Re:Ex-WWII tanks still used as paddock bashers on Australian...
by jdietrich on Saturday November 19, 2016 @03:53PM
(#12995589)
Hot air guns don't need particularly precise temperature control. They apply diffuse and gentle heat, so you really just need to watch the state of the solder. I've done good work on difficult boards with a non-calibrated reflow gun. With a bit of kapton tape, you really have to try hard to damage the board.
0603s are easily solderable with an iron and an Optivisor. There's a knack to 0402s, but they're entirely manageable. Hot tweezers make the job far easier, but it's perfectly manageable with a decent iron and a steady hand. Smartphone repairers are now often dealing with 01005 parts, which are barely visible to the naked eye. As mrob suggests, working with SMDs is often easier than PTH if you know the proper techniques.
A lack of schematics is a problem, but that problem has existed for decades. The most common repairs are broken connectors and failed electrolytics, for which no schematics are required. Schematics for popular smartphones, tablets and laptops are readily available; ZXW make a superb interactive schematic package that massively simplifies the fault finding process.
I think it's very much swings and roundabouts. Some things are more difficult than they used to be, but the tools and information are far more accessible. There are thousands of excellent tutorials on YouTube demonstrating practically every aspect of electronics repair. Test equipment has become dirt cheap. Most components are readily available; for those that aren't, eBay's "spares or repair" listings are a treasure trove.
In my opinion, repair is less common simply because consumer electronics have become so cheap relative to the labor needed to repair them. The number of repairs that are economically viable has dwindled as prices have fallen. By the time something has failed, the odds are fairly good that it has been rendered obsolete.
0603s are easily solderable with an iron and an Optivisor. There's a knack to 0402s, but they're entirely manageable. Hot tweezers make the job far easier, but it's perfectly manageable with a decent iron and a steady hand. Smartphone repairers are now often dealing with 01005 parts, which are barely visible to the naked eye. As mrob suggests, working with SMDs is often easier than PTH if you know the proper techniques.
A lack of schematics is a problem, but that problem has existed for decades. The most common repairs are broken connectors and failed electrolytics, for which no schematics are required. Schematics for popular smartphones, tablets and laptops are readily available; ZXW make a superb interactive schematic package that massively simplifies the fault finding process.
I think it's very much swings and roundabouts. Some things are more difficult than they used to be, but the tools and information are far more accessible. There are thousands of excellent tutorials on YouTube demonstrating practically every aspect of electronics repair. Test equipment has become dirt cheap. Most components are readily available; for those that aren't, eBay's "spares or repair" listings are a treasure trove.
In my opinion, repair is less common simply because consumer electronics have become so cheap relative to the labor needed to repair them. The number of repairs that are economically viable has dwindled as prices have fallen. By the time something has failed, the odds are fairly good that it has been rendered obsolete.