Yep, another desoldering thread

[jcoffin1981]

Thanks for being patient with all my questions.  I have an entire board to desolder and in the past have done more damage  than good with a cheap iron.   I'm looking at

http://www.amazon.com/Desoldering-Station-Digital-Temperature-Controlled/dp/B00KQ6PR6K/ref=sr_1_1?s=hi&ie=UTF8&qid=1459224397&sr=1-1&keywords=zd-985



This is what my budget fall under.   Does anyone have any experience with either of these machines or can tell me what they think will serve my purpose better?  Thanks.

[TalkingTree]

Frankly, I believe you can do the job with soldering iron and solder sucker.
I recently bought this and it does wonders.
Just proceed carefully, heat the iron up gradually and begin desoldering the switch from the tip of the contact.

[Lurch]

Your thread title could be more descriptive.... ex. "Is this desoldering unit worth the money?" etc etc etc

Anyway, I have the exact unit you linked and I love it; it makes desoldering a breeze. I will never use a hand pump for desoldering again. The hand pumps work, but not as good as a vacuum-based unit, IMO.

[sitch]

SS-02 Engineer, hands down, best I have used so far

[tp4tissue]

It really depends on HOW MUCH you're gonna desolder..

If it's just 1 keyboard..  Not worth getting a whole station..  get the solder sucker..

If you're gonna make a carrier move, sure, get a solder station..

[jaejae]

Solder suckers are awesome! Strange at first but works well!

[bmilcs]

Hey man. I was in a very similar situation a month or so ago. Here is what I found:

1) http://www.amazon.com/Edsyn-Deluxe-Soldapullt-Heavy-Vacuum/dp/B006GOKVKI/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1459282700&sr=8-1&keywords=soldapullt
* Definitively a genuine Esdyne product w/ proper packaging.

Don't cheap out on the solder sucker. I went with a cheapie $8 Amazon Prime one at first and it was pretty horrible. It made the job a lot more stressful and more difficult. Spend the extra $13 or so and get the Soldapult III.

2) http://www.amazon.com/Weller-WLC100-40-Watt-Soldering-Station/dp/B000AS28UC/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1459282456&sr=8-2&keywords=weller
This soldering station is pretty well regarded and works great for me. I've desoldered/resoldered over 150 keys now with it... at around the ~2 or less setting. Variable wattage is nice.

3) http://www.amazon.com/Weller-ST7-0-03-X0-79-Conical/dp/B000B607OC/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1459282565&sr=8-1&keywords=weller+st7
ST7 Tip will help you immensely and give you greater accuracy. If you have a keyboard with LED's or ever plan to mess with them, this will be a life saver. I highly recommend it. The tip that comes w/ that above kit is really large and is doable but again, ST7 is fantastic.

4) http://www.amazon.com/Kester-Rosin-Solder-0-80mm-inches/dp/B0149K4JTY/ref=sr_1_11?ie=UTF8&qid=1459282806&sr=8-11&keywords=rosin+core+solder
Great solder recommended by others. Makes desoldering MUCH MUCH MUCH easier.

5) http://www.amazon.com/Hakko-599B-02-Solder-Cleaning-Holder/dp/B00FZPGDLA/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1459282871&sr=8-1&keywords=solder+cleaner
Soldering station above comes with a sponge but I wasn't a fan of using water as a coolant. This cleans really, really well and you'll avoid unwanted oxidation.

-----

You can get by with less but those 5 items are what I use. Spending the extra few dollars is worth your sanity, blood pressure levels and anxiety when learning to solder... especially on expensive keyboards

[appleonama]

Thanks for being patient with all my questions.  I have an entire board to desolder and in the past have done more damage  than good with a cheap iron.   I'm looking at

http://www.amazon.com/Desoldering-Station-Digital-Temperature-Controlled/dp/B00KQ6PR6K/ref=sr_1_1?s=hi&ie=UTF8&qid=1459224397&sr=1-1&keywords=zd-985



This is what my budget fall under.   Does anyone have any experience with either of these machines or can tell me what they think will serve my purpose better?  Thanks.

desoldering stations don't work well on keyboard pcb's. They will always leave solder residue and its difficult to remove solder from the led holes.

