Broken solder pad - suggestions?

[MullardFillmore]

Before I was an engineer many years ago I was an electronics tech in an Army depot. We would use a trace repair kit and put conformal coating over it.
Then again you can just jumper it, an inspector is bot reviewing your work like we had

 

[nortiks]

Its one of the holes for a bias cap.
Im replacing it. I’ll most likely bend the new lead over the remaining pad and then solder to the joint to the right. Should be enough connection?

I've done exactly this many times. In fact its my default method when prototyping in perf board.

[edit] On this one it won't really matter to just solder to the next pad over since its so close. But if you ever run into one where the next pad over is too far, just scrape the "green" with a single edged razor or similar at the broken pad and solder to that. Believe it or not, I've actually pulled off doing this on surface mount op-amps. Now I had to use a dissecting microscope, lol, and it was really ugly, but it did save the piece from the trash heap!

 

[JzRepair]

Well my one worst nightmares happened while working on my JMP 2204…I lost a little bit of solder pad

In an attempt to eliminate the amount of time/heat I put on the board I tried using one of those electronic solder suckers. It did it’s job, but was just too much. Never again! (the rest of the amp is fine btw)

What’s the best step forward?

(Warning graphic images )

View attachment 158789

If you do any kind of circuit repair,you are guaranteed to run into this from time to time, either by your own doing or someone else before you. This is why it's so very important to have a temperature controlled iron. That doesn't mean it won't happen, but controlling the temperature is a safer way to solder.

Great suggestions above, however, I don't suggest the wire method, because some day, it's going to need to be desoldered and that little wire is going to come off and you're right back where you started. Work smart, not hard.

Scraping the solder resist is the easiest way to achieve the repair, then bending the lead as others have suggested. You can also use a jumper wire for longer runs. Please don't run jumpers on the top side of the board. It looks like garbage and can be confusing later on.

Usually, there is no harm in connecting a jumper to an already soldered connection, but it can cause complications if there is a specific resistance that trace is trying to achieve.

I repair a lot of stereos that have pads already missing, or become broken when I get in to replace something. As someone else said, heat is the biggest factor here, but it can also be heat from the circuit itself when it has been neglected.

Leaning how to repair these pads/traces, while keeping it simple is a valuable tool. If you start doing more repairs. You'll see this more often and you'll often find jumpers in place where someone else has repaired it before. If you use wire to repair the connection, just make sure it's solid core and thick enough to handle the current requirements for the circuit.

As for solder suckers, they are a valuable tool, so don't count them out. Tbh, I've had more issues with this using braid than I have with suckers, but I really only use a sucker when I have solder I can't get out of a hole with the braid.

Good luck on the repair.

One last thought. Any time you make this kind of repair, always be sure you have good clearance between other traces and pads and for the love of the guitar gods, please clean your work with alcohol. Always leave it cleaner than you found it. One day, someone else will be in there. Show them you were competent in what you are doing.

 

[nortiks]

If you do any kind of circuit repair,you are guaranteed to run into this from time to time, either by your own doing or someone else before you. This is why it's so very important to have a temperature controlled iron. That doesn't mean it won't happen, but controlling the temperature is a safer way to solder.

One last thought. Any time you make this kind of repair, always be sure you have good clearance between other traces and pads and for the love of the guitar gods, please clean your work with alcohol. Always leave it cleaner than you found it. One day, someone else will be in there. Show them you were competent in what you are doing.

+1000.

I have seen high impedance circuits act wonky due to remaining solder flux...the fix was to properly clean it... Walmart sells 93% isopropyl alcohol for a couple of bucks, works great for this.

 

[JzRepair]

+1000.

I have seen high impedance circuits act wonky due to remaining solder flux...the fix was to properly clean it... Walmart sells 93% isopropyl alcohol for a couple of bucks, works great for this.

Yes! And Ace Hardware sells 90+% by the gallon if you do this regularly. Just need a good hog hair brush to get the stubborn stuff, but a clean solft bristles toothbrush will work in a pinch!

 

[KraftyBob]

Here’s a repair I did on a friends, son’s MG30DFX. His son was messing around with the input jack and managed to rip off the solder pad. My friend was a little pissed at his son, but I give the kid credit for his interest in trying to learn how things work. Easy enough to fix.

 

[psychic_fuzz]

+1000.

I have seen high impedance circuits act wonky due to remaining solder flux...the fix was to properly clean it... Walmart sells 93% isopropyl alcohol for a couple of bucks, works great for this.

Yep I always clean the PCB after I do work. I use an old toothbrush. Despite this mishap I’m usually super clean with my work!

 

[psychic_fuzz]

If you do any kind of circuit repair,you are guaranteed to run into this from time to time, either by your own doing or someone else before you. This is why it's so very important to have a temperature controlled iron. That doesn't mean it won't happen, but controlling the temperature is a safer way to solder.

