Hi everyone,

​I really need some expert eyes on this PCB. I’m having an issue with my SteelSeries Arctis 1 Wireless headset.

​The Background:

​My headset had an unbalanced audio issue. Turning the volume wheel to 100% would completely cut off the audio in the right ear cup.

​I took it to a local repair tech. He bypassed the volume wheel entirely using jumper wires (see pics). Now, the headphone speakers work perfectly on both sides.

​The Current Problem:

​My mic is now completely dead.

​Right after the repair, the mic worked for exactly 10 seconds during testing, but then stopped and hasn't worked since.

​The repair tech claims the IC is faulty. However, some friends looked at the PCB photos and suspect the messy soldering/flux might be causing a short circuit.

​I have attached pictures of the PCB. You can see the large solder blobs, exposed wire ends, and leftover flux.

​My questions for the experts:

​Does this look like a short circuit caused by the bypass job?

​Is it common for the IC to just die like this, or is the messy soldering the likely culprit?

​How can I safely clean this up or fix the mic connection?

​Any help or guidance would be greatly appreciated!

[Help] Arctis 1 Wireless Mic dead after volume wheel bypass repair. Dead IC or bad soldering? (Pics attached)