Self's Little Reflow/ Reball Guide.
Pictures to come soon followed by a video!
The rework machine I use isn't anything super fancy and neither is the pre heating plate. Couple hundred bucks will
do you just fine to get started. Materials will cost a bit too. Most of the stuff listed came from eBay.
The tools & materials I use.
Tools & Materials not needed for Reflows are marked with a double asterisk. ( ** )
- Aoyue Int968A+
- 45mm BGA Nozzle w/ mesh lining
- Puhui T-8280 IR Pre Heating Plate
- ExTech Type J / K Dual Output Digital Thermometer
- Digitial Stop Watch
- Locking & Non Locking BGA Jigs**
- BGA Direct Heat Stencils**
- Vacuum Pen**
- Solder Sucker**
- Metal Pallete Knives
- Butter Serving Knife (Lol I know)
- Magnifying Glass**
Materials
- Kester 186 No Clean Flux
- KingBo RMA-218 "Tacky Flux"**
- 0.6mm Solder**
- 1" Foil Tape
- 1/4" Heat Resistant Tape**
- Desolder Braid**
- 99% Isopropyl Alcohol
- Neutral Curing Thermal Glue
- Arctic Silver MX5
- Arctic Silver Thermal Remover/ Purifier
- High Efficiency Thermal Pads
- Q-tips
- Old rag
- 5x5 chunk of cardboard (set your chip on)**
- Air Duster (clean that dust while you're in there!)
So heres where the tutorial begins.
This guide assumes that the fault has occured under the GPU so this is what we will be focusing on. Same process for CPU and SB. Just different stencils. You will however want to take the IHS off the CPU and replace the paste while you're in there. Keep reading. :)
Tear the console down. MAKE SURE TO UNPLUG THE FAN!!! Also remove the CMOS battery.
Wipe away all the old paste. Thermal material remover comes in handy with removing it. Old rag and some Q-tips will wipe it right up.
Time to lift the IHS. I use a butter serving knife to lift the RSX IHS up. Just slide it under the CPU side of the GPU and lift up a bit. Pops right off. ((If you go under any other side of the GPU, you WILL knock components off the chip!))
I then turn my rework station on and set it to the minimum which is 90c. Put it over the CELL IHS for 30ish seconds and then turn it off. Here is where the pallete knives come in. This is what I use to break through the silicone epoxy holding down the CPU IHS while being super careful I don't lose my grip, dig into the substrate, or go too far in and hit the die. You only need to go under about 1/8 of an inch.
**I always place my thumb at the end of the CPU in the direction I am pushing. It will help if you slip and it also helps when you get to the end of that side of the chip.
Once I have both IHS off, it's time to remove the thermal paste on both dies. After the paste is removed, it's time to remove the thermal glue on the GPU RAM chips and also the silicone around the CPU. I use a dead PS3 GPU from an old PS3 I learned on. ((Anything (within reason) that isnt metal and is fairly sturdy should work fine))
Scrape away at the thermal glue on the RAM chips while being super careful not to go off the RAM chip and hit another component. I place my thumb on the inside edge of the RAM chip and then scrape towards my thumb gently while giving enough pressure to remove the glue. Once the RAM chips have been cleared off, I move over to the CPU and do the same motion along each side to remove the silicone epoxy. Once that's done it's time for the underside of each IHS. You don't have to be as careful with these since they're no longer on the board. Again, don't use anything metal. Get them both nice and clean and then set them off to the side.
Now that the pre-cleaning of the two are done, we will move on.
For this part we need to grab the foil tape. You can also use regular old tin foil shaped to a square with a center square cut out.
First off let's get to the bottom of the board. Cover ANYTHING plastic. Most pre heating plates (like mine) heat the entire board to prevent section warping. It WILL melt plastic.
Now to the top.
I cut about 3 inches off the roll. Once it's off the roll I fold it in half width wise and cut down the center making it 1/2 inch wide. We want to put this along the GPU covering the components close by. ((I always do about 1/16 of an inch away that way I can see flux pass through))
Now that the foil tape is down and is completely surrounding the GPU, let's go ahead and get to the flux. Start on one edge and just slide the tip down an edge. I usually shake it in a downwards motion to help it move along better. Now I move on to another side and do the same until all 4 sides are done, or I see flux spewing out each edge.
