killed the t-amp adding solder slug

philibuster · 13th March 2006, 06:42 AM

I had two new revision boards that didn't have the solder slug under the chip, and they kept overheating. Being the tinkerer, I decided that adding a solder slug to it would improve the thermal resistance to the atmosphere. I suppose I got a little overzealous with the soldering, and when I fired them up again, they didn't fire up. No sound. No power draw.

Did I just fry the chip? What should I do next time, instead of just throwing a bunch of solder at it and hoping it works? I'm thinking instead that I'll probably use a heatsink instead. Thoughts?

audio1st · 13th March 2006, 09:04 AM

Did the same thing to one of mine

, seems to be the easiest way to kill them..
I use the stick-on heat-sinks now and won't ever try the slugs again..

motherone · 13th March 2006, 10:19 AM

Hm.. I only tried this once and had no problem doing it. I didn't try to over-do the solder, though.. Just made sure there was plenty of contact between the bottom of the chip and the board.

morci · 13th March 2006, 04:01 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by motherone
Hm.. I only tried this once and had no problem doing it. I didn't try to over-do the solder, though.. Just made sure there was plenty of contact between the bottom of the chip and the board.

Maybe the thermal grase used for CPUs is the safest solution.

Ciao,
Davide.

DcibeL · 13th March 2006, 04:46 PM

It is important when adding a large amount of solder to one place like this solder lug to work quickly and use a hot iron. If the iron is not hot enough you will be holding it on the board for a long time in order to heat it enough to melt solder, so the heat has a greater time to conduct itself along the board and damage components.

I turn the iron to about 750 degree F, then only hold it on the board just long enough to allow the solder to flow. That is, solder in "pulses" rather then heating the board and drag the iron along like your welding. By doing this, the heat will not conduct itself very far throughout the board and has a less chance of damaging components.

If you are still afraid of damaging components when soldering, you can attach a heatsink of some sort to the component while soldering.

Philbuster, when I was troubleshooting a problem with my T-amp, it was pointed out to me that a good way to check if the Tripath IC is working is to check if the 5V level is present. This voltage is present at pins 1, 4, and 9. If you look at the tracks from these pins, you will see that they meet up to the side of C5 facing the IC where it will be easiest to measure from. If 5V is present here, the IC is working (or at least the part that creates the 5v level is working

).

philibuster · 13th March 2006, 04:56 PM

yeah, if I do that again, I'll just plunge it in water when I'm through soldering.

DcibeL · 13th March 2006, 08:02 PM

Did you check for the 5V level? Just to make sure that the amp is toast before you throw it in the junk.

philibuster · 13th March 2006, 08:43 PM

I've not had time to check the 5V. How would I revive it if it does have the 5V? It's not over-temperature or anything, because it doesn't start up when it's been off for a long while, and it's cool to the touch.

It doesn't even have DC-offset on it. I'm not entirely sure, but I don't think this one's coming back. Too bad... Next time I'll just use a heat sink. Seems like the chips don't like to have the solder-slug hand-soldered. Live and learn, I suppose.

13th March 2006, 06:42 AM	#1
philibuster diyAudio Member Join Date: Oct 2005	killed the t-amp adding solder slug I had two new revision boards that didn't have the solder slug under the chip, and they kept overheating. Being the tinkerer, I decided that adding a solder slug to it would improve the thermal resistance to the atmosphere. I suppose I got a little overzealous with the soldering, and when I fired them up again, they didn't fire up. No sound. No power draw. Did I just fry the chip? What should I do next time, instead of just throwing a bunch of solder at it and hoping it works? I'm thinking instead that I'll probably use a heatsink instead. Thoughts?

13th March 2006, 04:46 PM	#5
DcibeL diyAudio Member Join Date: May 2003 Location: Saskatchewan	It is important when adding a large amount of solder to one place like this solder lug to work quickly and use a hot iron. If the iron is not hot enough you will be holding it on the board for a long time in order to heat it enough to melt solder, so the heat has a greater time to conduct itself along the board and damage components. I turn the iron to about 750 degree F, then only hold it on the board just long enough to allow the solder to flow. That is, solder in "pulses" rather then heating the board and drag the iron along like your welding. By doing this, the heat will not conduct itself very far throughout the board and has a less chance of damaging components. If you are still afraid of damaging components when soldering, you can attach a heatsink of some sort to the component while soldering. Philbuster, when I was troubleshooting a problem with my T-amp, it was pointed out to me that a good way to check if the Tripath IC is working is to check if the 5V level is present. This voltage is present at pins 1, 4, and 9. If you look at the tracks from these pins, you will see that they meet up to the side of C5 facing the IC where it will be easiest to measure from. If 5V is present here, the IC is working (or at least the part that creates the 5v level is working ). __________________ The power of Science compels you!

13th March 2006, 08:02 PM	#7
DcibeL diyAudio Member Join Date: May 2003 Location: Saskatchewan	Did you check for the 5V level? Just to make sure that the amp is toast before you throw it in the junk. __________________ The power of Science compels you!

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13th March 2006, 09:04 AM	#2
audio1st diyAudio Member Join Date: May 2005 Location: Foxton, CAMBS..	Did the same thing to one of mine , seems to be the easiest way to kill them.. I use the stick-on heat-sinks now and won't ever try the slugs again..

13th March 2006, 10:19 AM	#3
motherone diyAudio Member Join Date: Apr 2003 Location: Seattle	Hm.. I only tried this once and had no problem doing it. I didn't try to over-do the solder, though.. Just made sure there was plenty of contact between the bottom of the chip and the board.

13th March 2006, 04:56 PM	#6
philibuster diyAudio Member Join Date: Oct 2005	yeah, if I do that again, I'll just plunge it in water when I'm through soldering.

13th March 2006, 08:43 PM	#8
philibuster diyAudio Member Join Date: Oct 2005	I've not had time to check the 5V. How would I revive it if it does have the 5V? It's not over-temperature or anything, because it doesn't start up when it's been off for a long while, and it's cool to the touch. It doesn't even have DC-offset on it. I'm not entirely sure, but I don't think this one's coming back. Too bad... Next time I'll just use a heat sink. Seems like the chips don't like to have the solder-slug hand-soldered. Live and learn, I suppose.

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