Electronics > Repair
High density non-destructive connector desoldering suggestions
JohanH:
So this method works fine with smaller connectors. Take a copper wire and lay it out between the pins and fill with lots of solder. Then apply heat with a soldering iron to the copper wire, and the connector just drops out when the solder melts. Now, with this connector, if it would work at all, it would require lots of solder and some more appropriate heating method.
What if you used four separate copper wires (soldering them to the pins in the same way), connect the wires in parallel at both ends, then connect both ends to a beefy power supply with current limiting or at least with adjustable voltage. Then start increasing voltage/current until the solder melts. If necessary, monitor the temperature with a thermocouple. The problem only is that it might require a rather powerful power supply.
inse:
It’s about MIL technology, no need for homebrew solutions.
I guess he could involve all kinds of special equipment.
coromonadalix:
to save such a connector and minimize any damage is a solder bath flux on each side of the pcb and dip the connector, and it should pop out
going one by one pin with a desolder pump is to risky while the pin is in there
nobody talked about the thermal mass or even the grounding on this connector, board thickness combined will make things harder
you need to do it in one go in a solder bath and after you empty the holes,
even seen guys using hot air until solder melt and push an jet or compressed air in the holes, the other side of the pcb had huge / wide kapton tape to protect against the compressed air effects
HalFoster:
@coromonadalix - That's pretty much what we are looking at now - mill a solder bath fixture to fit the outline for removal, hot air the holes and pray it will go back in. We have a couple parts boards with connectors close to the ones in question so will experiment a little. We finally found one board house that feels confident they can remove them at a fairly quick turnaround so at least "Plan B" is there if needed... but it would be nice to be able to manage it ourselves if possible (it's slow through the rest of the month so a challenge such as this is welcome.)
Hal
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