Okay, today’s tip is decidedly tweaky and will only be relevant to a small portion of you, but you repair techs are really going to appreciate it. This one was founded by our tech genius Mark (McGyver) Phillips while modifying a mixing console in the field.
Leaded component de-soldering tools provide limited success when working to de-solder two-lead surface mounted components. Solder-wick and vacuum pumps will remove the solder from around the component but they don’t do very well pulling the solder from UNDER the pad. The process is slow, tedious and dangerous. The last thing you need to do is lift circuit traces on a surface-mount PCB! The solution is very easy. Use TWO soldering irons! Heat both ends of the component simultaneously and lift it off cleanly. It takes in about one second. My experience has shown that the component will stick firmly to one of the irons. I like the 0.047″ or 0.063″ screwdriver iron tips. These small tips allow access on even the highest density PCBs.