[tp4tissue]

Solder suckers are awesome! Strange at first but works well!

gotta watch that tutorial ..  u need to --add-- some solder before --sucking-- to get a really clean pull..

man.. soldering sounds really ghey when you discuss it..hahahahah

[bmilcs]

Thanks for being patient with all my questions.  I have an entire board to desolder and in the past have done more damage  than good with a cheap iron.   I'm looking at

http://www.amazon.com/Desoldering-Station-Digital-Temperature-Controlled/dp/B00KQ6PR6K/ref=sr_1_1?s=hi&ie=UTF8&qid=1459224397&sr=1-1&keywords=zd-985



This is what my budget fall under.   Does anyone have any experience with either of these machines or can tell me what they think will serve my purpose better?  Thanks.

If you have any questions, please feel free to ask me. I literally just went through this whole process and exhausted the community with questions lol. I am now very comfortable with the whole process and gear and whatnot.

[AKmalamute]

You guys aren't going to believe this, but my first phantom was built using MX-blacks harvested from a Wyse-150's keyboard, that I removed using q-tips.

Well, and a standard twelve-dollar soldering iron but still. No sucker, no tape. Just about a dozen q-tips. And a few burnt fingers as I pried from one end while melting from the other using spare fingers as I could to hold the board upright. I didn't lift even a single pad, but that was a very old-school, durable single-sided PCB too.

I don't have, nor will I buy, a desoldering "kit" (although having the vacuum sucker has proven invaluable for it's $3 investment).

[3K]

This is what my budget fall under.   

This is what I got me. Pretty good soldering iron, lots of equip, best solder pump I used so far.

http://www.ebay.de/itm/Lotstation-Lotset-Lotkolben-58-Watt-450-C-Entlotpumpe-dritte-Hand-Spitzen-Zinn-/111158167975?hash=item19e18b09a7:g:j50AAOSwcu5UR0Ko

[lootbag]

desoldering stations don't work well on keyboard pcb's. They will always leave solder residue and its difficult to remove solder from the led holes.

This generally this is the case, just having the desoldering gun doesn't mean everything will be easy.
That being said, if you work carefully, the gun in my experience gives pretty clean results.
I add additional solder to the joints and also tin the tip of the desoldering gun.
Almost always get 100% clean results on switches, but LEDs are a little trickier because the joints are very small.

Solder sucker is good for repairs, but I say get the desoldering station if you will do many boards in the future.

[appleonama]

desoldering stations don't work well on keyboard pcb's. They will always leave solder residue and its difficult to remove solder from the led holes.

This generally this is the case, just having the desoldering gun doesn't mean everything will be easy.
That being said, if you work carefully, the gun in my experience gives pretty clean results.
I add additional solder to the joints and also tin the tip of the desoldering gun.
Almost always get 100% clean results on switches, but LEDs are a little trickier because the joints are very small.

Solder sucker is good for repairs, but I say get the desoldering station if you will do many boards in the future.

I'd much recommend a manual solder sucker for the job. It is a bit more tedious but you can get the job done.

[Parak]

Desoldering stations have a couple of advantages, but they do need to be used correctly for best results... and their quality does differ. I've had three different ones so far, and generally have been able to get good results; better than that of a desoldering pump.

1. It's critical to get good wetting. Desoldering at lower temperatures (350ish C) is ideal to not peel your pads, but this obviously creates a problem with lead-free solder on lower powered stations. Don't raise the temperature. Add flux (liquid kind, RA/RMA) and/or leaded solder to the joint first. Keep the solder tip constantly tinned and cleaned of flux residue, and flood it with solder after you turn it off in storage.

2. Use desoldering tips with diameter slightly greater than that of the lead that you are desoldering. Most high end desoldering stations have at least 10 different tip varieties and sizes to help with that, but even lower end ones (like a hakko 300) have around 6. Do not try to use the same diameter tips for, say, switch and LED leads.

3. Come in with the tip at a 90 degree angle, make sure to get a full melt and contact with the board, and then turn on the vacuum. Wiggle the iron around to clear the tip on all sides, turn the vacuum off, and remove the tip.

4. Desoldering tips with good care will last a lot longer than soldering tips that are subjected to rapid cooling/heating cycles like those of a desoldering pump.

5. Disposal and cleaning of the solder chamber is much more convenient on a desoldering station (again varies by model).

6. The speed of desoldering is massively superior to that of a desoldering pump or wick. It's not even a fair contest. Plus you don't need to use both hands.

[jcoffin1981]

Frankly, I believe you can do the job with soldering iron and solder sucker.
I recently bought this and it does wonders.
Just proceed carefully, heat the iron up gradually and begin desoldering the switch from the tip of the contact.

