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Hints, Tips and Solutions (Do NOT post requests for help here) If you have any useful general hints and tips for vintage technology repair and restoration, please share them here. PLEASE DO NOT POST REQUESTS FOR HELP HERE!

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Old 27th Nov 2008, 11:27 pm   #1
ekcopyephilips
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Default Desoldering tool

Hi everyone

Picture this, you have got you self in a position a contortionist would be proud of, connection leads in the way of the track side you want to work on. Soldering iron in one hand, solder sucker in the other, ready to remove that duff component. You hope and pray, hold your breath, and somehow something always wants to go wrong, the solder sucker doesnt suck or slips or jams, or worst of all after all that effort the PCB track lifts

Im not in the habit of endorsing anything as usually many things that promise a lot dont deliver, but i have found the most helpfull item ive ever used in removing components, with the minimum of fuss and mimimum of damage to PCB tracks.

The item is a desoldering tool, made by Duratool, its a handheld soldering gun with a hollow nozzle, the temp of the tip can be set anywhere from 0 to 400 degrees, it comes with three different nozzle sizes too, plus wire brushes to clean out said nozzle if they become clogged.
Just put the nozzle on the work area, pull the trigger and solder is removed instantly. I tested it today on double sided plated through holes (which can be a nightmare to desolder), i really was amazed at how well it worked. I really would recomend it for anyone working on delicate vintage PCB's where tracks could be damaged by the application of heat for longer than nessesary.

I dont know if im allowed to advertise where it came from, suffice to say the company name stafted with an F and ended in L. Order number was 149-8361. Similar items from more well known soldering companies were selling for hundreds of pounds, this item was only £63 !!

Well worth its weight in gold.

Mike B

Last edited by Dave Moll; 27th Nov 2008 at 11:36 pm. Reason: bbcode corrected
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Old 27th Nov 2008, 11:30 pm   #2
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Default Re: Desoldering tool

Yes. You can plug Farnell.
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Old 28th Nov 2008, 12:16 am   #3
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Default Re: Desoldering tool

Link to the Farnell product.

http://uk.farnell.com/duratool/d0067...equestid=13471

Years ago, Denon made a similar tool with the pump in the main body, but spares were very very expensive, a replacement tip was approx £30.

I might treat myself to one if funds permit.
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Old 28th Nov 2008, 1:49 am   #4
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Default Re: Desoldering tool

The Farnell price for this item is currently £70.69 (£83.06 inc VAT).

Strangely, however, the identical product is available from CPC (a division of Farnell) at £59.98 (£70.48 inc VAT)

Obviously, these prices should drop slightly with next Monday's reduction in VAT.

Edward
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Old 28th Nov 2008, 1:25 pm   #5
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Post Re: Desoldering tool

Quote:
Originally Posted by Station X View Post
Yes. You can plug Farnell.
But my plug for Eurobatteries.com for their very good deals on rechargables was deleted

I put a rubber sleeve on a soldersucker to help protect tracks, and let the tracks cool before retrying to remove a lead and not go at a joint like a bull at a gate. For surface mount on newer things I use solder wick and then the residue solder and tweezers to hold a new component on one lead and flow the solder remaining, then carefully solder the other leads once I am satisfied the component (resistor transistor etc is flat on the board and aligned, finally coming back to the first joint to reflow it.

Geof
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Old 28th Nov 2008, 3:14 pm   #6
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Default Re: Desoldering tool

Quote:
Originally Posted by geofy
But my plug for Eurobatteries.com for their very good deals on rechargables was deleted
That was because you posted about camera batteries in a thread about a Hacker Consort. It was off topic for that thread. This thread is about Desoldering tools, so posting about a supplier, namely Farnell, of them is on topic.
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Old 28th Nov 2008, 3:31 pm   #7
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Arrow Re: Desoldering tool

For delicate work involving desoldering - especially where there is a risk of tracks lifting and SMD removal - I've always found Soder-Wick very useful.

