Circuit board/PCB repairs etc

SkidMarkKing

SkidMarkKing

SkidMarkKing

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Hi guys,

Can anyone advise on the equipment needed to get into soldering/repairing PCB boards, computer motherboards etc?

I know a solder, heat gun but not sure how much I would need to spend on other equipment such as thermal cameras and any other equipment.

Thanks
 
Probably best looking up some good youtuber channels. There are a lot of repair channels that work with motherboards.

Back in the day a friend did a course at college that was all about circuit boards. I'm not sure what the course was called though.
 
Depends how seriously you are doing it.

At the very least I'd recommend a temperature controlled workstation - it makes working with stuff like that so much easier than the average soldering iron and if you are doing anything with smaller IC packages a heat gun is really a must.

A decent set of small electronics tools, cutting and soldering mats, helping hands type things with magnifier, lights and fan for removing fumes and digital multimeter would be essentials really - stuff like a thermal camera you are getting into more serious territory.
 
Computer PCB's are often six or more layer and as such some elements are extremely hard to repair. It depends to what depth you want to get into it, even the most expensive motherboards are now at a price level where time and equipment returns often don't warrant repairing the things at all.

Soldering wise the RF heated irons and tweezers from Metcal are, IMHO, the best, my small iron with a range of tips can do from tiny surface mount components to stuff that would need a 150W gun normally. New they are very expensive, second hand they are much more affordable.

Good thermal cameras seem to be the preserve of Flir. Sony do some good USB microscopes. The Iranian guy on YouTube with a channel named something like Northridge Fix goes into some detail on the gear he uses and he seems to have a huge customer base and tackles some tricky looking repairs. Of course component removal and replacement is only a part of it, finding WHAT component needs replacing comes first :)

I have built quite a lot of surface mount PCB stuff, but always wonder why I am struggling with tiny stuff, as I'd be just as happy with something ten times bigger using through hole components,

www.youtube.com

World's Fastest RF soldering iron - Metcal challenge

There's been a bit of discussion about these new OLED equipped soldering irons from China. This is a 1994 RF soldering iron from Metcal. An optional RF pow...
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Chris Wilson said:
Good thermal cameras seem to be the preserve of Flir. Sony do some good USB microscopes. The Iranian guy on YouTube with a channel named something like Northridge Fix goes into some detail on the gear he uses and he seems to have a huge customer base and tackles some tricky looking repairs. Of course component removal and replacement is only a part of it, finding WHAT component needs replacing comes first [/URL]
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Will check his channel out actually. I do watch that quite a bit as well :)
 
Vince, would you mind if I posted a high definition photo of a PCB I have that needs one of the micro USB ports (the middle one) changing for a new one? I have a few of the exactly correct new USB ports, but was looking for a younger eyesighted, less heavily drinking man to pay to do the swap... <hint hint> :)
 
A bit of a necro, but I'm just getting into a bit of hobby electronics.

Minusorange said:
I use this https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:17086 but if I was doing it daily, I'd probably pony up for one of the Hakko FA430-16's
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How did you get on with this long term? Is it still a good option for occasional use?
Also, are the cheap filters that are available from the rainforest suitable, or not worth using?
 
Littlenose said:
How did you get on with this long term? Is it still a good option for occasional use?
Also, are the cheap filters that are available from the rainforest suitable, or not worth using?
Click to expand...
It's fine for occasional use, I got my filters off aliexpress I guess Amazon should have similar just look for "High Quality Activated Carbon Filter Sponge For Solder Smoke Absorber ESD Fume Extractor 13*13*1cm Black"
 
There is a dude on YouTube I’ve been watching recently, joey does tech or joey fixes things or something… he lists all he uses in his video descriptions.

I’ve been thinking of picking up a few bits.
 
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