Hot air rework station and through hole components - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / general

author: SoundBound
author_rank: Newbie
timestamp: May 31, 2012, 01:57:56 am
content: Just watched Dave's review of the Atten hot air station and was wondering if a hot air rework station is useable for the removal of through hole components as well?If anyone has any experience with this, and it's feasible, I might spring for a hot air station rather than a vacuum desoldering station as the hot air unit would handle more tasks.Thanks much.

author: johnnyfp
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: May 31, 2012, 02:05:24 am
content: You can, but it's a lot quicker with a soldering Iron.It won't suck any of the solder, you realize, but if you for example, have a 10pin header, you can heat up the area enough to yank out the device. However I find that through pin devices have plastic that melts at a lower temperature than smd type devices.Jfp.

author: PeterG
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: May 31, 2012, 04:38:42 am
content: I use all three on a regular basis. A soldering iron can desolder through hole devises, but some components just wont cooperate. If your going to do a lot of through hole removal you cant go past something like this.http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/Electric-Desoldering-Gun-MT995-w-Gun-Adapter-Iron-stand-/280823651920?pt=AU_B_I_Electrical_Test_Equipment&hash=item416264de50#ht_4519wt_1139Hot Air is a tool that comes into its own when removing surface mount devises, again, these can be removed with an iron but hot air makes life a lot easier and limits the chance of board or component damage.These three devises each have there own uses. Starting out wth Hot Air and Soldering Station would be a good start if your on a budget, but if you find you are removing for than a few through hole devices, i would recommend looking at getting a desoldering station/gun.Just my 2 cents.Regards

author: Mint.
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: May 31, 2012, 05:51:14 am
content: I use the hot air rework station to melt through hole stuff and then drag it out for reusing parts

author: Dawn
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: May 31, 2012, 10:03:51 am
content: That doesn't work well on plated-through, double sided boards. Even solderwick isn't enough. To do the job and do it right, you need a desoldering vacuum station or self contained desoldering gun as above. With a little ingenuitity, you can buy a Hakko clone desoldering gun and use a soldering station for the 24V supply and rework an aquarium pump or use the vacuum inlet on some of the hot air stations that's used for the pick up pen for the suction with an in-line filter. Decent stand alone Chinese made stations are available for around USD $100.

author: saturation
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: May 31, 2012, 06:10:18 pm
content: Hot air is more versatile, but its not as fast as a vacuum desoldering tool, and it may not do large PCB tracings. But for most consumer boards, I've been able to use the 858D even with large ground planes and plated through double sided boards by using the highest heat setting, the smallest nozzle, and a PCB stand to do heat-and-pull type of desoldering, for parts that are likely to be discarded, sometimes the heat can be longer than 5-6 seconds. With a desoldering vacuum, you can minimize joint heating and thus, is a better choice for salvaging parts.Quote from: SoundBound on May 31, 2012, 01:57:56 am

author: StubbornGreek
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: May 31, 2012, 06:29:30 pm
content: Quote from: SoundBound on May 31, 2012, 01:57:56 amI believe that someone would be better served owning a hot air station more so than owning a desoldering vacuum (especially if there's a question in their mind). However, if you do a lot of desoldering then you won't be able to live without a solder vacuum of some type. I've found the Hakko 808 to be the sweet spot for cost/performance but there are a lot of less expensive solutions out there.

author: T4P
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: May 31, 2012, 06:50:38 pm
content: Quote from: StubbornGreek on May 31, 2012, 06:29:30 pmThe MT993/994/995 is a clone of that and i'm not too terribly sure if a built in vacuum pump is a good idea or notEspecially when the 474(Clones of Hakko's desoldering station) doesn't cost much more

author: StubbornGreek
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: May 31, 2012, 07:37:18 pm
content: Quote from: DaveXRQ on May 31, 2012, 06:50:38 pmIts unfortunate but I can't find a single vacuum-type de-soldering tool with a clean history - these things just fail after prolonged use. I was only stating that I personally like the Hakko.

