Need help to chosse hot air reworking station - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / general

author: houly
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: November 19, 2013, 09:28:26 am
content: Hi all,I'm looking for a hot air reworking. I hesitate between two Aoyue Int6028 Sirocco Series and Aoyue Int852A+ SMD Rework Station.In the product manual of the Sirocco, they mention that "The hand held convection style reworking is a newly developedreworking style that reproduces the reflow oven soldering stages using only a portable hand held reflow gun."For the Int852A+, there is no information for reworking on BGA and others packages... my question is do you know if the Int852A is capable of soldering BGA packages like the Sirocco ? Does the 852A can provide the same features (reproduce oven soldering stages)what are differences between those two products ?Thanks

author: staxquad
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: November 19, 2013, 05:20:46 pm
content: Quote from: houly on November 19, 2013, 09:28:26 amthe first one has a small fan in the handle to create airflow (Chinese design) and the second has a Diaphragm Pump in the enclosure with an air flow indicator (a copy of the Hakko 852)

author: creyc
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: November 20, 2013, 05:21:15 am
content: Quote from: houly on November 19, 2013, 09:28:26 amWell, whether or not you can rework BGA all depends on your setup, specific BGA package, technique and experience. The hot air pencil is NOT going to completely simulate the stages of a reflow oven, because it's a point heat source, but by carefully controlling your heat and airflow, you can usually get a decent result. (I'm not sure if they're trying to say that Sirocco station has some heat profiles built in?)I've found a board pre-heater REALLY helps doing SMD rework, and BGA is no exception. A board heater will help prevent you from scorching the IC while trying to get the solder up to temperature. Large BGA chips often mean multi-layer boards as well, which only makes it more difficult to heat up by hot air pencil alone.Prepare to spend some time and money practicing burning up a few chips and boards before you get the hang of it.

author: poorchava
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: November 20, 2013, 08:00:37 am
content: I'd stay away from it. I heard/read many people reportin, that the ball in flow meter goes into resonance and rattles like mad inside that tube. A friend of mine has that station (not this exact one, but looks the same) and after a week or so he said 'fook da warranteh", opened the thing and bypassed the flow meter.You could go with 850 type, which does not have that annoying crap.

author: tinytim
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: November 20, 2013, 01:03:06 pm
content: Hi.i have used my Atten 858D+ on some smaller BGA packages and i have had good results.I have had mine for about 3 years from China, i think i paid £40GBP for it delivered. Amazingly lightweight and they do work very well.Did you want hotair only or hotair and iron combo?I think someone mentioned a potential fault with one of the cheap solutions, something to do with the way the heating element was controlled or the shaft could potentially reach mains input level during a fault. I cant remember what the make / model of it was though.If you are going to be using the hotair a lot, might i suggest buying something a little more well known, at least you have some warranty on it.Regards, Tim

author: fluxcapacitor
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: November 21, 2013, 02:25:24 pm
content: Quote from: poorchava on November 20, 2013, 08:00:37 amI have a aoyue 852A+ and the ball does rattle a bit.Its not annoying to me but maybe ive just got used to it.Apart from that its a decent station,good build quality,plenty of nozzles available and spare parts,ive done many reballs with it,mostly laptop gpu`s northbridges and the odd reflow,i prefer reballing though.I`d also recommend buying a preheater .