Now it's time to set our temperature probes. Grab a small 1 inch piece of foil tape and cut it in half. We want to slide a temperature probe right up against the edge of the GPU on the CPU side. Once it's as close as possible, tape it down. Repeat the step for the other probe and put it on the opposing side.
So the flux is done. Tape is done. Probes are set. Let's go ahead and put the board on the pre heater.
There are a lot of different solders out there and they all have different melting points. The melting point for lead free solder used in a PS3 is about 230ish degrees celcius. We don't want to melt the solder on the bottom, we just want to heat it up to assist the reflow/ reball process. I set mine to 175c. Exactly why we need to cover plastic. Lol.
Here is where it becomes slightly different for reflows and reballs. Let's go over reflow first.
During a reflow you are just reflowing the solder that is already on the board. I set my temperature to 236c for about 60 to 70 seconds. Do NOT do this for more than 90 seconds! When the solder is at melting point there will be quite a bit of smoke coming out from under the chip. Tell tale sign your solder is melting.
At 236c the solder has melted and has hopefully reformed back to where it belongs. Let it cool down for 15 to 20 minutes before rebuilding. Notice how I said hopefully reformed up there. Nothing we can do but hope.
----- Reflowers, you are done. Let's hope it worked the way we wanted it to. If it did not, do NOT do a second reflow. If the first didn't work, chances are the second won't work.
Now for reballs I jump up to 237c for about 30 seconds and then up to 238c for 15 seconds. (I have found doing it this way dimishes the chance of pulling pads out, excessive heat damage, and the chip seems to lift a bit easier).
Once I see the smoke I can assume it has started melting I do what's called a nudge test. ((Nudge meaning you're barely pushing it)) If the nudge does indicate the solder has melted, I hurry up and get the vacuum pen over the die and then increase temp to 239c for 3 seconds and then lift. Once the chip is lifted I set it on a piece of cardboard nearby and wait for it to cool down. At this point I turn off both of my machines and then turn on my solder iron attachment.
We want to let the chip and board cool for at least 15 minutes.
Now that they are cooled down, it's time for the cleanup. We will start with the board. I take a Q-tip and some
KingBo "tacky" flux and dab it all over where our GPU used to sit. Once that has been done I take my solder iron and run it through the solder trying to drag all the excess into bigger clumps. Once they are in bigger clumps I break out the solder sucker and get rid of all that excess.
Once that has been done it's time to break out the desoldering braid. Go ahead and add a bit more flux. Set your desoldering braid down and place your iron on top of it. Hold it in the same place for about 15 seconds so we can get the braid heated up. Now it's time to start gently dragging it across each and every solder point. You will have to pay attention to the braid. It can only get so much in one spot before it's time to cut it off (or extend it) and get a new section. I just cut it off. Once we have gone over the solder points, do it again as there will more than likely be a few spots you missed.
Let's get to the GPU. Mount the GPU into your Reball Jig. Make sure it's in there good as we have to clean it as well. Once it's mounted we can go ahead and do the exact same thing we did on the board while making sure to be gentle. If you push too hard, it could break free from your jig and cause damage. It probably wont damage it, but let's not take the chance. Gentle.
Now that has been done, lets clean the board and GPU of any leftover KingBo so we can check it. Grab a Q-tip and some isopropyl alchohol and wipe off both the board and GPU. Once cleaned, we will be checking to make sure there isn't any solder that is still risen above the board. If there is, desolder more. Just run your finger across it a couple times. You will be able to tell if there is any solder sticking above the chip.
Once we have verified the solder is gone, it's time to get the stencil out.
Locking is the way to go, but they're also superrrrrr expensive for direct heat. I will be using non locking.
Non Locking is not as expensive, but is also a little more challenging and you will need the 1/4in heat tape.
