Poor Pano.
I feel your PAIN.
Thankfully, I'm retired and OVER all that tedious, meticulous repair work - particularly on ribbon cables, which at times I converted to flexible regular multi-lead cables.
I knew things were getting rough when they started using that cheaper way to connect things.... retirement was on the Horizon. 😒
I feel your PAIN.
Thankfully, I'm retired and OVER all that tedious, meticulous repair work - particularly on ribbon cables, which at times I converted to flexible regular multi-lead cables.
I knew things were getting rough when they started using that cheaper way to connect things.... retirement was on the Horizon. 😒
Yep, doing that, for sure. I tired again with a bigger solder tip and even more flux all over the wick. A little better, but not great. 🙁
It just isn't. The solder under the braid melts, but the wick does not lift it. I'm in danger of melting the ribbon cable. Some did come up, a tiny amount, but I also managed to crack the ribbon further. I'll go to the hardware store tomorrow and buy some tubing to go into the 1cc syringes. The solder is likely to freeze quickly and clog the needle, but I have plenty spares. I used to have some tiny silicone tubing that would have been perfect, but did not bring it with me.
Where I live its more likely to find a flock of toucans or a quetzal than anyone like that. Such is life in the jungle.
You can try heating the wire and then spraying with compressed air. Someone once told me he used freeze mist (the stuff for chilling components), but he also said it was dangerous because tiny solder balls went flying everywhere. Some of those sprays might be combustible, so that could add an extra element of danger.
The best tool for that is a solder sucker. You might be able to use one of those squeeze bulbs for infant ears as a substitute.
The best tool for that is a solder sucker. You might be able to use one of those squeeze bulbs for infant ears as a substitute.
What's worked for me in the past was to melt the solder and then smack the board on the edge of a table to use momentum to remove the solder.
I now use a solenoid-driven vacuum pump to remove solder blobs.
https://www.amazon.ca/Automatic-Desoldering-Electric-Portable-Soldering/dp/B09SLM5GZW
I now use a solenoid-driven vacuum pump to remove solder blobs.
https://www.amazon.ca/Automatic-Desoldering-Electric-Portable-Soldering/dp/B09SLM5GZW
Hi Michael. I've been around on the forum, but we moved to the Maryland mountains (on the border with West Virginia) and selling the house and making the move was time-consuming. Also, I had to build a greenhouse for my wife so she would have something to do during the cold months. But things are settled down and I've got quite a few electronics/speaker/software projects underway.
We've got over 1000 watts of grow lights inside. Setting up hydroponic buckets this week...
A good quantity/quality of rosin or flux is certainly part of the solution, but I have found that the best-working wicks are those you improvise yourself: strip a miniature coaxial cable of professional grade (PTFE insulated RG2xx or something similar), and use the braid as a wick: it is silver-plated, and acts as a solder magnet in the right conditions of environment (rosin) and temperature.
You need to do the stripping just before you use the braid, because the magical properties of silver quickly vanish under atmospheric conditions, even if nothing is visible
You need to do the stripping just before you use the braid, because the magical properties of silver quickly vanish under atmospheric conditions, even if nothing is visible
Hmmm, I've never seen tinned solder wick. I wonder if some of the fine strand tine wire I have might work?
That looks very nice indeed and quite the operation! Congratulation on the move.
You may also try to melt solder and wipe it away with a piece of stiff cardboard.
Both done at the same time.
If you melt that tiny mount of solder, mass is so low that it will solidify before cardbord can do its job, but if you do everything in a single elegant sweeping motion you have a chance.
Meaning you run your iron tip along 1 or both those tracks, almost pushing tip with cardboard, so solder is still liquid the millisecond after when it´s swept away.
Both done at the same time.
If you melt that tiny mount of solder, mass is so low that it will solidify before cardbord can do its job, but if you do everything in a single elegant sweeping motion you have a chance.
Meaning you run your iron tip along 1 or both those tracks, almost pushing tip with cardboard, so solder is still liquid the millisecond after when it´s swept away.
If I have learned any from watching years of Louis Rossmann but never repairing any Apple products myself… Judiciously liberal amounts of flux is key to small SMD type work.
But I know some things too…
Maybe I missed it but here’s the obvious to someone who uses wick often.
Add more solder first.
Get a nice little bubble to turn into an island in your flux, lay the wick on it (I would put it not at the very end so it’ll flow both ways). Now lay your solder tip across and gently press. This will work better because it’ll create the natural flow into the whick you can’t get now, and that flow will leave less than you have now.
