GPU Reflow at home

i'm that guy people ask to repair everything. cars, computers, toys, phones, etc.

I'm about to repair a Dell Inspiron m5010 motherboard for a third time. i have quoted a post i wrote on an automotive forum after my first time doing this.

the first time i repaired this was august 14, 2015. after the repair i noticed the fan failed and i replaced it(the fan) with a used one off ebay. the computer worked great for a couple months.

the second time i repaired this was november 2015. the only thing i did differently last time is i (very briefly) brought the temp up to 250°c on my reflow station. i also replaced the fan again, this time with a new one. this time my repair lasted twice as long.

i believe i'm on par with most of the people doing this professionally, as they seem to mostly offer 30 to 90 day warranties. i just wonder if there is anything i can do to make sure this is the last time i'll have to do this. it's scary. rewarding, but nerve wrecking. on the bright side: after i fix it this time, my reflow station will have paid for itself.

can anyone here offer tips or tricks to make this repair last forever(or even a nerdier forum)? my ideas include: possibly weighting the chip down with a nickel before soldering, so it is forced down with an extra 5 grams as the solder melts and then adding the OEM glue dots back to the corners of the GPU to support it.

 

Solders crack due to the rapid cooling/heating of the material...

A lot of times, using a oven will do for reflowing. BGA machine is nice though.

Do you reball them or just reflow?

 

so far i have only done the reflow method. reballing is something i never considered(or even heard of), but now that you mention it, it seems like that would be a better, stronger repair. it also seems a bit terrifying. if that is the ultimate solution, i may reflow this guy one last time and then buy another GPU chip and attempt to reball/install it in a few months if repair #3 fails. then i'll have time to practice. reballing looks like something an amatuer shouldn't rush into

 

If there is a defect with the soldering material used, the problem will reappear with a reflow. This was an issue with some 8000 and 9000 series nVidia GPUs back ~2008 where the material would handle cooling and heating cycles poorly due to expansion/contraction that put a strain on the material and eventually make it crack. If you run into one of these, then reflowing will be a temporary fix. Otherwise, reflowing should be good enough for another relatively long period of time. That is where changing the solder material would make a difference.

The 60-90 day warranty is pretty common, if something went wrong with the reflow, it will break again during that time period.

 

In this case it would make sense if the problem was caused by expanding contracting and strained solder. The day before it broke she decided she wanted to make 3D fractals and was playing with Mandelbulber 2 all day.

i would like to buy another AMD radeon IGP chip. is there a way i can learn about how close i need to get with the numbers? for example i can easily find plenty of AMD Radeon IGP chips with 216-0752001 on them, but i can't find one with the 1008 on it. they seem to only cost $9-30. the reball template is only 99¢, and the fixture to hold it is only $16. the most iffy spot to me is which size balls to use.

i'm not thinking there is anything wrong with the chip on the laptop now, i'm just thinking if i can reball one with leaded solder off the laptop, i'll also be able to install it

 

reball with leaded solder, or if you really need a cheap fix, get some Kester 951 no clean liquid flux, use a dropper and get it all under the BGA on one side until it bleeds though on the other side, and put it in the oven or use a heat gun

 

no need to be cheap. i prefer quality and don't mind learning, plus i already have the rework station.

i have been using the MG no clean paste flux for the reflows. this stuff: http://www.mgchemicals.com/products/solder/fluxes/no-clean-flux-paste-8341/
would i for sure get a better bond with the kester 951? i'm only asking as i do not know. the write up i read only specified to use "no clean flux"

planning to do a reball once i practice a bit. if i buy the reball template pictured below, does the 0.50mm indicate i would also buy .5mm leaded solder balls?

 

Can't tell you for sure or not, but I've reflowed dozens of PS3s with Kester 951 and a heat gun with good success.

 

Honestly a new laptop would be less work/cheaper on a practical level...

now for a personal fun project, you would have look into the similar families of die for the die swap to work if you are buying different dies. Make sure its the same die family before swapping.

 

it's my girlfriends. she has office, photoshop and a bunch of other junk all registered on this one. i don't know if i could for sure transfer it.. the programs are the expensive part. the lid is pink as well. -very important. she's weird. i'm weird too i guess though, as i'm willing to invest time into fixing it. it's all fun and learning to me.

i'm reflowing it tonight and ordering the reball stuff for next time. i'll reball in a few months when it happens again.

how do i learn about which chips are for sure compatible? in post 5? if that is difficult to determine, i can just try to re-use the current chip. never hurts to ask though.

 

What models is the laptop? Depends on the die.

I am pretty sure of those programs can be transferred easily.