Spread some KingBo across the GPU. Now take a good look at your GPU and then take a good look at the stencil. Match it up with your GPU. Set it down on top of the GPU. Look down through the stencil holes and make sure everything appears to line up. It's better to use a magnifying glass but you don't have to.
If everything appears to line up, let's proceed. Grab your 1/4 heat tape and cut a big enough strip to reach both ends of your jig. Gently set the tape down on the GPU and then your jig. I cut a tad bigger that way it wraps underneath a bit. We need to do this again on the opposite side.
Most places you order the solder balls from will send you a little "solder spoon". Use it. It makes life easier. Dip your spoon into the solder balls and then pour them over the holes. I prefer to use a prong off of a plastic fork to move them around. It works great surprisingly. Get as many solder balls into as many holes as possible. Repeat until every hole is filled.
Now we need to go through and make sure there aren't any solder balls stacked on top of each other. It's pretty easy to spot for most people but sometimes there is that occasional one you may overlook. Look very hard. This is crucial!
If we have no stacked solder balls, let's go ahead and turn our machine back on to the needed temperature. Heat the balls up and watch em' melt! Once we have melted all of them, let it cool for 15 minutes. After the time has passed we can remove the stencil. Wipe it down with some alchohol while the flux is still somewhat easy to work with.
Double check your work to make sure each and every solder ball melted.
If any solder has joined together, we get to manually fix it! Hopefully you have a good set of tweezers! Haha. Just heat up the area and remove as little as possible while correcting the issue. Grab a few leftover solder balls as I know you probably dropped a couple and patch them in. You will need to flux that area and you will need to change to a smaller more precise tip. We want to fix this little problem and don't want to heat up the entire chip.
Now that we have our chip ready for placement we need to slap some KingBo down on the board.
((You may need to remove the temperature probes if they are in the way but make sure to put them back as close to the GPU as possible))
Once that is done we can set the chip down. Get your magnifying glass out and check all 4 corners of the chip to make sure the solder balls on the chip are lined up with the solder pads on the board. If they are, you are ready to heat it up and get the GPU reattached. Once it has been reattached let it cool for 15 minutes. After the time has passed we can now remove the foil tape and clean up any excess leftover flux along the edge with some isopropyl alcohol.
Now it's time to add some thermal glue to the RAM chips, and some Arctic Silver to the die. We are now ready to put the GPU IHS back on. Make sure it lines up even! Let it sit for a while before moving it. We want the IHS to stay right where it's at.
Now to the CPU. You can use any non-acidic (neutral curing) high temp silicone to tack the CPU back down. I just use the thermal glue I used on the RAM chips. I place some on all 4 corners of the little raised path the silicone was glued to. Add some thermal paste to the die, you can now place the IHS down and even it out. Let it sit and bond for a little while. Good time to clean that dust out! Haha.
Put the CMOS battery back in and get our new thermal pads set down. Once that is done, you want to add some
thermal paste to the top of the IHS.
The makers of Arctic Silver recommend a pea sized dot right in the middle of the IHS.
It is recommended to remove your fan from its enclosure and then place it down. Push on the fan IHS assembly to disperse the paste somewhat evenly. Then you can go ahead and screw down the clamps to hold the fan assembly to the motherboard. Screw your fan back into the enclosure and plug it in.
Now you can go ahead and set this half of the Ps3 back into the shell. No need to screw anything down. Just set the power supply inside. If you have a phat console, you will need to screw down the ground wire.
Plug in the power and video cables, then turn it on and see what happens.
If you are wanting to learn how to do reballs and have all of the proper tools, I highly recommend starting on Xbox 360s. You will ruin some of them starting out. It happens to all of us as we are starting out. I went through 3 or 4 360s/ Ps3s before I finally got it down and didn't pull any pads. Take your time, don't pry up on anything, use the right tools, and pay attention. If you do all of that, you shouldn't have any issues at all.
I know this was a long tutorial, but I like my tutorials to contain as much detail as possible to try and slim down on
questions being asked.
If anyone does have any questions, feel free to ask.:beerglass::beerglass:
**** I will go through and clean this up a bit when adding pictures
Pictures to come soon followed by a video!
