Repair mat: take the console apart without losing or burning anything

Opening a Game Boy Advance, a PlayStation 1 or a modern handheld console means about ten tiny screws, fragile ribbon cables and a hot iron resting right next to them. On a bare desk, the screws roll away, the tip marks the work surface and the flux stains. This silicone mat takes the heat, keeps small parts in its magnetic compartments and wipes clean at the end of the session.

What it does

• Heat-resistant silicone: advertised up to 500 °C (932 °F) for brief contact, it protects the workbench from solder splashes and from a tip set down for a second.
• Magnetic compartments: the screws from a shell stay in the slot where you put them, even if the mat gets knocked (models marked “magnetic”).
• Soft, non-abrasive surface: the shell and the screen don't get scratched, the board doesn't slide and components don't clatter on the wood.
• Instant clean-up: flux, isopropyl alcohol and solder balls wipe off, the silicone doesn't absorb them.
• Can be stored rolled up or flat between repairs, without losing its shape.

What it doesn't do

• It is not a grounded anti-static mat. Silicone insulates, it doesn't discharge anything: to handle a motherboard, you need an anti-static wrist strap and a grounding point.
• It does not replace a soldering iron stand. The advertised heat resistance applies to brief contact, not to a hot iron left lying flat on it.
• The magnetic compartments don't protect against anything: on the contrary, don't put magnetically sensitive media in them.
• Models S-100, S-110, S-120 and S-130 have no magnetic part: silicone surface only, no magnetic storage.
• Dimensions, compartment layout and whether there is a sorting area vary from one model to another, and the supplier doesn't document them all. Choose based on the photos of the variant.
• No soldering iron, screwdriver, tweezers or anti-static wrist strap: the box contains only the mat.

Compatibility

A fully passive accessory, with no electronics or connections: there is no console compatibility to check. It works just as well for a Game Boy Advance or a Game Boy Color as for a PlayStation 1 motherboard, a controller, a modern handheld console, a smartphone or a watch. The only real criterion is size: a small model is enough for a controller or a handheld console, a large format is needed to lay out an open home console and its sub-assemblies.

Skill level required

None. Roll the mat out on the workbench and start working on it straight away. For a clean teardown, have a set of precision screwdrivers, an opening spudger and an anti-static wrist strap to hand — the mat replaces none of the three. Clean with isopropyl alcohol or soapy water, then let it dry completely before putting it away.

In the box

• 1 silicone repair mat, in the chosen model.

Delivery in 10 to 18 days · ships within 3 to 5 days · 2-year legal guarantee of conformity · 14-day returns.