Electronics Repair Work and Soldering

November 16, 2017 by

Lately there has been much discussion about and visibility of electronics, electronics repair, and soldering/microsoldering. I want to shed some light onto the tools and techniques to answer many of the common questions out there. This won’t be an all-encompassing guide, but will evolve and grow over time.

You’re going to need some tools and many of these tools can be quite expensive. To reduce the costs a bit, don’t run out a buy all of the new tools as you may not like some and may not need others; it is much better to work for a while a see what you need and how you work (I found although I bought an iSlack opening tools, I really don’t like it or use it).

The Basics:
Soldering:
I advocate buying used tools when possible and practical (I opted to buy used soldering and hot air stations and upgrade later rather than buying cheap clones or new name-brand). Obviously, don’t buy used consumable tools (tweezers, driver bits, etc) or equipment without making sure it is a good enough deal to be worth the risk. I also advocate buying good quality tools – buy the best you can afford and buy it once. I bought a used Hakko 936 soldering station after looking at all of new offerings and the clones. I preferred the temperature adjustment knob over the digital interfaces and I didn’t want to get a clone of questionable quality for nearly the same price. Fortunately, most of the parts are available still and replacement tips are plentiful. I also purchased a used Hakko 850 hot air station after considering Quick, Aoyue, Atten, and many other stations including new Weller, Hakko, Metcal, and JBC. I was into a complete Hakko setup for under $200. If you can’t find a used name brand, the Hakko FX-951 and Quick 861DW are good new options. I only upgraded because I found a deal on a Hakko FM-203 and FM-2022 (plus more) for less than the price of the FM-2022. It didn’t hurt that selling the Hakko 850 paid for most of the upgrade.

Along with your soldering and hot air stations, you will also need solder, flux, soldering braid, and maybe solder paste. Skip the paste if you won’t be reballing ball grid array (BGA) devices or doing new surface mount device (SMD/SMT) work. I suggest either a 60/40 or 63/37 leaded solder. Lead free doesn’t flow as well, wet as nice, or melt as easily. Stick to a name brand like Kester and you will be just fine. I have various sizes ranging from .015” through ⅛”. For this type of work, a size between .015” and .062” should work fine.

To remove excess solder and clean pads, solder wick is needed. It is much easier than trying to use a solder sucker and cleans better. You will need this for just about any type of rework you do. Solder wick comes in various sizes but 3.5mm is a good generic width. It works much better if flux is applied as it lets the solder flow up the wick better.

Flux seems to be a personal preference item as there are numerous brands and formulas available. I, and many others, like the Amtech 559. Make sure you buy it from a reputable source as it is often fake on Amazon and Ebay. Extra flux will make your rework and clean up much easier and better as it provides cleaning action and allows the solder to flow. Additional flux usually isn’t needed if you are soldering properly with flux core solder wire.

Screw Drivers and Bits:
Screw drivers and bits is one area where you should spend more for quality and where you shouldn’t buy used unless you can thoroughly check out the tips. The iFixIt kits listed below are good quality and have a lifetime warranty on the bits – if they get damaged, iFixIt will replace them. Other high-quality options include Wiha, Wera, and Moody. You can get by with lower quality bits and drivers but you will feel the difference as they slip more and don’t fit fasteners quite right.

Consumables:
There are a lot of little things in this work. We’ve covered some above: solder, solder paste, solder wick, and flux. Others are tweezers, tip cleaners, adhesives (such as the double sided Tesa 61395), Kapton tape, gloves, wipes, and cotton swabs.

Although tweezers are expensive, they really are a consumable item. Once the tips get mangled, they just don’t work right and will need to be replaced. There are some cheaper options, but you generally get what you pay for. I have this cheap set, and they work but they are much lower quality.

Specialty Tools:
Some of the specialty tools may be required for certain tasks you need to do or may simply make the tasks easier. The iOpener kit from iFixIt is a step up from using hot air to loosen display adhesive. Another step up is the heat pad which holds the device at a constant temperature while work is being done. Sure, you can replace a screen using a hair dryer or heat gun, but it isn’t the right tool for the job and is risky, and takes more time.

 

Tool and Supplies List:

Filed under Computer, Electronics, How To, Misc, Supplies, Tools Tagged with , , , , ,

Market Monday: webstaurantstore.com

September 18, 2017 by

I’ve been shopping at Webstaurant Store restaurant supply for a few years now. They have great prices on nearly everything, a huge selection, great customer service, and a great review program. I’ve ordered 65 items in 4 orders and generated nearly $170 in credit by writing review on the items I purchased.

If you are looking for some kitchen supplies, bulk food items, or equipment, be sure to head over to Webstaurant Store and look around.

Filed under Food, Supplies Tagged with ,

Market Monday: MLCSWoodworking.com / EagleAmerica.com

February 13, 2017 by

MLCS Woodworking and Eagle America are primarily a source for router supplies – router bits, router tables, router accessories, joinery systems (box, dovetail, etc), Forstner bits, and shaper cutters – Eagle America also sells saw blades and many other woodworking items. The MLCS router bits are imported and reasonably priced compared to other over-seas brands. The MLCS bits are said to be the highest quality import bits available.

Eagle America focuses on premium-quality American-made router bits at similarly reasonable prices.

Eagle America bits come with a lifetime warranty and MLCS have a 3 year warranty. Both companies have excellent customer service. MLCS offers free shipping on all orders as well.

The bit selection of both is quite impressive – they are likely to have any router bit you may find yourself needing.

MLCS and Eagle America also have YouTube channels with product videos and helpful project videos.

Be sure to check them out when you are shopping for router bits or woodworking tools in general.

Filed under Supplies, Woodworking Tagged with , ,

Market Monday: TEquipment.net

January 16, 2017 by

TEquipment.net has turned out to be a great supplier of electronic test equipment and tools. I ordered my oscilloscope from them and initially had some issues. Their customer service was far better than any company I have dealt with before – they reached out to me to fix the problem and followed through on it.

They carry a wide range of test equipment from a wide range of brands. They also sell 3D printers, lab equipment, various environmental testers, thermal images, and soldering equipment. I will check with them first when I pick up a power supply, soldering supplies, and other equipment.

If you are shopping for electronic test equipment, check out TEquipment.net.

Filed under Electronics, Supplies, Tools Tagged with , ,

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