I damaged the connector on my laptop Wi-Fi card.
I damaged the connector on my laptop Wi-Fi card.
Hey everyone, I’m trying to figure out what to do after installing the new Intel Wi-Fi card in my Dell XPS 15 9560. The old one was removed, but when I put the new one in, I think I forced it a bit too hard and now the connector is stuck inside the cable. I’m worried about damaging it. Should I replace both the cable and the card? Or can I just solder it together?
I've encountered a comparable problem and successfully separated the circular fragments. Perhaps using electronic tweezers could help dislodge them.
They might use tweezers or very small needle-nose pliers. The card will likely need to be replaced because soldering those tiny parts is nearly impossible without proper experience and tools. You could try cutting off the plug on the white cable and soldering directly, but I wouldn’t do it myself—failing would mean having to replace the whole antenna run, which could damage other components.
I think swapping the entire card is a good idea. These cards are fairly cheap and will prevent you from getting stuck if you decide to repair the current one. It could also be a chance to move to an AX-based card such as the Intel AX200.