Hello, Is there an alternative to picking up melted solder off a circuit board without burning myself or the PCB? I don't have a desoldering pump or copper braid in hand. Thanks
- posted
17 years ago
Hello, Is there an alternative to picking up melted solder off a circuit board without burning myself or the PCB? I don't have a desoldering pump or copper braid in hand. Thanks
hold the board in your hand - heat the point with the iron and then quickly shake the board towards the ground - the solder will fly off.
Peter
If you are intending taking the solder off for a proper purpose - eg to remove a component for replacement as part of the repair procedure - then you should use the proper tools, that is a vacuum desolder station, a desolder pump, or desolder braid. Trying alternatives, will most likely result in grief ...
Arfa
Create a land or valley on your soldering iron bit.when you heat the point where the solder is, it will suck out some of the solder.Repeat till it gets completely clean.use flux if you are not successful.
Heating the solder,and shaking the PCB ,can cause other problems ,when the molten solder shorts out components without you noticing
Well said. Totally agree.
Arfa
If you only want to salvage components from the board, you can use the more destructive methods, including a butane torch -- fire up the joints and tap the board against something (like an anvil or brick), component side down, and watch the parts fall off en masse (doesn't work so well with solder-side crimped leads, though).
If you're only dealing with a few solder joints, you can try using a jeweler's flat blade driver to scoop molten solder off a little bit at a time. Unfortunately, tiny blobs can roll right off and land somewhere you'd rather it didn't, so you really have to watch closely.
If you want to save the board and prevent shorts, you need to use the right tools.
In the case of multilayer boards that you want to reuse, a desoldering station is best. You could try to use a stainless rod of the appropriate diameter (such as a very small needle or the leg of a spring, etc.) to poke through the melted solder so the hole is cleared for the new component. A hemostat works quite nicely for keeping your fingers unburnt. You have to watch closely to ensure a solder blob isn't pushed out the other side and lands somewhere you'd rather it didn't.
In any case, heat applied for too long will lift or otherwise damage pads, traces and the electroless copper flash of plated thru holes.
Best advice is bite the bullet, invest in the right tools and practice your technique on some junk boards.
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