On Wed, 30 Jan 2008 00:53:03 -0600, Ignoramus1782
wrote:

I just finished a mini project. I fixed a "broken" Miller XMT 300
CC/CV welding machine, which had the switch for the display
broken. That switch was switching the display between showing voltage
or current on a mini LED screen.

The broken switch had to be desoldered and a new one had to be
soldered in.

The issue that I ran into was desoldering. I have a "Pace SMD 2000
desoldering station" from my younger military surplus days. This
station has a tool that is like a soldering iron, but has a axial hole
in the tip and an adapter for a vacuum, and the built in vacuum. When
I push on a pedal, the vacuum starts sucking through the tip. So I
would melt the solder with the hot tip, push the pedal and...

My problem was that it barely sucked. Not enough to vacuum in the solder
from the circuit board.

As a stopgap measure, I used my 1/3 HP vacuum pump by connecting it to
the desoldering tool and turning on at the proper moment.

In the end, it all worked, the old switch was removed, a new one
installed, and the welder has a working selector of V vs. A display.

All this leads me to the conclusion that something is wrong with the
vacuum pump on this station. Would you say that it should provide very
strong suction?

Any experience here?


The name (SMD2000) suggests that it is intended mostly for use with
surfacemount devices. Very little solder is used per connection with
these tiny devices and soldering irons (as by Pace) are quite small.
A better choice for larger connections, like switches in a welder,
would be a heavier iron (Weller?) and a manual soldersucker as
"Soldapullt".
http://www.hmcelectronics.com/cgi-bi...uct/2920-0019/

Avoid the cheapos from Radio Shack, the Edsyn Soldapullt is far
superior. It's simply a trigger-released spring-loaded plunger. The
tip is teflon, self-clears when the tool is cocked. They can suck a
rather surprising amount of solder per shot. They're way too big and
clunky for surfacemount work, but they are great for thru-hole and for
soldered terminals.

Mine is at least 20 years old, still works perfectly.

On 2008-01-30, Don Foreman wrote:
The name (SMD2000) suggests that it is intended mostly for use with
surfacemount devices. Very little solder is used per connection with
these tiny devices and soldering irons (as by Pace) are quite small.
A better choice for larger connections, like switches in a welder,
would be a heavier iron (Weller?) and a manual soldersucker as
"Soldapullt".
http://www.hmcelectronics.com/cgi-bi...uct/2920-0019/

Don, which one would you recommend, I will buy whatever you think is
the right one.

To use them, you need to have a soldering gun in one hand and pump in
the other hand, right?

Avoid the cheapos from Radio Shack, the Edsyn Soldapullt is far
superior. It's simply a trigger-released spring-loaded plunger. The
tip is teflon, self-clears when the tool is cocked. They can suck a
rather surprising amount of solder per shot. They're way too big and
clunky for surfacemount work, but they are great for thru-hole and for
soldered terminals.

Yes, I obviously have no knowledge or skill to work with modern,
miniature circuit boards. But the stuff like that Miller display, I
could fix.

Miller, also, has done a great job at making repairable circuit
boards.

i

On Wed, 30 Jan 2008 16:12:18 -0600, Ignoramus19508
wrote:

On 2008-01-30, Don Foreman wrote:
The name (SMD2000) suggests that it is intended mostly for use with
surfacemount devices. Very little solder is used per connection with
these tiny devices and soldering irons (as by Pace) are quite small.
A better choice for larger connections, like switches in a welder,
would be a heavier iron (Weller?) and a manual soldersucker as
"Soldapullt".
http://www.hmcelectronics.com/cgi-bi...uct/2920-0019/

Don, which one would you recommend, I will buy whatever you think is
the right one.

The one I have is the DS017, their original model. If you work much
with very static-sensitive circuitry than the DS017LS might be a good
choice.

To use them, you need to have a soldering gun in one hand and pump in
the other hand, right?

