The Barbie broke one of our softbox studio lights when she tripped over it during a live stream. It seemed like a simple-enough repair, and with a little old-fashioned grit (and the proper tools), I was able to get it working like new again!
Parts and Tools (affiliate links):
Helping hands: http://amzn.to/2vkDUyY
Soldering iron/station: http://amzn.to/2vkzqbH
Lead-free solder: http://amzn.to/2fuuawR
Wire stripper: http://amzn.to/2wBdevj
“Warranty Voider” kit: http://amzn.to/2xEMAPg
Tweezer set: http://amzn.to/2wBzfu9
Softbox light kit: http://amzn.to/2vjzGta
–Support AirborneSurfer by buying a coffee (or other beverage) using this PayPal link! https://goo.gl/bvyrrg
–You can also support this channel by using my Amazon affiliate link before you shop! http://amzn.to/2vQb2xt
Music: “8-Bit Voyager” by Anders Enger Jensen https://goo.gl/xwsLQe
–Production videos Mon @ 12pm Pacific (when available)
–Freeway Forum LIVE Thu @ 5pm Pacific (every week)
–Be sure to subscribe! https://goo.gl/j3ATwZ
–Follow on Twitter https://goo.gl/vfstFm
–Everything else is at http://airbornesurfer.com
Tech teardowns, repairs, and reviews; sketches; how-to; games; and lots of other interesting geekery. There’s something new every week! Thanks for watching, and be sure to like, share, and subscribe!
TRANSCRIPT:
1
00:00:00,030 –> 00:00:10,679
and the Lindsay component wait 45 let me
2
00:00:03,360 –> 00:00:15,139
check my price sorry during one of her
3
00:00:10,679 –> 00:00:18,000
recent Facebook live broadcasts Barbie
4
00:00:15,139 –> 00:00:20,430
accidentally broke one of our Studios
5
00:00:18,000 –> 00:00:22,619
softbox lights and these things aren’t
6
00:00:20,430 –> 00:00:24,330
cheap so I guess I’m just gonna have to
7
00:00:22,619 –> 00:00:27,060
crack it open and see what the problem
8
00:00:24,330 –> 00:00:28,849
is and see if I can repair it wish me
9
00:00:27,060 –> 00:00:32,070
luck
10
00:00:28,849 –> 00:00:33,930
the first thing to do really is to give
11
00:00:32,070 –> 00:00:36,059
the light a quick visual inspection to
12
00:00:33,930 –> 00:00:37,250
see if anything is obviously wrong with
13
00:00:36,059 –> 00:00:40,230
it
14
00:00:37,250 –> 00:00:42,120
well this severed wire might just be the
15
00:00:40,230 –> 00:00:43,980
culprit looks like it got ripped out of
16
00:00:42,120 –> 00:00:45,329
the switch box in the crash so we’ll
17
00:00:43,980 –> 00:00:46,170
just have to open her up and see if
18
00:00:45,329 –> 00:00:48,840
there’s any more damage
19
00:00:46,170 –> 00:00:51,239
I’ll use my handy dandy warranty voyeurs
20
00:00:48,840 –> 00:00:53,489
to gently but firmly pry the switch box
21
00:00:51,239 –> 00:00:55,590
open these are a great tool for working
22
00:00:53,489 –> 00:00:57,719
on electronics and I highly recommend
23
00:00:55,590 –> 00:01:00,829
having a pair in your toolbox I’ll put a
24
00:00:57,719 –> 00:01:00,829
link to them in the doobly-doo
25
00:01:01,460 –> 00:01:05,129
just keep working on the two halves of
26
00:01:03,660 –> 00:01:08,939
the switch box until they come apart
27
00:01:05,129 –> 00:01:11,010
exposing the switch mechanism it looks
28
00:01:08,939 –> 00:01:13,049
like both wire leads became disconnected
29
00:01:11,010 –> 00:01:15,600
from the switch terminals so we’ll just
30
00:01:13,049 –> 00:01:17,759
have to fix both sides let’s peel a
31
00:01:15,600 –> 00:01:19,979
little extra wire back from each of the
32
00:01:17,759 –> 00:01:22,170
switch lead so we have some more wire to
33
00:01:19,979 –> 00:01:25,740
work with it clean up the exposed wire a
34
00:01:22,170 –> 00:01:27,810
little bit I’ll use my strippers to cut
35
00:01:25,740 –> 00:01:31,680
off a little more insulation so I’ve got
36
00:01:27,810 –> 00:01:33,329
plenty of wire to work then just go
37
00:01:31,680 –> 00:01:37,770
ahead and twist the strands to make it
38
00:01:33,329 –> 00:01:39,479
nice and clean before we go any further
39
00:01:37,770 –> 00:01:40,890
I’ll just test everything to make sure
40
00:01:39,479 –> 00:01:43,920
it’ll still fit inside the switch
41
00:01:40,890 –> 00:01:46,409
housing looks good now to reattach the
42
00:01:43,920 –> 00:01:47,939
leads the switch leads were originally
43
00:01:46,409 –> 00:01:50,430
crimped on this thing when it was
44
00:01:47,939 –> 00:01:52,649
assembled so I’m gonna quickly see if I
45
00:01:50,430 –> 00:01:52,950
can pry the terminals open it’s worth a
46
00:01:52,649 –> 00:01:55,470
shot
47
00:01:52,950 –> 00:01:57,570
even if it’s a long you’re gonna use one
48
00:01:55,470 –> 00:01:59,369
of my piccolo flathead screwdrivers to
49
00:01:57,570 –> 00:02:04,380
attempt to pry the crimp terminal back
50
00:01:59,369 –> 00:02:06,360
