Chosen Solution
Hi! Got a fairly unused desktop lamp from my father which, according to him, only needed a new AC-adapter. Went and got a new one this morning but when i plugged it in it still didn’t work. Noticed som odd stains on top of the lamp, looked like it came from toothpaste, which had run down and in where the on and off switch is located. Decided to open it up to see if that was the reason for the problem. It turned out that the stain had run inside and on to the circuit board frying on of the components. My question is if this is repairable, i guess it’s always is, but is it worth it? And is this fairly easy to do on my own? I’ve got some soldering skills from before, even if it’s been a few years since last time. I started searching to see if there where spare parts, like a new PCB, but it doesn’t seem to exist. Sure i could buy a new lamp but a new one goes for about 350$, and my father got it for free from his old job and then handed the problem over to me. I’m hoping for an “easy” fix but not sure if that’s possible. It would be great if anyone had an idea to how i can fix it :) Below is an image of the burnt component. I tried searching for the numbers online but can’t find anything similar.
In short, Yes it would be rather easy. All you need is a soldering iron with a fine tip, some solder with flux, and some solder wick to remove it and a pair of tweezers. One thing I do recommend is to use 99% or 91% isopropyl alcohol and a toothbrush to clean the residue off the board. That way you can see if there is any more damage. As for where to get the chip, I’m not sure. I hope someone else can guide you. And since you know how to solder, it’s easy. Put some new solder on each of the pins, hold the solder wick on top of the pins and hold the iron on top of the wick and wait for it to suck up the solder. Then move to the next one. Once all solder has been removed, the chip should come off. Then you pul solder on one of the corner pins, like the chip up and melt that one point to hold the chip, then just put solder on all the other pins and it should work. I also recommend getting 2 chips just in case you mess up. The chips should only be a few cents once you find one. If i was at all confusing or you have any questions, please ask and ill clear things up for you!
did you ever fix it? I can’t quite find the chip either: http://how-to.wikia.com/wiki/How_to_iden… but using your 3404 clue, i’d agree that it’s probably a dc/dc step-down from Analog or TI: http://www.analog.com/media/en/technical… http://www.ti.com/general/docs/lit/getli…
