Desoldering through-hole ICs

If you can get a desoldering tool with heated pencil and desolder vacuum built-in go for it. We use a Hako 808 in our shop, and we can remove components from the boards without damaging components or boards on any PCB's. Double-sided, singles and multi-layer.

Double-sided boards are tough with desolder braid, and hand pumps because you never get all the solder heated or removed from the component side. The solder side looks clean, but there's still plenty of solder left under the component, and trying to pry it off lifts pads & traces.

Too much heat thermally shocks & often kills the part you're trying to remove so you can't keep the heat on it too long. Heat guns warp the PCB, and destroy the majority of components too, so I wouldn't recommend trying one of these either.

Another "less expensive" option is a flat-blade surface mount removal tool that replaces your irons soldering tip. Heat the whole row of pins, and lift one side of the DIP all at once. You'll bend pins on the opposite side of the IC when lifting it, but you don't trash the board or components. Then do the other side, straighten the pins, and you're done.

You can probably find something similar to a Hako 808 on eBay. They're worth the investment if you need to do a lot of PCB repair/component removal.

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-Bruce
http://www.rentron.com

I'm going to need to desolder about sixty 10-pin DIP ICs. I need to do this without damaging the board or the components.

I've tried with my basic soldering iron and it has been a painful and time consumiung process - my soldering skills are limited anyway. The main problem seems to be that, although it seems all the solder has been removed (with a solder sucker pump), some must still be there as the pins refuse to budge.

So I'm looking at getting a desoldering iron such as this one:

(RS code 604-5012, 47UKP) They seem to have a hollow tip and sucker built-in. If it worked I'd gladly pay the money. But as someone inexperienced with a soldering iron, am I likely to still have trouble doing it this way? Is there a better way?

Thanks, Steve

You can buy an attachment which replaces the bit. It's a block of metal which fits over all the pins of the IC and desolders them simultaneously. I don't know where mine came from. If you desolder pins one at a time then wriggle the pin with a pair of pliers to ensure that it is completely desoldered. If it's not then resolder and try again.

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Not sure if ive ever seen a 10 pin dip. The best way is ro heat all the pins together, Weller make some heads for their irons. If you use a sucker then you need to get all the solder out in 1 suck, if you fail resolder the pin and try again, then grab the pin with some pliers and wiggle it untill it comes free.

Apply heat with your soldering iron, suck it away with the pump. Then use the tip of a flat screwdriver to carefully pull the chipleg to the otherside in the hole. Should feel like breaking a crispy cake. When completed for all pins carefully lift the chip. And watch for any still fastened pins. If so try with the screwdriver again, or repeat the first course of action.

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Easy!. An electric hot air gun. The kind used for stripping paint. Heat up then pick off the IC's with tweezers. Be careful!

But he says he wants to keep the board intact. While I've never tried to use a heat gun carefully, when salvaging parts using a heat gun it can make a mess of the board.

I tend to use a combination of the solder sucker and solder wick. Use the sucker to get most of the solder, then work pin by pin to make sure they are loose. I have a cheap Radio Shack desoldering iron, I'm not sure if that's one under question, which I paid under ten dollars for about ten years ago. I thought it worked decently, but the tip wasn't plated and it corroded fairly fast. At the time, the store carried no replacement tips, though the tip was replaceable. I kind of put the thing away when the tip got too bad, and really haven't gotten back to it, though Radio Shack does carry a replacement tip these days.

I have a standalone solder sucker, also bought at Radio Shack, and that seems to have more sucking ability than the desoldering iron. Offsetting that is the fact that you have to heat up the pin with an iron and then quickly use the sucker.

Once I get most of the solder off with the sucker, then I may need to do some more work with the solder wick, this seems to be the case with double sided circuit boards.

Michael

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Thanks very much everyone! So many great suggestions there - I will give them a try.

Thanks again for the terrific response and help.

Steve

I second that. I never want to use a sucker again. Solder wick works like magic. I've never damaged a pad using wick and it leaves the area completely clean.