Desoldering

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Background information

This page covers desoldering as a whole but primary desoldering with a soldering iron. Not to be confused with Use of Hot air gun.
Desoldering is the process of removing the solder around an object to allow you to remove it from the PCB.

What tools you will need

Items are not listed in any particular order

Required

  • Adjustable temperature Soldering iron
  • Desoldering wick
  • flux
  • fume extractor
  • 99% isopropyl alcohol
  • lint free cotton buds(q-tips)
  • Non-magnetic Tweezer set
  • soldering wire

Optional but useful

  • flat ended soldering iron tip
  • disposable gloves
  • digital microscope
  • positable light
  • Squeeze bottle
  • Heat-resistant mat
  • Set of soldering iron tips
  • Heat-resistant helping hands
  • Non-magnetic Tweezer set
  • Soldering iron holder
  • soldering iron tip cleaner

Uses of this skill

  • 1. Chip-off
  • 2. Replacing broken/damaged wire connections
  • 3. Replacing damaged components
  • Step-by-step guide with images

    Step one, enabling the fume extractor to ensure any hazardous fumes are removed (if you are able to smell the fumes, then your extractor is not working correctly).

    Step two, Set the temperature of your soldering iron to 200C/395F for lead-free 183C/361F for leaded solder (these are not exact numbers you may have to adjust according to your needs and tools).

    Step three, Completely cover the tip of the iron with a fine layer of solder to "tin" it (this will help with heat transfer and protect the tip).

    Step Four, place the item you're desoldering in the position you want so that you can desolder it.

    Step Five, Clean up the area with desoldering wick or lint free cotton buds and 99% isopropyl alcohol.(this just ensures the area is clean and less chance of issues)

    Flow chart of order of operations

    Insert a flow chart of steps and actions for each task (create using diagram)

    Troubleshooting/tips and tricks

    Fixes to any common issues that were encountered or could be easily encountered

    Q: The solder surrounding the thing I want to desolder takes forever to melt

    A: The board is likely absorbing the heat from the soldering iron, heating up the board as a whole is recommended to overcome the board's heat dissipation capacity.
    Heat the board to around 100 degrees/37.77c - 150 degrees/65.55c through the use of a board preheater.
    (Not exact numbers just personal preference, experience as it heats the board enough without causing heat damage to other areas or melting other solder.)

    Related Topics

    Topics such as desoldering to chip off or firmware dumping for disk PCB repairs

    Further reading

    External references in wiki references can just be cited through the keyword link