Tuesday, August 25, 2009
- Step 1: Equipment
- Desoldering requires two main things: a soldering iron and a device to remove solder. Soldering irons are the heat source used to melt solder. Irons of the 15W to 30W range are good for most electronics/printed circuit board work. Anything higher in wattage and you risk damaging either the component or the board. Note that you should not use so-called soldering guns. These are very high wattage and generate most of their heat by passing an electrical current through a wire. Because of this, the wire carries a stray voltage that could damage circuits and components. The choice of your solder removing device is also important. There are two main ones; vacuum pumps (solder suckers) and solder wick. They both do the same thing, so what you use will depend on your personal opinion or experiences. I suggest keeping both on hand though, as you may find that each works well in different situations. Solder suckers usually look like large syringes. There is a spring loaded plunger, and a button to release it. The plunger is pushed down. When you want to suck up the solder, you position the nozzle over the molten solder and hit the button. The plunger moves up, creating a vacuum and sucking up the solder. Solder wick, on the other hand, has no moving parts. It looks like wick used in oil lamps, except that it is made of copper. To use it, you put the wick over the joint and heat it. One thing to note about solder wick is that it is expensive, and because it is expendable, a solder sucker may be a better choice if you plan to do a lot of desoldering. I personally prefer to use a sucker to remove most of the solder, then finish up with the wick.
Remember that when desoldering, the resin in the solder and the coating on the board may releases fumes. These fumes are harmful to your eyes and lungs. Therefore, always work in a well ventilated area. Hot solder is also dangerous. Be sure not to let it splash around because it will burn you almost instantly. Eye protection is also advised.
0 Comments:
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
