📢
3
c/electronics-repairers•james92james92•1mo ago

Stopped by an old repair shop in Tucson and saw something strange on their bench

They were using a hot air station set to 480C for desoldering through-hole components, which seems WAY too high and risky for lifting pads. Is that just an old-timer technique I don't know about, or am I right to be concerned about board damage?
3 comments

Log in to join the discussion

Log In
3 Comments
bethcarr
bethcarr1mo ago
480C is insane, I saw a guy at a swap meet do the same thing and lifted a pad on a vintage sound card right in front of me. He just shrugged and said "it happens." Definitely not an old-timer trick, it's just reckless.
7
lily394
lily3941mo agoProlific Poster
Yeah no that's way too hot, they're cooking the board.
4
gibson.oliver
Caught a guy at a local repair shop running 500C on a crusty old Mac motherboard and the solder paste was literally smoking. @bethcarr is right, these dudes act like it's no big deal until they pop a trace and the board's toast. I've seen nice vintage gear get ruined by this exact lazy shortcut.
8