Chosen Solution
Hey fixers, just wondering what I could get away with using comfortable to replace the smallest of components on logic boards, I’ve just bought a 3.5x-90x amscope microscope and a Quick 861dw Hot Air Station and miscalculated my budget on equipment and for the time being need some advice on what would be a good solder station set up without breaking the bank, the price of hakko products here in Australia is about a 20-40% increase in price though ifixit does have the best price on the 2023 micro tweezers. Any opinions on something or somewhere with well priced equipment with worldwide shipping would be awesome Thanks, Josh
Joshua your Quick 861dw looks like a great rework station. Only drawback is that it is hot air only. I suggest a good soldering station with a chisel tip and solder both pads of the component at once. That usually works best for me. Remember to use good flux as well as good solder. To solder a package1005 you’ll need a good soldering station. Sure Hakko is great but ultimately any tool that will work for you is the right tool. If you purchase a less expensive soldering station, just get an external thermocouple thermometer in order to validate the proper temperature. I’ve seen some amazing work being done with a simpler soldering iron and homemade tips. There is really no good way to answer this. It boils down to that the tools and technique will have to work for you. Practice makes perfect, so before going ahead with the soldering on your iPhone get a couple of practice PCB’s.