Yes. Get the joint thoroughly molten, adding solder if necessary,
then apply tip of soldersucker and push the button. Thuup! If it's
a part on a printed wiring board, it often works best to suck out the
holes from the non-component side because the sucker tip has a clear
shot at the hole.

It doesn't always suck the joint clear dry, but usually dry enough
that wires and leads can then be jiggled or popped loose. Sometimes
parts just fall out, but not always.

I have developed the habit of flipping my wrist and whacking the
plunger on the bench to recock after each use. Then it's ready to go
when the next joint is melted.

On 2008-01-30, Don Foreman wrote:
On Wed, 30 Jan 2008 16:12:18 -0600, Ignoramus19508
wrote:
3
On 2008-01-30, Don Foreman wrote:
The name (SMD2000) suggests that it is intended mostly for use with
surfacemount devices. Very little solder is used per connection with
these tiny devices and soldering irons (as by Pace) are quite small.
A better choice for larger connections, like switches in a welder,
would be a heavier iron (Weller?) and a manual soldersucker as
"Soldapullt".
http://www.hmcelectronics.com/cgi-bi...uct/2920-0019/

Don, which one would you recommend, I will buy whatever you think is
the right one.

The one I have is the DS017, their original model. If you work much
with very static-sensitive circuitry than the DS017LS might be a good
choice.

Thanks. I bought AS196LS and some tips thereof.

Might sell the rework station if this one works OK.

Also got some conformal coating.

i

Iggy,
years ago, I got a broken Pace de-soldering handpiece. I repaired the
broken top ( a couple of small L brackets). So there I was a de-soldering
gun with no vacuum source. The thrift shops came to my rescue. I found a
daisy seal a meal. A little bit of fish tank air tubing, a foot switch and a
standard light dimmer, all fashioned together in a box (
http://members.cox.net/rbelisle1/TOWER%20OF%20POWER.jpg ) and I have a temp
adjustable de-soldering system that works great. I did have to buy tips
about 2 years ago, but I bought ten on ebay and that should last forever. I
little hint, if you take out the tip and reverse it, the other end has a
bigger end!!!!

I added a couple of other things to the box, but what your looking at is the
top part, handset, timer (cause I am old and forget things) and light
dimmer. The rest of the stuff is for the variacts at the bottom.



bob in phx
"Ignoramus19508" wrote in message
...
On 2008-01-30, Don Foreman wrote:
The name (SMD2000) suggests that it is intended mostly for use with
surfacemount devices. Very little solder is used per connection with
these tiny devices and soldering irons (as by Pace) are quite small.
A better choice for larger connections, like switches in a welder,
would be a heavier iron (Weller?) and a manual soldersucker as
"Soldapullt".
http://www.hmcelectronics.com/cgi-bi...uct/2920-0019/

Don, which one would you recommend, I will buy whatever you think is
the right one.

To use them, you need to have a soldering gun in one hand and pump in
the other hand, right?

Avoid the cheapos from Radio Shack, the Edsyn Soldapullt is far
superior. It's simply a trigger-released spring-loaded plunger. The
tip is teflon, self-clears when the tool is cocked. They can suck a
rather surprising amount of solder per shot. They're way too big and
clunky for surfacemount work, but they are great for thru-hole and for
soldered terminals.

Yes, I obviously have no knowledge or skill to work with modern,
miniature circuit boards. But the stuff like that Miller display, I
could fix.

Miller, also, has done a great job at making repairable circuit
boards.

i

Ignoramus19508 wrote:
On 2008-01-30, Don Foreman wrote:

The name (SMD2000) suggests that it is intended mostly for use with
surfacemount devices. Very little solder is used per connection with
these tiny devices and soldering irons (as by Pace) are quite small.
A better choice for larger connections, like switches in a welder,
would be a heavier iron (Weller?) and a manual soldersucker as
"Soldapullt".
http://www.hmcelectronics.com/cgi-bi...uct/2920-0019/


No, these things (at least with the right handpiece, like the
SX70) can remove an INCREDIBLE amount of solder in one slurp.
Remember, companies won't pay $2500 for something like this if
it didn't actually work. One nice thing about this sort of unit
is it has a temperature-controlled heater with temperature
readout of the tip, and the heating tip is also the sucker, so
you don't have to switch quickly from soldering iron to sucker
before the joint cools. Another nice thing about the high-end
Pace and Weller gear is that individual replacement parts are
available, so you can replace any single piece that wears out or
breaks.

