So last week, I pulled my USB cable out of my n900, and the unthinkable happened. I frantically scrambled all over these forums or a solution, but I have zero soldering knowledge, skills or experience, so I really didn't want to DIY it. I gave my phone to my uncle, who used to do these sort of repairs in a shop, who told me that the USB socket only has three rear prongs left (Whereas the inside of the phone has 5 of them).

He soldered the three that were left, but obviously that didn't do much good - My phone won't charge, and won't show up as a storage device on my PC. I'm pretty devastated to say the least!

Is there any way to recover from this situation? I saw that I can buy replacement USB sockets, but I'm not sure I want to bother my uncle again as it took him a week to even remember to get around to doing it (Not blaming him, just don't want to take anymore of his time). I'm considering just shopping around for an external battery charger, as I rarely use the USB connectivity anyway (Syncthing FTW!), but obviously I'd love my phone to be in 100% working order.

So, is it worth just taking the plunge and having a go at playing operation myself? The USB socket is teeeny, I don't even know of my hands are steady enough to solder those 5 prongs. Do external battery chargers exist, are they worth using, and are there any recommendations to make?

I have read through this thread, but I guess I'm just scared of ruining my phone even more. I think I'm going crazy without my li'l pocket computer.