global Laptop and motherboard repair tutorial | Page 76

the varying temperature and how and why the solder ―flowsǁ. The importance of having a ―freshǁ
tip on your soldering utensil and learning how to ―tin the tipǁ is pertinent to the soldering process so
you should familiarize yourself with these terms and methods to become an experienced solderer and
achieve the best results.
Removal of any soldered component or part is referred to as DeSoldering. De-Soldering happens
to be more important than soldering because it is the removal of the original component and
absolutely must be done right and with caution to prevent damage to the part or motherboard.
TOOLS USED IN THE DESOLDERING PROCESS:
When learning the De-soldering process you might want to take advantage of some of the tools
available for this task. They sell a De-soldering pump for removing solder and it comes in a few
different styles.
The Pen style which is not electric, a simple hand tool that has a spring loaded suction capsule
(resembling a syringe). The idea is to heat the solder to the point of ―flowǁ which is the solders
molten state. Then arm the de-soldering gun by setting the suction (usually a lever) and upon reaching
―flowǁ you would depress the button or switch on the pump to instantly suck in the solder.
I find this method to be very difficult and can actually do more harm than good in my opinion.
The force of the suction (or lack thereof) combined with the cheaply built Pens; will work only 1
out of 20 times attempted… You have to be about a millimeter away from the solder flow and the de-
soldering pumps tip, then the very instant you reach ―flowǁ, you must apply the pump tip to the
surface and ―suckǁ in the solder, but what also happens is… that very second that you remove the
soldering gun tip, the solder hardens. So you are expected to use the pen style de-soldering pump with
only one hand while the other hand holds the soldering gun tip to the solder needing removal… This
causes issues when it comes time to depress the pump button to ―suckǁ in the solder…
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To start your desoldering of any component, ensure that your soldering gun is at temperature, have
your de-soldering braid in hand, and get your flux paste opened with a toothpick dipped in for
applying.
It is important that you use flux paste to help easily flow the solder, but prior to fluxing the
soldered component, you should cap off the contacts that need de-soldering.
To cap off the contacts, you add solder to the tip of the gun, then apply a small mound on top of
the area needing to be de-soldered. This is not going to be done on more fragile components like IC
Chips or similar. Capping is done to components that have ―pinǁ connections, like the dc jack, or
capacitors. What it does is loosen the factory installed solder and flux residue which will mix and
hopefully penetrate through all the solder contained in that area and even through contact holes/lands
in the motherboard. Then, with the application of some flux paste, you will take the desoldering braid
and hold it over the area needing to be desoldered. Touch the side of the solder gun tip to the de-
soldering braid and the solder below should flow up into the de-soldering braid… You will then pull
the braid away from the area and do the same thing except using a clean portion of the braid. You can
cut the braid as you go to make it easier for yourself, or just slide the braid further to a clean area and
continue. Be patient here and do not pull the braid back and forth… You can slightly wiggle the braid
while you are applying the solder gun tip over it, as this will help the solder flow pull into the braid.