Soldering Basics for Gamers (and Others)

If you want to get into repairing or modding game consoles (or other gadgets), you'll want to learn how to solder. Let's take a look at the tools, supplies, and technique you'll need to get started.
My video on building a gamer's toolkit: • Build a Gamer's Consol...
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This Does Not Compute
PO Box 131141
St. Paul, MN 55113
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Music by Anitek (freemusicarchive.org/music/Anitek) and BoxCat Games (www.box-cat.com).

[@Darkwisdom9]

Coming from someone who used to be a Soldering Operative in a large security factory, a pretty good, well informed guide for beginners. There wasn't anything about flux, but most people doing small console mods will likely never need it. Last thing - Safety first. Always solder in a well ventilated room, or use an extractor. Some older components have a chance of being soldered with lead based solder. Never breathe it in, it's extremely dangerous. If in doubt, wear a mask.

[@StumblrNoE]

@Wizzy Wambo lead free solder is a thing, as are fumes from chemicals in the solder. Do some research before being rude next time.

[@redemption8432]

But I like the smell 😢

[@m0rShh]

Protip: If you're an inexperienced solderer, make sure your first project is something you won't mind replacing if you mess up! I ended up ruining my Gamecube while attempting a region switch mod, having never soldered before in my life. It looked so easy, but looks can be deceiving. Don't be like me!

[@unknownhicks6473]

That's why I'm gonna go out and look for stuff to practice on before I attempt my consoles

[@hiiambarney4489]

@Multi Grain Cirnos It's the same as the Wii btw. Only Wii is the same circuit with better chips and more compact.

[@DarkEssence66]

Thank you, I was about to do this on my game boy advanced. I really really don't wanna replace that.

[@fernandosepulveda7297]

Replacing batterys on Gameboy cartridges is a pretty good begginers projects

[@zanderx7]

@@fernandosepulveda7297 lol I fucked up my cart doing this :( but now I’m running a couple jumper wires when my products arrive and hoping for the best

[@brainiac111]

For a complete noob like me, 10:50, "pre-tinning" is such a great tip. Thank you.

[@lauraiss1027]

Great video, thank you! Only wanted to mention, from my experience with delicate microchips, you do not want the joint to melt the solder. You put solder directly on soldering iron and only then apply to joint to reduce time heating the chip. Microchips can overheat and burn in few seconds if legs are heated.

[@KarnageReigns]

This helped me alot actually! Getting into modding gameboys and fixing old consoles. I'm scared to solder but I think this would give me the confidence.

[@bland9876]

A thrift shop is the best place to find an old unwanted circuit board

[@caviar_dreamz]

I've come across two GBA's for dirt cheap and hope to do my back light mod soon, your videos will come in handy. Love your channel.

[@LoveGia]

wow! really great video. thanks for recommending practicing on broken boards! i have a bunch of broken vintage laptop and computer boards i almost got rid of. learning to solder has been VERY rewarding for me and has brought me joy in recent difficult times. family used to give me their old broken computers to salvage the parts or just to practice taking things apart and putting them together. now i feel like i’m putting that to use in more ways than one 🖤

[@davidrahn9903]

I'm just about to make my own button box for space sims and it's been years since I've had to solder and this was a great refresher. Thanks man.

[@AndrewLeadbeater]

Good clean video, however there was no mention of soldering flux and cleaning the circuitboard. Maybe a part 2 on soldering showing common problems like solder not sticking, different types of solder wire etc. Subscribed.

[@fargoretro]

Yes I totally agree

[@Gaizure]

Soldering is definitely an acquired skill. I'm still not all that great at it and end up wasting soldering iron tips like crazy but am able to manage very small work like a Gameboy Pocket bivert (with the help of some super glue of course hue hue hue) but still great video for beginners.

[@samfrito]

Awesome! Glad you are here to help. Thinking about taking on refurbing my old Game Gear. I have put new battery backups in some old Genesis carts, but I need more practice before taking on capacitors in the GG. Thanks Colin, great tips. You are a natural at teaching and speaking on camera.

[@jshawfshs]

Wow man! You explained this in such a great way. I'm thinking I could learn this skill too. Thanks bro!

