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Forum Index : Other Stuff : De-soldering/Soldering
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| Georgen Guru  Joined: 13/09/2011 Location: AustraliaPosts: 462 |
Want to change few capacitors to see if my LCD monitor will improve. Watched some U-Tube videos on de-soldering and some had nothing, some used pumps and on one I noticed kind of strip that I assume was wicking out molten solder. Any suggestions which way to go? Also is it OK to use ordinary dimmer to regulate heat on 40W soldering iron? George |
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| MOBI Guru Joined: 02/12/2012 Location: AustraliaPosts: 819 |
Shouldn't be a problem as a soldering iron is resistive and the same wattage as a light bulb. What earlier "temp controlled" irons used to (circa the '70s) do was put a diode in series with the element and have a push button switch across the diode to either give half or full power. David M. |
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| jack fork stik Newbie  Joined: 08/12/2012 Location: AustraliaPosts: 34 |
ive got a 60watt iron I brought off repco around last xmass but it gets sooo hot it makes the tip go cherry red and way too hot for soldering unless I unplug it and let it cool down so that light dimmer idear might be the way for me to control it to the degree I can use it |
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Gizmo Admin Group  Joined: 05/06/2004 Location: AustraliaPosts: 5078 |
The "solder wick" is the best option, but its also the most expensive option. Pumps are OK for removing large blobs of molten solder, but for a fast clean solder removal you cant go past solder wick. Its also a good idea to buy the more expensive, the cheaper stuff wont work nearly as well. Wick is very good at cleaning up the solder pad once the component has been removed. I prefer a hot soldering iron. The longer the iron is on the joint, the more likely the component will be damaged by heat. With a hot iron, you can make a solder joint, or wick the solder off, in a shorter time. Speed is important, you should never leave the iron on the joint for any more than a 2 to 4 seconds. The tip shape and size is also important, a small tip stores very little heat, so looses it quickly. Glowing red hot is toooo hot though. 40 watts is good for most electronic stuff, but I do have a bigger 100 watt iron for making quick large solder joints. Glenn The best time to plant a tree was twenty years ago, the second best time is right now. JAQ |
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| Georgen Guru Joined: 13/09/2011 Location: AustraliaPosts: 462 |
Thanks for help. For a while thought how to work out the temperature, but it will probably take few trials to work out how far to dim for iron to not overheat too much. Have mercury thermometer but only up to 150 deg C George |
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