Workstation

The workstation brings together the surfaces and holders that give a console repair bench its structure: antistatic silicone mats that take the heat of an iron tip, PCB holders with magnetic posts, helping hands with flexible arms and a storage bag. The aim: hold a board still, protect the work surface and keep your screws within reach.

7 items7 available right now
Outils d'atelier 57 Fers à souder & stations 9 Consommables de soudure 8 Kits de démontage 18 Poste de travail 7 Antistatique & ESD 5 Pièces détachées 86 Kits de modding 84 Réparation & restauration 104

Setting up a console repair bench: surface, holding, storage

The work surface is chosen before the tools

A silicone mat is judged first on its dimensions and on what it holds. The range offered covers 14 sizes, from a square that sits on a corner of the desk to a sheet that protects the whole bench. The versions with magnetic compartments hold the screws of a Game Boy Advance shell, a few millimetres long: that is the difference between a clean reassembly and a screw lost under the furniture.

The helping hand and the PCB holder are not used at the same moment

  • Helping hand: holding a wire or a ribbon cable while you heat, thanks to the flexible arms on a magnetic base.
  • PCB holder with posts: holding a board flat and at height, the posts following the outline without crushing the components.
  • FEITA TE-805: a helping hand with a 5X magnifier and crocodile clips, for fine work where the eye is no longer enough.

What it doesn't do

  • These mats are antistatic, not connected to earth: they do not replace an ESD wrist strap bonded to a ground.
  • The 1680D Oxford fabric bag is a container, and it is supplied empty.
  • No heating tool in this selection: no iron, no station, no soldering consumable.

Workshop tools · Soldering irons and stations · Soldering and desoldering · Antistatic and ESD · Measurement and inspection · Workshop and modding

Questions fréquentes

What size soldering mat do you need to repair a handheld console?
A size of around 30 x 20 cm is enough for a handheld: the open shell, the board and the screws all fit on it at once. If you also strip down home consoles or arcade hardware, aim for a larger sheet among the 14 sizes offered. The magnetic compartments save having to sort the screws into a separate dish.
Does the antistatic mat replace the ESD wrist strap?
No. The mat limits the build-up of charge on the surface, but it drains nothing to earth. The ESD wrist strap and its 1.8 m lead remain the only item that brings your body to the same potential as the board you are handling. The two complement each other instead of replacing each other.
Is the helping hand with a magnifier enough to inspect a board?
The FEITA TE-805 has a 5X magnifier between its two crocodile clips, which covers the act of soldering itself. To go back over a cut trace or a doubtful joint afterwards, a bench magnifying lamp or a digital microscope stays more comfortable: the visible field and the working distance are more generous.