Heard someone say a $20 heat gun beats a $200 rework station for phone repairs

Was at a repair meetup in Portland last month and this guy next to me was fixing a broken charging port with just a heat gun and some flux. He said the fancy stations just add precise airflow, but for most phone boards you can get away with the cheap one if you're careful. Tried it on an old iPhone 7 that wouldn't turn on, took my time with the shield plates, and got it working after two tries. Anyone else found the budget route works fine for basic chip work, or am I just getting lucky with easy boards?

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1 Comment

the_beth4d ago

Wait, nobody else at that meetup said anything when he just went at it with a heat gun? That's bold. I've seen guys melt flex cables doing exactly that. Last week I tried the same on a dead Pixel 4a, took forever getting the shield off without cooking the battery. Two tries sounds like you got real lucky, or that board was already half-loose. I'd still keep a cheap hot air gun for connectors, but chips that need even heat, nah, I'd rather grab the station.