Drilling with a pin

[Bishop]

I just recapped six PC based DVR cards. A total of thirty-six caps of different sizes.

I was wondering if anyone else drills with a needle when replacing a bad cap.

If the left over solder is hard to draw out, try inserting a pin into a dremel like rotary tool and drill out a hole through the solder. It's not really drilling, the spinning needle heats up the solder and melts it. It create the perfect size opening and with a little left over solder it seals the cap in place with very little effort.

It may be an old practice, but it came to me about 5 years ago and I used it today. 36 caps in 90 minutes is not bad.

[Topcat]

Re: Drilling with a pin

never drill a multi-layer PCB, its a recipe for disaster.

[Mad_Professor]

Re: Drilling with a pin

Drilling? no. Using a pin to clear the holes yes, I usually do it when the solder can still be liquefy with the iron but can't be removed with copper braid or a bulb based vacuum de-soldering iron.
I just heat up the hole and run the pin through then remove the iron as I slowly withdraw the pin, allowing the solder to attach to the pin as it comes back out. Sometimes that not possible and you have to clean the pin from the other side while iron is still applied before removal of pin. It might require to be little bit ambidextrous but once that's done you have a hole for a cap.

[Bishop]

Re: Drilling with a pin

Use the pin only to clear a path for a cap through the left over solder in the two ports

Works great

[ChaosLegionnaire]

Re: Drilling with a pin

lol... hope this is a lesson learned not to use the term "drill" so loosely! "drill" implies a large tool was used to cut/make a hole that did not exist before. i suggest using the term clearing or vacating the holes. if anyone has a better verb to suggest we use, please feel free to post and let us know.

[Bishop]

Re: Drilling with a pin

I called it drilling because years ago I used a cordless drill with a sewing needle to clear a path in the left over solder. It was big and bulky but the idea seemed logical.

Since then I use a Dremel with a small hat pin, the same size as the needle. Light weight and easier to use than a drill.

Today, I replaced two bad caps in a PC power supply and I "cleared" a path in all 4 holes with the pin and the dremel.

As the pin spins it gets hot enough to melt solder and matches the hole to the cap pins size. Surprisingly, the spinning pin melts the solder easily and without much pressure. You don't need the speed of a dremel. Even at slow speeds it will heat the solder to make a hole. It works very well for me and I thought it might help others.

[Per Hansson]

Re: Drilling with a pin

i suggest using the term clearing or vacating the holes. if anyone has a better verb to suggest we use, please feel free to post and let us know.

It's called friction drilling.
Can also be used instead of welding to join steel together:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5JbnDXw-0pM

[kc8adu]

Re: Drilling with a pin

QFT!
i can show you a machine shop owner who will agree.
an irreplaceable board where his idiot maintenance man drilled out a 4 layer board.
did it to 5 ics.
i loved the billable hours to fix that.
pushing a stainless needle through molten solder is the way if you dont have a vacuum station like i do.

never drill a multi-layer PCB, its a recipe for disaster.

[jiroy]

Re: Drilling with a pin

QFT!
i can show you a machine shop owner who will agree.
an irreplaceable board where his idiot maintenance man drilled out a 4 layer board.
did it to 5 ics.
i loved the billable hours to fix that.
pushing a stainless needle through molten solder is the way if you dont have a vacuum station like i do.

Well said . A Needle and patience is more than enough . better than damaging multi layers . When things go much tougher , Sometimes i mix a quick heating with a sudden swift knock ..