RIP BDR-205 diode

daguin said:

I haven't tried this yet. Does it cut through that damnable thick "board" on the PHR as well?

Peace,
dave

Click to expand...

I normally try to get the pins as clean as possible so that the board can be lifted up off the pins with pliers.

I just tried it with a PHR sled red/IR combo diode.
It took me approx. 2 minutes using the above method.

It will cut through the board, but the blade may chip or deform if you press too hard into the case or heat-sink.
It took me ~4 minutes trying to cut through the board on another diode.

RA_pierce said:

I normally try to get the pins as clean as possible so that the board can be lifted up off the pins with pliers.

I just tried it with a PHR sled red/IR combo diode.
It took me approx. 2 minutes using the above method.

It will cut through the board, but the blade may chip or deform if you press too hard into the case or heat-sink.
It took me ~4 minutes trying to cut through the board on another diode.

Click to expand...

Thanks. I very rarely use a PHR anymore, but it is good info to have out here

Peace,
dave

$360?? That's horrible! Your pain makes mine a little more bearable. I found a new BDR-205 on Directron for $183, so I went ahead and ordered that. There goes 2 weeks' pay for me... :barf: This reminds me of how they used to bury people who were thought to be dead, but were really in comas.

Hmmm, that sucks. One method I use to remove unwanted solder is to heat up the solder with a normal iron and then use a can of compressed air to quickly blow away the solder. The molten solder flys across my workbench and slatters the wall with molten metal, haha! It works well. I purposely ground my diodes with a dab of solder for storage or when I'm pressing them into a host. See:



As long as you're quick and the diode is properly heatsinked, then you shouldn't do any damage.

-Tony

That's a really good idea! I could really care less about my wall when working with a diode. I could put my cat in front of the wall so I don't get any solder on the wall. :crackup:
I was using one of those little blue rubber air/water hand squeeze things (I don't know what they're called haha) with a very thin piece of plastic tubing stuck in it to suck the molten solder off it. It didn't work very well, and I was holding the iron on there so much that the heat itself probably killed the thing anyway.

daguin said:

Do you have a "solder sucker"? I have no idea what the real name is

If so, you may be able to remelt the solder on the diode around the positive pin and suck it clean enough to get it isolated again.

Put it into a good heat sink and work quickly.

Peace,
dave

Click to expand...

The "solder sucker's" real name is a de-soldering tool just for the record guys if you need one instead of asking for a solder sucker lol ask for a de-soldering tool!
-Sarge

I did some more research on these desoldering tools (yay Google), and I found that there is a thing called a solder wick, and also something called a solder sucker.

"The choice of your solder removing device is also important. There are two main ones; vacuum pumps (solder suckers) and solder wick. They both do the same thing, so what you use will depend on your personal opinion or experiences. I suggest keeping both on hand though, as you may find that each works well in different situations. Solder suckers usually look like large syringes. There is a spring loaded plunger, and a button to release it. The plunger is pushed down. When you want to suck up the solder, you position the nozzle over the molten solder and hit the button. The plunger moves up, creating a vacuum and sucking up the solder. Solder wick, on the other hand, has no moving parts. It looks like wick used in oil lamps, except that it is made of copper. To use it, you put the wick over the joint and heat it. One thing to note about solder wick is that it is expensive, and because it is expendable, a solder sucker may be a better choice if you plan to do a lot of desoldering. I personally prefer to use a sucker to remove most of the solder, then finish up with the wick." - How To Desolder

......... And now I'm thinking I might want one of those blue diodes after all, considering their luminosity is a lot better and it seems we can push them a lot further... FML. :undecided: Anyone want to buy a brand new BDR-205, still in packaging for $160 + shipping? It hasn't arrive yet, but once it does, I'll send it right out.

This is what I use, if solder wick is not feasible...............



Edit: This the one RadioShack sells

Soldering wick is great. Place the wick on the solder and press on the back of the wick with the iron.
As soon as the solder melts it sucks into the wick (capillary action).
This means the heat efficiently goes into the wick and the solder minimally heating the PCB/Diode.