I went ahead and sandwiched the end of the Type K thermocoupler between the ceramic tiles. This way I tried to eliminate variances caused by ambient temperatures as much as possible. It also protects the probe end from to much heat exposure.

Ambient temperature in my shop during this test was 23deg C (73.4deg F). Pretty mild day for South Texas:-)

First heat source I tested is the Goodys 1875watt 3speed hair dryer. It is set to Hot on high speed.

At a distance between the heat source and the thermocoupler of 3/4" (19mm) the maximum temperature it reached was 63deg C (+/- 2deg C by moving the hair dryer in a back-and-forth motion across the thermal probe) (145.4deg F)

Next up is the Dual Temperature 1500Watt heat gun. I used the same setup with the same distance between the heat source and the probe. With a distance of 3/4" (19mm) and the heat gun set to the first speed settings, the maximum temperature reached was 100deg C.(212deg F)

With the heat gun speed at stage 2 the maximum temperature measured was 240deg C.(464deg F) The picture is somewhat deceiving since the angle of the heat gun is increased, so it appears as if it was directly over the thermocoupler. Proper distances have been maintained.

To determine if a hair dryer was sufficient to reflow a board, I picked the solder available in my shop. It is the Sn-Ag-Cu (Tin-Silver-Copper) solder, that is also used by two thirds of Japanese manufacturers for reflow, and has a melting range of 217–220deg C or 422-428deg F . Lead containing solder, like the 63/37 Sn/Pb used principally in electrical/electronic work, has the lowest melting point of all the tin/lead alloys at 183deg C or 361.4deg F. I do recognize that the solidus quantifies the temperature at which melting of a substance begins, but not necessarily the substance is melted completely, is lower than the melting point, but this temperature is usually just a few degrees lower than the melting point

References are here and here

Hopefully this will make a definite case against using a hair dryer for any reflow attempt. It will not reach the temperature required to reflow any logic board. Of course this is just informational for those that wondered about this in the first place. Thanks for a great forum.

⟐ Commented novembro 11, 2022 at 16:23 GMT-7

⟐ Commented dezembro 24, 2021 at 3:27 GMT-7

I ordered a pair with loupes, a few months off Amazon, they didn't have an adjustable focal length, and 2" of space between my nose and a hot iron ain't gonna fly. ;)

I was looking at something like this on Amazon : Eschenbach MXDT-16245-01

It would be nice to find a pair, at a reasonable price, with 10x+ magnification and a minimum focal distance of say 2'.

Any suggestions or recommendations?

⟐ Commented novembro 17, 2024 at 11:36 GMT-7

Im looking to get into the micro soldering art. I am currently working as a smartphone repair technician but not on the solder level. Im planning on training myself in micro soldering. my trouble now is that i need to buy some equipment and I dont have the biggest budget. I've been scouting the net for some stations but what i've found is "Hakko" "jcb" and "weller". I would like some tips of a decent station thats not too pricy but still gets the job done. preferably not to hard to find for shipping to europe aswell.

any tips is appreciated.

⟐ Comment deleted maio 17, 2019 at 8:21 GMT-7

I am going to be starting to solder, and my goal is to become good at microsoldering on iphone, ipads, and other devices that require battery replacements, soldering pads, FCP connectors

What does everyone recommend for starting wise such as a microscope, hot station, soldering methods, etc?

I really am excited to get started ! Please help

⟐ Answer accepted outubro 01, 2023 at 21:59 GMT-7

What do you think about it?

http://www.amazon.it/STAZIONE-SALDATURA-...

⟐ Answer deleted agosto 07, 2018 at 18:42 GMT-7

I would like the range 5-14, if possible, and it must ship internationally.

My current ones only do 6-X, and they’re poor quality. Bought years ago from a random seller on eBay. This time I’d like something that’ll last!

⟐ Commented novembro 22, 2022 at 16:42 GMT-7

I want to start doing board lever repair for iPhones. I am on a really cheap budget, and I need a really cheapo soldering pencil and soldering tweezers. Doesn't anyone have any recommendations?

