I think the whole "hot air rework is better than soldering iron" trend is way overblown

After 5 years fixing old game consoles, I've seen way more lifted pads from people blasting boards with hot air than from careful iron work, especially on those brittle Nintendo DS boards from 2004-2008. Has anyone else had better luck just using a thin tip and low melt solder on delicate traces?

3 comments

3 Comments

angelamurphy8d ago

Yeah, totally agree. I've fixed a ton of old consoles too and hot air is just asking for lifted pads on those DS boards from that era. Thin iron tip with some low melt solder has been way more reliable for me. People get carried away trying to look fancy with hot air.

patricia_hill608d ago

Thin iron tip and low melt solder is the way to go for sure, @angelamurphy. I've seen too many people blast old Nintendo boards with hot air and ruin everything around the chip they were trying to fix. Just takes a little patience with the iron and you're golden.

sandragrant8d ago

I used to be in the hot air camp myself, thought I was being all professional with my fancy station. But after ruining a couple of GBA SP boards from getting too aggressive with the heat, I switched to the thin iron and low melt method. Honestly, it's way more forgiving and I haven't lifted a pad since. What's the point of looking cool with hot air if you're just making more work for yourself?