wrote:

Hi. I have a Zen Micro MP3 player that has developed a cold solder
joint around the headphone jack (and possiblly also the USB jack). I
have read in other forums that this cold solder problem is notorious
for this particular player. The warranty is past due. The only
"official" options seems to be sending it to Creative to pay them to
put it back in the condition that it started out in (weak and ready to
break again). There are guides online about how to open the unit and
repair it, but I have no experience soldering.

I took it apart, looked at the solder joints under my microscope, and
saw many crack and fissures along the "feet" where the headphone jack
and USB jack meet the circuit board. I was thinking about getting a
small soldering iron, practicing a few times on some old junk around
the house, and then just adding a little solder on top of the existing
"feet" to try and restore a little conductivity and strenghthen the
joint a little. Then maybe go all the way around it with some epoxy to
further strengthen the whole thing?

I was just wondering if anyone had any tips on what a newb like me
should keep in mind. And if nothing else, at least this post can serve
as a warning to people about the poor quality of this product's
design.

There is a good site with pictures showing exactly what I am talking
about.
http://www.noboundrees.com/micro_fix/

It won't be very difficult to fix especially if you already have it apart !

I wouldn't be one bit surprised if the problem is due to the use of lead-free
solder in manufacture.

Do use solder using lead for the repair. It's far more reliable.

Graham