The OP misses the question, how he wants to solder.
There are TWO possibilities: with and without lead.
With all the RoHS bollocks coming up, more and more people are making careful attempts to learn the "unleaded" way of soldering; yet I personally CANNOT solder that way and if I inhale some of the lead fumes - so what! You can die one way or another.
This is so goddamn over-hyped crap! :mad
I'm waiting for the moment when soldering using leaded solder is regarded the same way as if committing a crime!

In Germany for example, a lot of hardware freaks have started exploiting the very last resources of leaded solder!! Since they know: if they don't do it now, it might be considered ILLEGAL at some time in the future and then they will have to get their leaded solder from the black market!!
What a Brave New World, isn't it.

Im finally ready for some soldering lessons :cool :bowdown

http://chain.3dgrafika.cz/temp/soldering/aoyue.jpg

just testing hotair rework on old vga card

http://chain.3dgrafika.cz/temp/soldering/vga_conn.jpg

:crazy

I sooooooo need to get me a hot air re-workstation!

with budget around 120 quids ive got:

hotair rework (250W) with 6 nozzles
soldering iron (40W) with two tips (small, mid)
flux and paste (50q each)
vacuum tweezer (w 3 tips)
ESD wristband
fibreglass brush
solder wick

What old card would you go to so much trouble for? Surely you can pick one up on ebay for half the cost and half the effort?

im just testing how that rework station works :) these cards was good sources of 4256 dram chips and now are useless. so no loss when i burn something on it.

its not that easy as it looks and i dont want to try it on miggy boards so thats a reason

All my soldering equipment cost a tenner :)

Its ok for what I do

Rework stations look pretty expensive at the majority of places

Erm,

how to remove SMT capacitor if you're now that great with soldering?? :)

I have to remove 2 of them (1.D.4 mobo A1200) as Apollo is not that stable with this mobo.

Thanks!

Take a jeweller's screwdriver and your soldering iron. If you have desoldering braid, it will be useful.

If you have it, suck up as much solder as you can from the ends of the cap using the desoldering braid.

Then alternately heat both ends of the cap and apply gentle force with the screwdriver to the side of the component.

Eventually it will heat up enough and you can gently push the component off it's place.

Do not push hard! If the component doesn't move with a gentle push, the solder is not hot enough. Pushing hard will lead to lifted solder pads on your motherboard and ugly looks from the person that ends up repairing it for you. ;-)

Don't use a solder sucking pump for anything other than through hole components. It won't be as effective and it could even cause damage to surface mount components from the recoil kick the pump gives.

Thanks for the hints and explanation.

I will have to get better tools before I even start. :)

@ Zetro

A simple hot air rework station = Black & Decker paint stripper gun on lowest setting, with one of these I've desoldered and resoldered 48 pin TSOP chips (ahem). If you check Youtube someone even repaired his Xbox 360 with one.

If anyone wants soldering hints and tips, I am happy to help, I got the handle Merlin by being able to get TVs, VCRs and other stuff working again, just like magic, my soldering iron is my magic wand.....

For best results, you have to get a good flux, sometimes flux cored solder just doesn't cut it, I recommend Fluxite or Chipquick as the best fluxes from my experience. Also, a good thin surface mount grade reel of solder is a must, especially for surface mount resistors and the like. My day to day weapon is an Antex 15 watt iron with a needle tip from Maplins, with a 25 watt big brother for bigger things like heat sinks and shielded cases.

Merlin

Sweet

great info merlin!

(off to Wicks for a new black and decker! bbiab :D )

the problem with a paint stripper, though they work (or at least mine did, until it decided to break, probably just within warranty, but I'd lost the receipt) is that they don't offer much control over the size of area they work on, they're fine for large chips or totally depopulating boards, but I wouldn't want to use one for repair work on a densely populated board.

The solution I came up with for fixing my A4000's audio was to get a hot air head for my gas soldering iron, not too much control over the heat or the flow rate, but it is a fairly small stream, so I managed to do it with only one unpleasant incident, carelessly overheating an SMT electrolytic. They go off with impressive force, unlike through hole types, they vent by blowing the can off, rather than neatly splitting open at the top.

Yep, I've had similar experiences with my Iroda Solderpro 70... if you get the hot air head from Maplin to fit the Solderpro, you find that after a while the little bit of wire gauze burns away and you are left with a blowtorch... it's amazing what one of those cheap stainless steel pan scourers from the local £1 shop can do, if you cut small chunks off them :D

if it's a circuit board that's not too busy with components I shield the bits I don't want to heat up with tin foil, works wonders....

I have a friend who would not believe I could take some multi strand wire, strip it to a single strand, tin it and solder it to a single leg on a Playstation chip without a magnifying glass, until he mucked up his PS2 and he watched me fix it ;)

Soldering is all about patience, a steady hand and eyes like the proverbial outhouse rat...

Oh, on the paint stripper gun, I find an old can with the end cut off, cut lengthwise then fastened to the nozzle of the paint stripper gun with a hose clip takes some of the ferocity out of the heat, you can shape the end of your custom nozzle into whatever shape you need. Handy hint no. 36.....

Merlin

awsome info guys...

i can see it now....



hey i'd buy..... or download it free :D

I've been meaning to do that to my paint stripper-smd station as well.. Currently I've been using it mainly for removing components and then soldered new ones in with a normal iron, but a more precise jet of air never hurts. :-)

ROFLMAO @ Zetro !!

I can Mig and Arc weld as well, nobody asked me about that though.....might be a bit too much for you all.....

LOL

Merlin

Some pics while replacing gary socket :cool

http://chain.3dgrafika.cz/temp/assah...ket_broken.jpg

http://chain.3dgrafika.cz/temp/assahi/lobster_thru1.jpg

Looking pretty damn good indeed Chain!

LOL m8, I am suprised Mick_AKA hasn`t asked you to weld up his Citron by now LMAO!!!!