[@cooperlykken4610]

I've been looking for tutorials and things like that but this is probably the one that helped me the most thanks

[@Brokengamezone]

Just started soldering for the first time was able to do it on my first attempt after watching I'm trying to start up a business online buying broken consoles in bulk and repairing them then reselling it online and scrapping the unfixable ones for extra parts just got 20 xbox ones (broken) for $110 which for me seems like a fantastic deal even if i can only fix one i will still make all that money back plus a little bit of profit thankfully i have 30 legacy motherboards to practice on before moving onto the xbox don't want to screw this up also your videos are fantastic you explain things very clearly thank you.

[@Custarddolphin]

new to soldering and watching this made me understand bit about soldering in general thank you so much

[@mykie242]

Thanks for this, Colin! I am about to start a project modding my NES for RGB and this gave me some helpful hints! I'll be starting my solder journey by cannibalizing and old motherboard now!

[@marianoluceroiii402]

I really like you videos thanks for doing them I learn a lot. when I grew up I watched my grandpa solder everything and wondered why my grandpa can do anything and this is teaching me what I can do to thank you a lot I appreciate you and your videos DIY all day

[@larfleeze7031]

Very helpful. Thanks to this my gba sp was saved. I changed a fuse. Very nerve racking

[@franciscotorres1005]

Great video I like how you walk us through each step.

[@chickendawg88]

Pro tip: Use two irons (or tweezer irons) at the same time to melt both sides of the SMT component, then flip it off the board. Pro tip: Clean off pads with wick (he calls it braid) to make sure the part lays flat. Put some solder on one pad, then touch the new part to it. Give it a wiggle to make sure it's connected, then solder the other pad. Pro tip: Clean dried flux off with a pick and then wet a q-tip with alcohol and wipe away. Pro tip: After removing thru-hole components, just simply use your $30,000 selective solder machine to place the new parts.

[@oo0speed0oo]

I can't say thank you enough for this! This is what i was looking for! thanks a million.

[@lawlabamaytp1737]

Just found this guy today, and I'm glad I did. His channel is awesome. Enjoy yet another sub

[@Spykezirkov]

Awesome video! Really the motivation I was looking for :)

[@AlexAnthonyBand]

Great job on this video. Very helpful for a first time user like myself.

[@hbarudi]

Good video about soldering irons and soldering in general. Also be careful of the heat especially if you accidentally touch it it can burn just as much as that red hot part of your cooktop. Temperature is about 330°C to 350°C (626°F to 662°F). Touching the part with the iron for too long can be a problem as the heat will spread to other areas, but some thick things need that time, according to the video when it comes to thick parts.

[@alexrenxa7700]

Thanks for the video! Been watching some of your other videos on gbc and gba LCD replacements so i definitely needed a tutorial on soldering, but even though ive got some experience in welding, this is a totally different ball game haha

[@neves188]

Thank you soo much for sharing your knowledge! your videos helps me a lot!

[@Nukes4You]

Watched this video about ten times now, and finally felt the need to comment and say thanks! Used this video as well as your Gameboy tutorials to install a backlight for my DMG-01. Unfortunately, after a day or two of use, I developed some dead vertical lines in my display, and can't remove them like the horizontal ones. Will have to get a new display and try again in the future! In any case, thank you!

[@imerflores1167]

Hombre, keep up the good work. Your channel is great, including this vid. two thumbs up

[@shinjiikarir]

This video taught me what i needed to know, thanks a lot! Liked and subscribed :)

[@DustinHamiltonSituatedAction]

Thanks for doing this video on the basics - I’m feeling a lot not confident about getting some practice.

[@samuelkoch6553]

This was unbelievably helpful thank you so much!!!

[@sweetwaddlez7162]

Thanks! I've been looking for something like this.

[@JohnVo423]

Had to demolish the back shell of my DMG Gameboy to get the shells separated due to a stripped tri-wing screw. In the process I snagged one of the speaker wires from the PCB board :( Now, I'm determined to do my first soldering job to make this very basic fix and this video is going to help get me there.

[@lordseph]

Thank you for this! Time to practice!

[@eyeswideshut7354]

Very clear explanation. Thank you.

