Desoldering question

[Mr. INTJ]

I started doing hobby electronics again fairly recently, and recycling/
scavenging is a big draw for me. As it happens, my company throws away
lots of useful stuff, and over the past year I've brought home lots of
circuit boards with various useful parts on them.

I've got a solder sucker and solder wick/braid, but components with
more than two or three leads continue to be a problem for me. I have a
little soldering station with a soldering iron, but I've been thinking
that I probably need some hot tweezers or a heat gun of some kind.
Most of the stuff that I'm recovering from these boards are through-
hole components ... I haven't graduated to SMT-at-home just yet.

I don't mind springing for the right tools, but I don't want to buy
something only to find that it still isn't very effective.

I'd like to hear from the folks that do a significant amount of this
kind of thing (desoldering), and which tools/methods they favor.

Thanks!

Mr. INTJ
San Diego, CA

 

[Eeyore]

I started doing hobby electronics again fairly recently, and recycling/
scavenging is a big draw for me. As it happens, my company throws away
lots of useful stuff, and over the past year I've brought home lots of
circuit boards with various useful parts on them.

I've got a solder sucker and solder wick/braid, but components with
more than two or three leads continue to be a problem for me. I have a
little soldering station with a soldering iron, but I've been thinking
that I probably need some hot tweezers or a heat gun of some kind.
Most of the stuff that I'm recovering from these boards are through-
hole components ... I haven't graduated to SMT-at-home just yet.

I don't mind springing for the right tools, but I don't want to buy
something only to find that it still isn't very effective.

I'd like to hear from the folks that do a significant amount of this
kind of thing (desoldering), and which tools/methods they favor.

Well there's no substitute for a de-solder tool (manual or vacuum). If you
have a Weller TCP, I think there's an accesory for it. There's still a
knack to it though.

Graham

 

[[email protected]]

I started doing hobby electronics again fairly recently, and recycling/
scavenging is a big draw for me. As it happens, my company throws away
lots of useful stuff, and over the past year I've brought home lots of
circuit boards with various useful parts on them.

I've got a solder sucker and solder wick/braid, but components with
more than two or three leads continue to be a problem for me. I have a
little soldering station with a soldering iron, but I've been thinking
that I probably need some hot tweezers or a heat gun of some kind.
Most of the stuff that I'm recovering from these boards are through-
hole components ... I haven't graduated to SMT-at-home just yet.

I don't mind springing for the right tools, but I don't want to buy
something only to find that it still isn't very effective.

I'd like to hear from the folks that do a significant amount of this
kind of thing (desoldering), and which tools/methods they favor.

Thanks!

Mr. INTJ
San Diego, CA

Use the solder wick on multipin items just wick the bottom of the
board and then wiggle the pins to be sure that they are loose. When
you are using surface mount multipin items use the solder wick on top
of the pins and then touch each one with the iron tip and lift the pin
off the surface with a small tool. You must be careful not to over
heat the pin... you know where it goes and the over heating of the
connector wires from the pin to the chip element is a very bad
thing.

 

[Robert Roland]

You must be careful not to over
heat the pin... you know where it goes and the over heating of the
connector wires from the pin to the chip element is a very bad
thing.

While you are completely right, it is normally not very critical. When
the board was assembled, the entire component was probably immersed in
molten solder for a couple of seconds.

 

[Jasen Betts]

I started doing hobby electronics again fairly recently, and recycling/
scavenging is a big draw for me. As it happens, my company throws away
lots of useful stuff, and over the past year I've brought home lots of
circuit boards with various useful parts on them.

it's a lot of work for little gain. but it's a game I've played too.

I've got a solder sucker and solder wick/braid, but components with
more than two or three leads continue to be a problem for me.

those tools aren't really suited to scavenging, more to repair.

I have a
little soldering station with a soldering iron, but I've been thinking
that I probably need some hot tweezers or a heat gun of some kind.
Most of the stuff that I'm recovering from these boards are through-
hole components ... I haven't graduated to SMT-at-home just yet.

I don't mind springing for the right tools, but I don't want to buy
something only to find that it still isn't very effective.

get a propane blow torch, a box, and some safety glasses

heat a section of the board until the solder is liquid an then bang it
on the edge of the box, repeat until the solder/components come of.

the trick is to heat rapidly so the heat doesn't have time to damage
the components.

I find with the the fibreglass boards with plate-thru holes you need
to heat until the layers just start to separate. (you hear a popping
sound)

the boards will be destroyed in this process but you're after the
parts right?

probably best to do this outside, or in the garage: all sorts of evil
smelling fumes come out of the overheated fibreglass resin, and solder
droplets stick to synthetic carpet real well.


another way is to cut the board up with a hacksaw or side cutters
and then extract the pins one at a time

Bye.
Jasen

 

[Rich Webb]

I started doing hobby electronics again fairly recently, and recycling/
scavenging is a big draw for me. As it happens, my company throws away
lots of useful stuff, and over the past year I've brought home lots of
circuit boards with various useful parts on them.

