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Recently, my baby monitor stopped charging - that is to say, when I inserted the DC power cord, I had to wiggle the plug about in the socket a bit to get in to start charging and even then it was flakey. Finally, today, no amount of wiggling would coax charging to start so I decided to take a quick look inside.

The DC power adapter jack pretty much just fell off the PCB once I'd opened the case up.

I'd like to take a stab at just reattaching (or replacing) the power jack as other than this issue, the unit works well.

I'm after some advice on how best to go about this. Is soldering directly on to the board the right approach here? My memory from DT class 20 years ago was putting each component through a hole on the PCB and then soldering on the underside. That's not an option here as the component is mounted flat on to the PCB. Google search turns up something called "solder paste" that looks like it could work. Would that be the right approach? Any advice appreciated.

PCB with power jack location highlighted

Power jack

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2 Answers 2

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I'm afraid that some of the PCB tracks have peeled off from the PCB and come away with the connector, these are the brown-coloured "tabs" that are visible on the bottom photo that are poking out from the body of the connector. It is possible to repair this, but you will have to re-establish the connections that were broken as a result of this "peeling-off" effect.

Rather than trying to re-attach a connector to the PCB, you may be better off fixing a new connector to the chassis of the baby monitor, then using some wires to connect it to the PCB. Mounting the connector in this manner, away from the PCB, will prevent the forces of cable insertion/de-insertion from damaging the PCB in future.

Good luck!

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  • \$\begingroup\$ Thanks Fabio for your reply. If I was to use wires to connect a new connector, where exactly would I be connecting them to? \$\endgroup\$
    – wimnat
    Commented May 21 at 12:39
  • \$\begingroup\$ Hello, I'm sorry, but if you need to ask that question then it's probably best if you buy a replacement that is safe to use. Be a tragedy if your attempt at repair started a fire. Cheers. \$\endgroup\$
    – Fabio Barone
    Commented May 21 at 21:39
  • \$\begingroup\$ Yes it would. I guess the same could be said for the first time you repaired a device. What was it that made you do it anyway, despite the risk? \$\endgroup\$
    – wimnat
    Commented May 23 at 6:42
  • \$\begingroup\$ The reason I did it anyway? I was under 10 years old, it was before the internet, and there was someone with me (an adult) every step of the way. :-) \$\endgroup\$
    – Fabio Barone
    Commented May 23 at 7:09
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You can solder it with normal solder, no need for solder paste.

The problem is, one of the copper pads used for charging current is torn off, and so is one that just keeps it mechanically attached without power connection.

Maybe just solder it back on, glue it to PCB, and add some wire to work around the missing PCB pad that connects to the components.

Having said that, you might consider if you really want to fix a baby monitor that has had some rough handling, or just buy a new one that's safe to use. I bet the last thing you want is a baby monitor that might short out right next to a baby. Usually baby monitors have not been chargeable due to safety, they just use standard batteries.

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