Products > Test Equipment
Vacuum desoldering gun vs Hot air station
KungFuJosh:
--- Quote from: dorkshoei on March 23, 2024, 03:31:57 pm ---701A++ solder, desolder. Yes gun for desokder (another poor design element).
The pump was a joke when I examined it, must have been a $5 part. Fine for the solder fume extraction side but not for desoldering .
Maybe they make higher end stuff but I doubt their entry level stuff is much improved from the above and this was my point/warning to others..
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Oh, weird. That's similar design to mine, but with different parts. As I said, mine's been great. All the same, I don't expect a $300 station to work as well as a $3000 station...not that I've felt the need to upgrade at all. I'd buy the 2703A+ again. However, I actually don't care much for the fume extraction design. It's fine for what it is, but the solder/flux fumes cause build up in the line, and I'd rather use an external fume extractor than need to clean things. 😉
tooki:
--- Quote from: wraper on March 23, 2024, 01:37:31 pm ---
--- Quote from: tooki on March 23, 2024, 12:38:26 pm ---And the pump isn’t that strong, so the continuous vacuum it draws is quite anemic. Given its very high cost, I’d expect way, way better.
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I have previous X-tool with CU 100 A vaccum pump. I don't find pump anemic at all. The trick is to preheat boards with heavier copper and let a few seconds for joint to heat up before pressing the vacuum button. If it cannot pull all of the solder out it's not due to lack of sucking force but because solder is not entirely molten in the hole to begin with. Once it sucked solder from the surface, there is no longer good thermal transfer, and strong air flow provides cooling too. So solder in the hole stays solid. In case of failure I apply fresh solder and try again.
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I already know proper technique, it’s not that. I’ve used four different brands of vacuum desoldering equipment, and the Ersa was hands down the worst of them. (And I’m not anti-Ersa: I just chose and got a new Ersa soldering station at work.)
I don’t think you really understood the problem I described. The point is that the Ersa system relies on the pump drawing a vacuum and then turning off, so once that initial burst is gone, the pump isn’t ready to continue pulling. It takes time to detect the pressure change and turn the pump back on, and the pump isn’t as strong as others.
And proper de soldering technique is to keep a continuous, uninterrupted vacuum going while you keep the component leg moving, so that it’s kept away from the walls of the plated hole while cool air rushes by and cools it, preventing it from sticking. Watch the video I posted, please.
Also, with said proper technique, you never apply vacuum until you have already established that the joint is fully melted.
tooki:
--- Quote from: dorkshoei on March 23, 2024, 02:45:32 pm ---
--- Quote from: tooki on March 23, 2024, 12:38:26 pm ---
All the name-brand desoldering stations are expensive. Pace’s single-channel desoldering station goes for around $1000, in the middle of the pack price-wise.
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I have a Weller WR3000M. I picked it up lightly used for $500. The desoldering pencil is excellent. I tested and the vacuum produced meets the published spec. It replaced an Aoyue that was useless, the pump barely produced any vacuum (measured at the pump output). The Metcal that use dedicated compressed air look nice assuming you have such a setup. Cleaning, replacing consumables (seals) and tinning tip is important but so is good vacuum.
The one thing I dislike about Weller is that in the USA they've decided to not sell replacement parts other than consumables. In Europe you can buy a replacement pump, in the USA they require you pay a flat fee exchange for a new unit (obviously you can still order parts from Europe)
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That’s a shame. Availability of replacement parts is something where Pace and Weller generally excel. Or at least it was.
I got lucky: it took several years of patience, but I got a Pace ST-75 with SX-90 for about $115 shipped — and it came with about $100 worth of brand-new tips and consumables! All it needed to restore it to like-new performance was a $5 front seal.
tooki:
--- Quote from: KungFuJosh on March 23, 2024, 03:17:56 pm ---Oh, were you using the standalone gun version? Those were never great IME, including the Hakko version.
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FWIW, the Den-On SC-7000Z desoldering gun is excellent. But it also costs twice as much as the Hakko!
tooki:
--- Quote from: bdunham7 on March 23, 2024, 03:24:19 pm ---
--- Quote from: nctnico on March 23, 2024, 08:16:37 am --- the continuous vacuum system Tooki mentions sounds like the real solution. But likely expensive.
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I recently upgraded to the PACE SX-100 desolder tool after seeing one in person and yes, if you do any significant amount of repairs requiring desoldering this is the way to go. It cost less than the latest budget scope or another bench meter that I don't need. It works for SMD applications too, just click on the link for tips.
https://www.tequipment.net/Pace/SX-100-6010-0106-P1/Desoldering-Irons/
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Of course, that’s the handpiece without a station to run it with, nor even the stand! (So really, that’s the part intended as a replacement.) If you don’t already have a station, it’s really $1000 to get started.
As far as I can tell, Pace has the best selection of desoldering tips, and from experience, they’re a joy to work with!
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