What is a good de-soldiering iron/tool?

[stj]

Re: What is a good de-soldiering iron/tool?

there are several starting with ZD, most are just different case styles.
they come from here:
http://www.china-zhongdi.com/products.asp?cataid=157

http://www.china-zhongdi.com/manager...6probigpic.jpg
http://www.china-zhongdi.com/manager...8probigpic.jpg
http://www.china-zhongdi.com/manager...6probigpic.jpg

[evilkitty]

Re: What is a good de-soldiering iron/tool?

the one on the left, the recoil can damage tracks.
the one on the right, if you have one then remove the bulb and fit a heatproof container with a filter followed by a hose - put an electric pump on the end.
better yet, dont buy them.

get a real desoldering unit.
they can be found new for 60-100$ if you look - the part number starts with ZD
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ft50m8UU5WQ

that exact model for 60-100 (ZD985)?
what retailers would have it at said price?

[tomlauber]

Re: What is a good de-soldiering iron/tool?

I use Hakko FR-300. Well worth the money. Works very well with large ground connections too.

Regular soldering iron and desolder pump is also good but only as long as the component is very loose fit in the PCB board and there are no large ground connectors. Regular spring loaded pump doesn't have enough inertia to suck the tin.

For SMD parts, something like this would work well
https://baumtronics.com/en/soldering...g-station.html

[stj]

Re: What is a good de-soldiering iron/tool?

the one on the left, the recoil can damage tracks.
the one on the right, if you have one then remove the bulb and fit a heatproof container with a filter followed by a hose - put an electric pump on the end.
better yet, dont buy them.

get a real desoldering unit.
they can be found new for 60-100$ if you look - the part number starts with ZD
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ft50m8UU5WQ

[evilkitty]

Re: What is a good de-soldiering iron/tool?

I have found 2 common designs (* see attached images)
is there something made like this that will has replacement tips made for it at a reasonable price (not paying 1/2 the price of them iron for a low single quality tip)
id like to keep the cost of the iron under $50

[Curious.George]

Re: What is a good de-soldiering iron/tool?

I am not planning on changing the header more than once
doing a task like that is uncommon for me to say the least
i would like to be able to remove components that have more than 2 solder points (liquidize -> pull -> switch sides -> repeat)

Assuming you are going to be replacing whatever component you are removing, you can, then, be "ungracious" with that component. I.e., feel free to damage it to reduce your chances of damaging the board.

ChipQuick is helpful for "liquidizing" multiple/adjacent pins:
http://www.chipquik.com/store/index.php?cPath=200

A Dremel can also be used to carefully grind away portions of the component so you only have to deal with one or two "pins" at a time. A good pair of side-cutters can also be handy. I've used this approach to remove large DIPs from legacy equipment when it wasn't practical to try to heat 60+ pins simultaneously.

[Again, the point is to reduce the effort required of you when dealing with the board, itself. If you end up having to leave an iron on foils/traces too long, you can run the risk of "lifting" the foils (delaminating them from the PCB material). So, anything that you can safely do to reduce the amount of time you have to spend putzing around with MANY pins can be a lifesaver]

Things get a little tougher when you're trying to save/salvage the component that you are unsoldering...

A "Soldapult" is also handy for removing excesses of solder (like the chipquick approach -- flood the device with solder to get EVERYTHING liquid, then vacuum it all off). Spare tips are worthwhile for the soldapult as they inevitably get melted from being in close proximity to the hot tip of the iron.

And, some sort of "flux remover" to clean up your mess afterwards (I liked a Chemtronic's product but was gifted a case of an alternative product recently and have been using that, instead).

[Note that the actual portion of the circuit that you're messing with may be intolerant of flux residue on the board (typically not an issue with digital circuitry but, rather, low level/high impedance analog).]

It may be worth your time to peruse ebay listings for a more robust soldering station ($40?)

[evilkitty]

Re: What is a good de-soldiering iron/tool?

If this is a one-time sort of use, find a friend who will loan you his kit (or, ask him if he'll do the job for you and treat him to a free meal as compensation).

