Burned boards?

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  • tz2z
    New Member
    • May 2010
    • 8
    #1

    Burned boards?

    Hey guys,

    I just started soldering and this forum has been a godsend for information!
    One thing I couldn't really find though, was how to tell if you've caused heat damage to the board you are working on. I've got a terrible soldering iron (I'm in the process of finding a replacement) and I'm afraid I may have spent too long desoldering some capacitors and therefore caused damage to the board.

    Is there a way to tell based on visuals alone? I noticed that the flux was turning slightly brown which is what made me worry. It's also possible that the board I am working on has lead free solder on it, making it very difficult to remove.

    Thanks for your help!
    -Tom
    Tags: None
    • Dgtech
      E. Technician
      • Apr 2009
      • 1462
      • Steeler
      #2
      Re: Burned boards?

      An acid brush as well as alcohol will remove the flux, even if it is brown. Sometimes it will even flake off when lightly scraped at. As far as damage to the board, I wouldnt worry unless there are pads lifing up due to direct heat exposure. Sure, sometimes it doesnt look pretty due to having to work with sub standard soldering equipment but... if it works, it works.

      Always use a leaded solder when doing electronics.
      The strong-minded rise to the challenge of their goals,the weak-minded BECOME HATERS

        Comment

        • stj
          Great Sage 齊天大聖
          • Dec 2009
          • 31046
          • Albion
          #3
          Re: Burned boards?

          dont use leaded solder if your in a country that has signed up to RoHS.
          you could get sued if you do work for someone else or sell stuff.

          you dont need it anyway, unleaded solder has come a long way - it's much better than what you find on old boards.

          what country are you in?

            Comment

            • kc8adu
              Super Moderator
              • Nov 2003
              • 8832
              • U.S.A!
              #4
              Re: Burned boards?

              irrelevent for repairs.kester "44" here.
              Originally posted by stj
              dont use leaded solder if your in a country that has signed up to RoHS.
              you could get sued if you do work for someone else or sell stuff.

              you dont need it anyway, unleaded solder has come a long way - it's much better than what you find on old boards.

              what country are you in?

                Comment

                • stj
                  Great Sage 齊天大聖
                  • Dec 2009
                  • 31046
                  • Albion
                  #5
                  Re: Burned boards?

                  how is it irrelevent? try telling that to the judge!

                    Comment

                    • Dgtech
                      E. Technician
                      • Apr 2009
                      • 1462
                      • Steeler
                      #6
                      Re: Burned boards?

                      I dont have a clue (neither do I care) about crappy regulations of other countries. My understanding is that lead is added to solder to create a lower melting point. The flux helps the solder adhear to copper tracing or component leads. Some components can be dammaged with over exposure to the heat of a soldering iron - thus making a case for solder with lead for a quicker heat application time.

                      Try proving that an LCD TV has lead solder in it for 6 replaced components VS unleaded.
                      The strong-minded rise to the challenge of their goals,the weak-minded BECOME HATERS

                        Comment

                        • severach
                          Badcaps Legend
                          • Aug 2007
                          • 1055
                          • USA
                          #7
                          Re: Burned boards?

                          I do a hundred repairs a year. HP sells a million printers a year. Who do you think the RoHS law applies to?

                          Not me!
                          sig files are for morons

                            Comment

                            • tz2z
                              New Member
                              • May 2010
                              • 8
                              #8
                              Re: Burned boards?

                              Thanks for the info guys! I don't really plan on selling my monitor so using lead solder is not a problem.

                              I guess the brownish flux is not a big deal either. How about the the boards then? Is there a way to tell just by looking whether or not it is damaged?

                                Comment

                                • Dgtech
                                  E. Technician
                                  • Apr 2009
                                  • 1462
                                  • Steeler
                                  #9
                                  Re: Burned boards?

                                  We can take a look just for kicks - if you post pictures of this repair. It wont tell us much but it wont hurt.

                                  By the way, the flux is a problem due to it's conductivity. I have had failures before due to flux. This needs to be cleaned off with alcohol. Alcohol desolves it.
                                  The strong-minded rise to the challenge of their goals,the weak-minded BECOME HATERS

                                    Comment

                                    • tz2z
                                      New Member
                                      • May 2010
                                      • 8
                                      #10
                                      Re: Burned boards?

                                      Just had the chance to take a photo of this.

                                      What do you guys think? I'm still trying to remove the solder from the holes...it's a pain in the neck!
                                      Attached Files

                                        Comment

                                        • stj
                                          Great Sage 齊天大聖
                                          • Dec 2009
                                          • 31046
                                          • Albion
                                          #11
                                          Re: Burned boards?

                                          looks like flux to me.
                                          can you scrape it off?

                                            Comment

                                            • MXM
                                              Badcaps Veteran
                                              • Feb 2010
                                              • 430
                                              • Unknown
                                              #12
                                              Re: Burned boards?

                                              Originally posted by Dgtech
                                              We can take a look just for kicks - if you post pictures of this repair. It wont tell us much but it wont hurt.

                                              By the way, the flux is a problem due to it's conductivity. I have had failures before due to flux. This needs to be cleaned off with alcohol. Alcohol desolves it.
                                              i had this question long ago, you just answered. Thanks!

                                              @op looks like flux on that pic, and based on own experience i dont think the board is damaged by heat, to me doesnt look that bad (not yet, at least ) but thats jm2c

                                              peace.
                                              We don't have a great war in our generation, or a great depression, but we do, we have a great war of the spirit. We have a great revolution against the culture. The great depression is our lives. We have a spiritual depression.

                                                Comment

                                                • Dgtech
                                                  E. Technician
                                                  • Apr 2009
                                                  • 1462
                                                  • Steeler
                                                  #13
                                                  Re: Burned boards?

                                                  The board looks ok. Clean it up an see what you got. Sometimes I use a Q-tip (cotton swab) with alcohol if I dont have an acid brush available.
                                                  The strong-minded rise to the challenge of their goals,the weak-minded BECOME HATERS

                                                    Comment

                                                    • stj
                                                      Great Sage 齊天大聖
                                                      • Dec 2009
                                                      • 31046
                                                      • Albion
                                                      #14
                                                      Re: Burned boards?

                                                      kitchen paper - like big toilet roll is good to use with IPA & such for pcb cleaning.

                                                        Comment

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