Tool used by a Laptop Technician

The list below outline the common tools used by technician:

Phillips Head Screwdriver

This is not the average sized screwdriver, as that would be too large for the tiny screws used on
laptops today.

Star Tipped Screwdriver

This is also a commonly used tool, mainly used on the HP brand, though also common on Dell,
Alienware, and Sony Vaio.

Mini Pliers

I suggest that you buy mini needle nosed pliers because they are easier to use on the micro sized
components that make up the laptop.

Toothbrush
One of the most used tools in Laptop Repair is the toothbrush. You will use this on each and
every laptop you repair. The toothbrush is used to clean any and all parts and components in and
on the laptop. Cleaning the laptop parts as you repair is detrimental to the longevity of the
laptops life.

Scissors

The smaller is the better when obtaining your scissors.

Electrical Tape

This is used to wrap cables and wires, and used to secure or flatten wire or cable tracks on or in
the laptop.

Shrink Wrap Tubin

These can usually be found in variety packs, the larger of the sizes will be the one you use most
commonly in laptop repair. These are placed over the repair area on the wire or cable, they are
basically rubber tubes that you cut to your specifically needed length, then heat the tube to shrink
it to the size of the wire or cable being repaired.

Copper Foil Tape

This will be used for motherboard PCB repair and more commonly used for DC Jack C-ring
replacement/repair.

Liquid (no residue) Flux

For this tool, I recommend that you get both a paste form and the liquid PEN form. Both are
readily available on Ebay for a small price.

Thin Tipped Black Permanent Marker

We use often to mark screw holes, or to mark the areas of damage on the laptops parts.

Plastic Prying Tools

These will be needed for almost every laptop repair procedure. When able, you will ALWAYS
use plastic over metal to disassemble or work on the laptop or any electronic component. There
are various kinds that are used and needed.

Part Plastic/Metal Epoxy Glue

This will be used in many areas of the laptop, and being that a laptop motherboard is
SelfGrounded… it can be used directly on the PCB to cover components or traces. A common
use for this Epoxy is for DC Jack Repair, as it will be used in the last step and applied to the
jacks rear end and sides to help secure it to the motherboard.

Toothpicks

These have many uses and are a handy tool to have nearby. Used to apply fluxes, used to apply
epoxies, also can be used to help plug or unplug certain ribbon cables or thin wire(s).

Thermal Paste
You will only be using Silver thermal paste in a Laptop, Never Ceramic Paste. Laptops will use
2 cooling sources…. Either Silver paste or a thermal pad. Pads will be hard to repurchase, and
silver thermal paste will be readily available for sale everywhere. If a part or component
originally used a thermal pad, it is highly recommended that you keep using a pad and not switch
it out to using paste… These pads also are used to cover a gap which is left for that specific part
for thermal expansion and contraction.

30 to 50 Watt Soldering Iron

I do recommend a 50 watt iron for laptop component repair as it will allow for better ―flowǁ of
the solder due to the higher temperature output.

Solder

The average Rosin Core Solder will do, get your self 1.0mm solder, any thicker and it will apply
to heavily.
This solvent is used to clean the motherboard, and I will clarify its uses throughout this book.
WD40 is more readily available to purchase and can suffice.

Multi-meter

For a beginner, it is ok to purchase the cheapest Multi-meter to learn its uses and familiarize
yourself with it.

Heat Gun

The better the quality the better the final results of your repairs will be. On average, you want to
use at least a heat gun with switchable settings.

Rework Station
Rework station is a machine which blows out hot air with precision and is used to either heat ICs
(Chips) or to replace them