I don't care what's it gonna take. I just want a connection. I guess I can connect the VCC to another voltage source, but I have the same thing happened to TX on another circuit board, although that one can "flip" (it is still attached marginally... at one end).
Board: T Deck Lilygo.
so I looked up the schematic and I fitted my reasoning into this image:
https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/z16hluqgr6eca1w3kz3j3/TDeck-circuitboard.png?rlkey=lpdhqm5cq0crldp02jcz0agc6&dl=0
So these connectors on the ESP are probably the correct ones?
Yes it's as simple as that. I would recommend checking with a multimeter to be sure of the connections.
Simply run a wire from the connector to the right pin on the ESP board. You can solder to the side to make it easier.
One thing to look out for is sometimes schematics mention the ESP pin and sometimes they mention the ESP board pin, which is different. That's why it's a good idea to double check you have the right pin. You can check out the ESP datasheet to check which pins are TX and RX and use a multimeter to beep it all out. Once you know you've got it right, solder a little bodge wire and it's all fixed.
nicenicenice. Thanks a lot. I am not doomed after all
checking continuity with multimeter is a bit hard since the pad is butchered, but I guess I can use the other board to check this pad's path to the ESP