Hi there, I built a Picade cabinet for a rambunctious 10-year-old, and at some point the power cord got yanked, hard, with the USB-C power connector bracket being ripped entirely off the board and lost. Even if it could be found I’m not confident in my soldering skills and so it looks like I’m looking at replacing the HAT. Some questions:
- Is this the right course of action? (Replacing HAT entirely)
- If I replace the HAT, is there any reinstallation/reconfiguration I need to do?
- Once fixed, is there anything I can do to strengthen the power connection? I was thinking maybe something like an angle adapter that is fixed directly to the back board.
Thanks in advance for any help! My grandson just about had a fit when I gave it to him for his birthday last year, and is crestfallen that it doesn’t work anymore. It was a super fun project and a fantastic product.
Picade X Hat?
You could bypass the missing USB C and feed power in Via those + - solder pads marked 5V. Assuming the tracks to them weren’t damaged when the USB C connector came off.
Another option worth trying is to plug your power supply into the Pi. And see if the Picade will boot up? The Power Button likely won’t work, but he might get to play games while you figure out what your plan is.
Not sure what size (distance) those solder pads are, but if they are standard 2.54mm, I would go for a JST-XH connector. These are cheap and have a locking mechanism. More robust than other JST connectors.
If you replace the HAT: check the USB-C. It has the connectors on the back, but also four “feet” to increase the strength of the connection to the board. Very often there is a weak point there due to the automatic soldering process. But even with moderate soldering skills, you could add some additional solder there.
