Hands On with Chip Off Non-Volatile Memory

This practical tutorial documents a step-by-step procedure for recovering data by desoldering a TSOP48 non-volatile memory chip from a physically damaged USB drive and installing it onto a donor board. It details required tools (Kapton tape, hot-air station, digital microscope, desoldering alloy, solder paste, etc.), pre-warming and low-melt solder techniques, cleaning and inspection under a microscope, reflow and cleanup processes, and final testing; the post is solely hardware-focused and does not describe cybersecurity incidents, malware, or threat activity.