looking to purchase a hot air work station

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I have one of these, which works fine; I've done quite a bit of SMD IC work with it.

1000W Iron Station Soldering Hot Air Gun 2in1 Desoldering Rework Digital Solder | eBay

Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for 1000W Iron Station Soldering Hot Air Gun 2in1 Desoldering Rework Digital Solder at the best online prices at eBay! Free delivery for many products!
www.ebay.co.uk

I've never used the attached iron, I use my preferred Antex.

These appear to be the same hot air unit, without the iron & around half the cost:

858D 220V SMD Soldering Desoldering Station Hot Air Rework Gun Tool + 3 Nozzles | eBay

Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for 858D 220V SMD Soldering Desoldering Station Hot Air Rework Gun Tool + 3 Nozzles at the best online prices at eBay! Free delivery for many products.
www.ebay.co.uk
 
I have one of the 858D series hot air tools.
It works OK.
I use it mostly for shrinking heatshrink sleeving.

I have used it a few times for removing multi-legged SMD components with reasonable success.

I initially bought it for attaching SMD devices to the PCB using solder paste.
But for most things that I do, I find it easier to use 0.5mm solder wire, chipquik flux and a good old Weller TCP iron.

JimB
 
I have two similar projects that have 35 smd LEDs. Been using a Hako temp soldering iron.
Have issue soldering the 1206 resistor arrays. a few just need additional attention.
Thinking soldering all the 1206 LEDs might ne easier with a hot air setup?
Saw a video where the guy mixed solder paste with flux for a thinner paste but?
 
I've never tried LEDs, but have done various ICs from 8 pin to 100+ pins.

This is the "raw" version of a video I made a few months ago, which is intended to be part of a soldering set for my youtube channel, once I get chance to finish editing everything, between other projects [and work...]
I do a lot of audio processing, among other things, before posting "finished" videos.


It's a simple, crude technique - smear a small amount of paste on the pins and pads, put the IC in position, then warm the overall area somewhat and finally concentrate heat around the part being soldered. I usually have the tool set to 350'C

Washing using alcohol (IPA) and a small brush gets rid of the flux residue and any stray solder particles.

It is HD video, but it can take a day or so before the HD versions are made available via youtube; they start with a standard res file even with a 4K upload such as this..
Edit - it seems the very first version youtube makes available is only 360p resolution - it's a bit fuzzy! There should be sharper versions in a few hours.
 
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I must be cheap!
Looking for one under $100
going to use to solder some resistor arrays. Got a really wild idea about using a stencil to apply solder paste to all 35 LEDs or maybe upping it to 70 leds in the 0805 smd pkg.
need to research how nuch if I have JLCPBC assemble just the LEDs.
One concern is two LEDs per port in parelle with a 150 ohm resistor.
LEDs should be run in series but?
 
( am not a professional and really have no plans to do any rework except maybe a smd LED.
Reason I am contemplating buying one is an issue with mounting a 1206 resistor array. I have 9 on one project and plan to do more.
 
Well, I know and I'm not really trying to be snide. But I think you will have to pay $200 or $300 for a decent hot-air station. Buy something too cheap and you'll just end up buying a more expensive one as well.

That said: nine 1206 chips would be practically as easy to do with an iron. I do 0603 with an iron all the time and I am 63 years old, can't see well, and my hands shake.

A great technique for boards this size is a hotplate. I have used an electric kitchen stove. Ideally, you want something with a flat surface; not exposed calrod coils. I used a chunk of 1/8 inch aluminum plate as a heat spreadet. Apply the paste, place the chips. Pre-heat the burner. Slide the board onto the burner. Wait for the paste to *start* melting. It will continue to melt for a while after you slide it off. Slide it off. Practice this with the burner cold before you do it hot. Remember, you won't be able to touch the board with your fingers once it gets hot enough to start melting. Sounds obvious, but I've painted myself into a corner like that. Chip resistors are hard to damage with heat.
 
Just to throw another iron in the fire .. .. .. .. .

I too have an 853D which has a hot air SMD rework tool .. .. works very well, after I've got it out and set it up etc .. .. .. .

I also have one of these .. .. https://www.screwfix.com/p/dremel-versatip-gas-torch/1596d

.. .. .. which I bought essentially for 'curing' heat shrink; it has some useful qualities .. ..

It's gas - filled by a lighter fuel canister .. .. ..
Cordless and very light;
Very controllable;
Has a screw in tip that works for SMD rework a treat !

I've found it very useful for the odd SMD .. .. .. .

MM
 
The W is for width is what I was thinking.
going to redo my pcb pattern to indicate EXACTLY where the array is placed. I increased the length of my pattern and wonder if I screwed up but don't thonk so. Going to put some silk screen lines on my design.
 
Are you using purpose made PCB design software? Your comment sounds like you're just using a generic graphics program.
 
Then the silk screen lines should be part of the component footprint. Or are you talking about adding lines that are not part of a component?
 
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