You need enough power to melt the solder quickly when you are working on PCBs, both for desoldering faulty PCB components and for soldering new ones in place. A medium sized butane gas soldering iron like the Iroda SolderPro 110 K is a good choice for this job as it gives you high heat output in a compact and easy to handle package.
What was the problem with this PCB component?
The control knob had broken off this PCB component, making it impossible to adjust. The component is a digital encoder that sends a signal telling a microprocessor to increase or decrease a count. In this case it’s used to adjust bass tone control on a guitar effects unit. It’s a non-repairable component, and I had to remove it just to find the serial number to replace it, because that was hidden between the PCB and the component case.
Why was the Iroda SolderPro 110K a good choice for this project?
When I saw the circuit board layout and component density, the Iroda SolderPro 110K from the Iroda Professional range seemed like the best choice for this project. This is because the Iroda gas soldering iron is light and easy to keep on the right spot without touching other components. The component I had to replace is in the lower right corner of the image above, with two large pins each side of a pair of resistors and three smaller pins below the resistors that need to be desoldered to remove it.
Rapid heating for excellent solder wicking
Iroda gas soldering irons can also put out a lot of heat very quickly, which is very good for the ‘touch and wick’ approach to desoldering. As you can see in the image above, the solder has melted off the large component leg underneath and soaked into the hot copper wick very effectively, and this after only a few seconds of contact with the Iroda gas soldering iron.
Don’t forget to trim your wick when desoldering!
The picture above shows the tools required for the job, including the Iroda SolderPro 110K, flux, solder wick and a pair of pliers with cutters. You need to trim off the wick when it is soaked in solder. If you don’t do this the copper wick becomes less effective and you can end up with a mess when the hot soldered wick sticks to other parts of the circuit board. Trim it regularly, it’s not expensive, and use a fresh section for each pin. You can see a cut off section of used wick in the photo.
How did the Iroda SolderPro 110K gas soldering iron work out?
The Iroda SolderPro 110K butane gas soldering iron proved to be more than capable for this type of desoldering work in the confined space of a quite densely populated PCB. The image above shows the final result after some careful desoldering and a bit of fiddling with the component and heating individual pins to release solder remnants at the end.
High heat output from the Iroda gas soldering iron with moderate fuel consumption
I used about a third of the butane reservoir, but I was stopping to take photos, and had it set on about 70% of maximum, which was probably hotter than necessary. I have used similar gas soldering irons that have not been very impressive, but the Iroda products seem to produce as much or more heat than they are nominally rated for. The Iroda gas soldering iron easily produced plenty of heat for desoldering.
The Iroda SolderPro 110K is an excellent tool for desoldering
I would recommend the Iroda SolderPro 110K for desoldering work for its ease of use and efficiency. A lot of thought has clearly gone into the design and the build quality is excellent as well. I’ve used budget gas soldering irons before where I wasn’t entirely sure if they were going to fall apart, leak, catch fire or explode in my hand. I’ve had none of those thoughts when using Iroda butane soldering irons!
