I have a new speed wheel from NCE as first one began skipping/jumping speeds. The part itself is a wheel/axle to a square electronic part (some digital info sending rheostat or such). Do I absolutely need a solder sucker to get the 3 tiny legs of the broken one out of board going into circuit on opposite side ? Or, since they're at edge of board and so small they'll all just come away in one hot quick solder iron hit ? And will new one just pop right in to hit it's 3 with solder ? Am I looking for trouble here ?
My concern would be having to reheat each leg so many consecuitive times to get the part out you may overheat the board and other ajacent components, or if they are so close together you can heat them all at once I'd be concerned about creating a solder bridge between each solder joint. Not too worried about the original wheel as its kaput anyway. Another issue is if you tug too hard on old wheel trying to get the 3 legs out you may pull up the foil tracks on the board. For the reinstall, if the 3 holes are plugged with solder then you then run the risk of melting your new wheel while reinstalling it, having to reheat the solder over and over in order to seat the new component. I would think a solder sucker or de-solder wick would greatly improve your odds for a sucessful outcome. Radio shack has em pretty cheap. Ive had mine for upwards of 40 years and it still works like new. Amortized out its well worth the price. Brian
Get the solder sucker. It's a lot cheaper then replacing the NCE Power Cab. What I find is the easiest way to replace components is to use a small pair of cutters and cut the part off the board. Its already bad so cutting it apart shouldn't be a problem and it reduces the chance of you damaging the board itself or the surrounding parts. Then heat the individual legs from the non-component side of the board and suck the solder out of the hole from the component side. Once the holes are clear its simply a matter of inserting the new component a soldering it in place. If you've never tried removing a part from a printed circuit board find an old circuit card to practice on. Too much heat can not only damage the components mounted to the board, it can also cause the etchings to peal off the board.
I use solder wick usually for something like this and a fine tip soldering pencil. About 40 watts. Never a solder gun. There can still be a thin film of solder at the contacts so I slowly move the item a slight amount to break that thin film. Some times a solder sucker will work. Depends on the area. Make sure the iron tip is clean and hot. With not much solder experience, this can be tricky. I have stripped may items from surplus PC boards in the past and I know it can be tricky. Good luck and take your time. Rich
Much thanks to all above. I had been squeamish about those very aspects of it all and I am not a good solderer past soldering rail joiners. I'll take it to my friends at a MMR club tomorrow. Someone there has got to be gifted in this. With all you've warned I am not going to try it. NCE sent me free update chip and throttle. Guess I should have sent it to them for $15-ish shipping..
Good point. I had the back light fail in my Power Cab display. That was beyond my capabilities even though I have been soldering since 1953. A man has to know his limitations. Because I had registered it with them as soon as I bought it, they repaired it for free. Cost me a few dollars to send it in. Rich
Don't own a solder sucker and have desoldered many parts over the years. Always use heat sinks on sensitive parts. I have had good luck heating one leg at a time and immediately tapping the item on the edge of a cardboard box (prevents solder from flying around) to expel the solder. Repeat if necessary. Jerry
MY backlight failed too . I had opened casing to both assess wheel change and update chip plug in. A few days later Pcab fell on floor. Screen was dead and I just freaked...THEN...ah ha ! I bet !...Yep, new chip I put in had dislodged from socket. Pushed it in and , ta da , back to ops ! Wonder if that was all you needed ...Assuming you hadn't looked inside..
The key to soldering is having the right tools and correct heat settings. I use a soldering station with variable heat settings (low for pc board work), a fine pointed tip, fine wire solder (low melting point) and heat sinks. If you lack these tools then you are likely to foul up. On the other hand given the tools and a little common sense you are more likely to succeed. Jerry
