4. Installation
Line up the adapter board with the RAM chip footprints on the card. Make sure everything looks symmetrical. Take a good look from the side to make sure the board is overall level. If not, you might have to check the bottom of the adapter board for solder blobs.
Tack down diagonal pins on the out-most edges. Then start soldering the pins one by one with some amounts of solder (they need quite a bit more than you would think). Make sure all joints appear full and healthy.
Insert the tip of your iron in between the via and the pad. Make sure both are being heated.
Add solder from the top of the via. A considerable amount is needed.
Move the tip outwards along the SMD pad to form a full joint.
If the joint appears to be disconnected or not full, repeat the entire action and add a bit more solder.
The 1.27mm pitch may sound tight but they actually don't tend to bridge easily.
Extra pins have to be soldered to the respective pads on the adapter boards.
FBI Pin 180 & 199:
TMU Pin 130:
Pin location marked with green dots in the pictures.
After finishing, tack down the floating wires with tape.
Add flux to the pin(s) to solder. With a clean tip, reflow the pin first. The motion should be along the direction of the pin, not sideways.
Add the tiniest amount of solder to your iron tip, then transfer it to the pin with the help of flux.
Tin the tip of the copper wire with solder, but make sure there is no solder blob on the wire.
Join the wire to the pin with your iron. A simple tap should do the job. Do NOT rub the pin & wire sideways since you might bend the pin.
The easiest step.
Make sure the entire bank are of the same kind of chips. Mixing chips will introduce issues.
If the pin header does not want to go in, check the male pins first. Do not force it.
For the FBI bank, adding modules from right to left makes it easier.