Jim Yanik wrote in
4:

Doug White wrote in
:

Jeff Liebermann wrote in
:

On Sun, 14 Feb 2010 22:56:39 GMT, Doug White
wrote:

I'm willing to spend a couple hundred bucks for a really good setup.
That probably sounds absurd to a lot of folks, but if you've ever
struggled soldering something, & then tried a Metcal, it's worth a
bit of investment.

Soldering is usually not a problem. It's unsoldering that drives me
to spend the money. If your price ceiling is about $200, you're
below the level of Hakko or Weller hot air desoldering stations,
which can cost $500 to $1000 and up with accessories. For cheap, I
suggest: http://www.circuitspecialists.com/level.itml/icOid/7543

This is what you get for about $200:
http://www.circuitspecialists.com/products/full/9766.jpg
http://www.circuitspecialists.com/prod.itml/icOid/9766

However, I can't claim much experience with one of these. I've
played with an older model, liked it, but have not torn it apart to
see if it's junk or quality. The availablity of nozzles,
replacement parts, and repair items is reassuring.

Thanks for the suggestions.

I'm figuring on picking up a used system on eBay, so list price isn't
the issue. As for desoldering, I've had pretty good luck with the
Metcal, liquid flux and solderwick. As I said, I mostly work on RF
stuff, and I typically don't have a zillion leads to deal with the
way the digital types do. Besides, once I have something unsoldered,
I still need to get a replacement soldered down. I figured once I
got a decent iron, I'd look into a hot air pencil. A lot will depend
on how circuit work I end up doing. I will be assembling more than
repairing (I hope).

Doug White


you shouldn't use solderwick(or solderpullts) on SMT boards,you'll
lift the pads.
too much dwell time,applies too much heat to the tiny pads.

You certainly have to be careful. Solderpullets are a menace because of
the recoil. The biggest problem I've had is with specialize RF material.
The copper adhesion is usually much worse than FR-4, and it toasts
easily. I probably won't be working with that stuff much at home.

Doug White