I’m getting in some of the BLF DD boards & associated components, & was wondering if I can get away with a ‘regular’ heat gun with adjustable speed & temp, rather than shelling out for a Station.
Anyone out there use a standard type heat gun with success?
Most sellers on Amazon either don’t ship to AU, or charge the earth, otherwise I’d jump on that, as it’s not much more than a regular heat gun.
I’d still like to know whether it’s feasible to use a regular heat gun with air & temp controls - I’d imagine it would work - they have the temp, but my main concern is air speed & nozzle size.
- edit -
Found the 858D on AU Ebay, local seller, for $55.99 buy it now or best offer. I’ve offered $49.00 - will see what happens…
Only ~$20 more than I was looking at spending on a heat gun, & I know it’s going to do the job properly.
Thanks.
Links please?
Thanks.
Im laying in bed typing this… 
If I was downstairs, Id be sitting in a recliner typing this. 
The recliner sounds good. I’ll take my into the lounge & watch me some teevee…
I have the same one. I love it :)
Great vaper too ! :bigsmile:
Crashcourse on how these work? Do you put the LED on the board and then heat the bottom with air?
Pre tin your solder pads or use soldering paste, put the chip on, and point the nozzle at the solder pads. Avoid hitting the chip as much as possible. The big advantage is that you can easily move from pad to pad to solder or remove chips that have lots of contacts.
I have the Atten 858D+.
Just put a little paste on the pads, place the LED and heat around the LED until the solder melts (it will go a wet sort of grey first, then silvery). When the solder paste melts it will usually pull the LED into position.
That 858D+ seems to a great deal.
36,95€ with shipping from Germany - fantastic.
Let’s see, what I can use this for.
THanks for the hint!
I paid around the same. If you do get one, open it up first to check the mains wiring. Mine was fine but there were some reports of unsafe wiring.
some reports of deadly lethal miswiring faults, don’t even plug it in until you have checked inside.
More extensive detailed list of multiple faults in Amazon review here:
http://www.amazon.com/review/R2EPLHIR05Y6RI/ref=cm_cr_pr_perm?ie=UTF8&ASIN=B0055B6NGE
“grounded improperly … the paint insulated the ground lugs…
The NEUTRAL LINE is switched on my unit, it should be the HOT line. This is a shock hazard …
The handle/nozzle has both DC and AC line voltage. This is another shock hazard….
The PCB carrying DC and AC voltage to the handle has exposed wires inside the handle. I had to insulate these wires.
… the AC and DC paths are on the same PCB are only separated by their foil tracks and are not physically isolated.”
How many things can you do wrong in one device?
Well - you get what you pay.
But I thought, a death is a bit more expensive 
OK, that’s very interesting (and sad) to read - but damn good to know.
Thank you guys
That's why I went with the Sparkfun unit. I could probably have dealt with a miswired unit without death, but I just wanted one that would work fine straight out of the box. It's like how some people will pay more for a flashlight that they don't have to tweak or mod to work well, except with a tool. That 858D+ is fine if you treat it like a budget flashlight that needs some attention before using it.
Just wondering… can you use 750W/1500W hair dryer to flow these components to the board? :bigsmile: