Serious question, had to pick between a $150 hot air station and a new multimeter for my bench

Went with the station to finally fix a pile of Xbox 360s with bad HDMI ports, and it's been a game changer for BGA work. Anyone have a favorite budget meter they'd recommend next?

3 comments

3 Comments

piperr581d ago

Used to think you could get away with just a cheap iron and some solder wick for HDMI ports. Then I tried doing a 360 without a preheater and lifted a pad on the third attempt, chip just wouldn't reflow right. Picked up a 858D station and it changed everything, first try worked like a charm. For budget meters I've been running a Uni-T UT61E for a couple years now, does true RMS and holds its accuracy way better than the $40 ones I burned through. That last cheap meter gave me some wild readings on a power supply once, almost chased a ghost issue for an hour.

gibson.mark1mo ago

Actually you don't really need a preheater for Xbox 360 HDMI ports, that board is way smaller than a PS4. A decent hot air station and good flux does the job. I just use a cheap $40 meter from Amazon for most stuff, it gets the job done until you need true RMS. What station did you pick up?

morgan_butler1mo ago

Honestly that Hakko FR-301 desoldering gun is the only reason I got through my last batch of PS4 HDMI ports. What model of hot air station did you end up going with for the 360s? I'm curious if you're using a preheater under the board too, since that makes a huge difference for those big chips.