continuous action solder sucker
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From: rush14 on 29 Jun 2010 11:05 I'm attempting to fabricate a continuous action solder sucker along the lines of those used at work when repairing circuit boards. They were fast, clean, easy to use and prevented damage to the circuit boards from excessive prolonged heat. Unfortunately I'm now retired and the factory work has all been outsourced overseas. There's nobody left now from work who would know about this. As I recall they consisted of a vacuum source (unknown to me), a flexible hose connected to a small cylinder with a tuft of steel wool inside to trap solder and a teflon sucking tip at the other end of the cylinder. Apparently there is more to vacuum technology than I imagined because all my attempts have so far failed miserably. When I adapt a short (~3 foot) flexible hose to my vacuum source the suction at the end of the hose is almost non-existent. My first attempt was using the air intake of a 12V automotive tire inflator, an idea I got from extensive Google searching, although not intended for that purpose. There seemed to be plenty of suction at the air intake itself but almost no suction at the end of the flexible hose. I then decided to go to extremes and adapted the hose to the vacuum port of a powerful shop vac. I actually expected the hose to collapse from excessive vacuum but instead there was again almost no suction at the end of the hose. I then added a secondary intake port to alleviate what I thought might be excessive load on the shop vac then tried using the shop vac exhaust port to create a vacuum. Neither attempt worked. I would normally give up but I know the theory behind it works from my experience at the factory. I'm apparently ignorant in the physics of vacuum. I'm also familiar with other desoldering tools including plunger and squeeze bulb solder suckers, solder wick and built in suckers on soldering irons. I've found them all lacking in one way or another compared to the gizmo I'm trying to imitate from the factory. Any ideas from you guys about the error of my ways will be greatly appreciated. Thanks a bunch, Rush
From: Arfa Daily on 29 Jun 2010 11:46 "rush14" <rush14(a)columbus.rr.com> wrote in message news:4014381d-7eea-4c0c-a2c3-72bbb46f7743(a)y4g2000yqy.googlegroups.com... > I'm attempting to fabricate a continuous action solder sucker along > the lines of those used at work > > when repairing circuit boards. They were fast, clean, easy to use and > prevented damage to the circuit boards from excessive prolonged heat. > > Unfortunately I'm now retired and the factory work has all been > outsourced overseas. There's nobody left now from work who would know > about this. > > As I recall they consisted of a vacuum source (unknown to me), a > flexible hose connected to a small cylinder with a tuft of steel wool > inside to trap solder and a teflon sucking tip at the other end of > the cylinder. > > Apparently there is more to vacuum technology than I imagined because > all my attempts have so far failed miserably. When I adapt a short > (~3 foot) flexible hose to my vacuum source the suction at the end of > the hose is almost non-existent. > > My first attempt was using the air intake of a 12V automotive tire > inflator, an idea I got from extensive Google searching, although not > intended for that purpose. There seemed to be plenty of suction at the > air intake itself but almost no suction at the end of the flexible > hose. > My current Pace desoldering station uses a vacuum pump no larger than the pressure pump used in a tyre inflator. My previous Weller DS900 had a similar sized pump. On both of these stations, the vacuum port is connected to the business end via about 2 feet of fairly soft and pliable heat-resistant (silicone ?) tubing, about the size of TV coax. The vacuum on both stations is as strong at the desoldering head as it is at the port, so I'm not sure where you are having trouble with the physics of vacuum engineering, with your attempts at replicating your work system. FWIW, there are plenty of desoldering and rework stations on the market both new from the Far East, and second hand on FleaBay. Most of the ones I've used work pretty well, and in a non-production environment where there's only you, I don't really see a need for continuous vacuum. Vacuum builds very quickly when you operate the pump switch on a desoldering station, and is maintained until you let go of the switch. Arfa > I then decided to go to extremes and adapted the hose to the vacuum > port of a powerful shop vac. I actually