On Thu, Aug 25, 2016 at 1:05 PM, Rob Jarratt <robert.jarr...@ntlworld.com> wrote: > Just a bit more info on this. > > I tried cleaning up the corrosion, and that briefly seemed to make a > difference, but then I realised the problem persisted. I looked again and > realised that the corrosion around the DE-9 pins was a bit bad. Initially I > thought to solder some jumper wires around pins 2 and 3, but when the solder > would not melt very easily, I found that it kind of flaked off under a bit > of heat and physical pressure. This made me think that although I was > getting continuity with my DMM, the joint was not that good. So I desoldered > the whole DE-9 connector, cleaned the board with PCB cleaner and then > resoldered it back. > > This seems to have fixed it.
My own cab kit was also exhibiting gray solder that did not flow, so without even testing it, I presumed it was faulty and I removed the DE-9 and cleaned the PCB. That's as far as I've gotten this week. I still plan to test the resistance of the traces because, sometimes, those are consumed or heavily damaged (I've been reading a lot of Amiga Varta repair threads lately - that's another platform I'm cleaning damage on). The question I have for the MicroVAX is if I trust the integrity of the DE-9 itself. I can solder in a fresh replacement, but I _think_ the old one is probably still good. -ethan