open alas it is of no use I guess I’ll
51
00:02:04,380 –> 00:02:08,879
just have to go on to Plan B then it’s
52
00:02:06,360 –> 00:02:11,580
not an elegant solution to be sure but
53
00:02:08,879 –> 00:02:12,819
for this situation I’m just gonna have
54
00:02:11,580 –> 00:02:15,219
to solder the leads
55
00:02:12,819 –> 00:02:17,349
the terminals directly I don’t like the
56
00:02:15,219 –> 00:02:19,239
idea of doing this mostly because the
57
00:02:17,349 –> 00:02:22,120
solder doesn’t readily bond to the steel
58
00:02:19,239 –> 00:02:23,379
switch terminal so I don’t think it’s
59
00:02:22,120 –> 00:02:26,709
gonna hold too strongly
60
00:02:23,379 –> 00:02:28,719
I can reinforce that later though the
61
00:02:26,709 –> 00:02:30,639
most difficult part of this solder job
62
00:02:28,719 –> 00:02:33,310
is actually getting it to stick to the
63
00:02:30,639 –> 00:02:34,959
switch turn the solder I’m using prefers
64
00:02:33,310 –> 00:02:36,909
to attach itself to the hot tip of the
65
00:02:34,959 –> 00:02:38,409
iron because the switch assembly acts
66
00:02:36,909 –> 00:02:41,680
like a heat sink it just makes the
67
00:02:38,409 –> 00:02:43,780
terminal to cool well eventually I got a
68
00:02:41,680 –> 00:02:46,060
generous blob of solder to bond and
69
00:02:43,780 –> 00:02:47,859
freeze on each terminal so now I can
70
00:02:46,060 –> 00:02:50,919
tend the tips of each lead wire and
71
00:02:47,859 –> 00:02:52,900
solder them onto the terminals the first
72
00:02:50,919 –> 00:02:54,669
lead who is pretty easy but because of
73
00:02:52,900 –> 00:02:55,120
the tight tolerances inside the switch
74
00:02:54,669 –> 00:02:57,010
box
75
00:02:55,120 –> 00:02:59,829
I needed to hold the second wire down
76
00:02:57,010 –> 00:03:02,109
pretty close to the solder joint instead
77
00:02:59,829 –> 00:03:05,290
of potentially exposing my fingertips to
78
00:03:02,109 –> 00:03:06,909
a 750 degree soldering iron I opted to
79
00:03:05,290 –> 00:03:07,510
hold this lead down with a pair of
80
00:03:06,909 –> 00:03:09,639
tweezers
81
00:03:07,510 –> 00:03:11,560
again I’ll put links to all the tools
82
00:03:09,639 –> 00:03:13,719
I’m using in the doobly-doo just in case
83
00:03:11,560 –> 00:03:15,579
you need something with both leads
84
00:03:13,719 –> 00:03:17,349
soldered back onto their terminals I’ll
85
00:03:15,579 –> 00:03:19,900
just run a quick continuity check with
86
00:03:17,349 –> 00:03:22,060
multimeter make sure you do this check
87
00:03:19,900 –> 00:03:24,250
with the switch closed and the test
88
00:03:22,060 –> 00:03:25,750
probes contacting the copper wire to
89
00:03:24,250 –> 00:03:29,560
make sure that your solder joints are
90
00:03:25,750 –> 00:03:31,689
conducting appropriately everything
91
00:03:29,560 –> 00:03:33,280
checks out so far so I just need to
92
00:03:31,689 –> 00:03:34,840
stuff the returned wire back into the
93
00:03:33,280 –> 00:03:37,259
switch housing and press the two halves
94
00:03:34,840 –> 00:03:37,259
back together
95
00:03:38,060 –> 00:03:42,020
before I finish though I’m going to
96
00:03:40,459 –> 00:03:44,660
reinforce these solder joints with a
97
00:03:42,020 –> 00:03:46,970
liberal application of hot snot
98
00:03:44,660 –> 00:03:48,500
I generally hate when manufacturers do
99
00:03:46,970 –> 00:03:51,050
this because it makes things harder to
100
00:03:48,500 –> 00:03:54,140
work on but I just don’t trust the
101
00:03:51,050 –> 00:03:56,209
solder to you the job on its own with
102
00:03:54,140 –> 00:03:57,830
the hot glue cooled and solidified and
103
00:03:56,209 –> 00:04:00,020
just press the two halves the switch box
104
00:03:57,830 –> 00:04:01,870
back together plug her in and give her a
105
00:04:00,020 –> 00:04:08,420
quick function check
106
00:04:01,870 –> 00:04:10,280
ESCO so repairing this light turned out
107
00:04:08,420 –> 00:04:12,860
to be a lot easier than I expected so
108
00:04:10,280 –> 00:04:16,579
that’s great now I have two studio
109
00:04:12,860 –> 00:04:18,739
lights to work with again yay now if you
110
00:04:16,579 –> 00:04:20,600
like to see more how to’s repairs and
111
00:04:18,739 –> 00:04:21,980
teardown videos like this one go ahead
112
00:04:20,600 –> 00:04:22,700
and click that subscribe button down
113
00:04:21,980 –> 00:04:23,870
below
114
00:04:22,700 –> 00:04:26,030
and don’t forget to hit the bell
115
00:04:23,870 –> 00:04:26,930
notification icon and let me know down
116
00:04:26,030 –> 00:04:28,520
in the dooblydoo
117
00:04:26,930 –> 00:04:30,410
what you would like to see me repair
118
00:04:28,520 –> 00:04:33,490
next time until then
119
00:04:30,410 –> 00:04:33,490
Tallyho y’all
💬
Matthew Eargle