The rework machine I use isn't anything super fancy and neither is the pre heating plate. Couple hundred bucks will
do you just fine to get started. Materials will cost a bit too. Most of the stuff listed came from eBay.
The tools & materials I use.
Spoiler
Tools & Materials not needed for Reflows are marked with a double asterisk. ( ** )
- Aoyue Int968A+
- 45mm BGA Nozzle w/ mesh lining
- Puhui T-8280 IR Pre Heating Plate
- ExTech Type J / K Dual Output Digital Thermometer
- Digitial Stop Watch
- Locking & Non Locking BGA Jigs**
- BGA Direct Heat Stencils**
- Vacuum Pen**
- Solder Sucker**
- Metal Pallete Knives
- Butter Serving Knife (Lol I know)
- Magnifying Glass**
Materials
- Kester 186 No Clean Flux
- KingBo RMA-218 "Tacky Flux"**
- 0.6mm Solder**
- 1" Foil Tape
- 1/4" Heat Resistant Tape**
- Desolder Braid**
- 99% Isopropyl Alcohol
- Neutral Curing Thermal Glue
- Arctic Silver MX5
- Arctic Silver Thermal Remover/ Purifier
- High Efficiency Thermal Pads
- Q-tips
- Old rag
- 5x5 chunk of cardboard (set your chip on)**
- Air Duster (clean that dust while you're in there!)
So heres where the tutorial begins.
Spoiler
This guide assumes that the fault has occured under the GPU so this is what we will be focusing on. Same process for CPU and SB. Just different stencils. You will however want to take the IHS off the CPU and replace the paste while you're in there. Keep reading. :)
Tear the console down. MAKE SURE TO UNPLUG THE FAN!!! Also remove the CMOS battery.
Wipe away all the old paste. Thermal material remover comes in handy with removing it. Old rag and some Q-tips will wipe it right up.
Time to lift the IHS. I use a butter serving knife to lift the RSX IHS up. Just slide it under the CPU side of the GPU and lift up a bit. Pops right off. ((If you go under any other side of the GPU, you WILL knock components off the chip!))
I then turn my rework station on and set it to the minimum which is 90c. Put it over the CELL IHS for 30ish seconds and then turn it off. Here is where the pallete knives come in. This is what I use to break through the silicone epoxy holding down the CPU IHS while being super careful I don't lose my grip, dig into the substrate, or go too far in and hit the die. You only need to go under about 1/8 of an inch.
**I always place my thumb at the end of the CPU in the direction I am pushing. It will help if you slip and it also helps when you get to the end of that side of the chip.
Once I have both IHS off, it's time to remove the thermal paste on both dies. After the paste is removed, it's time to remove the thermal glue on the GPU RAM chips and also the silicone around the CPU. I use a dead PS3 GPU from an old PS3 I learned on. ((Anything (within reason) that isnt metal and is fairly sturdy should work fine))
Scrape away at the thermal glue on the RAM chips while being super careful not to go off the RAM chip and hit another component. I place my thumb on the inside edge of the RAM chip and then scrape towards my thumb gently while giving enough pressure to remove the glue. Once the RAM chips have been cleared off, I move over to the CPU and do the same motion along each side to remove the silicone epoxy. Once that's done it's time for the underside of each IHS. You don't have to be as careful with these since they're no longer on the board. Again, don't use anything metal. Get them both nice and clean and then set them off to the side.
Now that the pre-cleaning of the two are done, we will move on.
For this part we need to grab the foil tape. You can also use regular old tin foil shaped to a square with a center square cut out.
First off let's get to the bottom of the board. Cover ANYTHING plastic. Most pre heating plates (like mine) heat the entire board to prevent section warping. It WILL melt plastic.
Now to the top.
I cut about 3 inches off the roll. Once it's off the roll I fold it in half width wise and cut down the center making it 1/2 inch wide. We want to put this along the GPU covering the components close by. ((I always do about 1/16 of an inch away that way I can see flux pass through))
Now that the foil tape is down and is completely surrounding the GPU, let's go ahead and get to the flux. Start on one edge and just slide the tip down an edge. I usually shake it in a downwards motion to help it move along better. Now I move on to another side and do the same until all 4 sides are done, or I see flux spewing out each edge.
