Re: My A2 Hardware Projects

[Mark McDougall <markm@vl.com.au>]

Polymorph wrote:

> BTW, I do own a solder sucker, but I find it hard to use effectively.
> When removing solder you've got to be so quick and acurate in moving
> the sucker over hot solder for it to work. I tend to find that there is
> always some residual solder left that won't budge, and in the cases
> where I have been trying to remove a component, I find that the
> residual solder is strong enough to prevent me (from removing it).

Don't be afraid to melt the tip of the sucker - they're quite cheap!

Another tip - use plenty of solder! Yes - the sucker works better if
there's plenty of solder on the joint. In fact, it's useless for
removing those residual bits that you're talking about. If you can't get
it in a few attempts, re-solder the joint and try again!

If you *do* have a very small bit of residual solder, try heating the
joint and then wiggling the pin with a small screwdriver as you remove
the iron and the solder solidifies. This won't allow it to re-attach the
pin to the PCB in most cases.

I've successfully de-soldered 40-pin devices with a sucker. I can't use
solder braid to save my life. BTW, the braid should last a *long* time
because you can use the one bit until the braid is *completely*
saturated with solder. We get chewed out here at work for using too much
braid...

Regards,

-- 
Mark McDougall, Engineer
Virtual Logic Pty Ltd, <http://www.vl.com.au>
21-25 King St, Rockdale, 2216
Ph: +612-9599-3255 Fax: +612-9599-3266