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That old timer who swore by hot reflow instead of using a preheater on multi-layer boards
My mentor told me to just crank the iron and watch for the solder to flow, but I cooked two $400 telecom boards last week before I caved and bought a $90 preheater. Has anyone else found that hot air alone just doesn't cut it on dense 8-layer stuff, or am I missing a trick?
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taylorlewis27d ago
Preheater is just a crutch for bad technique. If you're cooking boards that fast your iron's too hot or you're not applying flux right.
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casey39327d ago
Four hundred bucks. I melted a $400 board too. Right through a via on an 8-layer industrial controller. The boss called it "tuition." I felt like a genius when the solder finally flowed and then smelled burning fiberglass. Taylorlewis says preheater is a crutch but my crutch cost $90 and now my joints look like they came out of a toaster oven instead of a volcano. I don't pretend to have technique. I just have a sorry wallet and a preheater that pays for itself in burnt telecom boards.
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