Can we talk about how we used to just reflow everything with a heat gun back in the day?

I tried that on a 2018 MacBook Pro board last week and ended up with a $50 capacitor launched clear across my garage, teaching me that modern BGA chips really need a proper preheat stage.

3 comments

3 Comments

wright.cole3mo ago

Honestly that sounds like a skill issue more than a tech issue. People still reflow stuff all the time without a fancy setup. Maybe you just got unlucky with that one board.

coleman.jade3mo ago

I just preheat the board first and it works fine for me.

anthony_fox902mo ago

Oh come on now, that's a bit dismissive. Those newer lead-free solder joints need a solid preheat to get the whole board up to temp, otherwise you're just cooking the component while trying to melt the balls underneath.