expected the hose to collapse > from excessive vacuum but instead there was again almost no suction at > the end of the hose. I then added a secondary intake port to > alleviate what I thought might be excessive load on the shop vac then > tried using the shop vac exhaust port to create a vacuum. Neither > attempt worked. > > I would normally give up but I know the theory behind it works from my > experience at the factory. I'm apparently ignorant in the physics of > vacuum. > > I'm also familiar with other desoldering tools including plunger and > squeeze bulb solder suckers, solder wick and built in suckers on > soldering irons. I've found them all lacking in one way or another > compared to the gizmo I'm trying to imitate from the factory. > > Any ideas from you guys about the error of my ways will be greatly > appreciated. > > Thanks a bunch, > Rush
From: GregS on 29 Jun 2010 16:23 In article <4014381d-7eea-4c0c-a2c3-72bbb46f7743(a)y4g2000yqy.googlegroups.com>, rush14 <rush14(a)columbus.rr.com> wrote: >I'm attempting to fabricate a continuous action solder sucker along >the lines of those used at work > My Weller's hose is surprisingly soft. Must be more flow than suction. It needs frequent cleaning. greg
From: Dave Plowman (News) on 29 Jun 2010 11:36 In article <4014381d-7eea-4c0c-a2c3-72bbb46f7743(a)y4g2000yqy.googlegroups.com>, rush14 <rush14(a)columbus.rr.com> wrote: > I'm also familiar with other desoldering tools including plunger and > squeeze bulb solder suckers, solder wick and built in suckers on > soldering irons. I've found them all lacking in one way or another > compared to the gizmo I'm trying to imitate from the factory. > Any ideas from you guys about the error of my ways will be greatly > appreciated. You want what's known as a desolder station. They've been somewhat overtaken by hot air devices so older ones can be picked up cheaply on Ebay. Basically, a soldering iron with a hole through the middle of the tip which is connected via a filter to a vacuum pump. At one time they were fiendishly expensive. There may well be cheaper ones new from the far east now. -- *Beauty is in the eye of the beer holder * Dave Plowman dave(a)davenoise.co.uk London SW To e-mail, change noise into sound.
From: stratus46 on 30 Jun 2010 03:07
On Jun 29, 8:05 am, rush14 <rus...(a)columbus.rr.com> wrote: > I'm attempting to fabricate a continuous action solder sucker along > the lines of those used at work > > when repairing circuit boards. They were fast, clean, easy to use and > prevented damage to the circuit boards from excessive prolonged heat. > > Unfortunately I'm now retired and the factory work has all been > outsourced overseas. There's nobody left now from work who would know > about this. > > As I recall they consisted of a vacuum source (unknown to me), a > flexible hose connected to a small cylinder with a tuft of steel wool > inside to trap solder and a teflon sucking tip at the other end of > the cylinder. > > Apparently there is more to vacuum technology than I imagined because > all my attempts have so far failed miserably. When I adapt a short > (~3 foot) flexible hose to my vacuum source the suction at the end of > the hose is almost non-existent. > > My first attempt was using the air intake of a 12V automotive tire > inflator, an idea I got from extensive Google searching, although not > intended for that purpose. There seemed to be plenty of suction at the > air intake itself but almost no suction at the end of the flexible > hose. > > I then decided to go to extremes and adapted the hose to the vacuum > port of a powerful shop vac. I actually expected the hose to collapse > from excessive vacuum but instead there was again almost no suction at > the end of the hose. I then added a secondary intake port to > alleviate what I thought might be excessive load on the shop vac then > tried using the shop vac exhaust port to create a vacuum. Neither > attempt worked. > > I would normally give up but I know the theory behind it works from my > experience at the factory. I'm apparently ignorant in the physics of > vacuum. > > I'm also familiar with other desoldering tools including plunger and > squeeze bulb solder suckers, solder wick and built in suckers on > soldering irons. I've found them all lacking in one way or another > compared to the gizmo I'm trying to imitate from the factory. > > Any ideas from you guys about the error of my ways will be greatly > appreciated. > > Thanks a bunch, > Rush The Metcal de-soldering gun uses a 50 PSI air supply. There is a venturi to make a vacuum from the trigger controlled air. G² |