Society of Robots - Robot Forum
Electronics => Electronics => Topic started by: airman00 on February 10, 2009, 10:36:56 PM
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I want to remove all the solder from a PCB. Like you know how its a pain to remove the solder left in between the holes , is there some way I can just remove all the solder from the entire board in one shot? Maybe dip the PCB into something?
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I've been soldering for ever and I've never known of anything that can do what you are asking. However, you can dip the solder side into a hot malting lava. ;) That will do the trick. You can get one of those de-soldering station with pump which you can quickly go through all the solder, one at a time, socking them away. Good luck....
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You can get one of those de-soldering station with pump which you can quickly go through all the solder, one at a time, socking them away. Good luck....
yea I have that , but its a real pain when reusing PCBs with hundreds of holes
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I'm guessing you are trying to unsolder a row of male header pins? A pain in the a@#$ if you ask me! I've tried :-\
I recommend using a solder wick, those things suck up solder really well. Solder suckers don't work to well for this job.
Maybe perhaps try this Chip Quik?
http://www.curiousinventor.com/store/product/102
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I recommend using a solder wick, those things suck up solder really well. Solder suckers don't work to well for this job.
It still takes time and its annoying.
What I am talking about is when I unsolder components from a PCB and once all the components are removed , there is still some solder left over in the holes. Any ideas what I can do ? I am willing to build something that will do the job.
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Things that come to mind:
hot plate, chipquick, and some strong suction
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I use desoldering braid, its cheap, works extremely well, and fast. The only downside is its known to cause cancer if inhaled... so like anything in electronics, dont breathe it in and your good
http://www.radioshack.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2062744
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As dumb as it sounds, once you heat up the solder, just give the board a quick whack on a table edge. Most of your solder will hit the floor. Obviously use some common sense like, don't hit the board so hard you break it, and don't do this with components that will react badly ( leds, many headers or contacts, etc ). Its not the fastest method, and a little sadistic, but hey, it gets most of the solder out of the holes. :D
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You have to be really fast, and most people use helping hands, so it would be too late by the time you pick it up and hit it, and even if you succeed, it turns out maadddd ugly.
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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=976AIzyTyv8
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Hah i was just thinking of a clothing iron too. now only if you could tin the clothing iron and put a solder wick mat between the iron and the board
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That would be a little bit difficult.
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messy as well
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Hi,
Just make a desolder pot.
Take a lump of copper, brass or iron - with a diameter of 15..20 cm and about 5..6 cm high.
Best way is to make it with a lathe and mill the bottom plane. It should be placed on a hot plate and filled with solder (buy in bars from a plummer supply).
You could start with a 3..4 cm high lump and make a ring of plate metal outside its diameter to make the pot and weld or screw it to the base if you haven't got access to a lathe.
It should look something like this:
(http://That.Homepage.dk/Img/DeSolder-Pot.png)
Use liquid flux and a stainless steel palette (don't use it for food afterward) to get the dross out off the bath when needed.
To use it, just fire it up and when at the right temperature, dip the solderside of the PCB while removing the component in question with a pair of pliers or similar tools. Use a barbecue glove or a welding glove to keep your pinkies... Well... pink.
Allow plenty of time to cool the pot afterward and don't leave it unattended where kids or (other) flammable material are around.
A gas stove or even a camping stove may be useable too, if you don't have an electrical one.