"bitrex" wrote in message
...
I have a Sandisk 32G USB flash drive that someone has given me in the hope
that I might be able to salvage some data off it. Looks like it was in a
laptop and jammed against a wall, resulting in broken solder joints. My
PC wasn't detecting it when it was plugged in at all.

I cut the drive open and attempted to re-seat the pins and then reflow the
solder using a heat gun on a low setting moving rapidly over the joints.
It seemed to work but it's very difficult to tell if all the pins are
making good connections with the pads.

Windows now recognizes that a USB device of some type is plugged in, but
is giving me a "Device Not Recognized" error. Is it possible that this is
due to a poor electrical connection, or is it likely that the controller
electronics is somehow damaged as well? At this point I'm thinking of
removing the USB connector completely and using jumper wires to ensure
that all the pads are connected properly to the respective pins and have
continuity Suggestions?

I'd carefully dismantle what's left of the USB plug and clean up the solder
pads for its pins. Next - wade in with an illuminated strong magnifier and
try to identify whether any tracks leading away from those pads are broken.

Its probably easier to cut the plug end from a USB extension lead and wire
that onto the flash drive PCB. Cutting the lead from a scrap item like a
printer that runs from a separate supply probably won't work - they usually
don't have the supply pin wired in the USB plug/lead.