USB Flash Drive Broken

[jin4g63]

yup i broke it but not in half just the stem part the insert section so i was hoping if i could fix it maybe solder the connections back?? if possible or tranfer the chip to a another flash drive idk what to dooo my whole life is in this thing any help would be appreciated thank you.

this is how it looks

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[jin4g63]

anyone>

 

[Shadow703793]

Best chance is to re solder the connections. You should have had more than one back up of your files. Hope you won't make the same mistake again. Unless you have the EXACT SAME flash drive (including PCB rev,etc) there is virtually no chance to recover the data with out spending $2000+.

 

[jin4g63]

thanks shadow for the advise well i learned my lesson haha i guess i would have to learn how to solder, i was thinking i could buy the same exact flashdrive and do the same like this dude

http://forums.techarena.in/tips-tweaks/1033464.htm

 

[tsiberious]

Ohh that stinks, I say bust out the soldering iron as well. The third pin down looks like it had the connection on the board removed (no solder showing), so it will be more difficult. If you can't get it try tracing to where it leads and solder a jumper wire to reach the plug. Good luck!

Edit:
It looks like you can use the following point to solder to for that third pin:

Use as little heat as possible, you don't want to disconnect anything accidentally.

 

[jin4g63]

Yeah i noticed that must have fallen out when i was trying to put it back to together alright i think i could do this but how exactly should i jump that third pin? just melt some iron on to that third pin slot or jump a wire to where your pointing at with the red arrow

 

[jin4g63]

and what kind of soldering tools would this kind of job require?

 

[tsiberious]

and what kind of soldering tools would this kind of job require?

A soldering iron, solder, a piece of wire (22awg-26awg would probably work). Just keep a steady hand, and don't expect the drive to last beyond one plug in/transfer because it will be very fragile.

cautionary note: if you short the wires (eg, power to data, etc...) when you plug it in to the computer it will short the motherboard too (in my experience, an instant shutdown, but no lasting effects). Just be careful not to create a solder bridge between the connections. If you have a friend who is more comfortable soldering, and has the equipment, you might want to ask them.

 

[stutzmanryan]

I can tell from the picture that to repair this flash drive as suggested would be almost impossible. There are internal solder runs all along the PCB and several have been broken in this case. The only viable sollution (and a much easier one in this case) would be to buy another Sandisk Cruzer exactly the same as the broken one and put the old NAND memory chip on the new device. We do this almost every day with around 90% success. However, without all the right tools, such as a hot air SMD station and a microscope, I wouldn't try it at home.

www.24hourdatarecovery.com

 

[Mongox]

Ya know, I wouldn't touch that thing with a soldering iron. Get a set of alligator clips jump wires from Radio Shack - the cute colored ones. Clip one end of each to a connector on plug side, and clip the other to a tiny conductor, like a straight pin or thumbtack. Jam the pin into the conductor material on the other piece. Plug in the connector and it'll likely work.

http://www.radioshack.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2062660
Here's the babies you need:

 

[flashdrivepros]

No problem. Just find an identical drive and swap the memory chip to the new one. We do it every day at http://www.flashdrivepros.com. Just make sure the micro-controller has the same model number and the PCB has the same configuration or there very small chance it will work. We also have specialized equipment to read NAND memory chips and would be happy to help if the memory chip swap doesn't work out for you.