general question: mainboard caps

Went shopping... got a plunger for $11 at Fry's. Harbor Freight has a

This was unrelated and anecdotal. But, thanks again.

On that note, I have had better luck with a pick axe than a shovel... :-D (when cutting into the side of the backyard slope, not on circuit boards)

Also consider using a small length of *non-melting* (e.g. butyl rubber) sleeve that will push fit over the business end of the sucker, set to be about 8mm past the end.

Most of the cheap ones have a nylon-ish end that gets melted very easily and won't make a good vacuum seal against the board.

With a rubbery end, you get a better seal and consequently better clearance THROUGH the hole, even if you are at a slight angle to the board. No good having a vacuum that escapes along the face of the board.

It also saves the plastic nozzle getting sozzled!

Well, actually, it is related...many ppl seem to be able to get satisfactory results using braid to de-solder and getting super glue to stick to the proper thing. (note: not necessarily the same ppl or at the same time) I do not. HTMS

The trick is to use the braid for desoldering and the super glue for adhesive purposes, and not get them mixed.

Try some epoxy made for plastics:

As with all adhesives, the tricks are:

1. Make sure the adhesive is compatible. If the part flexes, you don't want a really brittle adhesive. If it's porous, you want something that has plenty of filler.
2. Clean the parts with whatever solvent you find useful. Make sure it evaporates completely and there's no water residue (such as what you'll get with alcohol) on the parts.
3. Use as thin a layer of glue as possible.
4. Use clamping pressure and let everything harden per instructions.

This one? 1135F is far too hot:

Take it back or give it to your worst enemy. It's totally unsuitable for soldering printed circuit boards. You need a temperature controlled iron, with replaceable tips (for different types of work).

Ok thanks. Didn't buy it... decided to shop around a bit first. Thought if it is too high a power, just shut of power immediately once the solder melts... but ok, good idea, I'll pass on this.

. You must mix epoxies! (Your trying to make me out to be an idiot, after I was saying "Thanks")

I was only speaking of SuperGlue (Cyanoacrylate). I follow the directions for SG...but it doesn't co-operate. My favorites are epoxy and silicone glue. (and I don't use either for soldering!)

Calculate with ~70-120$. The brand I leave to you...

e.g.

mine :)

or

and

and so many more...

Cheap things are not worth the money.

Nope. Just having fun twisting your words. I do that when I'm bored, half asleep, lazy, or there's nothing worth watching on TV. Your original comment: I have never had luck with braided wire...but evidently is works for some. (I never have any luck with super-glue either!) hints that you're using super-glue for desoldering. I would appologize, but I've consumed my daily ration of appologies today, so you'll have to wait until tomorrow.

Superglue doesn't bond well with many plastics and porous materials. However, that's only part of the problem. The real problem is that many materials are fairly flexible. Superglue is hard as a rock, and will crack if the bond line is too thick. This limits its applications to gluing things that fit together quite close. There are some cynoacrylate adhesives (i.e. gel type) that claim to have some filler, but I've never found that much of an improvement. Like you, I've had dismal luck with superglue. Try the epoxy I suggested.

I use a Weller TC201 soldering station. That's not because I like it but because I once picked up a large collection of these from a surplus sale that should keep me well stocked with parts and pieces for the rest of my life. I wouldn't recommend this model because of the rather marginal mechanical thermostat and the rather high price of the current models. I have to clean the contacts on mine about once a year.

There are cheapo temperature controlled soldering stations on eBay for $30 and up.

Make sure you can buy replacement tips, replacement parts, and that you can control the temperature of the tip. Also, that it's somewhere between 50 and 90 watts. You can probably get away with 40 watts, but not for soldering or desoldering anything big (such as big terminal lugs and cables). My Weller TC201 is 60 watts, which is sometimes inadequate.

If you have money, there's the Weller WD1002 for about $300.

Oh yes, you'll need a few different size irons, soldering pencils, tips, and accessories:

Have your credit card and loan officer ready.