Great suggestions above, however, I don't suggest the wire method, because some day, it's going to need to be desoldered and that little wire is going to come off and you're right back where you started. Work smart, not hard.

Scraping the solder resist is the easiest way to achieve the repair, then bending the lead as others have suggested. You can also use a jumper wire for longer runs. Please don't run jumpers on the top side of the board. It looks like garbage and can be confusing later on.

Usually, there is no harm in connecting a jumper to an already soldered connection, but it can cause complications if there is a specific resistance that trace is trying to achieve.

I repair a lot of stereos that have pads already missing, or become broken when I get in to replace something. As someone else said, heat is the biggest factor here, but it can also be heat from the circuit itself when it has been neglected.

Leaning how to repair these pads/traces, while keeping it simple is a valuable tool. If you start doing more repairs. You'll see this more often and you'll often find jumpers in place where someone else has repaired it before. If you use wire to repair the connection, just make sure it's solid core and thick enough to handle the current requirements for the circuit.

As for solder suckers, they are a valuable tool, so don't count them out. Tbh, I've had more issues with this using braid than I have with suckers, but I really only use a sucker when I have solder I can't get out of a hole with the braid.

Good luck on the repair.

One last thought. Any time you make this kind of repair, always be sure you have good clearance between other traces and pads and for the love of the guitar gods, please clean your work with alcohol. Always leave it cleaner than you found it. One day, someone else will be in there. Show them you were competent in what you are doing.

I really appreciate all the insight and sort of talking me off the edge.

I won’t do topside, I agree i don’t like how that looks.

I know a few have mentioned scraping the “green”, I kind of like to avoid that if possible. I just don’t trust my artistry quite yet. Will probably jumper using the leg.

Any thoughts on using a small amount of copper shielding tape to fill in the missing pad?

 

[EdinTexas]

I think scraping the solder resist and bending the new component lead over the remaining pad would work just fine, as others have suggested.
Judging from the picture you posted it looks to me as though the original problem occurred because of too little heat, not too much. The solder left on the remaining pad looks ragged and dull as though it might not have been completely molten when you sucked it off, pulling the pad along with it.
I don't know what type of solder Marshal used on your JCM but now adays most manufacturers have gone to lead-free solder which melts at a higher temperature. I always set my station to 700-725F for lead free solder and give it "time to shine" before I vacuum it off a copper pad. The old 60/40 solder melted just fine at 625 - 650F.

 

[Keysdweller]

Before I was an engineer many years ago I was an electronics tech in an Army depot. We would use a trace repair kit and put conformal coating over it.
Then again you can just jumper it, an inspector is bot reviewing your work like we had

After I received my engineering degree, I worked as a missile guidance system technician for a defense contractor for 20 years. I repaired, tested and inspected the electronics in guidance systems while working with other engineers to improve missile capability and production. I would sometimes have to repair a lifted pad or trace on a PCB that already had thousands of dollars of components soldered to them. Removing all these components was not an option so we would take scrap mil spec PCB's and cut a replacement trace or pad and transplant it to the board being repaired. We would then cover the repair with MMA epoxy and then conformal coating over the board after being tested and inspected. I was one of only two people in the company who was government certified to do this procedure. A missile had to be capable of having a 10-year shelf life and capable of another 10 years after reservicing and testing. I spend most of my time now enjoying my first love of playing guitar.

 

[Cpt Adama]

Well my one worst nightmares happened while working on my JMP 2204…I lost a little bit of solder pad

In an attempt to eliminate the amount of time/heat I put on the board I tried using one of those electronic solder suckers. It did it’s job, but was just too much. Never again! (the rest of the amp is fine btw)

What’s the best step forward?

(Warning graphic images )

View attachment 158789

Very easy fix. Either send it to me and I'll take it off your hands for $20 or sand of enough of the protective cover on the trace behind the pad and tin it. Then extend the leg of the component and bend the lead over to the new tinned part of the trace, cut off any extra and solder down to what's left of the original pad and to the new part that was extended on the trace. Done.

Solder wick and spring solder suckers are not the ideal tool if your doing this a lot. I would recommend an electronic vacuum solder sucker that can apply enough heat to immediately melt the solder and then its a trigger pull away from getting a clean pad very quickly in less than a second. The problem with the first to options is that if the heat isn't high enough you leave in on for a very long time and it will overshoot and overheat the pad, which delaminates it.

 

[KraftyBob]

Very easy fix. Either send it to me and I'll take it off your hands for $20 or sand of enough of the protective cover on the trace behind the pad and tin it. Then extend the leg of the component and bend the lead over to the new tinned part of the trace, cut off any extra and solder down to what's left of the original pad and to the new part that was extended on the trace. Done.

