De Soldering Components

[Steve-O]

What is the easiest way to remove components from a circuit board? I have a mobile phone but the joystick has died, I have a new joy stick but cant get it off the circuit board... so whats the easiest way to remove a surface mounted component?? I have some desolder braid stuff (solder remover) and its removed some of it but I cant get it all off

thanks

 

[Vimacs]

depends, for a not heat sensetive things like a joystick a hot air gun may be the best/easiest choice.

 

[WarmFluffyUK]

depends, for a not heat sensetive thing like a joystick a hot air gun may be the best/easiest choice.

Nooo Noo Nooo

A heat gun would possibly destroy the neigouring components.

If you want to remove a tiny component from a mobile phone you need a needle tip soldering iron and some braid to soak up the solder and heat.

This is a specialist job, please NEVER use a heat gun to desolder anything, that is a nutters way to remove components.

 

[Steve-O]

I have the braid and a 15watt needle tip soldering iron (one that I used to chip my PS2...) I guess I will just have to keep trying to soak the solder up with the braid

any tips / advice on how to use the braid properly?? never used this stuff before

thanks

 

[Axeman]

A solder sucker will definiely help

 

[Steve-O]

area is too small to get to with a sucker unfortunatly ..

balls... I bought the wrong solder braid... I bought 2.0mm stuff when I should have went for 0.8mm... Surely I could just like split the braid in half and it would still work the same as the smaller stuff wouldnt it?

anyway, bed time now, dont want to attempt this when tired incase I slip ... I have removed quite alot of solder after looking at the braid cuttings... should be almost off now and I will know to buy thinner stuff next tiem

 

[grahf]

Try adding a little flux before you desolder it. Also, it wont remove ALL the solder, just most. For multi-leg surface mount components like chips and such, its sometimes easy to lift each leg up with a pin one by one as you hit it with the soldering iron.

And hot air will work for removing some components, but you have to have a decent setup with precise temperature control. Depending on what your working with, the solder will sometimes have a lower melting point. Not something you want to be guessing with at all though. IE: dont try this at home

 

[gp32rich]

If you aren't bothered about saving the old stick, and can get at the pins ...

I'd be very tempted to snip them off.

Then you're just left with some pads that need cleaning up

Other than that... levering them up as you de-solder seems the best idea so far.

 

[Steve-O]

only thing is, they are not realy legs on the stick, just sort of pads.

I will get it off eventually ...

 

[Steve-O]

OMG.. Why didnt I think of this before!!!!!!!!!!!

POINT FEELER GUAGES

(Like these)

They are used for setting points in engines and go from thick to VERY Very thin (Thinner than a razor blade).. What I did was wedge it inbetween the small leg and solder tab, solder and push with that guage at the same time and it just slips under it!!!

Well at least I know what to use next time

Oh yea, Phone works like new now, think I will buy more phones with damaged joysticks cheap, fix them and sell them for a profit

 

[sam fisher]

OMG.. Why didnt I think of this before!!!!!!!!!!!

POINT FEELER GUAGES

(Like these)

They are used for setting points in engines and go from thick to VERY Very thin (Thinner than a razor blade).. What I did was wedge it inbetween the small leg and solder tab, solder and push with that guage at the same time and it just slips under it!!!

Well at least I know what to use next time

Oh yea, Phone works like new now, think I will buy more phones with damaged joysticks cheap, fix them and sell them for a profit

Steve-O you dodgy business man you Did I buy a chatboard from you lol

 

[sam fisher]

OMG.. Why didnt I think of this before!!!!!!!!!!!

POINT FEELER GUAGES

(Like these)

They are used for setting points in engines and go from thick to VERY Very thin (Thinner than a razor blade).. What I did was wedge it inbetween the small leg and solder tab, solder and push with that guage at the same time and it just slips under it!!!

Well at least I know what to use next time

Oh yea, Phone works like new now, think I will buy more phones with damaged joysticks cheap, fix them and sell them for a profit

Steve-O you dodgy business man you Did I buy a chatboard from you lol

 

[sam fisher]

OMG.. Why didnt I think of this before!!!!!!!!!!!

POINT FEELER GUAGES

(Like these)

They are used for setting points in engines and go from thick to VERY Very thin (Thinner than a razor blade).. What I did was wedge it inbetween the small leg and solder tab, solder and push with that guage at the same time and it just slips under it!!!

Well at least I know what to use next time

Oh yea, Phone works like new now, think I will buy more phones with damaged joysticks cheap, fix them and sell them for a profit

Steve-O you dodgy business man you Did I buy a chatboard from you lol

HOLY SHIT wtf triple post?

 

[Steve-O]

yea, but I didnt realy have to remove anything from the chatboard like this, chatboard was very easy compaired to doing this

heres a pic of the old joystick next to a mouse to show how small it was.



and that had 8 legs on that needed desoldered ... plus I had no magnifier, just bare eyes

was a peice of piss once the joystick was off

 

[lintsniffer]

for future reference, make images you post from now on more blurry.

kthnxbai

 

[WarmFluffyUK]

for future reference, make images you post from now on more blurry.

kthnxbai

Wasn't the point of the image to show how small it was, not to show any specific detail?

 

[Steve-O]

for future reference, make images you post from now on more blurry.

kthnxbai

whats the point in having a high quality image just to show the size of the button next to the mouse?? Anyway, I took that with the phone in darkish conditions.