Sonoff basic soldered header holes on last batch

[Greg from Oz]

I just received a batch of sonoff basic devices and the holes where you put the pins to program the devices were soldered up. I had to suck the solder out. Why are they soldering the holes? Annoying.

[Oxyandy]

Version printed on PCB & date ?
Cheers

[Greg from Oz]

2017-10-11

version 1

[Oxyandy]

Is there also an R2 there ?
And have you managed to flash yet ?

Cheers
Andy
Also Oz, Melb

[Greg from Oz]

Yes there is R2 on it.

I had to get a magnifying glass to read it!

Yes I have managed to flash them all OK. I bought 10 of them.

It took a long time to de-solder the holes.

[Oxyandy]

Sweet !
there is a whole thread here with someone with your revisions of Sonoffs that was never able to flash them ;)
hence the question, you have done well

[Greg from Oz]

Didn't know that there was a problem.

I just plugged it in as usual and uploaded the program and they all worked.

After I have compiled I just run:

esptool.py --port /dev/ttyUSB0 write_flash -fs 1MB -fm dout 0x0 firmware.bin 

Then I just allocate a new name IP etc later.

I have a script that does that part.

[Greg from Oz]

I am flashing version 5.12.0

On Saturday, 5 May 2018 19:37:49 UTC+10, Oxyandy wrote:

[Oxyandy]

There is now a newer 'stable release' 5.13.1

Depends on what you need your IoT devices to do..
With 5.12.0 I know if Wifi or MQTT drops even an internal PulseTime becomes infinite

doubt this has been fixed as is apparently not even considered an issue

[Greg from Oz]

I just need them to turn on and off and one of them I have set up to sell me if the garage door is open, so nothing too fancy.

I am just replacing all my old X10 device with the sonnoff and I am using node-red and Domotiga to control them.

I might try the 5.13.1 on one of them and see what happens.

I do know the web interface on the basics doesn't work 100% of the time and it sometimes takes a few goes to get it to work.

[Greg from Oz]

Flashed to 5.13.1 last night and its heaps better then the 5.12. The webpages seem to work most of the time now.

[Oxyandy]

Cool, thanks for the feedback, i might try it on a test Node.
I am using a different firmware for most my applications

[gcb2018]

Hi Greg, I am having the same problem: 5 R2's with soldered up holes. I have no experience with soldering/desoldering. Can you maybe help in the right direction: what should I do? Thanks!

Op zaterdag 5 mei 2018 08:31:26 UTC+2 schreef Greg from Oz:

[Greg from Oz]

Hi,

I didn't have a solder sucker and I don't have a real good soldering iron either for that matter but how I did it was to heat the soldered holes up with my dodgy soldering iron and when the solder melted I blew it out with compressed air. You could just try blowing on it as that may work as well if you have good lings. A can of compressed air would work. A solder sucker would be better I guess.

Once I had the holes cleared I just put the pins of the serial converter in the holes to program the sonoff. I don't solder them in I just place them in the holes and hope that make contact long enough to upload the program because after that you can do everything over the air.

[Phil]

A quick blast blown through a drinking straw as found in every US-style fast food shop should be sufficient to clear the holes once heated sufficiently to melt the solder, just be mindful of whats behind the pcb when you blow.. 

If your just flashing the device and have no plans to attach further h/w such as sensors or additional relays, you can probably flash the device using blutack to position the pins of your programing header on the solder pads and use your finger to press down and establish sufficient electrical connection for the duration of the flashing process, Once complete further updates can be done OTA ;)    

[Matt Johnson]

Get yourself some desoldering braid. Heat the braid up with soldering iron over each hole. Cut away new section of the braid as the solder is absorbed into it's you work yourway thru each hole. Watch some YouTube videos on how desoldering braid is used definitely helps. Here is a link to what desoldering braid is.

Desoldering Braid https://www.amazon.com/dp/B004NEUII8/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_ZIK9Ab7YA2FSX

[Thomas Walter]

Am 12.05.18 um 02:21 schrieb Greg from Oz:

> Once I had the holes cleared I just put the pins of the serial converter
> in the holes to program the sonoff. I don't solder them in I just place
> them in the holes and hope that make contact long enough to upload the
> program because after that you can do everything over the air.

Another option is to make a little "plug" using pogo pins. I've been
flashing my devices using one of those for some time now

[Greg from Oz]

Where do you get them from.

Do you have a part number or a photo of what you are using. Sounds like a good idea.

[gcb2018]

Thanks everyone. I will buy a soldering iron. View the picture of the soldered holes for future reference.

Op zaterdag 5 mei 2018 08:31:26 UTC+2 schreef Greg from Oz:

I just received a batch of sonoff basic devices and the holes where you put the pins to program the devices were soldered up. I had to suck the solder out. Why are they soldering the holes? Annoying.

[Thomas Walter]

Am 12.05.18 um 13:24 schrieb Greg from Oz:

> Where do you get them from.
> Do you have a part number or a photo of what you are using. Sounds like
> a good idea.

