Nvidia Shield - Ethernet port bracket snapped

Bengaboy · 24 Dec 2019 at 13:01

I know this is random, but it has been doing my breasts right in, hopefully someone can help!

My wife packed the shield away, rather than pressing down on the ethernet cable to remove it, she just yanked it off. So now the cable has nothing to latch onto when inserted. This means the cable will not work unless I do some taping to keep the cable in place.

Is there anything I can do to repair it? I want to give game streaming a go and over wireless it is pretty crap. I have had a look for new brackets and such, but my google-fu is weak apparently!

Avalon · 24 Dec 2019 at 14:04

On my 2015 Shield, it's two small metal tabs that deal with cable locking, assuming she has bent them rather than broken both, i'd look to carefully move them back to where they should be. You may be able to reinstate a similarly thin bar over the top if you crack the shield open and don't mind soldering it in place. Failing that, you could make use of a short male to female RJ45 extender and use a small dab of superglue to secure it into the port, enough so it's held firmly, but at the same time can be removed if required in the future, use a gel based product like Loctite Power Flex rather than the liquid types, you don't want it to flow into the port as such, just to bond between the lower plastic portion of the case and the bottom of the plug, so if you need to remove it, it's easy to get at.

Also explain to wife that yanking a cable hard enough to do that sort of damage isn't something any reasonable person would do, unless they wanted to replace it with a new Shield.

Mujja · 24 Dec 2019 at 14:08

I've seen blutack used in similar situations.

b00merang69 · 24 Dec 2019 at 14:19

^^ As above Blutack, Good thing is now you know what to give the wife for Xmas > A black eye.

Bengaboy · 24 Dec 2019 at 14:28

Blutack?? That's actually pretty genius... Just whack some on the top of the ethernet port and jam the cable in?

Avalon said:
On my 2015 Shield, it's two small metal tabs that deal with cable locking, assuming she has bent them rather than broken both, i'd look to carefully move them back to where they should be. You may be able to reinstate a similarly thin bar over the top if you crack the shield open and don't mind soldering it in place. Failing that, you could make use of a short male to female RJ45 extender and use a small dab of superglue to secure it into the port, enough so it's held firmly, but at the same time can be removed if required in the future, use a gel based product like Loctite Power Flex rather than the liquid types, you don't want it to flow into the port as such, just to bond between the lower plastic portion of the case and the bottom of the plug, so if you need to remove it, it's easy to get at.

Also explain to wife that yanking a cable hard enough to do that sort of damage isn't something any reasonable person would do, unless they wanted to replace it with a new Shield.

Just had another look at the shield - yea, it's pretty nackered. My soldering skills are awful, so I may go down the superglue route also.

Apparently, it wasn't the wife, it was the removal people when we moved house.

Armageus · 24 Dec 2019 at 14:32

Dab of hot melt glue gun would also do it, and can be peeled off easily when needed

Avalon · 24 Dec 2019 at 16:04

Armageus said:
Dab of hot melt glue gun would also do it, and can be peeled off easily when needed

Probably a better idea initially, my solution is more of a permanent one. It’s likely to need a bit more glue though, not a lot for the hot glue to key to, but it only needs to resist the weight of the cable or any tension on it. Op just don’t let the ‘removal’ people near it again

b00merang69 · 24 Dec 2019 at 16:38

A very short male to female Ethernet lead so you can semi permanently hotglue it in place but still unplug it when needed.