ELECTRONICS PRODUCT
ASSEMBLY AND
SERVICING NC II
HOW TO SOLDER AND
DESOLDERING ELECTRONIC
COMPONENTS
HOW TO SOLDER PERFECTLY!
STEP 1: WHAT YOU'LL NEED. A 20-40 WATT SOLDERING
IRON OR A MINI SOLDERING STATION. ...
STEP 2: TINNING. BEFORE SOLDERING YOU SHOULD
ALWAYS TIN THE TIP OF YOUR SOLDER BIT. ...
STEP 3: SOLDERING WIRES. ...
STEP 4: SOLDERING ON PCB'S. ...
STEP 5: CLEANING THE FLUX. ...
STEP 6: SOLDERING TIPS!
HOW TO DESOLDER ELECTRICAL COMPONENT
STEP 1: HOW TO USE A SOLDERING IRON TO DESOLDER
1. Heat up the solder with the iron.
2. Slide the iron up the pins to bring the majority of the solder away from the
joint.
3. Using pliers, gently pull at the components to remove their pins from the
pin holes while they are still hot. It's a good idea to pull by their leads as
opposed to on the components themselves to maintain the quality of the
component.
STEP 2: HOW TO USE DESOLDERING BRAID
Desoldering braid, or solder wick, is a nice desoldering method used to
essentially soak up unwanted solder. It comes in a coil of braided together
strands of wire. Because copper conducts heat well, and solder is
attracted to heat, by heating up the braid you can draw the solder off
your part and into the braid. Some desolering braid comes with flux within
it, which makes it much easier and cleaner to remove a part. If your
soldering braid does not contain flux, then you can apply it by dipping the
1. UNWIND A FEW INCHES OF BRAID FROM THE COIL.
2. IF YOUR SOLDER WICK DOES NOT HAVE FLUX ON IT, IT WOULD BE A
GOOD IDEA TO ADD FLUX TO THE SECTION YOU ARE GOING TO USE TO
MAKE FOR A CLEAN REMOVAL.
3. PLACE THE BRAID OVER THE JOINT YOU WANT TO REWORK.
4. PLACE A HOT SOLDERING IRON AGAINST THE BRAID AND DESIRED
PIN.
5. WAIT A FEW SECONDS. THE SOLDER WILL FLOW OFF THE PIN AND
ONTO THE BRAID.
6. REMOVE THE BRAID. THE BRAID WILL BE VERY HOT AT THIS POINT, SO
MAKE SURE NOT TO TOUCH THE BRAID ITSELF, ONLY THE SPOOL.
7. REMOVE THE COMPONENT.
8. REPEAT STEPS 1-5 TO REMOVE EXCESS SOLDER.
TIP: USE A PAIR OF NEEDLE-NOSE PLIERS TO POSITION AND HOLD DOWN
THE BRAID WITHOUT GETTING BURNED.
STEP 3: HOW TO USE A DESOLDERING
PUMP
One of the nicest ways to desolder a component involves using a
desoldering pump. A desoldering pump is essentially a small,
high pressure vacuum. After heating up the solder, you can use
the desoldering pump to suck the solder up and out of the way.
Here are the basic steps for using a hand-powered desoldering
pump:
1. HEAT UP THE SOLDER YOU WANT TO REMOVE WITH A SOLDERING IRON (SOME DESOLDERING PUMPS
ALSO COME WITH ATTACHED IRONS).
2. PRESS DOWN ON THE PLUNGER (IF YOUR PUMP HAS A BULB, JUST SQUEEZE THE BULB).
3. ONCE THE SOLDER IS MOLTEN, PLACE THE TIP OF THE DESOLDERING PUMP AGAINST THE SOLDER THAT
YOU WANT TO REMOVE.
4. RELEASE THE PLUNGER OR BULB. SOME DESOLDERING PUMPS HAVE A RELEASE BUTTON SO THAT YOU
DON'T HAVE TO HOLD IT THE WHOLE TIME.
5. REMOVE FREE COMPONENT.
6. REPEAT STEPS 1-4 TO REMOVE ANY EXCESS SOLDER.
7. DISPOSE OF THE SOLDER INSIDE THE PUMP BY REPEATEDLY PRESSING DOWN AND RELEASING THE
PLUNGER.
TIP: IF YOU ARE TRYING TO REMOVE EXCESS BITS OF SOLDER, YOU MAY WANT TO ADD MORE SOLDER TO
THE JOINT, BECAUSE THE SOLDER WILL STAY LIQUID FOR LONGER WHEN IN LARGER "BLOBS", AND THUS BE
EASIER TO REMOVE.
STEP 4: HOW TO USE A HEAT GUN TO
DESOLDER
Using a heat gun is another way to remove solder without the use
of a soldering iron. Basically, it heats up the solder enough to be
able to remove the components. Using a hot air station is a slightly
more professional and expensive way of doing this, as it is basically
a heat gun specifically meant for desoldering. If you don't have one
of those though, here's how you can use a heat gun to desolder
components:
1. TURN ON THE HEAT GUN.
2. USE PLIERS TO HOLD THE CIRCUIT BOARD ABOVE THE
AIR STREATIM.
3. USE A PAIR OF NEEDLE NOSE PLIERS TO PULL THE
COMPONENT OUT OF THE BOARD.
TIP: YOU ONLY NEED TO HEAT GUN THE BOARD FOR A FEW
SECONDS, OR ELSE YOU WILL MELT THE COPPER PLATING
ON THE PCB AND DAMAGE THE BOARD, AS SHOWN IN THE
PICTURE.
STEP 5: HOW TO USE COMPRESSED AIR TO
DESOLDER
WARNING: If you are going to do this, you
must wear safety glasses. this method
sends chunks of molten solder flying
everywhere.
1. HEAT UP THE SOLDER WITH A SOLDERING IRON.
2. ONCE THE SOLDER IS MOLTEN, GET THE NOSE
OF THE COMPRESSED AIR CAN OR GUN UP CLOSE
TO THE JOINT.
3. BLAST IT WITH AIR, WITH THE NOZZLE
POINTING AWAY FROM YOU.
TIP: BECAUSE THE AIR CAN IS PRETTY POWERFUL, YOU CAN HEAT UP SOLDER STUCK IN
PIN HOLES AND BLAST IT OUT
STEP 6: HOW TO USE COMPRESSED AIR TO
DESOLDER (METHOD 2)
1. TURN THE COMPRESSED AIR CAR UPSIDE-DOWN.
2. SPRAY IT AGAINST THE JOINTS. PARTS OF THE BOARD
(TOP AND BOTTOM) WILL TURN WHILE, BUT AFTER A
FEW SECONDS IT WILL RETURN TO NORMAL.
3. WRENCH THE COMPONENTS OFF WITH PLIERS.
TIP: IF YOU DON'T HAVE PLIERS, YOU CAN KNOCK THE COMPONENTS OFF USING THE
EDGE OF A TABLE.