[Elecraft] K3 - SMT mods

[Dave G4AON]

David

I just used a 12 Watt Antex soldering iron type M, Maplin part number 
YU90X. They come with a pointed bit as standard. You also need solder 
wick (or Soldamop) Maplin part number N58AL and stainless steel tweezers.

Working on the K3 might sound a little daunting, but one of my 
technicians used to work on SMD parts in his previous job and told me 
the easy way to work on them for changing the odd part or two...

1. Using the solder wick, remove the solder from both ends of the 
resistor/capacitor.
2. The joints should look "dry", holding the component in the tweezers 
heat one end with the soldering iron and lift that end slightly, then 
warm the other end.

This was the first time I had worked on surface mount, although I have 
more than 20 years experience of PCB work from a previous job.

An amateur grade heat gun on an expensive K3 sounds like a disaster in 
the making to me! Proper SMD hot air re-work stations cost thousands, 
they cost that much for a reason.

73 Dave, G4AON
K3/100 #80 with AGC and CW waveform modifications
===================================================

I need to make the K3 mods and was wondering if an investment in a
heat gun would be worthwhile (it's not like SMT is going to go away!).
73 de M0XDF, K3 #174