Items filtered by date: December 2014

This is my research on setermining which ESR meter i should buy.

What is the ESR of  a Capacitor?

There is a series resistor inside capacitor, using 100kHz to remove the impedance 1/(2*pi*F*C), the impedance become small, and we can then measure the true series resistor value.

A bad E-capacitor will have larger ESR and create large ripple rather than filtering noise. Normally, a big capacitor is larger than 3 ohm.

Using this theory, we can measure the capacitor is bad/ damaged or good in condition.

Because our ESR meter only applies less than 15mV DC or peak to peak on a good capacitor, as a result we can use it as in circuit test. Because this low testing voltage, it cannot turn on the semiconductor inside a circuit under testing.

During repairing TV, LCD, Audio board, etc. we can in circuit testing the capacitor is good or not.

What is an ESR Meter for?

Firstly, what is an ESR Meter? An ESR Meter is used to measure the internal resistance of a capacitor. This feature allows you to measure a capacitor in-circuit and determine if it is faulty by its resistance. This make diagnosis consumer electronics much easier because other wise to measure a capacitor you would have to remove it from the circuit which involves desoldering, test it and then resolder it back into the circuit if not faulty. This process will have to continue for all the capacitors on the board. With an ESR Meter you can check capcacitors in moments.

How They Work

A 100KHz sine wave is pushed through the capacitor at such a low voltage that no components are triggered (opened or closed) and the sine wave is measured. From this you can determine the internal resistance of a capacitor. This outcome is determined by several variables of the capacitor:

1. Capacitance
2. Can Size (Physical Size)
3. Rated Voltage
4. Series / Model
5. Manufacturer

As a rule of thumb, if the internal resistance is above 1Ω (ohm), the capacitor is faulty. This is definately the case in most consumer electronics.

Which Meter Should I Buy ?

This was a very tricky thing to find out. There are alsorts of devices that says they measure ESR. Many are not practical, acurate or cheap. Which ones have protection, which are easy to use and so on. I have research all the main ones you will; come across and i have made a little pros and cons of each one. I also at the bottom have put my recommendation and why. This will be the one i actually bought and used.

Jingyan MESR-100 V2

Pros

• cheap
• Range 0.001R to 100R
• Auto-Ranging In Circuit
• backlit LCD display
• Uses true 100 KHz sine wave to measure the ESR value#
• is pre assembled in a durable plastic case
• can be powered from USB with a Micro USB cable
• can be powered by batteries (2 x AA)
• Test cables are connected by standard 4mm Banana Sockets
• There is a matching Capacitor Meter (Jingyan M6013 V2 Capacitor Meter), this is also very well made
• Diode protections on the inputs - they will not prevent massive voltages ie 400V, i am unsure of the maximum it would protect against
• has a basic ESR tables printed on the case

Cons

• Diode protection on the inputs - you cannot check the internal resistance of a battery.

Other ESR Meter Notes

• everyone recommends MIB Instruments for buying stuff
• how do i check/discharge a capacitor before using this meter
• what is the largest voltage it is protected against (MESR-100 V2)
• LCR meters can measure ESR and are really expensive. They should only be bought by experienced engineers or when you know why you need one.
• longer test leads can affect accuracy and need to be special sheilded
• Standard test leads are 15cm, for longer test leads need special shielding to affect the EMI inference (MESR-100 V2)
• ESR meters need to be zeroed before use
• you cannot use ESR meters on live circuits or charged capacitors
• You must make sure you discharge a capacitor before testing its ESR

Different ESR Meters

During my research i cam across the following different brands of ESR meter

• Jingyan MESR-100 V2 (there is a matching Capacitance meter aswell) i bought mine from mib_instruments on ebay
  • MESR 100 v2 - Quick look + teardown - YouTube
  • Esr Meter MESR100 v2 Hands on look at a low priced Equivalent series resistance meter. - YouTube
  • New ESR meter - MESR-100 V2 by 'Jingyan' - Page 1 - Forum thread discussing this meter
• Peak Electronics ESR70 (there is a matching Capacitance meter aswell), this is the never version of the ESR60
  • Review: Peak Atlas ESR70 Capacitance and ESR meter - YouTube
  • Peak Electronics ESR70 ESR & Capacitance Meter - YouTube
  • ESR70 & Blue ESR meters, comparison, features and differences - YouTube
• UNI-T UT612 - This is an expensive LCR meter that also does ESR.
  • T4D #70 - The last T4D for a while...UNI-T UT612 Overview - YouTube
  • Review and tear-down of UNI-T UT612 LCR meter - Page 1 - Forum thread discussing this meter
• Agilent U1733C LCR
  • EEVblog #234 - Agilent U1733C LCR Meter Teardown - YouTube
• Anatek Blue ESR meter - An older style ESR meter with no protection but is able to check a battery's ESR
• Low Cost PCB style meters on ebay (~$10 - $15)
  • Low cost ESR Meter review - YouTube - The cheap PCB style ones on eBay
  • $20 LCR ESR Transistor checker project - Page 1 - Forum thread discussing this meter

Links

Misc

• How to choose an ESR Meter - an old article on this subject but worth a read.
• Atlas ESR and ESR+ Manuals