[@BadBrad119]

It took what seems like a while to learn half of these skills :P I like seeing someone post a very useful instructional though, would have helped me tons a year ago. I also need to get a desoldering braid. I've been using a desoldering pump, and it works really well, but sometimes not perfectly or better than a braid for.

[@ZodiakAsHell]

dude, i love your channel, god bless

[@leftyfourguns]

I mangled a tiny tiny capacitor on my GBA board trying to removing a stripped screw. This is exactly the kind of video I was looking for, thanks for making it

[@Tvv1SteR]

Man, thanks a lot for this tutorial. I've never solder anything, but I'd like to learn how to do that, and be able (or at least try :)) to repair some broken game console. For example I have GBA SP (AGS-101) that need F2 fuse replacement, but firstly I need soldering equipment and practice. ;)

[@mdjey2]

You can also solder with tined tip. You just want to make sure that legs and traces have flux on them and bit of tin on them also helps. Advantage of this is that with tined tip you can transfer heat more quickly!

[@FrancoCiminoPrado]

Really helpfull stuff, Im trying to fix a couple of PS2 that I had when I was a teenager and I broke the power switch on the PS2 Slim so I'll have to solder it back to the board.

[@nombinator]

Nice video. But if I may, I could give you some advice. For SMD 2 pole components, don't tin the 2 pads before placing the component. Tin one pad, align your component with tweezers while melting this pad and then tin the other pad (that mean that the pad should be cleaned with solder braid before). That way, the component is straight on the board and the solder joint is stronger (better resistance to vibration). I would also advice you to try a hot air gun if you can (50-100 € for a chineese one). Protect the other parts of the board with kapton tape or aluminium foil while using it. The way you do it is heating the component and wait for the heat to transfer for one pad to the other. Meanwhile the pad you heat could be very hot and lead to a pad lift. And a hot air gun is the only way to desolder a chip (well there are also pro dual iron tool but they are way too expensive). Also there is a cool and inexpensive tool for desoldering throughole component : desoldering needles, these are needles with a hole in it (find it on ebay/aliexpress/...). You use your iron to melt the solder and then you push the needle with the component legs in the needle hole. You then remove the iron and the solder solidify. But where the needle was there is no solder left and the solder don't stick to the needle, the component part is now free from solder. Easy, fast,with no stress on the PCB pads, couldn't believe I've desoldered for 20 years without it ! PS: I hope that you don't get my comment in a too patronizing way. Get this more as a passionate hobyist to another one.

[@databang]

Very handy, thank you for sharing.

[@thevlaka]

amazingly informative video thanks for this.

[@MrKennethb83]

Awesome this is exactly what I was looking for

[@toneeb4450]

Just want to say thanks for a very handy video.

[@Huddy40]

Fantastic video.

[@jooniethebest3709]

This was helpful, thankyou!

[@EndUser2090]

motherboards from the mid 2000s have bad capacitors. they can be found in thrift stores. these are a good way of practicing soldering. btw great vid.

[@SonicBoone56]

Actually the late 90s. By the 2000s the wave of bad caps was no more.

[@cccccc864]

I don't know how to give you more likes. ^^u I've been doing improper soldering for long time. I think this is the best start for doing things in the proper way. I'm gonna start buying my stuff. I just have cheap solders. (with the help of your toolkit video). Thanks again. :)

[@TBTITheBlackTiger]

i mainly use a soldering iron for my old gameboy games that need a new battery ty for all the tips

[@Bossfightmedia]

Abso-fucking-lutely amazing guide. I don't really take interest in modding consoles as much as Keyboards and Mice, but oh boy these are still so valuable. Thanks alot for taking the time for all this! Imma get myself some materials now and start playing around with some broken KBs I have! :)

[@anngs3082]

Thanks for the tips!

[@Spintechfilms]

man this video was so helpfull thanks man please please please keep up the awsome work you do on your channel

[@ThisDoesNotCompute]

Thanks!

[@tytytec]

I'm getting that wired soldering iron so I can do the light mods for the gameboy, plus so I can recap a game gear.

