Hello there, I have been buying and selling a few items to make ends
meet recently. One of the items is a Presonus Firepod. I bought it
from a gent that sold it with the replacement chip in a separate
package. I am a little afraid to replace it myself. Know my way around
a soldering iron. Any thoughts would help?
Glenn

gtbuba wrote:
> Hello there, I have been buying and selling a few items to make ends
> meet recently. One of the items is a Presonus Firepod. I bought it
> from a gent that sold it with the replacement chip in a separate
> package. I am a little afraid to replace it myself. Know my way around
> a soldering iron. Any thoughts would help?
> Glenn


DIP or surface mount? ( as if I had to ask...). Surface mount is an art.
DIP is heat and torque - an electronics pick/dental tool. Heat,
and pull.

For SM, you need a heat gun, and frequently, a microscope.

--
Les Cargill

Les Cargill <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote:
>
>DIP or surface mount? ( as if I had to ask...). Surface mount is an art.
>DIP is heat and torque - an electronics pick/dental tool. Heat,
>and pull.
>
>For SM, you need a heat gun, and frequently, a microscope.

Surface mount is not bad! All you need is Chipquik.... it's some sort
of bismuth alloy that melts below the point where water boils... you
heat up the joint, put chipquik on it, and then it stays soft for a
good twenty or thirty seconds so you can do the others. You have to
remove ALL of it afterward or it will wreck the new joints, but it's
not all that bad.

With a temperature-controlled iron with a fine tip and a $20 Paladin
or Soldapulit solder sucker, you can actually do SMT rework on the kitchen
cable now. It's really a miracle.

Magnification is recommended... the inspection microscope is overkill
but you really want at least 10x head-mounted magnifier and a very bright
bench light. Dental picks are obligatory also.

Yesterday afternoon I used the same iron (though not the same tip) for
working on an SMT disk controller and a modulator deck with octal tubes.
I never would have believed it, but it's true.
--scott

--
"C'est un Nagra. C'est suisse, et tres, tres precis."

Scott Dorsey wrote:
> Les Cargill <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote:
>> DIP or surface mount? ( as if I had to ask...). Surface mount is an art.
>> DIP is heat and torque - an electronics pick/dental tool. Heat,
>> and pull.
>>
>> For SM, you need a heat gun, and frequently, a microscope.
>
> Surface mount is not bad! All you need is Chipquik.... it's some sort
> of bismuth alloy that melts below the point where water boils... you
> heat up the joint, put chipquik on it, and then it stays soft for a
> good twenty or thirty seconds so you can do the others. You have to
> remove ALL of it afterward or it will wreck the new joints, but it's
> not all that bad.
>
> With a temperature-controlled iron with a fine tip and a $20 Paladin
> or Soldapulit solder sucker, you can actually do SMT rework on the kitchen
> cable now. It's really a miracle.
>

I'll be derned.

> Magnification is recommended... the inspection microscope is overkill

Depends on part size. Resistors and caps have gotten so small they're
hard to see.

> but you really want at least 10x head-mounted magnifier and a very bright
> bench light. Dental picks are obligatory also.
>
> Yesterday afternoon I used the same iron (though not the same tip) for
> working on an SMT disk controller and a modulator deck with octal tubes.
> I never would have believed it, but it's true.
> --scott
>

--
Les Cargill

On Mar 13, 11:52*am, Les Cargill <lcargil...@comcast.net> wrote:
> Scott Dorsey wrote:
> > Les Cargill *<lcargil...@comcast.net> wrote:
> >> DIP or surface mount? ( as if I had to ask...). Surface mount is an art.
> >> DIP is heat and torque - an electronics pick/dental tool. Heat,
> >> and pull.
>
> >> For SM, you need a heat gun, and frequently, a microscope.
>
> > Surface mount is not bad! *All you need is Chipquik.... it's some sort
> > of bismuth alloy that melts below the point where water boils... you
> > heat up the joint, put chipquik on it, and then it stays soft for a
> > good twenty or thirty seconds so you can do the others. *You have to
> > remove ALL of it afterward or it will wreck the new joints, but it's
> > not all that bad.
>
> > With a temperature-controlled iron with a fine tip and a $20 Paladin
> > or Soldapulit solder sucker, you can actually do SMT rework on the kitchen
> > cable now. *It's really a miracle.
>
> I'll be derned.
>
> > Magnification is recommended... the inspection microscope is overkill
>
> Depends on part size. Resistors and caps have gotten so small they're
> hard to see.
>
> > but you really want at least 10x head-mounted magnifier and a very bright
> > bench light. *Dental picks are obligatory also.
>
> > Yesterday afternoon I used the same iron (though not the same tip) for
> > working on an SMT disk controller and a modulator deck with octal tubes..
> > I never would have believed it, but it's true.
> > --scott
>
> --
> Les Cargill
Thanks to all for the advice!
I heard about chipquick from the guy who sold me the Firepod. I have a
brand new 2 heat setting radio shack iron and a dental tool. I will
let you know how it go's if I try it. Last question. If I chicken out.
What would someone charge to do it for me? Glenn.

gtbuba <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote:
>I heard about chipquick from the guy who sold me the Firepod. I have a
>brand new 2 heat setting radio shack iron and a dental tool. I will
>let you know how it go's if I try it. Last question. If I chicken out.
>What would someone charge to do it for me? Glenn.

Do not attempt to do it with a Radio Shack iron. You want an iron with
real feedback temperature control. It will make your life so much better
in so many different ways.

How much rework will cost you depends on where you are....
--scott

--
"C'est un Nagra. C'est suisse, et tres, tres precis."