Iggy wasn't replacing a high-power switch, but an electronic
switch on the control circuit board.

Those Soldapullt things are a JOKE compared to a Pace dsoldering
system.

I routinely salvage some expensive 68 pin through-hole
connectors on 6-layer boards. I can just barely tell which pins
are connected to the ground plane and which aren't when using
the Pace.
With a soldering iron and a soldapullt I would never be able to
desolder one of those ground pins, the solder would freeze
before I could get the soldapullt on it.

Jon

On Wed, 30 Jan 2008 22:56:01 -0600, Jon Elson
wrote:

Ignoramus19508 wrote:
On 2008-01-30, Don Foreman wrote:

The name (SMD2000) suggests that it is intended mostly for use with
surfacemount devices. Very little solder is used per connection with
these tiny devices and soldering irons (as by Pace) are quite small.
A better choice for larger connections, like switches in a welder,
would be a heavier iron (Weller?) and a manual soldersucker as
"Soldapullt".
http://www.hmcelectronics.com/cgi-bi...uct/2920-0019/


No, these things (at least with the right handpiece, like the
SX70) can remove an INCREDIBLE amount of solder in one slurp.
Remember, companies won't pay $2500 for something like this if
it didn't actually work. One nice thing about this sort of unit
is it has a temperature-controlled heater with temperature
readout of the tip, and the heating tip is also the sucker, so
you don't have to switch quickly from soldering iron to sucker
before the joint cools. Another nice thing about the high-end
Pace and Weller gear is that individual replacement parts are
available, so you can replace any single piece that wears out or
breaks.

Iggy wasn't replacing a high-power switch, but an electronic
switch on the control circuit board.

It was a larger-than-microscopic thru-hole component on a fairly
low-tech board, was it not? I've not seen anything in a Miller welder
that looks much like the innards of a cellphone...

Those Soldapullt things are a JOKE compared to a Pace dsoldering
system.

I routinely salvage some expensive 68 pin through-hole
connectors on 6-layer boards. I can just barely tell which pins
are connected to the ground plane and which aren't when using
the Pace.
With a soldering iron and a soldapullt I would never be able to
desolder one of those ground pins, the solder would freeze
before I could get the soldapullt on it.

Jon

I certainly won't refute your good experience with the $2500 tool ...
but if you didn't have the $2500 tool available to you then you might
benefit from a Soldapullt lesson by a technician who is proficient
with one.

I also doubt that repair of circuit boards in Miller Welders is
strongly comparable to the rather more sophisticated and challenging
work you do with 68-pin connectors on 6-layer boards.

On 2008-01-31, Don Foreman wrote:
On Wed, 30 Jan 2008 22:56:01 -0600, Jon Elson
wrote:

Ignoramus19508 wrote:
On 2008-01-30, Don Foreman wrote:

The name (SMD2000) suggests that it is intended mostly for use with
surfacemount devices. Very little solder is used per connection with
these tiny devices and soldering irons (as by Pace) are quite small.
A better choice for larger connections, like switches in a welder,
would be a heavier iron (Weller?) and a manual soldersucker as
"Soldapullt".
http://www.hmcelectronics.com/cgi-bi...uct/2920-0019/


No, these things (at least with the right handpiece, like the
SX70) can remove an INCREDIBLE amount of solder in one slurp.
Remember, companies won't pay $2500 for something like this if
it didn't actually work. One nice thing about this sort of unit
is it has a temperature-controlled heater with temperature
readout of the tip, and the heating tip is also the sucker, so
you don't have to switch quickly from soldering iron to sucker
before the joint cools. Another nice thing about the high-end
Pace and Weller gear is that individual replacement parts are
available, so you can replace any single piece that wears out or
breaks.

