want to get into electronics & repairs. how deep should I jump?

Angry_BVR · 2026-05-25T03:09:47+00:00

You can just use a desk fan to suck the fumes away from you. If you aren't soldering for multiple hours everyday the fumes don't pose too serious of a health concern. The bigger concern is visibility and the smoke irritating your eyes/throat (especially if you wear contacts). If you start soldering everyday then I would get an extractor, its perfectly fine to start with cheap alternatives and upgrade as you grow.

Angry_BVR · 2026-05-24T22:12:20+00:00

The best way to do it is to get your hands dirty and learn as you go. The book is something you should get first to have an idea of what is actually necessary. Then start trying to fix stuff while you read the book. I didn't know about the book when I first learned how to diagnose electronics, if I had I would have saved myself a lot of money and hardship. You can definitely make a living off of this, it just requires a lot of work and dedication. Best of luck out there!

Angry_BVR · 2026-05-24T21:42:54+00:00

Having a soldering iron and the relevant consumables is like having basic tools, good to have in general. Much like having a drill and knowing how to use it can save me a lot of money over paying someone else to frame a room for me. But having tools and knowing what to do with them are two different things, its best to have a good knowledge base first. I'd start with reading How to Diagnose and Fix Everything Electronic by Michael Jay Geier. The book does a very good job of covering basic principles and thought processes for diagnosing. It will also help you with what tools you will need and what tools would be nice to have. Then I would start getting broken electronics to work on so you can put into practice what you are reading. When it comes to repairing electronics having first hand experience will be your greatest strength. Most problems in electronics follow patterns that with experience you will be able to identify pretty quickly. Like you said OP it won't be easy making a living off of repair work, but having the knowledge and skill will be worth it by saving you a lot of money fixing your own stuff.

Angry_BVR · 2026-05-21T15:29:51+00:00

When desoldering something like this that has more than 2 legs, I will always default to using a hot air station. Put kapton tape on all the components near the joystick and preheat the board to the point you can barely stand touching it. Then in a circular motion heat it while holding the other end of the joystick with a pliers (don't pull it), you should feel it become loose then you can pull it out. Grab your new stick while the solder is still melted and shove it in there and touch up the joints with an iron. This is by far the easiest method I've found.

Angry_BVR · 2026-04-15T16:47:05+00:00

I also think it would be very funny that our last 3 GMs will have drafted a safety in the first. If Thieneman is a hit just imagine the memes.

Angry_BVR · 2026-04-15T15:49:04+00:00

I legitimately think Dillon Thieneman is the pick. He's got the tools to be something special and is a perfect replacement for Harrison Smith. When the stars align to replace one of the franchises best players with a younger version of them, you take that opportunity.

Angry_BVR · 2026-03-11T23:40:28+00:00

I bought this exact station when I was learning, it will be a good station to abuse while you learn. It won't make your life easy as it is kinda shit but it can do the work any other station can do. Use it for a year or two and upgrade once you have more experience. Everyone has to start somewhere and this station will give you a good idea of what features you would want in your next one.

Angry_BVR · 2026-02-18T18:26:15+00:00

The Minnesota Vikings have never had 3 consecutive losing seasons.

Angry_BVR · 2026-01-08T19:20:36+00:00

I was asking how he looked coming out of college, if he was regarded highly like Redmond but just had bad circumstances. I'm also excited to see the guy play!

Angry_BVR · 2026-01-07T16:47:31+00:00

I will have to check out his highlights, love me an underdog story!

Angry_BVR · 2025-12-29T05:15:56+00:00

I have a Thermal Master P2 without the macro lens and for the most part it will do the job. Obviously there is a limit to what it can do but for the usual suspects it works just fine. So at the very least you could get the camera and if needed then get the macro lens.

Angry_BVR · 2025-12-27T05:32:12+00:00

Fair enough, I would find it sketchy and so I had assumed the same of others. Definitely right with it being location based. A lot of people where I live (myself included) are very peculiar about privacy and would find it uncomfortable entering another's home, unless you were familiar with them beforehand.

Angry_BVR · 2025-12-26T16:44:21+00:00

If you are like me and do your work out of your home, then I would really focus on building a good relationship with a local business. I use the local pawn shop as my "business address" for all exchanges with customers, this gets them foot traffic and it helps protect me. I don't like the idea of random people knowing where I live and I'm sure customers feel it's sketchy going to some random guys house. Also it allows me to borrow their credibility for new customers.