[@ShadeSlayer1911]

awesome tips. I wish I came across this video BEFORE trying to solder for my first time. I was trying to remove some corroded battery contacts off of a GB Pocket, and I didn't have any desoldering braid, nor did I know how to use the desoldering pump. So I just tried to scoop the hot solder from the board and wipe it off or something. I never got enough out, and eventually resorted to trying to pull on the contact. Bad idea. It snapped off.

[@FoolHardyQueso]

Very helpful thx

[@dogeymon83]

Glad I came back to this video for review. I want to mod my gba sp into an IPS Q5 lovely. I want to make sure it’s easy and quick to place solder on those little points to activate the built in screen menu options. Typically I’ve never used flux because the solder usually just goes where it’s supposed to on those points but sometimes it’s not quite stuck on and played nice with me. So I think I need to start learning how to use flux. Should I use that liquid I got on eBay?

[@brianjackson1649]

Good Job!

[@leeDs718]

thanks for this great video!! will take it to fix my guitar components 👍 Colin, i noticed a po box in ur description, what stuff do u accept there?

[@MMSPRODUCTIONZz]

Thanks so MUCH!

[@TheKCKing11]

Getting my first soldering kit in the mail next week. Ill practice on something i dont care about then i was thinking of buying a cheap game console for repair on ebay as my first project

[@codak29]

I'd like to see a follow up on how to use a multimeter to test circuits on motherboards and game cartridges.

[@stickfigure0112]

good video... keep it up !

[@Go.el_Hadam]

Great advice, going to mod some gba's soon.

[@OnionChang]

very interesting thanks!

[@alwaysasn]

I should always know my research will come back to an old video by Colin.

[@GaryMeacher]

Thanks for the video. You should consider some Amazon affiliated links in your description for some of the soldering equipment recommendations.

[@VivSlakes]

for bigger solder joints you need to clean i can only recommend buying a desoldering pump as well. saves you a lot of braid and has the advantage that its a buy once use forever thing

[@vicrattlehead8665]

Gonna do a screen upgrade on a game boy color and I need to solder ONE wire, it’s about time I learn because I want to change some guitar pickups heheh

[@momoqahtani6545]

I have a Japanese ps1 and connected into 220v by mistake. So, I saw one of the capacitors was damaged. Should I change the whole power board or doing soldering for replacing that piece ? Thanks

[@juneru2]

soldering seems alot easier than i thought it was lol. so for gameboy modding id use the delicate tip, right?

[@devon8419]

Harder than it looks

[@jasonlee7704]

Basic noob question. I'm still confused on which type of flux I need for soldering on PCBs and for tinning wires/leads. What should I search for on amazon? Thanks!

[@romanepaul3460]

I'm probably gonna only use the soldering iron once to solder a front light on my gba so would it be ok to use a cheap one?

[@SonicBoone56]

Does the heat of the soldering iron transfer into the tweezers? Cuz I have a pair and I'm always afraid to hold components with them in fear of heat going through them and into my hands lol.

[@SwiftStruthio]

I'm having trouble removing old solder with desoldering wick. I'm trying to replace an old GB battery. I have the Weller WLC 100. Any ideas? It seems like the iron isn't getting hot enough, but I can't imagine that since it is the same you use on a regular basis.

[@melaniedavis6067]

Thank you, I shared it.

[@Deses]

Really digging your K-On figurines! You're truly a man of culture as well.

[@demonofshadows9199]

great! thanks!!!

[@pentiummmx2294]

the solder pads on some through hole areas are very small, i am scared i might screw up the traces nearby, and don't get me started on SMD, i am new to soldering though.

[@robbyclark9711]

Hey Collin. I have a question for you. When I have tried to solder most of the time the solder beads up and rolls where I don't want it to go. What am I doing wrong??

[@Xenethra]

Is this on the metal pad or the soldering iron? You may want to try some flux, and I have had my soldering iron heat up too long, and refuse to bond with the solder. You also might have a bad tip.

[@therealkenny6]

Does anyone know of a cheap soldering iron that still works well? I’m not looking to spend a lot of money.

[@MMSPRODUCTIONZz]

Thanks alot for the advice would this go good with frontlit gbc mod?

[@AndyTunstall]

Awesome video, Colin. Your videos have given me the confidence to actually go and buy a soldering iron and mess around with some mods. What would you say is an entry-level console mod?

