I’m new to this so please go easy on me...I have a Boston acoustics sub woofer with an rca jack that I need to replace. Was able to get the old jack off the board but I can’t seem to get the old solder out of the 4 holes so I can install a new one.
I’m looking to recap my old hailer amp and get into some diy audio a bit and figured this was an easy starting point. I got a hakko soldering iron, tried 750 and 850, different tips, lots of flux, suction and wick. It’s like the solder in the board won’t melt at all. I tinned my tip and all that. Not sure this picture helps but I must be doing some newbie mistake...
I’m looking to recap my old hailer amp and get into some diy audio a bit and figured this was an easy starting point. I got a hakko soldering iron, tried 750 and 850, different tips, lots of flux, suction and wick. It’s like the solder in the board won’t melt at all. I tinned my tip and all that. Not sure this picture helps but I must be doing some newbie mistake...
Attachments
Resolder the joint with some more solder (63/37), then try again.
If it's still a problem, resolder it again, and then hold the pcb upside down over the bench,
heat the joint until it flows, and immediately tap the board sharply on the bench while still bottom up.
Often the lead and solder will fall right out if it's hot enough. Resist the urge to pull on the lead,
that will just ruin the board and pull out the plated through hole. Always add more solder first,
and use only 63/37.
If it's still a problem, resolder it again, and then hold the pcb upside down over the bench,
heat the joint until it flows, and immediately tap the board sharply on the bench while still bottom up.
Often the lead and solder will fall right out if it's hot enough. Resist the urge to pull on the lead,
that will just ruin the board and pull out the plated through hole. Always add more solder first,
and use only 63/37.
Last edited:
So the thin leads on the inner are the RCA tips, which should be easy enough to get out. As rayma says, if there was lead-free solder in there you have your work cut out for you. More so on the ground side, if there's a ground plane it will be even worse.
There are a few strategies. One is to mix 63.37 in a couple times and wick up the residue. Sometimes it might not work even after your best efforts, depending on what the base solder was. I also see your chosen method of removing the jacks was cutting off their leads, but they are now sinking some additional heat.
For simple connectors like RCAs you can choose a shortcut and drill the holes out. The ground plane is on the reverse, so if you choose a small enough drill bit you should still have enough pad area to solder to. You'll likely drill out the hole plate when drilling so the top/tip connectors will need some deft work, but should be doable with a thin iron and steady hands from the top.
There are a few strategies. One is to mix 63.37 in a couple times and wick up the residue. Sometimes it might not work even after your best efforts, depending on what the base solder was. I also see your chosen method of removing the jacks was cutting off their leads, but they are now sinking some additional heat.
For simple connectors like RCAs you can choose a shortcut and drill the holes out. The ground plane is on the reverse, so if you choose a small enough drill bit you should still have enough pad area to solder to. You'll likely drill out the hole plate when drilling so the top/tip connectors will need some deft work, but should be doable with a thin iron and steady hands from the top.
Get your self a Solder Sucker for a dollar or two, and then it's a thing of 1 minute.
Otherwise Hold the tip of the Solderiron on the Through Hole spot heat it up and then just slam board VERY KINDLY against the Surface of your working table, don't worry nothing will break.. Don't DRILL THROUGH HOLES, as you don't know how many layers are connected inside the PCB..
You can also buy Solder wick, this is a Copper Tape, which will also pull out the solder to through holes PCB..
Hope this helps, or you can heat it up and then using thin Straw in your Mouth and blow it out,, all possible. Let your inspiration guide you..
I see the legs still stick in the holes, get the legs removed first. Use LOTS OF SOLDER, and make it flow, then the rest is very easy, again in this case without the necessary tools, Lots of solder on both sides, then pull out the legs, then from top heat up the solder and just hit the board very gently against the surface of your table, straight down, Promise there will be no solder left in the holes.
Make sure your solderiron is a LOW TEMP IRON not a soldering Gun. MAx 30 watts with a boost switch for temporarely get 200 Watts, so this would make it easier. Also the tip of the solder Iron should be not too thick. use a slim one,.Or if you have friend who owns a Solderstation, give it to him, it will take him not more than 5 five minutes to remove the legs and clean out the holes.
Allways have in mind, don't brake the PCB..and you will be on the sure side, and yes 60/40 is OK.
Otherwise Hold the tip of the Solderiron on the Through Hole spot heat it up and then just slam board VERY KINDLY against the Surface of your working table, don't worry nothing will break.. Don't DRILL THROUGH HOLES, as you don't know how many layers are connected inside the PCB..
You can also buy Solder wick, this is a Copper Tape, which will also pull out the solder to through holes PCB..
Hope this helps, or you can heat it up and then using thin Straw in your Mouth and blow it out,, all possible. Let your inspiration guide you..
I see the legs still stick in the holes, get the legs removed first. Use LOTS OF SOLDER, and make it flow, then the rest is very easy, again in this case without the necessary tools, Lots of solder on both sides, then pull out the legs, then from top heat up the solder and just hit the board very gently against the surface of your table, straight down, Promise there will be no solder left in the holes.