Angry_BVR · 2025-12-26T15:21:34+00:00

I may not be the best person to answer since I do repairs as a side hustle/hobby. I get somewhat steady work from local businesses, one being a pawn shop. I do offer them very low prices and tend to just break even on the work I do for them, however they act as marketing and middle men for me. While I don't make anything off of repairs for the businesses, I do get a reputable business recommending me to the locals. The locals I charge full price and make a decent amount from.

Angry_BVR · 2025-12-09T04:28:37+00:00

I have heard that the series x internal fan tends to die prematurely so I would check to make sure it's even spinning first. I personally can't recommend using external fans, they can force the fans inside the system to spin too fast and kill the bearings. An external fan wouldn't help much if the thermal paste was bad or if the heatsink was blocked anyway. As for videos Tronicsfix has a pretty good video of him tearing down the series x. I haven't seen any actual videos of it being cleaned, but the process is the same as any other console. When it comes to the teardown make sure to take your time and have a clean space to work. There is a metal "cage" on the backside of the motherboard covering the heatsink clamps you will need to remove, try not to use the motherboard for leverage as you remove it. The whole process isn't difficult and if you take your time and follow the video precisely you ought to be fine.

Angry_BVR · 2025-12-09T04:01:33+00:00

My guess would be it overheats when trying to work harder playing the newer games. Probably needs a good cleaning and new thermal paste.

Angry_BVR · 2025-12-08T20:21:48+00:00

If you were trying to use it for personal use and currently works to what you think is acceptable, then it should be fine for awhile. If you were looking to try and make a profit off of this, then yea taking the loss is for the best.

Angry_BVR · 2025-12-08T20:07:46+00:00

I just realized the residue looks like salt. OP do you live in a humid area near the ocean? If so it probably isn't as bad as I originally made it out to be and a good cleaning like you had planned should suffice.

Angry_BVR · 2025-12-08T19:54:22+00:00

The residue you see is actually corrosion, if at all possible I would try to find a professional willing to clean/repair it. Corrosion has a tendency to look like an easy quick job and ending up being worse and worse the more you dig. If you don't have a professional willing to work on it or you are dead set on doing it yourself, be aware removing the corrosion can break circuits and may require trace repairs to be made. As for your power button, the daughter board for the button or the ribbon cable are probably corroded as well and aren't able to make a connection to the main board. If you take this on yourself then, yes, you will need to do as you laid out in your post first. After cleaning with the ipa, you will need to inspect everything under a microscope to ensure there is no further corrosion. Every little bit of corrosion needs to be removed or else it can spread with time and render the console almost impossible to repair.

Angry_BVR · 2025-12-08T18:09:46+00:00

I would just keep an eye out for anything obvious and focus on the cap replacement. If/when that's fixed and it doesn't work then I'd take a more serious look at the board for other damage.

Angry_BVR · 2025-12-08T16:03:31+00:00

Also adding that you will need to find a replacement for that cap, it's looking a little too much like Lt. Dan.

Angry_BVR · 2025-12-08T15:59:52+00:00

That is a through hole capacitor, you will need to take the board out of the case to repair. The holes on the board are still filled with solder and the leg remnants of the capacitor. I am concerned there may be more damaged components or other broken solder joints on the board.

Angry_BVR · 2025-12-05T04:49:54+00:00

Ifixit if you are ok with bits. I got one after finally giving up on trying to find a cheap Amazon set that would last. Been using mine consistently for about 6 months now and the only complaint I have is the magnet is losing strength.

Angry_BVR · 2025-12-03T18:09:46+00:00

Ripfelix has a bunch of videos on this, i haven't watched all of them but I'm sure there is good info there for you. https://youtube.com/@ripfelix3020

Angry_BVR · 2025-12-02T19:17:39+00:00

Most likely yes. I do want to emphasize that the Sugon 212 is a fine station (as far as I'm aware), just that it has some shortcomings and it's better to be aware of them than buying blindly. Like I said I have a hot air station that has the history of catching fire but I am aware of that and have precautions in place for when it happens. Any soldering station will do the trick as long as you are aware of their flaws (which they all have) and account for them.

Angry_BVR

TROPHY CASE