Some Other Notes

• Some good brands of LCR: Agilent, Mastech, UNiT
• Most ESR meters do not have protection on them and a charged capacitor will kill them
• Most LCRs do not have input protection on them because it affects measurements. A charged capactitor will kill a LCR (teardown thread) (video - jump to about 32:00))
• A lot of the decent LCR have ESR meters on them, but not all
• The UNI-T UT612 LCR has an ESR option on it and can be connected to a PC for logging.
• The Agilent 1703C has some input protection on it. See eevblog video and add time here
• The MESR-100 V2 uses a true sine wave at 100KHz to test ESR and has some diodes for protection (see eevblog forum post) but this prevents it from testing battery ESRs, this is fine by me because I want to test capacitors. A good write up
• You can test a batteries ESR with a an ESR meter to check if it is knackered (see crazy guy video + time)
• You need to discharge capacitors before testing. You can check with a multimeter for voltage or with a capacitance meter with protection to see if it is charged
• You can discharge a capacitor by
  • Using a screwdriver to short the pins, only use on small capacitors
  • Using a wire and a resistor (add dads link here)
  • Use a capacitense meter with an auto discharge feature
  • Use a peak esr60/esr70 to discharge the capacitor. These will only discharge capacitors up to 50V, if you connect greater that 250v (I am guessing) it will blow the meter
  • Notes – thread 1 how to discharge and bleeder resistor notes
• The atlas peak esr60/esr70 meters, and in particular the 70, have an auto discharge feature built in with audible alerts and gets some favourablie write-ups but as with the MESR-100 you cannot check battery ESR
• LCR check impedance, Resistance and capacitance (and ESR). This functionality is probably not included on a multimeter because to measure them the devices become fragile and should only be used by professionals
• If you have a spate ESR meter it makes testing capacitors on mass easier
• The MESR V2 seems to be the best cheapest ESR meter online that works
• Those really cheap ESR (+ do other things) that are not in cases work ok and you can add your own probes onto them and then zero them.
• Another straight ESR meter id the Blue ESR meter based on a design by bob barker. I have also heard of one made by a Russian guy call GO-ESR which also has some input protection
• my Mastech MS5803 as the preferred LCR/ESR meter in my lab ? mention on eevblog forum with the mesr100 right up, see link above

Questions

• Does the honeytek really auto discharge capacitors upto 1000V

For 0.25MM Solder Ball (1 pcs)
P4933007

For 0.30MM Solder Ball (11 pcs)
0.30 universal stencil(pitch=0.58MM)
Intel 82801 IUX (AM828001IUX)
SIRF AT640
MTK MT6226/8226
INFINEON TECH PMB7850
850AZYL
Intel BD 82HM65
L-FW643E-2 new
LFXP2-5E new
1131S2P1X2( for tablet)
IR 7807A779(7807ZTR chip)

For 0.35MM Solder Ball (8 pcs)
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Intel AC82GS45/ SLB92/ E26593/82HM57/AC82GS965
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Intel AC80566/533
Intel BD82HM55/BD82GM55(BD82HM550)
330-FBGA-1414(new add)
Intel 82801HUB
SRO4S-CPU

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Intel BD82P55
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For 0.45MM Solder Ball (20 pcs)
0.45 universal stencil(pitch=0.78MM)
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Memory DDR5
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Intel AC82P45/AC82P43(82P45) //G41
Intel CG82NM10/SLGXX
PVC0019 (PUC-0019)
L110IA07
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SR071
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Memory DDR3-4 KF
18A16GW
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CC-16ALQDW

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0.5 universal stencil(pitch=0.8MM)
ATI 1100//1150//AMD /216MQA6AVA12FG /038SSP /0738SSP RS485M//RS485MC //RS690M
ATI 21514//M64-M 216PVAVA12FG///215CDABKA15FG//X2600PRO//M74-M//216-0707009 universal
ATI 21515//216-0707011//M72-S//M82-S A11//ATI0909SSP//216-0707001/M64-S
ATI 215-0669065
ATI 215-0708003// 215-0308003//0803SSP Universal
ATI 215-0719090//216-0728014
ATI 215-0758000
ATI 215-0735003
ATI 216-0728018/Universal ATI 216-0708020//ATI 215-0725018/216-0728020/ATI -HD4570//0725013//0725007/
ATI 218-0697010/218-0697014/218-0792001
ATI 700M//ATI200M//RC415MD//RC415M/216DCP5ALA11FG(ATI X700/64M M26-CSP64 216CZGAKA13FH)
ATI RS800ME//RS600ME(RS600ME 216MEP6CLA14FG)
ATI IXP600//SB600(XP600)
ATI SB700/RD700/RD780//218S7EBLA12FG//216-0674026//216-0674022//AMDIGP
ATI IXP460
ATI E350
ATI X1300-216PQAKA13FG;Universal M52-P 216PNAKA13FG
ATI M64-M
ATI AMD-CPU 0?5
ATI RS485M/(1150 RS485M 216MSA4ALA12FG) 0.5
ATI 215-0807018
AMD AND-X2-CPU
NV MCP67MV-A2//MCP67M-A2 MCP67D-A3/MCP77MV-A2//MCP87
NV MCP7A-P-B1(MCP7A-P-A1//MCP79S//MCP79M)MCP79MXT-B2
NV NF-6100-430(NF-6100-N-A2//8200//8400//8600)NF-G6100-N-A2
NV NF-200-SL1-A2//BR04-300-A2(NF200-5LI-A2 )
NV NF-6801-SL1-N-A2 (NF-6801-SL1)
NV NF-7150-6301-A2 (NF-7150-630I-A2)NF7050//7100//7150
NV GFGO7400-N-A3//GFGO7200//7300//6200AGP//G84(G86)-630-A2//G86-631-A2//G86-620-A2//G86-621-A2
NV GF104-325-A1
NV G94-300-A1//G94-210-A1
NV G96-600-A1//GT215-450-A2(G96-630-A1 /C1 G96-750-A1 G96-632-C1)Universal G96-309-B1(important)
NV G200-103-B3(G200-103-B1)
NV GF 106-250-KA-A1
NV NF790IU-SLI-N-B1
NV GF100-030-A3
NV BR03-N-A3
NV NF8200 (GF8200-A-A2)
NV N12P-Q3-A1 0?5
NV G96-309-A1
NV G86-631-A2 (new) 0.5
Intel 965(LE82965//82P965//82P31 )G31
Intel QG 82945P//82945GC
Intel QG 82945PM( QG945GM//QG945PM )945GM//QG82945GM
Intel QG 82945GMS (82945GMS/945GMS)
Intel NQ82915GMS (QG 82915GMS)915GMS
Intel LE82PM965//LE82GM965(965GM/PM)
Intel LGA1155
Intel LGA1156
Intel N475CPU
Intel E5099(E50999 chip)
VIA MSPII ///VX800U
ATHEROS AR2313A-001
ATHEROS AR2414A-001
RAYLIN RT2571W(Ralink2571 chip/RT2573)
Conexant CX82310-14
ST STi7162
S5C2410H11
S5C2410H
NSC-NATIONAL SEMI 1822-0727
INGENIC 4732HXF(JZ4732HXF-D0)
TI 5416GGU(DVC5416GGU)
TI TMS320DM642A2DK(new add)
XILINX FG900(XCV600E-FG900 )
CC-06AP8LW(new add)

