Just FYI, for two side soldering use solder paste with a different melting temperature on each side. That will allow you to solder the top side with a higher melting temperature paste and after that solder the lower one with a lower melting temperature paste. That is the way they do it in manufacturing.
What is a good source for solder paste(s)? Especially ones designed for tiny parts/pads. My first syringe I bought had "solder balls" that were relatively large and made it difficult to apply to a USB-C connector's pads (without a stencil, was replacing the port, so I removed solder with a wick, then reapplied).
If you do this, double and triple check that the parts can handle the heat--both the actual component, and the PCB itself. And for the 'cooler' side, some things with big heat requirements like a ground pad simply won't ever work. It just takes a bit of extra thinking.
Yes! That's exactly how we do it, but with a hot plate, the bottom side of the PCB has to be flat, and that's why I said it's good for single sided boards only...
Just went ahead and ordered one. At this price I can't afford not to have one when I need it. Most of my work is through hole, but those times that you need to do SMD have been haunting me
I would recommend getting a hot air reflow station rather than a hot plate if it is only for occasional work. This hot plate is pretty small. You could also get an AC PTC hotplate. They go up to a fixed temperature when powered (or you can add a control system to it) and they are very cheap. The only downside is that you have to wire it to mains but if you have at least a small amount of electrical knowledge it shouldn’t be difficult.
@@conorstewart2214 I have a hot air reflow station at work that I could use, I just don't have the space for it at home. My room is a studio/bedroom/repair station and those things don't fit. I even use a pinecil because I have no space for a desk stations. This size will allow some reflow/soldering but in a more "targeted" way I guess, just not great for big projects.
There are a few things I don’t like about this, the first is that it appears to just go to a temperature and stay there. It shouldn’t have been too difficult for them to implement proper reflow profiles, although static temperature is easier for programming and using. You need to be careful with low temperature solder paste. If any components on the board heat up significantly then it could cause issues. It also means that any faults like short circuits could desolder components which obviously isn’t good. The low temp paste may be good for prototyping but even then you are probably better using normal paste.
Interesting because I got my delivery notification for this today. I must've scored a really good deal because mine only cost me $12 with free shipping.
For $35 you can get a 300-350w 10x10cm hot plate that plugs directly into the mains from lesser known Chinese brands that doesn't look like a handmade school project.
Well for some that may be a better option but for me personally, since I don't work with larger boards, this small plate is perfect because it doesnt take up much space on my desk and i can power it from any free usb cable I have
Saw these around on Ali recently and I was really interested in them but not knowing if they could take regular DC in through the usb port made me hesitant to get one. Thanks testing this in the review! Gonna for sure consider getting one now that I know it runs fine off of that.
Oh damn, that sucks... Did you try to reach out to Sequre? Im sure they would send you a replacement... I have had my plate for a little over 2 months now, and everything is perfect
@@Djambo57 I have not, I just assume whatever I buy on AliExpress, comes without any sort of warranty or support, save for it making it to my doorstep in one piece. Also I took a while to start using them. If it comes down to it, I will probably try replacing the temperature sensor once I know what it is. Else it's just spare parts for the time being!
Hahahahha i just went for it. I didn't even think about it... If my channel starts promoting AI generated Elon Musk crypto scams, I guess you will know what happened
@@Djambo57 the problem with using a hotplate for SMD rework is that the heat isn’t localised, so you end up melting the solder on everything that touches the hotplate, not just the component you want. It can be good for preheating though, getting the board up to say 150 C will make it easier and faster to melt the solder with a hot air gun.
Just FYI, for two side soldering use solder paste with a different melting temperature on each side.
That will allow you to solder the top side with a higher melting temperature paste and after that solder the lower one with a lower melting temperature paste.
That is the way they do it in manufacturing.
What is a good source for solder paste(s)? Especially ones designed for tiny parts/pads. My first syringe I bought had "solder balls" that were relatively large and made it difficult to apply to a USB-C connector's pads (without a stencil, was replacing the port, so I removed solder with a wick, then reapplied).
If you do this, double and triple check that the parts can handle the heat--both the actual component, and the PCB itself. And for the 'cooler' side, some things with big heat requirements like a ground pad simply won't ever work. It just takes a bit of extra thinking.
Yes! That's exactly how we do it, but with a hot plate, the bottom side of the PCB has to be flat, and that's why I said it's good for single sided boards only...
