[Video] A simple A<-->B drive switch mod

[rubber_jonnie]

The paint stripper gun was simply the wrong tool for the job but one of the main reasons it was unsuitable was there was no way for me to tell what temperature it was set to using the dial on the side. I will have more control with the new one. I am sad about losing my STFM but by open about it here it will be a warning to others and its also led to me getting betting equipment and hopefully being more cautious in future.

I think you're missing the point here a little. It doesn't matter if have the right tools, if you don't have the correct technique in how to use them, you can still do similar damage.

It isn't a case of simply pointing a hot air wand at something and heating it up to the temp you've dialed in, there is also airflow to consider, and also the fact that it heats an area and not a point like a soldering iron. That said, as you know that can cause hotspots like the burned patch on your motherboard. If you go in at a point and just heat with a proper wand you can still burn the PCB.

Airflow and temperature need to be right for the intended area your working on. For example, an ST mainboard will not need the same airflow or temp as a multilayered PS4 board. A Nintendo Switch board will need a lot less airflow to prevent components blowing away, and yet another temp to prevent warping/popcorning.

I'm not saying this to be difficult, I'm trying to make you aware that hot air work is something you need to learn and understand. Will you make mistakes? Of course, I did, just don't learn on something precious and understand what you're doing.

As I said, I think maybe the board may be fixable short term, however where the board is burned there will be carbon and that is conductive, and that can lead to potential issues.

[mikro]

It isn't a case of simply pointing a hot air wand at something and heating it up to the temp you've dialed in, there is also airflow to consider, and also the fact that it heats an area and not a point like a soldering iron.

This. And I'm not saying because I'm so smart but because I was equally, erm, inexperienced. I also considered hot air as some kind of magical tool only to learn the hard way how peculiar this operation is. For instance, nowadays my rule is ironically to use it as little as possible, only as the last resort and with the narrowest tube possible. I have learned to rely much more on de-soldering braid, *that* does wonders. But then again, you have to be already a bit skilled to do this efficiently, too.

[mikro]

I was thinking about the H5 yes but I think I'd be better putting that money towards building a Raven

Sorry but if you failed this much with your STFM, building a Raven as the next step sounds to me like receipt for a perfect disaster.

[rubber_jonnie]

It isn't a case of simply pointing a hot air wand at something and heating it up to the temp you've dialed in, there is also airflow to consider, and also the fact that it heats an area and not a point like a soldering iron.

This. And I'm not saying because I'm so smart but because I was equally, erm, inexperienced. I also considered hot air as some kind of magical tool only to learn the hard way how peculiar this operation is. For instance, nowadays my rule is ironically to use it as little as possible, only as the last resort and with the narrowest tube possible. I have learned to rely much more on de-soldering braid, *that* does wonders. But then again, you have to be already a bit skilled to do this efficiently, too.

Exactly.

[rubber_jonnie]

I was thinking about the H5 yes but I think I'd be better putting that money towards building a Raven

Sorry but if you failed this much with your STFM, building a Raven as the next step sounds to me like receipt for a perfect disaster.

I have to agree. A Raven, or H5/H4 for that matter requires a lot of skill to build. Either could be a costly mistake if you don't have the tools and skills needed.

Start small with low cost kits, watch videos on YouTube and hone your skills. Don't jump in at the deep end.

Exxos has 2 kits for this purpose in the store under the Misc section.

[DoG]

Well, paint stripper gun can be used, but you have to be very careful and move it around and heat slowly.

I have used it to desolder a full ram installation on a STfm with sucsess. That is 32 chips with 16 legs each. So 512 solderpoints. So it is a large area. But it was stressful and I would not do it again.

But I have used hot air gun for a while now and "know" the feeling of it and how long it takes for parts to melt/loosen. I have also made mistakes in the beginning of course.

[Badwolf]

For instance, nowadays my rule is ironically to use it [hot air] as little as possible, only as the last resort and with the narrowest tube possible.

This is good advice, IMO. I've toasted a couple of boards trying to be clever with hot air & now use it much more for appling heat shrink that for any kind of soldering job!

Ironically, given the hot air damage discussed here, with this A/B mod I only used a soldering iron and tweezers! :lol:

I did use hot air to help remove the floppy connectors as there's a lot of ground involved with that. I didn't video that as it was for practice, but the hot air was actually only used to heat the general area with one hand (probably only about 180C) whilst using the desoldering station with the other. I must say it was quite useful for that.

BW

[rubber_jonnie]

I did use hot air to help remove the floppy connectors as there's a lot of ground involved with that.

BW

Yeah, those FDD connectors are just damn awful, even with a desoldering gun getting the ground plane cleared is a job and a half.

Those I have removed, I destroyed and used a soldering iron and tweezers to mely the plastic, loosen the on and pull it out. Quite time consuming too.

Next time I do this I'll likely use hot air after the desolder gun, it should work well.

[olivier.jan]

Yes for FDD connectors I tried hot air, desolder gun and good old braid, but the easiest is still to remove all the plastic and then get the pins out one by one with a soldering iron and tweezers.