[dorkbotpdx-blabber] Need de-soldering expert

[Kenneth]

The input select switch on my amp needs to be replaced.  I spent a great deal of time with a solder sucker and wick in an attempt to do it myself.  Now I need an expert to finish the job.

If you know anyone, please let me know.

Thanks,

Ken

[Jerry Biehler]

I have a metcal desoldering station. my guess is you are running into RoHS solder which melts at as higher temp and is much harder to desolder. You might try diluting the rohs solder with normal solder to reduce its melting temp. Basically just add normal solder to the joint after you get rid of as much rohs solder as you can. Then you might have better luck with the solder sucker.

-Jerry

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[Loki (Nick Jacobsen)]

Best tool I've found is the desoldering iron from radio shack, especially when modified with a small vacuum hose.  Unfortunately, I took apart the vacuum attachment for another project, but there is a stock desoldering iron down at BrainSilo - stop by Thursday night during open house and try it out.  Or just buy one, they aren't expensive - and it works infinitely better than desoldering braid or separate solder suckers: http://www.radioshack.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2062731

Loki

[Aaron Burt]

On Sat, May 04, 2013 at 04:17:34PM -0700, Kenneth wrote:
> The input select switch on my amp needs to be replaced. I spent a great
> deal of time with a solder sucker and wick in an attempt to do it myself.
> Now I need an expert to finish the job.

Ironically, solder sucking/wick can make it worse, since it will remove
most, but not ALL the solder. At that point, you wind up with the mimimum
amount of solder necessary to hold things together, and no easy way to get
at it with an iron. Sometimes it pays to have a lot of solder, so it
retains enough heat to stay molten while you pull connectors/wires out.

If it's a multipin device on a PC board, consider the "slap" method, where
you get it all molten, then slap the board on a table edge.

Maybe bring it to Backspace this Monday,
Aaron