I'm looking for a source for the tall (15.5mm offset) MiniPCI sockets found on RB433s and RB411Us--but I want the kind that has all-metal clips and supports that reach down to the board:




...NOT the kind with thin bits of plastic that aren't even webbed for reinforcement, and snap the second time* you use them:



* Technically, the spec claims "Durability: 25 Cycles". But who here seriously thinks that 25 radio insertion/removal cycles is enough for the lifetime of a RouterBoard?!


Finally: can anyone offer any advice/pointers on de-soldering these sockets from the board, for those of us who don't have equipment that can heat all 124 pins at once? Preferably without a lot of prying (or cutting), because sometimes I'd like to get a good socket off of a dead board, and that means keeping damage to a minimum.

Is faster, less time consuming and less expensive replacing the board.
I'm a WISP and I have opened, reopened and changed hundred of time wifi module, also from same RB.
This is the first case I see the connector broken for module removal.
Are you sure to remove correctly the module from the RB?

I've just finish to insert and remove 50 times one R52n-M from one RB411U with same connector models, but still not broken.

Is faster, less time consuming and less expensive replacing the board.

Perhaps that is true in your situation. I have a couple dozen boards with damaged clips, and I am not in a position to spend $1000+ to replace them.

I'm a WISP and I have opened, reopened and changed hundred of time wifi module, also from same RB.

As am I--and I don't have any trouble with them either.

This is the first case I see the connector broken for module removal. Are you sure to remove correctly the module from the RB?

You're missing the point. The damage is done before I receive the boards. Most of the time it isn't so severe; the plastic simply cracks, which allows the clip to "float" and need to be manually lifted to engage the card. And I have yet to find any kind of glue that won't just snap again as soon as you insert another card.

I've just finish to insert and remove 50 times one R52n-M from one RB411U with same connector models, but still not broken.

Of course; that's because you and I know how to handle these sockets properly. Apparently, some people are simply careless. The point is, I never see this kind of damage to the clips with the metal supports; only to the plastic ones. And even if you are careful, the plastic type will fatigue and crack eventually--long before the metal type would.

>>> The damage is done before I receive the boards

Ahhh! Now I've understand!

Can't You RMA them to seller?

Can't You RMA them to seller?

No; they were obtained as part of a salvage operation. WISPs upgrade their equipment, or go out of business, all the time. Most equipment comes out fine, but after several hundred previously-used RouterBoards have passed through your hands, you start to see patterns--and you start to accumulate boards with common defects.

In this case, I have a couple dozen RBs worth at least $1K, with broken MiniPCI clips. Some of them can still be made to work, but I wouldn't rely on them in my network, and I certainly can't sell them to anyone else in this condition. So, is it worth $1K to R&R a couple dozen MiniPCI slots? It is to me.

So what I need are:

• 1) a source for the more durable version of the socket, preferably in small quantities; and
  2) advice from people who do SMT soldering work, particularly on removal.