I picked up a Hakko 470b base station with an 802 handheld gun. After trying to use it once, I now know why it was on eBay for under $100... it clogs very easily, and not at the tip, but on the exit from the heating unit. The solder cools before it gets to the vacuum chamber, and creates a clog. Does anyone have any suggestions as to how to keep it from clogging?
And a question for Hakko, or CSI8900 owners.
How long do the tips last? How many desoldering operations are they good for?
I keep both in my mobile workstation.
The soldapult is used for large chunks of solder, such as flipper coils, and anywhere I have a lead stuck in a through-hole.
The solder sucker is used for any board repairs I am doing.
Thanks for the tips guys. Grabbed the CSI8900 for $82.90 shipped on ebay, after using one of the recurring $15 off $75 Paypal promos. This is a rebadged Aoyue 8800, a Hakko 808 clone. Pulled a pad on my 1st use, but went on to do about five hundred operations today without incident. Get a nice clean hole, and didn't pull out any through plating when the old chips came out.
Thumb used to get tired working the Radio Shack desoldering iron, with the rubber bulb on it. Did read elsewhere about replacing the rubber bulb with a vacuum pump + filter for a super cheap setup. This might be an option for someone. Used dozens of those cheap Radio Shack tips, but with compatible tips now around ten bucks, I figured it was time to find another desoldering solution.
Well I fixed my EBay Hakko unit. It took about $60 in parts to rebuild the vacuum pumps and get the proper tips for it. Now it works like a champ. I've got a total of $160 in it, and it runs like new. Now that I have a .01 tip for it, I hopefully will not singe any more boards with it.
Quoted from barakandl:Things i see people new to desoldering do.
1st. Rub the tip against the pcb forcefully. This will lift the pad. Touch the tip to the component lead and let the solder transfer heat. You want to do as little moving around against hte pad as possible.
2nd. Not letting the solder fully melt / too cold of temps. Remember the solder must melt all the way through the PCB and to the top side of the board. Don't pull the vac trigger early and then forcefully remove components. That is how the plated through holes get ripped out.
3. Pointing the gun at the work bench. Gravity helps you desolder. The gun is a gun. Point it like you would a pistol. Hold the board vertically upright and the desolder vac gun horizontally.
so with the vacuum desoldering gun dont touch the solderjoint but the component leg instead , if desoldering ?? or do you mean i just need to touch (dont force it on the pad) the solderblob just on top and not wiggle with gun in circulair motion and when i see solder melt just vacuum it ? also when desoldering use flux on the spot iam working on?
what is a good temperatuur to put the desoldering gun on for removing like u15 u16 u17 chips on wpc dcs cpu board that had a little battery alkaline?
i cleaned the board but didnt clean the contacts front and back of the board with the fiberbrush so this is also good to do before desoldering and soldering ?
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