Would you say this works better than iron with the bulb hand pump?  It has a  tip that's designed to fit over the solder joint.  I realize the whole job can be done with an iron and solder  sucker, but  have ruined two boards with this technique which is why I really want the desoldering station (but I'm probably going to use it only once).  Am I better off using the  solder station with the better temp control or the thing with the bulb  hand pump which may not have as good temp control.  Obviously I don't wanna spend more than I have to.   I have two working boards  right now so maybe i should just leave well enough alone,  but I would really love the Gaterons on the Poker board. 

[jacobolus]

6. The speed of desoldering is massively superior to that of a desoldering pump or wick. It's not even a fair contest.

Compared to a Soldapullt, for someone with a reasonable workflow on each, I’d say the desoldering station takes about 50–60% less time, takes a bit less practice to be efficient, and is less taxing on your hands (the Soldapullt requires pushing a stiff spring every time you want to reset it, which can get a bit tiring).

If you’re desoldering switches with bent-over leads, there’s only a maybe a 30% advantage, as unbending the leads is a pain in the ass either way.

If you have the money and plan to desolder a lot, it’s worth it. If you’re desoldering 1 keyboard a month, probably stick with the Soldapullt.

[jcoffin1981]

Frankly, I believe you can do the job with soldering iron and solder sucker.
I recently bought this and it does wonders.
Just proceed carefully, heat the iron up gradually and begin desoldering the switch from the tip of the contact.

This here is what I have been seriously  considering, considering my past experiences.
http://www.amazon.com/Aoyue-Digital-Desoldering-Station-Built/dp/B00ABJ4AEC/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_product_top?ie=UTF8

[TalkingTree]

Would you say this works better than iron with the bulb hand pump?

No, I cannot assert that for I haven't ever used a desoldering iron.
I can tell you there's a big difference between your average solder sucker and the Engineer SS-02, as well as between an average soldering iron and one with temp control and interchangeable tips.
I've ruined PCBs in the past with cheap irons, lucky those were salvage PCBs from dead electronics that I used for testing purposes, but my skills improved also by acquiring better tools.
I really don't see the benefit of getting a $ 150 desoldering iron when I can do the job with iron and solder sucker. Although, you should follow the route you consider the safest.

[jcoffin1981]

Yeah my solder sucker sucks, and not in a good way.  I'm gonna go with your method and this newer solder sucker.  I thought I was absolutely terrible at desoldering, but maybe it is these tools which I originally thought were okay.  I've ruined 2 pcbs- one I fixed the switches but ruined the mini-usb attachment.  The other board I ruined the switch attachment points, although I can probably still wire these, but it's a lot of work.  To be honest I don't think the temp control on the soldering pen works at all.  I should have more control with this new soldering station. 

Let me ask you this if you don't mind.  I have a V60 that I fixed, including the USB plug.  A few weeks later the mini usb plug broke off again and I had to resolder it.  Now the area where the pins attach to the board is melted and they are gone.  Is it possible to piggyback it a little further down the board? Obviously you'd need to see a picture, but I can't find anywhere do solder it to.

So this is what I went with.   I have a bunch of Hakko tips for it.  http://www.amazon.com/Aoyue-AO936-AOYUE-Soldering-Station/dp/B000VINMRO/ref=sr_1_3?s=hi&ie=UTF8&qid=1459359346&sr=1-3&keywords=yihua+936

as well as this which I'm not sure I'm gonna use.  I may return it.
http://www.amazon.com/ECG-J-045-DS-Watt-Desoldering-Iron/dp/B00068IJSG?ie=UTF8&psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_detailpage_o03_s00

As well as the SS-02.  I can see the difference in the quality of the tip.  The nylon on the tip of my other one is alreay warped.

[jcoffin1981]

Your thread title could be more descriptive.... ex. "Is this desoldering unit worth the money?" etc etc etc

Anyway, I have the exact unit you linked and I love it; it makes desoldering a breeze. I will never use a hand pump for desoldering again. The hand pumps work, but not as good as a vacuum-based unit, IMO.

Yes  you are right, it could have been more descriptive.  I just meant I have posted several times about this.  But now your endorsement is swaying me toward getting a unit with a vacuum.   But with these better tools perhaps I will have better luck.  Although I was looking at something more like this.  I've heard others mention about parts rattling around inside this unit you have.      http://www.amazon.com/Aoyue-Digital-Desoldering-Station-Built-/dp/B00ABJ4AEC/ref=sr_1_6?ie=UTF8&qid=1459360425&sr=8-6&keywords=desoldering+iron

[Lurch]

Your thread title could be more descriptive.... ex. "Is this desoldering unit worth the money?" etc etc etc

Anyway, I have the exact unit you linked and I love it; it makes desoldering a breeze. I will never use a hand pump for desoldering again. The hand pumps work, but not as good as a vacuum-based unit, IMO.

