Securifi Almond 3 Repair (SMD capacitor)
I have a Securifi Almond 3 Wi-Fi unit (802.11 ac)
which are very nice as they can also display the weather but can have a tendency to lock up in hot weather and need a reboot; one associated symptom was that if one rebooted while still hot the reboot would not start for several minutes, while for a cold reboot it began immediately.
This problem was seen by many owners and was unfortunately beyond my own ability to diagnose, but fortunately Securifi took sympathy on me and gave me the solution, a bad surface mount capacitor (0805, X5R, 10μF, 6.3V)
The problem is that the capacitor is just 2 mm long and so quite challenging to replace; found a practice kit for those who might want to do the repair themselves, although I tried without. The 0805 size means .08″ x .05″ (2012 metric: 2mm x 1.2mm) and there are even smaller capacitors to either side, so one must work with care.
I used a low temperature solder alloy (based on bismuth) to help with removal, copper braid with lots of flux (Kester 186) to clean up the pads and leaded solder for the new component to keep installation temperatures down; then a cleanup with isopropyl alcohol to make it look clean as if no work had been done at all. It helps to have a small magnifying glass to check the work.
It has been 2 years now and the unit shows no more issues and once fixed the hot reboot starts right away.
This article was written by Anwar (Andy) Shiekh originally from London, England; he repairs things to help make an income go further and presently teaches Physics in Colorado, U.S.A.
Please give a support by clicking on the social buttons below. Your feedback on the post is welcome. Please leave it in the comments.
P.S-If you enjoyed reading this, click here to subscribe to my blog (free subscription). That way, you’ll never miss a post. You can also forward this website link to your friends and colleagues-thanks!
Note: You can check his previous repair article in the link below: https://jestineyong.com/microwave-repair-failed-interlock-switch/
(55)Dislikes
(0)
9 Comments
Leave a Reply
Waleed Rishmawi
March 20, 2021 at 2:06 pm
Thank for sharing. I never seen such devices before. Have a blessed day
Albert van Bemmelen
March 20, 2021 at 2:49 pm
Thanks Anwar! Using a low temperature solder alloy (based on bismuth) to help with removal and copper braid with lots of flux (Kester 186) to clean up the pads and leaded solder are good solder tips! Maybe you also can provide a weblink to a seller who sells these products, or a link to the exact same solder or flux type you used? Because I'm thinking of making a DIY SMD pcb solder reflow oven and any info on solder and flux may become very useful.
Stephen Harris
March 23, 2021 at 3:09 am
Chip quick low melt solder is great for SMD repair
Yogesh Panchal
March 20, 2021 at 3:46 pm
Sturdiness while soldering on Micro PCB is must. so more & more Practice of soldering is must.
Parasuraman S
March 20, 2021 at 9:25 pm
Wonderful fix, which a normal technician would never even imagine, could be a cause! It was nice that you could get help! Many thanks for sharing!
Anwar Y Shiekh
March 20, 2021 at 10:48 pm
I remain indebted to Securifi for the help
ChipQuik (http://chipquik.com/store/) is a good place to get low melting point alloy.
Joe Cook
March 23, 2021 at 12:28 am
ChipQuick is excellent product. I began using it after experienced technicians informed me it was their favorite.
Stephen Harris
March 23, 2021 at 3:04 am
Very good repair you can learn more about SMD repair from northridgefix videos posted on YouTube at his electronic repair shop chip quick low melt solder is good for SMD repair
Anwar Y Shiekh
April 14, 2021 at 10:09 am
Yes, http://northridgefix.com/about-us/ gave an estimate of $50 for this fix.