For 0.6MM Solder Ball (114 pcs)
NV GF-GO6200/7200/7300/7400/7600/G84-630-A2/G86-730-A2/G86-771-A2
NV G80-100-K1-A2 (G80-100-K1)/G80-300-A2/8800GTX
NV GO5200
NV GO6800-B1 (GO 6800-BI)GO7800//GO7900
NV 4200GO(GO4200)
NV NF-4N-A3//NF4-A3(NF4-N-A3)
NV NF-430-N-A3//NF-410-N-A3
NV NF550/NF570
NV NF-G6150-N-A2/NF-G6100-N-A2//NF-6100-A2//SPP-100-N-A2Universal(NF-GO6100/6150)
NV NF-GO150
NV 420GO
NV MX440
NV HSI-A4
NV NF 250(NF32-50)/NFORCE3 250GB
NV FXGO5200(FGO5200)
NV FX5700
NV FX5900//GO6800LE
NV "NV MCP89M2-A2/MCP89M-ENG-A2?
(new) 0.60"
NV GO5700 (FX-GO5700 0.6
NV NF4-SL1-SPP
NV GO 6800/6600
ATI 215-0718020
ATI 215RGMDKA13FG
ATI 218BAPAGA12F
ATI 200M//RS480M//216MPA4AKA22//M64-P
ATI 7500 M7/9000-CSP32 216QTCGBGA13 216QTCFBGA13
ATI 9000 64M//M9-CSP64//216T9NGBGA13FHG
ATI 9000 IGP
ATI 9100 IGP
ATI 9200//9600//9700//X300//X600//X700
ATI 9600-T2
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ATI X1600/X1650/RV516//X1300//X700//X1400/X1700//M52-P
ATI X1800
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ATI RC410MB//AT1200MUniversal
ATI R480 (215RBHAGA11//215RBPAGA11FF)
AMD 215-0716050
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VIA VT8235//VT8237//VT8237A
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SIS 756
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SIS 968
Intel N270-1.60GHZ/512/533- SLB73//AU80586GE025D
Intel 1828-0206//1825-0206//1825-0220
Intel 775CPU
Intel 82801HB(80001HB)
Intel 82801GBM//82801GR//82801GB// NH82801GHM
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Intel 82801FBM
Intel 82801BA
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Intel 989
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Intel X38 (AC82X38)
Intel X58 (AC82X58)
Intel RC82540EM
Intel RG82865PE (865PE)
Intel LGA1366 (IGA1366)
BROADCOM BCM5464
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BROADCOM BCM6368UKPBG
CB6849
CIZB0003716 (C1ZBZ0003716)
MTK MT5362BLG
MTK MT5363
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ARM MT8520
M1573 A1 (M1573 R1)
M1697-AIB
FREESCAD MPC8270
PIXELWOR PW106B-10L
PIXELWOR PW218-10L
PHI SAA7117AE
TSX188-B1A02-L
62898C2
LSILOGLC 62095D2
XCI5000 676(new add)
XILINX XC3S1000
1009HAL(new add)
Agilent 28V3-0001 KF
S4LHP01 KF
1822-0724 KF
L7D2053 KF
HP 1825-0184 KF
ST X380
0.6(0.9pitch=)(pitch=0.9mm) Universal Stencil
0.6(1.0pitch=)(pitch=1.0mm) Universal Stencil
0.6(1.1pitch=)(pitch=1.1mm) Universal Stencil

For 0.76MM Solder Ball (50 pcs)
0.76 universal stencil (pitch=1.27)
ATI 216-PSZBFA22H\320M/330M/340M/345M Universal(ATI 216PS2BFA22H)
ATI AMD SOKET SI CPU (SOSKET SI CPU)
ATI IXP150
ATI 941
ATI M1535+
ATI AM2
ATI AM3
Intel 478CPU
Intel 479/LE80539//SL6F5
Intel 754CPU
Intel 845GL/845GV
Intel 855GM//855GME
Intel 82801EB
Intel 82801AA
Intel 82801DBM/82801DB
Intel 82371EB
Intel M1671(ALIM1671BI )
Intel FW82815EP
Intel RG82875
Intel 845MP/855PM(RG845MP/855PM)
Intel 82801CAM (FW82801CAM 0.76
SIS 630E/630
SIS 630S
SIS 650
SIS 760LV
SIS 962
VIA K8M800
VIA K8T800
VIA VT82C686B
VIA VT82C694X
VIA VN800
VIA P4M800
VIA PN133 (PN133T)
VIA P4X266A
AUO AUO-024
BROADCOM BCM53242
USA/europe MCP8245RRZU400D(MCP8245//MCP8245AR)
FREESCAD MPC880
GEENSI FLI18532-LF
PANELPRO T7203
MARVELL 1825-8249
MARVELL 1825-0050
2R39741
NXP/HP 1825-0177
Z71Z46A
BROADCOM BCM3349KPBG
1825-0427 KF
HP 1825-0264 KF
320/330/340

