Electronic circuits are composed of numerous individual components soldered onto circuit boards. The components have one or more metallic pins or legs attached with solder to shiny, metal-plated pathways printed onto the board. When a component goes bad and needs to be replaced, the old solder on the legs of the component must be re-melted so that it may be removed before the new one can be put in its place. With only a little patience and a couple of inexpensive tools, it is possible to de-solder any electronic component--large or small--from a circuit board.
Instructions
1 Plug in the soldering iron into a wall outlet and turn the unit on. Allow between five to 10 minutes for the unit to reach its maximum operating temperature.
2 Unroll a short section of de-soldering braid from the spool, long enough to cover the solder connection you intend to remove. Lay the de-soldering wick onto the old solder joint(s) you will be removing and hold the wick in place to prevent it from moving.
3 Touch the hot soldering iron on top of the de-soldering wick, directly over each joint you wish to remove, and hold the iron on that joint just until you see the solder being absorbed into the metal de-soldering wick. Once the wick has become saturated with the old solder, quickly lift the wick off of the joint so that all of the solder is then removed.
4 Use a pair of wire cutters to cut off the wick containing the old solder and discard. Repeat Step 3 for each old solder joint to be removed, and repeat for any joint which has any remaining solder that may be preventing removal of the component.
5 Lift the old component from the circuit board with your fingers after the old component has cooled. Discard and seat the new component into place before soldering it onto the board.
