[Elecraft] k2 continuing on (nothing to lose)

Fri Apr 15 13:24:48 EDT 2016

I concur with the recommendation for a Hakko Desoldering tool. The Hakko 808 has been discontinued but I bought the Hakko FR-300 (the new and 'improved' version).  I use Weller solder stations but the Hakko FR-300 saved my bacon. 

I had just soldered a DIP IC in backwards (completely pilot error) and following suggestions from the list I bought the new version to try to save the DIP IC. All I did was add a bit of solder where the solder braid had partially removed it and desoldered each pin in order - the DIP IC lifted out. 

I didn't have to sacrifice the IC or the board.

As I recall the FR-300 was about $260 from Amazon. 

This list has helped me on more than one occasion and I'd like to thank those who participate.

Jim Finan
AB4AC 

Sent from my BlackBerry 10 smartphone.
  Original Message  
From: Richard W. Solomon
Sent: Friday, April 15, 2016 12:34 PM
To: elecraft at mailman.qth.net
Subject: Re: [Elecraft] k2 continuing on (nothing to lose)

The two best tools I have found are the HAKKO FX-888D Soldering Station and
the 
HAKKO 808 De-Soldering tool. Not exactly in the RS price range, but if you
do 
a lot of thru-hole board work, well worth the money.

I don't do much SMD work although I have a Hot Air system and can solder
quite 
well with the HAKKO.

Replacing hole through relays is a snap with the HAKKO 808. The parts just
fall 
off the board.

73, Dick, W1KSZ

-----Original Message-----
From: Elecraft [mailto:elecraft-bounces at mailman.qth.net] On Behalf Of Ron
D'Eau Claire
Sent: Friday, April 15, 2016 8:33 AM
To: 'lstavenhagen'; elecraft at mailman.qth.net
Subject: Re: [Elecraft] k2 continuing on (nothing to lose)

Great news LS. 

If that RS desoldering tool is like the one I have somewhere in the bottom
of my junk box, it is not temperature-controlled and does a wonderful job of
delaminating traces from pc boards. It simply gets too hot. That's why mine
is where it is...

73, Ron AC7AC

-----Original Message-----
From: Elecraft [mailto:elecraft-bounces at mailman.qth.net] On Behalf Of
lstavenhagen
Sent: Friday, April 15, 2016 6:57 AM
To: elecraft at mailman.qth.net
Subject: [Elecraft] k2 continuing on (nothing to lose)

Hi all,
Tnx for all the encouragement and suggestions by PM and on the list on my K2
tragedy. After thinking it over after something to eat I decided I didn't
have anything to lose by simply continuing on. 

My thinking was, ok, this is a learning experience, right? So I figured, ok,
let's learn how to remove a component without tearing everything up LOL. If
I could get the second ruined relay out without doing more damage to the
board, I was ok.

I did manage to get the pads back down on the first relay socket and I
didn't see that the traces were actually broken. So I carefully threaded the
new relay in and soldered it in like normal. Fingers crossed that all the
connections are good.

As for other relay that I ruined, I robbed a relay out of my KAT2 kit and
got out my desoldering iron from Radio Shack. Not the best desoldering tool
in the world and it has failed me in the past, but marginally better than
desoldering braid and nothing else and went to work. After sucking out as
much solder as I could on the pins, I flush cut them as far down as I could
go and went over the pads again with the iron and braid. Fortunately, this
relay came out easily after cutting it in half on the topside with the wire
cutters. No damage to the board. 

At that point, I was cooking with gas and decided to install L33 and the
remaining diodes. That put me at the alignment part II stage. By about 10pm
last night I'd complete the receiver alignment and all those circuits
checked out virtually perfect. So the RX is intact and receiving on 40M. I
hear relays click when I go through the bands - the 20m bandpass filter is
where I did all the damage and replaced the relays, so maybe they're hooked
up and working right. 

Anyway, at this point, since the RX is fine and working normally as far as I
can tell, I think I should just go ahead with the rest of the build and see
what happens on 20M when it's done. 

Like Wayne suggested, if there does end up a problem on 20M at the end, I
can probably just run wires on the bottom of the board to hook it all up.
It'll do me good to go back to the schematic anyway lol.

So onwards with the build and hope the rescue effort succeeds hi hi.

Tnx es 73,
LS
W5QD

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