⟐ Answer deleted maio 30, 2022 at 13:44 GMT-7

⟐ Answer accepted agosto 25, 2019 at 8:27 GMT-7

⟐ Answer accepted janeiro 18, 2023 at 11:23 GMT-7

⟐ Answer accepted outubro 01, 2023 at 21:59 GMT-7

I've recently gotten into soldering, but don't really have much in bank right now to spend on a decent iron.

My two options that i've looked into are as follows:

PINECIL V2: I am leaning towards this due to it's relatively cheap price, good interface, and good performance (its 60 CAD where I am)

Hakko FX888D-23BY Digital Soldering Station: This one im not entirely leaning towards as it's too expensive for me and lacks portability. It would be nice to have, but I'm not sure if its a valid choice.

I'd preferr to have something relatively mid-high end for under $200, any suggestions? Which one out of the two should I go with?

⟐ Answered outubro 04, 2024 at 1:02 GMT-7

So i'm looking to repair my USB DAC because it does not receive power unless the USB port is pushed in a certain direction. So I'm thinking that the solder points have broken.

I have taken it apart, however looking at the back and wobbling the connection I don't see any movement, so I *think* that the solder between the port and the connection point is whats broken, but due to other things on the PCB I can't get a good look (and it doesn't wobble much, theres 2 connections holding it in place so the other must still be good, probably wobbles maybe 0.5mm either way, but apparently thats enough to cause a disconnect from the pins). It could also be a pad, i'm not 100% sure.

So keeping in mind that I'm a complete begginer, and my limited supplies (I haven't ever soldered anything before, I only have a soldering station and some solder, no flux or any other equipment) what should I try? Should I just stick a soldering iron on the presumably broken joint and get it to hopefully re-solidify in the right way for it to fix my USB port and maintain contact with the pins? I have a small budget for this, $50 AUD if I need to get more supplies, any more then that and i'd rather just get a new DAC as it was just a bit over 100 AUD.

⟐ Answer accepted outubro 02, 2023 at 2:17 GMT-7

Has anyone had experience with an alternative to Hakko they're comfortable with? I'm in the process of returning a Yihua station (8786 I think it was) now - the temps were so far off it was unusable and trying to get service was impossible.

I am looking at Aixun gear and they seem to have excellent reviews. Service is a concern though.

Any suggestions out there?

Thanks,

DMF

Thanks so much to all who took the time on Super Bowl Sunday to answer the new guy’s question(s). Keep the comments coming, soaking everything up.

No disrespect to anyone who has responded - I’ve been reading and skimming over the various topics that might provide insight and I’ve seen so many answers from @oldturkey03 i was hoping he would contribute. I was not disappointed!

Again, thanks to all and please, keep the suggestions coming. The initial answer with the list of alternate gear had several I have not heard of - so please, keep those replies coming.

I did forget to ask about one brand - X-Tronic. Any thoughts on their gear? I see them a lot on Amazon, but have not seen any comments from users.

Thanks again,

Dennis

⟐ Commented fevereiro 20, 2023 at 23:53 GMT-7

first of all, I tried to replace 2 charging port for laptop motherboard and one micro usb port for a tablet and I destroyed all the boards.

I'm feeling like I don't have the right tools.

Basically, I never tried to solder anything, because I just can't desolder those ports. I don't have flux. I'm wondering if without flux I should be able to desolder?

It takes like 1 hour to remove all the tin then there still have some tin everywhere that I can't remove with my desoldering brain and the port is still stuck there. Finally, the board just burn.

⟐ Commented novembro 11, 2022 at 11:11 GMT-7

⟐ Commented julho 05, 2022 at 19:40 GMT-7

⟐ Answer deleted abril 21, 2022 at 14:24 GMT-7

⟐ Answer accepted setembro 30, 2023 at 22:02 GMT-7

ue where to re solder them to.

⟐ Answer accepted setembro 30, 2023 at 22:02 GMT-7

⟐ Commented março 02, 2023 at 17:26 GMT-7