Game Console Stencils (42pcs)
Microsoft XBOX 360CPU 0.6
Microsoft XBOX 360GPU 0.6
Microsoft XBOX 360HANA 0.6
Microsoft XBOX 360CSP(360 Southbridge) 0.6
Microsoft XBOX XCPU C-A01
Microsoft XB360AV 0.6
Sony PS3-CPU(new model) 0.6
Sony PS3-GPU(old model) 0.6
Sony CPS3 CPU BALL
Sony PS3-CXR714120/CXR714123 ( PS3-CXD714120 0.6
Sony PS3 CXD2964GB 0.6
Sony PS3 CXD2973GB//2976GB 0.6
Nintendo WII GPUAA(new model) 0.6
Nintendo WII GPU(old model) 0.6
Nintendo WII CPU(new model) 0.6
Nintendo WIICPUB 0.5
Sony CXD2949CGB 0.76
Sony CXD2972GB 0.6
Sony CXD2976GB 0.6
Sony CXD2980BGB//CXD29808 0.6
Sony CXD2992GB 0.6
Sony CXD7203-15 0.76
Sony CXD9209GB 0.6
Sony CXD9799GB (CAD9799GP) 0.76
Sony CXD9833GB 0.76
Sony CXD1876 (CXD1876-102GG)/new add 0.35
Sony CXD2981GB
PSP PSP-1/5209 (0.3mm Soler Ball)
PSP PSP-2/2975 (0.3mm Soler Ball)
PSP PSP-3 (0.3mm Soler Ball)
PSP PSP-4 (0.3mm Soler Ball)
PSP PS3-5CPU (0.3mm Soler Ball)
PSP PSP-6 (0.3mm Soler Ball)
PSP PSP-7 (0.3mm Soler Ball)
PSP PSP3-1 (0.3mm Soler Ball)
PSP PSP-MB44C018A (0.3mm Soler Ball)
PSP PSP-LR38807 (0.3mm Soler Ball)
PSP 833KM3E (0.3mm Soler Ball)
PSP L8GV7657 (0.3mm Soler Ball)
PSP PSP-Z7-201A(PSP-27-201A) (0.6mm Soler Ball)
Sony CXD929GB KF
PSP PS3-2 KF

Universal Stencils (0.25-0.76MM--18pcs)
0.5MM 35*35 universal stencil pitch=0.78mm
0.5MM 40*40 universal stencil 1pitch=0.8mm
0.55M universal stencil pitch= 1.02mm
0.6MM 24*24 universal stencil pitch=0.99mm
0.6MM 27*27 universal stencil pitch=0.99
0.6MM 30*30 universal stencil pitch=0.99
0.6MM 33*33 universal stencil pitch=0.99
0.6MM 41*41 universal stencil pitch=0.01
0.65MM universal stencil pitch=0.1
0.76MM30*30 universal stencil pitch=0.27
0.76MM33*33 universal stencil pitch=1.27
0.76MM34*34 universal stencil pitch=1.27
0.76MM37*37 universal stencil pitch=1.27
0.76MM 41*41 universal stencil pitch=1.27
1.00MM universal stencil pitch=1.5
0.25MM universal stencil pitch=0.5
0.30MM universal stencil pitch=0.5
0.35MM universal stencil pitch=0.6

MTK/IPHON4 (17PCS)
MTK MTK3301
MTK MTK6205
MTK MTK6217
MTK MTK6218
MTK MTK6219
MTK MTK6223
MTK MTK6225
MTK MTK6226
MTK MTK6228
MTK MTK6230
MTK MTK6231
MTK MTK6235
MTK MTK6238
MTK MTK6318
MTK MTK6325
MTK MTK6600
MTK IPHON4-CPU

2 Types of Reballing Stencils

Q: What is the real difference between using the jig reball method and direct heating other than the large difference in cost?

A: The direct heat stencils don't last as long as the 90mm, if you're not extremely careful with them then they can last as little as 1-2 reballs before they need replacing. The 90mm stencils will never have to be replaced.

Kit

I have finally got around to sorting out the rest of the kit I need. But I need to questions answering and then it might be quicker if I could ring you.

Questions

1. There are 80mm and 90mm reball stations, am I correct that 90mm is the new standard to allow for larger chips?
2. The jigs do not do the smallest chips, how do you do those, by hand?
3. is the best reball station the scotle ht-80/90 and will it be suitable for going under an IR lamp on my scotle ir-360-pro ? I already have one of those big blue ones with the 2 handles but it is awkward to use.
4. is the scotle reball jig better than the honton
5. can 90mm jigs use 80mm templates as a general rule?
6. when using universal templates, do you use Kapton tape to fill the uneeded holes?
7. warranty, I can deal with you rather than sending back to china?
8. do your stencil packs come in separate bags Ie wii/xbox/playstation/nvidia etc.. ?
9. multi-meters with TC, are the TC sensors a standard connector?
10. what are ultrasonic cleaners used for?

I want to buy stencils and a station so I can do most chips without having to buy more stencils and there are/were a few sellers on ebay selling 500+ piece sets, I know you have mentions that you do not have such sets but could build one.

