PSA: Soldering lugs on a live panel saved my butt tonight

Had a commercial call in Dayton around 6pm, a dead zone on a Vista 128 that kept tripping the dialer. I was all set to power down and pull the board, but the customer runs a 24/7 dispatch center, so no downtime allowed. Decided to try soldering the loose RJ31X lug while it was live, using a heat shield and insulated tools. The joint held clean after two quick passes, and the panel rebooted with zero issues. I never trusted live work like that before, but now I'm wondering if anyone else does this on the regular or if I just got lucky.

2 comments

2 Comments

patricia_schmidt1421d ago

Was this the first time you'd had to do a live solder like that, or just the first time it went off without a hitch? I get the pressure of keeping a dispatch center running, and honestly, good on you for staying cool about it.

umathompson21d ago

Heard a guy on a podcast say live soldering on alarm panels is way more common than people admit, especially with hospitals and dispatch places that won't power down. He swore by a tiny mirror and a steady hand, but also said it only takes one slip to ruin your whole week. Sounds like you got lucky, but glad it worked out.