15 Nov
2006
15 Nov
'06
3:36 p.m.
A really hot temperature-controlled iron is the way to
go. Either that
or as you say, snip the chip and pick the pins out one at a time.
Even if you decide to do it a pin-at-a-time, a good iron helps a lot. I
once tried to clear a hole in a PCB using a cheap hobbyist-grade
soldering iron (using the standard method of applying the iron to one
side of the PCB and the solder sucker to the other), and it simply
couldn't provide enough heat to melt the solder. I ended up grabbing my
temperature-controlled iron and had no problems.
I'm dreading removing the 30-pin thick film module that's wedged tightly
between other thick-film modules in one of my synthesizers.
The quality of the PCB makes a big difference. I've had PCBs from
cheap-n-nasty consumer electroncs that shed tracks if you look at them,
conversely I've had PCBs from high-end test gear that will stand just
about anything without problems.
-tony