When these devices first came out the reflow equipment was prohibitively expensive for my small operation, so I devised another way. First, I had a Weller controlled output soldering station that I got a replacement tip for. The tip was of the lowest temperature, longest of the selection and came to a 1/64" tip. Then I would flood all the pins on one side of the IC with about as much solder as they would take. Starting at one end, I would then pry and bend them up away from the board and after that I would gently wick the solder away and see how it went. Don't overheat, do it in stages. These were 32 to 48 or thereabout pin square ICs.
Once, when another technician soldered the IC in 90 degrees clockwise, through no fault of his own, I was able to use this technique to not only remove the IC but also to clean and straighten the pins and re-use it. The technician made this mistake because the service literature was mis-printed as to where pin 1 was located on the board image. So it can be done that way if you have the right soldering iron. Maybe. The main thing is not to damage the board. The razor saw and cutting pliers can be damaging also. I would use a Dremel nowadays. Keep in mind that pick-and-place robots place the components on the board over a drop of glue so as to keep them in place when put in the wave soldering machine. The glue should release when you are through soldering if it does not cool down and re-grip. If it does this, when you lift off the IC it pulls up a spider web of pc traces and you may as well throw it in the trash. This was 40 years ago. Nowadays I would just use the reflow if available or a Dremel cut-off wheel. Also... I wouldn't obtain the replacement until I had removed the part and made sure the board was still OK if you used my procedure. Unless you were feeling lucky. John, KI5HOC On Sun, Jun 28, 2026 at 11:55 AM Daniel Poirot via BVARC <[email protected]> wrote: > Howdy! > > I hope everyone is having the best Field Day ever! > > I have an issue with a SDR. The microcontroller is bricked and rip and > replace is the only option. > > Does anyone have a way to remove a 32-pin TQFP surface mount part? > > Reflow is my first choice, followed at a distance by Xacto knife and side > cutters! > > I am at a loss and welcome any suggestions! > > 73 > Dan KJ5IZK > > ------------------ > Brazos Valley Amateur Radio Club > Official Club Website: https://bvarc.org > > * GET INVOLVED: Help a committee! https://bvarc.org > * SUGGESTIONS: Have an idea or a grievance? > https://bvarc.org/home/suggestions > * MEMBER ROSTER: Look up a friend (New!): https://bvarc.org/roster.php > > UNSUBSCRIBE or CHANGE SETTINGS: > https://bvarc.org/home/club-listserver/ >
------------------ Brazos Valley Amateur Radio Club Official Club Website: https://bvarc.org * GET INVOLVED: Help a committee! https://bvarc.org * SUGGESTIONS: Have an idea or a grievance? https://bvarc.org/home/suggestions * MEMBER ROSTER: Look up a friend (New!): https://bvarc.org/roster.php UNSUBSCRIBE or CHANGE SETTINGS: https://bvarc.org/home/club-listserver/
