General questions for the dummy that is myself

[The Salty Memes]

Hello Everyone! for the past few months I have been trying to create a mobile ps2 on budget (which failed cause I've spent almost 600 on all the materials), and I realized that I do not know where to start on this project. I am aware of the PS2 trimming guide made by @Gman , which is VERY helpful, but i am still a mere normie when it comes to electronics. I have watched all of the videos on the website that help you with soldering, troubleshooting and such, but there are a few questions that I haven't been able to find an answer for ( and these questions are going to be pretty dumb). So here are my questions compiled into one post as to not spam the forum with this stuff.

General stuff:
1). What is the best method to trim a PCB??( Ive seen people use a saw, sharp edges, but idk)
2).For wires that are soldered onto the PCB itself, how is that done? (I assume for mods and power relocations, one would have to scratch the surface of the PCB to reveal the copper plate below, then solder a wire with a desired voltage to its required place?)
3).What is the best way to trouble shoot for a short? (Ive seen on youtube several methods but I may be mixing them all up)

I greatly appreciate any help I can Get, thanks!

 

[Stitches]

1: For trimming we use rotary cutting tools, like a Dremel. Using a straight saw or tin snips can cause layer separation and rip internal traces, killing the board.

2: Most wires you need to solder will have pads or exposed pins available for use without need to rasp the PCB, but in the event you do need to expose some copper to make a stubborn via play nice, you can use a sharp razor blade like a scalpel/hobby knife/x-acto knife to carefully scratch the solder mask off. There's also a tool called a "fibreglass pencil" that works kinda like a stick of fine sandpaper. You can use it to more safely expose copper without risk of damaging traces.

3: Well illuminated close up photos, a magnifying glass, and a multimeter. Pictures can reveal things the naked eye misses, and a multimeter can tell you instantly if two pins are shorted via the resistance check setting. 2 ohms or less and you have yourself a short.

 

[The Salty Memes]

1: For trimming we use rotary cutting tools, like a Dremel. Using a straight saw or tin snips can cause layer separation and rip internal traces, killing the board.

2: Most wires you need to solder will have pads or exposed pins available for use without need to rasp the PCB, but in the event you do need to expose some copper to make a stubborn via play nice, you can use a sharp razor blade like a scalpel/hobby knife/x-acto knife to carefully scratch the solder mask off. There's also a tool called a "fibreglass pencil" that works kinda like a stick of fine sandpaper. You can use it to more safely expose copper without risk of damaging traces.

3: Well illuminated close up photos, a magnifying glass, and a multimeter. Pictures can reveal things the naked eye misses, and a multimeter can tell you instantly if two pins are shorted via the resistance check setting. 2 ohms or less and you have yourself a short.

Awesome, thank you so much for the wisdom( sorry it took so long to respond; had to finish some college work to graduate).I have one more question though, Before I start trimming a PCB, can I use a marker like a sharpie to trace an outline to trim? or is there a special marker I should use as to not damage the PCB??

 

[Stitches]

Any permanent marker is fine. Sharpie, Artline, Niko, any is good.