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LadyN

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Joined: 26/01/2019
Location: United States
Posts: 408

Posted: 12:22am 14 May 2019

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What is a good hot air rework station to use for DIY?

I noticed that SMD was being recommended to get used to for newer projects: my research into parts on the market confirm that DIP is harder to source than SMD, and if the need is intense for a DIP version anyways, say for prototype use, it can be fabricated from SMD parts anyways through adapter boards.

Also, the boards/modules I use myself are all SMD and there have been times when I wished I was able to reword parts of it or to study it and put it back.

1. So is there an affordable hot air rework station that is easy to repair or mod that I can use to not only learn SMD but also rework existing boards? I prefer Ali.
2. Are there other accessories, paste etc that's helpful? I would like to purchase them as well. I prefer Ali as well, if possible.
Edited by LadyN 2019-05-15

kentfielddude
Regular Member

Joined: 09/05/2019
Location: United States
Posts: 89

Posted: 02:17am 14 May 2019

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I have the quick 861dw. I highly reccomend it but it is expensive ($270) compared to the cheap $30 chinese one but realtivly cheap to the weller and hakko hot air stations at the same quality. Solder paste from ali is useable but the results are sub par compared to american paste like kester. It all comes down to you get what you pay for.Edited by kentfielddude 2019-05-15

BenandAmber
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Joined: 16/02/2019
Location: United States
Posts: 961

Posted: 04:29am 14 May 2019

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LadyN I make my own solder paste

I ordered a bunch of different types and the kind I make I like a million times better

It's made of Pine Amber you know when a pine tree gets injured it's sap runs out and then Harden's

I heat it up in alcohol it makes for a clear high temperature solder liquid paste

Or you can just leave it as a hard Amber and poke your soldering iron into it

If you like actual paste you can mix it with a little bit of petroleum jelly Vaseline

I never do it that away though I like the smell of the pine and it don't give me headaches like other paste

When you go to clean your board it don't Clump up like the other soldering paste does

You just brush it with rubbing alcohol it comes clean easily

The alcohol evaporates quickly when soldering and leaves behind a very high temperature soldering paste

I cannot say enough good about this type of soldering liquid paste

I will never go back ever!!!!!!!!!!

It is very sticky though if you get it on your fingers

If anyone is interested in making their own soldering liquid paste

This is some of the cheapest Pine Amber that I could find

use two parts alcohol one part Pine resin
This is sold on eBay as regular soldering paste

when you read in the reviews and the people complain it's hard as a rock then you know you got the right stuff

It smells so good and no headachesEdited by BenandAmber 2019-05-15

be warned i am good parrot but Dumber than a box of rocks

Tinker

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Joined: 07/11/2007
Location: Australia
Posts: 1904

Posted: 08:34am 14 May 2019

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Yes but..
Ben , the commercial solder paste that was discussed here contains powdered *solder*. With that there is no requirement to use solder wire at all.

Solder wire, even the finest available, easily makes unwanted solder bridges between the very tiny leg spacings of SMD IC's.

Klaus

BenandAmber
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Joined: 16/02/2019
Location: United States
Posts: 961

Posted: 06:06pm 14 May 2019

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Tinker

I have made that kind of paste also and it works really good no problem

It's amazing how the solder gets attracted to the pads and pens like a magnet

I unsoldered every chip on Egs oo2 and resolder them back on

I am using that exact card in my little inverter right now

One of the chips came with a solder Bridge from the factory so I said the heck with it why not try it out

I have pictures on one of my topics on this form

The problem is getting the solder small enough to stay suspended in the paste

You have to use a fine file
it has to be a hard file so you don't get any contaminants in your solder

it takes a very long time to get enough

And it can't be big filings
Has to be very very small microscopic almost

I wouldn't recommend it to anyone unless they was in a pinch

Works great but lots of work

You can buy powdered solder that is real lead and mix your own if you wanted to

And if I soldered lots of chips that's exactly what I would do

I can't stand the headaches the other stuff gives make

But for regular liquid solder paste there isn't any out there that can beat the homemade stuffEdited by BenandAmber 2019-05-16

be warned i am good parrot but Dumber than a box of rocks

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