A Geek Goes Flying

(I don’t think this includes the “unified memory” in the newest, Apple Silicon, machines.) The onboard RAM and storage chips, soldered to the logic board in, e.g., the MacBook Air machines since forever, actually can be upgraded by the end user ... If the end user has access to a hot air rework station (like the X-Tronic 6020-PRO-X , or the 6040-PRO-X if you also need a soldering iron) and the skill to use it! As seen here (and many places): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UIsMx28Pakg MacBook Air logic board showing RAM chips

I have an old Razer BlackWidow Tournament Stealth Edition keyboard I picked up about 6 years when I was temporarily afflicted with an open office. The Razer brand orange switches were never quite to my taste, so it’s mostly been collecting dust. (I also lost the F8 key cap a while back.) Perfect sacrificial lamb while I learn how to desolder, solder, etc. (I'm waiting on some Kailh Box Navy switches to arrive and then I plan to modify a Das Keyboard Model S Professional For Mac - which I actually  do  care about). I had a set of Kailh Box White switches left over from a GMMK I swapped to Pale Blue; several of them went into a numeric keypad that was my first attempt at replacing soldered switches . With almost enough to swap everything on this board (especially since some of the orange switches have built in LEDs and would be sticking around), figured, more practice is never a bad thing. I  almost  got it perfect the first time, but borked pads at the space bar a...

Back in November, I started modifying keyboards by swapping in different switches , in hotswap boards. Great as far as it goes, but limiting. Decided to get back into soldering (used to do it a lot when I was a kid, with a Radio Shack iron and no training). Have a cheap ($19) numeric keypad that came with awful mushy "MX Blue clone" switches (I think they're Outemus but my middle age eyes can’t read the branding). Decided to make it my sacrificial lamb for practicing desoldering and soldering, with decent equipment and supplies this time: Hakka FX888D-23BY soldering station Engineer SS-02 solder sucker Kester 44 Solder Wire , 63/37 0.031-in Silicon repair mat , to protect my work surface ( cough  the kitchen table cough ) Hakko CHP-170 Micro Cutter Solder wick (I need to work on my technique; video tutorials suggest this should be easier than using the desoldering pump, but my experience has been exactly the opposite) A beefier keyswitch puller than the chintzy met...