Answers From Karl (bgamods)

1. 90mm is the standard mate, 80mmis available but the prices are virtually the same and 90mm jigs are easier to use.
2. Small chips i do by hand or using a cheap small direct heat jig
3. The HT80/90 should be fine going under the IR head although i have never personally do this as i use a HR wand instead.
4. The scotle jig is better than the honton, the spiral design is better.
5. 90mm jigs cannot use 80mm stencils although the ht8090 spiral jig comes with 2 top stencil holders, 1 sized 80mm and 1 sized 90mm.
6. Yes i would recommend using kapton tape to block off unused holes when using universal stencils.
7. warranty will always be with me rather than china.
8. The direct heat come in separate bags but the 90mm stencils usually come in 1 large pack.
9. the TC connectors on the multimeters i have here are just standard.
10. ultrasonic cleaners are used for cleaning BGA, stencils, jigs etc, they can be used for much more though.

So far this is my wishlist

• external TC - perhaps a cheap multimeter one would be cool + it is a multimeter
• reball jig/station with all stencils
• Kapton tape (not sure what width as the stuff I got was to thin to do anything with)
• Hotplate with a cool zone (might get this late because of cost)
• non slip matt for manualy chip working
• magnifying glass
• pcb holder
• 6 in 1 bga rework tool set
• soldering iron tip cleaner
• scotle aluminium solder scraper / BGA Site Solder Remover Squeegee | eBay
• methyl ethyl ketone | eBay - for cleaning electronic areas, stonger than ISO Propanol
• silicon fixing paste (ie for capacitors, check types)
• INSAT (Honton) HT-1212 BGA Hot/Cold Plate (check for a new version, i think B)
  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n7YoZYZhJQM
  
  i love the tecnique used in the video but ther is no information on what he is using, what temperatures or methods, so the video is completely useless. do you have a better video showing more indepth of how he does the solderball removals and general usage of the machine.
  The temperature is set to 230 deg C. The solder is simply wiped off with a suitable squeege. We now have a device with a handle to remove the solder. It really is a very simple idea and method.

What I currently have

• scotle ir-360-pro
• kada SMD rework station (hot air + iron)
• kingbow flux
• some solder balls of various sizes
• tweezers of 2 types
• various small cheap wick
• some gootwick
• blue jig with handles (not sure if 80mm or 90mm)
• scotle ht8090 spiral jig (does 80mm and 90mm)
• Honton 90mm silver screw jig
• a small selection of universal templates
• aluminium tape (not bga specific)
• Arctic Cooling MX-2 Thermal Compound 8g Tube (ORACO-MX20001-BL) Artic AC Paste | eBay
• 20g Tin Solder Soldering Iron Gun Tip Cleaner Tinner Flux Lead Free Activator
  How To Use - http://youtu.be/J3OlDsKvzss , different manufacturer but the same way of using.
  what temperature should you set your soldering iron at when using this activator? - 180 deg Celsius should be fine. Don't try to overheat the iron tip during tinning as oxidation process goes faster and could give you opposite effect.
• BGA Site Solder Remover Squeegee - For wiping molten solder balls from a BGA chip easily.
  XBox360 Slim BGA Lift and Site Preparation Without Solder Wick
  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vgmkiIv1R6w
  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n7YoZYZhJQM
  

  Description
  This is our solder remover squeegee fitted to an aluminium handle, and includes an extra silicone squeegee.
  
  After lifting a BGA from a PCB, the solder is completely liquidus and it is the right time to simply, squeegee the molten solder onto a clean area of the PCB to avoid using solder wick and soldering iron to remove the old solder.
  
  This method is very quick and is the gentlest by far, avoiding solder mask damage which is often the case when using the abrasive method with solder wick and soldering iron.

  Answers From the Manufacturer
  what is the operating temperature range of the squeegy?
  The silicone used will stand up to nearly 300 deg C.
  

  what temperature should you use it to remove leaded solder?
  For removing leaded solder, it is usually necessary to use around 230 deg C.
  
  what temperature should you use it to remove lead-free solder?
  For removing lead-free solder you will need to use around 245 deg C.
  
  what is the life expectancy of the squeegy, are there signs of wearing out?
  There is no limit to the life expectancy in my view. I hope I will live long enough to outlast mine.

These are my notes on BGA reflowing and some electronic notes

• well tip, chisel tip - these are the best for SMD attaching as per EVVblog
• melting point leaded 183c,lead free 217c - read V3 scotle Document Pg44
• met full melt, 200/235 reflow occurs
• moisture in board 15 mins 150c - read V3 scotle Document Pg48
• set the soldering iron to 400 for wiping solder balls etc..
• 195 - leaded solder meltin
  225 - leadded melting point
• on other video 26.00 johnny tells you where to get his profile from scotle ir-360 queiries @ bgamods.com, http://bgamods.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=575
• about scotle software: the software is designed to take the reading from the external tc only when using the ir360 pro.
• Cooling: Hi Karl / Anybody. I'm back working on my IR360 Pro and have a question.
  Q: What is the best way to use the Cooling and IR Cooling fans on the IR360Pro. (don't want to switch them on too soon and damage the board, and don't want to leave it too late and damage the plates)
  A: coleman (bgamods moderator) I swing the top heater out of the way at 200C and switch fan on for that and then turn on bottom fans when board hits 140C

• How to build a profile (from BGAMods Forum)
  Q: what way the do you create a profile with a three zone machine ? (jaymbyrne)
  A: The principal is still exactly the same as i never run an actual profile with the lower HR. i just have it set to the same temp as the lower IR and have it running constant so both lower IR and HR should heat at the same rate to give a nice even preheat. ive posted an example profile for ivan but ill do a quick guide tomorrow AM and get it upped in this section.(bgamods) JonnuGunz has a better method.

• Basic Soldering Lesson 1 - "Solder & Flux"  - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vIT4ra6Mo0s05.26 - show different solder meliting points

• For the ball re-attach (i think this is johhnygunz advice)

  - 1 profile 1.0/190/1000 and just watches them manually (this is for lead free)
  - most will reattach from 80c but when using the machine cold it can go all the way up to 180/190
  - note all bottom heaters are set to off HR (hr = heat radiation ?)

