Solder-Rework stations

[videobruce]

I'm looking for a solder/rework/hot air station. I had it with solder wick (which rarely worked) and solder suckers (which mostly worked, b ut still falls short).

I looked at the type that has the pump in the tool itself, but I don't like that due to it making the devoice too bulky. Besides most that I have seen seem 'cheap' and I don't just mean cost.

I dismissed those $1k and up stations as being overkill.

Two that I am looking at are from AOYUE. Models 2702A+ for $240 and the newer 2703A+ for $300.
The biggest difference being all three 'tools' can be 'on' at once vs only two of the three with the older (cheaper) model.
All I would want in the hot air gun & the solder sucker, but that combination isn't available.
One thing I don't like is the solder pencil with the smoke sucker that makes the 'pencil' bulky.

Here is the link to the US importer;
http://www.sra-solder.com/aoyue-2703a-all-in-one-digital-hot-air-rework-station-4391

Anyone have experience with these can shed some light or anyone else have suggestions for anything else (under say $400)?

Thanks in advance

 

[gewecke]

Not meaning to be a smart ***, but have you tried your search in google? There are so many manufacturers for rework stations that I could go on for awhile ... Try Mouser or Digikey for some cheaper models for starters. Are you looking for SMT stations? 73, n9zas

 

[902]

I used to have an Ungar, but it didn't hold up as well as a Pace and parts were hard to find. This was before the Internet (hard to imagine, right?). Now, there are at least a dozen potential sources of parts.

I followed your link. I've never heard of Ayoue. Anyway, I find a little better control and precision with a pencil-grip desolderer rather than a pistol grip, especially for more involved circuit boards. What you're looking at was a lot like the Ungar I had, and it was not as easy as changing straight-bore tips on a Pace. YMMV.

If you look at some of the auction sites, you can find more vacuum desoldering stations. I currently have an APE vacuum desolderer that is very close to the Pace workhorse I used when I was professionally in LMR. I've recapped my R-7000 with it.

I bought a Chinese infrared bonder for surface mount stuff. It's got a clamp and a very, very hot lamp that can heat the top of the board, and a ceramic element to heat the bottom of the board so that there are no cracks or internal stress failures. Quite the science to using it. If you get a reworking station, expect to destroy stuff until you finally start getting it right. Your first adventure probably should not be working on your (soon-to-be-former) friend's APX radio. And don't sneeze on a hot board!

The stuff is out there.

Good luck!

 

[videobruce]

Not meaning to be a smart ***, but have you tried your search in google? There are so many manufacturers for rework stations that I could go on for awhile

Yes I have and yes you are correct, there are way too many choices, hence the thread.

 

[videobruce]

It's got a clamp and a very, very hot lamp that can heat the top of the board, and a ceramic element to heat the bottom of the board so that there are no cracks or internal stress failures.

Doing just replacement work, eg, bad caps for example, is that really necessary?

And don't sneeze on a hot board!

"Squeeze" how/where??
Are you just talking about applying pressure when removing or installing components?

 

[videobruce]

Over 225 'views' and no additional input??
No one else here does desoldering?

Anyway, elsewhere these have been suggested;
Quick 713A Solder, Desolder & Rework System with Internal Pump
(which was much more than I was looking at)

and a less expensive version of what I had in my OP;
Deluxe Rework System with Hot Air, Soldering Iron, Suction Gun & Mechanical Arm

 

[902]

Doing just replacement work, eg, bad caps for example, is that really necessary?"Squeeze" how/where??
Are you just talking about applying pressure when removing or installing components?

No, an IR bonder or hot air bonder is not necessary for capacitors or other discrete components. That's not what it's used for, except certain surface mount components that might be on heat-sinking substrates. What I use it for is to rework or replace ICs, especially ball grid array ICs. It takes a LOT of practice and I've destroyed more than I've fixed (read: I'm dangerous with it and I've packed it away in the garage - I admit it).

Sneezing on the board is kind of an inside joke. I worked in a self-maintained radio shop that was working on, amongst other things, MTS-2000 portables. We bought an APE Chipmaster ("Chipmuncher") and had a defective portable clamped into the X-Y axis table to hold it steady. Another technician, Bill (SK), was trying to get the hang of it, heating up the board with a chimney that fit over a certain section. He had the timer set to get the thing all heated to the proper point. As he was getting ready to apply the vacuum plunger to pull the IC off the board, he sneezed and blew a bunch of components across/off the board. Part of the board was a shiny, empty board - and the MTS-2000 was like a Heathkit. A bare board with parts on the table, and some parts jumbled into a mess, one on top of another.

Squeezing and torsion are bad for SMD stuff. The ball grid array ICs can have hundreds of tiny solder balls under them, between them and the board. Torsion of any sort (my pain had been an early production (ver. 1) EFJ 5100 radio that is "supposed to be just like" an XTS-5000 (not even close), except that the EFJ has a case that allows very small amount of torsion (twisting) if you have the radio in your back pocket or ???. These balls could break contact and be intermittent. If so, really, really funky operation happens, like it resets while you're trying to use it.

Over 225 'views' and no additional input??
No one else here does desoldering?

