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Swapped from a heat gun to a hot air station for SMD work and wish I did it sooner
Been working on circuit boards for about 6 years now. Always used a regular heat gun with those little nozzle attachments. Got the job done but I kept accidentally blowing tiny caps off the board or heating up the whole area. Picked up a proper 858D hot air station off a guy on Facebook for 35 bucks last month. The difference is night and day. I can actually see what I'm doing and aim the air right where I need it. Reflowed a dead laptop GPU in like 30 seconds flat. The temp control alone is worth it. Anyone else fight with a heat gun for years before switching?
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carr.willow3mo ago
Yeah the temp control is the big one for me. With a heat gun you're basically guessing and hoping you don't melt something you didn't mean to. Having a station that holds steady and you can dial in makes all the difference when you're working on tight boards.
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hugo_ellis3mo ago
Have you ever had a hot air station drift on you mid-solder? I had one that would creep up about 20 degrees after ten minutes and it drove me nuts. It wasn't until I checked it with a thermocouple that I realized how bad it was. That kind of inconsistency is worse than a heat gun sometimes because you think you're in control but you're not. It made me way more careful about buying quality gear. Did you do any testing on yours before you trusted it?
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