@wifigod Mouser, Digikey,...
or use glue, but you need another mask for the glue which is how we do it things don't fall off in the PnP machine
Just went ahead and ordered one. At this price I can't afford not to have one when I need it. Most of my work is through hole, but those times that you need to do SMD have been haunting me
Haha, that's awesome! Right, for the price, it doesn't make sense not to get one 😆
I would recommend getting a hot air reflow station rather than a hot plate if it is only for occasional work. This hot plate is pretty small.
You could also get an AC PTC hotplate. They go up to a fixed temperature when powered (or you can add a control system to it) and they are very cheap. The only downside is that you have to wire it to mains but if you have at least a small amount of electrical knowledge it shouldn’t be difficult.
@@conorstewart2214 I have a hot air reflow station at work that I could use, I just don't have the space for it at home. My room is a studio/bedroom/repair station and those things don't fit. I even use a pinecil because I have no space for a desk stations. This size will allow some reflow/soldering but in a more "targeted" way I guess, just not great for big projects.
There are a few things I don’t like about this, the first is that it appears to just go to a temperature and stay there. It shouldn’t have been too difficult for them to implement proper reflow profiles, although static temperature is easier for programming and using.
You need to be careful with low temperature solder paste. If any components on the board heat up significantly then it could cause issues. It also means that any faults like short circuits could desolder components which obviously isn’t good. The low temp paste may be good for prototyping but even then you are probably better using normal paste.
Yeah 138°C is low... I didn't think about it much in the beginning, but I'll definitely get a bit higher temp paste soon
Interesting because I got my delivery notification for this today. I must've scored a really good deal because mine only cost me $12 with free shipping.
Jeesus hahaha $12..... That's awesome!
Where did you buy from?
For $35 you can get a 300-350w 10x10cm hot plate that plugs directly into the mains from lesser known Chinese brands that doesn't look like a handmade school project.
Well for some that may be a better option but for me personally, since I don't work with larger boards, this small plate is perfect because it doesnt take up much space on my desk and i can power it from any free usb cable I have
any to recommend?
Saw these around on Ali recently and I was really interested in them but not knowing if they could take regular DC in through the usb port made me hesitant to get one. Thanks testing this in the review! Gonna for sure consider getting one now that I know it runs fine off of that.
That's awesome! Thanks for the comment :)
I have 2 of these, one of them seems to have died after the first use and cooling back down, so your mileage may vary.
Oh damn, that sucks... Did you try to reach out to Sequre? Im sure they would send you a replacement... I have had my plate for a little over 2 months now, and everything is perfect
@@Djambo57 I have not, I just assume whatever I buy on AliExpress, comes without any sort of warranty or support, save for it making it to my doorstep in one piece. Also I took a while to start using them. If it comes down to it, I will probably try replacing the temperature sensor once I know what it is. Else it's just spare parts for the time being!
@@Roobotics AliExpress always give my money back if something comes broken or it brokes in sometime
Can't find the hotplaye on the original secure shop.
Just type T55 in the search bar, and it should appear, I just checked, and it's there
Did you try slightly larger board (e.g. 7x7cm)? Can they be soldered too by splitting the PCB up in chunks and soldering them after each other?
I have to pay $35 incl VAT ($52 if i include the power supply and USB cable) and $10 in shipping, so it wasn't that cheap as you say it was ...
Would this be enough for any CPU rework jobs on notebooks?
Well, it depends on the size of the PCB you're trying to rework. The power output is 100W so the performance should be similar to MiniWare MHP50
Definitely not. You won't be desoldering or soldering large BGA CPU/GPU chips from large motherboards with this.
agreed, you also often need more than just a hot air reflow station, a board pre-heater makes things actually possible
@@qps9380 Then what is the cheapest hotplate that can do it properly? Thanks!
Yes, scanning a QR-code with russian markings. Not happening. Just saying.
Hahahahha i just went for it. I didn't even think about it... If my channel starts promoting AI generated Elon Musk crypto scams, I guess you will know what happened
Amazing, thanks. You do know this has more than one use?😂😂😂
Yeah looks like I totally forgot to talk about SMD rework hahaha.. But in my case the plate is going to be used mainly for PCB assembly
@@Djambo57 the problem with using a hotplate for SMD rework is that the heat isn’t localised, so you end up melting the solder on everything that touches the hotplate, not just the component you want.
It can be good for preheating though, getting the board up to say 150 C will make it easier and faster to melt the solder with a hot air gun.
🐵
125 u zoni 90