The shift from thru-hole to SMD components killed my entry-level repair business

I used to fix old stereo gear and arcade boards for beer money, but maybe around 2015 or so I started noticing everything coming in was surface mount and almost impossible for me to touch up without a microscope and hot air station. Now I see people bring in 5-year-old LED TVs and I have to tell them the main board is basically a throwaway, no point in fixing a soldering bridge. Is anyone else just walking away from repairs on anything newer than 2010 because the parts are too tiny and cheap to bother with?

3 comments

3 Comments

the_linda29d ago

... and then I tried fixing my phone's USB port and ended up launching a tiny capacitor across the room with tweezers.

barbarah1929d ago

Getting a decent hot air station and a stereo microscope changed the game for me, actually. A Hakko FR-301 desoldering gun also helped a lot for pulling those tiny SMD parts off without lifting pads. But yeah, for the cheap LED TVs and disposable stuff, you're right - sometimes the board costs less than your time to fix it.

ray_campbell4629d ago

Nah, I get why people go that route, but I've had better luck just replacing the whole board. Less frustration, same result.