[@ThisDoesNotCompute]

I think something like my 2-part Game Boy button video (kzbin.info/www/bejne/Z5-QaWqNrdVsitk) could be a good place to get started...it involves soldering, but it's pretty simple. Replacing LEDs with different colors is easy and effective too. Good luck!

[@AndyTunstall]

Thank you! Not sure which colours would match my clear dmg but I'll give it a go!

[@tiagoadcosta]

your videos are great. you deserve more views! i see you mostly like making small DIY videos but i have a suggestion. You could make a portable Playstation 1/2 or a Nintendo 64/GC. there are some on youtube but they are mostly old and badly filmed.

[@MniHaD15]

well Ben Hecks aren't.

[@mtthwclrk63]

This guy is right! I've done a bunch video searches in building Nintendo product portables and the only one I can give props to for complete noobs is Jonathan shine. His videos are very well explained but he's a busy guy and sometimes it takes 6-1year to post a video. He's a very well respected guy in the portable community but it would be nice if someone else could tackle this challenge from start to finish on how to effectively put one together and where to find parts along with its prices. Keep up the good work! 😊👏

[@seanritchie91]

This is Peter Dinklage all grown up.

[@trephinate]

Will you make a video of soldering the back switch for a ps2? The switch that tells the ps2 that the lid is closed

[@patrickhosseini3425]

Great video! Comment for algorithm

[@donaldblumpf3260]

I literally have to look away during the close-up segments because I feel like he's staring into my soul. Good tutorial though!

[@dogeymon83]

Thank you for making this video!!!!! Every time I want you to make something, I usually find a video where you already did it. I have wanted to mod my sega Saturn with that chip that lets you play backup games, but I’ve never soldered before and I’m scared

[@seantullo5857]

what about puting flux on the joint?

[@voidgaming4042]

Can you do a tutorial about soldering a power switch to a GBA SP 001 motherboard?

[@quinn1539]

Cool vid. But when I try to melt the solder nothing happens unless I press super hard on it with the iron.

[@tomberrydeadly9254]

Ty

[@JigglyPKMN]

Does the cordless Hakko work well for replacing game cartridge save batteries? Also, what diameter solder do you use for them?

[@ThisDoesNotCompute]

Yes, it works great -- the solder tabs are wide but thin, so there's not much thermal mass. I tend to stick to finer gauge solder for most work, as it's easier to add more if needed.

[@JigglyPKMN]

Thanks for the advice and great tutorial. I'll be putting it to good use on my Game Boy collection.

[@PhantomUnboxing]

I can solder together basic boards like kits. But I want to learn how to repair gaming stuff and modding controlers and other stuff. I learned to use lead and un-lead solder. 1) Should I use lead solder or un-solder? 2) How do I learn specific mods for specific console or controllers 3) How do I use the electrometer with console 4) Is UN-LEADED solder crap? My next question is how should I get started building ps2 portable. What I already have is : 1) PS2 2) Soldering tip #1 with a very sharp point that you can stab peeps with 3) Soldering tip #2 one that looks like a screw driver 4) TONS AND TONS OF DE SOLDERING BRAID 5) Sucking up solder thingy (Picked it up for cheap) 6) Tons of soldering Jell (LIKE TONS) 7) Two random soldering irons -One is 40 years old -One is about 6 months 8) Pliers and Cutters 9) Screw Drivers and ECT10) Lead and unleaded solder My BIGGEST question is HOW do I start making a PS2 portable or modding? - I have a basic soldering skills w/ kits - I know how to desolder basic stuff - I mess up a lot

[@JDM509ESR]

ask ppl who made them before

[@mtthwclrk63]

Bro I totally feel your pain! 😂😂 the best advice I can give is go "modding forums" online, which is extremely helpful for people who don't know where to start.people post pictures and all kinds of component tips on how to make quality portables. "Modretro.com" is a good place to start.

[@SevenDeMagnus]

Hi. I have the gas driven Iroda (shops rebrand it sometimes) which is portable and is adjustable and it comes with tips like hot knife, blow torch, heat gun attachments. God bless. Rev. 21:4

[@gern0tk]

Shouldn’t you apply flux before tinning solder pads?