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PlayStation® Repair Made Easy
PLAYSTATION® REPAIR
Repairing the GPU, CPU on the PlayStation® Game Console Boards
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Understanding the GPU, CPU, Memory Chips
and Ball Grid Arrays (BGA's):
Q: What are
these chip packages that Microsoft®
and Sony®
call the GPU, the CPU, and the Memory
Chips? And why do they look so different
from other components?
A: These are electronic chips that are
packaged in what are called Ball Grid
Array formats (BGA's). They are a
relatively new form of Surface Mount
Devices (SMD) and are similar to other
components in that they have an
integrated circuit (die) within the
package and that they have connections
to be soldered. However, instead of
leads at the side of the chip, the
connections are balls underneath the
chip (See Below):
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Above Left: Bottom Side of a QFP Surface
Mount Chip with the leads at the side
for soldering to the PCB.
Above Right: Bottom Side of a Ball Grid
Array (BGA) Chip with solder spheres
(balls) at the bottom for soldering to
the PCB.
Many of the chips on the XBOX 360®
and PlayStation®
Printed Circuit Boards are packaged in
the BGA format shown above including the
GPU, CPU and Memory Chips. Indeed, most
consumer electronic PCB's today
incorporate more and more BGA style
chips as they are more robust in
construction and have faster gate speed
for processing.
Once the BGA is placed and soldered onto
the PCB, you can no longer "see" the
connections (balls) as they are
underneath the chip and no longer
visible to the eye.
Finally, the XBOX and PlayStation®
PCB's components are all soldered to the
pads with lead-free solder, not the
traditional solder that everyone is
familiar with. Lead-free solder requires
higher than traditional temperatures
which makes preheating the PCB
imperative.
Good News! Believe it or not, BGA's are
surprisingly easy to remove and replace
with the right gear and proper
procedures. No wonder the ZT-7 has
been the number one PCB rework system
since 1998 while others have come, gone
and obsoleted leaving their owners
without spare parts and stuck with
useless equipment.
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How to repair
the PlayStation® Gaming Console PCB?
Repairing the wildly popular Sony®
PlayStation®
printed circuit board (PCB) is now easier than
ever with the
Zephyrtronics ZT-7 Soldering Benchtop System.
The ZT-7 System makes either 1.) just reflowing
the chips; or 2.) de-soldering and removing the
GPU, CPU and Memory Chips and then replacing and
re-soldering them back to the printed circuit
boards (PCB's) to correct the error codes a
breeze. And best of all, the ZT-7 System is also
very affordable and is manufactured by
Zephyrtronics in the U.S. and has a two year
limited warranty.
First, don't be fooled by IR systems that
might repair the PCB temporarily, but that can
actually do more harm than good to the board and
chips. You want complete reflow of the entire
ball of solder (inside and outside) on every
connection, and not what is called "tangential
reflow" that will later open up again if the
board flexes, especially when the PlayStation®
is being used again. To learn more about the
many pitfalls, drawback and limitations with IR
systems, please you will want to watch the
Video
Comparisons & Demonstrations: 4 Methods of
Preheating & Solder Reflow
which illustrates the advantages of heated air
or forced convection and why it has long been
the "industry standard" in PCB work worldwide. |
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Second, make
sure that the PCB holding fixture is independent
from both the lower pre-heater and from the upper
reflow heater.
If one is
trying to repair or reflow a large quantity of
PCB's, then speed is important. So having to wait
for a large PCB (like the PlayStation®)
to first preheat, and then later to cool down for a
long time before moving on to the next PCB wastes a
lot of time and money and profit. Check out this
short video so you will understand why this is so
important. You'll be glad you did:
Video: The ABC's of PCB
Holding Fixtures.
By the
way, the ZT-7 System is equally effective for
repairing the PlayStation®
which you can learn about at this direct link:
XBox 360.
Below on
the left, you can see a PlayStation®
printed circuit board (PCB) populated with its
components including the two, larger critical GPU
and CPU chips. These two components, because they
are large, because they have full metallic tops on
the chips, and because they use lead-free solder
alloys, they require effective, forced convection
(hot air) preheating from below the PC board in
order to achieve a proper reflow of the solder
joints on the solder balls underneath the chips (see
the yellow highlighted sidebar for further
explanation).
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Image
of PlayStation Console's Printed Circuit Board Ready
for Rework & Repair |
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#1 One PCB Repair Station
Since 1998 |
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At left, you can see one of two
large chips used for the
PlayStation®. The high metal content
on the chip's top makes it
difficult to remove, re-ball, replace and
re-solder without damaging the chip.
It is imperative that both the PCB and chip
be carefully preheated first, preferably
with hot air to achieve solder melt, but not at
excessively high temps. Preheat temps should
never exceed 170°C.
Effective, preheat is required
for successful rework of
PlayStation®
chips. And this is where IR systems fail. |
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One of the PlayStation®
BGA's Shown Above |
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Beware!
Some "repair stations" have very
ineffective upper heaters requiring the
entire PCB be preheated underneath to
over 200°C for over twenty minutes!
Worse, the manufacturers of these
"machines" advise users to cover chips
with foil when using them. Are they
crazy? This nonsense is prohibited by
reputable PCB labs and repair companies.
PCB repair done on the cheap or with
high temperatures will fail, if not
immediately, not long afterwards.
Semiconductors begin to degrade at 260°C
and they degrade permanently.
Helpful Rework Guide:
Good enough for NASA and easy enough
for PlayStation®
repair! Click for more details on the
ZT-7 Hot Air
Station. Each ZT-7 ships with
a helpful, detailed owners manual plus a
39-page report by NASA with nearly 300
photographs filled with technical tips
and techniques, and a step-by-step
illustrated process guide. Easy
to operate with digital closed-loop
programmable (31 storable profiles)
temperature control, digital countdown
timing, bottom-side preheat and thermal
ramping for high quality. |
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Used by NASA to place and solde
high-reliability I.C.'s on the two
successful Mars Rovers and Curiosity
missions, the
ZT-7 is used by Fortune 500
electronic campuses around the world
since 1998.Why is this important?
Because our so-called competitors have
introduced machine after machine only to
obsolete them and then re-introduce
another machine leaving their poor
customers without service or replacement
parts! The
ZT-7, on the market for 16
years has a 2-year limited warranty.
A Warning
from NASA About IR Rework Systems:
"Hot
plates and infrared pre-heaters are not
recommended...The reason that
they should not be used is that the
thermal reaction times, energy transfer
rates and efficiency are never
consistent."
For more
specs, technical info and product
details about our popular XBox®
or PlayStation®
hot air repair stations, click the full
webpage for the
ZT-7 Hot Air BGA &
SMT PCB Center.
Or call us at our Los Angeles factory
Mon-Fri 8-6PM (Pacific) at (909)
865-2595 or e-mail
sales@ameritronics.com.
Let us help. |
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ZT-7-PSR REWORK COMPREHENSIVE SYSTEM
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Description
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Item |
Price |
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The ZT-7-PSR System Comprehensive BGA & SMT
Hot Air Bench Top Reflow System
Includes:
The ZT-7-MIL (shown above) and
The ZT-1-BGS-DPU AirBath
The ABC-1 Adjustable Board Cradle
ZT-7-PSK Benchtop Supply Kit Includes
the 42.5mm X 42.5mm BGA Nozzle for the GPU & CPU
Plus Your Soldering & DeSoldering Supplies
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ZT-7-MIL
ZT-1-BGS-DPU
ABC-1
ZLK-PS
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$5,950
LIMITED
TIME
OFFER!
$4,905
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The ZT-7-PSR-ZF System Comprehensive BGA & SMT
Hot Air Bench Top Reflow System
Includes:
The ZT-7-MIL (shown above) and
The ZT-1-BGS-DPU AirBath
The ABC-XYZ Adjustable Board Cradle
ZT-7-PSK Benchtop Supply Kit Includes the
42.5mm X 42.5mm BGA Nozzle for the GPU & CPU
Plus Your Soldering & DeSoldering Supplies
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ZT-7-MIL
ZT-1-BGS-DPU
ABC-1
ZLK-PS
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$6,300
LIMITED
TIME
OFFER!
$5,285
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PlayStation ZeroFlex™ Template
Thick, Machined Metal Plate
With Reciprocal Studs for PCB Holes
Thick Metal Plate Prevents PC Board Flexing During Rework
Openings Permit PCB Faster & More Uniform Bottom Preheat
Works With ABC-XYZ Board Cradle
(Note: ZeroFlex™ Template is Included In ZT-7-PSK Kit)
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ZT-7-ZF-PS |
$125
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©1996 - 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014 Ameritronics®. All rights reserved.
The information and all images you receive online from Ameritronics® is protected
by the copyright laws of the United States. The copyright laws
prohibit any copying, redistributing, retransmitting, or repurposing
of any copyright-protected material. Ameritronics® is the registered
trademark property of JTI, Inc. "Zephyrtronics" and "Zephlux"
and "ZeroLead" and "Zero Balling" and "Zero Residue" and "Post
Cooling" and "PostCooler" and "AirBath" and "Quatro" and "Full Metal
Jacket" are the protected trademark property of JTI, Inc.