Scotle IR360 Pro V1] Xbox PHAT GPU Reball - Walkthrough

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=teFwYPRgp5s

• what is MEK  (cleaning fluid) (it is methyl ethyle ketone, a strong organic solvent, from ebay)
• people use Q tips
• get captopn tape and dispenser, better than aluminuim? heat resistant, aluminium tape reflectecs
• can pull aluminuim tape off at 75 - 80c and leave no residue

• put the probe right next to the chip but not touching it

• using RMA 218-kingbo flux for putting around the rim of the chip before lifting, he is quite liberal, bead all the way around it

• multimeter is used for TC display

14:33

• lower air adjustment flow is  is set at 4, close to board, 1-2 cm, temp is set to 225c (permanent setting)
• lower plates set to 225
• using medical sicors to hold board down

17.03

• upper ir head height lower possibly 30mm
• scotle TC might be off 5-8c cooler
• he makes sure the chip is in the middle of the IR top heater, using the angled tooth pick

18.57

• he starts the program and you can see the TC he put down earlier (the one on the multimeter
• target temp is about 225?

21.15

• heat sink off, profile off, ir cool on

21.25

• he starts to clean the board up whilst it is still on the machine, profile finished

23.55

• he is using a cheap angle iron and solder braid to clean off the pads
• he turns the lower air flow  right down because the air is colder and is hindering the cleanup process
• thinnner wider wick is better

30.33

• now the flux is dry he is using the weired sponge thing to clean it of the chip site (painting tool)
• cleaning site with q tips and MEK
• 2-3 passes at most, 1 is better for cleaning the pads

38.00

• preping the top ir for reballing the chip
• he uses pressboard/cedar wood to cover the bottom nozzle
• 2 ways to attach the balls to the chip, 1) wand method (hot air stick) (2) this ir methos, or (3) hot plate
• ir head about 3cm above the would
• profile 190 degree a second
• by the time it reaches mid 80s they ae pretty much all attached
• does not seem to use the inbuilt probe

40.11

• reballing the chip
• recommends the scotle angled/diagle rework gig
• kingbow flux again to clena the chip
• clean tip
• typically use a different iron (hako from freds electronics, big wattage)
• take solder of the chip
• clean chip
• changes iron again to a dirty looking one/ angled iron (cheap iron) for using solder braid

51.25

• grabs tacky flux (superior tacky flux 8600 RMA water soluable) for sticking balls down

52.30

• mwntiones about using to much flux
• now pours balls in

56.23

• back to machine for ball reattachemnt via top ir
• get the probe close to the chip, it isnot touching the wood

58.29

• tight shot of process
• make sure you turn off your bottom plates
• lower nosel turned off (0 and wood over the top)
• if you like you can use you second probe (againn not touching chip)
• once the balls have attached move it to on top of an xbox heat sink, cools the chip in 10 seconds
• his balls bonded about 130c
• balls can attach about 80c

101.32

• he says the balls already look attached
• scotle says 130c and his other TC says 93c
• when the machine is totally cool you might find you have to go all the way up to 185c/190c
• but once your TC says around 175/180c keep an eye on the balls, get right down and look at them
• flux can smoek a little
• balls reattached at 190c

103.30

• shows how balls that did not attach can be fixed with a hot air wand 430F - 221C air speed .06 or all the way down

107.28

• test balls are seated correctely

108.18

• back at scotle
• attaching sissors to prevent board lifting up

110.50

• starting board prep

115.00

• setting bottom plates back to 225c
• looking for temperatures of 190c

115.72

• profile start
• looking for temperatures of 190c/195
• temperature hit
• ir cooler on
• this guy says he does not put the cooler on until 100c because of shock to the board (he is not sure about this)
• let cool down
• dont put cooler on until board has cooled down to 100

117.18

• 37c tempaerature
• now start pulling tape off at 37c, this prevents residue from the tape
• clean chip area if needed

120.16

• board removed from scotle
• turn lower cooler off
• done

Notes From Comments

• Q: what kind of solder are you using? Is it the low melt 50/32/18? or just regular rosin core for electronics? (im speaking of the wire and not the solder balls.)?
  A: I'm using? MG Chemicals 63/37 Rosin core that I picked up at Fry's Electronics. It's the largest diameter for just pooling it for desoldering.(XJonnyGunsX Youtube comments)
• never spread thermal paste with? your finger at all. in fact, dont spread it anyway since it leaves air bubbles. the best way is just to leave the pea and put the heatsink on.
• Q: Hi jonny. Great video mate. just getting into this myself. got a couple of questions if you could help me out. what temp was your soldering? iron at when cleaning the pads on both board and chip? also did you say reball with leaded solder? Thanks
  A: Thank you, sir! Appreciate the kind words. I have my Hakko FX-888D set to 755, which is just above 400 Celsius. I also use a chisel tup to transfer as much heat, as quick as possible, over to the solder wick. Yes, it is best to use leaded solder. That is all I use. It works out so much better. Thank you again! Best of luck with everything. It's such a great learning experience with doing this type of work!? (XJonnyGunsX Youtube comments)
• Q: When you used the aoyue to heat the balls on the? chip, did you say 430 Celsius??
  A: I must have been off my rocker? when I said that. It's 430 Fahrenheit, which is 221 Celsius. Sorry about the confusion there! :] I will correct this, via annotation. (XJonnyGunsX Youtube comments)

These are my questions about the Blackjack BK6000 SMD rework station and the answers from Circuit Specialists (Brett).