author: saturation
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: May 31, 2012, 10:56:18 pm
content: There are some interesting reviews of the Hakko 808, including folks who have used competing designs. It reads like few can match the durability history of the 808, its built like a rock and has a vacuum that is often the strongest most have experienced, particularly against workstations. Some of the reviews put it through very heavy use if these reviews are truthful:http://www.amazon.com/Hakko-Desoldering-Kit-With-808/product-reviews/B000ARPULW/ref=dp_top_cm_cr_acr_txt?ie=UTF8&showViewpoints=1Reviews from other sites are just as positive,here spanning nearly 10 years. For e.g.http://www.eham.net/reviews/detail/2978Quote from: StubbornGreek on May 31, 2012, 07:37:18 pm

author: Dawn
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: June 01, 2012, 12:37:48 am
content: For about 30 years I owned two Pace units. One multipurpose workstation using a GAST air pump and the other a bladder pump. Both very high maintenance units primarily because the heater element was 110V with no regulation and they used an off-the-shelf light dimmer inside for heat control. With the high price of their repair parts, long waits, and frequent heater failures, they were a pain, but worked quite well when they worked and paid for themselves many times over and over. Newer sensatemp models probably don't have this problem. One nice thing about them was the large glass solder reservoir tube. That's something the Weller's and the Hakko's don't have.I've had one of the Aoyue 701 Hakko clones which is like a 474 with a 35W iron port that I use for hot tweezers for 3 years now. It doesn't have the powerful suction of the old pump Pace or the heat. It requires frequent cleaning like the old Wellers. It wouldn't be a production or high volume shop instrument, but certainly good enough for hobbyist use. I weighed purchasing one of the Zohngdi type units,but stuck with the Aoyue. The standard interface and multiple sources of interchangeable and inexpensive consumable parts made it the attractive choice over the negatives.

author: Psi
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: June 01, 2012, 01:59:50 am
content: I found my hot air station does work for removing through hole components.However, you need the temperature so high it can burn the pcb.So it's good for recycling old components from boards that you don't care about, but not so good for pcbs you want to reuse.

author: Kozmyk
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: June 01, 2012, 02:30:22 am
content: I've yet to come across a through hole solder joint that I couldn't undo with an iron and a good old fashioned hand held solder sucker.That said, if I had a lot to do then a desoldering gun would be the way I'd go.Also you have to be careful that the impact of the sucker doesn't damage fragile PCB tracks and pads

author: Mint.
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: June 01, 2012, 11:54:45 am
content: Quote from: ErikTheNorwegian on June 01, 2012, 09:09:49 amFar too expensive for my budget just to desolder things!

author: Dawn
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: June 01, 2012, 04:00:09 pm
content: Interesting Erik. I just took a look at the manual for this unit. The operating firmware appears to be the same as the Aoyue 2702a+ but without the ball manometer and in a black Hakko type case. Same 6 pin universal accessories.

author: saturation
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: June 01, 2012, 05:41:51 pm
content: If you don't do too much desoldering, as I do too, you can do the same as the Hakko with an $8 desoldering pump, or suction bulb and a soldering iron. You can also develop a 'touch' using the hot air rework for working on most through hole, including plated holes. After using heat-and-pull to extract a part, I use a rigid straw on reheating and blowing the molten solder out of the hole, to clean out the plated hole without leaving sweat joints.Quote from: Mint. on June 01, 2012, 11:54:45 am

author: Dawn
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: June 01, 2012, 06:27:40 pm
content: Erik, those type used to be very popular as ham/cb microphone connectors. I can find several suppliers in the states for a few dollars, but here's one from a Chinese manufacturer that ships internationally if you can't find it or get it from a CS dealer:http://www.ebay.com/itm/6-Pin-Chassis-Mount-MIC-Connector-Male-/150470555721?pt=US_Audio_Cables_Adapters&hash=item2308be7849

author: nukie
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: June 03, 2012, 02:59:59 am
content: The best tool I ever bought is a Bosch temperature and air flow adjustable hot air gun. It has huge nozzle so air flows gently doesn't blow away small 0402, the best part is it is 2000w it takes no time at all. I usually preheat small boards to 150c with the Bosch then switch to hot air iron with concentrated nozzle for precise heating.It takes too much time for the tiny hot air iron to solder big bga chip like CPU chipset on armoured copper layers, the bigger brother will do, but always remember preheating is important to avoid warping.tapatalk

author: T4P
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: June 03, 2012, 06:36:56 am
content: I did rework a BGA with my 858d before,the key thing with a 858d is the paramount performance ... 700WBut yeah most importantly is to get a preheater/preheat the board