I've got a solder sucker and solder wick/braid, but components with
more than two or three leads continue to be a problem for me. I have a
little soldering station with a soldering iron, but I've been thinking
that I probably need some hot tweezers or a heat gun of some kind.
Most of the stuff that I'm recovering from these boards are through-
hole components ... I haven't graduated to SMT-at-home just yet.

I don't mind springing for the right tools, but I don't want to buy
something only to find that it still isn't very effective.

I'd like to hear from the folks that do a significant amount of this
kind of thing (desoldering), and which tools/methods they favor.

If only the components are important, and not the board itself, then a
propane torch with a fan head can work. Wave the flame over the back
until the solder liquefies, whack the board on the workbench, then chase
after all the parts that just popped out. Beware of flying molten
solder. Whacking the board inside a (non-flammable) box helps to keep
the parts and the solder drops corralled, of course.

If both the components and the board are important (or you want to
practice for when they may be), you will find that, after you've wicked
or sucked all easily accessible solder from a multi-pin object, it's
still held fast to the board by the multiple tiny solder points. What
can be helpful is to briefly reheat each pin with a clean iron and then
nudge the pin with a dental probe or knife blade towards the center of
the hole as the iron is removed and the solder cools. Often a brief
touch with the iron is all that's needed and you can go down a row of
pins very quickly,

As regards SMT, it's really not that difficult (often easier than
through hole); it just looks intimidating, at first. There are several
tutorials on the web. A good place to start is the tutorial section over
at http://www.sparkfun.com/commerce/categories.php

 

[GregS]

Well there's no substitute for a de-solder tool (manual or vacuum). If you
have a Weller TCP, I think there's an accesory for it. There's still a
knack to it though.

Graham

I have all the tools to do this, but since I hardly use it the Weller sucker
it gets all messed up leaving it on. Its a major effort to reclean the tip.
Regardless, the recommended method of removal is to cut all
the pins first, and removing many components with intact leads is a chore.
I can't live without solder wick, fresh, or freshly refluxed. Get a liquid flux pen
and apply to pins regardless of tool.

greg

 

[Gerard Bok]

I started doing hobby electronics again fairly recently, and recycling/
scavenging is a big draw for me.

I'd like to hear from the folks that do a significant amount of this
kind of thing (desoldering), and which tools/methods they favor.

A PACE pedair
And at least one spare handle because the unit sucks much faster
than the solder can cool down. I don't mind a coffee break but I
hate it when I need to take a break, just because the desoldering
device got too hot to handle.

I guess the beast has been replaced by
http://www.happcontrols.com/tools/92157100.htm
(And I doubt if you like its pricetag

 

[Eeyore]

Use the solder wick on multipin items just wick the bottom of the
board and then wiggle the pins to be sure that they are loose.

If the device is dead )or low cost) you simply cut every pin and them remove
the debris pin by pin. The PCB is 10000 x more valuable than a dead bug.

Graham

 

[Eeyore]

While you are completely right, it is normally not very critical. When
the board was assembled, the entire component was probably immersed in
molten solder for a couple of seconds.

Try desoldering it in a couple of seconds and see how many tracks lift,
PTHs break etc etc.

Graham

 

[Eeyore]

I started doing hobby electronics again fairly recently, and recycling/
scavenging is a big draw for me. As it happens, my company throws away
lots of useful stuff, and over the past year I've brought home lots of
circuit boards with various useful parts on them.

Useful to whom ? If you're just hoarding forget it. I generally won't ever
use recycled semiconductors anyway. Too risky.

Graham

 

[[email protected]]

While you are completely right, it is normally not very critical. When
the board was assembled, the entire component was probably immersed in
molten solder for a couple of seconds.

Wave solder is stamdard. boards are pre-heated and then go surfing...
so to speak. But a percentage don't come through it alive... they
must be re-animated. To borrow one from the Cthulster. Any way its
best to be careful. Also with your primary tool... fingers.

 

[John Nagle]

Yes. And the temperature and time of the solder wave or hot-air
reflow was controlled to stay within the limits of the parts.

John Nagle

 

[Wim Ton]

I started doing hobby electronics again fairly recently, and recycling/

scavenging is a big draw for me. As it happens, my company throws away
lots of useful stuff, and over the past year I've brought home lots of
circuit boards with various useful parts on them.

I used a propane torch, till I found out the an electric paintstripper give
a more controllable heat. Watch out for all the SMD resistors and
transistors blown around ;-) I still have to remove heavy leaded component
from multilayer boards with a biggish (60 Watt) soldering iron.

Wim