# I am such a geek



## Bigshadow (Apr 6, 2007)

My phone the Palm Treo 650 has an inferior audio jack.  After constant use (in my case listening to MP3s), it fails and stops the phone's mic and speakers from working during a call. 

I found an article on the internet on how to fix it.  The fix required soldering.  SO I had to go buy a soldering iron, thin solid core copper wire, and things like flux coated solder and a T6 torx driver.

Never having actually soldered anything (well once), I proceeded to take my Treo apart and solder a bridge in place on the headphone jack.  After a couple of tries and reading the instructions and related blogs, and investing in some desoldering copper braid, I was able to successfully fix my Treo, despite my shaking hands!  

I spent less than $20 to fix it.  That certainly beats replacing my phone.

I was so damn excited I thought I would let everyone know!    That and I am bored and figured I would post something


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## OnlyAnEgg (Apr 6, 2007)

Yay for geeks!
It's intimidating to bust into a piece of electronics and do something you've never done before.
Well done!


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## JBrainard (Apr 6, 2007)

Lesson 2 (geek curriculum): Solder a mod-chip into your game console so that you can play copied games. Not that I would ever do such a thing


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## Shuto (Apr 6, 2007)

Congats!  

I've soldered copper pipes before but never small electronics.  Desoldering copper braid?  Interesting.  I've never heard of that before.


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## Bigshadow (Apr 6, 2007)

JBrainard said:


> Lesson 2 (geek curriculum): Solder a mod-chip into your game console so that you can play copied games. Not that I would ever do such a thing



Ahhhh  it would have to be my son's game console as I don't play video games.  Being a software developer and dabbling in games years ago, I just don't find much enjoyment in video games anymore.


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## Bigshadow (Apr 6, 2007)

Shuto said:


> Congats!
> 
> I've soldered copper pipes before but never small electronics.  Desoldering copper braid?  Interesting.  I've never heard of that before.



It is for removing solder.  You place the copper braid on the soldered leads and press the iron into the copper braid.  As the solder melts, it wicks into the copper braid, thus cleaning off the leads (so one can do over) 

I needed it because it didn't work initially, figured I had done such a crappy job soldering that it might have shorted somewhere.  So I removed it all, and did it over.  Turned out that may have contributed to the problem but the end result was that the author of the how-to either intentionally mislead folks as where the bridge was supposed to go or just messed up.  Either way, it came out in the attached blog conversation and I was able to gleen from all that to bridge the other side and that worked.  Plus I managed to get my soldering technique right and the solder job looks quite nice and clean now.  I really could have used one of those lighted magnifying glasses.


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## Bigshadow (Apr 6, 2007)

OnlyAnEgg said:


> Yay for geeks!
> It's intimidating to bust into a piece of electronics and do something you've never done before.
> Well done!



I was nearly as nervous as the day I decided to replace the exhaust manifold on my jeep engine (which turned into having to pull the head and have some machining done to it, resulting in also replacing the head gasket).    At that time, I had never done that before either. 

After it was all said and done, I found the experience to be quite exciting.  Everything worked properly and smoothly the first time (I did use the Chrysler Service Manual for the Jeep and followed the directions).


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## Tames D (Apr 6, 2007)

Sure... but can you fix a running toilet?


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## Kacey (Apr 6, 2007)

QUI-GON said:


> Sure... but can you fix a running toilet?



I dunno about him - but I can!

Somehow it always freaks people out that I can use tools - and do - for basic plumbing, wiring, and carpentry.  After all, that's not _ladylike_... although my grandfather (from whom I inherited some small measure of ability, and a heaping lot of good tools) thought it was great that one of his grandkids wanted to learn how to use his tools - although the fact that we are all girls might've had something to do with his attitude.


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## kidswarrior (Apr 6, 2007)

Bigshadow said:


> I was nearly as nervous as the day I decided to replace the exhaust manifold on my jeep engine (which turned into having to pull the head and have some machining done to it, resulting in also replacing the head gasket).    At that time, I had never done that before either.
> 
> After it was all said and done, I found the experience to be quite exciting.  Everything worked properly and smoothly the first time (I did use the Chrysler Service Manual for the Jeep and followed the directions).



OK, are you nuts? Really, you can tell us. :uhyeah: Just kidding, of course. Seriously, that took some courage. :ultracool I used to work on cars night and day (course that was the late 60s), and today I won't even change my own battery--gotta have the computer reset, anyway, so why bother?

Man, my hat's off to you.


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## kidswarrior (Apr 6, 2007)

QUI-GON said:


> Sure... but can you fix a running toilet?



And how'd I get into *The Computer Room*? Didn't even know MT had one, and I can barely turn mine on, let alone talk about it.

Now as for toilets, yeah, that I can do. But how'd that get into the computer room? Man, I'm seriously confused.


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## Tames D (Apr 7, 2007)

kidswarrior said:


> And how'd I get into *The Computer Room*? Didn't even know MT had one, and I can barely turn mine on, let alone talk about it.
> 
> Now as for toilets, yeah, that I can do. But how'd that get into the computer room? Man, I'm seriously confused.


LOL. I never claimed that I make any sense...


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## Bigshadow (Apr 8, 2007)

QUI-GON said:


> Sure... but can you fix a running toilet?



That I can!


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## Bigshadow (Apr 8, 2007)

kidswarrior said:


> But how'd that get into the computer room? Man, I'm seriously confused.




Nah, just lost!


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## Bigshadow (Apr 8, 2007)

I think there is a relationship here folks, between toilets and computers? Or was that cell phones.?.


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