[NickfromIL]

I would settle for stills

[JSanders]

Originally Posted by NickfromIL

I would settle for stills

pfffttt!!! Any 12 year old can Photoshop a still picture.

[barbwyr]

Originally Posted by NickfromIL

I will disagree with you on this. I do not think that most users should attempt this, but it is very much a BlackBerry related topic. I personally will stick to using Post-It flags, but for the more advanced BB users that have an electronics backgound this could be a viable option.

YMMV

I understand it's a BB topic... I just don't think it's one for a help forum like BBF. I am new here so I will defer to your knowledge of the board. I would just be affraid of someone on these boards attempting this and bricking their device and giving the forum a bad name because of it. I have yet to see anything that the vets of this forum couldn't walk you through fixing once they recommended it. My upgrade to 4.5 was proof of that...lol.

[fonejunkie]

Originally Posted by John Clark

*shakes head* I'm such a dunce. Silly me.

... will you never learn?

[fonejunkie]

Originally Posted by JSanders

And you haven't shown me any way yet that it can be.

A nice video of the internal soldering might prove something, otherwise, I see nothing new here. Just smoke and mirrors.

Lots of smoke... (thanks for lobbing the softball)

[fonejunkie]

Originally Posted by barbwyr

I understand it's a BB topic... I just don't think it's one for a help forum like BBF. I am new here so I will defer to your knowledge of the board. I would just be affraid of someone on these boards attempting this and bricking their device and giving the forum a bad name because of it. I have yet to see anything that the vets of this forum couldn't walk you through fixing once they recommended it. My upgrade to 4.5 was proof of that...lol.

But the fix for a botched software/OS upgrade is vastly different than the fix for botching an electronic mod...

[barbwyr]

[barbwyr]

Originally Posted by fonejunkie

But the fix for a botched software/OS upgrade is vastly different than the fix for botching an electronic mod...

That was my point.

[gunzor]

Originally Posted by 360Modworkz

I'm kind of tired of seeing the answer "NO" for all of these questions, you CAN change the color of the trackball on ANY blackberry, people say the only way is to color the SMD, put colored tape over it, or take a Sharpie to it, NO! It is a simple 0603 replacement. It just requires two soldering irons and two people! Desolder the first one, and solder on a color of your choice! The reason for two people instead of one, is the method used for most desoldering cannot be used here, I am talking about the bathing method, where you bathe the SMD in solder until it comes up, because one person cannot desolder both sides of the SMD without using tons of solder and messing up the surrounding area on a blackberry, just get two experience people with irons, tin the tips barely, and desolder the original! This ensures that there will be no mess what-so-ever! And one person can solder on the SMD to replace! That easy! So please people, stop saying that it can't be done...it CAN! Thanks.

Joe - 360Modworkz

Of course it CAN be done, but you're going about it all wrong.

You need the right tool for the job, and this particular job requires hot tweezers, such as the Hakko 950-CK (which apparently I cannot link to due to low post count...). It is "essentially" a pair of soldering/desoldering irons, and should only be used by a qualified electronics repair person. I've been doing this type of repair for 8 years now, and would NOT suggest anyone attempt the type of "lets take a stab at it" SMD replacement technique you describe above. You risk not only damaging the circuit board, but the SMD AND the contact pads on said circuit board.

In other words, if you (as a reader of this thread) want to get your phone's lights changed out, get a professional to do it correctly, not just someone that can "make it work".

[barbwyr]

Originally Posted by gunzor

Of course it CAN be done, but you're going about it all wrong.

You need the right tool for the job, and this particular job requires hot tweezers, such as the Hakko 950-CK (which apparently I cannot link to due to low post count...). It is "essentially" a pair of soldering/desoldering irons, and should only be used by a qualified electronics repair person. I've been doing this type of repair for 8 years now, and would NOT suggest anyone attempt the type of "lets take a stab at it" SMD replacement technique you describe above. You risk not only damaging the circuit board, but the SMD AND the contact pads on said circuit board.

In other words, if you (as a reader of this thread) want to get your phone's lights changed out, get a professional to do it correctly, not just someone that can "make it work".

This would probably be the .1% user I was talking about...lol.

[Jessessays]

This thread has been quite amusing... too bad i jumped on so late. So what we have learned is that some people can do 0603 replacements, Nick has a m-6 with a scratch on the driver side wheel, and an ebay replacement for a device is around 150$. nice =)

[NickfromIL]

It is a very informative thread isn't it?

[ezrunner]

Wirelessly posted (off to see the wizard)

I have considered doing this mod before. I have considerable electronics repair experience. However after some research I found that having the proper tool is the best way and as I lack that equipment I opted to not attempt it!

This thread has been a good read

[JSanders]

Originally Posted by ezrunner

I found that having the proper tool

Sorry to hear you are not properly equipped!

[ricpac]

I hate dealing with soldering irons and leads.

I just hope I can get an M-6.

[JSanders]

Can you change the headlights' color on the M-6?

Will the color cellophane tape work on those.?

[Johnny909]

I would need step by step pictures (visual learner) on the trackball color solder technique, e.g. this DYI guide: DIY computers and electronics: DIY Blackberry USB repair
Let me know where to find the pictorial guide. Until then, I'll use a yellow highlighter, or something.

[dhollins]

This thread is hilarious!! And very informative. This average Joe won't be giving this method a try

[ezrunner]

keep in mind the 88xx,83xx, have one LED therefore colorpearl type app would not work as you could only have one color led