Reflowing a motherboard is the process of heating up the board to a temperature that will melt or flow the solder on the board. Usually reflowing a board will reconnect broken or cold solder points which will fix most general hardware failures. The PS3 (YLOD) and Xbox 360 (RROD) both have general hardware failures and reflowing the motherboard will fix the error most of the time.
There are many different ways people will attempt to reflow a motherboard. The most common approach is to use a heatgun to heat the chips on the board. While this is an effective way to connect solder points its not a very efficient way to reflow the board evenly.
Even though heat guns are a popular choice for relowing, they do not offer an even reflow.
Another method is to use an IR Machine and while the IR Machine will give the best results, it also costs a lot of money (usually around 1500 for a basic one.) The easiest, and most effective, method to reflow would be using an oven. A conventional oven can heat an area up to a hot enough temperature to melt solder and makes the process very simple. The temperature will vary between boards, but the process is simple: preheat the oven, place board inside using ratchet heads as risers to place the board on top of, and set the timer.
Use ratchet heads to sit the board on top of. If you dont have ratchet heads 2 crumbled up pieces of aluminum foil will work.
Some motherboards may require capacitors to be covered and in any tutorials that require this we will be sure to mention which capacitors to cover. If you are going to reflow a board at home using your conventional oven is the best way you can guarantee an even reflow of a motherboard.
Reflowing a board is commonly used to fix many electronics and is a direct solution to repairing the PS3′s Yellow Light Of Death. We’ll cover fixing the YLOD later on.