Iggy wasn't replacing a high-power switch, but an electronic
switch on the control circuit board.

It was a larger-than-microscopic thru-hole component on a fairly
low-tech board, was it not? I've not seen anything in a Miller welder
that looks much like the innards of a cellphone...

The leads of the switch were rather fat.

Those Soldapullt things are a JOKE compared to a Pace dsoldering
system.

I routinely salvage some expensive 68 pin through-hole
connectors on 6-layer boards. I can just barely tell which pins
are connected to the ground plane and which aren't when using
the Pace.
With a soldering iron and a soldapullt I would never be able to
desolder one of those ground pins, the solder would freeze
before I could get the soldapullt on it.

Jon

I certainly won't refute your good experience with the $2500 tool ...
but if you didn't have the $2500 tool available to you then you might
benefit from a Soldapullt lesson by a technician who is proficient
with one.

No argument here.

I also doubt that repair of circuit boards in Miller Welders is
strongly comparable to the rather more sophisticated and challenging
work you do with 68-pin connectors on 6-layer boards.

In fact, this is what I like about these boards, they are 1) very low
tech and 2) easy to repair due to good part placement 3) easy to
identify components, which look mostly off the shelf.

My repair was, obviously, the most trivial kind, but I appreciated
repairability of these boards.

i

Ignoramus19508 wrote:
On 2008-01-31, Don Foreman wrote:


In fact, this is what I like about these boards, they are 1) very low
tech and 2) easy to repair due to good part placement 3) easy to
identify components, which look mostly off the shelf.

My repair was, obviously, the most trivial kind, but I appreciated
repairability of these boards.
I had to dig into my 800+ Pound Lincoln square-wave TIG 300 machine, and
old-school
transformer AC/DC constant-current power source with SCR phase control.
Well, the power components are mostly brazed, welded, etc. and then
everything bolts together. But, there are several fairly large circuit
boards in it. There is a main control board that pretty much covers the
entire back of the control panel, and then a power supply board, a phase
controller board and a safety board, as I recall. Yes, everything is
off the shelf, resistors, caps, ICs, pots and switches, etc. The shield
gas post flow timer was bad, and I had to trace the wiring and replace
it. As the damn boards are all conformal coated, I DID use my Pace tool
to desolder it, it does a much better job when the going gets rough.

Jon

On Wed, 30 Jan 2008 23:23:07 -0600, Don Foreman
wrote:

I certainly won't refute your good experience with the $2500 tool ...
but if you didn't have the $2500 tool available to you then you might
benefit from a Soldapullt lesson by a technician who is proficient
with one.

I also doubt that repair of circuit boards in Miller Welders is
strongly comparable to the rather more sophisticated and challenging
work you do with 68-pin connectors on 6-layer boards.

I've used both (Pace and Soldapullt) and a Soldapullt would
beat the Pace on oinky work. I learned desoldering with a
Soldapullt so maybe that is why I could make it work well. I
had a Pace desolder-station, two Weller pencils and two 250
watt plus guns at my bench. The Pace required continuous
maintenance (as others have said) and it worked well, but a
Soldapullt could beat it albeit at a slower rate. I worked
on surface mount itsy-bitsy stuff all the way up to... We
also had a Hotair station for surface mount chips but that
is a whole'nuther discussion...

For Jon, if you are pulling the pencil away from the joint
and then moving the Soldapullt in, you are doing it wrong.
You leave the pencil on the joint, rest the Soldapullt tip
so it touches the board but not the pencil tip and then fire
it. Be careful about this, it you contact the pencil tip too
much with the Soldapullt you can damage the circuit board
trace when it fires.

The mini/small Soldapullt's are crap, (like the model US140
Edsyn Universal Soldapullt) not enough suction. Get the big
one like Don linked to. I still have two Soldapullt's, the
old Blue and yellow (DS017) and the silver anti-static
version (AS196). They are both over 15 years old and still
work fine.

