felix155•21d agoProlific Poster

Swore by hot air rework stations for years, but that $60 iron changed my mind

I had a stubborn QFN chip that just wouldn't budge with hot air alone. Tried a cheap soldering iron with a flat tip and it popped right off in 10 seconds - now I'm rethinking my whole approach.

2 comments

2 Comments

jaken2321d ago

Man, I gotta push back on this one. Hot air is still king for me, especially with those tight QFNs that have ground pads underneath. A flat tip iron might work if the board is clean and you have perfect access, but throw some underfill or a thermal pad on that chip and the iron just becomes a heat sink sticking to the part. I had the exact opposite experience last week with a memory chip the iron just couldn't wet the pad under, but a quick preheat with hot air and a gentle twist popped it clean. Different tools for different jobs, you know.

margaretrivera21d ago

different tools for different jobs" is exactly right though... I had this one stubborn QFN last month that just would not budge with my iron no matter what I tried. Finally had to bust out the hot air station and it came off in like ten seconds @jaken23. But then I've also had times where hot air just cooks the whole board and I wish I had a chisel tip iron to just target that one pin. Guess it really depends on the day and how your luck is running lol.