Essential tools for soldering
Learn soldering: essential tools & advanced BGA tips for Game Boy, PSP, ROG Ally, Steam Deck & other handhelds.
⚠️ Disclaimer: This guide covers the minimum tools and recommendations for basic soldering, and the additional tools required for advanced work, such as ROG Ally RAM replacement (BGA soldering).
Always practice on scrap boards before attempting delicate work.
This guide provides a comprehensive list of essential tools for basic soldering and the additional tools needed for advanced BGA work (e.g. replacing RAM chips on the ROG Ally or Steam Deck).
All items are chosen based on best value for quality, with higher-end recommendations where spending more makes a difference.
Basic Tools & Consumables
- Tacky Flux
- Stirri or Inventec tacky flux in syringe form.
- The most common is NC-559-V2-TF.
- ⚠️ Do not skimp on flux. Avoid liquid and rosin-based fluxes for SMD work.
- Buy on Amazon
- Desoldering Wick
- Any basic copper solder wick will work.
- Buy on Amazon
- 63/37 Leaded Solder
- Avoid lead-free solder (harder to work with, requires higher temps).
- Buy on Amazon
- Wipes
- Kimwipes recommended.
- Cotton can also work — just use something low-dust that won’t fall apart.
- Buy on Amazon
- Cleaning Alcohol
- Denatured alcohol or Isopropyl (≥90%).
- Buy on Amazon
- Needle Nose Tweezers
- Precision tip tweezers recommended for SMD.
- Buy on Amazon
- Silicone Mat
- Heat-resistant work surface.
- Buy on Amazon
Recommended Soldering Irons
Choose one of these USB-C PD powered, digital, tip-heated irons:
- Pinecil – best value.
- Get at least one fatter tip for better heat retention.
- Buy on Amazon
- TS80p – compact, adequate for most jobs.
- Lower wattage, but fine with fatter tips.
- Buy on Amazon
- TS100/TS101 – more premium, higher quality.
- Similar to the Pinecil, but more expensive.
- Buy on Amazon
⚠️ Unless purchased as a kit, you will also need a USB-C PD power adapter.
Tip: Always prefer irons with a heating element in the tip and digital temperature control. These heat faster, perform more consistently, and are better for delicate electronics work.
Advanced Tools (BGA Work)
The following are only needed if you plan to do advanced work like replacing memory on the ROG Ally or Steam Deck:
- Hot Air Gun
- Example: 8858 hot air gun.
- Not a high-end tool, but inexpensive and effective if used carefully.
- Buy on Amazon