Finally fixed my 50th stubborn Nintendo Switch with a bad M92T36 chip

I thought that board was a total loss, but a reflow with some good flux and a hot air station at 350 degrees brought it back to life, which felt amazing after two failed attempts last month.

3 comments

3 Comments

noahchen2mo ago

350 is where I live now because my cheap hot air station has zero calibration, so 350 on the display means it's probably 320 or 380. Just gotta pray to the flux gods and hope the little chip doesn't go flying across the room.

willow7323mo ago

That's a solid save, but honestly 350 seems a bit hot for that chip. You risk cooking the board or nearby components. A lower temp with more patience usually gets the job done without the extra risk.

gonzalez.anna3mo ago

True, but what about the flux? If you go too low and slow, that extra time can actually let the flux burn off before the joint flows. Then you're just baking the board dry and might get a cold joint. Seen it happen with lead-free stuff especially.