[rescue] Fixed LCD's?

[Carl R. Friend]

    On Thu, 13 Feb 2014, Nick B wrote:

> First step - Spotting bad caps [...]
> Second step - Learn to solder [...]
> Third step - Learn to desolder [...]

    "What Nick said".  Soldering (and desoldering) is a technique that
takes time and practise to master, but one which will pay for itself
well over one's lifetime -- even if one learns late.

> Desoldering on a modern board kinda sucks and takes a fair bit of practice,
> along with tools.  Don't use a radio shack iron if you can at all avoid it.

    Again, "What Nick said."

    Desoldering is full of pitfalls, and if you get stuff too hot
you'll damage the board, and, likewise, if you don't get it quite
hot enough you're likely to pull out the inter-layer plating when
you pull the component you're trying to remove.  Rule 1 might as
well be that if you have to pull on the thing more than just a
little bit then you haven't desoldered properly.

    Even desoldering on "vintage" boards is a pain if one doesn't
have the proper kit to do so, and to try it without decent gear
is ill-advised as even if you get the ding component out there's
no guarantee that the integrity of the board is still intact.

    Over the years, I've found that the spring-loaded vacuum-type
desoldering tools are vastly more effective than the copper braid
sold a a desoldering tool or the "bulb" type solder-suckers.  Find
the best you can, and don't scrimp on it -- and keep it clean.  On
irons --  Rat Shack stuff is OK (enough) for soldering wires and
whatnot, but close to useless for precision work; for that you
really want a controllable one, and they can be pricy.

    If you're not sure whether you want to get serious or not, take
the cheap way out for the learning phase and buy a $8.99 RS iron
and get your mistakes (of which there will be more than a few when
learning, so don't get discouraged) on the cheap.  If you've got
the knack, and the interest, make the investment in quality gear
as it's well worth it.

    Cheers!

+------------------------------------------------+---------------------+
| Carl Richard Friend (UNIX Sysadmin)            | West Boylston       |
| Minicomputer Collector / Enthusiast            | Massachusetts, USA  |
| mailto:crfriend at rcn.com                        +---------------------+
| http://users.rcn.com/crfriend/museum           | ICBM: 42:22N 71:47W |
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