🔧 Ultimate BGA Rework Setup (Professional-Level)
🏆 1. Main BGA Rework Station
You want a hybrid (hot air + IR) system with optical alignment for serious precision.
Top Picks:
- ACHI IR-PRO-SC v2 / LY IR-Pro SC – Affordable and popular in repair shops
- Scotle IR6000 or IR6500 – Good hybrid IR/hot air station with decent control
- Puhui T-890 or T-890A+ – Reliable, semi-automatic option for precision
- WDS-620 / WDS-650 – High-end with optical alignment and auto profiles
Key features to look for:
- 3 heating zones (top, bottom, and preheating bed)
- Programmable temperature curves
- Auto pick-and-place head (or manual micrometer for fine alignment)
- Camera/optical alignment system (critical for BGA and IC work)
- PC software integration (nice to have for advanced control)
🔍 2. Microscope or Visual Inspection Tool
Even with a camera-guided rework station, you’ll need a stereo microscope for inspection and alignment.
Recommended:
- AmScope SE400-Z or Andonstar AD409 (digital w/ HDMI out)
- Trinocular microscopes with camera ports are ideal
- HDMI digital microscopes for display-based work
🧹 3. Fume Extraction
Soldering and reworking BGA chips produce fumes—get a fume extractor.
Recommended:
- KOTTO Smoke Absorber
- Hakko FA-430 (pro-grade)
- Inline fan + carbon filter setup for DIY ventilation
🛠 4. Tools & Accessories
- Hot tweezers for removing small components
- Flux pens (No-clean or Rosin-based; Amtech or MG Chemicals are great)
- Solder paste (Sn63/Pb37 for easier reflow)
- Reballing stencils and solder balls for reworking BGAs
- Kapton tape for masking heat-sensitive components
- IR thermometer or thermocouple probe for double-checking temps
- PCB preheating plate (some stations have this built-in)
🖥️ 5. Software/Monitoring
- Many high-end machines come with USB/PC integration to create, monitor, and log reflow profiles.
- Optional: thermal camera for precise thermal diagnostics (e.g., FLIR One or Seek Thermal)
💸 Budget-Friendly Setup (Still Capable)
If you’re not ready to spend thousands:
- Quick 861DW – Top-tier hot air station for under £300
- AmScope digital microscope (~£90–180)
- Manual BGA reballing station with stencils
- PCB holder + preheat plate (~40–90)
- Fume extractor or DIY fan + carbon filter
This setup won’t offer optical alignment, but with good manual skill and patience, it’s very capable for smaller BGA/IC jobs (e.g. on phones, GPUs, consoles, etc.)
🧠 Pro Tips for a Better Setup
- Start with common reflow profiles but tweak based on your boards.
- Use flux generously and practice reballing on old chips first.
- Keep your workspace clean and static-safe (ESD mats & wrist straps).
- Record your settings and results to build a process over time.
🚀 Final Thoughts
If you’re doing phone, GPU, console, or motherboard repairs, investing in a semi-automatic BGA station with camera alignment is worth every cent. For hobby or small-scale use, a high-quality hot air station and good technique can still get you pro-level results.