Yes  you are right, it could have been more descriptive.  I just meant I have posted several times about this.  But now your endorsement is swaying me toward getting a unit with a vacuum.   But with these better tools perhaps I will have better luck.  Although I was looking at something more like this.  I've heard others mention about parts rattling around inside this unit you have.      http://www.amazon.com/Aoyue-Digital-Desoldering-Station-Built-/dp/B00ABJ4AEC/ref=sr_1_6?ie=UTF8&qid=1459360425&sr=8-6&keywords=desoldering+iron

I was told to stay away from the Aoyue unit per the advice of some IRC members; something about poor positioning of a sensor that would lead to problems occurring sooner than later, IIRC. Another IRC member went ahead and purchased a refurbished ZD985 and was pleased with the results. I did the same and haven't looked back since.

[TalkingTree]

Let me ask you this if you don't mind.  I have a V60 that I fixed, including the USB plug.  A few weeks later the mini usb plug broke off again and I had to resolder it.  Now the area where the pins attach to the board is melted and they are gone.  Is it possible to piggyback it a little further down the board?

If you have room to solder the USB port to the PCB contacts, yes, you could, but you might have issues when plugging the USB cable in the socket for the case might not allow the extra travel.
You might wanna try and glueing the USB port to the PCB and solder the pins on the contacts.

[jcoffin1981]

When the USB plug came off the board the contacts the pins were soldered to came with it I think. I was trying to solder to whatever was remaining,  but there really was nothing. I was  I was hoping with a bit of wire I could catch the connection a little farther down  the pcb.  I don't know where they are or where they run. I  know it's a long shot,  but it's a shame to throw out the board just for that.  I am good at soldering little itsy bitsy parts.  It  won't let me insert the image so here's  a link.  Thanks.


https://www.dropbox.com/s/gxy6ypnbojhqtyr/IMG_0290.JPG?dl=0

[TalkingTree]

I'm afraid that's beyond repair.

[tp4tissue]

You guys aren't going to believe this, but my first phantom was built using MX-blacks harvested from a Wyse-150's keyboard, that I removed using q-tips.

Well, and a standard twelve-dollar soldering iron but still. No sucker, no tape. Just about a dozen q-tips. And a few burnt fingers as I pried from one end while melting from the other using spare fingers as I could to hold the board upright. I didn't lift even a single pad, but that was a very old-school, durable single-sided PCB too.

I don't have, nor will I buy, a desoldering "kit" (although having the vacuum sucker has proven invaluable for it's $3 investment).

That's pretty Beast.. I'm surprised u didn't burn nothing.

[hking0036]

You guys aren't going to believe this, but my first phantom was built using MX-blacks harvested from a Wyse-150's keyboard, that I removed using q-tips.

Well, and a standard twelve-dollar soldering iron but still. No sucker, no tape. Just about a dozen q-tips. And a few burnt fingers as I pried from one end while melting from the other using spare fingers as I could to hold the board upright. I didn't lift even a single pad, but that was a very old-school, durable single-sided PCB too.

I don't have, nor will I buy, a desoldering "kit" (although having the vacuum sucker has proven invaluable for it's $3 investment).

That's pretty Beast.. I'm surprised u didn't burn nothing.

Wow that's intense, I wonder how long it took to get all of them off.

[jcoffin1981]

Yeah, that's kinda what I thought.   That's too bad.  But I've invested in some better tools so I expect little problems in the future.  I read the raving reviews for the SS-02 sucker and  I can't wait to use it.  I also now have a soldering station instead of  that stupid  pen.  I  think  the  temp control was just stuck on like 500 degrees.  This is how you learn.

[bmilcs]

Not sure if this is helpful but this is how I've done my KUL 3 times now. And also modified my pok3r.

Clean your tip. Tin your tip. Place your tip on the top of the solder joint, not on the pcb but well above it. Once it starts to melt, nudge the MX switches' pin a bit to free it from the side of the through hole and hold against the pin for roughly .5-1 seconds. Then simultaneously remove the iron and hit your solder sucker button. Voila.

Works 95% of the time... every time.