Question Set 1

• Blackjack bk 6050, is it better than the BK 6000?
  They are different units - the BK 6050 does not have a hot air gun, but does have a 70W soldering iron that uses the standard tips - the BK 6000 uses the cartridge style tips. It's difficult to compare the units because the facets of each differ. They are both good units and the best unit will be determined by what you need. i.e. if you need hot air, that rules out the BK 6050. If you don't need hot air, perhaps then the BK 6050 is the better choice.
• Can you have the soldering iron without the fume extractor on? Yes
• Are the soldering tips the type with the heating element in them and are the cartridges standards? Yes
• Are all the tips and filters standard? Yes, we have replacements in our store
• What warranty do I get? 12 months
• Can you confirm the gun, iron and wand heat ranges
  Iron - 250 degrees C - 480 degrees C
  Desoldering Pistol - 200 degrees C - 480 degrees C
  Hot Air - 100 degrees C - 480 degrees C
• Can I use other brand tips/parts etc..?
  We know that Aoyue tips are compatible. We also have over 30 different types available on our site.
• Is this suitable for lead and lead free? Yes
• Is it a rebranded aouyne?
  Presume you mean Aoyue? - It's not a re-branded anything. These units have been designed from scratch, although there are a number of similarities with the Aoyue brand.
• Is blackjack your in-house brand name? yes

Question Set 2

• The desoldering gun, is this as capable as the hakko 808 as I need a desoldering gun, but already have a kada 852d+ smd rework station. I was thinking about replacing this while I was purchasing a desoldering gun with the bk 6050 instead of just bying a desoldering gun.
• I want to make sure I buy a station that just works.
• Can you recommend a desoldering gun, I do not know what is best, all self contained or one with a station.

I've no experience of the Hakko 808, so it's difficult for me to provide any comparison.

What I can tell you is that both the BK 6050 and BK 6000 are good stations. Both have a 70W output on the desoldering side, so should be more than capable of doing the job.
Sorry I can't give you any more insight into the station against the hand-held solution.

I would imagine that a pistol backed by a station would have more power, but again with no direct comparison to make in terms of the items we stock (station vs handheld), but I stress that I am speculating rather than speaking from a position of having tested handheld units.

Best regards,
Brett

Question set 3

I only noticed after you mentioned about the 6000 having cartridge type heating and the 6050 having sheath.

• Can you use a 6050 sheath type iron on the 6000 ?
  No. The circuitry is different and the pin-out is also different.
• Are cartridge type tips more used by proffessionals because they are hotter and have better thermal recovery?
  Yes, absolutely right.
• Will blackjack be making a station where all 3 (iron/wand/gun) are connected at the same time? (this is the only downfall I have found)
  No current plans. This would significantly increase the cost, with no major benefit other than convenience. We did look at this option but decided that anyone really wanting to run an iron at the same time as the tweezer could do so with our BK 3000LF, which uses the same tips. The cost of adding an extra peripheral would not be far off the price of a whole new station.  It makes more sense to offer a bundle price on a BK 6000 and BK 3000LF for example for those who need 2 irons at the same time. From experience most people do not and are happy to change them over. 

Question Set 4

• When the gun is connected, Is the vacuum pump active all the time or only when the button on the desoldering pump is pressed. Only when the button on the gun is pushed
• When the soldering iron is connected is the vacuum pump always on? Can this be toggled? There is a switch to toggle the pump for the smoke absorber
• Is the vacuum generator double cylinder like the BK4000? Yes
• Can you give specific compatible Aoyue tips/model numbers for the soldering iron and gun. The reason for this is so I don’t feel trapped in your eco system. Even though you supply everything. I am guessing Aoyue 2702A+ ?
  Any tips with a WQ- or LF- prefix. Aoyue use these prefixes too. Iron is the B012 and pistol the B1003A. I believe that Aoyue also use these numbers and the parts are compatible.
• Are you able to supply spare parts (including internals)? Yes
• Is circuitspecialists.eu and circuitspecialists.com the same company? Related but not the same company.
• Are there any plans for a Aoyue 2703a+ clone, I would buy your version of this right now because of the dual port and an added extra of 5 stage rework programming?
  We are looking into this, but I have no firm info at the moment on whether we will add or when it would be added. It would be a good addition to our range though. If it were to be added, I would anticipate at least a 6 month lead time for it to be designed and approved.

Links

• Aoyue 2703A+ Soldering Station / Repair System ((UNBOXING)) - YouTube
• Aoyue 2703A+ Soldering Station Functionality & Review (1 of 2) - YouTube
• Aoyue 2703A+ Soldering Station Functionality & Review (2 of 2) - YouTube
• Hot air stations - Aoyue vs Blackjack / All-in-one vs separate units? - Page 1
• Soldering/De-soldering stations...again... - Badcaps Forums

Thermal Transfer Pads are used to bridge the gap between Heatsinks and Chips where heat paste will not bridge the gap, they are those blue sticky pads. A usual place to find these is in a laptop on the GPU between it and the heatsink. There are several sizes 0.5mm,1.0mm, 1.5mm, 2.0mm and 3.0mm. There might be other sizes but these are the main ones. For my research so far it looks like 1.5mm is the one most used.

These should all be non-conductive. I have ordered a Grey one and had White arrived and the guy said they were the same. Also a small note that they have different values of heat transfer, for the most part this should not be a problem for general laptop repairs.