Desolder stations on nice to have, but a bit pricey for only
occasional use.

--
Leon Fisk
Grand Rapids MI/Zone 5b
Remove no.spam for email

Leon Fisk wrote:
On Wed, 30 Jan 2008 23:23:07 -0600, Don Foreman
wrote:


I certainly won't refute your good experience with the $2500 tool ...
but if you didn't have the $2500 tool available to you then you might
benefit from a Soldapullt lesson by a technician who is proficient
with one.

I also doubt that repair of circuit boards in Miller Welders is
strongly comparable to the rather more sophisticated and challenging
work you do with 68-pin connectors on 6-layer boards.


I've used both (Pace and Soldapullt) and a Soldapullt would
beat the Pace on oinky work. I learned desoldering with a
Soldapullt so maybe that is why I could make it work well. I
had a Pace desolder-station, two Weller pencils and two 250
watt plus guns at my bench. The Pace required continuous
maintenance (as others have said) and it worked well, but a
Soldapullt could beat it albeit at a slower rate. I worked
on surface mount itsy-bitsy stuff all the way up to... We
also had a Hotair station for surface mount chips but that
is a whole'nuther discussion...

For Jon, if you are pulling the pencil away from the joint
and then moving the Soldapullt in, you are doing it wrong.
You leave the pencil on the joint, rest the Soldapullt tip
so it touches the board but not the pencil tip and then fire
it. Be careful about this, it you contact the pencil tip too
much with the Soldapullt you can damage the circuit board
trace when it fires.

Believe me, I know how to use it. I've been using them since, oh,
1972 or so.

The mini/small Soldapullt's are crap, (like the model US140
Edsyn Universal Soldapullt) not enough suction. Get the big
one like Don linked to. I still have two Soldapullt's, the
old Blue and yellow (DS017) and the silver anti-static
version (AS196). They are both over 15 years old and still
work fine.

Desolder stations on nice to have, but a bit pricey for only
occasional use.

Oh, I definitely was not suggesting that everyone go out and buy a Pace
station. But, Iggy already HAD the station, it just wasn't working
right. And, yes, they do take some maintenance, but when doing a bunch
of connections, there's nothing that can do it faster. When I use a
Soldapullt, I still have to mess with breaking the pins free of the last
bit of solder. When I use a Pace, I apply suction while orbiting the
desolder tip around the pin, causing the pin to orbit in the PCB hole.
This gets the pin/hole cleared of solder much more effectively. This is
the technique taught in the Pace manuals, and I can tell you, it is VERY
effective. Like these 68-pin connectors in the 6-layer board, when I
get the last pin unsoldered, it just falls off the board.

Jon

Leon Fisk wrote:
On Wed, 30 Jan 2008 23:23:07 -0600, Don Foreman
wrote:

I certainly won't refute your good experience with the $2500 tool ...
but if you didn't have the $2500 tool available to you then you might
benefit from a Soldapullt lesson by a technician who is proficient
with one.

I also doubt that repair of circuit boards in Miller Welders is
strongly comparable to the rather more sophisticated and challenging
work you do with 68-pin connectors on 6-layer boards.

I've used both (Pace and Soldapullt) and a Soldapullt would
beat the Pace on oinky work. I learned desoldering with a
Soldapullt so maybe that is why I could make it work well. I
had a Pace desolder-station, two Weller pencils and two 250
watt plus guns at my bench. The Pace required continuous
maintenance (as others have said) and it worked well, but a
Soldapullt could beat it albeit at a slower rate. I worked
on surface mount itsy-bitsy stuff all the way up to... We
also had a Hotair station for surface mount chips but that
is a whole'nuther discussion...

For Jon, if you are pulling the pencil away from the joint
and then moving the Soldapullt in, you are doing it wrong.

Correct. The solder has to be completely melted, and not freezing when you
remove it.

You leave the pencil on the joint, rest the Soldapullt tip
so it touches the board but not the pencil tip and then fire
it. Be careful about this, it you contact the pencil tip too
much with the Soldapullt you can damage the circuit board
trace when it fires.