Al / Skywave.
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Old 4th Dec 2008, 5:04 pm   #8
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Default Re: Desoldering tool

hi everyone

I recently recomended the solder sucker unit in the first post. If any of you have brought or are going to buy this, i would strongly recomend you carry out this unofficial mod that ive done to prolong the life of the unit.

Although it does its job well, construction is not that well thought out. The air suction pump is crammed into the case and pushed onto the transformer primary windings. When in heavy use the vibrations from the pump unit rub on the primary winding insulation. Hence with prelonged use the insulation will be compromised and the unit could fail with O/C primary windings.

The perfect solution is to use some long M4 screws and use a coulple of nuts to physically lift the suction pump off the base of the unit and clear of the transformer windings. There is plenty of room to do this and all wires and hoses are long enough to lift it - roughly 1-1.5cm off the base.

I have done it on two of these units now, mainly for reliability reasons as they are being used in a workshop environment on a daily basis.

I've safety tested my units afterwards just to make sure there all electrically safe too.

Regards

Mike B
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Old 5th Dec 2008, 2:37 pm   #9
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Default Re: Desoldering tool

Hi
I've got one of these but it's gone wrong! It worked well for a while but seems to have lost suction at the end of the iron - the pump is working fine and the barrel is clean and unobstructed as is the tube to the bit. There seems to be a leak somewhere along the way from the barrel to the bit but it's impossible to see where.
Obviously I'll be getting a replacement, but one complaint I have is that the instructions do not mention cleaning and emptying - obvious, I suppose, but an exploded diagram would help!
I'll let you know when the replacement arrives - I've only had it a few weeks, and it's amazing how much I miss it. I've been using a soldering station fom the same manufacturer and it's stood up to the daily abuse for over a year now and still going strong, so I assume this failure's a one-off.
Glyn
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Old 11th Dec 2008, 6:43 pm   #10
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Post Re: Desoldering tool

Mods please remove this if inappropriate (though it would be cruel after spelling such a long word as 'inappropriate') but to desolder one first has to solder and I came across what seems to be quite a bargain soldering iron, a Christmas present suggestion maybe!

http://www2.westfalia.net/shops/elec...b38e7cd1050a64

Geof
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Old 12th Dec 2008, 3:41 pm   #11
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Default Re: Desoldering tool

Hi
I see Maplin have a similar model a little cheaper. My present soldering station (digital readout and programmable) cost less than the iron ALONE for my old system, and has lasted better. I'll let you know when the new desolderor (?) arrives.
Glyn
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Old 12th Dec 2008, 4:04 pm   #12
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Default Re: Desoldering tool

If this is the Duratool ZD-915, CPC are offering it at £53.50+VAT in their latest flyer, order code SD0138441
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Old 12th Dec 2008, 5:07 pm   #13
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Default Re: Desoldering tool

Hi Nick
The price is right, but the code is SD0138402.
As I said earlier, I seem to have been unlucky - in fact on closer inspection it may have been damaged in transit. It did work very well at first - just remember to keep the catcher tube clean - open carefully as the "spring" cooler drops out as does the end nozzle. Bit ugly, but it has a nice blue display!
Glyn

Last edited by Welsh Anorak; 12th Dec 2008 at 5:13 pm.
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Old 12th Dec 2008, 6:14 pm   #14
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Default Re: Desoldering tool

Quote:
Originally Posted by Welsh Anorak View Post
... but the code is SD0138402.
Hi Glyn,

The code I quoted is what was printed in the flyer that arrived this morning... but the CPC website doesn't recognise it

I'm sure your code is the correct one.

Nick
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Old 12th Dec 2008, 9:57 pm   #15
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Default Re: Desoldering tool

Quote:
Originally Posted by Welsh Anorak View Post
Hi
I see Maplin have a similar model a little cheaper. ......
Glyn

Glyn,

What is the Maplin product code? I can't seem to find a desoldering station on their web site.

