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Rant: reflowing a Garmin GNS 430 connector with a $12 heat gun instead of the shop's $400 station
Had a 430 in a Cessna 172 come in with an intermittent GPS dropout that would only show up in flight, and the shop's hot air station was tied up on a King Air job in Wichita. I grabbed a cheap heat gun, set it on low, and reflowed the pins on the back connector with a little flux paste and a thermocouple taped right next to it to watch temps. Held 380F for about 40 seconds and it's been flying 3 months now with no complaints from the owner. Anyone else ever gotten away with a cheap heat gun on avionics connectors, or am I playing with fire here?
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tarah574d ago
Held 380F for about 40 seconds is basically the same recipe I've used on old radio trays, and they're still flying years later. A heat gun with a thermocouple taped next to the work is honestly more controlled than half the guys I know who just wave a torch around and hope for the best. The trick is keeping the heat moving so you don't cook the plastic housing, and it sounds like you already know that.
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