Make sure your solderiron is a LOW TEMP IRON not a soldering Gun. MAx 30 watts with a boost switch for temporarely get 200 Watts, so this would make it easier. Also the tip of the solder Iron should be not too thick. use a slim one,.Or if you have friend who owns a Solderstation, give it to him, it will take him not more than 5 five minutes to remove the legs and clean out the holes.
Allways have in mind, don't brake the PCB..and you will be on the sure side, and yes 60/40 is OK.
Last edited:
No two ways about it, especially the part of first adding more solder. Professor Rayma is surely right.
Put loads of solder on the pads.
Then heat it up until well molten and whip the pcb in the air and the pins should fall out with the solder.
Doesnt always work but worth a try and wear glasses with flying solder !
Then heat it up until well molten and whip the pcb in the air and the pins should fall out with the solder.
Doesnt always work but worth a try and wear glasses with flying solder !
Thank all for the suggestions!
So I have a hakko soldering station and have been using that with the default tip and a thicker tip. I’ve tried 750 and 850 degrees which is plenty hot. No matter how long I hold that tip it’s like the solder inside that hole doesn’t melt at all. I’ve tried the wick and a manual sucker as well. But the solder does get molten.
I’ll try the 63/37 today and see if that helps....
So I have a hakko soldering station and have been using that with the default tip and a thicker tip. I’ve tried 750 and 850 degrees which is plenty hot. No matter how long I hold that tip it’s like the solder inside that hole doesn’t melt at all. I’ve tried the wick and a manual sucker as well. But the solder does get molten.
I’ll try the 63/37 today and see if that helps....
Use a bit of stainless steel wire or a small drill to clear the hole after first melting the solder. Solder won't stick to stainless wire and metals. Just poke it through the molten solder.
I take a stainless steel needle the ones a dentist uses to remove placque. Heating up the pad and simultaneously pressing the needle into and through the hole removes the solder.
A sewing needle works too.
Lead free solder melts at 260 or more Celsius compared to 230 for 63-37
If you are experienced, add leaded solder to the joint with a really hot iron
Enough to blend the solder, not long enough to damage the board...5 seconds or so.
Do this again after a minute or so.
Then use a desoldering pump or wick to remove most of the solder after heating the joint again.
Last use a needle or wire that will not get soldered, like stainless steel or a needle to clean the hole.
Unless you are very good please don't use a drill on plated through hole boards, and then be sure to center properly and use a thinner bit...0.6 mm on 0.8 mm holes, and so on
And those bits are thin, use a pillar drill (drill press) or a pin vise, unless you have very steady hands. Very easy to break.
And you will get solder flakes on the board, which you must clean off.
Lead free solder melts at 260 or more Celsius compared to 230 for 63-37
If you are experienced, add leaded solder to the joint with a really hot iron
Enough to blend the solder, not long enough to damage the board...5 seconds or so.
Do this again after a minute or so.
Then use a desoldering pump or wick to remove most of the solder after heating the joint again.
Last use a needle or wire that will not get soldered, like stainless steel or a needle to clean the hole.
Unless you are very good please don't use a drill on plated through hole boards, and then be sure to center properly and use a thinner bit...0.6 mm on 0.8 mm holes, and so on
And those bits are thin, use a pillar drill (drill press) or a pin vise, unless you have very steady hands. Very easy to break.
And you will get solder flakes on the board, which you must clean off.
Don´t you need a licence for weapons of mass destruction? 😉
Because it´s still hard to melt lead free solder.
Please follow above suggestions to first remove as much as possible and then MIX it with "lower grade" (old style) lead containing solder, so THE MIX will melt at much lower temperatures and stay liquid long enough for itbto be sucked or whipped away.
You are omitting an important step.
Good ideas.
This one goes s step further, not only cleans the hole but also frees the component leg, which is awesome:
Desoldering needles demonstration - YouTube
I think something is going very WRONG HERE
Multicore Solder melts at 175 Degrees up to avout 250 degrees and until now I do not know any solder which needs 750 degrees..
Get some Solder flux, looks like a pen, and then push the tip of the Flux Pen and then just heat it up and you get that job done.
With 750 you will burn the board.. There are several different kinds of solder flux Don't use flux which contains ACID.
Hope this helps.. Be careful not to burn these Through Holes Connections.
If you are talking about 750 - 850 degrees Celcius, this is far to hot,
Multicore Solder melts at 175 Degrees up to avout 250 degrees and until now I do not know any solder which needs 750 degrees..
Get some Solder flux, looks like a pen, and then push the tip of the Flux Pen and then just heat it up and you get that job done.
With 750 you will burn the board.. There are several different kinds of solder flux Don't use flux which contains ACID.
Hope this helps.. Be careful not to burn these Through Holes Connections.
