More SMD nuisances

[Tony Bones]

So, bottom line, the fact that replacement is sometimes cheaper than repair is a consequence of labor being expensive vs parts being cheap.

Having said that, reworking SMD usually takes less time than through-hole. So the labor cost are actually lower. But, the replacement cost might be even lower still!

For me, it's not a matter of through hole is "better," but SMD is cheaper. Tube guitar amps that I build are old school with turrets, etc, but just about anything else I'll go with SMD without thinking twice. It's no harder to populate a new PCB, even by hand, and it's WAY easier to rework SMD (with a modest investment in tools.) It's also cheaper, but that's a major feature only for OEM bean counters. Both engineers and technicians like SMD for practical reasons; it's actually easier to work with if you have the tools and a little experience.

Old farts (of which I am one) can choose to disbelieve me, but that's just a symptom of being too old to learn new tricks.

[The Dude]

I recently had some SMD work to do and saw this on eBay (link below). I ordered one- figured it was worth the risk. The thing is cheap enough you can make up for the cost on a job or two. Well, I just got around to trying it and the thing works very well. I can't speak to longevity because I just got it ,but as I said, it's very low cost. Now, I know this isn't something you'd want if you're going to be doing a lot of SMD work. If you just do this kind of thing occasionally, this might be a good solution.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/200W-110V-L...72.m2749.l2649

[nevetslab]

I recently had some SMD work to do and saw this on eBay (link below). I ordered one- figured it was worth the risk. The thing is cheap enough you can make up for the cost on a job or two. Well, I just got around to trying it and the thing works very well. I can't speak to longevity because I just got it but, as I said, it's very low cost. Now, I know this isn't something you'd want if you're going to be doing a lot of SMD work. If you just do this kind of thing occasionally, this might be a good solution.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/200W-110V-L...72.m2749.l2649

Hey..........that looks like a NICE tool! It reminds me a lot of the Leister Hot Air Gun, at 1/10 the price. I'm tempted to pick one of these up myself, along with that collection of nozzles.