Warning: I thought the 'freeze spray for microsoldering' trick was just a joke

A client brought in a water-damaged laptop from a flood in Miami last month, and the BGA chip looked totally gone. I tried the freeze spray before heating it, just as a last resort, and it actually helped the solder reflow without bridging. Has anyone else had a specific component where this weird trick saved the day?

3 comments

3 Comments

grant_ross274mo ago

Oh man, that's awesome it worked! I had a similar save on an old Xbox 360 with the GPU. The freeze spray trick got just enough contraction to pop a stubborn corner loose before I hit it with the hot air. It was totally a last-ditch move, but it kept the pads intact.

miles_campbell394mo ago

That freeze spray trick is wild, @grant_ross27. How many times did you have to hit that corner with the cold before it finally gave way?

nancy_green2mo ago

I mean, the freeze spray totally saved me on a MacBook GPU once that I thought was toast. I hit the chip with a quick cold blast before reflowing and the solder pulled together way cleaner than normal. It's one of those tricks that feels like voodoo until you see it work with your own eyes.