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My approach to board-level soldering flipped completely after a repair job in 2022
I used to rely on my old Weller station and a ton of flux for every single SMD component, thinking a bigger iron tip was always better. Then I had to fix a water-damaged iPad logic board where the tiny caps were just dissolving. I switched to a cheap hot air station I got for $80 and a much finer tip, and my success rate on those micro joints went from maybe 60% to near perfect. It felt like learning the whole skill over again. Has anyone else made a major switch in their basic soldering technique that paid off big?
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davis.ivan19h ago
Read a forum post where someone swore by using a lower temperature than you'd think for lead-free solder, like 315C instead of 350C. They said it stopped them from burning up pads on modern boards, which made me try it on a Nintendo Switch chip repair. Slower heat up, but the pad stayed perfect and the joint looked way better under the microscope.
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gonzalez.rowan12h ago
Wait, 315C? That's way lower than I've ever dared to go. I always figured you needed at least 340 to get decent flow with lead-free. I'm shocked it even worked, but your result with the Switch pad is hard to argue with. Might have to try that next time I'm on a thin board.
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