Hi OzBargain, I dropped my Steam deck a couple of weeks ago and I broke the buttons on the PCB.
I asked Steam whether they were able to repair it. Unfortunately, they said that repairs could not be made from Australia.
I tried to repair it myself, but the PCB was fairly difficult to work on with the tools that I had on hand (soldering iron, dremel etc).
Do you know any good repair shops that would be able to work with the Steam Deck PCB? I'm based in Victoria.
Thanks
Try: https://www.handheldspace.com.au/services/consolemods (used to be Tullamarine) now woking from home w/less overheads https://www.handheldspace.com.au/news/storeclosure
https://www.handheldspace.com.au/
do repairs AFAIK
Just read this
Due to rising costs and increased rent, we have made the difficult decision to close our physical store in Tullamarine. However, Handheld Space is still very much open for business! We are now fully operating via mail-in services for all your repair and modification needs. We understand this change might be inconvenient for some, and we sincerely apologize. Our commitment to providing excellent service remains unwavering. For more details about this transition, please read the full article here.
TALK TO THEM TO FIND OUT
Yep, we've got Discord now.
Join us for some spontaneous chats, stay updated with our 'free game updates' channel where we share whenever a paid game goes free, or simply drop by for live community based tech support. See you there!
photos of damage
Don't try to fix it. Just replace the entire button module.
Im confused with OP's post, none of the buttons are on the motherboard
(pic of motherboard below)
https://www.ebay.com.au/itm/266528012456?srsltid=AfmBOopxHgx…
ifixit have guides and parts https://www.ifixit.com/en-eu/Parts/Steam_Deck
and if its a trigger button you can just buy a new one from them?
the external rubber buttons are fine, its the part that's soldered onto the PCB that's broken.
I tried to repair it myself, but the PCB was fairly difficult to work on with the tools that I had on hand (soldering iron, dremel etc).
I imagine this is going to make your repair costs much higher than they would have been.
Dremel tool used…. What the heck, never seen a dremel used for any electronic repairs with the exception of epoxeyed parts and they should be left to the pros.
Check out TV repair places near you and call them to see if they can help.
These tools are used all the time, if a solder pad breaks and you need to get a new pad on the PCB you sand it down to gain access. on multilayer boards, you would sand serval layers down and reconnect the broken traces.
while that's true, when someone says they used the dremel i automatically think of one of the little circular saw cutting blades
Maybe wait till it’s launched in Australia?