On 06/25/2017 09:24 AM, Rob Jarratt via cctalk wrote: > Thanks Pete, so there is enough of a chance that I have found the > culprit to make it worth the effort of desoldering it. > > I have been wondering for a while about getting a hot air rework > station. There are lots of cheap Chinese ones on Ebay. Given my > likely light use it feels worth getting one at this point. Anyone > tried one of these: > http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Genuine-WEP-640W-Hot-Air-Gun-Soldering-Rework-Station-Temp-Control-Digital-/112453738508? > At that price it feels worth the gamble. When replacing components on an SMD board, I prefer to use a low-temp fusible alloy such as "Chip Quik":
http://www.chipquik.com/store/ A nice kit, but really, any low temp fusible alloy will work. I use Cerrobend as a powder, packed around the IC. http://www.csalloys.com/specifications.html I heat the board from the underside with a PAR38 halogen spotlight, which raises the temperature to around the point where it becomes uncomfortable to the touch. The part then just slides off; the IC pads (and the IC itself if you want to re-use it) can be cleaned with a toothbrush and the continued application of light heating. All the parts around the IC are unaffected and soldering a new part is straightforward. FWIW, Chuck
