VEX V5 smart motor crushed pin repair

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Incorrectly crimped v5 smart cables can crush pins in your smart ports and cause dropping and loose connections. Luckily, all you need is a decently steady hand and a paperclip, and you'll be back up and running legally!

Note: This repair applies to all devices in the VEX V5 system that utilize the RJ-9 smart port.

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crwdns2931653:01crwdne2931653:0 Identification and Inspection

VEX V5 smart motor crushed pin repair, Identification and Inspection: crwdns2935265:01crwdnd2935265:01crwdnd2935265:01crwdne2935265:0

Incorrectly crimped cables have metal contacts that protrude from the connector housing.
Simply re-insert and crimp the cable again and it should be fixed.
This step is imperative as the pins will be crushed again by an incorrectly crimped cable.
This issue is identified by the motor disconnecting when pulling and repositioning the cable. Applying force to the connector into the port usually causes the connection to recover, but the cable will fall out again. If the motor still does not respond, the motor or brain port may have an internal failure.
The Image to the left demonstrates how the crushed pins(orange line) are a critically large distance from where they should be (green line)

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crwdns2931653:02crwdne2931653:0 Creating the repair tool

VEX V5 smart motor crushed pin repair, Creating the repair tool: crwdns2935265:02crwdnd2935265:01crwdnd2935265:01crwdne2935265:0

This is where the paperclip comes in. The smaller the better, but a set of wire strippers or a knife can remove plastic coatings from larger paperclips.
Use your fingernails or a pair of pliers (recommended) and unfold one side of the paperclip.
Then bend a 3-4MM section with a right angle.
The length of the short bend does not need to be exact. It only needs to span the width of all four pins and still be able to fit around the side.

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crwdns2931653:03crwdne2931653:0 Insert the paperclip

VEX V5 smart motor crushed pin repair, Insert the paperclip: crwdns2935265:03crwdnd2935265:01crwdnd2935265:01crwdne2935265:0

This is where a steady hand is needed. Ensure that during insertion, the device has no power connection and that you DO NOT bend the outermost pins while inserting and removing the paperclip.
Insert the paperclip into the port sideways on the very Left or right side of the pins and SLOWLY AND GENTLY rotate the paperclip 90 degrees until it is under the pins.
Depending on how low the pins are, you may need to wiggle the paperclip to get the tip under the pins.
Then slide the paperclip sideways until it has a section under all four pins.
Coverage under all pins ensures that the pins are uniformly lifted and improves consistency. (It also looks better during inspection)

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crwdns2931653:04crwdne2931653:0 Lift Pins and remove tool

VEX V5 smart motor crushed pin repair, Lift Pins and remove tool: crwdns2935265:04crwdnd2935265:01crwdnd2935265:02crwdne2935265:0

VEX V5 smart motor crushed pin repair, Lift Pins and remove tool: crwdns2935265:04crwdnd2935265:02crwdnd2935265:02crwdne2935265:0

Carefully use the bottom of the port to turn the paperclip into a lever and gently push the pins up.
Do not push the pins above the red line in the image or over the top of the slots in the connector. This will cause the pins to cross or become bent.
Once the pins are back up, the paperclip can be easily rotated out from under the pins and removed from the port.
Keep the paperclip for later in case you need to perform this repair again.