Adding solder before removing is my go-to for lead free solder removal. Without it flows like heavy futon mattresses being pushed around by a 5 year old.
But I know some things too…
Maybe I missed it but here’s the obvious to someone who uses wick often.
Add more solder first.
Get a nice little bubble to turn into an island in your flux, lay the wick on it (I would put it not at the very end so it’ll flow both ways). Now lay your solder tip across and gently press. This will work better because it’ll create the natural flow into the whick you can’t get now, and that flow will leave less than you have now.
Adding solder before removing is my go-to for lead free solder removal. Without it flows like heavy futon mattresses being pushed around by a 5 year old.
You are using lead or lead free solder?
The original may be high temperature stuff.
A possible hack is to remove the cable from the PCB, use fine wires (motor winding wire is available down to 42 British gauge), connect to the PCB, then bond the ribbon with these wires. The wires are insulated, abrasive stripping works.
Then use stiff insulating material (polyester sheet, or similar), with adhesive tape to keep things in place at the joint.
It will add a joint, but will prevent damage to the flex cable and the PCB.
Cat 5 / 6 cable may work as well, space permitting.
The original may be high temperature stuff.
A possible hack is to remove the cable from the PCB, use fine wires (motor winding wire is available down to 42 British gauge), connect to the PCB, then bond the ribbon with these wires. The wires are insulated, abrasive stripping works.
Then use stiff insulating material (polyester sheet, or similar), with adhesive tape to keep things in place at the joint.
It will add a joint, but will prevent damage to the flex cable and the PCB.
Cat 5 / 6 cable may work as well, space permitting.
I always use leaded. Lead free is torture.
I don’t think it’s a temp issue. I can see it melt but it doesn’t move much. Plus I use fairly high temps on my iron at all times to avoid thermal creep.
Someone at work decided that because of the ROHS necessity in manufactured goods, that all the product development, prototyping and test orgs had to use lead free in their labs too. Saw one tech pitch a new, full roll of the stuff into the material recycling bin out of sheer frustration...
Sorry, Pano - I wish I had a working solution for you. I do have a soldering iron / solder sucker combo that's a one-shot (cocked / triggered) affair. The more pro desoldering station we had at work was a similar hollow tip iron, but with an electric rotary valve vacuum pump, controlled by a footswitch.
At least the yellow Kapton stuff will take a solid temperature beating, so you'll have a few attempts before it starts disintegrating.
Next best, wipe it off. I've used a small stiff artist brush (natural bristle) melted the solder and then swept it to one side. Also used hand towel paper and wiped though obviously paper can get caught on component legs...
Plenty of flux for sure. Elvee's suggestion is good - I've thrown away plenty of solder braid that had oxidised and would not take up the solder no matter what I tried. Fresh coax shield should work well.
I bought some of the Kester 63/37 on the recommendation of plenty of people here and I have to say my experience has been very bad - for a flux core 'no clean' solder, I have to use copious amounts of solder to get it to flow which kinda defeats the point.
Perhaps try a little 60/40 and lots of flux to see if you can encourage it to flow.
And sometimes for solder bridges I just clean the solder tip and get the solder to flow from board to tip, then repeat until what remains is what I want.
Lastly I think it was Nigel that has mentioned a few times about using some silicone tubing on his solder sucker to get an excellent vacuum seal that is heat resistant.
Good luck with it!!!
I bought some of the Kester 63/37 on the recommendation of plenty of people here and I have to say my experience has been very bad - for a flux core 'no clean' solder, I have to use copious amounts of solder to get it to flow which kinda defeats the point.
Perhaps try a little 60/40 and lots of flux to see if you can encourage it to flow.
And sometimes for solder bridges I just clean the solder tip and get the solder to flow from board to tip, then repeat until what remains is what I want.
Lastly I think it was Nigel that has mentioned a few times about using some silicone tubing on his solder sucker to get an excellent vacuum seal that is heat resistant.
Good luck with it!!!
Maybe that's the problem, oxidized solder wick. It just isn't picking up. I'll keep trying, and as I'm not in a hurry, maybe I'll learn something from this. I've already learned that I don't like desoldering wick. 😛 Working with repairs this tiny is not appealing, I'm too old and my vision isn't good enough. But ost of this is being done under a little USB microscope, so I'm getting used to it and actually starting to enjoy it.
Thanks again for all the help!