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Tried a different flux on a stubborn PS4 HDMI port and it actually worked
I was fixing a friend's PS4 with a dead HDMI port, and I ran out of my usual no-clean flux. All I had left was this old, cheap rosin flux paste from a kit I bought like 3 years ago. I figured it was junk, but I used it anyway just to get the job done. To my surprise, the solder flowed way better and the new port went on perfectly on the first try. I guess the old stuff had a better activator for that oxidized board. Anyone else have a 'bad' product that secretly works great for a specific fix?
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jakejones6mo ago
Ever grab that crusty old flux from the bottom of your kit for a last ditch effort? I keep a jar of the nasty, dark rosin paste just for crusty console boards. The new no-clean stuff is clean, but sometimes you need that aggressive bite to eat through years of oxidation. That old paste is like a secret weapon for bringing dead pads back to life.
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grays136mo ago
Yeah @jakejones, that old paste is basically a chemical time machine lol. It's got that extra acid from breaking down over time, which is exactly what you need for those corroded traces on old gear. I've saved a few Game Boys with a tiny dab of the nasty stuff when the good flux just beaded up.
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