Reflowing the motherboard - how to remove protective shield
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Having last week celebrated my first notable success with my recently acquired temperature controlled air gun (reflowing the video chip on an old Dell XPS1530 laptop) I decided it was high time I turned my attention to a Samsung Galaxy Tab A SM-T580, that I’ve had knocking around for a couple of years or more.
It charges and speaks to me when I turn it on, but the screen remains black - apart from a just-discenable flicker from the backlight as it powers up the screen). I tried a new screen not long after I acquired it but it made no difference, so I decided something needed reflowing - probably the video controller if it’s a separate chip, or maybe the main processor if it has an integrated video controller.
[image|2445098]
The main chips are under a T-shaped shield, so I set my heat gun on 350C and applied it to the shield. I played it generally on the shield, and also on the edges, whilst trying to lift it with a pointed end of a pair of tweezers under a corner, but it didn’t seem to want to budge. I carried on for as long as I dared, and in fact when it cooled down it looked like the locking bar on the touch screen connector had started to melt - fortunately it still seemed to lock.
So what’s the secret in removing these screens?