)

[@splugereport]

Love your stuff! I spent more time than I like to admit replacing some micro USB ports on a scart switch and this would have helped.

[@projeanant9564]

😊hi mate, very good and informative video, gives a novice like me hope, many thanks

[@grnsgottaM]

Great video! Somehow managed to destroy the mini USB port on my dogs GPS collar radio. Replacement cost is $800!! I was going to just use an external charger, but think I’ll give this a whirl. Have the basic stuff, just no meaningful experience with things this tiny. Thanks.

[@Enjoymentboy]

This takes me back to 2011. I bought 2 broken Sony X10 smartphones off ebay for $50. One had a broken USB port and the other had a bad board. I swapped the good USB port to the first one and it worked perfectly. Sold it as refurbished and got $200 for it and sold the other one for parts and got $60. For about 1 hour of my time I made over 5X what I paid.

[@hagunara1738]

No se por que creo que deberias tener mas suscriptores, explicas de una manera genial, te entendi todo y eso que no hablo tu idioma bien. Muchas gracias!

[@makedaevilmage]

Ahh man, really need to get myself a board holder ... I'm always fiddling around with the board moving about while soldering to it.

[@Mic8997]

I hear you

[@gregjarvis1232]

This would make a great series for beginners I have 2 multi meters and still Can't use them properly

[@jcreazy]

Awesome video. Luckily the pins had already been broken off. Removing a port without pulling pads can be difficult without hot air.

[@Druid_Plow]

I was thinking of a component leg as well, gave a little fist pump when you pulled that out, lol

[@Autokey_Security_Services]

Hello nice video, I have a question where did you purchase those blue shelves in the background im looking for some and they look like they will be perfect for me.. Thanks

[@reluttr2]

The temptation to upgrade it to USB C using a breakout board would be powerful.

[@CountZilch]

Good video. So the RMA process the Blue have is if you report some fault with the product, they get you to manually destroy the USB port and send photo evidence (rather than posting the device back) before they offer a refund. That's what happened with this device hence the damage. You may find down the track there is another fault with it (hopefully it was the USB port that caused the RMA)

[@lookitskazzy]

Too much solder on the iron when working those surface mount pins and not enough flux. You really only need a tiny dab of solder and bathe it in flux. It's much easier that way. Great job fixing the busted pads for the anchors. I've seen a lot of repairs where people just left the reinforcements floating and you can guess how it ended.

[@128ajb_02_Music]

i believe the quadcast i have that broke has both pads on one of the pins broken off, so i think my pcb might need to be replaced, not just the port

[@Felecc]

8:50 it do be like that sometimes

[@Scott-M1]

Good job. What are the ideal temps between, for adjustable soldering irons?

[@jonathanmartin3375]

I usually go around 400C for stuff like this.

[@tyronefrielinghaus3467]

I need to replace the micro usb port on rechargeable light. Please could you link a video for that. Its for charging only, not data at all. Thanks so much. Panting in anticipation....

[@Raziel1984]

i think something to hold the board for you and something like a magnifying glass is more important then different tips

[@BorderlineOCD]

Helping hands are a good stop gap too if that's all you have lying around.

[@acalavidyaraja]

nice

[@tabbybard]

I appreciate this video as I don't have much tools, but you said this won't work on smaller stuff and specifically mentioned hdmi. But isn't an hdmi pirt bigger than the one you fixed?

[@Promethium666]

brilliant and simple information, thank you very much.

[@armaanmalhotra9042]

🔥🔥

[@shinesmeralda1471]

hi!I love your videos! do you have any idea how to fix the fifine k678?

[@riceniceman548]

Could I ask for a guide to installing a USB 3.0 male type B connector? I have to do it for a project but have never put one of those together before.

[@eyejustdew6478]

You are watching a Master at work just to let yall know.

[@warpedpolygon]

Borderline OCD Out of Context.... 'I'll wet my tip and come up from behind'

[@slathrop]

what was the liquid you used with the Q-tip to clean the surface? Was that rubbing alcohol?

[@gregjarvis1232]

Also what's happening with uk micro computers doing research? Lack of part's etc been looking forward to seeing them!

[@tuxb]

Is there an advantage to doing that solder bridge on the broken traces as opposed to just epoxying that side down?

[@audiarcher2714]

What do you do if you bridge two pins that shouldn’t be? Try to just pick up solder with your pen?

[@Zooumberg]

I've got a set of Astro A50's. I have no idea what they've soldered it with but it's not shifting. So I think my next purchase is a hot air gun.

[@ianrendall]

I reckon you’ve got the chops to repair a BGA with a blowtorch to be honest.

[@TheBrokenTech]

What's the black mat on your table?

[@fuzzyip]

but where do you get component legs like the one you see in 8:21 ?