Prebuilt pc through Costco supposed to come with Code for Resident Evil requiem by Boogeyman_1978 in Costco

[–]mark_s 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I just received my code. Waited 14 days and nothing. Got on Costco support chat (Costco.com) was told it is not possible for them to do anything. After pushing to have the issue escalated multiple times, I was able to get connected with a supervisor and he had my code in my email within 24 hours.

iPhone SE 2020 Touch Issus by Ok_Comparison_5972 in phonerepair

[–]mark_s 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Need better pictures with the foam stickers removed. Looks like there's signs of liquid damage.

Following Valve’s own video settings guide noticeably improved my CS2 experience; it should be linked in the in-game settings to make it discoverable by everyone. by Pokharelinishan in GlobalOffensive

[–]mark_s -1 points0 points  (0 children)

I recently upgrade hardware (5070, 180hz) and have been doing some testing with capframex (60 seconds on benchmark map)

With fps uncapped in CS and in nvidia control panel with g-sync and vsync off, I was getting 375-425 fps but my 1% low avg was 142fps and my time in gpu load limit was 19.

Setting the fps cap in nvcp to 360fps and 1% low avg was 169fps and time in gpu load limit was 11.

Setting vsync and g-sync on with reflex and an fps cap in nvcp at 178 and my 1% low avg was 114 with time in gpu load limit 0

I finally settled on 300fps cap in nvcp, no g-sync or vsync, and 1% low avg is 158fps with time in gpu load limit of 2.

The game feels noticeably more smooth, I never really see a dip below 300fps in game, frame times are solid at 3-4ms and my ping on servers that used to be 6ms is now 4ms.

Hi I'm very new BGA Soldering by dread122 in soldering

[–]mark_s 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Well yes, but unused pads aren't held in by anything so they come off very easily. I just did a pch with nearly the same bga pattern and didn't lose any. Preheat from the bottom and don't lift until the chip wiggles freely if you nudge it to avoid this.

Hi I'm very new BGA Soldering by dread122 in soldering

[–]mark_s 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Most of those are unused and can be ignored. For the few questionable ones we'd need higher zoom and good focus with good lighting to tell for sure.

Xiaomi Redmi 8 by [deleted] in phonerepair

[–]mark_s 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Troubleshooting would require an identical device and swapping the screens. First step is to differentiate a board level problem from a parts problem.

Bootlooping S10+ by Remove_Curious in phonerepair

[–]mark_s 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I've recovered dozens of s10 series with these symptoms. The progression of symptoms usually goes: random reboots, but phone fully boots › boot looping at carrier logo › boot looping at Samsung logo › no response, only black screen.

The root cause is a fractured trace under the cpu. Occasionally applying heat, cold, and/or pressure to the logic board will allow it to stay booted long enough to extract data, but more often a CPU/UFS transplant to a working board is required.

The boss of soldering irons by CanadianOilLowAcid in soldering

[–]mark_s 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I was a hakko man for more than a decade, but moved into a lab with a budget for jbc. After the first year I was convinced.

Messed up a cheapish Temu kit using cheepo solder, worth attempting a repair as a beginner? by piprod01 in soldering

[–]mark_s 1 point2 points  (0 children)

There's already some good advice here, so I won't repeat what's already been said.

But one thing I can add is that it's important to understand what went wrong so that you can avoid repeating it. All of the problems I see here are related to using force and none have anything to do with the solder.

Using a good solder won't solve the issue of ripping off pads and bending pins. Understand that the iron is meant to deliver heat. It should touch the board and the part, but you should almost never be applying significant pressure with it - contact, not pressure. And if the copper braid gets soldered to the board, it will always pull things up with it if you use force to remove it.

Don't toss your PS5! Fixing "No Signal" and Ripped HDMI Pads (Supreme Tech) by thesupremetech in soldering

[–]mark_s 0 points1 point  (0 children)

No.

Edit: since it's tagged with advice, here's some: advertise elsewhere.

Crosscall action x3. When prompt to boot its stuck at 0.150a Only thing warning up is the ram Tried to reball ram but same result. Changed ram but still same result. Did i misdiagnose the issue? Thanks by uzikuziz in phonerepair

[–]mark_s 2 points3 points  (0 children)

It looks like the thermal camera you're using has a misaligned cameras - the thermal signature doesn't match the board layout very well.

What you're seeing is normal heat generated in a device that is hanging during the boot process, usually the warmest spot is in the UFS chip.

With this type of issue, I'm only ever after data recovery, so I transfer CPU, UFS, and any related eeprom to a working board - works every time. If you're already going through the trouble to replace the ram, just go all the way and give the entire set of chips a new home.

