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BGA Rework Station for IC

Hi everyone,

I´ve been, looking for BGA Rework Station, because I saw that they are capable of replacing smartphone components(IC) very easily, but for what I´ve seen, only more large components/chips are replaceable by this equipment.

It is possible to replace smaller components like tristar IC or other using this kind of machines? Or is the work size of this machines limited to a chip size?

If yes, could anyone tell me what are the limits of working IC of machines like, WDS-700 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ydzI1VZ-...)?

Do you suggest another BGA rework station that are able to work to smaller ICs? Or it does not exists, any other capable of such a tiny IC?

Thanks in advance, for any help provided.

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The vast majority of the iPhone micro-solderers replace the IC's by hand with a hot air station, not with a machine. Micro-soldering on iPhone logic boards is as much an art as it is a science and most of the folks you see regularly publishing on Youtube (Jessa, Jason, Louis, etc...) do it by hand.

The big difference between repairing a motherboard (i.e. laptop or computer) and a logic board (iPhone, Smartphone and tablet) is the thinness and component density. iDevice logic board are very thin, have ~10 layers of traces and have high component density. No doubt the large-scale GPU's on motherboards represent their own set of challenges but using a reballing machine for replacing a PMIC is like using a jackhammer to repair cabinetry.

A machine like the one you linked looks cool, no doubt. But this is more for doing the CPU replacements and or repetitive work, like say having to go through dozens or hundreds of identical repairs. I think it's important to learn how to do this by hand first and wait to see where your business takes you.

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I might add: Steady hands & great eyesight are important!

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First of all a BGA rework station is designed to rework BGA chips. These are Ball Grid Array chips which when removed have what appear to be small balls of solder under them. This is how they are connected. The workstation is designed to heat up the entire chip which will melt the small balls of solder under them in order to make the connection. There are times when these connections fail which is why a "re-flow" is done.

Most other ICs are just standard SMD (Surface Mounted Devices) which are best handled with either hot air or direct use of a soldering iron and tip.

Either type of work requires some practice and the correct equipment. With a microscope, correct equipment and some practice, any size component can be replaced. I have replaced resistors and capacitors about the size of the following period "." with no problems.

Regarding replacing ICs like the tristar, use hot air. Watch some of the youtube videos to get the general techniques, and practice with a dead device. Practice is absolutely required.

Hope this helps,

Dan

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If you’re looking to spend money on a machine to assist with BGA Rework on iPhones I would suggest taking a look at a CNC Mill as it will cut out the chip you need to replace along with any underfill that was present. Obviously, you lose the chip, but if it’s a situation where Touch IC or Audio IC need to be replaced then it can be more reliable than heat. Additionally, the more dense components before especially with the designs Apple has been using recently the more likely there are to be issues with overflow heating where while heating the board to resolve one specific issue you actually introduce a problem in a nearby component.

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