What should I use -repair tools

Thread Starter

Miguel O

Joined Apr 16, 2015
3
Hello,

I work in IT, mainly in computer repair and HDD data recovery.

The ways of data recovery are filled with myths, do's and dont's, and the people who master it, won't ever give you a single hint telling if you are in the correct path.

Every day now, we are receiving USB flash drives that need pcb / chip replacement, and I would like to ask you, what tools (is a hot air station doable ? do i need a pre heating plate ?) should be used for the transplant of the little chip you see in the image ? I understand some components might be sensitive to more or less heat then anothers.

Any of you ever worked in this kind of thing ?

Thank you so much for spending your time reading this.

Miguel
 

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Thread Starter

Miguel O

Joined Apr 16, 2015
3
Hi, im not sure you understood.
Im not repairing i just want to extract the pen drive chip to another one, with all other funcional components and save the data inside.
That 8pin chip contains unique information about the data stored in the damaged pen drive.
 

Alec_t

Joined Sep 17, 2013
14,280
It may not be simply (??!) a matter of swapping chips, unless you have identical flash drives so that the 'other functional components' in the new drive are compatible with the old memory chip whose contents you want to preserve.
 

Thread Starter

Miguel O

Joined Apr 16, 2015
3
It may not be simply (??!) a matter of swapping chips, unless you have identical flash drives so that the 'other functional components' in the new drive are compatible with the old memory chip whose contents you want to preserve.
Yes Alec_t, the point is getting a new flash drive, same model, firmware version and only swap the ROM chip because that chip contains unique information to acess the data stored in the flash drive.
 

Deltatango

Joined Apr 16, 2012
16
My thought is that heat on a large scale may well cause some data problems with memory devices, as when mounted first time they go through a sophisticated system to be soldered in a very specific time to comply with its stated temperature limits.
Solder used now is to me much drier (lacking lead) and tends to want a lot of heat (higher melting point) to free an item, to do larger scale chip changes in a proper way leads to needing say an Infra Red (welding/soldering) unit like say a T862++ and shield tape or material plus lots of trial and error.

Small parts are much easier a nice pointed tip iron (0.5mm) and tweezers for those caps and resistors, now when I was still working and only on simple smd chips I used a wire method, first use solder mop to draw off extra solder, if it seems not to flow then I would prime each joint with some lead based fine solder to help lower desolder temp.
Then take a strand of some 0.5mm mains core (tends to be more viable than low voltage cable) or 0.75mm if better, you then tack one end of it close to a chips line of terminals after threading it through/under its legs.
When finished take the free end trying to pull it out at right angles to each terminal while heating it, this will help break that joint plus if pulled at a slight upward angle lift that "leg" to stop it resolder itself.
The other thing will be magnifying glasses to suit I have a pair of X6 glasses from the US (UK tends only goes to X4) plus opticals up to X10, to refix parts use fine solder or paste which can be easier because it will not blob over terminals also a can of freezer spray to gently cool things?.

Hope this gives some ideas.........

David
 
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