Solder wick and spring solder suckers are not the ideal tool if your doing this a lot. I would recommend an electronic vacuum solder sucker that can apply enough heat to immediately melt the solder and then its a trigger pull away from getting a clean pad very quickly in less than a second. The problem with the first to options is that if the heat isn't high enough you leave in on for a very long time and it will overshoot and overheat the pad, which delaminates it.

I have no idea why I didn't buy my Hakko FR-300 sooner. So simple and quick.

 

[JzRepair]

I really appreciate all the insight and sort of talking me off the edge.

I won’t do topside, I agree i don’t like how that looks.

I know a few have mentioned scraping the “green”, I kind of like to avoid that if possible. I just don’t trust my artistry quite yet. Will probably jumper using the leg.

Any thoughts on using a small amount of copper shielding tape to fill in the missing pad?

Well, it's up to you. I wouldn't do it, but I prefer just bending the lead after clearing off a bit of solder resist. Anything you add is most likely going to be a pain in the future. Easier to just use an exacto knife and scrape a small bit of that "green" away. Sometimes, you just don't have the luxury of adding things, because there's often little clearance between pads and traces. If you want to really spruce it up, and protect it, you can add a bit of overcoat from an overcoat pen to cover it back up and add a layer of protection from it arcing to anything. In fact, an overcoat pen is very convenient where there is solder resist that has flaked off and exposed traces. But again, anything extra you do is going to require more work in the future. I try to always use the KISS principle.

 

[JP M]

I agree with the above.
I'd take an exact knife to it too, scrape away the solder mask, and either lay down wire on the existing trace to extend it back, to where it broke, or use the lead of the component itself, which is quicker.

When I first started doing this stuff, I would agonize and labor over this.

I started not in amps, but large format mixing consoles.
Thousands of caps to change out, lots of repetition, as most of the channel strips are the same.

I also remember freaking out when I pulled up my first pad.

No big deal, and if you're going to continue to do this stuff?
You'll see a ton of it.
Nature of the beast.

You could put epoxy over the wire where you scraped the solder resist away, or ya could just leave it. Clean it up with alcohol, and leave it.

If it's just looks you're concerned with, a green sharpie blends almost perfectly with green pcb's.

It's not a high impedance part of the circuit, certainly not like a condenser microphone capsule connection, little worry here of messing this up.


Don't sweat this, and definitely do not throw out the idea of using a hakko vacuum solder sucker.
That is THE BEST route for this stuff, and the safest for your PCB.

You got this.
Biggest thing is to not be afraid of this stuff.
Have a healthy respect for high voltage and charged caps, but this?
Easy peasy.

Good luck.

 

[psychic_fuzz]

Hey y'all sorry for the delay. Tons of great advice here I appreciate everyone's responses. It'll be a great resource for myself and anyone else down the road facing this issue for sure.

I decide to just use the existing pad and bend the lead over and build up the joint. I know not the most professional approach but I got good continuity and think all is good. (I did end up clipping a bit shorter than what is pictured)

I only typically work on stuff I plan on keeping, so I'm good cool with the repairs done.

Not quite ready to start scraping, maybe I'll test my skills on some spare parts/pedals i have laying around, Just didn't want to dig myself deeper on something this special.

Replaced the diodes, the 22k trimpot and all the electrolytics. Overall I think I escaped pretty clean. Not the prettiest job ever still working on centering components, but all connections solid with good continuity. I'm pretty happy with the result. The trimpot isn't an exact drop in so a little bending was needed (hence the slightly off center alignment).

FYI The amp looks a little dirty in the pics but I always clean the board with a toothbrush and alcohol. And I'm constantly vacuuming out the chasiss. I do a thorough vacuum of all the sockets/jacks as well when I'm finished.

Amp powers on and has plenty of range to bias. Didn't have a ton of time to play but its sounds great. A bit brighter than before. I put in new JJ EL34's/12AX7 all around just so I could test with known good tubes. I had NOS Sylvania EL34's in before which sounded much better, but wasn't sure how good they were, so wanted a good baseline to test functionality. Will definitely be putting the Sylvanias back.

The only issue I'm having is I'm getting a quiet hum you can hear in the speakers when amp is in standby. This was happening before I did any work. I may start another thread down the road addressing this. Oddly enough I just had a Ceriatone 2204 with the same issue so maybe this is just 2204 thing?

Regardless, the amp survived nothing exploded and I'm not going to touch another amp for a very long time (unless to crank it and play it)

 

[guitronics]

Yea I was thinking of just bending the lead over the remaining pad, soldering it, then if the lead reaches soldering to the next joint.

It’s one of the electrolytic bias caps so just want to make sure I have a good connection.

Probably a dumb question but is there any issue with having 2 two parallel connection points form the same component?

No