Now it's time to set our temperature probes. Grab a small 1 inch piece of foil tape and cut it in half. We want to slide a temperature probe right up against the edge of the GPU on the CPU side. Once it's as close as possible, tape it down. Repeat the step for the other probe and put it on the opposing side.
So the flux is done. Tape is done. Probes are set. Let's go ahead and put the board on the pre heater.
There are a lot of different solders out there and they all have different melting points. The melting point for lead free solder used in a PS3 is about 230ish degrees celcius. We don't want to melt the solder on the bottom, we just want to heat it up to assist the reflow/ reball process. I set mine to 175c. Exactly why we need to cover plastic. Lol.
Here is where it becomes slightly different for reflows and reballs. Let's go over reflow first.
During a reflow you are just reflowing the solder that is already on the board. I set my temperature to 236c for about 60 to 70 seconds. Do NOT do this for more than 90 seconds! When the solder is at melting point there will be quite a bit of smoke coming out from under the chip. Tell tale sign your solder is melting.
At 236c the solder has melted and has hopefully reformed back to where it belongs. Let it cool down for 15 to 20 minutes before rebuilding. Notice how I said hopefully reformed up there. Nothing we can do but hope.
----- Reflowers, you are done. Let's hope it worked the way we wanted it to. If it did not, do NOT do a second reflow. If the first didn't work, chances are the second won't work.
Now for reballs I jump up to 237c for about 30 seconds and then up to 238c for 15 seconds. (I have found doing it this way dimishes the chance of pulling pads out, excessive heat damage, and the chip seems to lift a bit easier).
Once I see the smoke I can assume it has started melting I do what's called a nudge test. ((Nudge meaning you're barely pushing it)) If the nudge does indicate the solder has melted, I hurry up and get the vacuum pen over the die and then increase temp to 239c for 3 seconds and then lift. Once the chip is lifted I set it on a piece of cardboard nearby and wait for it to cool down. At this point I turn off both of my machines and then turn on my solder iron attachment.
We want to let the chip and board cool for at least 15 minutes.
Now that they are cooled down, it's time for the cleanup. We will start with the board. I take a Q-tip and some
KingBo "tacky" flux and dab it all over where our GPU used to sit. Once that has been done I take my solder iron and run it through the solder trying to drag all the excess into bigger clumps. Once they are in bigger clumps I break out the solder sucker and get rid of all that excess.
Once that has been done it's time to break out the desoldering braid. Go ahead and add a bit more flux. Set your desoldering braid down and place your iron on top of it. Hold it in the same place for about 15 seconds so we can get the braid heated up. Now it's time to start gently dragging it across each and every solder point. You will have to pay attention to the braid. It can only get so much in one spot before it's time to cut it off (or extend it) and get a new section. I just cut it off. Once we have gone over the solder points, do it again as there will more than likely be a few spots you missed.
Let's get to the GPU. Mount the GPU into your Reball Jig. Make sure it's in there good as we have to clean it as well. Once it's mounted we can go ahead and do the exact same thing we did on the board while making sure to be gentle. If you push too hard, it could break free from your jig and cause damage. It probably wont damage it, but let's not take the chance. Gentle.
Now that has been done, lets clean the board and GPU of any leftover KingBo so we can check it. Grab a Q-tip and some isopropyl alchohol and wipe off both the board and GPU. Once cleaned, we will be checking to make sure there isn't any solder that is still risen above the board. If there is, desolder more. Just run your finger across it a couple times. You will be able to tell if there is any solder sticking above the chip.
Once we have verified the solder is gone, it's time to get the stencil out.
Locking is the way to go, but they're also superrrrrr expensive for direct heat. I will be using non locking.
Non Locking is not as expensive, but is also a little more challenging and you will need the 1/4in heat tape.
