Circuit Board Repair Tools & Equipment

Building a circuit board repair bench

Board-level repair comes down to three jobs: find the fault, remove the dead part, and fit the new one cleanly. The tools on this page cover all three — diagnostics, rework, and resoldering. Most repair techs start with a hot air rework station and a solid soldering station, then add testers and tweezers as the work gets finer.

Hot air rework for SMD and BGA work

Surface-mount components don’t come off with an iron alone. A hot air rework station blows controlled heat across a chip so you can lift it without damaging the pads underneath.

The YIHUA 995D+ I EVO pairs a hot air gun with a 110W iron in one unit — reflow an SMD package and touch up through-hole joints from the same bench. Adjustable airflow and temperature let you set the heat to the component, not the other way round.

Diagnose before you desolder

Pulling parts at random wastes time and lifts pads. Test first. The FNIRSI DSO-TC4 is a 3-in-1 handheld oscilloscope, multitester and component tester — it identifies a part, reads its value, and shows a live waveform.

For tight work, the FNIRSI LCR-ST1 smart tweezers measure resistors, capacitors and ESR straight off the board, so you can check a 0402 part without unsoldering it. New to fault-finding? Our guide on how to test a circuit board walks through it step by step.

Soldering stations for fine and through-hole work

Once the fault’s found, you need clean heat. The YIHUA 939D+ III EVO is the easy starting point for board repair — stable temperature, fast warm-up, simple controls. The YIHUA 926LED-IV adds PID control across 90–480°C for finer joints, and the cordless YIHUA 928D-IV USB-C iron is handy when you’re working away from the bench.

Pair any of them with C210 micro soldering tips for precise, low-mass work on dense boards. See the full range of soldering stations or our best soldering stations guide if you’re still choosing.

Battery and spot-weld repair

Some board repairs run into battery packs and tabs. The FNIRSI SWM-20 portable spot welder delivers up to 1200A dual-pulse power for welding nickel strip onto cells — useful for tool packs, e-bike batteries and 18650 builds.

Why buy your repair tools from Kunkune

We’re the official UK distributor for YIHUA and FNIRSI, so every tool is genuine stock with a real 12-month guarantee — not a grey-market import. Order before 2pm for same-day dispatch, free UK shipping over £25, and 60 days to return anything that isn’t right. Equipment we’d actually use ourselves, at honest prices. No minimum order — buy a single tip if that’s all you need.

Circuit board repair tools — FAQ

What tools do I need to start repairing circuit boards?

A temperature-controlled soldering station, a hot air rework station for SMD parts, a multimeter or component tester for diagnosis, and good tips and flux. The YIHUA 995D+ covers soldering and hot air in one unit, which keeps the starter bench simple.

Can I repair SMD components without hot air?

For most surface-mount work you’ll want hot air. Tiny resistors and capacitors can come off with an iron and patience, but ICs, QFN and BGA packages need the even heat of a rework station to avoid lifting pads.

How do I find a fault on a circuit board?

Start visual — look for burnt, cracked or bulging parts. Then test: use a component tester like the FNIRSI DSO-TC4 on suspect parts, and smart tweezers to measure resistors and capacitors in-circuit before you desolder anything.