Most people don't repair their own things anymore. The change I saw was in the mid-90s, when depot level service became cheaper than field technician time, and finally, in the 2000s when production of assemblies became cheaper than technician time. Parts availability through retail outlets has also dried up, although they may be available through channels. Even when I could replace an ASIC or other device, it wouldn't be sold without the firmware load to get it going, and it would have to go back to the depot to be flashed, anyway (negating the purpose of being self-maintained - at least for that kind of repair). I might be wrong, but I'd bet that out of the thousands of users here, less than 10% has ever used a vacuum desoldering station, especially those under 40.

 

[videobruce]

Most people don't repair their own things anymore.

Don't tell that to Amateur Radio Operators.

I might be wrong, but I'd bet that out of the thousands of users here, less than 10% has ever used a vacuum desoldering station, especially those under 40.

Sounds about right and I'm well over 40, but after watching some of the U-boob videos, especially one that 'blew me away' of someone using desoldering tools just as fast and easy as buttering a slice of bread, I finally decided that is the way to go. I got a 'kick' out of some of the replies to the video. One stated he didn't think he was 'human' due to how precise & consistent he was.

Enough solder wicks and solder suckers. :wink:

 

[videobruce]

Interesting 'shop' story, but I would have little intention of even attempting something that advanced.

 

[rescue161]

I've got a Pace MBT-350 and does everything I need. I would never go back to solder wick or a manual de-solder tool. Iron is at temp within 2-3 SECONDS of turning it on. Buy once, cry once.

 

[videobruce]

At $1600, I simply can't justify the cost.

 

[QDP2012]

Over 225 'views' and no additional input??
No one else here does desoldering?

Some of us who are in that 'views'-count also wish to have our own desoldering station someday in the future, and appreciate the chance to read the recommendations in this thread, but have no experience-based suggestions to make.

 

[Gunnar_Guy]

At $1600, I simply can't justify the cost.

We use Metcal stations mainly in production with a mix of whatever we can find at the engineering stations. I have a Metcal PS2 and a Hakko 851 at my desk. For large packages I have access to a Metcal Scorpion. Now that's a nice thing to have around.

Sorry that I don't have any experience with the Aoyue tools, but can only offer that it's about recovery time and temperature control. There's a reason good stations cost what they do in this respects.

With the hot air station make sure you get or can get the right nozzles for whatever packages you're working on. The generic round shapes are OK for popcorn parts but you need various sizes when you get into multi pin devices so that you don't wipe out too many surrounding parts during the rework.

Which reminds me, make sure you can get replacement tips for the iron. A lot of the non-standard brands use odd ball tips that are hard to find. Metcal, Weller, Pace, Ersa, JBC, Hakko are well known and industry standards.

Happy hunting and lots of people still tinker, don't you worry.

FWIW, I'm a solder wick mostly person, but will drag myself to the vacuum desoldering station at my tech's bench when I have a lot to do. It's part of his Metcal station, not sure what model it is.

 

[videobruce]

QDP2012;
I understand that, but the comment was directed to those that have or had experience using something other than solder wick. :wink:

Gunnar_Guy;
Thanks for the input.

 

[902]

Don't tell that to Amateur Radio Operators.

I am one, too. But I was originally licensed in the 70s. When I joined a repeater club as a teenager, one of the first things the old timers did was hand me a VHF Engineering kit and say, "Okay, we need you to build our IDer for the 440 repeater." I came to realize (much, much later) that they didn't need an IDer. They wanted the kid to learn something. Out of that, came on-air discussion about audio waveforms, 555 timers, RC time constant, and like that. My kids are also hams. One is an extra, another a general, and two technicians. The extra learned the test. The general can wire a house, but not really DC and electronics. One of the technicians does video graphics. The other writes code. Sit them in front of a soldering station and tell them to replace all of the electrolytics on a circuit board and they'll be doing something else when you come back. The old electrolytics will still be on the board. Young people and component level repair are an anomaly today. And, in the case of my kids, it IS my fault for not handing them a circuit board and telling them to build something we need back when they were younger - especially the girls.

Best wishes on whatever you decide to go with. I suppose the bottom line is looking for something that costs about as much as the convenience you'll have from using it.

 

[krokus]

Sneezing on the board is kind of an inside joke. I worked in a self-maintained radio shop that was working on, amongst other things, MTS-2000 portables. We bought an APE Chipmaster ("Chipmuncher") and had a defective portable clamped into the X-Y axis table to hold it steady. Another technician, Bill (SK), was trying to get the hang of it, heating up the board with a chimney that fit over a certain section. He had the timer set to get the thing all heated to the proper point. As he was getting ready to apply the vacuum plunger to pull the IC off the board, he sneezed and blew a bunch of components across/off the board. Part of the board was a shiny, empty board - and the MTS-2000 was like a Heathkit. A bare board with parts on the table, and some parts jumbled into a mess, one on top of another.

Like many others, I'm sure, I laughed and cringed at this one. I do wonder how long it took to sort out, or if this unit became the parts donor. (Without too much drift.)

Sent via Tapatalk

 

[videobruce]

902;
You should be more than proud that all of your kids have taken after their father in one form or another. They are all a far ahead of most of these kids that only know how to use their 'toy phones'.

I suppose the bottom line is looking for something that costs about as much as the convenience you'll have from using it.

That is an excellent way of putting it. You should 'coin' the phase as it relates to so many other purchases.

Right now I'm trying to locate 'scrap' boards to experiment on. So far I have two sources, but no material yet.