Edward
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Old 17th Dec 2008, 5:42 pm   #16
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Default Re: Desoldering tool

Hi
Sorry Edward - my mistake in not making myself clear - I was referring to Geof's post about a temperature controlled SOLDERING iron. The CPC price on the Duratool desoldering tool seems the best available - they are in stock.
Trust me to mention my soldering iron that was still going strong - the element failed this morning! Luckily I had bought a spare iron so no problem....
Glyn
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Old 28th Dec 2008, 6:43 pm   #17
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Default Re: Desoldering tool

Frustrated at the vicious recoil and inadequate suck of the usual spring-driven piston desoldering tools, and flush with the proceeds of my Lowton clear out, I decided to invest in one of these Duratool desoldering stations.

Apart from the design issues highlighted by Mike (ekcopyephilips), it seems to do its job well. There seems to be adequate but not excessive heat at the tip, probably helped by the fact that the vacuum pump does not operate until the trigger is squeezed, at which point the rush of air into the nozzle/bit rapidly sucks up the molten solder and helps cool the workpiece.
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So far, I have used it to completely strip two PCB's and remove two USB sockets from two delicate PTH boards, all with complete success, and with no lifting of the copper track that I seem to frequently experience when using manual desoldering tools. A major benefit is that it does free my other hand to use a dental probe in order to lift and manipulate component wires whilst the solder is still molten.

Cleaning the solder receptacle is fairly straight forward, and is achieved by removing the 'breech loaded' black cylinder on the hand piece. This contains a large stainless steel tubular spring which traps and cools the solder, and from which the solder is released for disposal by stretching the spring. The rear of this chamber contains a filter pad, and there is another where the vacuum hose connects to the control unit.
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The holster for the hand piece is not as good as it could be, and although appearing to be reversible - there being mounting holes on both left and right sides of the control unit - the holster itself cannot be reversed. As supplied, the control unit needs to be placed at the edge of the bench, otherwise tension from the cable and hose tends to pull the hand-piece out of the holster.
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The unit is supplied with two spare bits, three bit cleaning routers, and spare filter pads.

All of the design niggles identified here can be rectified by simple modifications, but they will have to wait until reliability is proven and there seems no likelihood of needing to return the unit to the supplier for replacement or refund.

Overall, compared to similar 'industrial' products which sell at something in excess of £400, this tool seems to represent excellent value for money. It does have drawbacks, but they do seem to be surmountable. I will report any negative experiences if and when they occur.

Edward
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Old 28th Dec 2008, 10:38 pm   #18
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Default Re: Desoldering tool

One technique I often use, where the PCB is not so large, is free and not so delicate, is to heat the solder and give it a quick tap on the bench facing solder side down. You have to be quick, before the solder cools down.

In the days when digital IC's were valuable and sufficiently difficult to get hold of, that it made it worth while, I would strip entire scrap PCB's. A heatgun played on the solder side of a PCB melts the solder quickly and the IC's drop out if you tap the board. For the more difficult ones I would use a small self grip Mole type wrench gently gripping the narrow ends of an IC to ease them out.
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Old 31st Dec 2008, 11:38 am   #19
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Default Re: Desoldering tool What Four Screws To Remove

Hello All

I have just got one of the tools and need some advice on the instructions. The instructions say that 4 screws need to be removed from the Diaphram pump or serious damage will occur. The instruction dont say where theses screws are located. Do I need to take the lid off ?


Regards Chris
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Old 31st Dec 2008, 12:17 pm   #20
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Default Re: Desoldering tool What Four Screws To Remove

Quote:
Originally Posted by ChristianFletcher View Post
I have just got one of the tools and need some advice on the instructions. The instructions say that 4 screws need to be removed from the Diaphram pump or serious damage will occur. The instruction dont say where theses screws are located. Do I need to take the lid off ?
Chris,

I should have mentioned this in my earlier post as I too was initially mystified by the instruction.

I believe the vacuum pump unit is mounted on rubber bushes in order to reduce noise/vibration. If you look on the underside of the unit there are four unused screw holes (circled in picture).

Attachment 221608

I think that these were originally intended for transit screws to secure the pump unit during shipment, but the screws were later omitted either as being unnecessary, or as a cost reduction measure.

Edward
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