Thermal Transfer Pads are also known as:

• Thermal Paste Pad
• Thermal Pad
• ThermalPad
• Thermal-Pad
• Thermal Heatsink Pad
• Thermal Heatsink Transfer Pad
• Conductive Heatsink Tape
• Thermal Conductive Pad
• Thermal Conductive Silicone Pad
• Heat Transfer Pad
• Phase Change Pad
• Silicon Pad
• Silicon Thermal Pad
• Thermal Heatsink Transfer Pad
• Thermal-Pads are high quality Thermoplastic Components
• Thermal Sink (not always used)

I have bought from:

• 10x10x1mm Silicon Thermal Pad Heatsink - kissbuyonline (eBay) - cheap chinese
• 100mm x 20mm x 1.5mm double sided self adhesive -  thegamebooth (eBay) - could be better quality
• 100mm x 20mm x 2mm double sided self adhesive -  thegamebooth (eBay) - could be better quality
• 100mm x 100mm x 2mm Thick Thermal Pad ecamonline2012 (eBay)- cheap chinese
• [EC-360 GREEN] 2MM ThermalPad 100x100mm, Adhesive 2.5W/mK RAM Heat Transfer | eBay - not bought this but seems high quality product. different heights available

Notes

• thegamebooth seem to sell better quality transfer pads
• pads all have different rates of dispersing the heat. be carefult to check this.

When configuring a joomla's website email settings (or other email app) you can add a clients email address as the 'From email' (joomla admin / System /  Global Configuration / Server / From email ) and usually when you do this, joomla sends the email as if their email had sent it, and then client receives it.  With yahoo this does not happen

Cause

Yahoo will not accept email from other email servers proporting to be yahoo. They enforce SPF and so i cannot spoof an email address to send email yahoo or possibly other email address.

Read this from yahoo - Help Central | - SLN7253 - Error "554 5.7.9: Message not accepted for policy reasons" when sending email to Yahoo

This might also apply to other email companies ie. Google and Bing, if not now probably shortly.

Solution

The fix is to set the 'Mail From' with valid email address on your domain. You can then set an alternative reply address to accomodate for cutomers who use yahoo/bing/google email accounts exclusively. The email will come from the email from their domain but if you set the 'subject' with something like 'website enquiry' you can set an antispam rule to prevent the email getting filed in their junk folder.

Notes for cPanel

• you might be able to send emails from any address on your domain without creating a real account
• if you set up a forwarder, be aware that some companies (hostdime) will run CRON jobs to delete forwarders to the providers of free email addresses such as Yahoo!, AT&T, AOL, and MSN/Live/Outlook.com/HotMail. (possibly google/outlook/yahoo). This prevents their servers getting blacklisted by these providers.

Joomla

(joomla admin / system /global configuration / server / mail settings)

• Mailer - leave as PHP Mail, Sendmail does not work
• From Email - set as no-reply@yourjoomladomain.com, this does not require a forwarder or mailbox but make sure the catch all account is off. But you can use a real address if you want.
• From Name - Set as normal

JSN Uniform (additional)

These step are not require for the email to work but allow the reply option to work as intended

• open uniform
• edit the contact form
• go to the 'Action' tab
• click on the 'email edit' button next to 'Send to email(s)'
  •  From          - This is the From Name and not the sending email address so I insert the customers name field here.
  •  Reply To    - click on the '...' button and select 'Email', this will set the reply address as the contact form senders address
  •  Subject     - This is not required to fix the email issue but makes things look neater. type 'From Website - ' then click the  button and select 'Subject'

* starttls allows a plain text session to upgrade to TLS

This trick can be used for diagnosing your email connection issues. There are more complicated featurees can be typed but are not covered here.

The following commands need to be typed in exactly and then followed by pressing the return key. Yhe session will not handle deletions, if you perform a deletions you will need to start again.

telnet testserver-com.mail.eo.outlook.com 25
ehlo testserver.com
mail from: bob@builder.co.uk
rcpt to: info@testserver.com

This is a stupid feature that cannot be turned off so you have to use one f the following solutions and Pasting a pic in an HTML composed messaged will call the Photo-Email option.

Work Arounds

• Configure your mail to use Plain Text instead to Html and attach the message.
• Don't paste...use the Insert/Inline option to insert a previously saved picture
• Attach the images using the 'Attach' button

Add a Text file

This is my prefered option and does not require any loggin in.

1. select a dummy .txt file with the .jpgs i select
2. send
3. then delete the text file from the email before sending.

Turn the Option Off Photo Email

I did not managed to get this to work

That option(in WLM Version 2009/Build 14.x) is only present if signed on with a Live ID and no longer available in WLM Version 2011/Build 15.x

In Version 2011...
Windows Mail button(first item on Ribbon Menu)/Options/Mail/Compose

• uncheck 'Convert message to photo e-mails when adding photos'

Thereafter choose Email Message instead of Photo Email for the three available options

• Attach file
• Insert Single Photo(Single in name only, it allows selection of one or more to be inserted)
• Photo Album(changes message to Photo e-mail)

Note: In Version 2011...Photo email creates an album with included photos and uploads to the signed on Live ID's SkyDrive(if not signed on, the user will be prompted to sign on with a Live ID to Windows Live). The Live ID does not have to be the sending email account. (i.e. Photo email pictures are no longer uploaded to a generic Msft server, they are uploaded to the user's Live ID's SkyDrive)

Bypass Skydrive

This method of bypassing Skydrive works, it is the one I use all the time.

1. SkyDrive bypass for pictures in email
2. Go to picture source (My Pictures) select pictures (Ctrl-Click for multiples)
3. Click on email (on top of screen) select size (if other than full size desired)
4. Click attach, it should then open in Windows Live Email.
5. It will be in the Sky Drive format
6. Click on one of the pictures
7. Click the format button on top
8. Click the paperclip
9. That cuts out SkyDrive and makes the photos regular attachments.
10. Add email address, type message and send

but it requires you to log in.

A Long Workaround

• open e-mail
• click on start
• click on pictures
• click on and open desired file group
• click on first photo to hilite it
• go to preview and click on arrow
• click on windows live photo gallery to open
• click on edit, organize and share
• click yes on popup box
• click on select all (or select pictures you want to send)
• click on photo emailer (top right side)
• click on send photos as attachments
• choose desired resizing option and click on attach
• a new send e-mail window will open with the photos inserted as attachments
• add recipients, subject, text and send.