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While putting force to plug usb cable to the port I broke the GND pin of the microUSB port. The port is probably soldered to the device's PCB, and the device itself is not disassemble friendly (Sphero R2D2 toy).

What are my options to charge the device? Can I modify a USB cable to support charging this particular port for example?

Right most tooth broken from the tongueRight most tooth broken from the tongue

I think I broke pin 5:

I think I broke pin 5

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  • This isn't something you fix unless you are willing to do soldering work. I would not use this port at all, due to the damage, all pins are important.
    – Ramhound
    Dec 9, 2018 at 9:33
  • I'm willing to solder. But my problem is can't access the PCB (unbox the case). Can I just solder the gnd pin in this state ?
    – Codevalley
    Dec 9, 2018 at 9:37
  • No; You will need to purchase a new port, remove the current part, and replace it entirely. You risk further damage repairing it any other way
    – Ramhound
    Dec 9, 2018 at 9:45
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    @Codevalley: I recommend to use the keyword "disassembly" in a web search with your toy's name -- it often helped me to find some nice guides how to open a thing w/o damaging. In your case this page looks promising.
    – mpy
    Dec 9, 2018 at 10:01
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    @Codevalley: However, soldering the new USB port should be easy, for unsoldering the old one from a multilayer PCB you'll need some practice. I at least recommend to watch some video tutorials...
    – mpy
    Dec 9, 2018 at 10:06

1 Answer 1

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The USB port looks to be in bad shape, so I would counsel the replacement of the whole thing.

I suggest asking for advice from Sphero Support about how to open the case. If they don't answer, maybe a computer repairman can help with this unusual case, to open the case without breaking it.

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