The mini/small Soldapullt's are crap, (like the model US140
Edsyn Universal Soldapullt) not enough suction. Get the big
one like Don linked to. I still have two Soldapullt's, the
old Blue and yellow (DS017) and the silver anti-static
version (AS196). They are both over 15 years old and still
work fine.

The only maintence they could ever need is a new tip and maybe a drop of
lube on the o-ring.

Desolder stations on nice to have, but a bit pricey for only
occasional use.

I don't do any smd stuff, but I really can't think of any desoldering task
task that wasn't doable with just a solder sucker and maybe desoldering
braid. The most important thing to have is a decent soldering iron and the
correct sized tips. Even cheapo weller irons are perfectly acceptable for
most work.

Adding more solder to a joint being undone will almost always help.

Don Foreman wrote:
On Wed, 30 Jan 2008 22:56:01 -0600, Jon Elson
wrote:

Those Soldapullt things are a JOKE compared to a Pace dsoldering
system.

I routinely salvage some expensive 68 pin through-hole
connectors on 6-layer boards. I can just barely tell which pins
are connected to the ground plane and which aren't when using
the Pace.
With a soldering iron and a soldapullt I would never be able to
desolder one of those ground pins, the solder would freeze
before I could get the soldapullt on it.

Jon


I certainly won't refute your good experience with the $2500 tool ...
but if you didn't have the $2500 tool available to you then you might
benefit from a Soldapullt lesson by a technician who is proficient
with one.

Well, I have several of them, too, and even use them if I am desoldering
just a couple joints. The Pace takes a long time to heat up. But, if I
have a whole bunch of contacts to desolder, or the configuration looks
like it is going to be one of those difficult jobs, there is nothing
like a Pace. Iggy already has a very expensive Pace system on his
bench, it was just misbehaving.

I also doubt that repair of circuit boards in Miller Welders is
strongly comparable to the rather more sophisticated and challenging
work you do with 68-pin connectors on 6-layer boards.

I'm sure there is some heavy power stuff in there, but likely not much that
needs a desoldering tool. (You'd need the XXXXL version of the
Soldapullt to unsoder the main transformer wire, I think. It would be
the size of a truck shock absorber!)

All the higher-end welders today have a bunch of chips and circuit
boards in them for the control and timing functions. That is pretty
much as Iggy described what he was doing.

Jon

On 2008-01-31, Jon Elson wrote:
Ignoramus19508 wrote:
On 2008-01-30, Don Foreman wrote:

The name (SMD2000) suggests that it is intended mostly for use with
surfacemount devices. Very little solder is used per connection with
these tiny devices and soldering irons (as by Pace) are quite small.
A better choice for larger connections, like switches in a welder,
would be a heavier iron (Weller?) and a manual soldersucker as
"Soldapullt".
http://www.hmcelectronics.com/cgi-bi...uct/2920-0019/


No, these things (at least with the right handpiece, like the
SX70) can remove an INCREDIBLE amount of solder in one slurp.
Remember, companies won't pay $2500 for something like this if
it didn't actually work. One nice thing about this sort of unit
is it has a temperature-controlled heater with temperature
readout of the tip, and the heating tip is also the sucker, so
you don't have to switch quickly from soldering iron to sucker
before the joint cools. Another nice thing about the high-end
Pace and Weller gear is that individual replacement parts are
available, so you can replace any single piece that wears out or
breaks.

After adjusting vacuum adjustment to highest vacuum, I tried the PACE
station today on some junk boards, it sucks solder very well now.

I do indeed like its temp control and other features. I have it set at
950 degrees.

