Hot air rework station or heat gun for a stubborn HDMI port?

My Xbox One S dropped its HDMI port last Tuesday and I'm stuck between buying a proper rework station for $90 or just using my $25 heat gun with a narrow nozzle. The heat gun worked on a controller charge port before, but that was a small joint and this board has a big ground plane that soaks heat fast. Anyone done this swap both ways, which one actually gets the old port off without lifting traces?

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olivia4781mo ago

Swapping an HDMI port on an Xbox One S board with a $25 heat gun is asking for trouble, you're talking about a port with big mounting legs sitting on a board that's basically one giant heatsink. That ground plane will laugh at your little heat gun and you'll sit there blasting one spot for way too long, which is exactly how traces and pads get lifted. A proper hot air station lets you dial in temp and airflow so you heat the whole area evenly instead of cooking one corner. Is it really worth wrecking a whole console to save 60 bucks? Buy the rework station, that's not even a real question.

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