Dirty Hack: repairing (Breaking it better) a raspberry A+,B+ or 2 microSD card Socket

This is just a quick and dirty hack that i have had to perform once in a while. Sometimes and I have to say this problem is quite rare the catch that holds the microSD card in the socket fails and it is impossible to get the card to stay in place.

  

I have had this problem passed over my desk a few times I have a little fix/break for this that works.

WARNING: ONLY TRY THIS AFTER EXHAUSTING ALL OTHER POSSIBILITIES OF REPLACEMENT OR REPAIR AS YOU WILL BE DAMAGING THE MIRCO SD CARD SOCKET FOR THIS TO WORK. THERE IS NO GUARANTEE THIS WILL NOT RENDER YOUR RASPBERRY PI MORE BROKEN THAN IT ALREADY WAS :)  I TAKE NO RESPONSIBILITY FOR BROKEN RASPBERRY PIs

So basically we are going to remove the catch and spring that retains and ejects the SD card. Hopefully without damaging the contacts.

 

 

Use some good sharp tweezers to lift the the tab of metal housing at the edge of the Raspberry Pi.

  

Once that is lifted then used the tweezers to hook out the the plastic catch and spring.

 

Then it is just a case of folding the tab back down again and squeezing the housing slightly so that it applies some pressure on the SD Card when it is inserted.

 

After that it should be a case of sliding in the SD card and powering up if you have done this right the Pi should boot.

I normally add a little tape over then in SD card just to make sure it don't knock it out.

Hope this helps some people out as mentioned at the beginning you are essential breaking the socket to fix it.

Quick Tour Of Infinte Crypt @ThePortlandWorks

When I was with The Sheffield Hardware Hackers And Makers having a look at a new base of operations at the Portland Works click here to read that post.

Portland works mail system :)

One of the other business owners is James Wallbank CEO of a Start-up company called Infinite Crypt.

Infinite Crypt is a real Kickstarter success story, designing and making cost effective scale scenery for war games and table-top role play, composed of well thought out elements doorways,walls and even a great big face motif.  

James uses two HPC lasercuters two create the elements in kit from from 3mm MDF sheets. The thing I like is the couple of Hacks he has done to ease the process. The first thing to not that he uses a single industrial chiller to cool both of the 60 watt CO2 laser tubes buy hacking up a large Really Useful Box for and extra water bath.

But my favourite hack is using and old monochrome monitor with a Raspberry Pi to keep track on the temperature of the coolant going into the laser tubes. The nice thing about this hack he has taken a little monitor with very poor resolution and used ASCII art to create large numbers that can be easily seen from the other side of his workshop.  

Spot the Pi :)

You can follow @InfiniteCrypt

And on Facebook