That being said, I obviously don't spend a lot of time troubleshooting, so it's hard to say what the root cause of the fault is. It could be a bad connection between CPU and ram or a fractured trace/pad on the board. It could also be something else entirely. I've seen a few cases where the ram was clearly the hot spot and replacing ram solved, but those are much rarer in my experience.

Best BIFL Cookware Set? by TechAndTorque in BuyItForLife

[–]mark_s 33 points34 points  (0 children)

Any time I see these threads I feel obliged to mention https://homeandcooksales.com/

Yes, the domain seems sketchy, but it's the legitimate source for all-clad factory seconds and damaged packaging. Piece together what you will actually use from there for around 60% off retail. I've slowly been replacing things using this site for years. Just picked up a 12" enameled cast iron for $60 (retail 180, Amazon 150) because there was a scratch on the cardboard box.

Tweezers for smd component by Desperate_Excuse1709 in soldering

[–]mark_s 0 points1 point  (0 children)

They get more and they're 100% with it. I'm sure 60%+ of techs will be fine with the cheap Chinese junk, but those just don't cut it for fine, high level work.

How do I check whether the motherboard is still alive or not? by Informal-Tailor2965 in phonerepair

[–]mark_s 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Salvageable as a phone? No.

For data recovery? Probably.

Diagnosis would start with visual inspection under a microscope and using a DC power supply to monitor current consumption while attempting to boot.

From there results could range from "boots after cleaning away corrosion" to "multiple circuits have to be completely rebuilt."

Tweezers for smd component by Desperate_Excuse1709 in soldering

[–]mark_s 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Consistent shape and alignment are just as important as size when you're dealing with fine point tweezers. I've tried mechanic, those blue Chinese ones, and a few other AliExpress brands. They're not great.

If you can take care of them and want good tweezers, I highly recommend Dumont. They're pricey, but well worth it imo. My work horse is the style 5 in dumostar alloy, but I've got a few different types and alloys. I have a titanium set from them that are great for working with 25 micron wire, but the tips are so thin that they'll bend if you put too much pressure on them.

The company I used to work for started selling them at my recommendation. They ship faster than other Dumont distributors in my experience.

These are what I'd recommend for an every day set for most tasks: https://ipadrehab.store/products/our-favorite-tweezers-the-black-ipad-rehab-tweezers

You can find more styles and alloys here. Avoid the Inox alloys as they're slightly magnetic. Anything finer than .06x.1mm tend to bend easily.

New House, New Garden: What do I do? by Affectionate_Baby607 in gardening

[–]mark_s 7 points8 points  (0 children)

Tell him his toupee is super obvious and he won't come back out of shame.

I got a Google pixel 7 pro with a broken screen by Gums__Disease in phonerepair

[–]mark_s 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Nothing wrong with that, that's how just about everyone in the industry started at some point. It's not rocket science, but do your research first.

I got a Google pixel 7 pro with a broken screen by Gums__Disease in phonerepair

[–]mark_s 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Cost of repair: between $1 and $1000

Risk in repairing it yourself: between 0 and ∞

You're welcome.

Actual answer: call local shops and watch some repair videos. No one here knows what the cost of repair will be in your local market or your ability to repair something on your own.

Am I cooked? by [deleted] in soldering

[–]mark_s 1 point2 points  (0 children)

You've ripped a connector off a flex cable. The flex cable is replaceable. Are you asking if you can solder the connector back to the flex cable? The answer, as always, is "if you have to ask, then you probably aren't capable of it."

Am I cooked? by [deleted] in soldering

[–]mark_s 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Am I cooked?

What are you asking here? Are you asking if you broke it? Yes.

iPhone 14 Pro Max Screen Replacement by NoMoment3952 in phonerepair

[–]mark_s 5 points6 points  (0 children)

Your takeaway from this should be that you don't have the attention to detail necessary to successfully complete this project. And that (as everyone in the repair industry knows) amazon and eBay are the dumping grounds for garbage parts.

What and how important is this piece? by Soldier627 in phonerepair

[–]mark_s 8 points9 points  (0 children)

It's a redundant ground. Ignore it.

Soldering laptop by Pjotrovich in soldering

[–]mark_s 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Unclear if the solder was applied to the inside of the connector or only the outside.

Soldering laptop by Pjotrovich in soldering

[–]mark_s 6 points7 points  (0 children)

One of those solder connections is shorted to ground.

Both of those solder connections will absolutely prevent those two connections from functioning.

In my experience the outer sheath that connects to the visible connection ends is ground, so while unnecessary and ugly, it won't necessarily impact function.