I am not planning on changing the header more than once
doing a task like that is uncommon for me to say the least
i would like to be able to remove components that have more than 2 solder points (liquidize -> pull -> switch sides -> repeat)
i do not have anyone to borrow this from, nobody i know messes with stuff even close to this small
as for the using a spoon comment, I'll stick with the rusty spade shovel i dug up at the beach for that, lol

[Curious.George]

Re: What is a good de-soldiering iron/tool?

I would like to be able to de solder parts ad not spend all day doing it with the low grade tools i have, nor do i want to put burn marks the PCB i am working on
This is what i have now:

• Two $3-5 30W soldering pens (i use 6/8 AWG wire for tips)
  • They work good for building a new circuit on prototyping board
  • Yes i have burned myself on more than one occasion
  • i do not even try to touch surface mount components
• 100-140W soldering gun
• radio-shack de-soldiering bulb (can you say PITA)
• de-soldiering wick (ouch it is hot, and i suck at using it)
• cheap ebay de-soldiering pump that broke on the 1st use

I do not want to have to but expensive tips for it, if i can use make my own out of 12-6 AWG solid core wire that would be great.

Do you use a tablespoon to dig holes in your yard when you plant shrubs/flowers? (obviously, it can do the job and save you from buying expensive shovels!)

I would like something good enough to easily remove caps and also replace the USB3 header on my motherboard (not sure if detective or it broke)

If this is a one-time sort of use, find a friend who will loan you his kit (or, ask him if he'll do the job for you and treat him to a free meal as compensation).

If this is something you will be doing often, then save yourself the headaches -- and heartaches -- and botched equipment and just buy something "respectable".

I tend to find myself falling back on an old Weller W-TCP that I got 40+ years ago. It came with an assortment of tips (with a crude sort of temperature control built into the design of the tips). But, I tend to just use two or three tips, over and over (heavy, fine and very fine).

http://www.stevenjohnson.com/solderi...ler-wtcp-l.jpg

If I'm doing a lot of SMT repair work, I may drag out a fancier Weller that has a variable temperature control (I've rescued four or five different irons over the years)

If I'm building a prototype, I'll use an oven and a Leister (hot air).

If I'm building a small "pilot production" batch, I'll let someone else better equipped for the task handle it! I'm paid too well to play technician...

Depending on your age (vision), you may also want to invest in a stereomicroscope or a Mantis. A few dental tools (e.g., an explorer) can be helpful -- as can a good pair of tweezers!

[llonen]

Re: What is a good de-soldiering iron/tool?

Its probably worth adding a decent liquid flux to your wick / braid before use, that said I use a solder extraction system for most of my de-soldering, a pace sx80. Its older than the more modern Pace systems but still an effective solution.

[eccerr0r]

Re: What is a good de-soldiering iron/tool?

I hate wick/braid because good wick is expensive... You have to get wick with good rosin that prohibits the wick from oxidizing, else you might well not have it.

Having good rosin is another must when desoldering.

[diif]

Re: What is a good de-soldiering iron/tool?

I use a £20 Bakon 950D £2/£3 T12 tips and Chemtronics braid.

[evilkitty]

I would like to be able to de solder parts ad not spend all day doing it with the low grade tools i have, nor do i want to put burn marks the PCB i am working on
This is what i have now:

• Two $3-5 30W soldering pens (i use 6/8 AWG wire for tips)
  • They work good for building a new circuit on prototyping board
  • Yes i have burned myself on more than one occasion
  • i do not even try to touch surface mount components
• 100-140W soldering gun
• radio-shack de-soldiering bulb (can you say PITA)
• de-soldiering wick (ouch it is hot, and i suck at using it)
• cheap ebay de-soldiering pump that broke on the 1st use

I do not want to have to but expensive tips for it, if i can use make my own out of 12-6 AWG solid core wire that would be great
I would like something good enough to easily remove caps and also replace the USB3 header on my motherboard (not sure if detective or it broke)