Use 63/37 because it melts at 5F degrees lower than 60/40. Of course no lead solder is even higher.
Always add more solder first so there will be uniform heating of the joint. This works much better
than brute force heating on a joint with little solder, and is less likely to damage the board.
Always add more solder first so there will be uniform heating of the joint. This works much better
than brute force heating on a joint with little solder, and is less likely to damage the board.
Last edited:
It sounds to me like the tip is not really heating the pad on the board. How clean is the tip? When you touch
fresh solder to the tip it should melt nearly instantly and flow over the whole tip. It should never look like 'globs'.
I use MG Chemicals flux remover and sometimes put flux directly on the tip and then use a cloth with flux
remover to remove the excess flux. Do not use any abrasives on the tip as plated coatings can be damaged.
MAYBE a gentle wipe with very fine steel wool. If it still isn't right, change the tip.
Happy New Year
G²
Thank you all for your help. Today I did the following...
- used 63/37
- bumped iron to 454C
- used largest tip and tinned it real good
- preheated the area of the board with my hot air gun
Using solder added to the existing and then wicking it all up worked! Some holes took more patience than others. On one hole I pulled the old pin out from the top of board and it looked liked the tiny round plate it was attached to came with it. Looks like I remove a very small part of the PcB board. The bottom of this hole looked fine though.
Have to wire it up after replacing the RcA jack. Just wondering if these boards are usually multi layer or s9mething? Or if the bottom solder is solid and goes through I’ll be ok?
- used 63/37
- bumped iron to 454C
- used largest tip and tinned it real good
- preheated the area of the board with my hot air gun
Using solder added to the existing and then wicking it all up worked! Some holes took more patience than others. On one hole I pulled the old pin out from the top of board and it looked liked the tiny round plate it was attached to came with it. Looks like I remove a very small part of the PcB board. The bottom of this hole looked fine though.
Have to wire it up after replacing the RcA jack. Just wondering if these boards are usually multi layer or s9mething? Or if the bottom solder is solid and goes through I’ll be ok?
I bet DaveInPA is an "American" (citizen of US of America) so he still uses the old Fahrenheit scale .
Unlikely he´s from Liberia or Myanmar although anything is possible.
So we are talking some 400-450C
Very hot but more reasonable.
edit:
If there were pads on top and bottom, at least it´s twolayer.
Does any track or copper fill led from top pad to anywhere else?
IF so, you lost a connection and have to replace it, maybe with a thin wire "hair" pulled from regular multistrand wire, which is as thin as you´ll get at home/hobby level.
If possible, show a topside closeup picture.
SOMETIMES there is a top pad leading nowhere, just created when drawing the PCB .
IF so, don´t worry about it, but to be certain post that topside picture.
Last edited:
Thank you sir for the guidance. I actually soldered the new component onto the board so a picture will be impossible at this point. I do know there were no connections to the pad on the top so I think I’m ok. If I didn’t know any better it seems sandwiched between the top and bottom is a ground plate that 2 of the 4 rca pins connect to.
Will need to fire it up tomorrow!
Will need to fire it up tomorrow!
454C (849F) is WAY too hot for soldering which may be why you lifted a pad. The odds are VERY high that
your board is a simple 2 layer BUT if you ever work on a 4 layer you will have issues. I would like to see a
pic of the soldering tip as I believe it needs to be replaced. It's possible the pad lift had no trace on that
layer but if it did, it needs to be connected. JM Fahey mentioned "a thin wire "hair" pulled from regular
multistrand wire". The finest strands I have found come from old style computer cables for COM
or parallel ports. Those strands can be used to repair 5 and 7 mil traces as I have done on Sony digital
BetaCam boards when recapping. Normal stranded "hookup wire" is way too coarse for board work.
30 ga wire wrap wire is a big as I use for board fixes. I keep and old printer cable in my desk for
occasional board fixes. I've been nibbling wires out of the same cable for 10 years.
G²
There was no need to use a heat gun.
You can damage the bond between the copper tracks and the base laminate if too much heat is given.
And if you heat the same place too long also the track comes off. That is why I said 5 seconds heat, then leave it for a minute.
And patching tracks - a hack I saw - has been thin insulated wire, the kind that is used to wind motors and transformers.
I saw it on a PLC, nice idea, it was stiff, the repair man had removed the insulation from the ends and soldered it where he could do it a little away from the damaged area on the board.
Anyway, I hope you learned something, and if your project succeeds, good for you.
You can damage the bond between the copper tracks and the base laminate if too much heat is given.
And if you heat the same place too long also the track comes off. That is why I said 5 seconds heat, then leave it for a minute.
And patching tracks - a hack I saw - has been thin insulated wire, the kind that is used to wind motors and transformers.
I saw it on a PLC, nice idea, it was stiff, the repair man had removed the insulation from the ends and soldered it where he could do it a little away from the damaged area on the board.
Anyway, I hope you learned something, and if your project succeeds, good for you.
Last edited: