Warning: I used a cheap flux pen on a PS4 HDMI port and it made a mess

I was fixing a PS4 with a bad HDMI port last week and grabbed a new flux pen I got online for like $5. I put it on the board, but when I heated it up with my iron, it left this sticky, dark residue all over the pads. I had to stop and clean it off with a ton of isopropyl alcohol before I could even see to solder the new port on. It added maybe 20 minutes to the job. Has anyone found a flux that doesn't gunk up like that on game consoles?

2 comments

2 Comments

kellyr187d ago

Ugh, that's the worst. Honestly, a lot of people don't talk about how the flux can actually trap heat and make the pads way harder to rework. That gunk acts like an insulator, so you end up holding the iron on there longer than you should. That extra heat is bad news for the tiny parts nearby. I've had better luck with the no-clean liquid flux in a syringe, it just seems to vanish when you heat it right.

julia_carter7d ago

Yeah, that gunk acting like an insulator is such a sneaky problem. Tbh, it's ruined a couple boards for me before I figured it out.