I ordered a pack from eBay, but if you order stuff from Adafruit or
other maker shops, they might have them too:

https://blog.adafruit.com/2013/08/05/manufacturing-monday-pogo-pins/

Since I'm not at home, I can't make a picture, but will try to do on
Monday :).

[Oded Sharon]

I'm having the same problem. i ordered a bunch of basics from various ebay/aliexpress seller and all have these holes already soldered up. 

I trying sucking some of the solder with a brain but it ruined the sonoff basic.

i donno what to do really. also how do i know if i buy the right sonoff basic next time?

[Oxyandy]

I assume you mean desoldering braid ?
Having worked on electronic devices since a child, I would simply heat a hole, then quickly tap the item against my solder bench, 

the excess solder would fly out of the hole onto my bench.. Is a simple technique and usually works as fast if not faster than using a solder sucker or braid..
Braid is really easy to use and would be unlikely to damage the PCB, are you using 2 or 3mm wide braid 

- Know as many names Chem-wik

[Oded Sharon]

Do you have a link to this video?

Oded Sharon

Email:  iPh...@odedsharon.com

Skype: soundguy27 | Twitter: @SoundGuy | Facebook:oded.sharon  | LinkedIn: SoundGuy  | Blog: http://odedsharon.com

(sent from my iPhone so probably there are some typos)

On Aug 3, 2018, at 19:25, Erwin <ego...@upcmail.nl> wrote:

Yep,  All these new Sonoffs has this problem

DRzzs on youtube has an answer for this. (a special tool) maked by a 3D-printer

 

Qwerc

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[Philip Knowles]

You could also use a Dremel with a very fine (0.8mm) drill bit.

 

Sent from Mail for Windows 10

 

From: Oded Sharon
Sent: 04 August 2018 09:05
To: Erwin
Cc: SonoffUsers
Subject: Re: Sonoff basic soldered header holes on last batch

 

Do you have a link to this video?

 

Oded Sharon

 

Email:  iPh...@odedsharon.com

Skype: soundguy27 | Twitter: @SoundGuy | Facebook:oded.sharon  | LinkedIn: SoundGuy  | Blog: http://odedsharon.com

 

 

(sent from my iPhone so probably there are some typos)

 

 

On Aug 3, 2018, at 19:25, Erwin <ego...@upcmail.nl> wrote:

Yep,  All these new Sonoffs has this problem

DRzzs on youtube has an answer for this. (a special tool) maked by a 3D-printer

 

Qwerc

 

Van: sonof...@googlegroups.com [mailto:sonof...@googlegroups.com] Namens Oded Sharon
Verzonden: vrijdag 3 augustus 2018 18:17
Aan: SonoffUsers
Onderwerp: Re: Sonoff basic soldered header holes on last batch

 

I'm having the same problem. i ordered a bunch of basics from various ebay/aliexpress seller and all have these holes already soldered up. 

I trying sucking some of the solder with a brain but it ruined the sonoff basic.

 

i donno what to do really. also how do i know if i buy the right sonoff basic next time?

On Saturday, May 12, 2018 at 3:09:09 PM UTC+3, gcb2018 wrote:

Thanks everyone. I will buy a soldering iron. View the picture of the soldered holes for future reference.

Op zaterdag 5 mei 2018 08:31:26 UTC+2 schreef Greg from Oz:

I just received a batch of sonoff basic devices and the holes where you put the pins to program the devices were soldered up. I had to suck the solder out. Why are they soldering the holes? Annoying.

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[Greg from Oz]

Its probably this one: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KMiP9Ku71To

[Duncan Smith]

They use really cheap solder on the board which is a nightmare to remove. I had a friend who is a satellite engineer (spacecraft not TV!) and even he said it was rubbish to do. I’ve seen also Dr.Zzs show a spring loaded clip that holds the pins in place.

Personally I have switched to use the Sonoff POW R2 instead, its more expensive (relatively speaking) but shows all the power consumption etc. Plus I think it looks more professional than the basic, and more importantly has no solder! :-)

[Greg from Oz]

Why do the USA say sodd-ed instead of sold-ered for the word  soldered?

[Phil]

Its not very productive to ask why americans do anything, just keep your fingers crossed they dont decide to do it in your back yard..  

[Alain Alain]

Hello, I have the same issue almost.

I bought a Sonoff B1 RGB light bulb.

I tried to flash by holding pins, but didn't manage to (the GPIO0 need to be grounded at start, not easy to do)

So i tried to solder, and here's the result ...

There's not even holes in this batch.

I overheat two spots, and the small 'patch' (or cushion or whatever) of solder went away.

How can i recover this ? If a use dremel, and make a tiny hole ? Find another solder points for the TX and RX ?

I don't even see where the 2 points where connected on the circuit board...

Thanks for any advice

Aymeric

[Phil]

ouch, the b1 isnt a solderless flashing afaik if the solderpad (film of metal) actually lifted off the pcb you might have few options open,  IF the track leading to the pad is also on the pcb surface and is suitably clear of other tracks you might be able to shave off the conformal coating to reveal the thin metal track to provide a point at which to solder.  or if not painstakingly trace back the track to a point that you can scarpe off access to or piggyback off another components connection..

the surface pads are significantly different to through the board holes in that they are only on the surface and drilling may even short out another track within or on the bottom face of the board if its comprises of more than one layer.

