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Switched from hot air to a cheap IR station for BGA work

I used to swear by my $200 hot air station for chip rework. Last month I grabbed a $60 IR preheater off Amazon. Took me about 3 tries to get the profile right for a stubborn GPU reball. No more blowing tiny caps across the bench. Anyone else make the switch and stick with it?
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2 Comments
nina_lane16
Wonder if the cheap ones mess up component temps worse than hot air.
4
morgan512
morgan5121mo ago
yeah I tried an IR preheater like two years ago and it made my hot air station feel like a toy. still keep the hot air around for quick jobs but the IR is way more chill for big chips.
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