Trace Pads Broken

[kozman]

Hi Gang,
I have been working on my second motherboard chip replacement. I have practiced soldering for the last month. So today I went for the replacement of a bios chip. NOT GOOD. I got past the chip removale and then problems. I cut the legs off the chip with a exacto knife as I have seen on many YouTube videos. Only I cut down to the pad and cut a couple off. D'oh!
I know there is low melt solder that works well for removal. Also the right hot air tools. Both are out of my budget. Desoldering has become the hardest part of chip replacement for me. I used wick but does not get all of the solder under the pads. Legs are so small I cannot heat and pry with a tool. I found out while practicing that a small wire behind the legs, heat and pull under each leg as you go works well. But not for this small of chip.
WELL, off to the chase. I have surfed and found methods of replacing the trace pads. The bad part is I can only find kits that are over $200.
Does anyone have a fix that I can afford!
Peace,
Kozman

[Dave@Bytes]

Kozman, you are a braver man than me. I do not know of a fix for your situation, but I'm sure one of our intrepid members will.

[bucksfanjimj]

Replace the motherboard if it's still available. What are you working on?

[kozman]

Hi Gang,
Well I am working on a Acer Aspire 5100 laptop. I always try to fix at the lowest cost. My labor is cheap, free, or I work for anything with the word "pie" at the end. Like in "apple, pumpkin...".
My last motherboard I did send out and it was repaired for $100. New motherboads are going just under twice that cost. So this time I tried to do it myself. Using various guides and gadgets it came down to a bad bios chip. Bought one for $26 including flashing.
Well to repair the chip pads I broke. I hammered down a 26 gauge copper wire to several thousands of an inch. Then cut it to the same size as the pad. Using a sizzors worked better that a exacto knife. Glued them inplace with super glue. (BTW: super glue did not work to good when soldered. Luckly I could solder the chip leg, pad and trace together)
I did get the chip soldered to the board and the legs of the chip contacting my pad repairs I was able to solder all together connected to its trace. Months of soldering practice on tiny legs paid off. I inspected the joints with a 40x microscope and they look great. I rung out the ones with the pad repairs and they where good.
Well bad news is the bios chip repair did not correct the problem. In fact it went worse! Before I was getting leds to light, now nothing. So my solder job is bad, the board got damaged moving it around for the last several months, or I just plain do not know what I am doing yet! Now it is down to what Buckfan suggested, ask the owner if they want to pop for a new Mobo.
Peace,
Kozman

[bucksfanjimj]

Sorry to hear that kozman. Try doing a Google search for replacement boards. Direct from ACER may be expensive.

[fjfoster1]

Pads are only the tip of the iceberg.
Most boards are multi-layer. You can make it look good on the surface, but when the pad came up, chances are very good that it broke at least one connect inside the MOBO. Without a schematic to repair all broken connections manually, it would not usually be worth the effort.

[kozman]

Hi fjfoster1,
Thanks for the info. This is my second component repair. Then fist one I just had to resolder some loose legs of a chip to the pads. So I am 50%. I am learning to solder, practicing several times a week.
Just on quick question. Are schematics readily availiable?
Peace,
kozman
(sorry for the bad smelling, I mean spelling. I am writting from a MSNTV2 player and cannot load the spelling tool)

[fjfoster1]

I don't know of any place to get schematics for computer motherboards. Most manufacturers want to charge you for their repairs or replace the motherboard with another so they can make more money. The electronics are a lot more complicated than twenty years ago when an average hobbyist could get schematics and parts to repair his TV or radio