Revised for
April 18, 2016 |
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PCB,
SMD, BGA Rework & Prototyping
AirBath,
SMD Rework
Stations,
Hot Air
Pencil Soldering,
BGA Rework
Stations,
CSP Rework
Stations,
Preheating
Systems,
PCB
Preheaters,
Pre-Heat
SMT / SMD,
Low Temp Rework,
SMT
DeSoldering Tools,
Vacuum
Pickup Tools,
Circuit
Board Holders,
PCB
Fixtures,
Board
Cradles,
Rework
Solder Paste,
No-Clean
Solder Paste,
Low Melt®
De-Solder Wire,
DeSolder
Wire,
Hot Air
Rework Stations,
Fume
Extractors,
SMT Dental
Probes,
SMT-SMD
Rework Kit,
BGA Rework
Kit,
LMK Kit,
BGA
Re-Balling Kit,
SMD
Tweezers,
Power Palm
Plunger
How To Work With SMD's, CSP's, BGA's &
QFN's
How To -
BGA Alignment:
How To -
SMT Rework:
How To - PCB Preheating,
How To -
BGA & CSP Rework:
How To -
Quickly Solder SMD Packages Effectively:
How To -
CSP Alignment;
How To -
Lead-Free Rework;
How To -
SMD Removal Economical;
How To -
SMD Removal Professional:
How To -
Hot Air Pencil / AirPencil Soldering;
How To -
SMD Quick Chip Removal;
How To -
BGA Re-Balling;
How To -
Rework PLCC - QFP, QFN, LCC, SOIC, Sub Shielded SMD, TSOP:
How To -
Solder & Rework Ceramic Capacitors:
How To -
Solder & Rework Glass Diodes
PCB
Soldering,
De-Soldering
Soldering
Accessories,
Solder
Wire,
No-Clean
Solder Wire,
Eutectic
Solder Wire,
Solder Wire
Dispenser,
Solder
Paste,
Lead-Free
Solder Paste,
Flux,
Solder
Paste Dispensers,
LowMelt®
DeSolder Wire,
De-Solder
Wire,
Soldering
Irons,
Digital
Soldering Station,
Digital
De-Soldering,
MIL-Spec
Soldering Station:
ESD
Soldering Station,
Soldering
Tips,
Thru-Hole
DeSoldering Tools,
Desoldering
Tip,
Tips for
Desoldering,
De-Solder
Wick,
Smoke
Extractors,
Fume
Extractor Filters,
Carbon
Activated Filters,
SolderMill™,
Pre-Heating
Systems,
Preheat
Thru-Hole,
PCB
Pre-Heating,
Flux
Solvent,
How To - Connector Rework;
How To -
PC/104 Soldering and Rework;
How To -
Thru-Hole / Through Hole Desolder / De-Solder;
How To -
Low Melt® Desolder Wire;
How To-
Stop Lifting Pads;
How To-
Desolder / De-Solder Heavy Ground Planes;
How To -
Lead-Free Soldering and De-Soldering;
Preheaters
for Lead-Free Rework and Soldering
Dispensing, Solder Paste, Liquids & Fluids
Dispensing
Systems,
Dispensing
Syringes,
Dispensing
Barrels,
Tapered
Tips,
Blunt
Needles,
Stainless
Steel Needles,
Dispensing
Needles,
Industrial
Needles,
Dispensing
Tips,
Dispensing
Accessories,
Solder
Paste in Syringe,
Lead-Free
Solder Paste in Syringe,
Paste Rack™
Solder Paste Holder,
Dispensing
Supplies,
Power Palm
Plunger,
Manual
Dispensing,
Automatic
Dispensing
Laboratory &
Bench Supplies & Tools
SMD Solder
Paste,
Lead-Free
Solder Paste,
Solder
Wire,
LowMelt®,
No-Clean
Flux,
BGA Flux,
Rework Tack
Flux,
Non-Flammable Flux Remover,
Inspection
Equipment,
Magnification Equipment,
Magnifying
Work Light,
ESD
Magnifier,
Pen Vac,
SMT
Tweezers,
Fume
Extraction,
SMD
Tweezers,
PC Board
Fixtures,
Hot Air
Tips,
AirTips,
Replacement
Soldering Sponges,
Iron Plated
Soldering Tips,
Art
Conservation Hot Air Tools,
Foam Swabs,
Anti-Static
Foam Swabs,
Thru-Hole
Brushes,
LMK Rework
Kits |
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