Showerthought: I used a heat gun on a PS4 HDMI port and the whole board warped.

I was trying to reflow a cold joint on a PS4 HDMI port with my Quick 861DW at 350°C. The whole corner of the board lifted and bent before the solder even melted. Learned that localized heat on a big, multi-layer board can be a real gamble. Anyone have a better method for these stubborn console ports?

2 comments

2 Comments

logan26310d ago

Honestly, that's rough. Did you try using any kind of preheater under the whole board first? Tbh, going straight in with the hot air on a dense board like that is asking for trouble.

rubybarnes10d ago

My buddy tried to reflow a graphics card on his stove once, the kitchen kind. He put the whole board right on the electric coil. The smell was awful, like burnt plastic and sadness. It actually worked for about ten minutes before it let out all the magic smoke. We still laugh about it, but man, heat needs to be even.