Desoldering vacuum thingers

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RefD
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Post by RefD » Thu Nov 29, 2007 11:11 am

braid or spring-loaded sucker for things like guitar pedals, tho?
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eeldip
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Post by eeldip » Thu Nov 29, 2007 11:56 am

spring loaded... def.

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Post by electrofloss » Thu Nov 29, 2007 9:43 pm

There is something very satisfying about zeroing in with the spring loaded sucker, cocking it, and pulling the trigger for a successful solder suck. I'm not sure why.

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brianroth
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Post by brianroth » Fri Nov 30, 2007 12:34 am

Siiiigh....

I dunno why the "DIY world" completely REFUSES to pay attention to the "common practices" used in the "industry".

Zit suckers (IE, manual plungers) are NEVER used for "rework" in any place that I've seen. IMHO, zit suckers and "braid" are bullshit methods that you use "in a pinch" when you have no other choices...

If your're gonna play in this dimension, at least use the CORRECT tools.

I do NOT use a blade screwdriver as a pry-bar.....I have a crowbar in the garage for that purpose ;-)

Shrug...

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Post by Knights Who Say Neve » Fri Nov 30, 2007 12:42 am

I love the Pace vacuum desolider station I use at school, but I can't afford one right now, so I use the spring-loaded thing. It's OK, but you'll still have to apply heat and use a pair of pliers to get most components off. With the Pace they just fall out.
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inverseroom
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Post by inverseroom » Fri Nov 30, 2007 4:40 am

brianroth wrote:Siiiigh....

I dunno why the "DIY world" completely REFUSES to pay attention to the "common practices" used in the "industry".

Zit suckers (IE, manual plungers) are NEVER used for "rework" in any place that I've seen. IMHO, zit suckers and "braid" are bullshit methods that you use "in a pinch" when you have no other choices...

If your're gonna play in this dimension, at least use the CORRECT tools.

I do NOT use a blade screwdriver as a pry-bar.....I have a crowbar in the garage for that purpose ;-)

Shrug...

Bri
Brian, are you joking? Seriously. What idiot buys a 500-dollar vacuum to recap a 130-dollar mixer? I've been extracting parts with a bulb for five years...it's a pain, but it works fine. A spring thing and a braid will make my life much easier for a reasonable bit of money.

I mean, "play in this dimension"? Come on, man. I'm just fixin' my mixer and organ.

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Scodiddly
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Post by Scodiddly » Fri Nov 30, 2007 5:02 am

brianroth wrote:Siiiigh....

I dunno why the "DIY world" completely REFUSES to pay attention to the "common practices" used in the "industry".

Zit suckers (IE, manual plungers) are NEVER used for "rework" in any place that I've seen. IMHO, zit suckers and "braid" are bullshit methods that you use "in a pinch" when you have no other choices...

If your're gonna play in this dimension, at least use the CORRECT tools.

I do NOT use a blade screwdriver as a pry-bar.....I have a crowbar in the garage for that purpose ;-)

Shrug...

Bri
It's a question of money vs. needs. I kind of doubt you have a real professional vehicle lift in your garage for changing the oil in your car.

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brianroth
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Post by brianroth » Fri Nov 30, 2007 7:52 am

I bought a Pace desoldering station back in 1988 for doing rework on an MCI JH-636 desk which had a bunch of crappy Schadow pushbuttons. Ye Olde Pace is now almost 20 years old, and has been used for MANY projects besides that first one, and hence was a GOOD purchase.

Buy good tools once, and then enjoy for a few decades!! ;-) Buy junk/toys and then immediately cuss and suffer!!!!!!!!!!!!! :-))))


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RefD
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Post by RefD » Fri Nov 30, 2007 8:20 am

but what if you spend most of your time recording/making music and not sitting at the bench repairing things?

$500 for something i might use 5 times in 5 years doesn't sound like a wise investment.
?What need is there to weep over parts of life? The whole of it calls for tears.? -- Seneca

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brianroth
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Post by brianroth » Fri Nov 30, 2007 9:26 am

OK, I guess I am beating my head against a wall <G>. However, if you are not in a hurry, watch the online auctions, etc. in order to maximize your hard-earned dollars.

I have seen some of the newer desoldering tools (Hakko, Denon, etc) sold on-line for far less than the factory pricing. Pace is Olde School, so watch for bargains. APE and Plato still sell new tips and other replacement parts for Ye Olde Pace desoldering stations.

I will say this much (and then maybe shut up? naaahhh...LOL!):

Many of the Modern printed circuit boards are double sided (or even MORE complex than that) with plated-through holes, and hence require the CORRECT desoldering tools so that you don't destroy the circuit boards.

It really pisses me off to go back in behind a ham-fisted "tech" and clean up the mess he/she left behind, which compromises the reliability of the Gizmo/mixing desk/tape recorder/etc.

Recent memories here: Even with a TON of TLC and my Pace desoldering station, I *still* managed to lift a few of the "thin as a wisp of hair" circuit traces/donut holes on the PC cards in a TAC Bullet mixer, and an DDA Profile desk, both of which used double-sided/plated-through circuit boards.

Part of this Nasty/#^!%^!!! process is properly sizing the desoldering tip and temperature to the project. I have three different sized tips in the Pace collection: 0.025", 0.040" and 0.060" (those dimensions are the opening diameter of the tip itself, which needs to be properly sized to the task at-hand).

My Pace unit also has a tip temperature tweaker/pot, which means Yet Another parameter to adjust.

OTOH, I also used my Paladin "Zit Sucker" (manual plunger tool) recently to clean out the solder on some XLR connectors because it was a hassle to set up the Pace for such a mundane task.

Hence, I *do* use a variety of tools, and not just the fancy stuff.

Bri
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inverseroom
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Post by inverseroom » Fri Nov 30, 2007 10:03 am

OK, fair enough. You can trust, however, that when I run up against a job for which I have inadequate tools, I don't forge ahead. I mean, stuff like a Wurlitzer amp--where the pads are the size of dimes and fifty parts are spread over a PCB as wide as a driveway--precision solder removal is not a challenge. The gear I'm planning to work on is not quite as easy as that, but it's old stuff with plenty of real estate to breathe in.

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eeldip
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Post by eeldip » Fri Nov 30, 2007 10:23 am

electrofloss wrote:There is something very satisfying about zeroing in with the spring loaded sucker, cocking it, and pulling the trigger for a successful solder suck. I'm not sure why.
for me its the kickback. and the sound. its really a very pleasing tool!

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eeldip
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Post by eeldip » Fri Nov 30, 2007 10:27 am

inverseroom wrote:OK, fair enough. You can trust, however, that when I run up against a job for which I have inadequate tools, I don't forge ahead.
man, thats no fun. like i could care what someone thinks 10 years down the line about my shitty work inside a box. i don't live my life to please some grumpy tech.

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inverseroom
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Post by inverseroom » Fri Nov 30, 2007 10:32 am

I am more concerned about breaking my old analog shit than annoying a tech.

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eeldip
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Post by eeldip » Fri Nov 30, 2007 10:37 am

inverseroom wrote:I am more concerned about breaking my old analog shit than annoying a tech.
well... yea... but if its already broken!

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