Remember when you could just reflow a board with a heat gun?

Had this old Xbox 360 come in last week, the classic red ring. Back in like 2010, the fix was just blasting the GPU with a heat gun for a minute, and it would work for another six months. Tried that out of habit on this one, and it didn't even last a day. The problem now is the lead-free solder they switched to, it just doesn't reflow the same way. I ended up having to do a full reball with my hot air station, which is a whole different level of work. It got me thinking how much the 'quick fix' has changed because the parts themselves changed. Anyone else find themselves having to unlearn old shortcuts because the tech moved on?

2 comments

2 Comments

ellis.felix13d ago

Man, tell me about it. You hit the nail on the head with the lead-free solder. That stuff is just brittle and cracks over time instead of giving you a clean reflow. I've had way better luck now preheating the whole board first, like on a hot plate set real low, before I even touch the hot air. It keeps the board from warping and helps everything heat up evenly. Takes longer, but it's the only way I get a solid fix that lasts.

lucas_carr2413d ago

Wait, lead-free is actually more brittle? I thought it was just harder to work with. The preheat tip is solid though.