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Does desoldering damage components?
Keeping all solder molten without removing it is tricky to do and comes with the risk of overheating and damaging components. You can also easily overheat solder pads and inadvertently damage or pull them from the circuit board.
Do solder joints fail?
The only way a joint can fail is if it is not made properly, whether it is because the solder did not flow properly or the pipe was not inserted all the way into a fitting. It has nothing to do with turbulence because the solder does not interact with the liquid flow.
What do you need to know about desoldering?
The basic concept of desoldering is very simple: you need to heat up the solder, then you need to figure out how to get the component or wires out nicely, and then you need to clean up all the solder still attached to the board and/or the component.
Why do you need different Wick for desoldering?
Desoldering wick generally comes in several different widths so you can match the braid to what you are desoldering. Wick that is too thin won’t remove enough solder and requires you to trim and remelt the solder over and over. Wick that is too wide takes longer to heat and may interfere with other components on the circuit board.
What’s the best way to desolder a component?
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:
What should my solder wick width be for desoldering?
Choose a solder wick width that closely matches the size of the contact area. This will ensure that you get proper heat conduction and that you don’t desolder unwanted areas. Widths of desoldering wire are designated by the numbers 1 through 6 or color codes, which are the standard in the industry.