Richard (OldStager) Posted November 1, 2021 Share Posted November 1, 2021 hi all, i was given an old laptop over the weekend and was told if i can get it working i could have it. i am typing on it now - however... the two usb ports don't work, this isn't software related - drivers etc, but a hardware issue. basically this laptop was a childs play thing for a year or so and all the ports and stuff you need to plug into it in order to function are trashed, the reason i was given it was the broken charger socket - this i have now repaired. but the two usb ports are all bent and have missing pins , so an easy fix is next to impossible . so my question the only port that works is the sd slot, so is there some sort of adapter that will plug into the sd slot and then have a usb connector on the end of it, so i can use a normal mouse , also if i could have a working usb i can then use this laptop for programming car stuff rather than using an aged and bulky old pc. i have tried to google for such adapters but unable to find what i need, i already have a usb to sd adapter, so surely there must be a sd to usb... anyone seen or can tell me where to get one. i have no issues making my own if thats what it takes, but thought i woulod ask the experts here first. thanks. richard. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ian Kinder (Bagpuss) - Joint Peak District AO Posted November 1, 2021 Share Posted November 1, 2021 SD is a memory card format. Hence why you can buy a USB device than can read SD cards, but you won't be able to convert a SD slot into USB, sorry. Best bet will be to fit new USB sockets to the motherboard but careful soldering and the right sockets will be needed. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Richard (OldStager) Posted November 1, 2021 Author Share Posted November 1, 2021 1 minute ago, Ian Kinder (Bagpuss) - Joint Peak District AO said: SD is a memory card format. Hence why you can buy a USB device than can read SD cards, but you won't be able to convert a SD slot into USB, sorry. Best bet will be to fit new USB sockets to the motherboard but careful soldering and the right sockets will be needed. ah thanks, that may explain why i can't find one then. i have the pinouts for both and both have the same connections with the exception of the sd card having an extra data channel, i did find some project pcb's that claimed it would do what i wanted but they seemed quite bulky for what i need. I suppose this could just be a backup way to get on the internet etc, should the main pc fail. I will see how easy it will be to replace the ports, but with my eyesight being quite bad looking at small things i don't think i would be able to do it myself. thanks anyway. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ian Kinder (Bagpuss) - Joint Peak District AO Posted November 1, 2021 Share Posted November 1, 2021 Bright light and a magnifying glass! I'm in that club too! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blatman Posted November 1, 2021 Share Posted November 1, 2021 How old is old? Does it have Bluetooth? If so look for a Bluetooth mouse and any other peripherals that might fit the bill. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Richard (OldStager) Posted November 1, 2021 Author Share Posted November 1, 2021 hi, not sure exact age, sticker on it says it was designed for windows 7, although its on 10 now. it doesn't have bluetooth sadly as that was my first though as well. i'll drag out the magnifying glass this week and see how easy the ports are to replace, trouble is most modern pcbs are built and soldered by machines so are ultra small at the soldering point. i have several small irons for pcb work, not sure i have one small enough for this modern generation of them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pistonbroke Posted November 3, 2021 Share Posted November 3, 2021 Make and Model would help ! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
corsechris Posted November 3, 2021 Share Posted November 3, 2021 This is the sort of thing you ideally need for SMD work... https://www.amazon.co.uk/YORKING-Desoldering-Station-Welding-Nozzles/dp/B08BNBHHW4/ref=pd_lpo_1?pd_rd_i=B08BNBHHW4&psc=1 (Just a very cheap and probably crap example of the breed) 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Richard (OldStager) Posted November 3, 2021 Author Share Posted November 3, 2021 cheers chris, i have the old mech suck type ones, i think the issue is going to be my eyes rather than hardware, i am due an eye test very soon, this has been cancelled so many times due to covid, grrrr. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Richard (OldStager) Posted November 3, 2021 Author Share Posted November 3, 2021 17 minutes ago, pistonbroke said: Make and Model would help ! acer aspire 5332, not going to attempt the mod until i get my eyes sorted, but i have done piles of pcb work in the past - but that was 20 years ago when i could see 🤣 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ian Kinder (Bagpuss) - Joint Peak District AO Posted November 3, 2021 Share Posted November 3, 2021 51 minutes ago, OldStager said: acer aspire 5332, not going to attempt the mod until i get my eyes sorted, but i have done piles of pcb work in the past - but that was 20 years ago when i could see 🤣 https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/171804363261?epid=1160678811&hash=item28005689fd:g:WwwAAOSwNzNhA0xK Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Richard (OldStager) Posted November 3, 2021 Author Share Posted November 3, 2021 ah, thank you ian, i see from the photo there is just the 4 connections to the board. this explains why one port although looking ok doesn't work, they must be linked internally and given the other port is totally wrecked those links must be broken. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
corsechris Posted November 3, 2021 Share Posted November 3, 2021 2 hours ago, OldStager said: acer aspire 5332, not going to attempt the mod until i get my eyes sorted, but i have done piles of pcb work in the past - but that was 20 years ago when i could see 🤣 Last job I did on an SMD connector was about 6 months ago replacing the Micro USB socket on an old Kindle tablet. Thankfully I have a binocular microscope….. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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