If it doesn't get everything, move on. Do 2-3 joints and come back, creating a new solder joint over the half sucked up one. Do 2-3 more joints. Return and start from step #1.

You could go w/ an entire station if you're serious about desoldering a lot; I was able to bang out my 87-key KUL, lube/swap springs and resolder after a work shift. Maybe 3 hours in total.

[jcoffin1981]

Yep, I've received most of my materials and I have a few boards to work on.  I'll be using a Yihua 936 and the SS-02.  I have to replace the switches on one board and another I'm gonna swap them for a different switch altogether, which should be fun.  I was watching You Tube videos and one of them showed a desolder vacuum station and I was so tempted to buy it, but once I finish these projects I'll have little use for it.

Yes these are helpful tips bmilcs.  So obviously I wanna hold the solder tip perpendicular on the solder joint touching the most surface area.  But do I wanna have it be in contact with tip of the contact pin from the switch, or just the mound of solder?  I was having trouble freeing some of the switches from the steel plate, but there may have been little bits of solder remaining too.  Is there a tool intended for this purpose; freeing switches?

[TalkingTree]

do I wanna have it be in contact with tip of the contact pin from the switch, or just the mound of solder?

Both, either pad and switch prong. You will hold the soldering iron diagonally against the solid tin until it melts then suck it up with the SS-02.

[jcoffin1981]

Got it thanks.

[jcoffin1981]

Wow, what a difference the right tools and technique makes.   I'm glad I didn't waste my money on a vaccuum station.   I set the imitation Hakko station to a bout 380 degrees and use a wide conical tip.  The biggest mistake I was making before was pulling the solder tip away before applying the solder sucker.  The silicon tip on the ss-02 makes a nice difference too compared to the  nylon tip the other had before.  I can remove about 10 switches before having to redo one again.  THey then pop out of the steel plate effortlessly.  I ccan't wait to finish.  It's time consuming, but I like it.

I have another board that needs some work with LED's.  I'm not replacing every switch, just the sticky ones.  Not looking forward to it.                                             

[TalkingTree]

I'm glad you're making progress. Keep up the good work.

[jcoffin1981]

I've been clumsy with drinks on few occasions with diet soda or beer which is one of the reasons I'm doing this.  On the board with LED lights I am only changing the sticking switches, perhaps 12 or 15 of them cuz they are a pain in the neck.  Every switch works, which is good, but I was wondering if anyone had any suggestions as to clean the opposing side of the pcb on the steel plate side.  I'm worried over time whatever leftover residue there is my cause a problem.  Or maybe it's okay?

[TalkingTree]

I was wondering if anyone had any suggestions as to clean the opposing side of the pcb on the steel plate side.  I'm worried over time whatever leftover residue there is my cause a problem.  Or maybe it's okay?

I'm afraid you can only tell by visually inspecting it.

[jcoffin1981]

Yes, of course that makes sense.  I appreciate all the tips and advice.

[shallpion]

Frankly, I believe you can do the job with soldering iron and solder sucker.
I recently bought this and it does wonders.
Just proceed carefully, heat the iron up gradually and begin desoldering the switch from the tip of the contact.

I second this. This "sucker" really made my previous suckers looking ridiculous... a day and night difference.

Though I can image that a vacuum station would be another level of efficiency.

[jcoffin1981]

I went from the SS-02 back to the 5$ sucker.  The SS-02 has a soft tip and can conform to the surface, but every 2 contacts or so it becomes clogged and it's not good at ejecting the solder.  The other one has a hard nylon-like tip, but it is more powerful which makes up for it.  It ejects all the solder so I never have to stop and wasted 20 seconds or so cleaning it.

[childofthehorn]

http://www.amazon.com/ChipQuik-SMD1-Leaded-Temperature-Removal/dp/B0019UZP7I

ChipQuick

It will make it easy to just remove the switches or really any components from a board and then make easy cleanup with some soldering wick.

This is what the pros use and it makes it SO MUCH EASIER, even if you have the professional rework stations and whatnot that I do. Dead simple to use and you don't even need to use much of the stuff to get the desired results.

[bmilcs]

Sorry guys. I have to brag. A few nights ago, I desoldered every switch from my Pok3r in one go using a solder sucker. I didn't miss one joint and completed it in one fell swoop. I feel like this was an accomplishment =) ... even though I'm sure this is common for most people who solder a lot. The LEDS weren't much trouble either.

Shameless self indulgence over and out.

[Jin]

I want hakko 474...

[ThoughtArtist]

This was just the thread I needed. Thanks!