Equipment

[LittleOD2]

Hey, everybody

Just looking for suggestions on what type of soldering iron and desoldering iron I should get, and where I should go to get it, for recapping my motherboard.

Thanks ahead of time!

-Steve

[willawake]

That is a BIG question which really depends on how much rework you intend to do. Because it would not be worth spending a lot of money if you are only going to be reworking a few motherboards and are not interested in other electronic projects or electrical works. Of course the more money you spend, the easier the rework will be with hot air pencil/soldering/desoldering stations etc giving you a pro setup. But it is not really necessary for doing only a few jobs. read up on topcat's techniques on this forum.

I have seen some reports of people having success with just a corded soldering iron (pencil not gun type because the guns are too hot). But i think that a good quality soldering station is a good investment. I like to do some DIY electrical work and making stereo cables, computer mods etc and my soldering station is great for that. I do not see the benefit of a digital soldering station, analog is fine, I have a 60W and just have it max all the time. But if you have the extra $$$ for a digital..I like that there is a stand to park the iron in while i am fiddling with components or cables and also that there is a sponge to wipe off excess solder from the tip.

You may think that you require a very fine tip to replace capacitors but I have found that a standard tip is great because it is able to maintain a lot of heat whilst the fine tip does not. Can also heat both leads of the capacitor with a standard tip. Capacitor replacement requires a lot of heat because the traces in the board take heat away from the component you are trying to remove. therefore if you use less than a 60W iron you will be getting nowhere. Also if you are using it for electrical work or stereo cables you need a lot of heat there also. You should get an ESD safe station to work on motherboards.

here are some links

http://www.hakko.com/
http://www.goot.co.jp/E_index.html
http://www.cooperhandtools.com/brands/weller/index.cfm
http://www.metcal.com/
http://www.ersa.com/

i would be using hakko but it is not available in my country. I use Ersa because there is a shop here which can supply any component to repair or improve the station. That is an important consideration. Metcal is highly recommended but expensive. Get a nice quality roll of 60/40 solder though and some desoldering flux. Topcat recommends a stainless steel dental pick which you heat and clear the hole of solder when you remove the old capacitor. i use a large stainless steel sewing needle which is stuck in a wine cork. Make sure you practice a lot on an old board desoldering the old capacitors and replacing with very cheap capacitors or pieces of wire before you do the job otherwise it will look like shit or even damage the board. Read all the info here to learn the techniques. Make sure you order the right low esr capacitors for the final job. Good luck. If in doubt ask here it is the best source of info.

[risc]

At the moment I have a Hakko 926 (got a load of tips for it) it's a great iron very reliable and lasts ages with heavy use. recently invested in a PACE MBT-2500 rework station got a PACE sodr-pen iron and sodr-xtractor. This kit is very good. iron has veru good thermal recovery. Once you use the sodr-extractor you cant live withought it - throw that solder sucker in the pen it's usless. This PACE kit costs a lot of money and wouldnt advice you shell out so much unless you intend to use it a lot. The good thing about it is loads of accesories, parts easily avaialbe and should some new soldering hand pieces come out they work with this station.

[wigyori]

Could you give me some recommendations about equipment to measure caps? I'm thinking about buying a Supco MFD-10, cheap, could be put into my pocket, etc... Note: I don't plan to do hundreds of boards, just need a cheap - but correctly working - gear.

TIA,
-w-