If its gone, tracing back to a point you can use is about all there is you can do,  and its probably a good idea to practice scraping off the top layer of resin with a scalple blade or tiny screwdriver in a few practice junk pcbs first... the metal layers are thin and can be easily damaged ..

in general with solder pads i would suggest soldering on a few short wires connected to dupont end terminals (prototyping lead plug or sockets)  i tend to buy a few ribbon cable sets and chop them up as needed..  

also using extra flux helps solder flow and stick to the metal surfaces way more easily and blutack is superb at holding everything in position ready for you..  

[kiat....@gmail.com]

Same situation for me too. Of all the Sonoffs I have bought (all in the past two months), the R2 versions had soldered up pin holes, where the non-R2 versions did not and so were much simpler to solder a 5-pin header into them. As a soldering newbie it took a few Sonoffs before I started to not make a mess of them. Next time I'll use the tip of tapping the board on the table soon after solder softening though, which will make it a much more pain free experience.

What purpose is there for the manufacturer to solder those pin holes up?

Is it really to put off users adding pins to the holes they've designed in? Or is there some functionality to it?

[Philip Knowles]

If they are flow soldering it covers any area not covered so it will fill holes. I’ve never found braid particularly good but solder suckers are quick and easy as is re-drilling the hole (but make sure it is a hole not a pad as noted before by others).

 

Regards

 

Phil K

 

Sent from Mail for Windows 10

 

--

[George Ioakimedes]

As mentioned early in this thread if you use a soldering iron to melt the solder in the hole you can then either use a straw or just make a quick forceful blow at the hole which pushes the solder out. Be careful as it will spray out so do this in an area that doesn't matter if some solder gets on it.

You can also just hold pins onto the filled holes but this takes a steady hand and patience. To make it easier you could sand down the tips of the pins of the header you are using to program the board. If you give them a rounded end they tend to stay on the solder and make better contact.

[Oxyandy]

Just wanted to add what I take for granted, if you are to force solder out by tapping, 

when you first apply heat from soldering iron - also apply some fresh solder..
This extra volume helps pull the old solder out.

Please note also, OLD desoldering braid is useless unless you have some fresh flux 

- as is old solder, they oxidise and lose effectiveness..
Some shops will sell old stock of desoldering braid, freshness is everything
You can make your own with copper shielded 75 ohm coax cable & flux..

And take care not to damage the push button with it's long stem, leverage from pushing sideways will damage it 

( again repairable with a glue which dries but still maintains flexibility - not super glue ) 

[George Ioakimedes]

@Oxyandy brought up another very good tip. It may seem odd to add solder to remove solder but this really does help. Adding the extra solder gives it more mass which holds the heat a little longer. The flux in the new solder also helps to remove oxidation.

[Philip Knowles]

Another tip by the way is to push the pins back into the header apart from 1. Just press them against a hard surface. Easier with the nylon type. Offer the header with its one pin to the first soldered hole. When it melts push the header pin into the hole - easier with a helper or the device clamped in a vice. Then move along, melt the solder and push the pin in - I use a small nail punch.

Regards

Phil K

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[Charles Arbuthnot]

The ones that I ordered from Amazon had the holes soldered close, the ones I got from Itead were open.

I used a 0.9mm PCB drill that has a 1/8" shank to drill the holes out. You can do this by twisting the drill with your fingers. It only takes a few seconds to do each hole.

I then soldered in the header, to allow flashing.

The drill bits are < $1.00 each for carbide bits.

[Colin Law]

On 8 August 2018 at 00:36, Charles Arbuthnot <carb...@gmail.com> wrote:

The ones that I ordered from Amazon had the holes soldered close, the ones I got from Itead were open.

That is interesting, I can think of a few possibilities for the reason for this.

1. Itead have made a change to the production method but they still have some old stock, which is what you got.

2. Itead made a change and have changed it back so that the holes are no longer blocked.

3. Itead subcontract the manufacture (or have multiple lines in house) and some production lines or subcontractors block the holes and others don't.

4. The ones bought from Amazon are not Itead devices but are clones made by someone else.

 

I used a 0.9mm PCB drill that has a 1/8" shank to drill the holes out. You can do this by twisting the drill with your fingers. It only takes a few seconds to do each hole.

I then soldered in the header, to allow flashing.

The drill bits are < $1.00 each for carbide bits.

Useful to know, thanks.

Colin

[Alain Alain]

I'm so fµcking proud of myself ... never solder anything before last week and now :-)

[kiat....@gmail.com]

Great tip Philip K and very useful for my regular purpose: attaching a 5 pin header to Basics.

[laure...@gmail.com]

Agree ! it's annoying. i had to suck the solder of 5 basic . Was ok on 2 pow 2, sonoff T1 and  two S20. 

[Phil]

Woo hoo!!  great job..  next week the 8x8x8 led cube ;)