Spread some KingBo across the GPU. Now take a good look at your GPU and then take a good look at the stencil. Match it up with your GPU. Set it down on top of the GPU. Look down through the stencil holes and make sure everything appears to line up. It's better to use a magnifying glass but you don't have to.
If everything appears to line up, let's proceed. Grab your 1/4 heat tape and cut a big enough strip to reach both ends of your jig. Gently set the tape down on the GPU and then your jig. I cut a tad bigger that way it wraps underneath a bit. We need to do this again on the opposite side.
Most places you order the solder balls from will send you a little "solder spoon". Use it. It makes life easier. Dip your spoon into the solder balls and then pour them over the holes. I prefer to use a prong off of a plastic fork to move them around. It works great surprisingly. Get as many solder balls into as many holes as possible. Repeat until every hole is filled.
Now we need to go through and make sure there aren't any solder balls stacked on top of each other. It's pretty easy to spot for most people but sometimes there is that occasional one you may overlook. Look very hard. This is crucial!
If we have no stacked solder balls, let's go ahead and turn our machine back on to the needed temperature. Heat the balls up and watch em' melt! Once we have melted all of them, let it cool for 15 minutes. After the time has passed we can remove the stencil. Wipe it down with some alchohol while the flux is still somewhat easy to work with.
Double check your work to make sure each and every solder ball melted.
If any solder has joined together, we get to manually fix it! Hopefully you have a good set of tweezers! Haha. Just heat up the area and remove as little as possible while correcting the issue. Grab a few leftover solder balls as I know you probably dropped a couple and patch them in. You will need to flux that area and you will need to change to a smaller more precise tip. We want to fix this little problem and don't want to heat up the entire chip.
Now that we have our chip ready for placement we need to slap some KingBo down on the board.
((You may need to remove the temperature probes if they are in the way but make sure to put them back as close to the GPU as possible))
Once that is done we can set the chip down. Get your magnifying glass out and check all 4 corners of the chip to make sure the solder balls on the chip are lined up with the solder pads on the board. If they are, you are ready to heat it up and get the GPU reattached. Once it has been reattached let it cool for 15 minutes. After the time has passed we can now remove the foil tape and clean up any excess leftover flux along the edge with some isopropyl alcohol.
Now it's time to add some thermal glue to the RAM chips, and some Arctic Silver to the die. We are now ready to put the GPU IHS back on. Make sure it lines up even! Let it sit for a while before moving it. We want the IHS to stay right where it's at.
Now to the CPU. You can use any non-acidic (neutral curing) high temp silicone to tack the CPU back down. I just use the thermal glue I used on the RAM chips. I place some on all 4 corners of the little raised path the silicone was glued to. Add some thermal paste to the die, you can now place the IHS down and even it out. Let it sit and bond for a little while. Good time to clean that dust out! Haha.
Put the CMOS battery back in and get our new thermal pads set down. Once that is done, you want to add some
thermal paste to the top of the IHS.
The makers of Arctic Silver recommend a pea sized dot right in the middle of the IHS.
It is recommended to remove your fan from its enclosure and then place it down. Push on the fan IHS assembly to disperse the paste somewhat evenly. Then you can go ahead and screw down the clamps to hold the fan assembly to the motherboard. Screw your fan back into the enclosure and plug it in.
Now you can go ahead and set this half of the Ps3 back into the shell. No need to screw anything down. Just set the power supply inside. If you have a phat console, you will need to screw down the ground wire.
Plug in the power and video cables, then turn it on and see what happens.
If you are wanting to learn how to do reballs and have all of the proper tools, I highly recommend starting on Xbox 360s. You will ruin some of them starting out. It happens to all of us as we are starting out. I went through 3 or 4 360s/ Ps3s before I finally got it down and didn't pull any pads. Take your time, don't pry up on anything, use the right tools, and pay attention. If you do all of that, you shouldn't have any issues at all.
I know this was a long tutorial, but I like my tutorials to contain as much detail as possible to try and slim down on
questions being asked.
If anyone does have any questions, feel free to ask.:beerglass::beerglass:
**** I will go through and clean this up a bit when adding pictures
