G25 paddle shifter switch

[Ca11um]

My switch for the paddle shifter keeps on getting stuck on the right side...So how hard is it to replace that switch? It's easy to get access to the switch obviously, but I understand that sometimes they have stuff on the solder which makes it hard to unsolder it? Is it as simple as un-soldering the old one, and soldering the new one on?

Also, what switch do I need? I've found a few different ones online. 5A, 3A, ect. Or does it not matter as long as it has the 3 pins (like the one that is already on there). The power supply should be 1.75A so should I get a switch that has the same amperage or higher? I don't know how these things work.

 

[sesselpupser]

So how hard is it to replace that switch?

Not very, switches are fairly easy to replace but they do require soldering which isn't an exact science, desoldering something with more than two pins can be difficult and you can end up pulling traces off the board or damaging other components if you're not careful.

I understand that sometimes they have stuff on the solder which makes it hard to unsolder it?

That's pretty much limited to ruggedised or military-grade PCBs, conformal coating (which helps make circuitry resistant to dust, water and other stuff you don't want making contact with your electronics) is... Well, nasty stuff and not something for the amateur solderer to mess with. The solder they've used is probably silver solder which is difficult to work with but not impossible, if you just add flux to it, use an iron that's hot enough (but not too hot to delaminate the board or overheat nearby components) and remove as much of the solder as possible with desolder braid and a solder sucker it should be easy enough, the hard part is physically getting the part off - you either need to keep all three joints hot and pull the switch out (hard to do with two hands) or free one pin entirely then alternate between the other two pins and gently 'walk' the switch out - but that'll be hard too because the holes in the PCB will be very tight.

Is it as simple as un-soldering the old one, and soldering the new one on?

Yes, but as I've said above, soldering isn't all that simple.

Also, what switch do I need? I've found a few different ones online. 5A, 3A, ect. Or does it not matter as long as it has the 3 pins (like the one that is already on there). The power supply should be 1.75A so should I get a switch that has the same amperage or higher? I don't know how these things work.

The best thing to do would be to get the model number of the switch from the switch itself and see if you can find a datasheet for it, then you can find a suitable replacement. You'll probably want to replace both switches, really, because if you swap a worn one out for a new one then it'll behave differently to the part-worn one on the other side. Current ratings are irrelevant because there will probably only be microamps or milliamps going through it. The important parts are the size, shape, actuation force (which is how hard you have to push to get it to switch) and contact order (although I'm pretty sure almost all microswitches of that size and shape will have the NC, NO and common the same way around).

 

[Ca11um]

Not very, switches are fairly easy to replace but they do require soldering which isn't an exact science, desoldering something with more than two pins can be difficult and you can end up pulling traces off the board or damaging other components if you're not careful.



That's pretty much limited to ruggedised or military-grade PCBs, conformal coating (which helps make circuitry resistant to dust, water and other stuff you don't want making contact with your electronics) is... Well, nasty stuff and not something for the amateur solderer to mess with. The solder they've used is probably silver solder which is difficult to work with but not impossible, if you just add flux to it, use an iron that's hot enough (but not too hot to delaminate the board or overheat nearby components) and remove as much of the solder as possible with desolder braid and a solder sucker it should be easy enough, the hard part is physically getting the part off - you either need to keep all three joints hot and pull the switch out (hard to do with two hands) or free one pin entirely then alternate between the other two pins and gently 'walk' the switch out - but that'll be hard too because the holes in the PCB will be very tight.



Yes, but as I've said above, soldering isn't all that simple.



The best thing to do would be to get the model number of the switch from the switch itself and see if you can find a datasheet for it, then you can find a suitable replacement. You'll probably want to replace both switches, really, because if you swap a worn one out for a new one then it'll behave differently to the part-worn one on the other side. Current ratings are irrelevant because there will probably only be microamps or milliamps going through it. The important parts are the size, shape, actuation force (which is how hard you have to push to get it to switch) and contact order (although I'm pretty sure almost all microswitches of that size and shape will have the NC, NO and common the same way around).

I can get away with not using the paddle shifters because I have a H-shifter, but it's nice to have extra buttons and I use them to scroll. The shifters work but sometimes the right one sticks and it's a little annoying. I will definitely replace both if I do it though.

I have experience soldering but I'm no professional...I just have some standard soldering irons; nothing fancy. I do have two soldering irons though (a bigger and a smaller one) so if I need to then I can get one person focusing on 1 pin and moving the switch away from the board, then the other person can focus on the remaining 2 pins. I imagine that 2 people and 3/4 hands will get in the way and be harder though, because the board and the pins are so small.

 

[sesselpupser]

I imagine that 2 people and 3/4 hands will get in the way and be harder though

I didn't mean to imply that you should make it a two-person job, just that it's quite a lot more difficult than desoldering a resistor or capacitor. It's doable by yourself, though, I replaced the left and right click switches in my mouse a couple of months ago by myself. Just don't rush it, remember to not overheat anything and it'll be fine. If you have a temperature control iron you should be aiming for about 320 degrees C, the issue you're going to run into is that when you heat the solder lugs you're also heating up all of the switch contacts inside so the heat will dissipate quite quickly. There's not a lot you can do about that, though. You may end up melting or damaging the old switch but they're worn out anyway so I wouldn't worry too much, the important thing is that you don't damage the PCB by putting too much mechanical force on it (i.e. don't push or pull on anything that's still soldered to it with any pressure because the traces are only thin and are glued on...)

If you do lift or break any traces it's not necessarily the end of the world, you could always patch it with wires but that's pretty hard - you'd have to find an undamaged spot to solder to, sand off the solder mask (green coating on the copper traces) without sanding through the copper, then solder wires to the copper without shorting anything out and without further peeling the copper off - I recommend very thin, flexible magnet wire/enamelled copper wire for those reasons. You'd have to sand or scrape the enamel off the wire to make it solderable, though.


Oh and something I forgot in my last post, make sure the switch you order has the correct connection type; microswitches are available with thin pins for through-hole soldering, flat spades for quick connectors and female spade crimps, surface mount pads, solder buckets, screw terminals, etc. so always check the datasheet and make sure the model number of the one you're ordering matches the code described.