I will now look for accessories for it.

i

On Jan 31, 1:28 am, Ignoramus19508 ignoramus19...@NOSPAM.
19508.invalid wrote:
On 2008-01-31, Jon Elson wrote:



Ignoramus19508 wrote:
On 2008-01-30, Don Foreman wrote:

The name (SMD2000) suggests that it is intended mostly for use with
surfacemount devices. Very little solder is used per connection with
these tiny devices and soldering irons (as by Pace) are quite small.
A better choice for larger connections, like switches in a welder,
would be a heavier iron (Weller?) and a manual soldersucker as
"Soldapullt".
http://www.hmcelectronics.com/cgi-bi...uct/2920-0019/

No, these things (at least with the right handpiece, like the
SX70) can remove an INCREDIBLE amount of solder in one slurp.
Remember, companies won't pay $2500 for something like this if
it didn't actually work. One nice thing about this sort of unit
is it has a temperature-controlled heater with temperature
readout of the tip, and the heating tip is also the sucker, so
you don't have to switch quickly from soldering iron to sucker
before the joint cools. Another nice thing about the high-end
Pace and Weller gear is that individual replacement parts are
available, so you can replace any single piece that wears out or
breaks.

After adjusting vacuum adjustment to highest vacuum, I tried the PACE
station today on some junk boards, it sucks solder very well now.

I do indeed like its temp control and other features. I have it set at
950 degrees.

I will now look for accessories for it.

i

Ig

Those pace stations truly do separate TEMPERATURE and POWER

the "sensatemp" family of irons deliver their power at whatever
temperature they are set at. they will melt more at 5-600F than at
900F without damaging the underlying equipment when its sensitive to
high heat.

you might actually NOT want to spike the heat while desoldering since
that will not help significantly in desoldering and might damage the
IC's being desoldered more

BTW feel free to contact me if you happen across spare PACE sensatemp
handles or if you want any pace MBT (Build in Vacuum and air) power
suppilies


Brent
Ottawa Caanda

On 2008-01-31, Brent wrote:
On Jan 31, 1:28 am, Ignoramus19508 ignoramus19...@NOSPAM.
19508.invalid wrote:
On 2008-01-31, Jon Elson wrote:



Ignoramus19508 wrote:
On 2008-01-30, Don Foreman wrote:

The name (SMD2000) suggests that it is intended mostly for use with
surfacemount devices. Very little solder is used per connection with
these tiny devices and soldering irons (as by Pace) are quite small.
A better choice for larger connections, like switches in a welder,
would be a heavier iron (Weller?) and a manual soldersucker as
"Soldapullt".
http://www.hmcelectronics.com/cgi-bi...uct/2920-0019/

No, these things (at least with the right handpiece, like the
SX70) can remove an INCREDIBLE amount of solder in one slurp.
Remember, companies won't pay $2500 for something like this if
it didn't actually work. One nice thing about this sort of unit
is it has a temperature-controlled heater with temperature
readout of the tip, and the heating tip is also the sucker, so
you don't have to switch quickly from soldering iron to sucker
before the joint cools. Another nice thing about the high-end
Pace and Weller gear is that individual replacement parts are
available, so you can replace any single piece that wears out or
breaks.

After adjusting vacuum adjustment to highest vacuum, I tried the PACE
station today on some junk boards, it sucks solder very well now.

I do indeed like its temp control and other features. I have it set at
950 degrees.

I will now look for accessories for it.

i

Ig

Those pace stations truly do separate TEMPERATURE and POWER

the "sensatemp" family of irons deliver their power at whatever
temperature they are set at. they will melt more at 5-600F than at
900F without damaging the underlying equipment when its sensitive to
high heat.

Yes, that's what mine does.

you might actually NOT want to spike the heat while desoldering since
that will not help significantly in desoldering and might damage the
IC's being desoldered more

BTW feel free to contact me if you happen across spare PACE sensatemp
handles or if you want any pace MBT (Build in Vacuum and air) power
suppilies

thanks... that would not be me... I am looking for tips...

i

Ignoramus19508 wrote:
I do indeed like its temp control and other features. I have it set at
950 degrees.

I will now look for accessories for it.
Ouch, that's real high. If I was wanting to repair the PC board (rather
than salvaging the
chips) I would stay below 800. I often run it at 750.

If you get good heat transfer at 950 the traces will come off the boards
for sure.

Jon