Repairing a Broken USB Port?

[DemonDragonJ]

I have a Creative Zen portable music player, and I am very fond of it, as it is an impressive device that delivers excellent sound and is made by Creative Labs, a major name in audio devices.

However, recently (today, actually) the device's interface broke, which is not at all a good thing. To be more specific, the player used a mini-USB interface that had five connector pins held in place by a piece of plastic, and that piece of plastic simply fell out, leaving the pins intact but exposed. Most fortunately, the device's battery can still be charged, but it no longer is capable of connecting to my computer, which means that I cannot add new songs to it or alter existing songs, which is understandably very annoying.

Therefore, I am wondering what course of action I should take to remedy this situation: should I attempt to repair the interface on my music player, or simply purchase a new device, and if I purchase a new device, what players can anyone here recommend? I await your responses.

[AmEv]

http://www.mouser.com/ProductDetail/...1ZxsMCoJX%2fif

[slaveofconvention]

Might be worth looking on ebay for a damaged one to swap parts out of - something with a cracked screen etc

[DemonDragonJ]

Originally Posted by AmEv

http://www.mouser.com/ProductDetail/...1ZxsMCoJX%2fif

Yes, thank you very much; that part is exactly what I could use to repair my player, but I have little experience in replacing such a part, so what does everyone else recommend? Should I attempt to replace it myself, or have a professional technician replace it?

[Snowman]

Panavise, variable temperature soldering iron with a very fine tip, solder sucker, patience, and a steady hand. That is what I would recommend. If you aren't comfortable with it there be someone on the forum willing to solder it up for you. Personally I am not comfortable enough to work on other peoples stuff on that level.

[xr4man]

i can solder stuff that small. it's what i do every day. mine, yours, snowman's i don't care who it belongs to, lol.

anyway, if you need some solder work done, hit me up, i'll be happy to help.

[DemonDragonJ]

Originally Posted by Snowman

Panavise, variable temperature soldering iron with a very fine tip, solder sucker, patience, and a steady hand. That is what I would recommend. If you aren't comfortable with it there be someone on the forum willing to solder it up for you. Personally I am not comfortable enough to work on other peoples stuff on that level.

I myself do not have sufficient experience or practice with soldering delicate electronic parts to attempt such a feat, so I would either purchase a new device or ask another person to assist me with such a task.

Originally Posted by xr4man

i can solder stuff that small. it's what i do every day. mine, yours, snowman's i don't care who it belongs to, lol.

anyway, if you need some solder work done, hit me up, i'll be happy to help.

I definitely appreciate your offer, but where do you live? I would prefer to seek assistance from someone who lives close to where I live, so that I can bring them the device in person. I can reveal on this publicly-viewable forum that I live somewhere in New England in the Untied States, but I prefer to not be any more specific than that, until I find someone who lives in relatively close proximity to me.

[xr4man]

i probably live about 500 miles south of you then. maybe as little as 200 miles south.

[DemonDragonJ]

Originally Posted by xr4man

i probably live about 500 miles south of you then. maybe as little as 200 miles south.

That is slightly too far for me to travel, so I shall likely seek assistance from someone who lives closer to where I live, but I do appreciate your offer; thank you very much.